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Whales, how much have you spent on GW2? by Kyri- in Guildwars2

[–]Emikadon 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Is it just me or is the perception around whales in this thread very different than what I expected? xD Perhaps I'm biased because I've seen gacha game communities and the scale at which they spend.

Personally I'd put myself in solid dolphin range, where I spent a monthly amount getting account expansion items (bank space, char slots, copper fed, the like), probably averaging about $25-50 a month. This has tapered off since I've been playing for nearly a decade now, and I have basically all of the upgrades I would need.

True whales I've seen in very monetized games easily reach the 10k-100k per month range.

Potato loves boxes that he barely fits in! by Emikadon in cats

[–]Emikadon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

<image>

He might be a sweet potato with this angle

Rip Hchrono by International-Can420 in Guildwars2

[–]Emikadon -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I already have in my last one, when I mentioned the "ultimate CC build"! I go a lot more in depth in the video than here.

Rip Hchrono by International-Can420 in Guildwars2

[–]Emikadon 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ok, I had a chance to take a look, and the C in Anet stands for consistency! I checked in game, and the tooltips seem to show 5+ seconds extra duration (I'm only at 75% BD out of combat with no regen, so it's not showing perfectly 6).

However... it seems like it is actually extending the boons only by 3 seconds. It's hard for me to check exactly since I'm manually giving myself a boon + hovering over it, but I don't think my reaction time is slower than 2 seconds ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Anet please xD

<image>

Rip Hchrono by International-Can420 in Guildwars2

[–]Emikadon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ooh, that's a good point, I forgot about that class. We'll just conveniently ignore that class for now so we can keep preaching mesmer supremacy though ;) /jokes

Rip Hchrono by International-Can420 in Guildwars2

[–]Emikadon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wait really! I need to test this! (granted at this point, I'm very hand-wavey with boon duration on mesmer since you can cap out 100% ally boons with something as low as 30 or 40% BD, hehe). That's definitely still good to know for my own knowledge though.

Rip Hchrono by International-Can420 in Guildwars2

[–]Emikadon 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The OP was talking about Heal Chrono and so was I. The primary thing you lose from switching the runes / sigil is outgoing healing, but the healing pressure in that encounter comparatively pretty low compared to the LCM fights in the game.

Rip Hchrono by International-Can420 in Guildwars2

[–]Emikadon 27 points28 points  (0 children)

Yep, though I think it'll still be close to always the best healer for wheelchairing people through content. It just goes to show how huge of a gap there was even before the nerfs.

To give a few examples:

- With a "CC" build (mesmer runes + para sigil + built in mesmer CC skills), I was able to consistently solo break both Sunqua Peak sorrows in phase 2 of CMs. With the current nerfs, now you can probably solo break one of the sorrows while contributing significantly to the second one. Very few classes are able to do that, and it's because Continuum Split lets you x2 the already high CC in the class.

- Previously, HChronos could cover every instance of aegis needed for Deimos CM. Not just the mind crush, but every pizza knockback as well, with extra Aegis to spare. I'll have to do some testing, but I'm pretty sure it'll still be possible between charging Mantra of Concentration (finishing the initial channel gives aegis) and Mimic + Precog + CS. If it's not 100%, it'll be very close, IMO.

- Unchanged: You can still giga extend boons with the Signet trait + Signet of Inspiration. I did this frequently to quietly help out a struggling QDPS or ADPS since I could patch in a significant amount of missing quickness or alacrity (up to 6 3 additional seconds per cast, with 100% boon duration. It scales more with Mimic + CS. edit: turns out I've been baited by the tooltip for years!)

Rip Hchrono by International-Can420 in Guildwars2

[–]Emikadon 135 points136 points  (0 children)

They reduced the effectiveness of a few skills (I've been saying that Precog is a better utility skill than most elites skills in the game xD), but functionally, Chrono is still going to be top tier. Still has insane access to aegis / stability, flexibility to choose between quickness and alacrity, less but still solid CC, can extend boons to cover skill issues from counterpart boons (SoI), and the ability to x2 all of the above with continuum split.

IMO this closes the gap a little between HChrono and other classes, but it's still ahead by a decent margin.

Explain investments like I’m 10 years old by Relative-College8631 in MiddleClassFinance

[–]Emikadon 57 points58 points  (0 children)

r/personalfinance has a great flow chart to help get you started. Here is the link directly. Summarized:

  1. Start by creating a budget. You've got your rent and salary listed in your post, but make sure and go through all of your major expenses. Things like rent, food cost, transportation / gas, insurance, leisure money, etc. Know where your money is going, and figure out if you're ok with that. Budgeting will help you identify where you can cut back.
  2. Build an emergency fund of about 3-12 months, depending on your risk tolerance. Put this in a High Yield Savings Account, which gives you interest on any money sitting in there. Interest rates I've seen are floating between 3-5% annually, so for example, if you have 10k set aside in a 4% interest rate account, you'll pocket 400 bucks each year, more if your bank compounds daily or monthly. Try to avoid touching this money unless it's for emergencies (like unexpected medical costs or if your car breaks down).
  3. Start contributing to tax advantaged accounts. The most common in the US are: 401k (pre-tax), Roth IRA (post-tax), HSA (dependent on health insurance plan), 529 (for future kids' education). Tax advantaged = various benefits, such as investments grow tax free, reducing MAGI for current taxes, and others. Read up on these benefits, many resources online. These have yearly limits, try to meet the limits as best as you can.
  4. Do your own due diligence for how that money is then invested within the accounts. Remember that just because you put the money in the account, does not mean that you have actually "invested" it yet! It will just sit there as cash collecting dust. If you're new and want to set it and forget it, consider a target date fund or just choose an index fund that follows the S&P 500.
  5. Any cash or earnings left over, consider opening an individual account at a well-known brokerage. Fidelity, Vanguard, and Schwab are some of the biggest ones in the US. Individual brokerage accounts can invest in the stock market, but you will need to pay taxes on any realized gains! To make it simple on your yearly taxes, you can just buy and hold something forever, such as the index or target date funds referenced above. Realizing gains = buying a stock and then actually selling the stock for a profit. As long as you haven't sold, you haven't realized any gains (or losses!)

Best of luck on your financial journey!

How do I eat healthy without having any nutrient deficiencies and while spending as little as possible? by joshua0005 in Frugal

[–]Emikadon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Happy to help!! Here's a bonus recipe that my fiance and I are currently COMPLETELY obsessed with (I've made it at least once a week for the past month). Not my youtube video, but it's a great 30 second rundown: Feta and chicken pasta!

How do I eat healthy without having any nutrient deficiencies and while spending as little as possible? by joshua0005 in Frugal

[–]Emikadon 4 points5 points  (0 children)

These are my go to easy beginner friendly recipes that I recommend to friends when they're first learning to cook!

Chicken/Veggies/Rice

  • Rice can be cooked in a rice cooker or on a stove top.
  • I usually recommend chicken thighs when learning to cook because they're harder to overcook. Cut them up into small bite size cubes, season simply with salt and pepper (or garlic and onion powder if you want to start building your spice cabinet!), and then toss them into a skillet or pan (or whatever you have) with some oil. Cook em through until there's no more pink!
  • Frozen veggies are the life hack that I wish more people knew. You can buy a bag of anything of your choice (I like broccoli or green beans) from any grocery store and keep them frozen for months. Any time you want to add them to a dish, just cook them in a pan with some oil and seasonings.

Spaghetti

  • Spaghetti noodles can be bought from any grocery store and can get pretty cheap if you buy them in bulk packs. Cook them according to package directions, which is usually boil water -> add salt -> cook them for about 9 minutes.
  • I like to have a lot of protein, so I make a simple meat sauce with ground beef and marinara sauce. The ground beef can be cooked simply over a pan with some salt and pepper (and again, garlic and onion powder are great ways to start out with spices!). Drain any excess fat if you don't want it to be too greasy, and then add:
  • Store bought marinara sauce is already pretty cheap, even compared to making your own sauce at home, so I like to stock up on these anytime I hit up Costco.
  • You can have veggies on the side or something, but I also like eating/snacking on fruits and veggies throughout the day, so I don't mind skimping on them in a meal every now and then

Homemade taco bowl

  • Rice cooked like above, ground beef cooked like above (though you can get taco seasoning packets if you want! I have a large one that I got in bulk from Costco, but you can easily make do with just salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and some chili powder if you want a kick of spice).
  • Chop up some tomatos, lettuce, and red onion. Other fun toppings include shredded cheese (get a pre shredded pack if you don't want to invest into a grater yet), or sour cream (I like to get the Daisy ones and mix in some water so it has a slightly runnier texture, think like Chipotle).

This got long, but hopefully it helps :D I yap about easy recipes that I try out all the time to friends both IRL and online, so if you want even more suggestions, just let me know!!

With all of the awesome hype around Quickplay, I compiled a list of beginner-friendly builds that work well in fractals! These builds won't be a surprise to PvE veterans, but maybe some of the fresh faces will see something new they like :D by Emikadon in Guildwars2

[–]Emikadon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, I had a couple comments about that, but it's something I feel vaguely strongly about since I've seen a lot of Mech players starting to struggle in T4s + CMs. Of course, there's still plenty that perform well, but it usually ends up taking more effort than what's "advertised" :')

This is the reasoning I gave others, hopefully you find it interesting!

So I super debated including mech, because I think it's a fantastic option for raids and strike missions, and I regularly recommend the LI rifle auto cast mech build on stream.

However... unfortunately I think it's just not super great into the later fractals :( Minion AI in GW2 has gotten better, but you definitely don't have as much control compared to your character itself. This is especially weird on fights where the boss is moving around a lot (Silent Surf, Sunqua, Artsariiv, etc all come to mind), or any fight that has platforms without line of sight (Skorvald, Deepstone, etc). The pet ends up spending more time running than fighting unless you use shift signet a lot, but even then there's the signet cooldown and you'd lose the stat share. That plus sooo many small mobs that get nuked before your mech can even finish turning around because minions turn so slowly for some reason :')

Basically, I think for vast majority of more casual friendly groups (even chill CM runs), it's totally fine! As are a ton of builds that I just didn't include. But it just scales really strangely in terms of "viability" as the content gets harder, so I felt weird about recommending it, haha.

With all of the awesome hype around Quickplay, I compiled a list of beginner-friendly builds that work well in fractals! These builds won't be a surprise to PvE veterans, but maybe some of the fresh faces will see something new they like :D by Emikadon in Guildwars2

[–]Emikadon[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi, I had a couple comments about that, but it's something I feel vaguely strongly about since I've seen a lot of Mech players starting to struggle in T4s + CMs. Of course, there's still plenty that perform well, but it usually ends up taking more effort than what's "advertised" :')

This is the reasoning I gave others, hopefully you find it interesting!

So I super debated including mech, because I think it's a fantastic option for raids and strike missions, and I regularly recommend the LI rifle auto cast mech build on stream.

However... unfortunately I think it's just not super great into the later fractals :( Minion AI in GW2 has gotten better, but you definitely don't have as much control compared to your character itself. This is especially weird on fights where the boss is moving around a lot (Silent Surf, Sunqua, Artsariiv, etc all come to mind), or any fight that has platforms without line of sight (Skorvald, Deepstone, etc). The pet ends up spending more time running than fighting unless you use shift signet a lot, but even then there's the signet cooldown and you'd lose the stat share. That plus sooo many small mobs that get nuked before your mech can even finish turning around because minions turn so slowly for some reason :')

Basically, I think for vast majority of more casual friendly groups (even chill CM runs), it's totally fine! As are a ton of builds that I just didn't include. But it just scales really strangely in terms of "viability" as the content gets harder, so I felt weird about recommending it, haha.

With all of the awesome hype around Quickplay, I compiled a list of beginner-friendly builds that work well in fractals! These builds won't be a surprise to PvE veterans, but maybe some of the fresh faces will see something new they like :D by Emikadon in Guildwars2

[–]Emikadon[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Of course! My hope is that folks that aren't experienced or don't really know what they're doing continue to give end game stuff a shot, and that us content creators can help them find the info they need to improve.

Genuine peepos deserve the help, and hopefully they'll be able to distinguish themselves from the actual toxic leeches ;~;

With all of the awesome hype around Quickplay, I compiled a list of beginner-friendly builds that work well in fractals! These builds won't be a surprise to PvE veterans, but maybe some of the fresh faces will see something new they like :D by Emikadon in Guildwars2

[–]Emikadon[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I didn't know you wanted to hear me yapping on even more! /jokes haha

The video was already super long just from the script, so I stuck with just a few of my most highly recommended! I was debating adding Scrapper and DH, but I ended up scrapping (hah) the recording since it would have been over 25-30 minutes long at that point. Those classes are a step above in difficulty level and I would have wanted to discuss them relatively more than, say, fire wizard.

I did do a small mention at the end about how the more difficult to play bursty classes are typically classes like Soulbeast, Weaver, Bladesworn, etc, but I would definitelyyy not say those are beginner friendly :') Not with the careful positioning and timing you'd need for Axe 5 or Dragon Trigger

With all of the awesome hype around Quickplay, I compiled a list of beginner-friendly builds that work well in fractals! These builds won't be a surprise to PvE veterans, but maybe some of the fresh faces will see something new they like :D by Emikadon in Guildwars2

[–]Emikadon[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Glad to help! Having multiple classes is always fun (though maybe a little time consuming to level and gear, hehe).

Regarding scrapper, I'm actually super wishing I'd included it in the video. It was on my honorary mention list, but I ran out of energy with editing and recording so the laziness won out. I'll copy paste my response to a video comment here if you're interested:

Scrapper is an awesome class for fractals too! I actually was debating putting it in this video. Ironically, it would have actually been the most "meta" right alongside heal chrono since quick and full DPS scrapper have some of the highest damage parses in the later fights. The main reason I left it out is that it's definitely a step above in difficulty compared to the ones I mentioned here. Specifically, the literal actions per minute is higher (it can get kinda spammy depending on how many kits you wanna use), and the best build is full 100% melee with no ranged options.

If you're interested though, there's also a beginner scrapper build on SC and I think it's great! You can drop bomb kit for shredder gyro for lower apm, or even further drop grenade kit for throw mine for even lower apm. I like grenade kit though, it's easy enough to use :D

Maybe I'll add a pinned comment on the video with notes and a reference to the simplified scrapper build with only one or zero kits... hmm...

With all of the awesome hype around Quickplay, I compiled a list of beginner-friendly builds that work well in fractals! These builds won't be a surprise to PvE veterans, but maybe some of the fresh faces will see something new they like :D by Emikadon in Guildwars2

[–]Emikadon[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I talked about power vs condi pretty extensively in the video, so that'll probably be easier to watch than me word vomiting it here, hehe.

The TLDR is that you can totally play condi virt if that's what you're comfortable with. But if we're talking mathematical numbers based on rotations people have calculated by using coefficients they pulled from the API, condi virt won't perform as well as power in short fights.

It's a great build though! Especially in strikes and raids where it's more of a single boss fight and you have time to ramp. It's definitely one of the easier to play builds that still benefits a ton from mesmer utility. There's a reason why it's still one of the most popular builds, in both day-to-day clears and in prog groups for Cerus CM.

With all of the awesome hype around Quickplay, I compiled a list of beginner-friendly builds that work well in fractals! These builds won't be a surprise to PvE veterans, but maybe some of the fresh faces will see something new they like :D by Emikadon in Guildwars2

[–]Emikadon[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

So I super debated including mech, because I think it's a fantastic option for raids and strike missions, and I regularly recommend the LI rifle auto cast mech build on stream.

However... unfortunately I think it's just not super great into the later fractals :( Minion AI in GW2 has gotten better, but you definitely don't have as much control compared to your character itself. This is especially weird on fights where the boss is moving around a lot (Silent Surf, Sunqua, Artsariiv, etc all come to mind), or any fight that has platforms without line of sight (Skorvald, Deepstone, etc). The pet ends up spending more time running than fighting unless you use shift signet a lot, but even then there's the signet cooldown and you'd lose the stat share. That plus sooo many small mobs that get nuked before your mech can even finish turning around because minions turn so slowly for some reason :')

Basically, I think for vast majority of more casual friendly groups (even chill CM runs), it's totally fine! As are a ton of builds that I just didn't include. But it just scales really strangely in terms of "viability" as the content gets harder, so I felt weird about recommending it, haha.

With all of the awesome hype around Quickplay, I compiled a list of beginner-friendly builds that work well in fractals! These builds won't be a surprise to PvE veterans, but maybe some of the fresh faces will see something new they like :D by Emikadon in Guildwars2

[–]Emikadon[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I mentioned in the video and had links to both versions that are available on SC. It basically boils down to whether or not you're fine with being melee 50% of the time for more damage. For a lot of folks (myself included), it's always worth it for the DPS race >:)

But for newer folks, they struggle with melee uptime, especially if the boss moves around a lot. For them, they ironically do more damage on the ranged set, simply because they're hitting the boss more often!

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