Completing a 100-hour role-playing game on its highest difficulty is an achievement in itself, but one YouTuber has pushed the boundaries further by undertaking a no-hit playthrough of Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous on its 'Unfair' setting. Davey Gunface, known for his challenging runs, demonstrated that even dice-rolling, stats-heavy CRPGs are not immune to extreme challenge runs, a practice more commonly associated with precise action titles.
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is known for its demanding gameplay, with even its standard difficulty posing a significant challenge. The 'Core' difficulty is considered a major accomplishment for CRPG veterans. The 'Unfair' difficulty, however, amplifies the game's already punishing mechanics, featuring astronomical Armor Class, potent save-or-die spells, level drain, damage immunities, and lengthy crowd control effects. These elements combine to create what the game itself labels as 'unfair.'
Given the marathon nature of Wrath of the Righteous, which often exceeds 100 hours, Davey Gunface reportedly allowed for reloading saves, focusing his challenge on avoiding any damage that could be prevented. The source notes instances where unavoidable damage, stemming from story events or cutscenes, did occur, which felt contrary to the spirit of the challenge. However, Gunface's interpretation of 'avoidable' extended to clever in-game maneuvers, such as discovering a rare sequence that allowed him to bypass an intended "lose" state in an early fight by making a specific moral choice.
Achieving this level of play requires an extreme degree of buildcrafting and optimization, far beyond what is typically needed for even a 'Core' playthrough. For the notorious Shield Maze prologue, Gunface employed a popular 'Unfair' tactic: sacrificing the long-term viability of companion builds by multiclassing them in ways that provided immediate survival benefits. This included utilizing the Rowdy Rogue archetype for its critical hit capabilities and equipping companions like Lann or Wenduag with Sabertooth Tiger pets.
For his own character, Gunface opted for a Human Witch of the Veil 10 / Loremaster 9 / Rowdy Rogue 1 build. This combination leveraged the Witch's powerful early-game hexes and augmented its spell list through the Loremaster prestige class. He also selected the Swarm That Walks mythic path, described as more villainous than the game's existing antagonists. His custom character portrait featured a picture of his dog.
The challenge is considered exceptionally difficult due to the inherent randomness of d20 rolls in CRPGs, which contrasts with the more direct player input found in action games. Gunface's complete playthrough is available as a three-hour video, offering a deep dive into his strategies and execution.