Hacking Options for Installing CIA's on brand new (ish) 3ds version 3.3 firmware

[Xenon Hacks]

Dont try to over complicate things your 3DS is not going anywhere (unless it sprouts legs during the night). Take your time read threads and stickies ask questions if your unsure of something in the main threads and please backup your 4.5 Nand using the gateway launcher the first chance you get before doing anything to your 3DS.

 

[VerseHell]

Yes you can run CFW from 4.5 (I highly recommend the pasta tutorial I linked) without a gateway card, and yes 4.5 is the minimum for all system exploits.

*4.1 exactly. And don't update past 4.5.

 

[Ericzander]

@KVPrasad there's a bit of misinformation here. You don't have to update to 4.x at all. And 4.5 is NOT the minimum to use Pasta firmware without Cubic Ninja. In fact, it's the maximum. However... You should know that it will only run older games that don't have the 7.x encryption. If you want to be able to play every 3DS game (with the exception of Pokemon Rumble World and a few other titles) you're going to want your system between 9.0 and 9.2 and run pasta using Cubic Ninja.

So if you can find that game for a decent price, used or new, then I would do that. If not, you're very limited.

Edit: BTW, if you are okay with being limited and don't want to buy Cubic Ninja, you will still need to install mset using Gateway's installer file. However, that does NOT mean that you need to buy a Gateway. All you need is any generic DS flashcart that works in your 3.x system. You put the installer file on the cart as you would any DS game and then install it from there.