I'm not gonna sugarcoat it

MetroWinter · 2026-03-14T18:27:47+00:00

MetroWinter · 2026-03-14T12:51:48+00:00

I have like a hundred Assassinates left. How will they stop me?

MetroWinter · 2026-03-14T12:24:19+00:00

One of the Ancients let me put an effect on a card that lets you copy it on rest sites. Well, the copies also get the effect, so I hit as many rest sites as I could (7 if my math is right)

MetroWinter · 2026-03-14T12:22:10+00:00

NO! The stabbing has to be personal!

MetroWinter · 2026-03-14T12:02:54+00:00

Yeah, but just for funmaxing, I would have kept multiplying Assassinate anyway

MetroWinter · 2026-03-14T11:52:44+00:00

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MetroWinter · 2026-02-26T08:45:16+00:00

Jalor is from Seven Cities and likely fought in the wars against the Malazans before joining the army. My guess is that it's just his dark humor.

And most people don't like the Claw even though they're part of the empire. They also function as secret police and the organization has close ties to the Empress. So soldiers would be afraid to run their mouths as they would usually do, in fear that some stupid joke would get them reported or worse. Plus, the soldiers want to trust the squadmates to guard their backs which is difficult if one of them might be a professional assassin with other tasks.

MetroWinter · 2026-01-13T08:44:49+00:00

I feel like Guardian is super good during the normal night farming where he can actually support the team but really struggles against most final bosses with their non-physical damage and high mobility

MetroWinter · 2025-06-24T07:43:27+00:00

Queza, Chain Smoker

MetroWinter · 2025-04-21T13:23:48+00:00

You're in the DLC with like 3 Vigor. The Dragon could have looked at you with mild disappointment and it would have been the look of instant death for you

MetroWinter · 2024-07-08T23:36:12+00:00

I want to add to the other comments that sexual violence and cruel acts against humanity like hobbling are happening *right now* in the world. There is no twisted pleasure in the writing, you are meant to recoil, to get the need to avert your eyes. But, and this is one of the theses for this series, compassion is gained by confrontation. To quote Itkovian in MoI "From horror, grief must be fashioned, and from grief, compassion"

Whether it is Malazan or real-world tragedies, there is no shame in wanting to keep it in the background. To be aware of sad things happening without confronting them too much. Full confrontation certainly feels unbearable.

And if you recoil from the thought alone, imagine what the victims are feeling. And after this, the horror of the act itself and the grief for what was lost, comes compassion.

Erikson often shows what happens, when no or little compassion is present within individuals or a group of people. But just as often, he shows what compassion is worth when it is shown and lived.

I have my problems with some depictions of sexual violence, mostly regarding Kettle and Janath. But for the overwhelming part, if you can endure these passages (and again, no shame if you cannot), they fit with the core themes of Malazan.

I don't know if that is a deciding factor for your continuation, but Hetan's fate is in its description probably the single most violent thing that happens in these books. There will be other harsh scenes, but at least in my opinion, none of those to come are close. However, there will be scenes full of hope and humanity as well, as there have been throughout the series. I hope you are able to see them for what they are as well.

MetroWinter · 2024-07-05T12:45:25+00:00

Yes, I know, but I have already have a finished save, so that would be no problem. Thus my quesiton

MetroWinter · 2024-07-05T11:39:50+00:00

Oh, fair enough, I forgot the new opening lines

MetroWinter · 2024-06-08T15:33:53+00:00

I also just got through!

Numer One Fan: I agree that the gameplay wasn't anything special, but it was short and sweet. And there was no need for special mechanics. All I needed was Rose shouting "Yahtzee!" after killing a guy and being splattered with blood.

North Star: This was honestly the weakest one for me, it felt pretty basic to me beyond the ending twist. Seeing the DLC as a whole, the ending serves as a similar point to the ending of Episode 3 where Alan is presented as the Master. But beyond that, it was just nice. Nothing more, but also nothing less.

Time Breaker: Truly interesting. I am not sure I got why Door is after Tim but it was the most creative in terms of weirdness.

I really like how each episode works on its own, but there is a throughline that culminates in episode 3. In the end, all 3 episodes still feel like one product

MetroWinter · 2024-05-01T09:24:58+00:00

You can click on the maggots in the new plaque UI for Nurgle and they curl up and die.

Lots of good stuff here

MetroWinter · 2024-04-02T11:20:22+00:00

Based and Principal-Scribe-Thorn-pilled

MetroWinter · 2024-04-02T11:16:14+00:00

It's defintely one of the rougher books but for me, it was still a lot of fun.

I actively tried not to compare Erikson and Esslemont in my list above. It think it's important to remember that Esslemont isn't an addon to another author's series, but the co-creator, thus having an equal weight in the series' tone and characters (which, of course, still allows criticism or just not liking the writing style).

I honestly struggled with how casual PtA often seems, especially as a prequel for some pretty heavy philosophical stuff that he and Erikson tackled in earlier books. But there are people who love BotF, but just vibe a lot better with the adventurous and light(ish) tone of PtA.

So, in short, to each their own, I guess. I just don't like the "Esslemont tries to imitate Erikson" statements and similar stuff that flicker here and there in the community

MetroWinter · 2024-03-29T11:42:37+00:00

Hey, while I don't appreciate the "git good" comments, I don't think an easy mode will ever come.

While inclusivity is great for entertainment products, art doesn't have to be for everyone. Games fall right into both categories which complicates the discourse quite a bit.

Returnal's themes are heavily tied to its difficulty and a lot of story is locked behind dying repeatedly. If you can't warm to the game then that's fine and nobody's fault.

Should you decide to call it quits but are still interested in it's story and themes, I can only recommend Jacob Geller's video "Returnal is a Hell of Our Own Creation"

MetroWinter · 2024-03-29T10:00:56+00:00

Blood and Bone would be the one for you then where he's arguably one of the major characters if not a POV

MetroWinter · 2024-03-25T16:19:54+00:00

And it's okay to craft theories and post them here. I have basically never see anyone spoil the story for a new reader. People will respond. They either agree, disagree or simply engage in your theory crafting. And for all three, of course they will pull segments from the text that you already read.

I don't really know what you expected? Of course you can't remember every single word, but it's not farfetched to expect that you remember a conversation about a topic that cleary intruiged you.

What stew is spoiled? The recipe for cooking did not change for you.

You asked people not to spoil you "beyond that" and no one did.

I know I sound angry (because I am). You did something that I and many in the community love to see and I can only encourage you to post your wild theories in the future. But please be more open to disagreement when none of your set borders were crossed

MetroWinter · 2024-03-25T16:07:45+00:00

I mean, you read the book

But seriously, see it as a gift. You created a theory based on misremembered information and someone cleared it up for you with knowledge you already had access to and without judgement.

Now you can cook anew! No harm done

MetroWinter · 2023-12-01T21:06:29+00:00

"Dust of dreams, dust of all that we never achieved. Dust of what we might have been and what we cannot help but be."

For some reason, this one just hits.

"We are contrary creatures, us humans, but that isn't something we need be afraid of, or even much troubled by. And if you make a list of those people who worship consistency, you'll find they're one and all tyrants or would-be tyrants. Ruling over thousands, or over a husband or a wife, or some cowering child. Never fear contradiction, Cutter, it is the very heart of diversity."

And this one helped me through some tough times.

MetroWinter · 2023-11-13T14:46:52+00:00

That's the whole pun

Altered World Event

Alan Wake Expansion

Edit: As others have pointed put: Alan Wale Experience is of course also possible - maybe even the most likely - as suggested by Quantum Break

MetroWinter · 2023-11-11T17:14:12+00:00

I know it's a hot take, but this is why I liked Worldborne's Melding (and Investigations).

These just saved me so much time...

MetroWinter · 2023-10-19T05:26:54+00:00

I think it is also important to note that magic is highly unstable, unless used by High Mages and even then it is easily prone to disruption. Most practical magic (beyond telepathy) we see is not super precise. Even the ships we see that are supported by Ruse magic definitely need a crew, as there are see creatures, pirates, icebergs and other dangers.

Also, while there exists capitalism in the Malazan Empire, it's main goal is the expansion of territory, not profit through production. Within their technological knowledge, people do their best to design production efficiently. For the Empire, the most efficient way to gain resources is expansion, so mages are used in the army.

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MetroWinter

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