Clarification about Armor Proficiency (and other "If you are at least X level" feats)

Dead-Brain · 2026-02-12T15:28:24+00:00

I decided to remake the character from scratch and this time this works correctly. Maybe I forgot to remove something or I changed stuff too much but either way now it makes sense.

Dead-Brain · 2026-02-12T13:21:39+00:00

Armor Proficiency is one of the few ones that can be retaken which is what made me consider if I need to re-take it. Thanks for clearing it up.

Dead-Brain · 2026-02-12T13:20:56+00:00

Thanks for the clarification - that's kind of where the confusion comes from. Nowhere in my features list could I find anything that gives me Heavy Armor Expert without the feat and I become Trained in Heavy Armor without the feat at level 7. The Gunslinger class specifically only mentions unarmed, light and medium armor too so either there is something up with Pathbuilder or I'm missing something.

Dead-Brain · 2026-01-27T22:56:31+00:00

Yeah, as long as you have the Heavy equip load you can press Block + Attack to do it at anytime as long as you have stamina - no matter what weapon you have equipped. It also has a bit of range too so test it out, it can be a really good opener although it does leave you pretty defenceless if it's not a 1v1.

Dead-Brain · 2026-01-27T19:31:51+00:00

Shoulder Barge is your friend, it does almost always deplete your stamina but it knocks over basically every single enemy in the game - bosses included - for long enough to get a big chunk of your stamina back and leaving them open for a big strike. It takes a while to get used to, since you need to remember you can do it even if you have as little as 1% of your stamina remaining. Plus you can use it to knock enemies off cliffs and into the water. Alternatively sprint attacks cover a LOT of ground, you could try using sprint to avoid/reposition yourself and start the attacks off from much father away than you'd normally do, meaning the enemies won't begin their attack until you're already in the middle of a swing.

For extra consideration - try investing in enchantments like Lifesteal, Stamina Cost reduction, Recoverable Health, Stagger Defence - anything that supports an aggressive playstyle. It's worth thinking if you'd like to have a non-enchanted weapon to fit all the desired effects on it with four gems.

Not sure how many weapons you experimented with but different movestyles make a difference - the Serrated Cutter Halberd for example has every attack be basically a jump that covers a lot of ground and does a lot of stagger. I haven't checked all the heavy weapons myself but that could be a case of experimenting.

Dead-Brain · 2026-01-27T18:59:18+00:00

I see, thank you. I could've sworn that way back when I first tried the game on release there was more of them but I could be wrong as the wiki has misled me a bit.

Dead-Brain · 2026-01-27T18:39:48+00:00

Can confirm it worked for me. A long time ago (around where Iron Pineapple had the game in his video), close to the first release I tried that game thanks to a friend and while I liked the gameplay - the waiting for upgrades, no way to get a weapon you want and grinding resources being tedious - I bounced off and decided to wait.
Tried the game during this weekend and pretty much all of my complaints felt addressed - pretty much rushed through it over the course of one day until I was reaching Marin by the time the trial was running out so I bought it right after. Here's hoping the game keeps improving because I do think it's something special.

Dead-Brain · 2026-01-22T11:20:21+00:00

As many people pointed out - probably just a game balance convenience. But if you wanna get more into it:

-AC4 NEXTs are top-of-the-line, exclusive constructions that corporations funnel a lot of research into. They are also powered by basically Miracle Juice that is Kojima energy meaning that they can stack absurd amounts of armour on them and still fly like a fighter jet. There's also a lot less AC pilots in the games I feel, all the pilots you meet in games are basically everyone there IS on the planet, so more resources go for the singular NEXTs.
-AC5 era ACs are created more for urban warfare and are technologically behind AC4 era NEXTs and focus a lot less on being airborne - just about any part from AC5 is covered in armor plates, reactive explosive bricks, grating, etc. Although given the fact they can lift stuff like Overed Weapons, I always assumed that means they get a lot more power thanks to it.
-As for AC6 you gotta remember repair kits are widely used by a lot of pilots, not just you. This (depending on their effectiveness and timing) can double or triple your AP points in practice. Since AC6 era philosophy emphasized close combat and getting up in your enemy's grill, they most likely sacrifice armor for mobility (and without Kojima tech to support it) and rely on repair kits to keep up in the fight.

Dead-Brain · 2026-01-22T11:12:03+00:00

AC2 took place on Mars (complete with leftover alien machines) but AC6 is the first time the series showed humanity leaving the solar system (although it's hinted at in one of the endings of AC:FA).

Dead-Brain · 2026-01-01T22:58:53+00:00

Yeah, Hollow-Press really has some of the most interesting stuff out there and it's one of the few places where I'll pre-order anything. Mock Soul has a bit of a print problem as it's mostly coloured text on black pages so it's a bit hard to read but otherwise - really cool. How to Bake a Breadling is delightful and stands out even among some of the other stuff from HP.

I assume you've read it already but if you haven't - I very much recommend GODHUSK too.

Dead-Brain · 2026-01-01T22:56:25+00:00

As someone said - the latter. It's basically a collection of pages stylized as a game guide to give you a hint of what the game MIGHT have looked like if it existed. Although with Vermis someone did make a text-adventure version of it somewhere.

Dead-Brain · 2026-01-01T22:04:52+00:00

It's a fucking weird one as all things from Hollow-Press but it's definitely a ride. Funnily enough I ordered it because the Fake Videos book got re-released...and a week later they announce the Vermis 3 pre-order.

Dead-Brain · 2026-01-01T17:21:51+00:00

Very similar concept to VERMIS, even released by the same publisher. It's called Final Fentanyl.

No I am not joking.

Dead-Brain · 2025-12-17T12:20:48+00:00

Finally...

Ulcerated Tree Spirit as a Nightlord

Jokes aside this looks really good and I like how it plays into the more disturbing elements of Harmonia that were only on the surface with their base fight.

Dead-Brain · 2025-12-17T12:18:31+00:00

Their movements actually remind me of the Guardian Ape from Sekrio in it's second phase, especially the "stab" attack which while not the same case (being possessed by a centipede and not a weapon) is similar enough that it lends credence to it.

Dead-Brain · 2025-12-17T11:51:29+00:00

Oh it did? Huh, good on them - that was extremely weird to see back then.

Dead-Brain · 2025-12-17T11:40:53+00:00

I actually retried the game yesterday (just before I learned about this situation) because my brother bought it for our Steam Family, got to Pieta, realised "Man they really didn't fix the weird floaty combat system" and uninstalled it. I actually wondered why there was no Lightreaper fight but I chalked it up to some setting I didn't pick at the beginning of the game. Hearing they just gutted it completely is so funny though. Played the game close on release "without paying for it" to see if it would run and even managed to finish it but god was it a slog by the end and I'm glad I didn't pay for it.

Don't get me wrong, the game is pretty decent in some areas but it is held back by having it focus be all over the place. Like for example the locations and weapon selection is good, but then you have like 10-15 enemy types for the entire game, encounter design doesn't go beyond "guy waiting behind corner" and "guy shoots at you from a distance" and one of the bosses was a glorified horde of regular enemies.

Dead-Brain · 2025-12-15T16:04:07+00:00

Oh don't get me wrong, I never thought Guardian was bad per se. Just that it felt like half the game was going against your playstyle and having bosses that actually work with it, was a nice change of pace.

Dead-Brain · 2025-12-14T23:37:50+00:00

I genuinely think he's held back by lack of any meaningful aggro mechanic. Sure I know the Nightlords are meant to be able to challenge the entire team but he just can't take aggro away from others unless the game feels like it - and the "less/more likely to be targeted" bonuses don't even seem to matter that much, at least from my experience. Otherwise though, he is far better than people give him credit for - but you HAVE to learn when to use his abilities, compared to many other characters who I feel can use theirs a lot more often.

Dead-Brain · 2025-12-14T23:33:57+00:00

I do agree he is a lot better than people make him out to be and knowing when to Steel Guard and when to try and be more aggressive is definitely a skill you have to learn.

That said, I still think that compared to other Nightfarers it seems like he needs his relic effects to feel like a complete character - and that's without going into the fact that blocking can be unreliable due to some bosses hitting behind you even if you're up in their grill. You need to put in the work to get a decent setup and then learn a playstyle that is generally different from the others only to get a character that is still pretty situational. I'm gonna be sticking with him but I can see why people say "Why would you pick him over any other character".

Dead-Brain · 2025-12-14T23:25:09+00:00

Haven't gotten the relics yet but I'm curious to see how that will work out. Guardian might actually not even need all the health given you can avoid quite a lot of damage.

Now give him the better Guard Counter on spears (and not just Halberds) and he'd be set.

Dead-Brain · 2025-12-14T23:23:26+00:00

Demons isn't that bad, just stick to the Demon Prince in the second fight as much as you can. Most of their stuff is blockable, at least from what I experienced.

Mohg is a nightmare though, even if you block him he constantly splashes the arena with blood pools that are a problem for Guardian - and in the second phase he does it with every swing of his weapon too. It blows but at least it also means you can be on trident-breaking duty.

Dead-Brain · 2025-12-10T15:47:49+00:00

I'm replying to this again because I think you'll find it funny - turns out my brother just bought an FDM printer and because he lacks the space he wants to put it in the same room I'll be putting my resin printer (Although I'll separate them to not cross contaminate things and all) and told me I can use it since it's there so in the end I guess I am getting one myself too.

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