2017 New Player Tournament
Rules & Guidance
Statement of Purpose
Hello potential randomizer Light Warriors! This guide is written as an introduction and walkthrough for practicing before the inaugural Final Fantasy Randomizer (FFR) tournament begins in late August 2017. This guide is intended to ease new entrants into the wonderful world of FFR, so that you can join us in the tournament!
Final Fantasy Randomizer takes the late 80’s classic Final Fantasy you know and love, and changes it up a bit (and potentially a LOT if you want). Specifically, locations of treasures are scrambled in the game, enemies might not behave in the way you’d expect, and you never quite know what you’re going to find when you enter a town’s shops. It breathes new (and sometimes very surprising) life into a classic.
This guide will approach the randomized FF game using the tournament’s Round 1 flagset of KfTfAQKCoo - but don’t worry, I won’t be referencing that string of scary-looking gobbledygook again. This guide will walk you through things step by step!
This guide is written by ichbinmiah, who stood where you are just a few months ago - on the outside looking in. But after a few practice games, he’s happy to share his incompetent randomizer growing pains to ease your own path.
What This Guide Assumes You Already Know
You’ve already played, and beaten, Final Fantasy before; this guide won’t be sharing basic or vanilla Final Fantasy strategies. Final Fantasy Randomized, just like most randomized games, is best enjoyed by players who have already played through the game to completion before. Final Fantasy is an old game, with some lovingly rough edges. This randomizer can sometimes sharpen those edges to a point that can challenge even our best experts. Our admins have taken careful steps to ensure that doesn’t happen (too often) during the tournament, but you should only enter the tourney if you’re already familiar with the vanilla game. If you’re not, what are you waiting for!? Final Fantasy is a great game, go play it!
You’re used to speedrunning & streaming. As these are 1 vs. 1 races, the tournament requires that you live-stream your games. Some of this work is on you, but if you have any questions on how to get digitally “set up” to join the tournament, feel free to join us in our Discord channel.. Getting set up with your streams requires a Twitch account, a speedrunslive account, and some acumen with IRC - it’s not “hard” but it does take a little work. We’re friendly and will help if we can.
Here’s a really helpful mechanics reference: This jawdropping guide by AstralEsper explains the base mechanics of Final Fantasy to a stunning degree. This is your one-stop-shop for all sorts of great nerdy info, from what enemy encounters are unrunnable, to their attack/spell patterns, to how your characters learn magic and level up. It’s a great guide for second-level, deeper learning about the game. Keep it handy.
And you’ll need maps: Mike’s RPG Center has you covered. Includes helpful dots denoting where you’ll be ambushed by enemies.
What does the Randomizer Tournament change from the original? What stays the same?
So, you’ve downloaded the Randomizer software and plugged in that Round 1 flag string of KfTfAQKCoo. Here’s what you’re looking at now:
You’re probably thinking “What on earth does all this mean?” Well, don’t worry, because I’m going to walk you through it, in hopefully easy-to-understand English! Let’s start with the good stuff:
In-Game Conveniences
You can hold down “B” on your controller to DASH in the game. This works on every screen where you can walk. No more pokey ambling along-- get to running!
You can buy 10 of an item at once in a shop. That’s right, no more agonizingly buying 99 heal potions, one at a time! I can hear you veterans of Final Fantasy cheering now.
Your game does not auto-shuffle dead characters to the bottom of the party when they die. Reviving these characters resulted in players having to laboriously shuffle their party characters back into desired order - now your characters will cheerfully stay in order, even when dead.
If your weapon/armor inventory is full, and you come across a chest, it will tell you what’s inside if you can’t pick it up. In vanilla Final Fantasy, you just got an unhelpful “inventory full” message. Now the game will tell you what’s hiding inside that chest, giving you the choice to drop items from inventory if you want it, or simply moving on if you don’t. This is hugely useful in Randomizer, where each chest has surprise contents.
Saving your game using a House now restores MP properly. Houses are supposed to both restore HP and recharge your magic. This is a little obscure, but in the original NES game, reloading a game at a “House” save did not give you your restored magic charges, but instead your depleted magic from before the save. As we *cough* find ourselves restarting from House saves quite often, this has been fixed in Randomizer.
Fixed Spells/Stats
Spells have been Fixed:
LOCK & LOK2 & HEL2 now work as intended. These are probably not that interesting, but of special importance…
SABR now properly increases the spell-caster’s attack and accuracy. This makes the Power Bracelet very useful for your Fighters and Black Belts to hold, as it can cast SABR on the wielder.
TMPR now also properly increases the target’s attack. This is a Big Deal and your black-magic wielders can turn your physical fighters into brutal hitting machines with this spell.
Some Stats have been tweaked:
Your chance to run, especially for the lowest player in your party, has been fixed from its bugged vanilla iteration.
The Overworld & The Dungeons
OK, now we’re getting into the good stuff.
Here’s What’s The Same:
- All overworld sites and dungeons remain in their original locations. All maps that you find online will still apply.
- “Forced Encounter” squares in dungeons remain in their original locations. For example, the Wizards will still be waiting for you in the Marsh Cave, jealously guarding their treasure chest.
- Most progression and gating items in the game remain exactly the same:
- CROWN -> Astos/CRYSTAL -> Matoya/HERB -> Elf Prince/Mystic Key
- SHIP -> TNT-> Escape the Inner Sea
- Sarda’s ROD -> Depths of Earth Cave
- CANOE -> Access Gurgu Volcano / Ice Cave / Castle Ordeals / Airship
- FLOATER -> Get Airship (requires CANOE), unlocks Northern Continent
- BOTTLE -> Release Fairy in Gaia -> Get OXYALE for Sea Shrine
- SLAB -> Dr. Unne -> Lefein CHIME -> Mirage Tower
- Waterfall CUBE -> Sky Castle (top of Mirage Tower)
- LUTE -> Depths of Temple of Fiends Revisited
- The portals in Castle Ordeals still map to their original destinations.
- The TAIL/class change quest w/Bahamut remains optional.
- Doors that are locked by the Mystic Key in vanilla Final Fantasy remain locked by the Mystic Key in randomizer. More on this later.
- The Titan still wants to munch on a RUBY before he will let you pass to visit sage Sarda.
Here’s What’s Changed:
- All treasure chest contents in the game have been shuffled. This is a critical change, and one that gives the randomizer its name. Chests may contain powerful weapons and armor not normally found until much later in the game. Equally importantly, key chest items like the CROWN, TNT, RUBY, SLAB & FLOATER have also been moved about, and now you must hunt them down.
- Key treasure items, required for progression, have been shuffled, but placed to ensure the game is still completable. For example, placing the CROWN behind a door locked by the Mystic Key would break the game, since you need the CROWN to eventually obtain said Key. Similarly, placing the FLOATER in a dungeon requiring Airship access would also break the game. Our friendly randomizer designers have been taken to ensure these progression items are always reachable. But take into account:
- The Crescent Lake Sages will give you an “Early Canoe”: In the base game, the Sages direct you to defeat Lich in the Earth Cave before they will give you the Canoe; this restriction has been removed. This means you can go to Gurgu Volcano, the Ice Cave, and even Castle Ordeals BEFORE defeating Lich.
- Sarda will give you an “Early Rod”. In vanilla Final Fantasy, the sage Sarda requires you to defeat the Vampire in the Earth Cave before he will give you the ROD; this restriction has been removed, and he will give you the ROD immediately. This means Earth Cave can be completed in one trip, rather than two.
- You can enter Castle Ordeals without the Crown: Usually the old man here checks to see if you hold the CROWN before allowing you into Castle Ordeals. This restriction has been removed.
What This Means:
- The game may expect/push you to do things significantly out of established order. Some examples:
- You find the TNT almost immediately at the beginning of the game, in the Temple of Fiends or Matoya’s Cave; you’ve now freed yourself from the Inner Sea early and can proceed to Melmond and Crescent Lake immediately and can risk postponing the Mystic Key quest and skipping Marsh Cave if you like.
- You find the FLOATER in an unexpected place, like in Marsh Cave, early in Earth Cave, or in Gurgu Volcano, before you find the RUBY. The game may be expecting you to retrieve your Airship now and fly to sage Sarda to grab the ROD, skipping over the RUBY-hungry Titan entirely!
- The CROWN could be hiding inside Castle Ordeals, when you normally need the CROWN to even enter the place!
Towns & Shops
Here’s What’s the Same:
- All castles, towns, and townspeople, remain in their original locations. Dr. Unne is still strutting about Melmond waiting for his SLAB, and the Lefeinish individual is still waiting to give you the CHIME to enter the Mirage Tower, etc.
- All shops remain in their original locations.
- All treasure chests in castles/towns remain in their original locations (but remember that their contents have changed.)
Here’s What’s Changed:
- Everything available for purchase has had prices adjusted to 50-200% of original cost. This means some items will be pleasantly discounted, while others are more expensive. But wait, there’s more:
- All items, weapons and armor available for purchase in shops have been shuffled amongst towns. This is a surprising change to see when, for example, you walk into Coneria at the beginning of the game and possibly see Gold Bracelets and Steel Armor for sale. (Keep an eye out for where the ProRings are now being sold!)
What this means:
- The BOTTLE, normally available at the Caravan and required for Sea Shrine entry, has almost certainly moved elsewhere, to a random item shop. Don’t forget to look for it!
- Coneria Town has been hard-coded to have SOFT & PURE potions always available for sale. More on this reasoning later.
Magic
Magic is sold in Town Shops just like other items, and at varied 50-200% prices, but gets its own special section.
Here’s What’s the Same:
- All White and Black Magic spells remain in the same categories and are sold in their respective shop types.
- Shops still sell the proper level of spells for their location. Coneria still sells Level 1 spells, Pravoka sells Level 2 spells, Elfland sells Level 3&4 spells, and so on.
- This next part is tricky -- In the base game, spell caster permissions are not tied to the spell itself, but where it lay on the spell-caster’s table from Level 1 to Level 8. This remains the same in Randomizer. You can see that table of spell permissions here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12fehTD4CPehaN5IXG8PKH7ZabtsGGqMXFFKZHivd6Ow/edit?usp=sharing (much thanks to Eunos for the excellent table!)
- Example of the above: The Red Mage cannot learn HARM, not because he can’t learn HARM, but because he can’t learn the second White Magic spell for sale in Coneria Town. No matter what spell gets shuffled to the second White Magic Spell slot for sale in Coneria Town, Red Mage will not be able to learn it. The permission/restriction lies on the spell’s slot in the table, not the identity of the spell itself. This is important because...
Here’s What’s Changed:
- Spell levels have been shuffled, and their subsequent location of sale has changed. Yes, this means that NUKE, typically an expensive, hard-to-reach Level 8 Black Magic spell, may be available in Coneria Town as a Level 1 spell, and at Level 1 prices. Black Mages rejoice!
What this means:
- Mages, especially Red Mages/Wizards, will see dramatically altered spells available to them. For example, if FADE, typically a powerful White Magic spell unavailable to Red Mages/Wizards, happens to fall into a slot in the spell table that Red Mages can buy and cast, congratulations!
- Conversely, valuable spells like LIFE, LIF2 and FAST may become highly difficult and expensive to obtain if they end up in high spell level slots.
Enemies And Enemy Behaviors
Here’s What’s the Same:
- Enemies still live in the same places as vanilla Final Fantasy, and encounter you where you expect them to.
- Enemies still cast the same magic spells you’re used to them casting. Frost Wolves still cast FROST, Blue Dragons cast THUNDER, etc.
- Enemies still follow the same scripts you’re used to. Astos’s first spell on his table remains RUB, Lich Revisited still casts NUKE as its first spell, etc. (Again, you can see these tables in the Game Mechanics guide here: https://www.gamefaqs.com/nes/522595-final-fantasy/faqs/57009).
Here’s What’s Changed:
- Enemies drop 5x normal experience, and 500 additional gold per enemy defeated. This is a race after all, and this helps players progress quickly!
- Enemies may be slightly easier or harder than you remember; their stats are set to be anywhere between 83-120% of normal.
- Critically, enemy physical attack statuses have been shuffled among enemies. This mean that IMP attacks might now poison you, or attacks from WOLVES could paralyze you, whereas COCKATRICES might not stone you anymore (but something else will!)
What this means:
- While you might not notice it for regular enemies, you WILL notice if the Fiends or Chaos are stronger than normal. They will have more HP, hit harder, etc. Conversely, they may be easier than you remember as well.
- Status attacks can be unpleasant surprises, when a seemingly-innocuous enemy suddenly inflicts stone upon hitting you, etc. (This is why Coneria Town is hard-coded to sell SOFT & PURE potions now, so that they’re always available from the beginning of the game.) Remember the hated SORCERER from the vanilla game? The one that could kill you with its death-touch by just landing a hit? Well you don’t know who has their shuffled death-touch ability now, often until it’s too late! Ack!
Strategic Do’s/Dont’s for Randomizer Tourney Play (also known as “Newbie Mistakes I’ve Made So You Don’t Have To”)
Party Composition/Usage:
Do keep your parties nice and balanced for your first few playthroughs, especially if you’re new to FF Randomizer or not totally familiar with the game. Have someone that can cast White Magic, Black Magic, and a couple of hard-hitting characters. Fighter/Black Belt/White Mage/Black Mage is a nice example with a wide variety of skills and abilities.
Do know that Red Mages/Wizards are versatile choices for Randomizer, with a caveat: It requires a little extra preparation to know their spell tables in the early game, especially for Red Mages. These characters are good “next level” choices after you’ve run the game once or twice with their White/Black counterparts.
Do know that Black Belts (and Fighters) hit REALLY hard when properly buffed. Mid to high-level Black Belts & Fighters will love your FAST, TMPR, and SABR spells. TMPR and SABR stack (but not FAST), which means a FASTed, doubly TMPRed/SABRed Black Belt/Fighter will hit for a comically-large amount of damage, sending even the scariest bosses to a swift grave. BUT:
Don’t over-stack TMPR & SABR on a character! You can actually break the game’s damage table from overbuffing, rendering your character impotent in the fight. As a new player, keep it to 2 buffs per spell on a character to be safe.
Don’t use Thieves, sadly, especially if you’re new to Randomizer - there’s almost always a better choice. They’re nice for running from encounters and that’s about it. Expert players will sometimes place a Thief in their party to summarily kill them off and only run with 3 (or less!) characters.
Do know that it’s possible for properly equipped Black Belts to solo-run the game, but Don’t attempt this yet if you’re new! This is an expert-level strategy that you’ll see some of our fastest runners employing. It is, however, not without its significant risks. Using this strategy is only recommended after you’ve run the game with a full party several times, and understand when/how the game is unfolding in a way to bust this strategy out.
Early Game Considerations:
Do write stuff down! Trust me on this one. You’ll want to note the locations of important sale items like the BOTTLE, ProRings, and Gold Bracelets. These items tend to be expensive and you may not have the money to purchase them right away - but you’ll want them later! There’s nothing worse than flying aimlessly around the world map checking every shop because you forgot where the BOTTLE was…
At the beginning, Do check out the Coneria magic shops before the weapon/armor shops. You only have 400 gold at the beginning of the game, and prices/inventory will be unexpected. So, if you can:
Do buy yourself a nice multi-hit attack spell right off the bat in Coneria, if possible. Great examples include:
- Black Magic: NUKE, FIR3/ICE3/LIT3 are best as they deal lots of damage. QAKE, BANE & ZAP! are also nice substitute insta-death spells, even if they miss occasionally. Even FIR2/ICE2/LIT2 can work in a pinch.
- White Magic: If FADE is around, grab it! An early HRM3/HRM4 to bring out against early groups of undead can also be helpful.
- The idea here is to pick up a multi-hit spell that allows your party to tear through lots of early-game enemies at once, racking up that EXP/Gold, and powering up your Fighters/Black Belts, so that you can take down Garland easily.
- Can’t find a good attack spell in Coneria? (This sometimes happens.) In that case, RUB, BRAK or XXXX can kill the miniboss off with a fortunate hit. Or, you’re off to the Weapon shop to equip a physical fighter with weaponry that can bring him down.
Do keep an eye out for the LIFE/LIF2 spells. These White Magic spells are the only way to revive characters when “out in the field” in Final Fantasy - locating and purchasing them are highly useful.
Do know that SAVING with Tents/Cabins/Houses, and liberal use of the “RESET” button, are your allies in Randomizer! This cannot be stressed enough. Save early, save often, and if you fall into an adverse enemy encounter, you can jab that RESET button/key and not have lost much time. In fact, some of our fastest runners spam saves and hammer that reset button whenever they’re traversing the overworld.
Do remember that Job 1A in the early game is to get the ship and find the TNT. Finding the TNT lets you sail out of the Inner Sea. It could be hiding in early Temple of Thieves, Matoya’s Cave, early Dwarf Cave, or - everyone’s favorite - in the Marsh Cave.
Do know that if you find the CROWN before the TNT, the places the TNT could be hiding just expanded. Now the game might be expecting you to do the Crown -> Astos/Crystal -> Matoya/Herb -> Elfland Prince/Mystic Key shuffle. The TNT could be hiding behind doors locked by the Mystic Key, encompassing rooms in Elfland Castle, Coneria Castle, Temple of Fiends, Dwarf Cave, Northwest Castle, and Marsh Cave. Happy hunting!
Don’t forget about any major magical weapons/items you’re not used to finding at this stage in the game! Pickups like the Zeus Gauntlets, Light Axe, Thor’s Hammer, White/Black shirts, and the almighty Ribbons can be surprisingly useful in the early to mid-game, giving your weaker characters something fun to use.
Middle Game Considerations:
Do know that the TNT points strongly to the CANOE in Crescent Lake. This is a significant routing change from regular Final Fantasy, where the game forces you to first go plunder the Earth Cave and defeat Lich. However, the Canoe is available early in Randomizer, and after a quick stopoff in Melmond to buy stuff, it’s a good bet to proceed immediately to Crescent Lake to get that CANOE.
Do know the Early CANOE unlocks Gurgu Volcano, Ice Cave, and Castle Ordeals. Of these, many runners tend to go to Gurgu Volcano first, as there’s a host of treasure available, and a Fiend is hiding there. For this reason, Kary is often (but not always) the first Fiend to fall in Randomizer.
Do know your next major progression item is the FLOATER. With the CANOE in hand, the FLOATER allows you pick up the Airship, which unlocks the North for you.
- Side Note: if you find the RUBY before the FLOATER, the game could have hidden the FLOATER deep in Earth Cave, which means you’ll have to do the vanilla “Feed the RUBY to the Titan to get Sarda’s ROD” to get at it.
- OR the FLOATER could be elsewhere entirely - hey, it’s Randomizer, and sometimes it screws with you.
Do use EXIT and WARP spells if you have them! This is a race after all, you don’t get extra points for wandering the hard way out of dungeons, or places like the WATERFALL, if you don’t have to.
Do start equipping your characters for the end-game push now. Be on the lookout for:
- Weaponry: Masamune, Adamant (for Excalibur), Defense Sword, Sun Sword, etc.
- Armor: Ribbons, ProRings (purchasable), ProCapes, Opal Bracelet, Gold Bracelets (purchasable), high-level armors/shirts
- Magical Items: Power Bracelet (casts SABR), White Shirt (casts INV2). These are nice add-ons to have in the end-game. Even the BANE Sword can be fun in a pinch.
End Game Considerations:
Do remember that a little leveling can help you go a long way. At 5x experience for each monster, if you’re feeling underpowered, it’s a relatively quick thing to grind out a couple encounters to make your party stronger.
Don’t forget the Class Change is optional, and its usefulness will vary by party. Red Mages love class changes for their increased spell repertoires; Black Belts are perfectly serviceable without it. If you haven’t found the TAIL, the game is beatable without it, so don’t go out of your way to look for it.
Don’t forget that Bahamut’s Cardia Caves hold treasure chests! These are often worth a check, even if you’re not planning to Class Change.
Don’t forget that Class Changed characters can learn some magic. Knights can learn low-level White Magic spells, and Ninjas (you just HAD to use a Thief, didn’t you?) can learn low-level Black Magic spells. This may have unlocked some super-interesting, useful spells for those characters to learn.
Do know that some middle to late-game encounters are more dangerous than others. Here’s a representative (but not exhaustive) list of enemies to really play carefully:
- Gurgu Volcano: Red Dragons, Red Giants, Cerberus groups
- Ice Cave: Mages, Frost Wolves, Frost Dragons, Frost Giants
- Sea Shrine: Lobsters, Ghosts, Waters
- Waterfall: Perilisks
- Mirage Tower/Sky Castle: Eyes, Blue Dragon, WarMech (oh dear, you’ve won some sort of anti-prize)
- Temple of Fiends Revisited: Gas Dragons, IronGOLs, Worms, Waters, basically nothing is fun and everything wants to kill you here
Don’t forget to talk to the friendly robot in the Waterfall to get the CUBE! I have done this more than once - made my way through the Waterfall, gotten all excited/distracted by the Treasure I find at the end, and forgot to actually speak to the Robot to retrieve the CUBE. Super embarrassing when you then climb Mirage Tower and realize you don’t have the item that grants entry to Sky Castle!
Do know the Mystic Key is REQUIRED to finish the game! This is sometimes a complete surprise to long-time Final Fantasy players, but there is a door in the final dungeon that is locked by the Mystic Key, near the PHANTOM:
This means that the Mystic Key quest is REQUIRED in all Randomizer runs, even if you don’t check any of the chests it protects. Have this done before you go into the last dungeon to beat the game.
Do know the spells you’ll want for the final push:
- White Magic: LIF2, LIFE are critical to survive possible party wipes and bring your characters back from nasty encounters; CUR3/CUR4 for time-saving heals; INV2 for increased evasion; WALL for increased protection; FADE to mess enemies up; EXIT if things go terribly wrong in Temple of Fiends Revisited and you need to regroup.
- Black Magic: NUKE and some combo of FIR/LIT/ICE-3 for damage; a group killing spell or two like QAKE or BANE; FAST & TMPR to soup up your physical damage dealers; WARP to flee dungeons if needed.
- You don’t need ALL of the above, but know that your difficulty/risks in the final dungeons increase incrementally for each one you don’t have.
Do be aware that there are encounters you can’t run from. These are increasingly prevalent, especially in the last dungeon. They’re available in the Game Mechanics guide, so have it handy, or - better yet - commit it to memory. Don’t waste time trying to run from encounters you can’t escape from! Bring out the FADE/NUKE, etc. spells to blast through them instead.
Do be ready for Temple of Fiends Revisited to be a real fight. I would not attempt Temple of Fiends Revisited with a party of under Level 30 unless you’re an expert, and more likely level 35 if you’re a beginner. Bring your 99 HEAL potions, have full magic charges, etc. Any one of the Fiends, or Chaos, at 120% strength can give your party a nasty challenge. Boss considerations:
- Lich’s first spell out of the gate is NUKE. Be ready for it.
- Kary, Kraken and Tiamat hit hard already, and hit REALLY hard if they’re randomly generated at 120% strength. Kraken’s many arms seem to really layer on the hits. Tiamat’s first spell is THUNDER (ugh), followed by POISON (also ugh).
- Chaos at 120% can be downright vicious. He hits like a freight train. Kill him before he gets to use CUR4 on himself, which is the fourth spell in his spell sequence (ICE3-LIT3-SLO2-CUR4). If you see any of CRACK-INFERNO-SWIRL-TORNADO, he’s drawing from his skills list. You will not enjoy any of these skills.
Do layer FAST, TMPR & SABR on your physical fighters to make quick(er) work of bosses. You may be able to take down Lich & possibly Kary without them, but for Kraken/Tiamat/Chaos, a first round prep of casting FAST, TMPR, SABR, INV2 & WALL can help you to bring these baddies down in less turns than without them.
Closing Thoughts
Don’t be discouraged! Do have fun! It can feel daunting, but this randomized version of Final Fantasy is the same basic game you know and love, with a few exciting twists.
The author’s first randomizer playthrough took almost 5 hours to complete, but the second only took less than 3 hours, and after a few weeks’ occasional practice, I’m now closing in on 2 hours per run - and feeling good about it. It’s a blast to play and the community is really supportive. So if you’re feeling up to the challenge, take a few practice runs of the randomizer with the flag settings (KfTfAQKCoo) we’ve laid out, and then join in the tournament!