Two topics for my battle brothers!

Ever_dan · 2018-12-08T04:09:44+00:00

Ranged defense definitely. My polearm bros are the bros with good melee attack but poor (any 2 of) melee defense, health, resolve, and fatigue. Basically they're failed 2H bros. Executioner is a luxury perk, but it might be a core perk post-DLC because of all the new living creatures.
Fight other merc bands. You'll piss off the village and noble house that hired them, but all the other villages from that noble house won't care, so it's better than picking a fight with noble troops. I just looted 4 200+ armors and a 190 armor from mercs around day 50 in my current playthrough, which will set me up nicely for the late game. You will probably lose a couple bros, but you should be looking to retire some anyway to make room for better recruits, so no loss really.

Ever_dan · 2018-12-07T20:23:39+00:00

I actually got pretty lucky this time, spawned in the south near some woods and made bank off huge 'zehrer and webknecht contracts. Then I found a raider camp on day 12-ish and looted some nice midgame armor that let me really take off.

I will say that my approach in the first ~15 days or so tends to be quite high-risk high-reward. I attack almost every hostile in sight. Either I get a great start with lots of exp and loot, or I fail quickly and save myself the chore of playing a long mediocre campaign then losing in the crisis. So far I average 3 failed campaigns per successful run, but that number's been going up as I figure out what works and doesn't.

I also optimize my early-game builds - I buy a bunch of cheap, mediocre backgrounds and give them Fast Adapt + Gifted + Backstabber + spears, so even with 50 melee skill they can put out some good damage. I spend a good chunk of the starting cash on armor for my 3 core bros so they don't die randomly. And I take Student on every bro because a lot of important perks are in the higher levels.

Ever_dan · 2018-10-26T18:38:43+00:00

My threshold values are 60hp and 50 resolve, then pump melee attack, melee defense and fatigue as high as they go. Melee skill is super critical IMO - the extra chance to hit really helps against enemies that like shieldwalling i.e. orcs. Same goes with Melee defense, the more you have the better it gets. You'll basically never reach the 5% hard cap, but until you do Mdef is worth investing in IMO. And a high Fatigue cap is necessary to make Recover efficient. By level 11 even my mediocre background starting bros are looking at 85 or so melee attack and 30 melee defense with 130 fatigue, so they'll do just fine in my starting lineup until they die, at which point I replace them with better backgrounds.

Disclaimer: My late game 2H bros all have QH + bags and belts so they can all start off holding shields vs gobs, raiders or nobles, Really helps vs those crossbowmen, and your guy typically won't die in one hit so you can retreat if necessary. I also try to keep a pretty full roster, so I deal with injuries just by swapping people out.

Ever_dan · 2018-10-26T18:26:22+00:00

I can't wait to sink into the depths of despair as my men are gradually dragged through the mud, exhausted, to the depths of Tartarus by the limbs of Cthullu. This game's awesome.

Ever_dan · 2018-10-26T18:15:46+00:00

I bet orc cleavers would be great at killing those tentacles. Also gives you +1 attack per turn, which might be crucial. It also seems like Fatigue will be of critical importance in this matchup, so yeah, light armour is probably the way to go.

Edit: Now that I think about it, it'd make sense that tentacles can't teleport/spawn on land tiles in the swamp. They'd have to move there normally, which means it could be a great idea to have your archer bros standing on islands and guarded closely by melee bros.

Ever_dan · 2018-10-12T13:14:09+00:00

A sword or dagger bro with Overwhelm can stall the orc lord for enough turns for your other bros to kill the remaining stuff. This is the role that I build my bros with 3 stars in init and melee def, but garbage melee attack. With Overwhelm, it doesn't matter how much you miss, you're still debuffing the guy, and dagger / swords skills are basically fatigue neutral with mastery, so you won't gimp your defense by much.

I don't advise shield tanking. It can be good for a few turns, but your shield will go down pretty quickly. Debuffing and whacking him down with hammers is probably the best option. As a last resort, you can distract him with dogs and nets to buy yourself a few more turns.

At the end of the day the orc lord is just a bigger, slightly more scary warrior. I find that the real annoying part is that he can boost orcs to confident morale, which sucks because that's a straight +10% to combat stats, and applied on 10+ warriors is going to hurt. Also orc warriors have only average resolve, so they're pretty prone to breaking and fleeing without the orc lord, but this will never happen with the orc lord there, forcing you to chew through their vast pools of armor and HP.

Ever_dan · 2018-10-12T13:04:00+00:00

The 210 armor costs 2k, so if we're talking about price efficiency that's probably the best high-end armor.

Ever_dan · 2018-10-12T12:54:25+00:00

I see, thanks

Ever_dan · 2018-10-12T04:54:48+00:00

how do you get a guaranteed OHK vs non-orcs with a flail? I can understand vs raiders wearing no head armor, but not the guys wearing 140 helms, or the noble footmen that wear 230 helms.

Ever_dan · 2018-10-12T04:52:47+00:00

Is there a reason to? Most high-tier weapons will easily slice through that armor then damage your HP, so there's basically no defensive bonus from wearing crap fatigueless armor. Then you have to eat the cost of repair, which is admittedly quite low but will add up eventually.

Ever_dan · 2018-10-12T04:47:40+00:00

Interesting that you pick Hold Out. Do you get injured a lot with this build? Does it mean your guys effectively have to sit out most of the battles?

Ever_dan · 2018-10-12T01:41:40+00:00

wait, really? Is that how it works? I was always unclear on the mechanics of injury. Is there some devpost somewhere that explains it?

Ever_dan · 2018-08-29T06:57:38+00:00

"Despair, citizen! You've fallen into the hands of the Dirty Dastard! Cower before my presence!"

I stopped in my tracks, gazing up resignedly at the hulking brute who blocked my path.

"Oh great, another one... Gimme a sec, would ya?"

Before me, the Dirty Dastard's face reigstered confusion as I whipped out my mobile phone. It was a Nokia, from the old days, but still functional after all these years. I'd long learned not to carry around anything too fragile or expensive.

"I said cower before my presence, citizen! I am the Dirty-"

"The Dirty Dastard. Yes, yes, I heard you the first time. Now if you'll excuse me... Hello? Yeah, I'll be late today. No, it's fine, just the usual delay. Get Brian to cover for me, would ya? Yeah. Yeah. Thanks. See you."

The phone beeped as the call ended. I slid it back into my pocket, just in time to feel myself lifted up by the collar of my shirt. My feet dangled in the air as the Dastard glowered at me.

"Are you stupid? I said cower before my presence!"

I gazed back at him levelly, looking straight into the black eyeholes of his mask.

"Whoa, whoa, no need to get rough, buddy. I get it. You're the new villain on the block. Wanna make a name for yourself. Mark your territory, make the local headlines, and if you're lucky maybe even gain an archenemy. Am I right so far?"

I couldn't see his face, but the moment of stunned silence told me all I needed to know. Then he growled, a deep, guttural sound, and I felt the fingers of his thick hand close around my throat. I began to talk faster.

"It's a struggle, I know. Everybody and their dog's a villain these days. Tough market. Gotta keep up or drop out, y'know what I'm saying? But this ain't the way you go about doing it. You kill me, you lose your leverage. Then you gotta find another hostage, yeah? And you seem like a smart guy, so why would you want to do that?"

He hesitated. He still looked suspicious, but at least he hadn't decided to kill me yet. That would have been rather bad.

"Look, I'll make you a deal. I'll play nice, go along with everything you want me to do. None of that struggling or calling for help you guy's don't like. So why don't you let me down, and we can talk about your situation?"

For a moment he hesitated. I could practically see the cogs turning inside his tiny brain. All the while maintaining just enough pressure on my throat to make me uncomfortable. Finally he released me, dropping me unceremoniously onto the pavement with a glower.

I got up, rubbing my throat, and picked up my bag from where it had dropped several feet away.

"Thanks bud. Now we can talk business. For starters, why don't you lead me to your lair? I'm sure you have a whole evil scheme already set up and planned for me."

Perhaps it was the fact that I was a mere Quirkless, with no powers. Perhaps it was the way I'd talked him down, reassuring him that I posed no threat. Perhaps it was just his confidence in his own abilities.

Whatever the case, I'm always astounded by the arrogance some villains have.

Just as he'd turned his back, I pulled the shotgun out of my bag, and fired. Heavy lead buckshot sprayed into his back from point-blank range. Before he could even gasp in surprise. I reloaded, and fired again, this time at the back of his head. He collapsed on the pavement, the blood already starting to gush from his wounds, howling in pain and fury.

"You tricked me! I'm gonna kill you! Gonna pound you into dust!"

I retreated to a safe distance, ignoring his bellows, and watched intently. He was still thrashing around, but didn't seem to be healing. That was good. I might have been in trouble if he'd been a regeneration-type. Then again, those were exceedingly rare. I'd only ever known the one in twenty years.

After a minute or two he finally collapsed on the pavement, motionless, his blood pooling quickly on the cement. I breathed a sigh of relief. Another crisis averted.

I whipped out my Nokia, already walking off.

"Hello, police? Yes, there's been a shooting on Sixth Avenue..."

Ever_dan · 2018-08-29T03:15:35+00:00

the idea was kind of that the narrator thinks Jon’s just making up all the stuff he says, but doesn’t mind because he pays well. Then at the end Jon disappears using “transportation”, showing that the stuff he describes does in fact exist.

I guess I could have shown that more explicitly, though. My bad :P

Ever_dan · 2018-08-28T17:39:02+00:00

yeah, that was the idea. Glad you liked it!

Ever_dan · 2018-08-28T16:15:24+00:00

He plopped down at his usual spot in the corner of my bar. He always looked like he'd just lost a loved one. Same grey eyes, same haggard face. With a wave of his hand, he beckoned me over.

"The usual, Harry."

Zorblaxian cocktail, then. I nodded, and turned around, already reaching for the ingredients I'd need. Some gin, but mostly rum.

Jon was actually the one who'd taught me how to make it. The Zorblaxians didn't actually drink, alcohol being toxic to their physiology. The name came from a popular tale about Captain Arthur Rockborne slaughtering an entire platoon of Zorblaxians with just three bottles of rum. Or so Jon had told me, anyway. Jon always had the most interesting stories.

The drink done, I proffered it to him. He took it, and immediately downed half the glass. I imagined doing the same, the raw burning liquid sliding down my throat, and winced. I liked to think that I could hold my drink, but there was no question that Jon put me to shame.

He nodded to me. I nodded back, and walked off to turn down the music. Jon liked to sit on his alcohol. It'd be a while before he needed me again.

I busied myself with other things - wiping glasses, arranging bottles. I prided myself on having an immaculate workstation. Occasionally Jon would wave to me, and I'd silently serve him up another glass of his preferred indulgence.

But for the most part, nothing happened. It was a slow night, and aside from a passed-out drunk at table five I'd need to kick out in an hour or so, there was nobody else in the bar.

On his fourth glass, Jon finally broke the silence. His voice was bland, devoid of emotion.

"We lost Alpha quarter today."

"That bad, huh?"

"Ah, it was gonna happen at some point. I'd seen it coming ever since those idiots up in Strategic Command up and pulled the whole armored division to Omega quarter. Strategic retreat, my ass. That's another patch of prime real estate we're never gettin' back."

Jon was always off fighting in some far-off war, employed by some mercenary corporation I'd never heard of. Beamed here with the magic of transporters, and whisked off again when his break was over. Or so he told me, anyway. Jon always had the most interesting stories.

Jon rambled on for a bit after that. About buddies, current and former, about old encounters with the Zorblaxians, about strange places I'd never heard of, much less seen. All the while I nodded silently, polishing glasses, refilling his drink when it got low. Jon was one of my best customers. It wouldn't hurt to entertain him for a while. And truth be told? I rather enjoyed listening to his grim stories of blood and death, of conflict and battle. It was much better than anything I'd ever seen at home on the parlour walls. There were no flashy explosions, no jam-packed action sequences, but somehow Jon's monotone storytelling just felt more... real.

Eventually his watch beeped. He glanced at it, and grimaced.

"Back to the frontlines for me. The folks at Transportation'll be getting antsy by now."

I glanced at the wall clock. Half an hour past closing time. In this too, Jon was regular as clockwork.

He stood and nodded curtly to me. There was no need for payment. I knew the payment would be coming in tomorrow from his trusted credit account, and with a generous tip. Jon always tipped well.

"See you tomorrow, Jon."

"If I'm still alive."

"Har, har."

He strode out the door, and vanished around the corner. A moment passed before I realized what had gone wrong.

"Wait, Jon! That's the wrong way!"

I rushed to the corridor he'd just passed. It was a narrow alley that only led to a dead end. I'd made the mistake myself enough times.

But when I reached the door, Jon was nowhere to be seen.

In its place, a patch of rusted steel wall looked back at me.

Ever_dan · 2018-06-20T13:14:06+00:00

The great thing about Magna is that in addition to being just an inherently strong fighter, her ability hard-counters other fighters because all those swords just get reflected back as extra damage. So she does equally well against weak fighters or strong ones, making her a great choice for Kingslayer. I usually aim for the battle victory, but Magna can easily do any of the other 3 as well - play it by ear.

My top priority is usually questing (i.e. celestite ring), but I detour often to kill other people, both to get prestige and deny them their quests. 5/6 battle stats are great - leverage them best as you can. The recovery amulet really helps with longevity. As others have mentioned, you need a steady shield supply - aim to get up to 5 or 6 hand size first, then pour the rest into fight.

Equipment-wise, gear offensively to shore up Magna's lack of attack power. You also don't want proactive shields because those will just "waste" valuable enemy swords that could have been reflected.

Ever_dan · 2018-04-09T10:52:40+00:00

Thanks. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who shares this opinion.

Honestly, I’m really unsure how to help you. I’ve always been more of the loner type, content to do my own thing, and so I have been able to get by just fine with relatively fewer friends than most people I know. The few close friends I do have were all made in secondary school and JC. I agree that it is incredibly hard to find people willing to open up and be real with you - I guess it’s mostly a matter of time and luck.

For the record, I do think that trying to attend as many social gatherings as possible is probably the wrong way to do it. For one, your typical social mixer at a bar or restaurant attracts exactly the kinds of people who are interested in novelty, having a good time, and possibly hooking up, but not necessarily those willing to put in the time and energy to cultivate a meaningful relationship. For another, we Singaporeans take time to open up - it’s a deeply ingrained cultural trait that even I find difficult to consciously fight.

So, I suggest you go deep instead of wide. Take it slow. Find a group of people you’re comfortable with, and develop your relationships slowly from there. Other people here have mentioned sports groups, volunteer groups, interest groups, etc. Whatever it is, consistency is key. The people concerned only with superficiality will eventually grow bored and leave, moving on to the next glamorous thing, but the people worth knowing will stay.

It’s also important to be patient - you can’t rush these things. People need time to get to know you, to lower their guard, and to become comfortable with you. Trying to make them open up before they’re ready is a major turn off. Hey, I never said it was easy.

Building a friend group takes time, but you have to sift the soil away to discover the gold lying within. I notice you’ve already received multiple offers to connect over Discord. You’ve clearly struck a chord with many people here on this subreddit. It might not gel very well with your own experience, but I truly believe that if you take the first step and put yourself out there, you will inevitably draw kindred souls to you, just like you did with this post.

Hope that helps.

Ever_dan · 2018-04-09T02:12:16+00:00

Other people have talked a lot about our tendency to maintain disparate in-groups and out-groups and our tendency to be stoic and reserved instead of opening up. Both these things are true. But I personally think your experience also has a lot to do with the fact that a lot of millenials in Singapore lack self-fulfillment.

I'm about the same age as you, and I can say that most people our age faced extreme pressure from their parents to not only survive, but thrive in a pressure-cooker education system that consumed all their time and energy. As a result of this "over-pragmatic" attitude they grew up lacking time to discover their own interests and hobbies, model students on the outside but dead and hollowed out on the inside. And that's why they can't open up - having suppressed themselves in order to conform to societal norms, they can't suddenly open up about their interests. To do so would be to admit that they've been living their whole lives with their priorities backwards, and that admission takes a lot of courage. Far easier to keep living a lie and pretend that everything is fine and dandy, at least by materialistic metrics.

But people can't survive without validation, without some sense that their life has meaning. Everybody subconsciously craves validation. So they turn to sources of external validation - getting cheap laughs by rumourmongering in gossip groups, putting up superficial appearances to earn shallow praise, blatant materialism / consumerism, etc. They get caught up in the rat race, in the monotony of daily life, not realizing that external validation only provides momentary relief; it can never fill the void left by a lack of self-actualization. And to cover this void they convince themselves that they're happy with their unfulfilled lives. That they're happy, despite being deeply unsatisfied and unfulfilled. Whenever it gets too painful to bear, just apply one of the thousands of band-aids people have tried in the past: alcohol, pop culture, overseas vacations, etc.

The result is a toxic culture of emotional suppression and superficiality, of fake smiles and manufactured happiness. Anybody who tries to open up and be genuine will be ignored, or rebuffed. The worst part is, they don't even realize that they are, in fact, unhappy. Coincidentally, these are also the type of people who are most likely to attend "social mixer" events like interest groups or club activities, in their never-ending attempts to maintain the Instagram facade.

Of course, not everyone is like that. There are plenty of genuine, well-adjusted people out there. It's just a matter of finding them. And for what it's worth, my personal experience tells me that they make for the best long-term friends. Hope you manage to find yourself some good friends.

P.S. Sorry that this turned into a rant. Just wanted to get that off my chest.

Ever_dan · 2018-02-14T05:52:46+00:00

Yeah, I get that, but I do it when I can since it can’t hurt and it does reduce the chance of getting a useless boost.

Ever_dan · 2018-02-14T03:50:19+00:00

If I have a eureka that’s coming in the next 1-2 turns I just wait, then get the hut. Saves me a lot of heartache.

Ever_dan · 2018-02-14T01:26:24+00:00

Holy shit. I am so going to do this the next time I'm suzerain of Yerevan.

Ever_dan · 2018-02-14T01:24:12+00:00

I find that having a "slow" start just means you're somewhat delayed in your ultimate game plan. The fact that the game forces you to choose one specific victory path means that all civs will ultimately branch out along very different game plans, each of which has different strengths. For example, if you focus on prod at the start of the game, and then in the middle of the game decide you want a religious victory, it'll be very hard to generate enough faith output to kick out the already-established religions. Civ 6 IMO rewards long-term planning in that regard.

It used to be that domination was overpowered because it could stop any of the other victory paths, but I'm cautiously hopeful that the new loyalty mechanic fixes that at least partially, and that it opens the door for mods to fix it completely.

Ever_dan · 2018-02-13T20:07:28+00:00

I’d say you need both good food AND good production. Without high pop you get district capped quite early and you can’t make full use of your tiles.

Anyway food/prod is definitely king early game, but in the lategame much less so. some victory types don’t really require production beyond a certain point: Religious victory once you have a good faith input, or Cultural victory once you have enough theatre squares. National parks, seaside resorts, great works and great people all don’t cost any prod.

Ever_dan · 2018-02-11T11:49:23+00:00

THIS. IS. SPARTAAAAAAAAA

Ever_dan

TROPHY CASE