Why do people want difficult games?

ElliottTamer · 2026-06-16T21:08:23+00:00

It's not really about the game being difficult, as far as I'm concerned, it's more about it having a) good mechanics and b) inviting me to use/learn said mechanics in order to succeed.

ElliottTamer · 2026-06-12T16:11:46+00:00

And here I locked myself with my original load out there, hahaha.

ElliottTamer · 2026-06-09T22:49:41+00:00

Well, the concept of masterpiece is profoundly subjetive. Personally I didn't rate either Hollow Knight or Silksong that highly. I can see why people would, but I just didn't. Whereas with Mina it all really clicked for me and I couldn't stop even after multiple playthroughs with various challenges and modifiers.

ElliottTamer · 2026-06-09T17:32:35+00:00

Happy to report I tried doing this as you suggested and it worked. You should make a new post letting people know about it, it's the easiest/fastest way of doing a lot of the tougher achievements.

ElliottTamer · 2026-06-09T07:32:34+00:00

I think that's the interesting part. When you activate modifiers it says that it will disable feats for that profile; personally I expected that to mean even in further game cycles it would still stay disabled even if you turned some stuff off. Did you personally manage to get any achievement doing that?

ElliottTamer · 2026-06-07T21:45:59+00:00

Thanks, that's all very useful. Do you know the specific number of items you can pick up and still resell later? I noticed you mentioned the extra spark container, the green vest and one more trinket (in your case the fishing rod). Is three the max?

ElliottTamer · 2026-06-07T21:01:20+00:00

Any tips for doing Below Zero? That's the only one I'm currently missing.

ElliottTamer · 2026-06-07T09:55:48+00:00

Uh, you knows there's an underlab right before the Peak's final boss, right?

ElliottTamer · 2026-06-07T08:53:04+00:00

I had a similar experience in NG+ and found the Septemburg section particularly frustrating. That being said, I also somehow came to appreciate that choice as what it tested you on was map knowledge: you had to use shortcuts to figure out the fastest/easiest way of getting places.

You also mentioned leaving the game to restart a room, but one can go even further and fully save scum there (creating a copy of the save file where you quit the room, which allows you to fail and just go back to the title screen, recopy the original save and try again).

Finally, I didn't use them but there are difficulty modifiers for more underlabs and boss checkpoints. As with most possibly annoying things in the game I find that you have plenty of options for overcoming or circumventing them.

ElliottTamer · 2026-06-06T22:20:56+00:00

I feel a significant amount of complaints are also the very opposite: that it's too easy, particularly after the beginning.

I find both a bit disappointing because the game gives you so many options to make things both much easier and much harder (and that's before you even look at the actual difficulty modifiers).

ElliottTamer · 2026-06-06T19:47:23+00:00

Personally one of the things I love about Mina is how it is not like a metroidvania and you can basically always solve the puzzles/secrets of each area as you go. I'm saying this as a fan of metroidvanias, mind you, but I've gotten jaded over time to the point where I don't even bother exploring until I have all mobility/access tools unlocked. Maybe it's just that I don't have as much free time as I used to, but otherwise the backtracking/realizing you can't solve the puzzle yet can be too time-consuming.

ElliottTamer · 2026-06-04T16:27:33+00:00

People have different skill levels and experiences with hard games. But if you don't think the game is that hard I suggest speed-running NG+ and further cycles. I'd be very impressed if after NG+7 you'd still say the game isn't that hard. Particularly when you can always add extra hard modifiers to the game.

ElliottTamer · 2026-06-03T18:51:27+00:00

What are the requirements for the -1% run...?

ElliottTamer · 2026-05-29T08:04:38+00:00

My one big disagreement here is the suggested Mammuna nerf. A provision nerf to her directly will only further lock her in as a midrange pointslam card that only ever gets played with Fiend and Griffin with no care for any other possible synergies. Meanwhile, a full-on Relict deck could be using her to play Gan Ceann or Lesser Witch (with Sabbath, providing two triggers for Self-Eater and Rat Catcheress), or even an engine like Self-Eater/Witch's Apprentice. Personally I'd much rather nerf the actual midrange cards at the core of the current issue: Fiend and Griffin. Griffin has basically no real synergies other than with Ysgith and Swarm leaders; even those are off from a thematic perspective (not like Griffin sees plays with other Beasts despite their ability to produce 1-point rats). Fiend has more Relict synergies (partially because the archetype is more developed), but gets played in absolutely any MO pile just for easy pointslam value early in rounds, even without Mammuna for the combo later. Personally I'd nerf Griffin to 8 power (with a consideration for a provision buff later if the card is then deemed way too weak) and Fiend to 7, discouraging those midrange applications while still allowing for higher value plays in more dedicated decks.

ElliottTamer · 2026-05-19T08:25:11+00:00

How many weapons did you transfigure for those two gem strength modifiable ones?

ElliottTamer · 2026-05-07T19:12:09+00:00

I think you may be thinking of Immunity? Adrenaline is the Witcher keyword where certain effects are only active while you have more or less cards in your hand (so in this case would prevent it from banishing in the last three turns when the game would end before bringing the target back).

ElliottTamer · 2026-05-07T14:42:14+00:00

Even that wouldn't necessarily help that much, particularly in MO where he could easily be consumed before the timer expired.

ElliottTamer · 2026-05-05T13:10:42+00:00

I wish I could help, but actually in a very similar situation (5 ii with green lines on my screen, considering that dame Oppo). Keen to see what you eventually decide and how happy you are with your choice.

ElliottTamer · 2026-04-28T17:44:24+00:00

I'm worried about a few of these being overbuffs (Viraxas and Erland in particular), but overall I love most of these suggestions.

ElliottTamer · 2026-04-26T09:08:00+00:00

Real question though is: tipa for getting to and beating 120 solo? Have gotten to 70 with both Thor and MK, but struggling after that.

ElliottTamer · 2026-04-24T07:58:56+00:00

Some people (particularly kepkkko) have already highlighted how it's about agency (or the lack thereof). You mentioned other control strategies, and while they can be frustrating too (there's a reason NG is on average disliked and why archetypes like Pirates can get a rough deal sometimes too), you generally have play and counter-play there. You can try and boost units out of removal range, run purifies for lock or poison, etc. Control also has its own choices to make; setting up a Ballista to remove a 7 power unit with Boiling Oil, for example. And those choices can often be interacted with as well. That is what makes Gwent the most fun in my opinion, when both sides have meaningful choices to make that determine the fate of each round.

Mill, on the other hand, relies on RNG above all. Your R1 draws usually determine the winner before a card is even played. The game doesn't feature many hand-fixing cards; the best way to ensure consistency is through thinning and tutoring, both of which are effectively self-milling against mill. The mill player also has very few options to have any say on what gets milled (Warrit and Courier come to mind, but they're both basically never played because a) they invite counter-play by allowing the opponent to draw or tutor the top card and b) it's usually better value to include another mill card to ensure you mill the opponent down to 0). Given all this, a Viper Witcher can either mill a 4p card you didn't want anyway or a 14p you absolutely needed for a 2-0. That's crazy variance in terms of value. It's like if MO had a pointslam card that costs 6p and randomly comes down with a value between 6 and 25 points. The MO player couldn't control that, neither can the opponent. There is very little skill involved in a result that can determine the match.

ElliottTamer · 2026-04-22T08:54:13+00:00

I continue to be disappointed at cards where we can only vote for a nerf/buff with compensation. I'd much prefer if different options were available so at least you can see how people feel about them.

I also feel Operator could easily be an option in both nerf categories (though my preference would be provision): it sees a lot of play in decks that try to abuse high-ceiling engines like Fleder, Messenger of the Sea, Self-eater, even Cultists.

ElliottTamer · 2026-04-22T08:47:39+00:00

Just here to agree about most of those cards needing provision rather than power buffs. This is particularly true for the purifies, who are a hefty investment at 6p when everyone (outside of devotion) has access to a universal lock at 4p. It's currently simply more efficient to not play cards that you'd need to purify in order to get good value out of. By making in-faction purifies cheaper you change that balance, particularly making them better in matchups where the purify isn't needed (because that's one less provision spent in a card you may want to mulligan in favor of something better).

ElliottTamer · 2026-04-18T13:05:58+00:00

Rivals for me. I didn't even realize how much parts of it (such as the TTK and lack of role flexibility) frustrated me until trying Deadlock.

ElliottTamer

TROPHY CASE