What video game are you playing?

[ulukinatme]

Beat the Mantis Lords after a couple attempts (Shoulda focused more on continuing to dodge attacks rather than sneak heals in, led to a lot of double damage and wasted power). After I ventured through half of Deepnest I did some research and found out I probably shouldn't have been there yet. Completely missed the Mantis Lord treasure after the boss fight, went back after a lot of aimless wandering and checking random map points I hadn't visited yet. Finally found my way to the city some time later and got my Nail upgraded. I've been rocking the Frail Strength Charm for awhile, so now I'm doing some damage.

Overall the game has been real decent, definitely got my $7 worth already. Certainly has a Metroid feel to it. There's nothing earth shattering about the game so far, but it does very well as a platformer. If I had one beef, I'd like some variety with the weapons. The Nail is nice and all, and it gets some upgrades here and there via Nailsmith and Charms, but different weapons for different play styles would have been nice. That's one thing Bloodstained really had going for it, along with a lot of different magic attacks.

Also...1850 Geo for a fuckin' lantern?! GTFO, that's highway robbery.

 

[Armyirish47]

Finally built a moderate level PC for gaming. For the steam sale I went mostly nostalgic Star Wars games BUT I'm also gonna try this Witcher 3 business. I look forward to being terrible at it and rage quitting in a couple days before I go back to League of Legends woot!

 

[ACamp1900]

Finally built a moderate level PC for gaming. For the steam sale I went mostly nostalgic Star Wars games BUT I'm also gonna try this Witcher 3 business. I look forward to being terrible at it and rage quitting in a couple days before I go back to League of Legends woot!

I found it a hard game to just up and play. Not because of difficulty but because there is SO MUCH to the story and the game itself and it just kind of,... starts. Once you overcome that it’s easily a top five game ever made. I’d suggest taking your time early, watch all cut scenes, even the intro one when the game loads, read any backstory stuff the game gives you until you feel up to speed. I didn’t really do any of that and was largely lost as to what was going on story wise and never fully understood the builds and such until my second play through.

 

[DONTH8]

Finally built a moderate level PC for gaming. For the steam sale I went mostly nostalgic Star Wars games BUT I'm also gonna try this Witcher 3 business. I look forward to being terrible at it and rage quitting in a couple days before I go back to League of Legends woot!

Echoing the words of ACAMP, but be prepared for sensory overload to start. I played for about 4 hours and then gave up. Then I watched a few YouTube videos to fill me in on the story. Then I went back and started the game over, really paying attention to the tips it gives you. And I’m so glad I did. The game is damn near perfect imo. Don’t give up on it.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

After I ventured through half of Deepnest I did some research and found out I probably shouldn't have been there yet.

Right. Deepnest is one of the endgame zones.

If I had one beef, I'd like some variety with the weapons. The Nail is nice and all, and it gets some upgrades here and there via Nailsmith and Charms, but different weapons for different play styles would have been nice. That's one thing Bloodstained really had going for it, along with a lot of different magic attacks.

There are lots of builds (Nail, Spell, Summons, etc.) that play very differently, but you're correct that there aren't any alternative melee weapons, and there's not much variety between Nail builds specifically (which fortunately isn't the case for Spell or Summon builds).

Also...1850 Geo for a fuckin' lantern?! GTFO, that's highway robbery.

Wait until you see how much it costs to get an Unbreakable version of Fragile Strength.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Finally built a moderate level PC for gaming. For the steam sale I went mostly nostalgic Star Wars games BUT I'm also gonna try this Witcher 3 business. I look forward to being terrible at it and rage quitting in a couple days before I go back to League of Legends woot!

Here are a couple posts that might help you:
How to build Geralt (skill points, gear, potions, etc.) for an effective first play-through; and
How to win at Gwent.

 

[greyhammer90]

Also...1850 Geo for a fuckin' lantern?! GTFO, that's highway robbery.

You've been roaming through Deepnest without a lantern? Madlad.

 

[brick4956]

Anyone play WoW here just started over playing here from scratch have a character close to 70 after a week

 

[ulukinatme]

Right. Deepnest is one of the endgame zones.

You've been roaming through Deepnest without a lantern? Madlad.

So yeah...after I beat the Mantis Lords I traipsed willy-nilly into Deepnest thinking that my reward would be waiting on the other side. I went a little farther, went a little farther, then fell through the fucking long ass tunnel above the hot springs/rest point so I was well and truly fucked. I decided at that point to sneak a peak at a map online to figure out how I get out of the big ass hole.

I saw the Ancient Basin was to the east, but I really didn't want to step foot into another new zone and further my predicament. It looked like my best option was to go west and head up from there, but little did I know that a lot of the pathways were not open to me until I go around the long way and then fall through the floors, opening up the new passageways. That's a pain to do when you're already at the bottom! So yeah, kept pushing my way west and up, pausing often to check for those large moving millipede things since I couldn't see far ahead. I made it to the rest area where Cloth was, then it was a few jumps to unlock the shortcut to Fungal Wastes from there. The trip wasn't a complete loss, I at least was able to save Zote the Mighty on the way. He might be the greatest thing in Hollow Knight so far.

There are lots of builds (Nail, Spell, Summons, etc.) that play very differently, but you're correct that there aren't any alternative melee weapons, and there's not much variety between Nail builds specifically (which fortunately isn't the case for Spell or Summon builds).

Wait until you see how much it costs to get an Unbreakable version of Fragile Strength.

I do have the Shaman Charm from Salubra. I bought it mostly so I could unlock more Notches. I'm not a big fan of spending Soul as I tend to save it for healing being my first play through and all. Gotta learn all those attack patterns, lot of trial and error. I could see playing around with it later once I go back to farm areas I've mostly cleared.

As far as the price for the unbreakable version of Fragile Strength....I'm not even gonna look.

Anyone play WoW here just started over playing here from scratch have a character close to 70 after a week

I started playing Classic WoW with my buddy and my brother around September of last year. I was playing it pretty solid 4-5 times a week until summer, but I've been pulling back as we've had all the raids on farm for awhile now and there's not much else that needs to be done. It's fun being part of the community and making some friends in game, but content wise it gets old and I wanted to dig back in to my backlog of Steam games.

I did step foot into Retail WoW for a few weeks. I did a grind with a new character up to 70, then used a free token to level said character to 110. There's definitely a ton of shit to do, but I kind of feel lost tbh. I haven't played Retail in so long, it just feels hard to get back into. Feels like you get pulled in so many directions, don't know what I should be working on. I quit playing retail pretty much at the end of Burning Crusade back in the day. I came back briefly during Lich King to find someone had stolen my account, but I was able to get it back from Blizzard support after answering the Secret Questions. Whoever had my old account had upgraded me to the expansion, so I got that for free, along with tens of thousands of gold and materials that I certainly didn't have before. That was a nice bonus! I put an Authenticator on the account, played for a few weeks, then quit again till Classic came out.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I do have the Shaman Charm from Salubra. I bought it mostly so I could unlock more Notches. I'm not a big fan of spending Soul as I tend to save it for healing being my first play through and all. Gotta learn all those attack patterns, lot of trial and error. I could see playing around with it later once I go back to farm areas I've mostly cleared.

I played the same way my first couple times through the game. Though I no longer think a pure Nail build is optimal. Shaman Stone + Spell Twister makes your spells much cheaper and punchier. Fully upgraded, your Nail will hit for 31 damage per swing. With a pure Nail build (Unbreakable/Fragile Strength, Quick Slash, Long Nail/ Mark of Pride, and Steady Body/ Stalwart Shell), you can just burn down a lot of bosses. But there are many others, particularly the more challenging encounters, where your opportunities for dealing damage are limited, and spells do much more work in those situations.

Abyss Shriek does 120 damage, and Descending Dark does 88 (with i-frames!) Just keep an open mind there. My go-to build for most of the end-game gauntlets is: Unbreakable Strength, Shaman Stone, Spell Twister, [Dream Wielder, Nailmaster's Glory, and Grubsong], occasionally trading out the bracketed three for Quick Focus.

 

[ulukinatme]

I played the same way my first couple times through the game. Though I no longer think a pure Nail build is optimal. Shaman Stone + Spell Twister makes your spells much cheaper and punchier. Fully upgraded, your Nail will hit for 31 damage per swing. With a pure Nail build (Unbreakable/Fragile Strength, Quick Slash, Long Nail/ Mark of Pride, and Steady Body/ Stalwart Shell), you can just burn down a lot of bosses. But there are many others, particularly the more challenging encounters, where your opportunities for dealing damage are limited, and spells do much more work in those situations.

Abyss Shriek does 120 damage, and Descending Dark does 88 (with i-frames!) Just keep an open mind there. My go-to build for most of the end-game gauntlets is: Unbreakable Strength, Shaman Stone, Spell Twister, [Dream Wielder, Nailmaster's Glory, and Grubsong], occasionally trading out the bracketed three for Quick Focus.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll keep accumulating Charms and if I get into trouble I'll start playing with these builds.

 

[ulukinatme]

Just beat the Dung boss, went to talk to him afterwards, that was interesting. Got to Crystal Peak. I played around with Shaman Stone + Spell Twister, but it still feels too costly on Soul at this stage to be a viable main attack. I probably need more Soul Vessels to make it work. I did use it a bit to farm some Geo, makes quick work of Leaf Knights. The only vendor I've encountered that I haven't bought everything from is Salubra, I need a few more Charms to unlock her last Notch.

My general build is Fragile Strength, Fragile Greed, Gathering Swarm, and either the Compass or I scrap the last two for Longnail. I'll change it up for boss battles, usually incorporating Stalwart Shell.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Just beat the Dung boss, went to talk to him afterwards, that was interesting.

Doma doma!

I played around with Shaman Stone + Spell Twister, but it still feels too costly on Soul at this stage to be a viable main attack. I probably need more Soul Vessels to make it work.

It's mostly an end-game build, because the Pantheons and Trials give you very little time to heal mid-battle, so it's helpful to be able to leverage your Soul for a quicker kill rather than have to rely solely on the nail. But I don't think you've run into any fights like that yet.

I did use it a bit to farm some Geo, makes quick work of Leaf Knights.

Here's the best spot for farming geo I've been able to find.

My general build is Fragile Strength, Fragile Greed, Gathering Swarm, and either the Compass or I scrap the last two for Longnail. I'll change it up for boss battles, usually incorporating Stalwart Shell.

Anytime you're just exploring, Wayward Compass and Gathering Swarm are obviously great. Dashmaster and Sprintmaster really speed you up as well.

 

[greyhammer90]

Super jealous of Uluk right now. Would love to have a second first playthrough of Hollow Knight.

 

[ulukinatme]

Not only is Curse of the Moon 2 a thing (I didn’t know that was a thing until just now),... and,... ITS ALREADY OUT!!!!!!!

My weekend is set y’all, peace.

The first is one of the better 8 bit games I’ve played,... it was one of those you had to beat different ways to get the real ending.

Bros,... this game is amazeballz

Wait, did you play Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night? That's what I played a couple months ago, didn't realize there was a total 8 Bit Bloodstained too. I need to check that out.

What system did you get Curse of the Moon 2 for? I just realized there's a 2 Player Online mode...you probably have it on Switch like a slacker. I need a PC or PS4 buddy to get it.

This is the Bloodstained I played recently, it's the Symphony of the Night clone:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ziyxCRvqeIg" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[ACamp1900]

Switch for all three,...

Curse of the Moon was the first game. A teaser in 8 bit for the world he imaged for all the peps that helped his Kickstarter.
Then RotN came out with all the same characters. Now this is the sequel to Curse of the moon. Usually when I talk Bloodstained I’m talking the 8 bit,...

 

[ACamp1900]

Btw, the Curse of the Moon games are musts for anyone that liked CV or CV3 on NES

 

[ulukinatme]

Switch for all three,...

You got a PC? BotM 2 can't be too system intensive.

 

[ACamp1900]

You got a PC? BotM 2 can't be too system intensive.

I do but I don’t game on it at all,...

 

[ulukinatme]

I do but I don’t game on it at all,...

Fine! Didn't wanna play with you anyways!

 

[ACamp1900]

Be a real man and get a Switch,... it has Pokémon.

 

[ulukinatme]

Be a real man and get a Switch,... it has Pokémon.

I've already got a PC and PS4. I plan on getting a Switch at some point so I can do Breath of the Wild and a few others things, but I'm waiting till I can get one on a deep discount.

 

[ulukinatme]

Got pretty good at the Trial of the Conqueror, I've got it down to 6-7 minutes. Finally made enough for Unbreakable Strength. Didn't realize the bug that eats the Charms and converts them will check whatever you have equipped, I ended up upgrading Fragile Greed first because I thought you had to upgrade them in a set order, that was the first one I had on at the time. I was going to do that one anyway, but now I've got enough for Fragile Strength's upgrade too. Dunno if I'll do the other Charm, I never use it.

The last story thing I did was beating Hornet Sentinel and getting the God Brand. That fight took me a couple tries, it wasn't until my 3rd attempt that I realized you can knock her little spikes out of the way when she puts them up, I was trying to just completely avoid them....annoying. Made the fight much easier after that.

I feel like I'm getting close to the end, my inventory is pretty filled up, although I have several map markers I've made to go back and check now that I have some upgrades. I know I still have about 5 Grubs left to find, and I've gotta reattempt to take some flower to a grave. Haven't done much Dream stuff either.

 

[ACamp1900]

Played NCAA basketball from the SNES this week on my retro arch. Half way done with a season with Kansas. Still a really fun game.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

Played NCAA basketball from the SNES this week on my retro arch. Half way done with a season with Kansas. Still a really fun game.

For some reason, the C on Oklahoma State makes like 75%+ of all three point attempts. His name is Lark, and Im very ashamed to remember this, but played it non-stop about 30 years ago.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ACamp1900]

For some reason, the C on Oklahoma State makes like 75%+ of all three point attempts. His name is Lark, and Im very ashamed to remember this, but played it non-stop about 30 years ago.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Georgia Tech has a guard that just hits everything but the rest of the team can’t hit water falling out a boat. Not ashamed I remember that lol

 

[ulukinatme]

Took me a couple hours, but I finally downed Nightmare Grimm.
I don't like Nightmare Grimm. After trying to find ways to sneak in healing, I completely gave up trying to heal as I couldn't do it consistently without incurring occasional damage, which pretty much negated the usefulness of healing when the boss does double damage. I put Joni's Charm on instead and just dodged my way to victory.

But seriously, fuck Nightmare Grimm.

 

[tussin]

Took me a couple hours, but I finally downed Nightmare Grimm.

What's your impression of the game now that you are basically through it?

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I know I still have about 5 Grubs left to find, and I've gotta reattempt to take some flower to a grave.

Only important if you're looking to 100% the game.

Haven't done much Dream stuff either.

This is important for getting the "good" ending. You fight Dream Warriors to power up your Dream Nail, which is necessary for getting into the White Palace (very challenging platforming zone) so you can complete the Kingsoul charm, which you can then change into the Voidsoul...

Have you upgraded all of your spells yet?

But seriously, fuck Nightmare Grimm.

Good for you! That's arguably the toughest fight in the game.

 

[ulukinatme]

Got through the White Palace and completed the King Soul earlier tonight. I held off on changing it to the Void Heart so I could finish the game and get the first ending. 104% on the first run. Got the Void Heart, did the second ending with Hornet, but haven't gotten the next ending yet. Couldn't finish Radiance after a few tries, too late and my reflexes need some sleep. Will have to try again tomorrow.

What's your impression of the game now that you are basically through it?

I think it's a bit overhyped, honestly. It's quite good, don't get me wrong. It has a lot of strong Metroid feelings to it, and it sticks to a lot of the tried and true move sets and concepts from successful platformers from the past. From that standpoint it definitely oozes all kinds of nostalgia which I dig. That said, it doesn't really do anything that original or different. Even the art style is somewhat reminiscent of games like Limbo. The Knight character is pretty bland as are most of the characters, and the final fight doesn't stack up to Nightmare Grimm. It does a lot of things very well, I just don't think it really does anything to set itself apart. Granted, I haven't gotten the true ending yet, but I don't think it's going to change my perception. The latest a game ever changed my opinion on it was Act II of Dragon Quest XI, and endings usually ends up being the icing on the cake.

At $15 you certainly get your money's worth though since I've got 40 hours into it, and if you wait for a Steam sale and get it for $7 that's even better. I would recommend it to others, but I'd push Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night first if I'm going with a modern platformer. It's got the same kind of action, tons of gear and weapons, lots of spells, a good story, and some character development. The crafting system is nice too.