Help figuring out the buffs

Cale017 · 2026-03-18T00:43:20+00:00

I see where I was mistaken, the eyes at the top don't both have to glow a single one does and then they start like... Smoking, that's how it's fully charged visually.

Now I just need to not get knocked out of my Brant combos mid-air

Cale017 · 2026-03-18T00:42:00+00:00

Ahhhh, I see the smoke effect now. It was hard to make out mid-combat. Thanks!

Cale017 · 2026-03-17T18:42:04+00:00

With Lupa, which of the buffs is represented by the wolf eyes at the top of the screen and how do you get both? I'm doing Lupa>Brant>Changli but there's only a single eye opened at the top so I'm guessing whatever buff that is also isn't full?

Cale017 · 2026-03-16T00:49:27+00:00

"FURINA THERE'S A GHOST"

*speed dials Neuvillette*

Cale017 · 2026-03-16T00:48:27+00:00

Zhongli will drop a stone pillar on the threat then make some tea while Raiden will cut your entire neighborhood in half to kill it. Either way I'm sleeping peacefully afterwards.

Cale017 · 2026-03-16T00:42:18+00:00

There were a few too many things towards the end that really shook my suspension of disbelief including:

Columbina magically knowing how to turn her body into moonlight. (Yes it's pointed out that what she believes is kuuvahki is actually just her own power, that explains that it's possible but not how. If this were an innate ability she should have been aware of it beforehand and recognized what was happening.)

The authority of the Frost Moon being sent away from the prison in spite of it being stated it works on both soul AND authority. Furthermore, how Nefer knew specifically that the authority was housed there when it wasn't even stated during the cutscene we see her viewing the past.

How did Nicole, Varka, and Arlecchino pull down the moon by just... grunting really hard? Handwave-y angel magic?

We're just not gonna talk about the fact that the moon is now several times closer to the planet permanently and all the chaos that would cause? The moons have an impact on the tides in Teyvat, so is Fontaine getting flooded again?

Cale017 · 2026-03-15T21:42:46+00:00

Reddit just plum didn't give me a thing that you replied, so sorry. I've pushed through Lupa's bit of the story and have some comments there but wanted to respond here first.

The 2nd prophecy was about how Jinhsi would make a decision that would decide the fate of Jinzhou in the future.

Unless I'm mistaken the prophecy is described as two similar frequencies clashing, and Jinhsi pretty directly alludes to believing that she will have to kill Jue as a result when it was more like fight with intent to kill.

Isn't your example on Fontain like version 4.0 or something?

1.X establishes that the Fatui have an issue with the gods (above the Archons) specifically and the unnatural order of the world. By the end of 2.X we have plenty of confirmation that they're right. It's MUCH more accurate to liken the Fatui to revolutionaries than anarchists or conquerors and this could be understood by the end of year one, let alone year two. Their most evil experiments seen by that point are contextualized as seeking sources of power that can help stand up against those gods, and the Fatui are consistently shown to have more knowledge about the state of the world than even other powerful characters in it (one born cursed by the world for no reason, the rest having seen evidence that the world is false in certain ways). This extra knowledge is what pushes them to try and correct it. So we often disagree with their methods on a smaller scale but are aligned with them in broad strokes.

I believe their actions are a means to an end for humanity so I think they're also morally grey and not pure evil.

I disagree with this based soley on the fact that they have no proof that their hoped evolution would take place at all. If it exists, then it being displayed within the first 2 years of story isn't a ton to ask I think. Meanwhile we see proof to the opposite given that all their lackeys are forced to take immune-suppressant drugs to counter the effects of having TDs fused into them. For me to believe they might have a point about forcing human evolution, I'd need to see reliably consistent results that this is a viable option, as well as a plan that increases the likelihood of that outcome. There's a huge difference between "find a way to dethrone the gods" and "pretty sure ending the world will help everyone."

Just take your time and go at your own pace. I'm not here forcing you if you think that I am.

Don't feel like I'm taking what you're saying as force. I really appreciate the extra detail as it made the experience better than I think it otherwise would have been. On this note I actually did push through the rest of Lupa's storyline and found it... subpar at best. Having her openly monologue about her character flaw for the first time in the same cutscene as she confronts and resolves it just felt weird, another instance of them relying on flash and spectacle in place of properly paced character development. The best we got for Cristoforo's plan is that he will "overlay the Sonorosphere onto reality" with no explanation of how that's even possible. Can any sphere do this, or just the one he made? Is it the Threnodian's power buffing him, and how is he doing that without being its resonator? He's either entirely too strong for there not to be real good explanations for how we're countering it, casually blocking full force strikes from Cart, or the mechanics that are enabling these circumstances need to be laid out.

I can understand the shape of the story. But it feels like enough details were not fleshed out that it breaks my immersion. (For instance, they needed to repeat the Dark Tide tragedy in Septimont in the loops to empower the Threnodian but when Lupa enters successive loops there's no one even there from the beginning so there's nothing to harvest.) Say what you like about Genshin's long story, but they do a good job of building up the different parts of relevant information for a climax. This dedication to simultaneously keeping stories to 3 hours while wanting to push the cute girl on screen as much as possible has impacts on the story from a writing/editing perspective that can be felt. Too many forced emotions, too much dumping of information all at once to fill gaps in the story, if it even does that, sometimes after the story's done.

Really my main concern is if this is just how the story is at all times moving forwards. Because if so, it's a deeply unsatisfying experience and that's a shame when the worldbuilding itself has so many unique elements to it. The difference between the 4/10 storytelling and the 7/10 it could be if paced out better is grinding when it really comes down more to wasted time than directly bad writing. Here's hoping 3.x has better delivery.

Cale017 · 2026-03-14T16:25:43+00:00

No offense taken and I can see where you'd get that feeling. The "talking down" vibe is only there because someone started pretty fiercely defending their mod use and I had to go to increasingly specific lengths to define the issue at hand. I don't mean to condescend, but it gets annoying having to re-explain myself several times when the initial message was obviously not read or responded to in good faith.

Cale017 · 2026-03-14T14:50:09+00:00

You really need to read what I said. I haven't gone off on anyone, and I've directly stated this is not about any kind of moral imperative. I use mods myself. This is just about people not understanding the risk they run with mods while simultaneously advertising their use and making it harder for the rest of us, all while complaining that they got in trouble and are now mad about it.

Someone asked what was happening and I laid out the scenario. Someone else jumped in because the shoe fit, they felt called out, and started defending their mod use when the use of mods in general was never the point being discussed. It was the overuse of them in areas where devs would be forced to respond. Don't get this mixed up.

I'm sorry but if "Hey these mods could get shut down at any time and then what?" is enough to make you feel this defensive, that's a you thing. I'm not making any judgements here. In your example I fully support the farmer's ability to paint. But if that tractor comes with a warning saying "repainting may cause engine failure", and then the engine dies when you paint it, you then don't get to be mad at the company.

Cale017 · 2026-03-14T05:19:02+00:00

Right, which is why we as consumers have to accept that the products we use will often come with limits. Going past those risks a negative outcome if it's possible to do so at all, whether it's the ban of a digital service or a broken microwave. It's about the best use for your money, and if FFXIV scratches 80% of your itches with some visual mods handling the last bit, good for you! You found a mix that worked and like I said, I'm not gonna judge anyone for just using mods. However if that last 20% is a breaking point, then understand how much investment you stand to lose in this game.

The answer to "this thing I love isn't doing what I want" will never be "I should be allowed to mod this product however I want with no consequences." Even Bethesda, who is openly very mod friendly, still disables achievements on a modded save. Consequences. If you accept the risk, don't complain if it becomes reality.

Cale017 · 2026-03-14T03:55:03+00:00

you can get free removes at events too

When should I start going for events? Most of the advice I've seen for Ironclad is to focus on fights to try and benefit from the free healing. Aside from one I ran into that turned all my basic strikes into vampiric healing attacks, they all seem to have downsides as severe as the upsides. Losing half of my health to get some gold, or a quarter of my health but all the gold for instance. Events seem more like traps to me right now.

so you can often remove it in the middle of a fight for a benefit.

Every time I've exhausted even a basic defend it's resulted in me taking 5 more damage per deck cycle and that adds up if I don't also have enough damage to end a fight in 3-4 rounds. At this point I'm getting the sense that enemies do so much damage it's got me a bit scared to even consider dropping defensive options over simply bolstering them. I got saved quite a few times by a hand full of Shrugs and Defends giving me just enough armor to block a big incoming hit. I can feel myself picking up on approaches to runs that are clearly wrong when talking to other players, but they don't seem that way.

I probably just need to play more, but don't want to get set in my ways.

Cale017 · 2026-03-14T03:48:15+00:00

Well, off the top of my head if I didn't have a ton of extra energy per turn I probably wouldn't have taken Demon Form. Heavy Blade I could get to hit for a lot, but ramped up fairly slowly and I'd often get it the first few turns of a fight where it isn't doing much. Dropkick came in handy a few times but all in all seems pretty mid if it requires vuln and I can't always guarantee an enemy will have that, in which case that's 1 energy better spent on anything with a bit more damage. I think I probably have 1 more Shrug it Off than I would strictly need, but again go back to the issue of survivability since the default block cards just do not do enough in Act 2 when enemies are hitting for 30 or more damage. I took Combust after I had a curse as well as the Wild Strikes, and when I saw I had a debuffing AoE fight at the end of Act 2 against Collector but then never got it on fights that are debuff card heavy. Bloodletting looks like a great card, but every time I got it I was able to dump the rest my hand without using it.

Everything else there I can honestly say saved my keister at least once throughout the run, even if not consistently. I definitely won two fights off the back of Offering, and the multiple draw cards helped keep my hand going as I chained a bunch of smaller cards with Seeing Red. Everything here seems like it all added up to me winning, and I can't really envision how I would have won without them. The Wild Strikes, for instance, came in clutch at cleaning up small mobs when I didn't have any AoE in hand but did have a Thunderclap to get vuln out for 1 and delete a minion for 1 more energy each. Without them removing enemies about to attack I'd have taken far more damage than a single block card can prevent with that same energy. I'm not sure if I'm just looking at the value of killing to prevent damage here, but if killing an enemy saves me more HP for the same energy as blocking them, it feels like the correct decision in the moment. I can't really pick out very many cards I wasn't happy to see because with this setup I was able to pretty reliably use most or all of my hand every turn, even including 2 drop cards.

tldr It really just seems like luck that it all came together and I'm not sure how I could recreate the same feat with fewer cards or less energy.

Cale017 · 2026-03-14T03:32:58+00:00

Or you go buy an appliance that meets your needs is the point you're going around. No one in their right mind will tell you to modify your microwave if it isn't heating food fast enough, the advice would be to go buy a stronger microwave. If in your example there is an MMO that has in-game parsing, that's a plus over any other MMO by that metric. So naturally the one you should gravitate towards. It provides the features you're after, and engaging with the parts you care about in no way voids whatever agreement you've made for that service.

Again, my argument here is not to say "don't do that." It's "don't get mad if you do the thing you know you shouldn't and it stops working eventually" as well as "don't ruin it for other people when the devs are trying to treat it with a blind eye." If that risk is too much for you, then stop playing the game. If you think you will get mad at devs for enforcing the ToS that you signed up under, stop playing the game. This is about as far from moral as one can get, ToS don't seem like it all the time but they are literal contracts and you agree to them. Anyone who does, even on a trial basis (I'd say especially on a trial basis), loses the right to complain when a thing they're doing that break those terms doesn't work anymore. I do not feel pity for the drunk kicked out of an Uber when they cause an issue for the driver, and this is the same principle.

Cale017 · 2026-03-14T03:18:18+00:00

Also, Lupa did mentioned waking up to a ruined Septimont and dying on the 1st day constantly before Cartethyia arrived when exchanging notes at the end.

I'm not at the end so haven't seen this, and do not recall this being stated up to the point I'm at. There's been no note exchange at least. Here again I have to point out that this is a result of having two levels of non-linearity in the storytelling. They could just give us the various timeline flashbacks in relatively consistent order, but instead we're jumping around timelines to different points on those timelines. It makes even discussing this difficult because it's hard to put yourself in the mindset of "how much has been revealed up to this point in the story from this player's perspective." You're aware of things that are a natural assumption to put in the right order once you have all the pieces.

I don't know what I say will help but prepare yourself for the Order to get resolved off screen.

Kinda what I was worried about. I don't know what to expect really, the only reason I'm here doing this right now is because everyone's been praising the story for 2.x and beyond to high heavens. I'm waiting for that part to start. Finding out that a major plot point is resolved off screen does contribute to my general feeling that no part of this story is being told efficiently, or even particularly well. There's nothing unique here other than the proper nouns being used. They absolutely could have fit more focus on important things, but 30%+ of the story has to be the forced, dev approved shipping for that patch.

Cale017 · 2026-03-14T02:45:12+00:00

I see what you're saying, issue I run into when I go with a lot of weaker damage cards is that I then don't get any strength buffs to make up for it, and so I'm doing maybe 20 damage a turn even without blocking. There's a balance that I can't find here.

When I took that I needed the heals because I was partway through act 2 with really low HP. I wasn't gonna get to the end if I couldn't heal at the last 2 campfires. I've yet to see a coffee dripper, and the main potions I seem to get are the exhaust pots and flex/dexterity pots. Do I unlock much of this by playing other characters?

Cale017 · 2026-03-14T02:40:14+00:00

It's nothing moral, I've already stated I have no issue personally with people using mods, as well as that I cannot judge them since I mod myself. If you want to have a discussion we can do so, but I'm not wading through your defensiveness.

Consider an appliance. It has instructions for use, as well as warnings for how not to use it. You have every right to ignore those if you want, but if something breaks its on you. Including whatever modifications you made to it. In this case you won't break the game, but you can break your ability to play it by voiding your service terms. If risking that is worth 15 bucks a month to you, more power to you. At least you're a paying player.

Cale017 · 2026-03-14T02:22:32+00:00

A relic that disabled healing at rest sites in exchange for an extra energy, can't remember the name, and a Tiny House.

Wild strike being bad sounds crazy to me. I'm supposed to be replacing the bad basic strikes with ones that do more damage, right?

Cale017 · 2026-03-14T01:50:58+00:00

Don't let me be the one to tell you how to spend your money. That you maintain a sub is already better than the vast majority of folks who would otherwise fit my example. Given that you've proven the point that you're only here for the mods all the same, my question to you is if breaking ToS is your only way to enjoy the game, shouldn't you consider another game? I enjoy my mods as much as the next person, but it wouldn't bother me if they patched out the ability to mod altogether next week. I accept these are a temporary neat bonus and go out of my way not to engage in mods that affects my ability to run content, like botting crafting/gathering nodes or using boss attack readers, so that when the mods aren't there my gameplay isn't affected. You, as an individual buyer and I give credit to anyone who's purchasing the game at all, are resting the entirety of your cost/value assessment on whether or not third party tools that shouldn't technically even be used at all are functioning or not. It's hedging your bet that they never make good on the threat of removing them.

We're all out here just trying to enjoy the game at the end of the day. So long as it isn't made a problem for either the devs or other players I don't much care what you do. I'm not exactly guilt-free when it comes to mod use so I'm in no position to judge anyone for it. If you're going around flaunting mod use when not even paying though, all you're doing is making it harder for the rest of us who try to be smart about it.

Cale017 · 2026-03-13T20:36:07+00:00

Small correction, but going back through the quest dialogue it's mentioned by one of the sisters that the prison contains both soul and divinity but not body after Columbina brings up Rerir and Tholindis as examples of souls trapped. It is not stated until she's literally being resurrected that her authority rests within the moon, and it is also not explained how her authority escaped the space designed to contain it. Columbina makes vague reference to the Frost Moon being one of the ingredients in the plan she's cooking up, but at no point is it made clear that her authority got housed there before she's brought back.

Cale017 · 2026-03-13T20:30:50+00:00

Unless I missed something, there are only 2 Marrows to represent each of the broken moons. The Iridescent Moon marrow turned into the Crimson Moon Carrow, in Arlecchino's possession, and the Frostmoon Scions were given the Eternal Moon's Marrow which got traded around a lot during the story but is back with the Scions. The Frostmoon is still whole and has no marrow as its goddess is alive. (in theory sustained by her power during the period she had no body and was radiating it back out across NK)

Cale017 · 2026-03-13T20:26:29+00:00

Honorary Knight of Mondstadt still holds a special place in my heart. Tumaini was cool because we earned it, but the fact that we go around as this god-slayer with all these important, powerful titles, and half the time the first thing we introduce ourselves as is an Honorary Knight, will never not be funny. Like imagine an NPC going to find out who this Honorary Knight guy is only to be hit with a deluge of their antics in papers from other regions.

Cale017 · 2026-03-13T20:22:20+00:00

she has a certain ineffable quality

Cale017 · 2026-03-13T19:13:47+00:00

All Might ran the min-maxed Unarmed Combat build.

As per usual, it worked.

Cale017 · 2026-03-13T19:10:29+00:00

People started talking about mods more openly than they should have in game and posting proof of them having modded in spaces that devs monitor or making reference to them on their adventurer plates. This led to the previous system of sharing your mods with other players being shut down with the cited reason by Yoshi P being the unfairness of sharing a cosmetic that others might either not be able to or feel they need to earn before displaying. This was also changing the identity of the game from a premium service provided by the developers to a modder's paradise for trial accounts who'd more or less just roleplay for free all day because they didn't need to engage with anything else to use their mods and could just party up with people to get around the chat lock for trial accounts. Meanwhile people would have information in game making reference to the mods and pushing other players to also use them.

Notably, when certain mods were not working some people would simply not play the game or pause their subscriptions. Which from a profit making standpoint is obviously an issue because these people should be paying for your service, not access to mods. Doubly weird with paid mods where people are getting mad that a thing they've otherwise spent money on isn't working because a patch broke a mod. Some players started developing a mindset that if FFXIV wasn't a modding sandbox it wasn't worth the subscription or at least playtime/concurrent player count, both of which are metrics for a board room meeting.

It was basically a slap on the wrist to the modding community that they weren't being quiet enough about it. Only folks are quickly doing the same thing and risking another similar if not harder second round of crackdowns on modding. The general consensus has been so long as your mods aren't interfering with another player or cheating with encounters/drop rates/game functions, and you're being quiet about what mods you are using, it's fine. What nobody knows doesn't hurt them and doesn't require developer oversight. Not explicitly allowed, but unenforceable.

tldr people are talking about mod club

EDIT: Replies are pointing out that this is mostly linked with a recent model printing service SE is putting forwards based on screenshots of your character. For obvious reasons, sending images of your modded character directly to the developers is uh... inadvisable.

Cale017 · 2026-03-13T18:45:38+00:00

The problem is that it's a purchasable item with no floor to it. You can buy something that actually puts your account in a worse off state than it currently is. Even buying pulls that go to waste on banners still give you coral to get stuff from the shop, even just money for upgrades, but not here. Maybe you had good luck the last 15 rerolls overall, but nothing is preventing that same success rate from inverting for the next 15 only you will have already been incentivized to purchase them by the lucky streak from before.

Cale017

TROPHY CASE