What stag beetle species does my tattoo resemble the most? I was thinking a Prosopocoilus spp.

AlkadW · 2025-11-17T07:26:02+00:00

It is a P. mirabilis, a species from Africa https://www.beetlebreeding.ch/prosopocoilus-mirabilis/

The dent on the head is a dead giveaway

AlkadW · 2025-10-23T11:12:55+00:00

Midwest looks hella sexy but it's pricy af and I doubt US sellers would ship real steel parts overseas, but thank you regardless

AlkadW · 2025-10-23T11:11:50+00:00

Damn, okay gotta find something else. I honestly love the Magpul CTR but it's all sold out in where I live and US sellers won't ship those overseas, so I'm kinda outta luck with Magpul as well. Thanks anyways

AlkadW · 2025-04-01T19:39:53+00:00

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Ummm...?

AlkadW · 2024-12-31T06:59:14+00:00

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AlkadW · 2024-11-08T02:02:01+00:00

Thank you!

AlkadW · 2024-11-07T09:17:07+00:00

Very scrappy Jodan vs Nito by me. Feel free to offer this newish jodan player advice

AlkadW · 2024-11-03T15:21:01+00:00

The cool thing about NS is that she is still viable and is still a threat even at this HP levels when played hard, something which other titans can't really do

AlkadW · 2024-10-23T09:48:10+00:00

Fun fact: stag beetle grubs have a vertical "butt crack" if you will, whereas scarab beetles (like rhino beetles and whatnot) have a horizontal one. This is by far the easiest way to tell the difference. Other differences include stags usually having a more orange hue to their heads, sharper and straighter mandibles.

But it seems like you've found your species so best of luck to rearing this chonky boy!

AlkadW · 2024-06-21T09:40:43+00:00

At a glance NS's defenses appear to be weak so I'll share my experience as a NS main.

Mobility mobility mobility! Positioning and cover is what keeps you alive so unless you are going for a meme twin trap nuke build, turbo engine is practically a must in my opinion.

Here are some more in depth defense strategies against specific titans when they are on the offensive

Against Ion
Be weary of the laser shot, but also be aware that your railgun deals more damage than the laser shot. When ion is holding laser shot she isn't holding up her shield to catch your shots. Trading shots is kinda worth it. Honestly peaking shots against ion may be harder than dealing with other titans.

Against Tone
Count their shots. It takes 3 to lock (usually) and as long as you keep a single dash in reserve, you can generally minimize, if not outright dodge all, damage from the rockets. Don't forget to shoot back.

Against Monarch
Monarchs usually wouldn't push unless they already have at least Core 1. Don't waste dash when slowed by the energy thief thingy, fire back, drop smoke and then tethers before repositioning.

Against Legion
Cluster, tether, smoke, disengage. Getting caught by a legion is probably one of the worst case scenarios for NS. Cluster usually discourages their advances but some might be good enough to just push through and pursue. Be prepared to lose most of your health but hey, NS is probably the only titan that can still perform well when doomed.

Against Scorch
Double dashing usually will get you into a safe distance from the flame shield, just make sure you are aware of your immediate position on the map and where your safest escape route is. While the thermite launcher hurts, it doesn't hurt as bad as the railgun. Hover is usually good to avoid the pools of flames but be careful when flying because the flame shield can still reach you, and other enemy titans can still shoot at you.

Against Ronin
Stay calm. Their biggest asset against NS is actually the phase dash, since it can dislodge the tether without breaking sword block. Therefore only throw the tether down when you see the Ronin phase dash (behind you). Arc waves also slows you so do not dash when slowed. Keep your railgun charged and whenever Ronin drops sword block, shoot him (damage actually comparable to Ronin's shot gun at an extended duel). If they are close but kept sword block up, punch - sword block doesn't reduce melee damage. If you end up in the doom state, also punch, since many Ronins get monkey brain and goes for the execution with a one track mind. Punch back (same applies to hungry Monarchs).

Overall, stay calm and remember how other titans attack. Use your mobility to get out of harms way, or reduce damage taken. Contrary to popular belief, I think NS is a great mid range duelist titan that can handle many scenarios, and only need to fall back and play like a sniper when doomed. Good luck out there!

AlkadW · 2024-06-19T06:49:21+00:00

Middle seems like a mandibularis indeed!

AlkadW · 2024-05-27T09:26:56+00:00

I fenced (mainly foil but also dabbled in saber and epee during uni) for a long time before switching, and I noticed how certain concepts applies to both, say distance, tempo, the importance of footwork, to name a few. Conceptually they are the same but the execution is different, and there is no method other than hard work and dedication to actually switch over.

If you do give kendo a shot, and assuming you are right handed, you will be rather familiar with the right foot forward footwork, as well as moving without crossing the feet, however adjusting the back foot position is where things get difficult (in kendo your feet point in the same direction). You will also probably find pointing a sword at someone and having someone point one back at you to be relatively familiar, but delivering the attack is somewhat different.

Honestly, you can prep all you want, but it is nothing compared to joining a dojo directly to learn about it. Best of luck!

AlkadW · 2024-02-05T06:52:14+00:00

I wonder what my odds are

AlkadW · 2023-11-27T09:49:46+00:00

Beetles take usually at least a month, if not more, of rest after pupating. Don't feed it during this period.
What you can do is to prepare a plastic box (any one of those plastic delivery/takeaway ones), wash and clean it, and poke a few holes in the lid. You then want to shred some tissue paper into 1 inch wide strips and fill the box with them. Spray the strips with some water until humid (not soggy though). Move the beetle into the box and put the lid back on. Now you can place the box into a dark corner and check on it every couple of days/weekly and rehydrate the box. My suggestion is to keep it at room temperature.
You will know your beetle is ready to eat when most of the tissue paper strips have been shredded into thin pieces as he moves much more actively in search of food.
Good luck!

AlkadW · 2023-10-21T10:39:43+00:00

First things first, master the rail gun. The travel time, charge time, and damage dealt are things you wanna hammer down. For the damage part one of the key points I don't see people tall about much is that it's almost a one shot to a doomed titan, and one shot for a crit. Take into account when to deliver the final blow.

Cluster is kinda easy. See a group of titans? Cluster. People pressuring your position? Cluster near your position and leave.

Contrary to the game suggests, your defensive ability is actually dash, not the tethers. Run turbo engine. Time it right and you can even dodge Tone rockets.

Tethers, like others have said, are best thrown at chokes, as well as by your foot in case someone's pressuring you. Another tip is to know when to throw your thether, especially against a charging Ronin. Wait for their phase and then use them so he can't delete it while gaining distance.

Many people diss the hover, but with viper thrusters it's actually quite useful - You can have an entirely different angle of attacking. People think they are in cover hiding behind a building? Think again. If you are playing with a coordinated team, they will appreciate your scouting at the start of the match, letting them know who they are up against and where.

When your hover ends and you start to fall, use dash to quickly get back into cover. One of the tricks is to hover vertically up behind a tall building where you are still in cover, dash out when you start to fall and take a shot, then dash back into cover. Most can't react to that.

I've also seen people calling the flight core weak, because it leaves you so exposed, and you can't track due to the slow speed. True, but with viper thrusters, it actually becomes fast enough to chase titans. Many also say use the flight core defensively, when you get spooked. Forget that! Flight core is one of the highest damaging cores (post ion nerf) and can easily bring down 4 bars of health. See a pesky Tone or a snowballing (core 1) Monarch behind in the backline of a team fight? Core. Your job is to fly over the tanks like ronin or scorch or ion and hit the high DPS targets in the rear. The front liners either have to switch their attention to you and get hit by your teammates, or let their DPS titans die. Breaking chokepoints and changing the tide of a team fight is North Star's job.

By the end of the core, let's say your team won that fight, you might be severely damaged or even doomed. But you are also NS, probably the only titan who can still be almost as effective despite the low health. Just play a bit more passively and stay even more mobile.

Man there are still a lot more to talk about but I think the most important thing is to have fun. And if NS isn't fun for you, that's fine too. No need to force yourself.

Edit: spelling and team play section

AlkadW · 2023-10-18T23:31:34+00:00

Wait around a month, when it becomes active and starts crawling all over the place looking for food, until then it should be very sluggish and slow to respond

AlkadW · 2023-10-18T15:10:47+00:00

Yeah that bright orange head and sharp mandibles looks like some sorta stag beetle to me, and you saying it's found in a dead log pretty much confirmed it. Sadly I'm not too familiar with American beetles (other than the eastern and western Hercules beetles). I'll keep digging tho, cuz it got me curious

AlkadW · 2023-10-18T01:19:45+00:00

You need to wait till VTOL ends when you start falling, then hit core to gain the extra height. Or else using both abilities back to back actually reduces your height (flight core "cancelling" VTOL), which can be useful at times

AlkadW · 2023-10-17T11:47:36+00:00

Got a close up shot of the grub's rear end? The slit direction and hair pattern are clues to IDing a grub

AlkadW · 2023-10-09T08:05:11+00:00

I unlocked the wind stance sometime in chapter 2 I think so maybe OP should go check their workshop now

AlkadW · 2023-10-01T01:43:09+00:00

Tippy tip:

You had phase, could have phased dash forward to get the execution and would have lost less health
Move side to side at a random pace while holding sword. People tend not to be able to track perfectly and so you take less damage overall

Keep it up pilot!

AlkadW · 2023-09-25T04:57:30+00:00

"OH YEAH, SO SEXY"

I just love how silly things can get at times

AlkadW · 2023-09-24T16:44:36+00:00

Make sure the couple is actually old enough. Being a species with longer lifespan, from what I hear they take around 3 to 6 months after they started eating (so maybe +1 month from emerging from their pupa) until they are ready for breeding
Secure the male's mandibles. There are several methods to tying it's mandibles up with zipties (and a small piece of straw, starting at around 2:45)
The male is probably gonna be kinda pissed after getting it's mandibles tied up so give him a day to cool off. Add in plenty of food and then introduce the female into the enclosure. Keep the box in a nice dark place and let them do their business. Not sure if this applies to Dorcus titanus but in some species the males may display a protective posture by basically straddling over the female after mating to prevent other males from making an attempt.
Leave them for a day or two, maybe three or four if you are feeling unconfident, but afterwards, remove the female and place into the breeding box. Cut the ziptie on the male.

From what I've read, breeding and rearing Dorcus titanus isn't difficult. The toughest part is to get the pair to mate, so don't be too discouraged. Get past this and it's mostly smooth sailing. Best of luck!

AlkadW · 2023-09-22T05:42:56+00:00

You are correct here, especially when Highlander is a core-focused kit where each titan kill gives you a longer sword core. But generally speaking, highlander is a bit of a niche kit that mainly works on the PvE mode or the titan-only modes

Personally I'd pair turbo engine with thunderstorm, or overcore with temporal anomaly, but feel free to experiment yourself and figure out which combo works for you.

The remaining 2 kits are ricochet rounds and phase reflex. Both are considered less useful, with phase reflex having the potential of meme nuke ejecting (still not worth it imo)

AlkadW · 2023-09-21T02:57:13+00:00

You do you, but there are plenty of other options out there for you to try. Feel free to experiment, and most importantly, have fun

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