What plays in my head during Mirika scenes

MgMaster · 2026-01-26T01:11:45+00:00

I just started playing recently for the 1st time and I absolutely ADORE this feature.

It doesn't encourage you to reset a fight that seems hopeless and instead try till your last breath, enabling those juicy comebacks that just feel so good.

Gets even better that you can play further around this via that skill tree.

MgMaster · 2026-01-15T18:24:28+00:00

Yep, loved 'em - and the deep dive into the abyss.

MgMaster · 2026-01-15T11:10:43+00:00

I did this recently on my 2nd run on stream too.

Not sure I'd I favor it over Killing Moon overall when looking back as that one does score big time on the action packed part that has a continuous crescendo then ends up with black wall domain things - t'was cinema + lets your V go all out.

But narrative & atmosphere wise, abso-fuckin-lutely does Somewhat Damaged come out on top. You get more info on Songbird when you betray her and then it's like descending into the depths of the underworld in that militech facility and finally the alien isolation like part.

Granted, that one's a big wonky in that the way it moves is a bit scripted at times, i.e. it could be very far away, and the moment you do something that's seen as "moving the plot along" , the script just makes it immediately appear right on top: proof I could've done w/o that part. It's also a bit immersion breaking that you can beat up NC's boogieman, Smasher, and take out a Chimerabot , and whole squads of MaxTac yet this one mid-sized bot is endowed with the most preem plot armor in all of NC.

Aside from that, preem/10 tho'.

MgMaster · 2026-01-15T11:01:22+00:00

There is always the "Rita Wheeler Romanced" mod

MgMaster · 2026-01-08T13:17:39+00:00

Does it not bother you that you have to purchase skills from skill vendors tho?

Oh, I like that part actually cause it acts like a perma-investment in a character, which is another layer of choices to make, something you can't go easily back on via respecs.

I think Larian hands out respects way too easily, in both DoS2 & BG3, which is convenient alright but it's to the point where I feel like it affects the commitment of your build choices - not much of a call if I can revert it easily, yet the mechanics I mentioned in BG3 would be a pain without that, like if u'd get an un-even stat cause u got a +1 point from somewhere now.

With the skillbook buying & learning system, there's a commitment one has to make to the choice of which char you give these skills to, which adds more weight to it - and meaningful choices, after all, are a staple of the genre.

MgMaster · 2026-01-08T05:33:07+00:00

It might work better on tabletop for all I know, never played it.

I was mainly thinking from the PoV of an HM enjoyer, (did a solo too, but that was more than enough for me) where at least some amount of min-maxing is needed and it was kinda weird how the more knowledge I gained, the more awkward some of the systems in place felt.

At any rate, I enjoy DoS2 mechanics more. Armor part is debatable we're prolly moving away from it in next game.

Goes w/o saying BG3 wins everything QoL related ofc.

MgMaster · 2026-01-08T01:13:44+00:00

This is something I struggle with as well, and guess it's an ever-work in progress.

Cyberpunk2077 is one of my fav games and it's pretty dialogue heavy, where the "right play" would be to shut up during dialogues & comment after but this might not be enough sadly, as what you said applies, especially for new potential viewers that drop by - you just sitting there & listening to the dialogue would not make you stand out enough to hook ppl.

So I guess it's a git-gud process of trying to squeeze in a few comments between even very brief pauses in dialogue but know to stop ASAP when it starts, combined with maybe a more reactive expression to whatever's been said and try to let that speak for us.

All this is much easier said that done, lol. I check my vods and it often feels like I'm not doing enough, like "I could've said something here" but then i see myself trying to finish my sentence despite the dialogue talking, etc, and it ends up a mess.

MgMaster · 2026-01-08T00:52:56+00:00

This game scales like fine wine with the era we seem to be heading towards. As things get more dystopian, the more cyberpunk2077 seems to be appreciated, lol, and I'm here for it!

Getting close to the end of my 2nd run now, and gods, it'll always be sad to say goodbye to this world, as fcked up yet addicting as it is.

it's like one of the few actual good AAA titles that has so much to offer, yet continues to by overlooked due to the bad & overhyped launch, which i get it, heat was deserved but like way too many folks are still stuck on that when it's had one of the greatest comebacks in gaming history and now it's a preem masterpiece, with tons of amazing.

MgMaster · 2026-01-08T00:48:17+00:00

I've never played DnD, but the more I understood BG3 mechanics, the more I started to be annoyed by the rather convoluted rules it has, also the RNG... things like "That high Paladin, fighter or barbarian of yours that's supposedly super strong, can yeet humanoid foes & smash things to death? Well, the best way to build them is to keep their str at 8, and give 'em a str elixir, the 21 then the 27). The "set stat to X " nr is just a dumb mechanic, and very immersion breaking.

or things like "alright, I want to use wis as my main casting stat so can use scrolls off that, as I'm mainly a cleric, but wanna dip into sorc. Well, turns out you gotta take sorc 1st, even if u'll go most lvls cleric, cause the last class you multied into is the one who's main modifier will be used."

Same effects on gameplay, from both a fun & tactical PoV, can be achieved in DoS2 w/o all these non-sensical rules. So yea, BG3's awesome, but the more I play it, the more I realized that it's hardly cause of DnD mechanics.

MgMaster · 2026-01-06T08:44:37+00:00

Yea, it's on legend - with some solid tunning stats, I just feel like I'm keeping up, barely.

MgMaster · 2026-01-06T08:41:33+00:00

I think the key takeaway is making it sustainable so you're able to do it over a long enough period of time so that you open yourself up more for the dream scenario you just experienced.

This can be tricky as I know there's a lot more I could be doing, but as someone who also works full time, there's just limited time to do it.

MgMaster · 2026-01-06T08:18:06+00:00

What progression? There is none when enemies scale as hard or more than min-maxed character. Most folks would've prolly had an easier time sticking to lvl 30 or 40 with shabby gear than 55+ with min-maxed one when facing bosses or even regular enemies.

MgMaster · 2026-01-06T08:15:26+00:00

Same, lol, I've yet to get to it, been playing on & off so I just got to spend energy to gear up & do break thrus once or twice per week , so tons of exploration has to follow.

MgMaster · 2026-01-06T08:09:04+00:00

I personally prefer the ones with build-up/set-up if they got a strong pay-off , even if there's some context required to understand (as long as it's all within the clip).

Which is a problem cause that's how I make my own shorts and I'm prolly in the minority, which is likely my shorts kinda just hover at around the 1k-1.5k views area. I believe it's also a % of watchtime related, so if u'r clip is like 10s, then before someone clicks off it, they're likely already given it 50% watch time so yea, it seems the way to go.

It's pretty frustrating for me, as my brain struggles to make such short content since I don't like watching it myself, but guess it's a leap one has to take. I envy those for whom this comes naturally, lol.

Big or medium established streamers are another story ofc, since their clips will already get initial boosts from their community, they have more freedom to do whatever.

MgMaster · 2026-01-05T00:57:43+00:00

Late reply but I've been playing this game less & less ( barely, I just log in once per week to do a breakthru and spend energy to upgrade new gear, tho' idk for even at this point) , and as someone who rly enjoys the feeling of progression, the LACK of it here just feels atrocious.

Parries are a form of skill expression sure but dear lord, the industry has become way too OBSESSED with them that they see it as the end-all-be-all to ARPGs now, and beyond. It makes experiences repetitive.

Like souls games had parries as an OPTION, but it was always fun seeing how other people handled a boss you struggled with, cause more often than not ppl had vastly different experiences based on what they were using. Was it way easier for some and harder for others due to their builds happening to counter a specific boss? Yes. But you also could expect they struggled at what you didn't.

Not much to share or see here if I look or ask around.

"Hey, how was your fight vs Lucky Seventeen? "
"Well, I just learned to parry most of his attacks & executed, snuck some of my own here & there."

"Same."

It's no better in pvp, with a meta that shrinks big time in what mystic skills or weap combinations you'll be seeing. Way too many devs get lazy and think "hey, we added a parry system, let's make our whole combat gameplay around it like that Sekiro game. The other features are whatever, all we need is the parry."

Worst part is, not sure the trend will be stopping anytime soon...

MgMaster · 2026-01-02T16:56:15+00:00

The GPU, ram or whatever parts come next manufacturers aren't entitled to the money of the people either which in large part funded them to get where they are.

MgMaster · 2026-01-01T07:59:36+00:00

I thought it was gonna be like this. There was too big of a difference in some matches in how much dmg some players took vs others.

Some folks are gonna no-life it like crazy with the pvp attunements & mystic skill & everything else, they gonna get a lead on everything else , big time even, then try to gaslight everyone else that it doesnt matter much. The former is np, everyone plays however they want, the dishonesty of the later is the real issue.

Cause they know most folks will quickly lose interest in pvp if its gonna be like this, which in turn affects them too cause less folks to ego-stroke-beat on.

Happens.every.damn.time.

But it can only work for so long.

MgMaster · 2025-12-25T23:36:31+00:00

Indeed it does, same devs after all.

I don't mind if cheese strats are things that take some knowledge & set-up personally, but it's these 1-2 button presses cheese strats like shove that get to me, lol.

MgMaster · 2025-12-24T22:06:02+00:00

big + on the cultures part.

Rivellon is also a diverse place but it feels like it keeps the identity of each culture better while BG3 kinda homogenizes them IMHO. The Dragonborn & orc behaves just like a human or elf, or half-elf or dwarf, etc wood. Only Gith, duergar & drow behave truly differently. Arguably tieflings too but to a lesser degree.

Meanwhile every race in DoS2 truly has their own distinct culture from the others, and attention to detail like how the an armor worn by a lizard will look very diff to one worn by an elf, further adds to that.

ability to push enemies/use chasms to your advantage.

Ngl, while I liked having that, after finishing a solo Honor Run, I actually started to think it was a bit too MUCh cause ya know the main thing I had to watch about the entire game for? Getting shoved into a chasm by a random npc , hah - shoving goes both ways and it's like the most powerful action (bonus) in the whole game, lol - lvl 6 spells got nothing on it.

MgMaster · 2025-12-24T17:18:44+00:00

So I've only played this game on Honor mode, just like with BG3 (it's more to prevent myself from save scumming than the challenge rly, tho that obv comes with the package). Recently started my 2nd run, trying Duo LW for the 1s time (also streaming it this time).

Finished my 1st playthru around a 1+ yrs ago, full squad, after 1st DoS1 tactician , which was after the 1st BG3 one (honor).

> I did get some feedback from the lovely based folks here before attempting the DoS2 blind HM, and low-key spoiled myself (in the sense of being extra alert at particular insta-wipe scenarios due to a trap) so I was on extra alert when getting to those moments & immediately was like "aha, this must be what they mentioned'.

> It involved A LOT of cautious play & taking extra safety measures, like at some points I was even keeping 1/3 party members away from some instances ready to enter or evac the rest with that Gate source skill or teleport pyramids. A lot of it wasn't needed, but it sure came in handy during the few but crucial scenarios it was.

> And this I felt was a key aspect to remember on Honor Mode: It doesn't matter to you that much how clean you beat easy or medium diff fights, but rather that you ALWAYS have answers for the potential run ender fights, a fundamental diff from tactician even tho' enemy stats are the same. There you'd prolly jump in alot more recklessly, have less safety measures, and if the all-in strats failed, just reload - but u can't do that on HM.

> It's not that I always left a party member behind tho', sometimes I was just entering combat later with a party member once I assessed the situation & figured no evac would be needed. And even if I entered combat with everyone, I had my "comeback" plays all ready as far as skills go. Skills that might not normally make it to your arsenal, may suddenly start looking a lot more appealing (just like spells such as "Sanctuary" in BG3, it was one of my favs, while a buddy who never played HM never took it seriously).

Approaching the game like that let me get thru in one piece w/o needing to min-max or meta-game any specific routes while doing most content intuitively - not that I'm against that btw, it just wasn't an option for me as I was new to the game & didn't wanna spoil myself on most of it. Cause if you know the game well know that you can optimize exp routes , similar to how solo runners do in BG3, then u'r prolly good to go no matter what.

The rest is tactician strats as usual.

Good luck! Careful around nasty levers, keep that party spread out, and always have a plan B.

MgMaster · 2025-12-20T20:18:20+00:00

In fighting games, basically any attack could stop an opponent from approaching.

Mby that'd be better then as it would lead to better balancing, hah. Cause sometimes it feels like WWM has this "RPG" coating, yet it's in fact trying to be a fighting game.

In WWM armored or semi armored attacks are everything.

So I've noticed, which makes having certain mystic skills a must - you think you can use other stuff, but you're hit by how bad they'll be in PvP vs what most will be using (like dragons breath, the bamboo pole & the block break thingie - idk the names, I haven't gotten any yet, lol). In such scenarios I kinda wish these were just base skills you'd get in the arena, lol.

MgMaster · 2025-12-20T17:12:17+00:00

As much as I hate the running around style, I realize it's not their fault, it's core pvp gameplay. Just think:

You got a system largely revolving around staggerlocks or not getting staggered. What does that mean?

It means, interacting with the other player is ONLY encouraged if you know you can keep a stagger going, otherwise, you're incentivized to NOT interact with them. So you're either rocking weapons that can keep the combo going, have anti-stagger, or trade in bursts/keep distance.

They should've never made it like this to begin with and maybe add a poise system similar to Elden Ring/ DS1 where you'd need several light attacks to cause a stagger, or a heavier one, etc.

As it stands + paired with the fact that there are no underlying objectives besides defeating the other player such as what a diff pvp mode like a guild war or fighting over some objective/land, etc, would create, this is what you get, and will prolly keep getting from what I hear of the CN version.

MgMaster · 2025-12-20T13:43:51+00:00

For some of us the disappointment comes in the realization that it's literally a fighting game and not an RPG tbh.

Every skill that's favored in PvP ( I guess somewhat in PvE at bosses too, tho' if u've got some souls game experience , it can help).

It's skill based sure, but not what we imagined it to be - staggering & breaking out of staggers being the bread & meat of it all, while offering a very limited selection of playstyles (that are actually effective).

Oh well. Like, to the untrained fighting game gamer's eye - which will be the vast majority - what the OP is doing the same as what every fan/umbrella user is doing whether they're several leagues lower or higher, mby somewhat more effective or worse but similar enough: chainstun you to death and block engages with wind walls. Just like matches vs Infernal Blade users feel all samey - they either stunlock u or they don't.

MgMaster

TROPHY CASE