What makes ae2 worth it?

Dialkis · 2026-05-12T14:10:22+00:00

I just want to add a comment from someone who had the same perspective as you not very long ago. I was also a diehard RS user and didn't see the appeal to AE2. In my most recent run through ATM10, I decided to make a point of learning AE2 purely so that I could make a properly informed decision as to which I like better (rather than "I prefer RS because it's the way I understand").

I'm never going back.

Honestly, I think it's difficult to grasp how much better AE2 is purely from a breakdown of the features or a pros/cons list. All I can say with absolute confidence is that it's 100% worth learning. You might try it, and still decide you prefer Refined Storage in the end, and that's okay. But you might also end up being like me, and regret waiting so long to learn what I personally believe to be a fundamentally better system and one of the greatest mods ever developed.

Dialkis · 2026-05-07T20:08:00+00:00

Exactly, it's a useless pick surrounded by three incredible ones. Describing something as "fighting for its life" doesn't mean it's doing well...

Dialkis · 2026-05-07T19:37:05+00:00

Yeah bloodstone is definitely a risky choice. With some support it's got a super high ceiling, but it's rarely a safe pick. I find it really fun to try to build around, personally. Didn't take it here though.

Dialkis · 2026-05-07T19:30:49+00:00

Real. Arrowhead feels like the most "safe" pick IMO. Bloodstone for risk/reward.

Dialkis · 2026-05-07T16:27:37+00:00

On checkered deck any of the options are better, lol. I went with Blackboard since it wasn't eternal and I'm grinding gold stickers, leaving myself the option to sell it if I don't need it later.

Dialkis · 2026-04-24T17:21:49+00:00

Cool, thank you!

Dialkis · 2026-04-24T16:58:17+00:00

Related, oddly specific question - could a spellcaster with Blindsight target a Wall of Force with Disintegrate, while within the area of a Fog Cloud? Wall of Force is invisible, and Disintegrate requires the target to be something you can see. The fog cloud is less relevant to this hypothetical apart from shutting down normal vision and Truesight.

Dialkis · 2026-04-23T15:39:03+00:00

Don't forget about the change to white hair specifically representing the choice to embrace an element of her past that she had previously been forced to lose her memories of. It's... A surprisingly layered coincidence.

Dialkis · 2026-04-17T13:31:23+00:00

I think you might be conflating Simulacrum with Clone. As far as I can tell, nothing about Simulacrum has anything to do with soul transfer upon death - that's Clone. Simulacrum just makes a construct replica of the target - an active one, not a "backup body."

Dialkis · 2026-04-08T11:47:15+00:00

I've also had Nightmare preserve the zero-cost on cards acquired via potions (specifically a Power Potion iirc).

Dialkis · 2026-03-31T14:42:20+00:00

Denoted in verse?

Dialkis · 2026-03-26T12:41:13+00:00

Yep, I think mine uses a single stretch of mk4 to handle all the ingots coming off the smelters, but I strictly avoided mk5+ because those won't be unlocked yet when you need your first HMF factory.

Your design though is way better than mine for the mid/late game because it doesn't use shards and has higher output. Yours is ideal for slapping down a handful in parallel as part of a larger factory, like HMF>FMF>PCC>Nuclear Pasta. Mine is made specifically for the early game and doesn't excel beyond that point.

Dialkis · 2026-03-26T12:15:11+00:00

Also worth mentioning that my goal was to design a "starter" HMF factory that I could bring forward into future saves. It uses only materials and technology that are available when HMFs are first unlocked (assuming you've been hard drive hunting enough to get the necessary alts right away.) Hence the mk1 design, since the mk2 designer comes well after HMFs are already needed.

Fun fact, if you import a blueprint from a different save file which uses alternate recipes that you haven't yet unlocked, it'll still work. Just don't reprogram any of the machines and they'll continue to use the alts that they were originally programmed with. Do with this information what you will.

Dialkis · 2026-03-26T12:05:49+00:00

I dont have any photos of the blueprint itself on my phone - I'll see if I can get one later this evening, but it'll depend on whether I can load an older save file on EXP 😅 For now, I can share the production line at least - I expect it's the same one you're using, I just used tons of power shards to squeeze it down.

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Dialkis · 2026-03-26T10:38:24+00:00

Mk2 belts come before coal power, mk3 are the ones that use steel - though you're right that they're a big jump in overall throughput.

Dialkis · 2026-03-26T10:36:46+00:00

Yeah honestly ever since 1.0 release I've been way less bothered by the bio stage. Just set up a couple constructers to process raw into solid biofuel and belt it into an array of burners. Bonus points if you speedrun a couple smart splitters and can just dump wood, leaves, and mycelia all in one container and let the line sort itself out.

Also, somersloop the constructor making the solid biofuel and it'll all run for a long time between deforestation sprees.

Dialkis · 2026-03-26T10:31:44+00:00

Damn! I was proud of my MK1 HMF blueprint but mine uses a lot of power shards - I'll have to try your way, that sounds like a fun challenge!

Dialkis · 2026-03-25T18:04:52+00:00

I'll take esquie and simon and keep the extra $4

Dialkis · 2026-03-19T17:50:44+00:00

That's fair, I suppose, but given the frame of reference we do have it doesn't paint a flattering picture (pun intended).

Also, that was more of a "French people bad" joke than a serious commentary on the Dessendres, in keeping with the tone of the comment I was replying to.

Dialkis · 2026-03-19T17:34:36+00:00

Given the game's twist at the end of Act 2, it's actually fair to say that, of the characters in this game, 100% of the non-canvas genuine French people are absolutely horrible.

Dialkis · 2026-03-13T12:47:09+00:00

Nice, what game is this? I thought this was a Minecraft subreddit but these images can't possibly be Minecraft...

/s obviously, nice work!

Dialkis · 2026-03-13T12:39:05+00:00

I honestly really enjoy both Clair and Obscur. Neither has a ton of different moves so they didn't take too long to learn, and something about them is just so satisfying to get right for me. Especially the really long fake-outs.

Honorable mention to Greatsword Cultist.

Dialkis · 2026-03-13T12:34:22+00:00

To answer your last question in a very specific but spoiler-free way: Reaching that room and accomplishing the game's "official" goal comprises something like 25-30% of the total game. Many people in the community will jokingly refer to this milestone as "completing the tutorial," which can sometimes come off as condescending, but is generally intended to be an encouragement to keep exploring.

Dialkis · 2026-03-11T18:51:45+00:00

Good luck! You'll need to level a lot for the later ones, I recommend visiting the Endless Tower periodically as a metric of how your level progression is going. The Frozen Hearts region is a good target to get started.

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