History Main / LowLevelRun

[[quoteright:350:[[Manga/MagicalCircleGuruGuru https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lowlevel.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:This is the final battle, by the way. ]]

* The ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' games can be beaten with the starting stats of 10 HP and 5 FP, simply by allocating all of your level-ups into Badge Points. [[ComplacentGamingSyndrome Which is how pretty much everyone plays these games normally]], so it works out rather well. Later in the game, you can even ''reduce'' Mario's max HP to 5 as part of a GameBreaker build called "Danger Mario", which exploits CriticalStatusBuff badges that buff either Mario's Attack or Evasion while he's at 5 HP or less. Since equipping multiple copies of these badges stack, you can quite easily turn Mario into a freight train who is nearly impossible for the enemies to hit, but [[GlassCannon will instantly turn to dust should an enemy get unfathomably lucky]]. Be warned, however, that the first game places a much lower {{Cap}} on your stats than the second. After hitting 30 BP, you will be forced to start levelling up the other two stats, meaning you'll need to beat the game before hitting Level 11 if you want them to stay at their starting values.

* The ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' games can be beaten with the starting stats of 10HP and 5FP. It's possible by attributing all level-ups to Badge Points, which only work as long as you [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin equip badges]]. You'll need all the badges you can get, because late-game enemies have ''high'' attack power (''[[VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor Thousand-Year Door]]'' has a late-game boss that can kill you [[OneHitKO in a single hit]] with these settings). You can even cut Mario's max HP to 5 as part of a GameBreaker build called "Danger Mario", which allows Mario to use a plethora of special badges that only activate if Mario has 5HP or less -- and since there's no limit on stacking those badges, it can turn Mario into an unstoppable powerhouse.

Compare MinimalistRun, where the objective is to finish the game using as little equipment as possible. Compare WeakButSkilled, which is what your character will need to be to get through the game with such comparably low stats and resources. Frequently overlaps with PacifistRun in games that lack the ability to manipulate EXP gain.

* VideoGame/Undertale2RevengeOfTheRobots has the potential for a run like this built into the game itself, as you can find secret XP Breeze Badges that prevent you from gaining XP in the first room of the game.

* In ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'', a Soul Level 1 is considered easier than in ''Demon's Souls'', but not by much. While you can't increase health, you can still upgrade weapons to +10 and add elemental damage, and pyromancy is attached to the rank of the flame and not the intelligence or faith stats, allowing you to stay ahead of the damage curve even though a light breeze would destroy you.

* Every ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' game has had someone do this, including the ones that don't actually use levels. The ''Pixel Remasters'' of the first six games make it even more feasible by allowing you to reduce EXP gain or even disable it entirely.

* Every ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' game has had someone do this, including the ones that don't actually use levels. The ''Pixel Remasters'' of the first six games make it even more feasible by allowing you to disable EXP entirely.

* Every ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' game has had someone do this, including the ones that don't actually use levels. The ''Pixel Remasters'' of the first six games make it even easier by allowing you to disable EXP entirely.

* Every ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' game has had someone do this, including the ones that don't actually use levels:

** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', a low-level run is essential to those looking to max out their stats as much as possible. Keeping levels as low as possible (by avoiding battles, juggling characters when you have to fight, and manipulating when characters rejoin the group) allows the player to wait until he has the right espers, which each grant a different stat boost when the character holding them levels up. The endeavor is helped by a few GoodBadBugs such as the Vanish-Doom GameBreaker and isn't a ''strict'' low-level run, as it still allows free LevelGrinding of {{Guest Star Party Member}}s and (at certain times) characters who can't equip espers to gain strength and money. If you're into a ''real'' low-level run, you can beat the game with characters as low as Level 6 by having Gau take large amounts of forced experience and then jumping him off into the Veldt so that it doesn't count. It helps that bosses give no EXP in this game either.

* ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' features a special mode where experience gained is determined by the quality of the {{Combos}} the player uses. This is intended to reward players who are good at the battle system, but it can be used to keep the characters' levels low by deliberately performing poorly. Since the game is an ActionRPG, a good player can avoid all damage and keep enemies locked in infinite {{Combos}} regardless of the characters' levels. And the NewGamePlus gives you the option to halve the amount of experience gained, which is useful for this type of run. [[https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tales+of+symphonia+colette+poison&search=Search There are videos]] of low-level parties, with Colette and Raine (the game's healer and defensive mage) ''leading'' the battle, defeating [[BonusBoss Abyssion]] -- the single toughest enemy in the game -- by [[CherryTapping poisoning him and dodging attacks for several minutes]]. Lloyd can even earn a title by getting to a certain point with an aggregate party level below a certain number.

** Creator/Stryder7x showed that it is indeed possible to beat every boss, including the NintendoHard {{Bonus Boss}}es, at level 1 (10 HP, 5 FP, and 3 BP) and without upgrading your partners, though doing so requires hacking the game so you don't get any star points, and then farming the Li'l-Oinks for repel gels for the harder bosses.

* The ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy'' series (as well as ''[[SpinOff Bullet]] [[BulletHell Heaven]]'') allow the player to simply not upgrade. ''Bullet Heaven'' in particular can get really nasty; compare the first BonusBoss of four (and yes, the others do get harder) on a Low-Level Run [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlKzSvY8T8M here]] to that same boss [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8UM9VCadUg fought with full upgrades]].