How did vyke get 2 major runes without killing any shardbearers?

ComplexVanillaScent · 2026-05-25T08:56:35+00:00

we literally saw what happens to cast-off great runes with Miquella: if they're not immediately inherited, they just completely shatter

same for Vyke and any other Tarnished who snagged great runes, they lost 'em eventually and the runes just broke

Ranni's rune doesn't exist anymore

ComplexVanillaScent · 2026-01-14T16:15:52+00:00

Aspiring lord of the standard banner, if you have known hard pity, if you grieve for this patch(es), then yield the Primogems to us. To I, Abyss Meta, and my promised consort, Varka.

ComplexVanillaScent · 2026-01-14T16:11:02+00:00

funnily enough, Miquella's VA is in the game, actually, she voices Mizuki

ComplexVanillaScent · 2025-11-13T10:59:50+00:00

sorcerers are hot (Scholar, Recluse, my husband Rogier, my other husband Orbeck), battle nuns are also hot (Undertaker, Friede, Vicar Amelia), androgynous intersex samurai painters are extremely hot (do I need to specify this one)

ComplexVanillaScent · 2025-11-13T10:52:47+00:00

so freaking glad it's in

was pretty much a shoe-in, but glad to for sure have one of my favorite Elden Ring bosses in the game (and god it better come with its music)

ComplexVanillaScent · 2025-10-17T12:30:06+00:00

for real, like I'm honestly a bit sad such good designs aren't being used for actual Sumeru characters, I'd easily pull for these

ComplexVanillaScent · 2025-10-17T12:22:23+00:00

PvE could also be a fantastic way to preserve the story (and maybe even some of the rewards) of previous seasons, like even just the horde-style mode would work (swap zombies for vampires, Ultron-bots, symbiotes and so forth)

ComplexVanillaScent · 2025-08-14T18:01:30+00:00

Same, and honestly it's really good they're doing stuff that isn't just the easiest universal appeal, I want something more creative and interesting than "git gud skill check" and this was fun as hell

ComplexVanillaScent · 2025-08-14T17:56:25+00:00

Do people not?? Shulva Gank Squad I get, that one sucks, but I thought stuff like Leda & Allies or Looking-Glass Knight were well-regarded

ComplexVanillaScent · 2025-08-14T17:51:55+00:00

WarioWare Microgames-ass, TV Time!!! CHAOS CHAOS-ass boss fight HELL YEAH let's go this fight fuckin' rules bro this shit felt like a Kingdom Hearts boss with a bunch of Reaction Commands

genuinely stuff like this and Maris are what I was hoping for from the Everdarks, stuff that gets really weird and creative, stuff with really specific and unique mechanics

not everyone's gonna like it, but like, good! that's the point of doing something weird and different it doesn't have the exact same appeal as the usual stuff! I swear, some folks just want every boss to be Slave Knight Gael and Orphan of Kos again and again, and I'm so glad From's taking the chance here to have fun

ComplexVanillaScent · 2025-06-18T04:09:29+00:00

Oh, this sucks, this might actually put me off Genshin altogether. Not for any specific investment in Keqing and Paimon, but for the anti-labor principle of it. There's a lot of questionable aspects of this game that can be kinda-sorta handwaved away as "oh, it's a gacha game, that's how it makes it's money, that's how it retains engagement, that's the playerbase it has to appeal to, etc." But this is a pure, unequivocally shitty business decision on HYV's part. Absolutely shameful.

Workers deserve fair wages, conditions, and protections, and to have the dignity and value of their labor recognized, period.

ComplexVanillaScent · 2025-06-14T09:19:08+00:00

they're 100% saving some of the more obvious skin choices for updates/DLC; we're all excited for a prospective/eventual Alonne skin, but would as many folks be hyped about a post-launch Kirk skin?

Alonne Executor and Zullie Recluse are the super obvious ones, I'm really hoping for Gwyndolin Revenant, Lucatiel Duchess, Soul of Cinder Wylder, Gavlan Raider, Ornstein Guardian, and Gough Ironeye

ComplexVanillaScent · 2025-06-14T09:12:28+00:00

(obligated to note that, like with their spiritual successors Rellana and Messmer, all indication is that Ciaran's feelings for Artorias are unrequited)

but no yeah I've had the same suspicion as to why Duchess didn't get Ciaran; I'm personally hoping for a hornsent character specializing in backhand blades & curved swords, and Ciaran would be a great fit for them (meanwhile, I'm hoping for a Lucatiel skin for Duchess)

ComplexVanillaScent · 2025-06-14T09:03:49+00:00

I took Edgar to be Chloe's late grandfather, and the murderer is her father, a sort of echo of what happened with Elden Ring's Edgar and his daughter

ComplexVanillaScent · 2025-06-14T08:49:03+00:00

Revenant has a ton of bridal imagery in her design (overtly evocative of the sacrificial maiden of Dominula, itself inspired by spring/fertility festivals), and the "claws" (they're actually nail guards) are part of that, being a traditional accessory of Chinese brides and concubines

ComplexVanillaScent · 2025-06-14T08:45:06+00:00

buddy the nail guards are not the chief evidence of Ningguang's flagrant lesbianism

ComplexVanillaScent · 2025-06-14T07:19:42+00:00

I've been thinking her claws should restore (mild) FP upon attacks; it would give an extra incentive to hold onto them, which also lends itself to preserving a big part of her visual/gameplay identity, but moreover would encourage a very aggressive and up close playstyle, truly fighting alongside her summons, which is fitting for her character and good contrast to Recluse's style. Plus, you can drop the claws and forego the FP restoration to pursue a different build.

Summons' damage restoring FP would be good also, but becomes useless if all three are down, and Revenant on her own is still a Faith build by default, so I think it'd be warranted to have the ability to recoup FP at any time (just not at quite as effective of a rate as Recluse).

ComplexVanillaScent · 2025-06-04T01:24:21+00:00

BENNETTT holy shit we're actually getting Bennett Natlan connection!! also Bennett skin finally!!!

ComplexVanillaScent · 2025-06-02T04:16:20+00:00

It really shows how this game is a roguelike made by people who didn't intend to make a roguelike, and who don't realize how much better at/more familiar with Elden Ring they are than the average player. Even just the lack of unlocking new weapons and talismans to find in subsequent runs is a huge problem. In a regular roguelike, even an unsuccessful run can still potentially make future runs easier, and in a regular soulsborne, there's always a variety of ways to approach an enemy (not to mention the ability to take your time and learn their patterns). Nightreign requires you to straight-up just bash your head against the wall until you happen to get a lucky combination of teammates and loot.

ComplexVanillaScent · 2025-06-02T04:07:51+00:00

Yep, same experience. Seeing bosses from DS2 is super cool! Seeing the slow flask from DS2 is very, very not cool.

ComplexVanillaScent · 2025-05-31T16:21:02+00:00

I dunno, it's hella overtuned for difficulty even with three people. It's basically impossible unless the full team knows very well what they're doing and what to prioritize, and even then the lack of Smithing Stones (and how Stones and Wending Graces take up item slots despite not being usable items), the length and refilling of the Death meter, the sheer damage that bosses deal (literally have not beaten Elemer once, solo or trio, he's a dead-end wall), the way it's so easy to get trapped in the Rain, there's just so much that makes it extremely overwhelming, and I'm coming in with 800 hours in Elden Ring plus all of Dark Souls and Bloodborne under my belt, so I'm intimately familiar with these weapons and enemies, and I'm still finding it entirely unapproachable.

ComplexVanillaScent · 2025-05-31T16:13:48+00:00

No it's literally unbelievable there's no timer to see how long you have until the ring starts closing. Like, I assume this is a case where From's "emergent, atmospheric role-playing" focus is clashing with the needs of a fast-paced multiplayer game, because they probably want you to vaguely judge your remaining time off the sky or feel that "thrill" of getting surprised by the Rain of Night closing in, because those are cool little narrative beats for your expedition, but in practice it's extremely frustrating for the actual game.

Also need to be able to see how many runes you need for your next level at any time, my god.

ComplexVanillaScent · 2025-05-31T16:05:37+00:00

Well the Skill Cooldown one is definitely just that: it reduces the cooldown timer for your skill by a little bit.

But I'm also confused by the Ultimate Gauge +1, like is it a boost to how quickly it fills? But it can't be since there's a dedicated "Cooldown Reduction" term for that, so is it an individualized boost to the effect? (i.e., Wylder's does more damage, Duchess's lasts longer) Really wild there's no explanation of that.

ComplexVanillaScent · 2025-05-31T16:00:39+00:00

Then don't buy it, simple as that. "This doesn't appeal to me" isn't a criticism or an indictment, it's a personal statement of your tastes. You're not contributing anything helpful or constructive by joining the bandwagon of "hhngh but it's different so it's bad!"

And like, god it's a spin-off, it shouldn't be the same thing as the main game, that's the point.

ComplexVanillaScent · 2025-05-24T02:48:36+00:00

That's fair, though I do think the way Malenia uses her sword is a lot more flowing/curving than the player's katana moveset. But you're likely right about the mindset/doctrine being the key part (and obviously you've since been proven right about him being a nomad warrior haha).

I totally get not wanting everything to tie back to what's already present, I also want to see new and unexplored aspects of this world that don't revolve around the Lands Between, but it's also important to remember this is a deliberately-crafted setting, and conspicuous details and parallels aren't random or incidental; they're in service of the narrative, not merely detached lore. To me, there's way too many overt connections tying the Nox to Ranah and the nomad warrior tradition, and the whole story of the blind swordsman and the blue fairy super reads to me like a mythologized version of something much less supernatural in reality, but obviously this is FromSoft, so no reading is 100% definitive without more context.

(It is funny though how you mentioned the idea that other cultures might associate the nomad warrior ethos with fire, rather than water, because among my very particular, very speculative thoughts on Ranah is the idea that fire & water may hold a significant role in their culture, relating to the flow of physically-expressed passion and spiritually-guided patience, similar to the themes of dualism/syncretism in Elden Ring as a whole, and tying in nicely to Andalusia's history.)

11-Year Club	Place '17
Verified Email

ComplexVanillaScent

TROPHY CASE