Playing Final Fantasy V to the End with 0x Experience: A Record of Boss Fights Fought at Level 1

Since no experience is gained, the party's levels stay locked at roughly their starting values. Following the key points of the story, the streamer builds paths to victory by combining each boss's weaknesses, percentage-based damage, status ailment vulnerabilities, stealable equipment, and more. Below, the tactics the streamer demonstrated are organized according to the flow of the story.

The story begins with King Tycoon sensing something wrong with the Wind Crystal and heading to the shrine, where the crystal shatters before his eyes. The traveling protagonist rescues Lenna from goblins at the site where a meteor has fallen, and meets Galuf, who has lost his memory. They are then captured by the pirate Faris's crew, but the captain, Faris, takes a liking to them and joins them on the trip to the Wind Shrine.

The first goblin fight, being against an early-game enemy, was an easy win on auto mode. For the first boss, Wing Raptor, the streamer focuses on the fact that its party-wide attack, Breath Wing, deals percentage damage equal to 1/4 of max HP. As long as it can be defeated before landing four of those, there's no problem, so the streamer equipped a sword from a nearby treasure chest and pushed through with auto-battle.

At the Wind Shrine, the party receives power from the crystal shards and gains the ability to change jobs. On the sea route to the town in the east, they are attacked by a shrimp boss (Karlabos). Judging that lightning would likely be effective, the streamer attacked with the Black Mage's Thunder. Lenna was paralyzed partway through, but with the boss at 650 HP and a single Thunder dealing about 120, the calculation was that two casts each from the remaining three would be enough, and the boss went down.

In the Ship Graveyard, the party fights Siren, who shows visions of loved ones and steals their souls. This is the scene where Galuf, having lost his memory, can't recall anyone's face and breaks through the illusion. According to the streamer, Siren starts out in a beautiful form but turns undead after a while. So the streamer waited for the change, and once she became undead, burned her with Fire on auto-battle for about 30 seconds. Her HP is 900.

Here the streamer explains that in this adventure, only Faris is level 3, and only she has a max MP of 20. Faris is the only one who can cast Fire more times than the rest of the party. As allies were embraced and incapacitated one after another, the boss was finally brought down with a margin of a single Fire.

Next, on North Mountain, the streamer threw a Frost Rod picked up in the port town at the boss, a "nasty-looking woman," and defeated her. Rods like the Frost Rod, which break when used in exchange for unleashing a powerful spell, would go on to be a mainstay in many boss fights after this.

At Walse Castle, a mysterious warrior who arrived with the meteor is fighting a rampaging Garula. Mindful that its physical attacks hit hard, the streamer made Lenna, the fastest member, a Knight to cover the party. The boss is level 3, so Faris attacks with the Blue Magic Goblin Punch, which is effective against enemies of the same level. The protagonist attacks with a katana brought from the castle, Galuf with a whip carried by a previous boss, and the rest is left to auto. The streamer adds that the cover status drops for a moment while inputting commands, but on auto there's no opening, so it's safe. Garula has 1,200 HP and was finished off with Goblin Punch. The streamer remarks that the sight of a Knight covering allies is reminiscent of Cecil from the previous game.

In Karnak, the party is thrown in prison, where they meet Cid. In the engine room of the fire-powered ship, after dealing with the controlled queen, comes the Liquid Flame fight. The streamer's procedure is as follows. First, hit it to make it change form. In this form, its only actions are healing and counterattacks, and the flame counter deals percentage damage equal to 1/4 of max HP. On top of that, it runs out of MP after five uses, so until then you just "have some tea" and wait. Once its MP is gone, exploit its lack of resistance to Confusion to confuse it and suppress the counters. Confusion has a 51% hit rate, and due to MP constraints it can only be tried three times. After it succeeded, the boss was finished off with Frost Rods and the like.

In the escape from Karnak Castle, the party runs through while collecting treasure within the 10-minute time limit. At the Library of the Ancients, they fight Ifrit, who had been sealed in a book, exploiting his ice weakness with Frost Rods and the like. He has 3,000 HP, and this earned the party a summon.

The monster called "Page 32" caught in this library goes on to shine many times afterward through "Release." When a monster came after the grandson (Mid) for the first time, the streamer drove it off by releasing Page 32 as well.

Prompted by an exchange between Cid and his grandson, Galuf regains his memory and tells how he came from another world on the meteor, and how 30 years ago he sealed Exdeath away with the power of the crystals. The newly acquired ship sinks in a great earthquake right after reaching the town of Crescent, so the party travels by black chocobo. They also take a detour to the protagonist's hometown.

The Sandworm fight was fought with the Water Scroll. The streamer kept throwing scrolls while taking percentage-damage counters and took it down in seven throws. In the underground ruins, it is revealed that Faris is Lenna's older sister, who was swept out to sea as a child.

A shrimp monster was clinging to the hull of the airship found in the ruins. Here the streamer wanted to leave the party in a moderately near-death state in preparation for the next boss fight. So the streamer first took a Tail Screw to lower HP, then put the enemy to sleep with Black Magic. After that, being careful not to wake it, the streamer gently finished it off with Geomancy.

In the Adamantoise fight, since it only uses physical attacks, three Knights protected Faris while Faris attacked with Spellblade Blizzard. Against the Soul Cannon guarding the risen ruins, the streamer made Faris, the fastest, a Thief and the other three Ninjas. First, Ethers were stolen from the two Launchers, and then the emptied Launchers were taken out. The main body was attacked with the Lightning Scroll and destroyed.

About Archeoaevis, the master of the Ronka Ruins, the streamer explains that "if you've been living right," it only uses physical attacks. With Knights providing protection, the streamer kept throwing Water Scrolls to defeat it; it revives once through the power of the crystal, so the streamer washed it away again with the same procedure.

Afterward, the party tries to defeat the controlled King Tycoon, but the sisters stop them and they are driven into a corner. Then Galuf's granddaughter Krile appears riding a meteor, blows the king away, and saves them. The king regains consciousness and rejoices at the reunion with his daughters, but in the meantime the last crystal vanishes and Exdeath's seal is broken. King Tycoon wrested back control of the crystal at the cost of his life. Galuf and Krile, not wanting to drag the protagonists into it, return to their original world on their own.

The remaining party tries to gather the power of the meteors to cross to the other world, fighting monsters at each meteor. The Pyros fight is an easy one with the Water Scroll and Frost Rods, but here the streamer wanted to learn the Blue Magic "Self-Destruct." So the streamer healed just one with a Hi-Potion and defeated the rest of its companions right in front of it. The lone remaining Pyros self-destructed as if to follow them, and the technique was learned.

Titan can be defeated with three Frost Rods, so the streamer attacked while stopping its movement with Romeo's Ballad. Since it counterattacks when hit with the last rod, the streamer stopped it with Romeo's Ballad first and then finished it. The enemy at the last meteor was also defeated by releasing Page 32.

Right after crossing into Galuf's world, Lenna and Faris are abducted. The Abductor that attacked the protagonist, left alone, was beaten back with Page 32, but the protagonist ends up captured too. Gilgamesh, fought in the jail, was defeated with the Blue Magic Missile, learned earlier in a forced battle in the Ronka Ruins.

The rematch on the Big Bridge is one of the most step-heavy fights in this video. The streamer had left the party near death in the previous battle and started the fight with a Knight protecting them. Faris, with high MP, went for Slow, and Frost Rods chipped away at him. The streamer explains that at this stage the enemy only uses attacks the Knight can cover, so preparations can be made calmly.

Since four Frost Rods trigger the move to the second form, Haste was cast on the two attackers beforehand. In addition, to prevent the troublesome magic the enemy uses when transforming, the Time Magic Mute was used to shut down all spellcasting. When the second form began, Gilgamesh tried to cast Haste, Protect, and Shell but was blocked. One party member was taken out by Jump, but the support magic was prevented. After that he was finished off with Frost Rods, and Gilgamesh ran away.

Thrown to a remote region by the shock of the barrier, the party fights a Tyrasaurus attacking a moogle. Having not recovered from the previous battle, the protagonist was KO'd and everyone except Lenna remained near death. At this stage it only uses physical attacks, so the streamer stole from it to make money and then took it down in one hit.

In the werewolf village, the party learns from Kelger, one of the Four Warriors of Dawn, that the protagonist's father was also one of the Four Warriors of Dawn. The father stayed behind alone in the other world to watch over the seal, and the protagonist was born there. The streamer reacts, "So I wasn't just an ordinary guy surrounded by three royals." The Dragon Grass in the Dragon's Valley, which had turned into a monster, was also defeated by releasing Page 32.

In the third Gilgamesh fight, following a procedure familiar from the FF series, two Knights provided protection while the Ranger attacked with "Aim." The streamer had equipped the Killer Bow, which has a special effect, and fought expecting its instant-death effect to trigger eventually.

The Atomos fight at the Barrier Tower is elaborate. The streamer deliberately got the protagonist KO'd beforehand in a treasure chest battle, luring the enemy's actions while the protagonist is down. Meanwhile, Atomos, which has no resistance to sleep, was put to sleep with Spellblade Sleep, and the protagonist was revived. After that, being careful not to wake it, the streamer landed 47 water-elemental attacks and "gently washed it away." After the tower's destruction, Xezat, who took on the role of the power room, could not escape.

In the Great Forest of Moore, Exdeath sets the forest ablaze, and the party fights the guardians of the seal inside the Elder Tree. Since they only use physical attacks, two Knights provided protection while the Killer Bow's instant-death effect finished them off. Galuf falls during the fight, but the streamer explains this isn't a problem since he gets back up after this battle.

After the battle, Exdeath breaks the seal of this world's four crystals. Galuf throws off the crystals' power, saves Krile, and challenges Exdeath alone. Since it's an event battle, the streamer washed him away with the Water Scroll. Exdeath fires off Flare and Holy repeatedly, but Galuf does not fall. The streamer compares this setup to the duel between Golbez and Tellah in the previous game and says it's nice that the side casting Meteor is reversed. After driving Exdeath back, Galuf succumbs, entrusting the world to the remaining four.

Krile joins the party, and to prepare for the final battle, they steal Reflect Rings from Carbuncle. First, since its magic is annoying, the streamer silenced it with Spellblade. A few party members fell during preparations, but the judgment was that with four people it was fine. A Reflect Ring was stolen during the first form, and Faris, with high MP, was revived for a finishing Spellblade Break. In the second form, the streamer kept it asleep with the Sleep Blade, stole another Reflect Ring, and then delivered the finishing blow.

The Exdeath fight was taken on with a lineup of three Beastmasters and one Knight. Releasing the Yellow Dragon brought from a treasure chest in the Barrier Tower deals damage equal to 1/4 of max HP, so after three releases his remaining HP is 8,192. According to the streamer, once his HP is lowered Exdeath only uses simple attacks and magic. After that, the two wearing Reflect Rings waited for him to fall "while having some tea."

When Exdeath is defeated, the crystals shatter and the party wakes up in Tycoon Castle. Sensing something amiss, Krile and the protagonist fight Antlion. Since sleep is effective, Krile attacked with the Black Magic Sleep, and the protagonist with the Water Scroll, its weakness. The streamer calls this "the usual sleep-and-water thing." There was also a moment where Krile was hit by a sound wave and had her level halved.

Exdeath then reveals his scheme to merge the two worlds and obtain the power of the Void that lay between them. The party sets out to collect the stone tablets that unlock the seals on the legendary weapons. For the Gargoyle fight, the streamer adjusted HP by playing with Page 32 in the Library of the Ancients, then took them down with a Mystic Knight while a Knight provided protection. Since the Gargoyles revive each other, one was first put to sleep with Spellblade Sleep, and then they were defeated with Spellblade Break.

Melusine, who had possessed Lenna, was put to sleep with Spellblade Sleep and burned with Flame Rods, exploiting her fire weakness. She has 20,000 HP, and the calculation was that it would take about nine rods.

In the Stalker fight, the legendary weapon Masamune was used to cast Haste on the Black Mage, and the Black Mage put all the enemies to sleep with Sleep. After that, the streamer attacked with "Throw" while cheering the party on with Hero's Rime. The streamer explains that Throw's power depends heavily on level, so the more levels gained through Hero's Rime, the stronger it gets. About 30,000 gil was spent in this fight. The streamer also says there's plenty of money left over, and since nothing money can buy has real value, scattering it around here is just right for life.

The tower in the east has a mechanism where the tower explodes unless two spells are taken at the same time, so the party splits in two. The Minotaur side was taken on by three level-1 members. The streamer jokes that it's a fair team split, since Faris on the other side is level 3.

The procedure is as follows. With a Knight covering, revive fallen allies into a near-death state. Cast Haste with Masamune, and wait for Krile to also be hit by the enemy and become near death. Revive in the same way with the legendary Sage's Staff and cast Haste. After that, attack on auto. The protagonist's weapon, the Brave Blade, has reached its maximum in-game attack power of 150 because the party hasn't fled from a single battle so far. Krile aimed for the Flame Whip's added effect of Firaga. The Minotaur has just under 20,000 HP, and the party can deal about 700 per turn, so the streamer calculates it can be defeated in about 30 turns.

The other one, "Omniscient," only uses magic, so the party went in equipped with Reflect Rings. Bone Mail was worn to counter Drain, which Reflect can't block. However, this enemy may cast Reflect on itself and then bounce healing magic back, and if that happens, the fight can't be won. The streamer said that the chance of drawing that pattern is low, so it would probably be "fine if you've been living right." In the end, it was defeated.

The Interdimensional Rift is where, 1,000 years ago, people split the world in two and sealed away powerful monsters. From here on, enemies requiring different countermeasures follow one after another.

Calofisteri counters attacks with magic but has no resistance to Silence. So the streamer hit her with Spellblade Silence and piled on attacks while she was silenced. The Artemis Bow, which is especially effective against demon-type enemies, was also used. The next enemy ("Panda" in the subtitles) has no resistance to Berserk, so a White Mage cast Berserk to limit it to physical attacks, and the streamer attacked with Flame Rods while a Knight provided protection. Its HP is just over 20,000 and one rod deals a bit over 2,000, so the estimate was that about ten would be plenty. Catastrophe keeps casting Gravity 100 on airborne targets, but Reflect Rings block it, so the streamer defeated it by singing songs and attacking casually.

Apocalypse is an enemy that mimics the Blue Magic the party uses. So the Blue Mages all self-destructed at once, and the technique learned from Pyros came in handy. The streamer adds that this enemy doesn't need to be defeated, but doing so creates a save point.

At Halicarnassus, the goal is to steal the Aegis Shield from the rare slot. The first attempt failed and drew the common slot, so the streamer redid it and succeeded on the first try. Faris, no longer needed, was cut loose, and the remaining two fought. Its only means of attack are physical attacks and Holy, so the streamer bounced Holy back with Reflect Rings and defeated it.

At Twintania, right before the final boss, the supporting White Mage casts Haste and casts Reflect on the Dragoon. The two incoming Vacuum Waves are dodged with Jump. Atomic Ray and Mind Blast are reflected with Reflect, and Tidal Wave was absorbed with a ring. After weathering every attack, the streamer took advantage of the opening when it weakens while charging Giga Flare, and Faris delivered the finishing blow with Spellblade Break.

In the final battle, as the party is nearly swallowed by the Void, the Four Warriors of Dawn and King Tycoon support them and hold back the power of the Void.

Exdeath's first form uses physical attacks and White Hole. Since White Hole can't be cast once he runs out of MP, the streamer drained his MP with Spellblade Osmose. For the ones that come in before his MP runs out, all one can do is pray to dodge them through equipment. A few people were hit, but the judgment was that it was fine as long as the Knight and the Mystic Knight weren't.

After draining his MP and securing safety, the streamer began preparing for Neo Exdeath. Revived allies were whittled down to near death with knives to adjust HP, and the attacking Samurai was moved to the front row. Since the goal was to defeat the second form before the enemy could act, the party was made to sing Swift Song. The Mystic Knight switched back to the high-attack Masamune and bought time with the Osmose Blade until Swift Song and Hero's Rime had reached everyone. After that, the streamer switched to the Break Blade for Neo Exdeath. When moving to the attack, Bahamut and Leviathan were summoned in turn with the Magic Lamp. If it's set up so that Odin comes out next, Zantetsuken can be used on Neo Exdeath.

In the Neo Exdeath fight, Lenna protects the party, and Faris destroys the lower right with the Break Blade. Another member scatters money, and Krile finishes off the lower left with Zantetsuken. The rest was left to the protagonist, and the boss was defeated.

In the ending, the crystals are restored and the world begins to return to its original form. The streamer summed it up by saying that at the end of an adventure traveling across worlds, the world could be saved even with experience and the like set to 0x. On top of that, the streamer praised the Pixel Remaster for making the game even more accessible while keeping the polished battle system as it is. The streamer closed the video by saying that even now, more than 30 years after its release, it's tremendously fun to play, and that they think it is unquestionably one of the great RPGs.