Bit of an update on this. The in-game implementations are up to the point where the party consists of everyone except Sue! There was at least one attempt of a “low-level” run in regards to playtesting, and I think it might be possible to get to that point as low as the mid 30’s? Having 40 max ECN (achievable when your party’s average level is 31) certainly helps in cancelling the larger encounter costs in the right-most maps, which is where Camp Kupva and Ferdil lie. Player’s won’t “need” to access Huil Wood or Bisha Palace for this type of run, but, having access to the best weapons and armor that Bisha Palace provides can be a benefit.
That aside, the game will eventually ask players to visit Huil Wood, and lands beyond that of the map grid the game’s established for them so far. It’s possible the “low-level” run up to when Sue joins can be as low as 41 (when players achieve 50 max ECN), but, I can’t say for sure until the game actually gets there.
Of course, the writing has to get there too, but, I did promise myself a bit of a breather/break. With the holidays right coming up soon, it might be until early January that I even start that? We’ll see!