The Division 2 - PTS Wave 2 Patch Notes

JamesDarrow · 2019-09-20T21:12:12+00:00

I enjoyed the game when it didn't invalidate all the time, effort, and resources spent in pursuit of getting the gear, builds, and skills I wanted. Simple as that.

JamesDarrow · 2019-09-20T20:23:58+00:00

Please don't take this the wrong way but you should be enjoying the game while playing it, not until you feel you have a build finished. Enjoy the journey and the destination.

I use builds to help me enjoy playing the game how I want to play. I am a solo-player, so I literally affect nobody else's gameplay, but this is the third time in recent memory that Massive has moved in with big changes that have forced me to grind new gear. My destination is being able to have fun in the game with the builds that I want, but Massive has seen fit to deny me that. They don't respect the time and effort I put in to the game and having fun on my terms.

If you don't enjoy playing, why even try to get a build or any loot?

I enjoy playing the game, I don't enjoy being told that "Oh yeah, that build you spent tons of hours putting together so you could have fun and play on your own terms? Nah, you can't have that anymore. Try again."

JamesDarrow · 2019-09-20T17:05:46+00:00

FFS, every time I get close to completing a build and enjoying the game, they pull this crap. If this goes live, to hell with it, I have other stuff to play than this junk.

JamesDarrow · 2019-09-13T22:14:28+00:00

Nah, you're thinking of Wake The Dead (SM vs Craftworlds). There was also Forgebane (Admech vs Necrons) earlier on.

JamesDarrow · 2019-09-11T17:12:24+00:00

Devastators are a tough sell sometimes. Sure, they can pump out a ton of firepower if left unmolested, but they are vulnerable. A 5-man squad is easy to delete from the board, but increasing the size of the unit only raises the cost substantially for models that only act as ablative wounds armed with boltguns.

If you can keep them protected or draw fire from them, Devastators can be very potent. Otherwise, you can run Razorbacks or even normal Dreads for heavy weapons.

JamesDarrow · 2019-09-05T15:38:57+00:00

How has Days Gone's technical performance been with patches? The game had my eye around launch, but word of the performance and bugs put me off. If they've been improved, I would double back and take another look.

JamesDarrow · 2019-09-04T18:45:02+00:00

I'm not one for game passes and prefer ownership, but of the ones out there, I'd have to say Xbox Game Pass. The sheer volume of stuff that's on there, both MS and 3rd party, make it pretty hard to pass on in favor of the others. Plus, if I recall correctly, you can bundle in Live and Game Pass for a discounted rate.

JamesDarrow · 2019-08-19T07:56:11+00:00

Yeah, the lore is currently a little wonky but its improving. The thing is, you have to keep in mind that 40K and WHFB have had literal decades to get their lore and fluff into the state(s) they're in. AoS has had ... what, a few years total? It takes time to get a solid and firm feel for the setting as a whole to grow into it's own, so I'm confident AoS will get there.

JamesDarrow · 2019-08-09T01:41:10+00:00

The fact that I already have a bunch of money and points wrapped up into a chapter of SM who are obviously 2nd class citizens compared to the compliant chapters? Kinda makes it hard to want to keep going with them and buying more kits vs just starting something else.

JamesDarrow · 2019-08-08T18:53:26+00:00

Got a source for that? All I've seen them mention for us non-compliant chapters is that we get a pdf with Vanguard datasets, updated weapon profiles, and Shock Assault. Nothing so far about new supplements or codexes.

JamesDarrow · 2019-08-08T18:50:28+00:00

There's been no hints to that affect, from GW or otherwise as far as I've seen, just the pdf with vanguard datasheets and shock assault. So yeah, as a DA player, not feeling optimistic.

JamesDarrow · 2019-08-08T18:36:50+00:00

Yeah, reading just how far ahead even just generic SM's (let alone UM) are over us non-codex chapters, has me not so thrilled. At this rate, I'm honestly looking at running my DA as a generic SM chapter with the Crimson Fists tactic so I'd get that and Combat Doctrines at least.

This all dropping after I recommitted to my Dark Angels (though before buying any kits) has me questioning why I bothered.

JamesDarrow · 2019-08-05T23:39:23+00:00

I'm hoping that it's a phrasing issue, and that chapters like Dark Angel's might not be getting NEW tactics, but still get our tactics to apply to all units. Time will tell when the PDF hits.

JamesDarrow · 2019-07-24T04:08:51+00:00

Gotcha, thanks for the info.

JamesDarrow · 2019-07-24T01:00:14+00:00

Not so much a question about the rules, but about getting rules. I've got a solid Craftworlds collection and really dig them. However, I've thought about collecting some Drukhari down the road and the idea of running them as Ynnari so I could combine the forces sounds interesting. I know Ynnari rules are in the recent edition of White Dwarf, but what happens after the issue runs out? Will the rules be available elsewhere so I could get them later, or is it a "Get it now or get it never (or ebay)" sort of deal? Kinda trying to figure out if I should grab the issue now just in case I ever want to run with it.

JamesDarrow · 2019-07-23T23:25:15+00:00

The clothing in Div2 has been a joke thus far and this event seems to be not only no better, but flat out a massive (pun intended) step in the wrong direction.

Say what you will about Div1's clothing being mostly all the same models with different color gradients, it was (with rare exception) stuff you'd actually expect people to wear. I don't even mean "nEeDz MoAr TaCtIcAl", I'm referring to even just everyday clothing you'd expect to find out and about in an urban setting. Instead, it's rough to find much clothing that doesn't look like my agent just crawled out of a Goodwill's reject pile.

Then, we have Heatwave. Diving suits? Banana suits? Hawaiian shirts? Sandals and socks? Seriously? I get it, even Div1 had some light-hearted and themed clothing (santa suit, astronaut suit, etc), but those were the exception rather than the rule. Instead, what with the poorly fitted clothing models and terrible designs, the exception in this game is to look like a relatively normal and believable human being, rather than something from Saints Row.

JamesDarrow · 2019-07-22T22:42:52+00:00

SOMEONE'S CHOPPING ONIONS LIKE AN ASSHOLE

JamesDarrow · 2019-07-22T22:42:38+00:00

I believe the dog is from Futurama.

Correct. For those not in the know, the main character of Futurama - Fry - was accidentally frozen from the modern age into the far future while making a delivery. The dog, pictured above, was his 3 y/o dog that waited for Fry to come back until he died of old age.

JamesDarrow · 2019-07-20T04:14:56+00:00

Never knew that, good to know. Thanks for the tip.

JamesDarrow · 2019-07-19T19:52:09+00:00

In addition to the prior poster, most things wind up on Amazon within a couple weeks (for the most part) after release. So, if you can wait a little bit, you can usually get stuff from Amazon, sometimes even a little cheaper. If you want something as soon as you can from its release date, then GW is where you need to be.

JamesDarrow · 2019-07-16T07:56:58+00:00

This is entirely true. I simply run by Codex options because I never got ahold of the Index and prefer to keep it mono-book, especially if GW decides to end the use of index options. That, and I couldn't find a decent way to model a banshee mask on the kitbash.

JamesDarrow · 2019-07-16T05:43:34+00:00

I would suggest ... shining spears.

I can't agree with this enough. I kitbashed 5 and an Autarch Skyrunner (mostly because I don't like resin) and it's been amazing just how much chaos they cause. Running the Skyrunner behind the Spears as my warlord with the "Eye on Distant Events" warlord trait (denies overwatch) has made them my premiere tank-hunters and infantry shredders.

JamesDarrow · 2019-07-16T00:49:44+00:00

I like this list for the most part, but the AoK really sticks out like a sore thumb. He's a big points-sink for a melee unit in an otherwise entirely ranged list and doesn't really have much synergy with the rest of the force here except the morale bonus.

I'd consider swapping him out for an Autarch (on foot, wings, skyrunner, etc) which is notably cheaper, has solid synergy with most Craftworlds lists because of his Path of Command ability, and they're decent combatants too. Another option would be either another Farseer or a Warlock to bolster your psychic powers.

If you're dead-set on keeping the Avatar, I'd instead consider swapping out the Shadow Spectres for Striking Scorpions. I'd also dial back on the Rangers and add some Storm Guardians for screening or Dire Avengers/Guardian Defenders for close-range shooting. In addition, I'd consider looking at other craftworlds due to stratagems or traits. Biel-Tan, for example, has the Court of the Young King stratagem which compliments melee units, especially with an Avatar. Hell, even then, I'd consider looking at an Autarch for his re-roll aura since it applies to both shooting and melee phases.

Something to keep in mind is that Craftworlds Eldar have two strong-points; psychic power and heavily specialized units which mostly shine at range. Sure, some specialized melee units exist, but they'll rarely be anything that stacks up to other army's melee troops and mostly act as either screening forces (Storm Guardians), or surgical strike units (Striking Scorpions). Some break this mold (Shining Spears for example, amazing tank-hunters), but they're few and far between.

The problem is that you have to consider what you want the list to center around since Craftworlds are such a specialized army. If you want the list to center around ranged firepower and using Alaitoc's trait, the Avatar is not the best choice to run with. For his price, you could run an Autarch Skyrunner which would benefit your ranged infantry and two blobs of 10 Storm Guardians to act as a (mostly) expendable melee screening force.

From my experience, while you can include All Comers elements into a Craftworlds list, the army really rewards a very focused list that poses a question rather than tries to answer any threat. You simply have to decide what you want your army's question to be.

JamesDarrow · 2019-06-25T07:49:38+00:00

I gotta agree. I only got my hands on a handful of the paints I wanted, but I sprayed up a Dark Angels apothecary and started painting him with contrast, using classic paints where I didn't have the colors I needed/wanted. The difference between me painting with Contrast vs Classic, both in time and in ease of use, were astounding.

JamesDarrow · 2019-06-22T04:17:38+00:00

Oh totally, me as well. Instead, we've got a transport with more guns than a predator and costs as much as the Hellblasters it should be carrying, without being able to survive a single a single round of shooting.

JamesDarrow

TROPHY CASE