Can You Beat Kingdom Hearts 2 Without Keyblade Combos? [Complete] - LibraScope

[@deyvantwo5426]

“What am I supposed to do if I can’t use the keyblade?” this

[@Ruisu07]

thankfully reflect is broken xD early game is brutal tho

[@sakura368]

good thing sora knows magic

[@Iceythrowshands]

he cant use magic without the keyblade though.

[@deyvantwo5426]

@@Iceythrowshands couldn't he use it with the wooden sword in KH1 when Riku stole his keyblade?

[@Iceythrowshands]

@@deyvantwo5426 oh yeah.

[@jR0xas]

Before even watching the video I already feel like this is going to be a Chicken Little/Stitch/Triangle run.

[@LibraScope]

Don't forget Limits and Magic :D

[@cameronharding6055]

@@LibraScope Or wisdom/master/final forms buffed magic. And technically Ragnarok if you make sure the combo part of it doesn’t hit an enemy.

[@Trashley652]

Roxas doesn't count because it's actually just a data keyblade

[@LibraScope]

Lol, yeah that's a good excuse :D

[@alba2162]

He also doesn't count because it says combos, I don't think a single dash is a combo

[@alba2162]

Also they're not yours

[@PTp1ranha]

@@alba2162 "Besides... this isn't my sword!"

[@awesomehazimex7410]

@@PTp1ranha Kinda makes me want to see a MGRR mod where the sword is replaced with the kingdom key

[@lightknight5364]

To add a reason to why it is okay to hit the cornerstone's cage in Timeless River: You hang on to the hook with a reaction command. Reactions are legal in the run, and technically, while hanging from the hook Sora is still in a reacting state, so hitting the box is doable. You get what I mean, right?

[@LibraScope]

Ahahaha! Yeah, I never thought of it that way. You could indeed argue that the attacks are just part of the hanging reaction command itself, lol.

[@justaviewer9012]

@@LibraScope idc how long ago this was but before I found this video, I did this run of magic only which I thought would be interesting. Timeless ricer's cage was a learning point because you needed to finish off the cage using magic but the cage is only hit while on the hook. I learned if you shoot a blizzard spell and grab the hook quickly, you can end the battle with magic. This could be used to do the battle purely using magic but it is very slow.

[@loganrenfrow2544]

@@LibraScope I didn't check myself but I'd like to know whether those hits give Valor form exp. If not then I'd say pretty definitively that they don't count as keyblade attacks.

[@LibraScope]

@@loganrenfrow2544 Also definitely a fair point!

[@DarkFrozenDepths]

Also, Hidden Dragon was always useful lol. It lets you get the Star Seeker off of Valor Form sooner.

[@johnpantag472]

If you are a good player you go to land of dragons after every other world in the 1st world group.

[@deadsagelife]

@@johnpantag472 im doing level 1 and definitely did land of dragons last

[@Venen_0]

Fun Fact: The hot rod enemies are very weak to thunder, so you probably should’ve used that in the burning building fight, unless it takes up a large amount of MP

[@LibraScope]

If I recall it takes the most MP out of the options you have at that point. But, I didn't know that, so it might've actually been helpful, lol.

[@Muckowitch]

Actually they are even more weak to blizzard. They resist Fire, are weak to Thunder and super weak to Blizzard. You just need to time it correctly so you avoid their invulnerability frames.

[@shadowsnake5133]

@@Muckowitch so the cars would be dragon ground type in pokemon... i honestly can see this.

[@Muckowitch]

@@shadowsnake5133 I..... guess.... Honestly, my first thought was not to compare it with Pokémon, but with a real car. The motor gets pretty hot, so it has to be kinda heat resistant. With all the technology in cars nowadays they're kinda weak to electric failure, but they would still work. But if something like heavy snowfall is happening you are screwed.

[@shadowsnake5133]

@@Muckowitch yeah that too, but the fact dragon types dominated pokemon when I joined and the fact I still struggle with these buckets lead me to comparing them, and I'm not letting that die off now.

[@blueflare3299]

Player: Mashes X Revenge Values: You know the rules, and so do I! S A Y G O O D B Y E

[@roxas5071]

3 Things 1 Lingering Will in a nutshell 2 The fact that your pfp is Sora with a Gun makes it better 3 Roxas in a nutshell

[@blueflare3299]

@@roxas5071 Facts. I want to see an X-Mashers v the Lingering Will. I would either be offended by the playstyle or laughing my ass off

[@roxas5071]

@@blueflare3299 Meh not like someone uses limits except Limit Form or magic that is not cure or reflect on that fight mostly is just search an opening attack with a combo of 3 defense breakers and in the end a Explosion then quick run away search an opening repeat the problem is surviving things like his 3 curses mostly the attack one and the one that looks like Xemnas one from KH1FM other than that the magic cursed is mostly useless also you can dodge roll with good timing the arrow attack that gives you the attack and magic curse

[@blueflare3299]

@@roxas5071 Yes, but knowing all of that requires game knowledge and trial and error, which X-mashers usually don't have. Also thanks for the LW guide.

[@roxas5071]

@@blueflare3299 No problem believe i lost my death counts and im playing standard

[@keyblademasterct2]

Wow, I had I similar idea; I was thinking of doing a "No Attack Command + No Optional Reaction Commands" run.

[@LibraScope]

If you're okay with a rather slow early game, I'd definitely say to try it. It certainly reframes the game in an interesting way. Though it could also break your brain for a little bit, because - at least for me - after I made this video I kept slipping into "No Combos" mode mentally whenever I played the game, lol.

[@BoP]

Gonna make some suggestions for anyone crazy enough to do this. Early game you can use valor form to get back MP, just dont hit anything. Also the drive explosion does damage if you ever find yourself needing one hit. It's a good save because it gives you a free heal and free mp, and you can revert immediately afterwards. Getting a drive form removes all anti points and some fights you can't even get anti form. Meaning that when you first get wisdom you'll have 0 anti points which you can use to grind. And you can also use wisdom on Barbossa for more damage. Please use trinity more often, it's very good. I don't remember what he said about using the Break portion of team trinity but seriously just major drive and ultima are VERY good. Especially if you combine it with magnet.Use Jack's limit in Halloween Town. This is also very good. You can level limit form much easier. Go to agrabah to the room of treasures. Begin the heartless minigame and run to the loading zone but don't go into it. Lock and spam sonic rave. It's the fastest way to level and safest because you literally cannot get hit. Use stitch in the control room minigame in Tron world, and spam magnet and thunder. For the FF heartless battles you can actually level just a bit more if you picked shield and get once more which is a very powerful ability. With Stitch out, Magnet + Thunder with photon debugger might find you more success in mob fights since stitch is always refilling MP. At final xemnas if you want to save yourself a good chunk of time, learn where to use reflect during the opening reversal spam section. You can also reflect to avoid getting captured and playing with riku. Great video otherwise. I might give this a try.

[@rexcuso6527]

in the fight with MCP you can raise the valor form level using the delete command or others Reaction Commands.

[@shadowsnake5133]

@@rexcuso6527 that is the best form of cheating.

[@blakelyready5980]

@@rexcuso6527 I never knew that, that is really useful.

[@rexcuso6527]

@@blakelyready5980 I was not the one who discovered it, I saw it in a Stickman Sham video kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZCqeoOCqMara9E

[@jlabella211]

Honestly, I felt just like you while watching this playthrough. I could write a list of strategies that he left us out on.

[@Smellbringer]

Lore friendly variant of this run, "What am I supposed to do if I can't use the keyblade?" mode. You can use the attack command UNTIL the Battle of 1000 Heartless where Sora learns of the Organizations plans. After that Sora can only use the Keyblade on Nobodies because they don't have hearts and Disney villains like Sark or Hades. Honestly this probably is an easier variant, you can get a few levels of Hi-Jump and Dodge Roll and even grind glide because it requires beating Nobodies. Roxas and the entire Organization become easier as well. You can also use the keyblade after Ansem shatters Kingdom Hearts but the game is basically over by that point so it doesn't matter/

[@LibraScope]

That's actually a really solid idea that would definitely make it easier for people who may find this a bit too challenging, and allows for some cool roleplay :D

[@DiademAce]

I like this I’ll do this on a replay the game on proud was a little to easy after that point

[@MadMunky20k]

Something that could have helped a lot early, especially in Land of Dragons, is actually Valor Form. If you kept Goofy on hand, you could have used Valor and instantly reverted to quickly refill your HP and MP in a pinch.

[@sonnytapman]

35:16 I’m gonna be real, the most challenging thing in this video is listening to that butchering of “Isle de Muerta.” For future reference, the S in Isle in silent, so it’d be “E-lay de Muerta.”

[@LibraScope]

Lol, my bad :D

[@D-Up242]

Hey, something that kinda helps with the Zebra Xemnas fight: During the whole "We shall go together" Reversal string, casting Reflect before Reversing deals a decent amount of damage, and due to the fact that he hyper armors through all attacks during those moves, you can shred at least one health bar before he stops. And this strategy works just as well in his Data Battle, where you have to be MUCH more precise in your Reversals.

[@mde1953]

Extremely underrated content

[@LibraScope]

Lol, thanks :D

[@CasualGamerDude]

Technecly, infinity doesnt use the keyblade to hit enemies, js. so leveling limit form is valid.

[@WizFish]

I'm so damn happy that this video blew up, thumbnail always catches my eye when I see it.

[@LibraScope]

As am I, lol. As am I.

[@drakath5727]

8:08 You could say his ping was causing him to lag.

[@elementallobsterx]

Wait... Your subscriber count ISN'T OVER 100K? KZbin is broken... Your videos are incredibly well done, and this one is the magnum opus. I listen to it almost every time I shower lol. You're great!

[@LibraScope]

Lol, I really appreciate that :D And now, as of now I'm not even lucky enough to be over 1000 subs, lol. Hopefully that changes soon though.

[@elementallobsterx]

@@LibraScope Me too. This algorithm is pathetic. You have all the right traits to succeed. Don't ever quit :)

[@LibraScope]

@@elementallobsterx Well, I'll try not to. But at this point I'm thousands of dollars in the hole, so it gets harder and harder to justify each passing year, lol.

[@elementallobsterx]

@@LibraScope Dang bro. I hope it pans out for you, but as long as you're doing it, do it as well as you can. The easy part is hard work, the hard part is inspiration.

[@Iceythrowshands]

Speaking of GET UP ON THE HYDRA'S BACK on my first fight against the hydra i heard phil say that but didnt know how to get on its back. so i sat there for what seemed like forever hearing phil yelling at me to get on the hydra's back.

[@LibraScope]

Lol, I wonder if that happened to a lot of people, and that's why the line is so infamous?

[@LightKing1237]

How do you only have 200 subs? Like damn this is some amazing content

[@LibraScope]

Lol, thanks. Glad you enjoyed the video! We can see that number grow if you know anyone else who might be interested in the content I make :P

[@AlbeLWarrior]

Loved this video. I almost never do challenge playthroughs of games, but I just might do this one. Awesome job, man.

[@LibraScope]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it, and I hope that if you decide to try it, it goes well for you :D

[@lucaskincanyon7393]

I knew I wasn’t crazy! I would always use the reaction command for reversal in the final mix version on PS3 for the final Xemnas fight and I always got hit out of it! I knew I wasn’t crazy!

[@Lazar_STS]

Ah i see this video has grown,happiness and joy

[@LibraScope]

Yes, indeed it has :D

[@wulfywulfynrir1296]

One thing to note if anyone else is ever crazy enough to try this Valor form can gain exp via reaction commands (common strat in the randomizers is to actually use valor during the MCP fight bc the reaction command deals a ton of hits) So it might be worth grinding it up for those abilities (I'd definitely check exp often to make sure whatever command you're doing counts)

[@LibraScope]

Oooh, really? That's cool! Gosh, I just love that so many people are adding to this, and exploring strats for it! I fully expected nobody would care, or find it that interesting, lol.

[@wulfywulfynrir1296]

@@LibraScope I actually JUST learned this one last week while watching a speedrunner doing the randomizer! and no lie...kiiiinda considering doing a variation of this challenge run ...once I've attempted and beaten this game on level 1 crit 😅

[@LibraScope]

@@wulfywulfynrir1296 Well, if and when you do try it, I hope you enjoy it :D

[@herb2627]

Could add the pushing Minnie exploit used in speedruns, you just push her into the side and run diagonally against the wall and Minnie to push her all the way to the end. I did this even before knowing it was used in speedruns because I play games like an idiot

[@Adrian-qr6gk]

34:11 now that is one of the cleanest transitions i've ever seen and it's with one of my all time favorite video games. I've never played a run with a particular rule in place but i think imma try a no attack, only magic run soon. It'll be a fun experience for my first challenge run.

[@LibraScope]

They can definitely be enjoyable, if you can find the right rules. That's why I've skipped over making videos about a lot of challenges I've tested out; because I want to find challenges that are rewarding and engaging, rather than just arbitrarily difficult. Not that there's anything wrong with super difficult challenges. They're just not my thing, and I'm sure a lot of people watching videos like this wish some more of these challenges were things they too could try out.

[@Adrian-qr6gk]

@@LibraScope i'm the same, i like challenges but only when it's about changing up the gameplay not just making a game a lot harder to complete which will make me tear out my hair lol.

[@LibraScope]

@@Adrian-qr6gk Interestingly, KH1 was technically the first game that drove me to try challenges like that. When the game was still new, I was the best out of all my friends at it. First one to beat the game. First one to beat Sephiroth and all the other superbosses, etc. Obviously, that original western version didn't have Proud Mode; it had Expert. And it didn't have the No Experience ability either. But I still remember beating the whole game and every superboss using the Kingdom Key, while staying as low level as possible, on Expert. Amazed I didn't give up thanks to that game also having major chip damage problems.

[@hypershadic2014]

1:01:59 you could have switched to valor form real quick and leveled up to get high jump there. Apparently that reaction command with Tron counts ad keyblade hits. Why not sure but nice thing.

[@wolke3774]

You can fill up drive gauge by starting a tournament in the Underworld. I don’t know if this tipp ever has been said, but I never heard of it in any video

[@axelviii1333]

I think for the first worlds Valor isn't useless, cuz if u run out of MP u can go into Valor and instant revert so u get ure MP and HP back but still don't use Keyblade combos. But anyways awsome vid 😊

[@LibraScope]

Oh yeah, definitely. I'm not sure why I didn't clarify that myself in the video. I purposefully didn't use it for that purpose in worlds like Beast's Castle because I was afraid I might need it later, and I didn't want to risk dealing with Anti-Form. But looking back at it now, not only would it have been invaluable, but I really didn't need to worry about getting enough anti points to end up in Anti-Form before Wisdom reset the counter anyway.

[@thehumanstunlock7588]

@@LibraScope that and the transformation explosion would give you breathing room as well a bit of chip damage to work with in crowded situations

[@LibraScope]

@@thehumanstunlock7588 Indeed it would've :)

[@ZenoDLC]

@@LibraScope Anti Form might have been a blessing, it clearly don't use any Keyblades of any kind

[@LibraScope]

@@ZenoDLC This is true. But without any major defensive options, and with I think a 2x boost to damage take(?) it's pretty dangerous to use if you don't know how to. And I definitely don't, lol.

[@tehSunBro]

You can technically kill the cage during boat Pete with magic, its just insane. If you cast a Blizzard spell, then immidiatly use the grab reaction command, the Blizzard spell will actually hit and damage the cage, however to do the fight this way requires to drop the crane after every spell, deal with some spawning heartless, before being able to do another spell.This will take forever.

[@onlyacomentarynothingspeci2419]

Man this made me realize what a good game KH2 was and how much the Disney aspect worked into the game to heighten the experience and how thought out the combat is that you can do an literal weapon less run I really hope that Nomura takes Insperation from KH2 when making 4

[@SkullFace_Official]

I honestly hope team tokyo comes back one day. Kh4 needs them.

[@nicholaskane69]

If I recall correctly, Reaction Command hits DO count for Valor Form experience. Rockshatter's a good candidate.

[@LibraScope]

Oooooh, that's actually an interesting loophole if true. Very interesting!

[@samuelcalegnan1674]

It does work kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZCqeoOCqMara9E

[@Flutterdark_]

@@LibraScope it is true. rando racers use it sometimes when fighting mcp, as every damage tick is a hit technically. so its good valor grinding

[@jexusdomel5194]

I have tested a bit and it depends. If you do a direct hit with the keyblade it counts, like soldiers cyclone , however it wont count if the hit is from the enemy, bat cry or lance tug dont add any exp for valor. Theres a good amount of reaction commands that I have no idea what would do tbh, maybe ill try with more peculiar cases like the air pirate ones (maybe there more weird ones like mcp who knows)

[@LibraScope]

@@jexusdomel5194 That would actually be a good way to test exactly what actions count as keyblade attacks in general, actually. It would allow the rules for this run to be fine tuned for anyone who also wants to exclude things like Reaction Commands, using definitive proof instead of just eyeballing it, lol.

[@ItsKNabaha]

For the third room in Timeless River, You could use fire to kill off the first wave of heartless, then use Trinity Limit - Triangle and end to instantly beat that room. That way you don't have to use Chicken Little, and save Drive.

[@LibraScope]

If I recall correctly, since beating the rooms sends you back to the main hill area where everyone is walking around, I technically don't have to worry about saving Drive; as long as Chicken Little is still out at the end, it should fully refill the Drive Gauge. But otherwise, yeah, Trinity Limit's finale sounds like it would've been really effective because of the enclosed space :)

[@couver73]

Fun fact about Valor Form. For SOME reason, using the reaction command that damages MCP apparently counts as hitting enemies for the purposes of gaining XP for that form. Granted, it's fairly late into the game and it's a pain just to be able to enter the form at all if Goofy keeps dying in one hit during the fight. So, up to you if you think it's worth doing it for levelling it up possibly once or twice.

[@Flutterdark_]

31:00 something i did not know until quite recently. when you use thunder right before you grab onto the hook then the thunder damage will count. so this is technically possible without keyblade htis. tho it takes a while. Also funny thing with the luxord fight. you can reflect when he wants to do the game to skip it and do damage. dont know which is mroe effective. Armored Xemnas 2 is a joke in this challenge. because magic lock-on = infinite thunder range. slow but its free. like you can stand on the ground and he jsut dies

[@LibraScope]

Yeah, someone actually mentioned that it should be possible to use Blizzard on the cage as well, and then quickly grab the hook to cause the damage to count. Definitely super interesting!

[@Flutterdark_]

@@LibraScope i learned that when someone pulled it in a kh2 plando i made. was very shocked. blizzard works too since you can aim it. you can also hit pete while hes throwing objects with thunder (may require magic lock-on

[@livingtoaster1358]

For POTC just walk up to the pirates and use reflect it'll take care of them also for the 4 gift heartless go immediately into the dance limit and you'll almost always finish that segment once you finish

[@nierawebster8026]

Fun Fact: During the MCP fight you can use the Reaction Command Delete in Valor Form to gain EXP for Valor form to level that up for high jumps without using Keyblade Combos.

[@LibraScope]

Yeah, been mentioned a few times. Seems like a really useful way to get High Jump for sure!

[@DiegoG2004]

26:20 I'm not used to seeing this part without pushing Minnie across the wall.

[@shadowsnake5133]

I'm noticing you used Donald alot, and I just have to ask why? Like yeah, he heals, but goofy would be a better option because of damage right? Also, sark is definitely bugged, as I've never hit that clearly necessary limiter... then again, I run tp the opposite side of the arena whenever trons unconscious, so maybe it's a distance and life thing.

[@LibraScope]

I wouldn't say either of them is the 'wrong' option necessarily. And I'm not sure I consciously thought about it at all when I made the video. If I did though, I'd hazard to guess that I chose Donald primarily because A: Early on that means I'd always have access to Wisdom Form if I needed it, where Valor is basically only useful as a heal. And B: I tried to avoid overusing items, so that I didn't have to grind for Munny. So having Donald there for an extra heal is useful so that I don't have to waste my MP on Cure. Some of these fights lasted longer than normal, increasing the risk of needing to heal rather often. Running out of items would be super bad if my only remaining heal was through using Cure on myself. I'd be completely unable to attack for the next 30 seconds or whatever.

[@alba2162]

It's because goofy got hit by that rock and got knocked out before you start revisiting worlds

[@redgle862]

@@alba2162 Lol

[@businesscatlimbo]

I was gonna do a magic only run. Of course, Roxas wouldn't count since he has no magic and it probably will essentially begin at the gate with Leon since that's where you learn your first magic.

[@Vee-the-letter]

rewatching this after fighting Roxas on my first critical mode playthrough, i've noticed something in the second method listed, the sequence of blocking roxas' barrage of attacks and then reflect the last hit is dropped in laser phase because you can't guard the lasers, or so this video says. i can speak directly from experience that if you position yourself right, Roxas will reach you before the first laser in his combo attack, and if you guard you will be completely immune to the lasers for the duration of the guard, and for the final hit that you need to reflect he doesn't fire lasers at you but instead to the left and right to catch those trying to dodge. This does not work if you get hit by a laser first since you won't be proper guarding, just trying to, so make sure you block that first keyblade hit of his before the laser reaches you. so, if anyone is trying this challenge two years later Roxas can be made just a tad easier

[@LibraScope]

Yeah, that's probably something I should've clarified. A lot of things in the series that can't be initially blocked, can be blocked after you first block something else.

[@th3bear01]

If I remember right there is a way to hit the cage in the boat Pete fight with magic, you have to use blizzard or something then quickly grab the hook and as long as it hits after your on the hook it will do damage. You could only do one hit at a time so it would take ages but I think it would work

[@LibraScope]

If that's the case, that would make it entirely possible to beat without combos :D

[@horse_plinko]

EDIT: ignore this somebody else already said it lol Valor Form isn't COMPLETELY useless, by the way! I can think of one immensely helpful use for it! Throwing on a Drive Form, even Valor, will completely restore your MP along with your HP... AND there's nothing stopping you from just immediately hitting Revert to get your Magic back. In the earlier worlds, you could use stepping into Valor for an instant as a cheap alternative to popping an Ether, giving you some more room for error in portions like that hide-and-seek camp mission in LoD. Using Valor like this comes with the risk of dropping into AntiForm, of course, but ideally you'll be able to lean more reliably on Ethers loooong before you get to Wisdom Form, and then you'll be in the clear again since getting a new form resets your Anti-Points.

[@LibraScope]

Yeah, lol. Something I regret not being more clear about in the video :)

[@k-p116]

Some tips for whoever wants to do this challenge: in the early game, you can just use valor form to regain MP and then immediately revert. It might help you save time. To easily get the Bat Cry command, try hitting the bats with fire.

[@johnpantag472]

You do 2 hits jump and 1 hit for soldiers to get cyclone and a fire or a single swing for the bat command.

[@gammalolman580]

So, this video blew up only recently and maybe you will know some of this already, but I'll say it anyways: First off, using a drive form recovers your hp and mp, meaning that using Valor form just for that could have been useful. Second... Valor form does not care if you attack with your keyblade for leveling, but only if you damage the enemy due to your attack. Reaction commands are legally your attacks, so you can use reaction commands to freely level up Valor form

[@LibraScope]

Yeah, I already knew about the Drive Forms healing you and filling your MP. I just wasn't sure if I'd need them or not later on, and I didn't really want to end up running up against Anti-Form. And people have mentioned using Reaction Commands to level Valor. In particular they've said the fight against the MCP is a good place to level it quickly :)

[@gammalolman580]

@@LibraScope good to know

[@N.G.H.]

People on the internet are wrong about the Sark and MCP battle. The reaction command that renders Sark unconscious for a minute can forcibly be triggered by running far away from him. When running from him he'll throw a disc the size of the arena at you but eventually when you reach the max distance his A.I. will allow he'll summon a wall and when you approach it you'll get the reaction command to take him down instantly for a minute so you can focus on the MCP barrier.

[@LibraScope]

That's what I thought was the case, but for whatever reason, he just refused to do it here until the battle was around half over. I'm not sure what was going wrong.

[@N.G.H.]

@@LibraScope I think you might have to let him chase you a bit first. His A.I. will trigger the wall when you run far enough from him. If you're still too close to him but far enough that his melee won't reach he'll just throw a giant disc that runs around the arena but then you can still bait out the wall reaction command.

[@karmiccrotal3480]

Behold, the youtuber that has found genuine benefit to using Hidden Dragon

[@batch_2731]

Oh something to note about Valor is you can level it using Reaction Commands that count as hits. Meaning you can get High Jump in this run with the meat of the grinding being done during the MCP Fight.

[@LibraScope]

Indeed. A lot of people have been mentioning that :)

[@theendermanking3616]

Alternative Title: True Mage Run

[@loganrenfrow2544]

"I don't need a weapon. My friends are my power!" *proceeds to do nothing but summon Chicken Little and Stitch*

[@shielfoxftw8279]

Fun fact: Each triangle press used in the Delete command against the MCP count as a hit, which would've made this a great fight to level up Valor Form for the run. Also, this was a great vid! I had a lot of fun watching it.

[@LibraScope]

Yeah, someone else actually JUST mentioned the other day that Reaction Commands can work to level Valor :D Wasn't aware of that, but it's an interesting loophole, lol! Glad you enjoyed the video! I appreciate you taking the time to watch it :)

[@bignanavc]

I'd argue that the floating keyblade poking the ball in master dorm is the keyblade attacking on it's own which since you aren't hitting the attack button and the keyblade does it on its own

[@LibraScope]

That's fair :) It's in a gray area, so there's no hard and fast rule there :)

[@stareanddream]

This is going to be impossible...right...RIGHT...R I G H T?

[@LibraScope]

Only technically ;)

[@bvdf84]

I am still trying to 100% KH2FM (too bad I started in normal mode) and I've got addicted to these challenge runs

[@tumultuousv]

Nah it's good to start in normal mode. At least to do the no continue thing. At least if you mean trophy wise

[@bvdf84]

@@tumultuousv trophy wise, yes You don't get a trophy for finishing normal mode so I have to play the game from the very star, twice with no ng+

[@hchappy125]

Something I realized when you were describing the Beast Castle world: You could've gone into valor form and just reverted to get your mp back

[@LibraScope]

Yeah, I just wasn't sure how much I might need to use that later, and didn't want to accidentally start running into Anti-Form due to overuse.

[@hchappy125]

@@LibraScope ach, fair. There’s always a hidden drawback!!

[@Vee-the-letter]

26:32 that bomb got slapped by a keyblade swing from Sora, run still possible but invalidated edit: upon review, run still valid, that slash is part of the Dodge Roll reaction command

[@LibraScope]

Whew, glad I didn't have to explain that one again, lol :D

[@deaj8450]

I don't remember if it was out at this time, but Bl00dyBizkitz did a gold crown no abilities challenge so there probably are a few more kh2fm challenges out there.

[@Luuute]

Yes. With all the negative combo parts you can make your one and only attack an infinite stagger combo

[@calebhherra2553]

As someone who use almost only the keyblade to attack this is a truly interesting idea to beat the game

[@LibraScope]

Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@izunia8436]

I feel like in order to save yourself the stress make minigames an exception to the no keyblade combo rule

[@LibraScope]

That's certainly something anyone else is free to do if they try the challenge :)

[@kidsonblackops]

I would recommend using valor form to refill health and mp and for that faster running speed to dodge foes in the early game.

[@MeteorFalcon]

Since I didnt see it in the rules, I wanted to point out that you don't need to complete every single world to beat the game. Olympus 2 for example doesn't need to be completed and same with Pride Lands in it's entirety. Might make the challenge easier. Oh also a interesting tip, if you want to level Valor for this challenge if you really need high jump later on use the Reaction command on the MPC. It actually counts towards Valor Form EXP.

[@LibraScope]

Yeah, I just figured it kind of went against the spirit of the challenge for me personally, to avoid worlds that focused on combat. So I personally chose to do them :)

[@MeteorFalcon]

@@LibraScope Cool, cool

[@StilesReviews]

I watched this one the other day but forgot to comment, very interesting.

[@intotheindie8821]

Now, you finally found a use for Hidden Dragon

[@PS4sos21]

A great bloody game that still stands up to this day. Its because of the style of the graphics I guess.

[@---ec2ph]

So I'm only at the thresholder fight right now, but I've noticed you tend to just sit in mp recharge when you reach it. Entering and immediately leaving valor form would refill your health and magic, and allow you to stay in the fight a little more.

[@LibraScope]

Yeah, it was mostly because I wasn't sure how much I might need Drive Forms later, so I didn't want to just frivolously add Anti-Points and end up in a tough situation later, with Anti-Form constantly ruining attempts. Ended up not being a problem, obviously. Also, not long after that, I felt like Drive was better spent on Summons anyway :)

[@---ec2ph]

Good to know the thought process. I genuinely didn't think I'd end up hearing a response to that comment.

[@LibraScope]

@@---ec2ph It was a good question. You're not the only one who has asked it, lol. Don't wanna just leave people hanging :) Appreciate that you watched the video!

[@TheName983]

My first playthrough of KH2 was my first KH game. I played the entire series during the summer of 2020, but back somewhere around 2010 or 2011 when I was 7 or 8 I didn't know abilities even existed. I beat the entire game without even having scan and finally used abilities when my cousin helped me fight Sephiroth. Note I was on standard, but I did it all with the same 3 hit combo. I honestly don't know how that didn't put me off

[@LibraScope]

Ahh really, that's pretty interesting, lol. I was a teenager when I first played KH, back when KH1 was the only game released. And it was a new enough take on the action RPG that I remember being a bit overwhelmed. So I can imagine being in a similar situation to you, had I been your age and trying KH2 on top of that. It's a much more complex game after all :)

[@TheName983]

@@LibraScope oh I spent like, 3 days on trying to beat Xigbar, but has a kid with nothing else to do I kept at it.

[@LibraScope]

@@TheName983 I remember getting stuck for a while on Xaldin in Beast's Castle my first time through. It was the first time the game was really like "Okay, you can't just mash buttons anymore.", lol.

[@livingtoaster1358]

As someone who use to want to speedrun this game it's actually better that you just have the basic magic combos because finishers deal a lot of damage

[@zie4570]

I’ve yet to see anyone say this, and I have no idea if it would change anything major, but you can level valor by rc’s. I know one the most prominent cases is actually the MCP fight

[@LibraScope]

Yeah, it's been mentioned several times. I think the MCP thing was found after I made this video. And honestly, I don't think it would've changed too much, since High Jump wasn't really necessary :)

[@rikaniebangbang]

I think people thought the game was x mashing because all the good and fun options come relatively late, the first few worlds are kind of slow and force you to mash x unless you wanna do, well, this. Once we have reflect, magnet, forms that aren’t valor, options become actually fun but players often didn’t try them out because they’re already conditioned into x mashing.

[@LibraScope]

Very true, though I'd also say a large part of the problem was that the game does a very poor job of showing you the value in your options (tons of people don't even know what half of the summons do, for example), and also didn't initially ship with a difficulty that was well balanced to push the mechanics. Something I plan on discussing at length when I finally get around to doing a longform critique of the game.

[@garrickkthegreat5762]

"At this point we have to fall asleep at the controller to lose" laughs at dark syde phils playthrough.

[@NoBrakes219]

Excellent video man

[@LibraScope]

Thanks!

[@PopcornBunni]

I've never heard anyone argue KH2 is mash X. That's the first game. The second game you mash Triangle and auto win 90% of engagements. The other 10% is spam magic since you have infinite mana.

[@LibraScope]

That's not how it was back in the day. It has changed in the last few years, as people for some reason started getting super hostile toward Reaction Commands. But back in the day a lot of people, including most review outlets, complained that you just mashed combos the entire time. They would also occasionally mention RCs, because they're not timing based, which was distinctly different from standard QTE's at the time. But for the most part the complaint was combos, because most players didn't really use any of their other options :)

[@Awecyan32]

I’m pretty sure you can actually level valor form if you use the skateboard to hit heartless. I’m pretty sure it counts the hits with the skateboard.

[@LibraScope]

Hmm, really? If so, that would be incredibly interesting!

[@shadowcat4695]

You could have leveled valor form during the mcp fight just go into valor and use trons reaction command delete it will count towards valors exp every triangle button press

[@hiimarandomweebwithanezuko1317]

MAGIC AND SUMNONS also by the rules you can use the drive form explosion to do damage

[@LibraScope]

Yeah, I actually thought about using drive form explosions, lol. I kept it in my back pocket, but need for it never really came up unfortunately.

[@hiimarandomweebwithanezuko1317]

LibraScope I know it could just be helpful in early fights when you don’t have magic

[@Odinfrost]

Uhm, quickly glanced through comments without seeing any suggesting this: But couldn't you level up Limit Form with Ragnarok, as it's just the homing energy balls from CoM onwards?

[@LibraScope]

Yeah, that's definitely something that's arguable. Kind of depends on how you'd interpret its relation to things like your magic Wisdom Form bullets that replace standard attacks, and how both relate to normal spells. I could totally see an argument for it all being completely within the rules! Good catch!

[@hi-i-am-atan]

kh2's ragnarok is based on the kh1 version, not the com version, so it _does_ have the initial anti-air combo before leading into the magical barrage that said, since the main point of the challenge _isn't_ "don't hit enemies with the keyblade" ( since that would exclude not only a bunch of optional reaction commands, but also a lot of standard limits since sora uses it in quite a few limit-specific commands ) but rather "don't use the attack command or combo modifiers," limit form's limits should be fair game anyway. they really aren't combos in the typical video game sense, anyway - you press one button combo and you're locked into a static sequence of attacks, making 'em not all that different from fire or reflect as single attacks that hit multiple times like, sure, you _technically_ have to press triangle to continue the sequence, but considering the only limit that you can't just mash triangle through is also the one that only asks you to press it once ... yeah same deal with master form's master magic and final form's auto assault, honestly. they just add additional hitboxes to sora's non-attack attacks, so you're still fulfilling the "beating kh2 without mashing x" spirit of the challenge ... i mean, provided you don't just spam whatever spell you assign to x, anyway

[@LibraScope]

@@hi-i-am-atan Sure, and that's totally fair. Like I said in the video, I ultimately decided Limit Form's options were against the spirit of the challenge just because 99% of the options it offers are primarily about keyblade attacks. But everyone is free to interpret the rules how they wish, because it's not something that can be super clear cut :)

[@hi-i-am-atan]

@@LibraScope i think it could easily be clear cut, it's just that this vid is kinda caught between two challenges: a. no attack or shoot commands or combo modifiers b. no keyblade attacks, period they're not exactly contradictory rules, mind, but it does make it feel pretty arbitrary to say you're not allowed to use strike raid ( which ... isn't even really a combo no matter _how_ you define it ) but it's perfectly fine for sora to do his best beyblade impression as long as auron's got his back. the ambiguity only really stems from that, because defining either on their own would be a lot simpler ( albeit, no keyblade would require a _lot_ of research to setup, and you'd have to put your foot down on whether or not it disallows _landed_ attacks or if so much as _jumping_ in final form would disqualify a run ) granted, there's still a _bit_ that need to be clarified like if shoot counts as a keyblade attack or not, but it's still p. clear cut ( my take on shoot being, no, at no point does shoot involve the keyblade any more than blizzard or thunder do, so if you aren't also challenging yourself to avoid x button spam, it's fair game. more interesting to think about is if you can use explosion or magnet burst to end a magic combo, but i feel like that's more of a philosophical question than one that would realistically impact a run )

[@LibraScope]

​@@hi-i-am-atan Sure. That's kind of what I meant though, was that there are still things that themselves fit between the two extremes, like spells, Wisdom shooting, keyblades swinging themselves, etc. So for me, Some sort of subjective decision has to made on them either way, whether you base it off of the animation, the lore of the story, hitboxes, or even like, the damage type. So I figured it was best to just not get caught up in overthinking what makes the most sense, and more think about what offers the most engaging secondary balance point to play the game from. I COULD have excluded all the proper Reaction Commands, or included Wisdom shots or Limit Form options if they were instead Magic damage, or a bunch of other things. But for me personally, the best balance was struck the way I did it, because it still gave me a wealth of options, but really felt like an alternate playstyle instead of just the same game with a couple small omissions. I'm not like, trying to argue with you and say you're wrong or anything, of course :) My ultimate goal with this video was not to make something definitive, or extremely difficult. It was more so just to find something that was fun to do, felt different from the normal game, and might be fun for others to try. Which of course, is why the rules are designed to be malleable. It's not for me to decide what someone else might find the most fun rules for a challenge like this.

[@vlogergames]

wow... just wow... I would never be patient enough to even THINK about doing this, mad respect

[@LibraScope]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed watching it!

[@justcallmexen]

I thought I was the only one to come up with this idea. My challenge was "Can you beat KH2 without Sora using the Attack command?" It is slightly less restrictive, as I still allowed for any square button moves. Still no counterguard, as it requires the menu to be on "Attack" to perform

[@LibraScope]

Yeah, I figured it was something at least a few people had thought of. I was surprised when nobody had done a video on it yet.

[@DavidBest1996]

16:17 well it's not very consistent but theThresholder's Dark Orbs are blockable with Guard

[@LibraScope]

Yeah, I was doing that a lot, I just wasn't showing it, because I figured it was obvious since we have no other way to avoid them at that point. It's a bit more consistent if you're on the other side of the arena, but then Thresholder likes to spam them. So it was kind of a case where trying to use Hook Bats and stay offensive was just a better option most of the time. In my experience anyway :)

[@dustinj918]

I find it funny you suggest using Hidden Dragon, since I'm doing my own challenge where I'm only allowed to use Hidden Dragon for the whole game. What I mean by that is that, once I have the option, I equip Hidden Dragon to the main Keyblade slot, and never switch it out. There are two exceptions: I can equip Keyblades to the other forms, and after the Roxas fight, I'm going to equip Two Become One, so I can use its effect to get Final Form. Other then that, it's Hidden Dragon all the way.

[@LibraScope]

It's definitely not near as bad of a keyblade as everyone makes it out to be. And in particular - because KH2 tries to better level out its keyblades so they generally all stay relatively useful (particularly due to the damage scaling system) - it's more than viable in a normal run as your go-to weapon of choice.

[@dustinj918]

@@LibraScope Thanks for replying! And yeah, while it might not be the strongest Keyblade, MP Rage and its great design help it greatly.

[@Friendofox]

Criminally underrated.

[@LibraScope]

Thanks!

[@MatsuyoRific]

Disney movie fans: Chicken Little is so bad! Why was this made?! Kingdom Hearts 2: Hold my sky.

[@ivanb.1314]

Right before the fight Jack's abilities are reseted you have to equipped them to make Jack useful in the bossfigth.

[@LibraScope]

Which Jack are we talking? Skellington or Sparrow? :D

[@Charlie-hv3dh]

Amazing video. TBH I feel like this video should get as many views as Gamechamp3000's lv1 kh1!

[@LibraScope]

I personally really like Gamechamp's work. But I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Don't be afraid to share it with anyone else you think might like it ;)

[@iancomtois9832]

You can't use Stomp Bomb in the Pete fight, because the towers shoot you when you get too close.

[@NickTheGreatAndPowerful]

I once did the opposite of this challenge and did one with only attacks, no magic. It went great up until I had to open the stupid ruined tower in Agrabah 2. I forgot all about it and was very upset.

[@santajohnsduraorduraclause4678]

12:00 “we can play this more carful” So I spammed fire

[@LibraScope]

Lololol, you're not incorrect I guess :D

[@QuintenLust]

The best keyblade is easily gull wing, the extra xp got me to level 50 at th end of the game

[@AntiRiku]

wish there were more kingdom hearts challenge videos

[@LibraScope]

I've tested out a few others, but haven't found anything that was particularly fun for me to do, or fun to watch. But I do have a few other ideas for different games and series'. I'm planning on making one for Final Fantasy VII this year, so if that interests you, stay tuned :D

[@JoeyCool414]

i did this with the vanilla kh 1&2 because at the time i didn’t know i could upgrade sora so i struggled with no combos and it took me way longer to beat it but yeah i barely used magic except for the healing magic everything else nothing

[@MegaUMU]

37:38 bit unfortunate that u didn't touch upon going wisdom. Its one of the best places that you can farm wisdom by natural progression

[@LibraScope]

True, though I usually prioritize leveling Forms before I make progress. So I didn't even think about it, since for me, Wisdom was already leveled as far as it would go at that point :)

[@kota2786]

This video is old but magnet works halfway decent during Phil's manic mini game. The only problem is you cannot get the big coins if you use magnet

[@LibraScope]

You'd have to skip the world until after beating Halloween Town, which may be possible(?). But if it is, yeah, that would probably work despite its high MP cost. It certainly is super effective in the training in BBS.

[@kota2786]

@@LibraScope you are true sure, it was a little op

[@kota2786]

Also, forever sad reflect wasnt readily available in kh3

[@LibraScope]

@@kota2786 I don't necessarily miss Reflect, but I do definitely wish KH3 had more spells that were not inherently offense-based. Gravity, Magnet, Reflect; spells that aren't all about just doing damage. Particularly because they could've used them to bring back many of the Sleights from Chain of Memories that used these spells, as Situation Commands

[@ornetwork]

I know this is old but I noticed he didn't make any rules for anti form Whether it be because he didn't know it existed or because he never got it during this run But it stuck out to me

[@LibraScope]

I honestly didn't mention it because I always count my Anti-Points in my head, and know all of the underlying mechanics surrounding it, so that I can 100% avoid running into it (unless I want to use it). And since I couldn't really use half of the Forms in combat anyway, I knew unless I was reckless when using my other forms, I was never going to end up with enough points to have to worry about Anti-Form anyway :) Though, considering the downsides that come along with it, and the fact that you don't use a keyblade in Anti-Form, I'd say I personally don't think there's anything wrong with using it in a run like this.

[@cryguy0000]

@@LibraScope Ya know early game you could've entered Valor and instantly reverted to gweret full MP

[@LibraScope]

@@cryguy0000 Yeah I know :) But since I didn't route this out beforehand, I didn't want to risk desperately needing that option as a core part of a fight later, but having enough Anti-Points that it made Anti-Form an issue. Like I said, I can avoid Anti-Form if I'm not reckless, so I tried to avoid being reckless, just in case dropping in and out of forms became necessary in a tough fight :)

[@masterdreamer7848]

You could just use Strike Raid to level up Limit Form. Your aren't SWINGING the keyblade, your THROWING it. And you could use Thunder or Blizzard in Final Form to kill Nobodies Since you attack at a distance.

[@pdaddy_collects]

Appreciate how much time this took

[@LibraScope]

Thanks! Hope you enjoyed it as well, lol.

[@WileyRyley]

You can't use Form keyblade combos, but could you use Forms to refill your MP/HP???

[@LibraScope]

Yes you can. I was gonna mention it whenever it came up, but because I was trying to avoid having to deal with Anti-Form at all cost, I end up being too conservative and never using Forms for that purpose. So it never came up, lol.

[@michaelhall736]

I don't think the Raging Dragon is necessarily useless. No Keyblade is in the game. A specific Keyblade can be useful in certain situations or playstyles. The only one I would say is actually useless is the mushroom Keyblade. It is absolutely not worth it as it just has EXP Zero ability which you already start out with in critical mode and someone's not going to find a use for it if they're just playing casually. It should have had some super broken and OP ability considering what you had to go through to get it like infinite MP, infinite drive or something like that.

[@LibraScope]

I definitely agree with the first part of your comment. I think Winner's Proof though is still... kind of useful. It has higher Magic than any other Keyblade, even the Ultima Weapon, by a significant margin. The EXP Zero is supposed to be its downside for that boost. So it's nice that it's rendered moot if you get to max level. And you wouldn't want it to be too powerful, since while it can be a bit of a pain to obtain, it can also be obtained before you've completed ANY of the post-game superboss fights. I think a good compromise would've been to keep it the way it is, but then swap the ability out for a slightly better one with each crown you obtain. That way by the time you get the gold crown, you've got a Keyblade that's both got ridiculous stats and a super powerful ability like infinite MP/Drive/whatever. But it also won't help you cheese all the hardest fights, because you will have already had to beat them to unlock said ability. Otherwise, with such a powerful ability, it would hamstring most players into doing the mushrooms before everything else in the endgame, and undermine those fights.

[@outofideasexe]

I love not using magic in the roxaa fight and instead use combos and blocks so it seems like a duel, this video only makes me appreciate my will lol

[@LibraScope]

I actually have a tendency to do that a fair amount myself, when I get to that fight in normal playthroughs :D

[@ItsmaterHD]

This gave me an idea to do a stream play though with only magic

[@LibraScope]

Sounds like a good idea! I'd say go for it!