Pokemon Sapphire - 0 Exp / Low Level Game Part 1: Roxanne

Channel:

MoogleBoss

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Published on June 12, 2011 1:42:05 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARbwzC67rOQ

Game:

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire (2002)

Duration: 6:26

5,289 views

37

Well, this was easy to see coming, wasn't it?

1 exp challenge in Pokemon Sapphire works similarly to the 0 exp runs I started in the Silver and Yellow versions - that is, in this challenge nobody levels up, and we rely on the wild Pokemon's unique, limited abilities to proceed in the storyline as opposed to training.

The first difference you will notice is the name. Why not 0 exp? Is this because I want to level up nevertheless? Thing is, I did try to modify the ROM so that nothing would give experience, changing the base exp value of every Pokemon in the game to 0, but the exp gain formula must have changed since the previous generation, because even with 0 base exp, a defeated Pokemon will still provide precisely 1 experience point.

Now, this changes nothing of essence. While I technically can grind for many hours to gain one level, I won't be doing that, and will instead play it like it were a 0 exp challenge. The point remains - nothing levels up in this game, and the difficulties we face are very similar in nature to my Pokemon Yellow and Silver 0 exp runs.

It's actually quite harder, now that I can compare these runs, as my next videos will show. Introduced abilities and extra skill add extra depth to the battling, making the strategic approach more interesting and varied than just catch whatever is at the highest level and hit stuff with it (in that regard, Yellow was less varied being the most classic of the games). Not to mention that the wild Pokemon are very low-levelled for a long time, making the gym leaders very problematic at times. Finally, the advance generation of Pokemon games fixed the boxing glitch, and now I can't boost my low-levelled Pokemon's stats a little after beating up a bunch of Rockets and boxing them. Vitamins still work though, in a pinch.


Roxanne is the first gym leader in the game, and resurrects the generation 1 tradition of opening with a rock-type gym (a tradition that will carry on into generation 4 as well), which is nasty seeing how Rock-types have high defences and resist Normal-type attacks that are most prominent earlygame.

For Roxanne, we'd like a water-type or a grass-type. The starters never gain any levels and are thus useless for that purpose; however, there IS one Pokemon in the wild who starts with a grass-type attack right off the bat. It's Shroomish, available at the highest level of 6 in the wild. Compared to Nosepass's high level of 15, this is quite bad, but we're not doing this alone.

Roxanne starts, predictably, with Geodude. He's 4x weak to grass; however, the level difference and Shroomish's poor attacking options still make Absorb only a 3HKO. An otherwise useless Bullet Seed TM could be put to good use here, as it attacks from 2 to 5 times (randomly, with 2-3 hits being the most likely outcome). Even if it hits just twice, the minimum, it's still as good as Absorb (sans the recovery), so it will do more damage on average.

Instead of attacking with Bullet Seed though, I go for Absorb in the first turns. The reason is that I want Roxanne to waste up all her Potions on Geodude (she has two). Nosepass is FAR, FAR bulkier, and we don't want that duel to last any longer than it already does.

Shroomish needs full team support in both the duels. If Geodude's attack is reduced once with Growl (Skitty can do this nicely, as she outspeeds him), Slakoth and Shroomish can both survive two of Geodude's STAB attacks with an Oran Berry attached. Slakoth should sleep Geodude with Yawn, which is 100% accurate but takes its effect on the following turn (which is when we switch to Shroomish).

Then Shroomish spams Absorb until two Potions are used, then finishes off with Bullet Seed.

Nosepass is deadlier, and durable AS HELL. No 4x weakness anymore, huge level difference, colossal base defence stats. Not good. It gets powerful STABs as well.

He needs plenty of Growls, and preferably some Sand-Attacks too. Makuhita has a useful fighting-type for this gym, which enables him to take half damage from rock-type attacks (further nerfed by Growl) and reduce accuracy with SA. Sadly, he die to a crit on the switch, so he doesn't contribute.

Though I don't like using X items, I just had to use on here. Bullet Seed does ridiculously low damage and I just didn't want to sit though 10 extra hits of it, so I went ahead and increased my special attack one level.

It's funny that Geodude and Nosepass have almost the same moveset: Tackle, Rock Throw, Rock Tomb, Defense Curl/Harden. The latter are a waste of turn, and a free turn for us to set up.

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=986C7BC1ED99BA8D
Playlist of the challenge, updated with each new video.

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