History Main / LowLevelRun

** It can be done in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' as bosses don't give experience and theer are very few forced encounters, yet one can still gain job levels from enemies that run away.

** ''Illusion of Gaia'' has a very unique levelling system, wherein clearing each room of a level gives you a permanent stat increase in either HP, Str, or Def. But when it comes time to face a boss, you get the stat increases anyway, so you underlevelling is actually pointless.

*** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' is incredible for this, as winning battles doesn't automatically increase your stats, but merely gives you points to spend on stat increases. Because of this, No Sphere Grid (i.e. no stat increase) runs are merely the tip of the iceberg, and there is a whole slew of other challenges combining that restriction with other restrictions such as No Items, No Escapes, No Overdrives, etc. The peak of it all is what's called a NSGNSNCNONENNENBB challenge -- that is, No [[LevelGrinding Sphere Grid]], No Summoning, No [[ItemCrafting Customizing]], No [[LimitBreak Overdrives]], No Escape, No "No [[RandomEncounters Encounters]]", and No Blitzball. Purportedly, the closest anyone has ever gotten to completing this challenge is getting the final boss down to about half health.
** It has since been achieved, with a lot of luck (and undoubtedly skill, to even reach the final boss): [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG_h6x0Il3U observe.]]

* ''Videogame/{{Undertale}}'' outright ''encourages'' low-level runs, since the only way to gain EXP [[note]]Execution Point[[/note]] is through killing monsters, and the game goes out of its way to make you feel horrible about killing monsters (while sparing them is always an option and at least gives the player gold with which to buy healing items and better armor.) The GoldenEnding requires the player to not kill a single enemy and go through the whole game at Level 1 [[note]]Level is referred in-universe as LOVE, which stands for Level of Violence.[[/note]].

* ''Videogame/{{Undertale}}'' outright ''encourages'' low-level runs, since the only way to gain EXP is through killing monsters, and the game goes out of its way to make you feel horrible about killing monsters (while sparing them is always an option and at least gives the player gold with which to buy healing items and better armor.) The GoldenEnding requires the player to not kill a single enemy and go through the whole game at Level 1.

* ''VideoGame/{{The World Ends With You}}'' comes equipped with a level slider, which lets you go as low as 1 and as high as you have advanced. The more you handicap yourself, the higher the drop rate is. It's practically required to set your level to 1 to obtain several rare pins, especially in postgame.

* ''Videogame/{{Undertale}}'' outright ''encourages'' low-level runs, since the only way to gain XP is through killing monsters, and the game goes out of it's way to make you feel horrible about killing monsters (while sparing them is always an option and at least gives the player gold with which to buy healing items and better armor.) The GoldenEnding requires the player to not kill a single enemy and go through the whole game at Level 1.

** The prequel, ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga'' has this as well. That game also doesn't even have any healing spots at all, quite unusual for an RPG[[note]]well, not in [[DifficultyByRegion non-Japanese versions]][[/note]]. Perfect timing is all you need... it seems. Not only can you get equipment set ups to make yourself powerful (so you can kill enemies quicker and don't have to dodge as much), you can also get equipment and items that make the action easier as well. Effects ranging from not dropping your hammer when you hold it too long during a counter attack so that it all goes down to knowing when to stop holding the button (as opposed to knowing when to both start AND stop it), being able to float indefinitely (perfect if there's little to no attacks that can hit you in the air), making yourself lighter and more floaty (thus meaning your timing doesn't have to be as tight) and making yourself heavier (if you need to jump multiple times in quick succession, this can be helpful.) Thus this run CAN be done with pure skill, but you can also equip the right stuff to make the skill portion easier depending on the situation. Once you get the Shroom Force equipment, this challenge becomes MUCH easier.

* A Soul Level 1 run in ''VideoGame/DarkSouls''is considered easier than Demons 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.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Gothic}}'' expert "The Wonderer" has beaten Gothic II with Expansion with level 6. You can download the videos [[http://www.worldofgothic.de/dl/download_207.htm here]] (in german).

** The prequel, ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga'' has this as well. That game also doesn't even have any healing spots at all, quite unusual for an RPG. Perfect timing is all you need... it seems. Not only can you get equipment set ups to make yourself powerful (so you can kill enemies quicker and don't have to dodge as much), you can also get equipment and items that make the action easier as well. Effects ranging from not dropping your hammer when you hold it too long during a counter attack so that it all goes down to knowing when to stop holding the button (as opposed to knowing when to both start AND stop it), being able to float indefinitely (perfect if there's little to no attacks that can hit you in the air), making yourself lighter and more floaty (thus meaning your timing doesn't have to be as tight) and making yourself heavier (if you need to jump multiple times in quick succession, this can be helpful.) Thus this run CAN be done with pure skill, but you can also equip the right stuff to make the skill portion easier depending on the situation. Once you get the Shroom Force equipment, this challenge becomes MUCH easier.

* ''Videogame/{{Undertale}}'' outright ''encourages'' low-level runs, since the only way to gain XP is through killing monsters, and the game goes out of it's way to make you feel horrible about killing monsters. The GoldenEnding requires the player to not kill a single enemy and go through the whole game at Level 1.

* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'':
** In the HD Remaster called "Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD [=ReMIX=]" which contains Kingdom Hearts 1 Final Mix, Re:Chain of Memories and a movie for 358/2 Days, the Zero EXP abiltiy was added for Kingdom Hearts Final Mix. As the name implies, you earn NO EXPERIENCE AT ALL when it's equipped, allowing for a level 1 run. It scales the bosses to your level, so they're more or less as difficult as they'd be in a normal run. Normal enemies, however, will destroy you without hesitation. And the worst part of this? Unlike Kingdom Hearts 2, where you learn abilities from beating bosses, in Kingdom Hearts 1, you only learn abilities either through story, doing optional sidequests and the majority of Sora's abilities come from LEVELING UP, like in most [=RPGs=]. This includes getting HP enhancements as well. Meaning, you're mainly stuck with level 1 HP, no Guard, no Scan, no Leaf Bracer and Second Chance. Basically, you're left with nothing but with what you learn during the story. Also, you can avoid normal enemies for most of the game, but there are certain parts that absolutely require that you fight them, such as when you have to save the gorillas in Deep Jungle. More notably, in the Final World, where the enemies are as strong as they get, and '''they will kill you in one hit, but you're forced to fight them multiple times'''. Square really should've fixed this up more to make it not near-impossible. Also, this ability is only available in Proud mode, which is [=KH1=] Final Mix's equivalent of Critical mode.
** In the Final Mix+ rerelease of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', there is not only an option for an even more difficult mode not in the original (Critical Mode), but in that mode, there is an ability called EXP Zero, which does exactly what you think it does: You don't earn any EXP, ever, so you can play through the whole game at Level 1. Also, you take double damage and your HP is halved in this mode. The worst part about a level 1 run is the fact that you'll never learn the [[LastChanceHitPoint Once More and Second Chance abilities]], which means that later on almost every hit is a OneHitKill.
** This can also be done in the original VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII by hacking, due to the fact that Antiform has the EXP Zero ability by default.
** In ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 358/2 Days]]'', you only increase in level by equipping level-up panels. This allows you to play through the entire game at Level 1, if you want, or strip down to Level 1 to fight a particular boss or play through Mission Mode the hard way.
** Likewise in ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded coded]]''. The game actually encourages it by recording the lowest level at which you've beaten a world.
** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' and ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance 3D [Dream Drop Distance]]]'' both start you with the [=EXPZero=] ability, though only on Proud and Critical modes.

** I'm not sure about chapter 9, but both the boss of chapter 12 and the final boss open the fight with an unavoidable attack that deals somewhat around 2000 damage minimum - which will kill anyone not at least 1/4 way through the level up system.

* It is possible to go through the ''PaperMario'' games with the starting stats of 10HP and 5FP. Level-ups are given to the Badge Points (which do nothing [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin except equip badges]], which can modify attack, defense, etc.) What makes it difficult is that enemies have ''high'' attack power late to post-game. ''PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'', for example, has a late-game boss that can do 10 Attack ''in one move'' if you're not prepared, and the final boss can do 7 attack ''three times''. These are very high stats for these games.

** Of the Franchise/FinalFantasy games, ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' is most suited to low-level runs. Most of your combat power derives from junctioned Guardian Forces and Magic, not level-grinding, and your enemies' dynamic difficulty is scaled by your level - NOT by what you have junctioned. Thus, a low-level run is actually a GameBreaker, as it is the easiest way to beat the game. Not that it tells you this, of course. YMMV, though -- you ''do'' need to fight monsters to gain Ability Points, otherwise the power given by your GFs is limited.

* ''FireEmblem'' games do everything in their power to make a Low-Level Run impossible, with the specter of [[AllDeathsFinal permanent character death]] always looming and untrained characters becoming increasingly (and mathematically) unable to stand up to enemies the more you neglect them. However, each game usually gives you several pre-promoted powerhouse units to recruit that are weaker over the long run, but ensure that you won't become [[UnwinnableByMistake completely stuck]].

* In ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}} II'', high-level characters could go to the last Waypoint of each act and send a Town Portal to be used by low-level players in their party. This allowed n00bs to gain access to certain areas without completing the prerequisite quests: for example, getting to the Canyon of the Magi without killing the Summoner, or to the Durance of Hate without ever assembling Khalim's Will. This was nerfed in the 1.10 patch.
** An allegedly popular set of challenges in ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}} II'' are the 1@17, 2@20, 3@30 Diablo kills -- basically, killing the final boss on a difficulty setting at the earliest possible level. To use the Hell entrance in Normal difficulty requires a character level of 17, to access Nightmare difficulty requires a level of 20, and Hell difficulty is accessible at 30. Each challenge is to be attempted solo, though you are not required to attempt or complete any of the earlier challenges to attempt the coveted 3@30.

* ''StarControl II'' is the most extreme example of this. Although there's no such thing as levels, you can play through the entire game without ever visiting the Rebel Base at Earth. From there you have no upgrades to your flagship, a ''very'' short supply of fuel, very few combat ships (gained via alliance pacts, which are rare in themselves) and to top it all off, [[BeefGate a new enemy appears every day (about five seconds in real time) headed right at you]]. You are ''screwed''. The worst part is that even if you can consistently fight off the enemies with 0 damage, each battle resets your ships direction, and due to lack of upgrades, you're forced to travel everywhere with the slowest possible rotation rate and ship speed. Did I mention there's a time limit in the game?

* Speaking of BioWare, ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' has had a couple of interesting games. At least two people have played through the first game ''without gaining XP at all'', via a combination of [[StealthRun stealth]] and using enemies against each other. The second game requires you to kill enemies, but minimal XP runs have been completed, with only a few thousand XP gained (the cap being 8 million).

* ''KingdomHearts'':

* ''WorldOfWarcraft'' has two different forms of this; Level 1 Gnome (or Tauren) races often end in an opposing faction's capital, and making your way through is an exercise in aggro management and sheer patience. On the other hand, it's possible to enter many raid dungeons five levels before you are supposed to (the game simply refuses anyone of lower level than that).

*** This kind of thing is considered an exploit by Blizzard and can easily get your account banned. However in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'' quite a few Ninja (and other jobs) have soloed Jailer of Fortitude without any crying foul from SquareEnix. Anyone who has played the game even a little knows just how good Red Mages are at soloing mobs that would normally take six to eighteen players.

* The introduction of "instanced" areas, where difficulty is determined by a given player's level, has made joining groups with a much lower-level player into a viable tactic in GaiaOnline MMO ''zOMG!'' The low-level player is sent in first to set the difficulty of the enemies, and then his high-level buddies come in, walk all over the enemies, and revive their sacrificial victim if necessary. Side effects may include situations where the low man is the last person standing against Queen Lorelei... and wins.
* All of the games in the ''MarioAndLuigi'' series let you avoid all damage from every attack if you're good enough with action commands. There are very few exceptions, meaning that perfect skill can result in beating a game with minimal levels. But due to the dependence of damage upon level, it will probably take a very long time to succeed in one of these challenges.
** The combat system in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi:PartnersInTime'' involves having the player actively dodge or redirect enemy attacks rather than leaving it up to chance. Perfect timing becomes necessary during a LowLevelRun, where enemy attacks that would normally become CherryTapping from enemies become OneHitKill attacks. There are no items the player can use to make enemy attacks miss invariably and decreasing their Attack Stats while increasing your Defense Stats will do naught to help you. Using a revitalizing item if you cannot dodge well will also not get you anywhere, as you will waste a turn using the item while whoever was knocked out will not be able to go at all. To make it even worse, if one brother survives and the player has no more healing items, the one that's still standing has to carry his brother during the enemy's attack phase, which delays the jump, making it considerably harder to dodge.

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

* ''WildArms'' can be done in a LowLevelRun thanks to a severe abuse of [[http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL12AE6450199298EE&feature=view_all Goat Dolls]], an item in the game that allows a character to survive any attack with partially HP. The best part is, you can keep re-equipping more during combat. Experience can be avoided completely after a certain point in this game due to status effect 'forgetfulness', which causes characters not to gain any experience after a fight ends.

* ''VideoGame/{{Legend of Mana}}'' provides experience as crystals dropped on the ground by enemies, which must be picked up in order to gain levels. More significantly, the player affect enemy levels by planning his or her path through the game. As a result, it is quite possible to fight a level 40 final boss at level 1 the first time through the game, and in NewGamePlus mode encounter level 99 bosses with a level 1 character. As ''LegendOfMana'' is an action-RPG, such a challenge is possible, but takes a lot of skill and blacksmithing.

* VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptuniaUActionUnleashed has an accessory available from the beginning of the game that disables EXP gain and sets everyone at Level 1 regardless of current level. Of course, this can be combined with other equipment and, since it can be equipped on one person and affect everyone, one could simply equip it on a character that he or she doesn't plan to use and have all three slots open for equipment that can boost stats fairly well. Also, there are certain bonuses within the game that allow you to give slight stat boosts to your characters by obtaining certain amounts of medals from different enemies, though these are optional and don't have to be accepted in order (for example, one can accept the award for obtaining 999 Dogoo medals before accepting the reward for 100 Dogoo medals), meaning that one can simply refuse to accept them to make the game even harder.

* Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed has an accessory available from the beginning of the game that disables EXP gain and sets everyone at Level 1 regardless of current level. Of course, this can be combined with other equipment and, since it can be equipped on one person and affect everyone, one could simply equip it on a character that he or she doesn't plan to use and have all three slots open for equipment that can boost stats fairly well. Also, there are certain bonuses within the game that allow you to give slight stat boosts to your characters by obtaining certain amounts of medals from different enemies, though these are optional and don't have to be accepted in order (for example, one can accept the award for obtaining 999 Dogoo medals before accepting the reward for 100 Dogoo medals), meaning that one can simply refuse to accept them to make the game even harder.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' is incredible for this, as winning battles doesn't automatically increase your stats, but merely gives you points to spend on stat increases. Because of this, No Sphere Grid (i.e. no stat increase) runs are merely the tip of the iceberg, and there is a whole slew of other challenges combining that restriction with other restrictions such as No Items, No Escapes, No Overdrives, etc. The peak of it all is what's called a NSGNSNCNONENNENBB challenge -- that is, No [[LevelGrinding Sphere Grid]], No Summoning, No [[ItemCrafting Customizing]], No [[LimitBreak Overdrives]], No Escape, No "No [[RandomEncounters Encounters]]", and No Blitzball. Purportedly, the closest anyone has ever gotten to completing this challenge is getting the final boss down to about half health.

** ''BirthBySleep'' and ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance 3D [Dream Drop Distance]]]'' both start you with the [=EXPZero=] ability, though only on Proud and Critical modes.

* There are people crazy enough to take on ''GodHand'' on Hard Mode, with only the starting moves, while still keeping their Kick-Me Sign on. By the end of the game, your starting moves are practically ScratchDamage. Hard Mode locks the DynamicDifficulty on its highest level, "Level Die". The Kick-Me Sign falls off if you use either the [[SuperMode God Hand]] or [[LimitBreak God Reels]]. People have beaten the game this way.

* The ''CityOfHeroes'' version is to create a 1st level character and race numerous other first levelers through three increasingly dangerous zones. It is an exercise in aggro management, where any villain could kill you with a sneeze and drawing attention is instant death.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' has what's called a NSGNSNCNONENNENBB challenge -- that is, No [[LevelGrinding Sphere Grid]], No Summoning, No [[ItemCrafting Customizing]], No [[LimitBreak Overdrives]], No Escape, No "No [[RandomEncounters Encounters]]", and No Blitzball. Purportedly, the closest anyone has ever gotten to completing this challenge is getting the final boss down to about half health. Of course, variations of this challenge exist with only some of the previously mentioned restrictions in place.
*** Uniquely for ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'', since experience in X doesn't net you anything until you spend it on stats and abilities, you can fight (and win) all the battles you like and still be playing "low level" (NSG). This has obvious use in farming.

** ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory'' works much the same way as the other games, but has one significant exception. The giant fights with Bowser fighting buildings and trains do not depend on level or statistics AT ALL. This means they are among the hardest battles for those dependent on levels to carry them, but among the easiest for those dependent on Action Commands for survival.

** In ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 358/2 Days]]'', you only increase in level by equipping level-up panels. This allows you to play through the entire game at Level 1, if you want.

** There are even two trophies in the game tied to this. One requires you to clear any mission with a negative accessory equipped (this being one of the qualifying accessories) and the other requires you to beat [[spoiler:the final boss of Neptran Tower]] with the Level 1 accessory equipped. Assuming one tries them without equipping other accessories to make up the difference, they can be incredibly challenging.

** There are even two trophies in the game tied to this. One requires you to clear any mission with a negative accessory equipped (this being one of the qualifying accessories) and the other requires you to beat the final boss of [[spoiler:Neptran Tower]] with the Level 1 accessory equipped. Assuming one tries them without equipping other accessories to make up the difference, they can be incredibly challenging.