Game:

Final Fantasy VI (1994)

Duration: 11:28

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3

It seems like every video, I remember about another rule I was supposed to add. This time, I'll note that Offensive Items are also banned (as in Garland's playthrough). Also, I decided to redo most WoR fights so that I could ban the Paladin Shield as well. I finally feel like the second half of the game is in a good spot for this challenge now.

Rules reminder:

-Battle Message Speed 1 at all times
-No Jump
-No Step Mine
-No Merit Award
-No Quick
-No Offensive Items
-No Joker Doom
-No Paladin Shield (except to learn Ultima)
-No incapacitating status effects on bosses
-No MP milling bosses
-If there's a gauntlet of fights, the same character must be used for all fights in a row

First off, there's two new recruits to the team. The first is Shadow, who will come and go throughout the first half of the game. He is one of the most valuable characters in the entire squad, as he is able to apply the Image status to himself, which is a powerful status effect. Essentially, it will block all physical attacks and only dissipate 1/4th of the time when struck. In combination with high natural physical evasion and Interceptor blocking 25% of attacks that would slip through, Shadow is one of the best answers to enemy physical attacks, especially in the WoB. If that wasn't enough, he gets access to the elemental Skeans, which approach the tier 3 elemental spells in power for no MP cost.

Cyan gets a... less glowing review. He's about as bad as Sabin in this challenge. Compared to Sabin, his WoR equipment is slightly better, but his WoR offense is slightly worse. In the WoB, he has slightly more HP, but he doesn't have AuraBolt. However, he does have a decent, reliable attack in Dispatch, which can hit a few bosses that AuraBolt cannot thanks to being non-elemental (it does less damage though). Also, Cyan has an oddball skill called Retort, which allows him to counterattack physical attacks with a powerful magical attack. When we can make use of this, it's pretty nice.

As an aside, Cyan's high HP comes from being a level above most characters at level 7. One of the biggest differences between this game and FF7 is that preserving high HP characters isn't very important here. A small difference in HP just doesn't allow you to survive extra attacks in this game most of the time. Generally, endgame attacks will do nothing or OHKO with little in between. This challenge happens to be one of the few where that isn't always the case, but even still, high HP is actually at its best in the earlygame where it allow us to tank attacks on a regular basis.

Telstar is the first of the bosses for this video, and also the first of the four "bonus bosses". It doesn't really feel like one though, as this is just a straight-up good fight with no memes to be had. Telstar's most threatening move is Magitek Laser, which will simply OHKO us (already!?) if we don't play around it. In this case, we could just luck out and not see it, but there's a better trick we can use. Right before the fight, it's possible to pick up a Barrier Ring, which offers SOS Shell. It works a bit differently from FFX. Instead of applying Shell constantly while at low HP, it will trigger an actual Shell spell once after being knocked low. This means that the Shell status will persist after being healed up again.

Therefore, we enter the fight at low HP with the Barrier Ring equipped. Shell will trigger immediately. Sabin can't fight this boss at all since it will counter Blitz by Berserking him, so Shadow is the way to go. Entering with Vanish status (applied via the Inviz Edge that Shadow can Throw) will prevent any chance of death on turn 1. Vanish is a strange status that will cause any physical attacks to miss, but any magical attacks to hit (even through Reflect). It is automatically removed as soon as you're hit by any magical attack, so it's situational. On turn one, Telstar can only attack physically or use Schiller to blind us, so it does its job here and allows us to heal up.

From here, we buff up with Image instead and start spamming Shurikens. Tek Laser probably still kills sometimes, but it doesn't kill on this attempt. However, noticing that the Seizure damage (inflicted by Missile) will probably kill Shadow after the next Tek Laser, we push damage ASAP to finish Telstar off before it gets another chance to use it. With Telstar gone, the Soldiers can't damage us through Image.

(continued in the comments)

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