TheRetroArcade
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Posts: 2,013
Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
If you had the strength to take another step, could you do it?
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Final Fantasy 14's Solo Only is one of my favourite challenge runs ticking over on YouTube right now—mostly because of how utterly improbable it is. For context, RathGames has been taking on the MMORPG on his own without outside help—no market board, no trading, no parties, and no duty support NPCs.
This is a problem, given the main storyline is littered with mandatory bosses and trials designed for four, eight, or sometimes 24 players.
RathGames, who I've had the pleasure of speaking to before, has overcome these obstacles with ingenuity before—for instance, the 24-person Alliance raid Crystal Tower, which one couldn't even queue for without other players, was achieved via other "solo only" challenge run players who kept their interactions to a minimum.
But the latest video, at the cusp of Shadowbringers, is somethin' else. I don't usually provide spoiler warnings for videos like these, but I am about to spoil the end of the following video for you. I encourage you to watch it, but in case you don't have an hour to spare, read on.
The latest task in question was the penultimate boss fight of Shadowbringers, Hades, and the move Captivity. Similar to the Susano fight RathGames overcame with a over-levelled Pictomancer, Captivity places a party member in a jail that needs to be broken via damage by your teammates. Which is a problem if you don't have any.
Captivity can technically be skipped if one manages to get Hades' second phase below 30-odd percent of his health before he finishes casting it, but even after levelling an entirely separate job to level 100 and gearing it out with the best kit he could scavenge, RathGames was still just over halfway there. The game's damage scaling had finally caught up to him: It was an impossible DPS check.
Enter the time-honoured tradition of multiboxing. Sure, RathGames could call for help from other Solo Only challenge runners himself, but that'd be admitting defeat—and while he needed two players' worth of damage, there wasn't anything in the (self-imposed) rulebook that said he couldn't be both players at the same time.
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He then proceeds to reveal that, in secret, he'd spent over 193 hours (far shorter than the 1,008 from his first Solo On...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
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Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
Final Fantasy 14's Solo Only is one of my favourite challenge runs ticking over on YouTube right now—mostly because of how utterly improbable it is. For context, RathGames has been taking on the MMORPG on his own without outside help—no market board, no trading, no parties, and no duty support NPCs.
This is a problem, given the main storyline is littered with mandatory bosses and trials designed for four, eight, or sometimes 24 players.
RathGames, who I've had the pleasure of speaking to before, has overcome these obstacles with ingenuity before—for instance, the 24-person Alliance raid Crystal Tower, which one couldn't even queue for without other players, was achieved via other "solo only" challenge run players who kept their interactions to a minimum.
But the latest video, at the cusp of Shadowbringers, is somethin' else. I don't usually provide spoiler warnings for videos like these, but I am about to spoil the end of the following video for you. I encourage you to watch it, but in case you don't have an hour to spare, read on.
The latest task in question was the penultimate boss fight of Shadowbringers, Hades, and the move Captivity. Similar to the Susano fight RathGames overcame with a over-levelled Pictomancer, Captivity places a party member in a jail that needs to be broken via damage by your teammates. Which is a problem if you don't have any.
Captivity can technically be skipped if one manages to get Hades' second phase below 30-odd percent of his health before he finishes casting it, but even after levelling an entirely separate job to level 100 and gearing it out with the best kit he could scavenge, RathGames was still just over halfway there. The game's damage scaling had finally caught up to him: It was an impossible DPS check.
Enter the time-honoured tradition of multiboxing. Sure, RathGames could call for help from other Solo Only challenge runners himself, but that'd be admitting defeat—and while he needed two players' worth of damage, there wasn't anything in the (self-imposed) rulebook that said he couldn't be both players at the same time.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
He then proceeds to reveal that, in secret, he'd spent over 193 hours (far shorter than the 1,008 from his first Solo On...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?