Quote Originally Posted by Katchoo View Post
I see a lot of people making the Nyzul Isle comparison on here but to me this seem more reminiscent of Challenge Mode from PSO on the Gamecube / Dreamcast.

For anybody unfamiliar with this mode/game, challenge mode is a special mode where you must progress through the areas of the game with minimal equipment utilizing teamwork and puzzle solving skills moreso than they are used in the regular game.

Challenge mode has no difficulty setting, but the enemies in it are equivalent in difficulty to Normal mode. When you begin a stage you are transported directly into the stage and your level, items, Techniques, Meseta, and everything else you have acquired in the regular game is stripped from you and replaced with defaults for the stage you chose.

It was pretty fun, trying to work out the best team composition and sharing item drops between you to best help the progress of your party.
Sounds a little bit like Salvage, from FFXI. In Salvage, when you enter the dungeon you're afflicted with numerous status ailments that reduce your stats, lock your spellcasting and job abilities, and strip you of your equipment. ALL of your equipment. Over the course of the dungeon, you can obtain items to unlock unlock these restrictions, bit by bit - but at the point you enter the dungeon, everyone is bare naked and unable to do anything but punch enemies in the face. XD This made jobs with native hand-to-hand skill particularly popular, as those are the only jobs that could deal appreciable damage while barehanded, and so were crucial until you'd unlocked some folks' weapons. Enemies started out quite weak, but their difficulty would ramp up as you advanced floors and unlocked more and more equipment, abilities, and stats.

Was one of the more enjoyable endgame offerings in FFXI, in my opinion. Offered some of the best gear in the game at the time, too, albeit at infuriatingly low drop rates.