Combat

There is no point pretending otherwise — combat will be hard, and it gets harder the further you go. At normal play each level-up grants bonus HP and SP. Here it doesn't. Magic at level 1 is genuinely weak; you must rely on weapons.

Spirit Magic — Worth It

If you do not strictly insist on keeping all skills at rank 1 (the project goal is to keep the character level at 1, not the skills), investing horseshoes in Spirit Magic rank 4 is strongly recommended for any character with that skill. Bless and Heroism cast on the whole party dramatically improve combat effectiveness.

Without Air Magic you will need to watch carefully for enemies in dark dungeons. Without Fire Magic you rely on Light Torch scrolls, which are limited.

Shooting with Bows

Against weak, numerous enemies, do not hold A continuously — tap it in short bursts instead. When you hold A non-stop you usually fire a full volley into one enemy, even if it drops after the first arrow. The enemies then get their turn and deal damage — whereas a well-timed burst could have killed three.

Haste — Essential

Without Haste potions, certain encounters become unwinnable. Always keep 8 Haste potions stockpiled [green + yellow].

Under Haste the party can devastate enemies for 6 hours — more effective than the standard Hour of Power, which lasts only one hour.

Under Haste, hold A continuously. Why? As long as you keep landing hits, the enemy loses its action recovery time. You can achieve a chain where your character keeps firing within their time-slice until the enemy falls. The same works in melee and can take down a Royal Minotaur — one at a time, since a hit on your party breaks the chain on your side too.

Corner Shooting

Most enemies can be handled with a little geometry: if they are pressed against a wall just around a corner, lean out slightly and shoot with bows (give the best bows to the outermost characters, who have a wider angle of fire), or use melee weapons. Spears are generally better than swords, though I found axes in Kregspire Castle that beat my best spears.

Funnelling Enemies into a Bottleneck

Very effective against Diamond Gargoyles, which take ~20 magical bow volleys each to kill. Open combat is suicide, so lure one into town, to a pre-scouted spot where it gets wedged in a narrow gap between buildings. Take care not to aggro the whole group at once — one will get stuck, the rest will flank.

Buffs & Resistances

Before tough or magic-heavy enemies, drink stat-boosting potions. The jump in performance is dramatic — never underestimate bottles.