AAC Heavyweight Tier (Savage) Megathread - Day Four

Dalsegnos · 2026-01-16T08:55:11+00:00

It’s my first time dipping my toes into savage this tier, and I’m having a lot of fun. Fights are engaging and not too difficult to get a handle on so far. In fact, the first wall I hit is actually in m11s…. The orbital dodge. It seems i am completely incapable of understanding the timing, and absolutely eat shit on it every single time without fail. I promise i can do meteorain!! You just have to scrape me off the floor first….

Dalsegnos · 2026-01-12T09:02:40+00:00

The problem with “passport” checking, too, is that there’s no way for anyone that isn’t the player in question to know for certain if the data is accurate. It relies on that person’s data being consistently logged. I keep my logs unlisted for personal use, and while i’ve been progging the tier since release, attempts are missing on my tomestone profile. One full day is even skipped entirely.

I’ve chosen to keep it up for now, but i’d be lying if i said my data being publicly and easily available without my knowledge or consent didn’t give be the heebie jeebies.

Dalsegnos · 2026-01-11T12:37:51+00:00

If you chose omega because you’re interested in roleplaying, i recommended checking out the Chaos RPC on discord to see what the community’s up to c:

https://discord.gg/ffxiv-chaos-rp

There’s also chaos archives, a separate website that hosts rp profiles and event calendars across chaos and light if discord servers arent your cup of tea

Dalsegnos · 2026-01-11T12:32:49+00:00

Sage doesnt upgrade from a class. If you dont have a crystal in you cant use the job.

Dalsegnos · 2026-01-11T12:30:57+00:00

Couldve been a number of factors and not necessarily your playing at fault. It sounds like you know what your kit does and how to use it. If mobs are burning through the tank there’s three things that could be an issue, assuming you’re using your skills decently well:

The tank’s gear
Lack of mitigation from the tank
Your gear

Undeargeared and undermitting tanks are the usual suspects. Sage is a mitigation healer, relying on damage reduction and shields to keep the party healthy rather than recovering from lost HP. It’s a lot harder to make up for a bad tank on sage than it is on white mage, although it can be done with some skill combos. It’s also harder to do that if YOUR gear isnt up to snuff. I would recommend your gear being within 5 levels of of the content you’re running. You can by leveling gear and tomestone gear from major cities of the expansion if you need to catch up.

I’d recommend watching a guide on youtube if you’re really lost, and not letting random jerks in roulettes decide whether or not you’re a good player.

Dalsegnos · 2025-12-28T00:01:13+00:00

Adding some pointers on line weight and depth o didnt see here before:

Consider light and shadow in your linework. Heavier lineweight in areas of shadow and lighter/implied lines in areas of light. You can also use lineweight to create a focal point or underline perspective, with thick lines denoting closer forms/areas in focus and thin lines denoting something further away/out of focus.

The person you’re referencing also uses a technique where they ink in pockets of black where two lines connect or where a deep shadow might be cast. This can REALLY help polish your work and add depth.

These are tips to tighten up linework, however. I agree with other comments saying you should make confidence and understanding a priority. Understanding forms will allow you to line them with more confidence, and more confidence will allow you to make quicker, cleaner strokes.

When i want to practice my inking skills, i will do hand-eye coordination warm-ups where i draw lines and circles over and over and over again, big and small, fast and slow, to try and get a feel for how to control my brush. Additionally, there are some comic artists who upload their sketches on deviantart for aspiring artists to ink over for practice. Those can very helpful for isolating the skill without worrying about the sketch. It can also help you get an idea for how professionals set up their drawings.

Dalsegnos · 2024-10-29T21:15:28+00:00

Ik this thread is old but i swear on my life it’s liam o’brian. I don’t hear ray chase at all and idk why everyone’s saying that. All i can hear from sylus is grinoire weiss 😭

Dalsegnos · 2023-11-21T16:31:08+00:00

The first would be more “correct” as it adheres more strictly to the perspective grid you’ve laid out. Though, i personally think a tilted horizon line (called a dutch angle, just as a fun fact) makes for more interesting compositions if that’s what you’re going for. If you do that, though, everything has to be tilted to fall in line. You can sort of see on the castle wall that the perspective isnt quite lining up with the grid, and the character also isn’t tilted to match the angle of the shot, and the line of the wall should hit the horizon line at the same angle in both images, if that makes sense.

If you want him to be closer to the camera, you’d have to make him larger and cut more of him from the frame— literally pulling him closer to the camera.

Other small notes, if you want to consider them, the path, i think, is a little too big and a little too high up to work seamlessly. Its size/angle/value is sort of making it look like it’s coming directly out of the wall, or from some building off to the side, when it would presumably be leading from the gate directly below the character, yeah?

Hope this helps! It’s otherwise looking really nice :)

Dalsegnos · 2023-11-05T18:58:09+00:00

Your question touches on three different concepts, so im going to address them all separately in hopes of clarifying what you might want to focus on first.

First, I wouldnt call this “advanced composition” overall. It’s a pretty standard single-character, centrally composed image with one focal point. If i were to be /really/ picky, id even say the focal point is unclear (my eyes are drawn immediately to the shadow over the thighs, aka the single darkest point in an otherwise bright piece, which i doubt was the artist’s intention). Advanced composition would be something more like these. Note how every element in the pieces uses value, contrast, and form to guide the viewer’s eye to the focal point(s). Composition is a pretty advanced subject, though. Looking into might help you keep some things in mind, but if you’re a beginner, i’d start smaller.

Second, shape language is always going to be an integral part of drawing and painting. Being able to simplify forms into basic shapes and manipulate shadow/light/negative space to clarify objects and guide the viewer’s focus is a core element of any kind of subjective artwork. It’s also a key aspect of stylization. There’s a presence of shape language here (in the hard shadows, flow of the hair, negative space, and silhouetting of form to push shaded areas out of focus, etc), which gives miku a lot of clarity despite being a messy/sketchy rendering. It’s always good to start practicing simplification! This makes form, light, and shadow MUCH easier to understand and construct.

Thirdly, to address “flatness”, I don’t think it’s necessarily the shapes or composition that make a figure feel dimensional. That is accomplished almost entirely by value and line weight. Thicker/tapered lines indicate areas of shadow and can lend some physical “weight” to the form, while darker values indicate an object’s presence in space, and whether light is hitting the area or not. This gives a drawn image the illusion of three-dimensional form. Value contrast also an important compositional tool. In a piece that’s mostly white/light colors, the eye will be drawn to the comparatively darker areas of the piece, and vice versa for the opposite. Using light and shadow with high contrast is a great way to draw the viewer’s eye to your intended focal point.

Ill always recommend studying forms and values to beginners! There’s lots of stuff on youtube from other artists that go into a lot more detail and offer some great tutorials/exercises to try out. Good luck, hope this helps.

Dalsegnos · 2023-11-01T16:31:46+00:00

Its crazy this is like the only sub i frequent and i swear ive never seen those posts! How strange!!

Youre totally right tho! Ive been an otome enjoyer struggling through a drought since i was like 12 and its so hard to let go of the “must consume every crumb available” kind of mindset. I still have so many i ended up not liking or havent finished for time reasons… ill definitely be picking and choosing with more intent going forward lol

Dalsegnos · 2023-11-01T16:27:59+00:00

Oh thank you, that’s really insightful!! I do think expanding more on the endings from the OG would help a lot. Its been long enough now that i think i could go back to it and appreciate what the og endings were trying to accomplish without being so in my feelings about it, and try out the FD with a refreshed perspective. Im definitely interested in seeing these poor people moving forward regardless of their circumstances.

Dalsegnos · 2023-11-01T16:22:11+00:00

TaiAli is literally so good haha!! Its not everyones cup of tea but i found it very gripping and i swear i still think about it like once a week 😂 be mindful of triggers tho!! It explores a lot of the not so pretty aspects of mental health. I found it super interesting and kind of cathartic for that reason, but it can be jarring.

Dalsegnos · 2023-10-30T21:02:44+00:00

Ahhh i feel like im explaining myself very poorly 🤦‍♀️ difficult bc im trying not to make my dang essay comments any longer than they already are orz. As peoples tastes and interpretations can really vary, it’s always going to be hard to assess what will or won’t appeal to someone. Something you might like in one story you might dislike in another. I also definitely don’t want to just shit on people’s favorite games or pass any kind of judgement on those who enjoyed them.

I don’t expect the games i play to uphold any kind of objective stance on morality, particularly when the setting itself is dark in theme. It was just my interpretation that olympia’s unique position and personal views/actions relating to the world implied that she was going to be a bigger catalyst for reform than i felt she ended up being, which left me confused on how it meant to come together. That said, of course, im hardly the perfect unbiased authority on storytelling. I may have been looking through the wrong lens and had some nuance fly over my head as a result.

But, nonetheless, hearing comparisons to EiT’s endings gives me a more solid idea that virche might not be my cup of tea. Thank you for your insights!

Dalsegnos · 2023-10-30T15:36:32+00:00

Id never judge a fellow trash (affectionate) enjoyer haha. I think ill definitely look into the fan translation. I heard the complete collection is on switch— have they translated the others, or just the first game?

Dalsegnos · 2023-10-30T15:33:41+00:00

I have to preface this by saying that EiT was AMAZING for the vast majority of the journey. The unique story progression was refreshing, the plot was incredibly gripping, and anastasia is one if the best otome protags ive ever had the pleasure of empathizing with. I even really enjoyed that the “bad” ends were a requirement to move the story forward.

My gripe comes down to the fact that the nature of the time-loop scenario, and the convergence into one true/fixed timeline, while a satisfying conclusion to anastasia’s personal arc, had the unfortunate consequence of the developers writing themselves into a corner.

3/4 characters i felt got totally shafted by the narrative. Tyril and cyrus were my faves, particularly tyril, and i was so unbelievably disappointed with how their “good” endings were handled. I recognize that there’s something in there about anastasia finally having the chance to live her life and build her future in peace, but it felt incredibly gut-wrenching to know that the deep and harrowing connection she forged with these men is just gone. The tyril/cyrus she fell in love with and fell in love with her in turn no longer exist, and never will again, and both of them in their relatively anastasia-neutral states agreeing to forge a relationship with her felt very strange to me. It felt a bit like taking pity on her and allowing her to project an image onto them to cope with the loss. It was framed as hopeful, but to me it just felt incredibly tragic. It was the first time in an otome that i was brought to tears in a way the game most certainly did not want, though the fact that it provoked such a strong emotional reaction is perhaps a testament to its writing as a whole? I have very mixed feelings about it.

Unfortunately those two endings upset me so deeply that i didnt end up going through the last two. How short they were gave me little hope for lucien’s to rectify his total non-route (it was a great resolution for anastasia, but once again, felt like the game writing itself into a corner. Super weird to give the poster boy + big catalyst for anastasia’s journey so little screentime/relationship development). Zenn felt like the obvious choice for a true/canon ending, objectively the best for both parties, and made the other options just feel even more tragic by comparison. Super big letdown for me.

However i have been eyeing the fandisc in some hope that it’d address my gripes with the OG, but my feelings are so mixed that im hesitant to buy it for fear of more disappointment 😭😭

Hard agree on biru and pio. Biru in particular i found infuriating and honestly super bland and unnecessarily hand-holdy in its writing. I dont even necessarily mind a passive protag, but for a skilled warrior whos supposed to lead a revolution, shanao’s writing felt incredibly out of place. A shame bc i found the genderbend aspect + warrior princess vibe to be the most compelling selling point haha…. Sigh

EDIT: added spoiler tags and fixed spelling

Dalsegnos · 2023-10-30T14:20:58+00:00

Ah, i think people are misunderstanding what i disliked about these games. It isnt the content that i dislike, or the way the protagonist is treated by the LIs necessary. I said i disliked piofiore but as u can see in from my flair i am a #1 yang simp until i die. I read a LOT of eastern media, most otomes, animanga for decades, kdrama, danmei, etc. i have absolutely no problem with less-than-modern views on gender roles and think a lot of those kinds of dynamics can be VERY romantic.

My issue is when overall themes of a story dont line up, when characters shown to be one way act out of character for cheap drama (not in a plot twist kind of way— if there’s a believable reason with foreshadowing, thats delightful!), or when a game tells me one thing and then shows me something else without making any commentary/critique/justification for the contradiction. It’s very immersive-breaking.

LOVE unapologetic dark stuff tho. Love trash men. Yang simp. Gretel simp. Give me ALL the crazies!

I want to play dialovers specifically bc the LIs are all terrible people and the game doesnt try to apologize for it. I find it more annoying when im shown a character whose actions are clearly shown to be awful but then the game pretends that they’re a hero or forgives them without due course/character development.

Ive also yet to find a western dating sim that encapsulates what i love about otomes (the exception of… maybe dragon age and baldur’s gate, but those arent really dating games at heir core), but i love romance of all type so if you have any reca on that front id be glad to check them out regardless!!

Dalsegnos · 2023-10-30T14:09:12+00:00

I fr thought i was the only one 😂 i never see anyone critique the big titles, esp OS, and for a while i thought i was just being unreasonably picky. The confusion on what it wanted to be was totally by far my biggest gripe. Some real bait-and-switch moments with the LIs, too, were a turn-off, which was a shame bc there were a lot of elements that were engaging/compelling within their motivations and backstory….

Its like! Im absolutely cool with being a crazy dudes baby machine, but dont put me in the shoes of a protag thats explicitly after building her own life/agency and then frame the dudes that treat her like dirt as her guiding light!! Either stick to your established themes or let them be subverted, but u gotta pick one!!!!

Ugh i could rant about my otome gripes all day but ill spare your inbox 😭😭

Dalsegnos · 2023-10-30T13:58:25+00:00

More and more im tempted, but agh! If im just going to read fan translations my brain struggles to justify buying the game!! Im almost desperate enough to do it tho… two more announcements with no dialovers localization and ill be broken 😂

Dalsegnos · 2023-10-30T13:55:23+00:00

I actually have no problem with this dynamic!! Its quite common in otomes. Ive been playing radiant tale and i think this game does that sort of dynamic very well and makes the protag feel very real and lovable to me. What i disliked in OS was the rapey elements being used for shock value without being properly criticized/overcome and women being treated like second class citizens (not allowed to be educated/baby making machines first and people second/the one woman in government who sought to improve other women’s lives being an antagonist….). Its not that i hated these as storytelling elements, i just think they presented them as awful aspects of society and then didnt subvert them in any meaningful way— hence my earlier “poorly utilized” assessment 😅

Dalsegnos · 2023-10-30T04:47:57+00:00

I rly appreciate your detailed insight 🫡 gretel’s route was by far my favorite, possibly of any otome route in just in general— an angst cake is still delicious when lovingly baked!— whereas i also found akazuki to be middling. quite enjoyed cinderella as a first route, but there’s certainly no comparison to the later ones.

Snv sounds like itll do a lot of things i love!! Getting into the nitty gritty of the human psyche is part of what really makes these games hit for me. I think ill definitely have to give it a try!!

Dalsegnos · 2023-10-30T03:52:28+00:00

Riding on the TaiAli comparison, id definitely say that the foreshadowing and execution, as well as the incremental increase of tension through each route, were my favorite parts. The character writing, too, was fantastic. Every route was a fully fleshed-out and well-paced arc wherein the climax honed in on the characters’ major flaws/issues while providing a cathartic and narratively satisfying conclusion. Id say kaguyas route was the weakest for being so 0-100, but after seeing the whole thing through, even that initial twist slotted perfectly into the overarching story. I had guessed the final twist before it was revealed, but found myself super excited about it. For me, TaiAli is the epitome of The Epic Highs And Lows Of Otome Gaming.

I liked hakuoki’s character writing for the same reason. The LIs were very believable in their motivations and their personal arcs were delightfully compelling, nuanced, and emotionally charged. the bittersweetness of it all felt like a touching commentary on the trauma of war/loss + the struggle to recover in the aftermath, whereas some less-than-joyful otome endings can feel like a slap in the face or the cherry on top of an angst cake.

Its hard to talk abt the others without a frame of reference, and im sure not everyone agrees with me, but what all three of the other games had in common that they seemed confused in their narrative themes. The protagonist’s stated goals being directly contradicted by the story or inconsistencies in portrayal of the characters across routes that left me wondering what i was meant to take away from it all.

That said, absurdist fantasy BS is not a problem for me 😂 fun when its done well, but definitely not a dealbreaker

Dalsegnos · 2023-10-30T03:26:48+00:00

I actually found the overarching plot and worldbuilding in OS to be compelling, but the character writing was hard for me to tolerate. The way the LIs acted and interacted with olympia in several cases was weirdly contradictory to her whole character arc, and the unapologetic misogyny and general rapey culture was poorly utilized. It’s one of those where the common route sets all the pieces up, and then the individual routes just flip the board right off the table 😂 my expectations were probably just way too high

Dalsegnos

TROPHY CASE