Your Favorite Dungeon that didn't have a boss

[jonthefox]

of all the jRPGs you've played, what was your favorite dungeon that didn't have a boss? What made it so enjoyable/memorable for you?

 

[Kes]

This could wander all over the place and just be a listing of what people like. Did you mean this to be a discussion topic? At the moment I'm thinking this might be better in Video Games.

 

[MRHAPPYFACEMAN]

jRPG? I can tell you my favorite Zelda dungeon I did that was fun that had no boss. Mine was the dungeon in Skyward Sword that had the puzzle mechanic to it just before the final boss.

I thought it was cool that you moved the dungeon around to get where you wanted to get to

 

[jonthefox]

This could wander all over the place and just be a listing of what people like. Did you mean this to be a discussion topic? At the moment I'm thinking this might be better in Video Games.

Yes, the idea was to discuss what makes these particular (and often not discussed) types of dungeons fun and memorable.

 

[Reapergurl]

Ummmm....

(Goes through a list of > 250 fun and memorable non-boss dungeons)

Well, the 'dungeon' I'm going to talk about isn't one from a JRPG, because the majority of JRPGs I've played have a boss of some sort in each dungeon.

I'll go with the massive Dwemer Underground in Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

It's huge, and although some of the fights down there are pretty tough, it's well worth the journey to grab as much of the loot as you can carry (no horse because you enter through a Dwemer ruins), before going to get the Elder Scroll (so you do have to go through the area eventually if you want to progress the main story line).

Yeah, I'll admit that it's definitely full of certain tropes that Rainbow Children and Hippys would recognize off the bat, but even still, what an amazing place it is, full of all sorts of pretty things (including massive glowing mushrooms!)

The sidequest that has you gathering 20 of a special mushroom allows you to use the mushrooms infinitely as long as the quest is running (it's an Alchemy ingredient), and will basically have you touring the entire area just to find them all (it took me all of six hours).

 

[Pots Talos]

Final Fantasy 1 Marsh Cave. (NES version)

If you don't over level the area it can be a real challenge. The journey to the cave is far and the monsters inside can debilitate your party if you don't come prepared. While there is a mandatory fight right before you retrieve the "Crown" the monsters are common and not a "Boss".
Getting the "Crown" is only the half way point and you still have to escape the dungeon and make the long trek back to town.

There are locked doors needing the "Mystic Key" inside the cave but now that I think about it, I don't believe I ever went back to open them.

 

[Reapergurl]

@Pots Talos Mostly what's in those chests are either a good portion of money or expensive equipment.

The cave itself is no different in any version of the game (NES/PSX/GBA/PSP).

In all due honesty, I never enjoyed it that much. Felt more like a chore than something fun.

 

[Pots Talos]

I specified NES because I thought the later re-releases nerfed the games overall difficulty.

I was torn between Marsh Cave and Citadel of Trials, both require a long trek but normally by the time I go to retrieve the Rat's Tail my party has equipment and items that negate most of the difficulty. So Marsh Cave won out by how early in the game it is and not having a great amount of items to negate some of the hazards

 

[Reapergurl]

@Pots Talos Citadel of Trials' only difficult part is the maze of teleporters; the enemies are easy and the mid-boss dragon zombie is a joke even at < L20.

Playing the GBA version, the only 'nerfing' is the ability to save anywhere; after beating the game once, the difficulty skyrockets.

 

[Pots Talos]

@Reapergurl According to Final Fantasy Wiki, almost all versions after NES are nerfed in difficulty.

Reduced difficulty level – The GBA version's difficulty level most closely resembles the "easy mode" of the PlayStation/Final Fantasy Origins version. Unlike that version, however, there is no option to switch back to the original difficulty. The redirection of "ineffective" hits, which had been optional since it was introduced in the WSC version, is now mandatory.

http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy/Version_differences

 

[Reapergurl]

@Pots Talos They didn't mention the difficulty change after beating the game though (but they did rant about the mobile releases a lot).

I've played the NES version, I've compared the two. Yes, the GBA version is easier the first time around. After the game is beaten, and you start a new game with the Game Clear file, you're going to find enemies that you would normally find two, three hours into the game in the Cornelia/Pravoka areas, not to mention how much stronger they are (Mad Pony x3 on the way to Pravoka? Yikes!)

I'd say the difficulty is 1.2 to 1.5 x NES, after beating the game once. If you want a true challenge, play the Necromind's NES mod, where all enemies have the stats found in the PSX version monsters.

"Ineffective" hits should of never been in the first place. To me, it is a mockery of intelligence (and I'll skip the rant on Dumb Dora).

Here's another dungeon with an optional boss I did enjoy, in speaking of Final Fantasy: Dawn of Souls (GBA):

Lifespring Grotto:

20 floors, a lot of them are based upon the floors you'd find in the Mermaid's Sanctuary (where the Fiend of Water ruled), and where you'll find several references to an old friend from Final Fantasy V: Gilgamesh.

All the bosses except Gilgamesh are optional; you have to fight Gilgamesh to reach the dungeon's first exit teleporter (but the battle is just like when you first face him on The Big Bridge in Final Fantasy V - 8,888 HP - what gave the developers such a figure?)

But the battles versus Atomos (a Pain In The Ass), Omega and Shinryu (MEGA Pain In The Ass) are all optional, well, as long as you leave with the previous teleporters (I think the Omega and Shinryu battles are completely optional but am not one hundred percent on this).

One thing to mention with this and all related dungeons is that once you go down to the next floor, you cannot go back up.
Exit and Warp I believe are ineffectual, not sure (never tried because no need/desire to).

How do you get to Lifespring Grotto?

Remember the maelstrom not far from where Nerrick blows out a canal using powdered N2O? (That should of done a LOT more than just take out the isthmus connecting West Aldea and Elfheim Vista.)

You have to ride your ship inside that. Unlike in Final Fantasy II, there's no Leviathan lying in wait to swallow you up.

I once wrote a fanfic about FFII's Leviathan, but I won't even go into that, hence the content is on the opposite end of the spectrum of G-Rated. It's also not very well-structured, because I wrote it while ripped.