Low Level
Finishing the game at the lowest level possible. Mario will be at Level 3 at the end of the game.
To do this, you must acquire the Lucky Jewel/Lucky Hammer as early as possible to force the shell game at the end of each required battle. You then must lose all of your experience in the shell game before being able to progress.
Each shell game is a 33% random chance to pick the 'Wrong' option to lose all EXP. However, there are 2 types of the shell game, one is to double your coins and the other is to double EXP.
-In required battles where coins are rewarded, the odds go down to 1/6 (~16.7%).
-One set of battles is the Boomer/Exor fight, where you cannot save in between. Boomer has the 1/6 chance of succeeding due to coins/EXP, and Exor has just EXP. Combined, it is a 1/18 chance of progressing (~5.6%).
Before you attempt this category:
There's still time to reconsider that decision. But if you decide that you absolutely, truly, definitely want to do this:
You will visit several places and perform several tasks in Low Level that you do not do in any%, and in fact may not even do in a casual playthrough. If you have never played Low Level before, it is very likely you will run into something in the game that you've never seen before.
It is advised to pick a route and thoroughly read it before attempting the category, and clarifying or learning anything you are unsure of.
You should have some knowledge of the following before beginning (see Section II of pidge's route for more deep detail on all of these):
How to perform Mack Skip
How to succeed at the Mushroom Derby and how Fat Yoshi's cookie prizes work
How Jump's counter works (not to be confused with Super Jump, which isn't used in this category)
How the swap shop in Moleville works
Lucky Jewel having a use cap
Timed blocks, especially this one.
While not strictly required in most routes, you are encouraged to learn any included RNG manips ahead of time as this is a very long challenge run and these manips will save you significant time. Study your chosen route beforehand so you know which ones are important if this applies.
Be ready to save very often, and ideally use all 4 of your save slots. It is a good idea to cycle through all of your save slots so that you can revert any major mistakes if you make them. Low Level has high potential for unrecoverable mistakes if you don't have backup saves.
Route options:
Your recommended options for completing Low Level are as follows:
This route combines and reconciles fast and consistent strategies from Alanim's [1] [2] and Emilybrooks' routes. The route has been additionally audited so that your inventory will be properly managed no matter what your freebie luck has been, and minimizes time spent grinding for items.
The barrier to entry for this route is a bit higher as it requires consistency with specific timed hits, but it is still viable for non-speedrunners who have played SMRPG before. Technical execution expectations of the runner are fully laid out in the "Before You Begin" section, and 60 practice save files are provided.
This route is an updated version of Chrescendo's notes, with the addition of some strategies from pidge's notes.
This route does not include any RNG manipulations besides Mario's Pad Manip (during which you just hold down two buttons). These notes include several detailed visual diagrams. Anyone of any familiarity level with SMRPG can successfully complete the run with these notes as long as they learn how to perform Mack Skip.
The most well-known version of this category. iateyourpie consistently ran Low Level and achieved the current world record with this route, which was before most of the newer strats in the later routes were discovered, so these notes should still be sufficient for your purposes.