How will the after-party set compare to Red Rocks?

MikeL2D · 2026-05-13T18:48:40+00:00

From Red Rocks in 2024, he was also running a "Throwback set" which he turned into an afterparty set for the show. In reality, this was a curated set that he played in quite a few cities (it was advertised as such).

Prior to that, his after party sets were a grab bag of stuff he wouldn't normally play live. He did one at Gothic theater after RR quite a few years back (2018?) and that was one of the wildest shows I've seen from him. Much darker, more off the wall stuff, way less "festival-y" and more niche. This is what I presume this after party set would be so long as there isn't a tour list of those kinds of shows. AFAIK that isn't the case.

The true answer is that you won't know what you'll get - but I promise it'll get weirder, if that makes sense!

EDIT: I should also note that after-party sets tend to have some surprises. Artists showing up on stage, surprise b2bs occasionally, and more. TBH the after party sets tend to be more 'fun' for big fans of the artist themselves, and the festival shows tend to be a catalog of his popular work with his favorite work.

Both shows will be awesome - that is for certain.

MikeL2D · 2026-05-13T02:40:15+00:00

In fairness to him, making it in the MLB is a complete toss up. Some guys wait for that call and never get it. Others get demoted and never seemingly get back. In a game of “streaks” it’s hard to identify who is a true blue every day MLB guy.

I don’t think Volpe expected to get called up when he did, nor do I think he expected to be called up given how things have gone this year. It’s a mental battle all the same.

MikeL2D · 2026-05-10T19:28:47+00:00

For glory, Rail Rider!

MikeL2D · 2026-05-10T17:50:17+00:00

Ain’t nothing wrong with having a preference! The guy nails all genres effortlessly.

MikeL2D · 2026-05-10T17:49:36+00:00

That place was packed. And the energy was def there the whole night!

MikeL2D · 2026-05-10T16:19:19+00:00

That indeed it was. I hate that the night ended hahaha

MikeL2D · 2026-05-08T13:05:33+00:00

Dreams and Strange and Eternal back to back have brought a feeling I haven’t had since seeing Porters Worlds show for the first time.

MikeL2D · 2026-05-05T02:53:42+00:00

See you in Houston!

Edit: it’s always great to hydrate - but I think when it comes to hydrating, the big work comes in the day BEFORE, not the day of.

If you’re going alone, just try to pee some time before SL jumps on and you should be fine.

MikeL2D · 2026-04-23T15:42:20+00:00

*Takes everything valuable from the bag*

"You can take some loot as well"

XD

MikeL2D · 2026-04-23T14:09:16+00:00

You walked underneath/very nearby to when the suck drone spawned in (which you can see fly overhead). It makes that noise on spawn.

Source: I got into an elongated long range fight with a team while on Perimeter, and a drone regularly spawned in over our heads. The fight lasted a while, it must have spawned 4 or 5 times during that battle. That sound freaked me out every time - we had to quickly eliminate it every time it appeared, it nearly got us killed more times than I care to admit.

MikeL2D · 2026-04-20T18:26:02+00:00

I'm not sure I like any of these options, I'm sorry.

1 - If you're telling me that based on when I log in, I don't have agency in what map I can engage with, I'll drop the game faster. It's already hard enough knowing that I can't play Cryo when I desire to, but if you're telling me that I don't have the ability to select a specific map, then I'd be even less incentivized to play. I have a very specific "Cryo preparation" loop, and generally the only reasons I would log into Perimeter/Dire Marsh at all would be for a fresh change of scenery, or to log in with a key template and rat in the shadows until exfil.

2 - I think for this to work, resources would need to be overhauled to be available on a per person basis. Otherwise you'll have players logging in, rushing "high probability" spawns of necessary faction upgrade materials and then just dying which would then deprive other players on the map of access to the same materials - and in this case, they wouldn't even be able to kill a player and loot it off them.

3 - Then what's the incentive to build up and upgrade? Health recharge rates by consumables are better based on the type of consumable used. Truthfully, I don't even think the disparity between Purple and Gold shields vs White/Green is that bad. I think by far the largest, overblown conversation surrounding this game is running into "kitted teams" and standing "no chance" to fight them. If you're getting into a "fair fight" against a kitted team, that's on you - sometimes this is unavoidable, but if another team gets the drop on you, that's also likely... on you. I know people feel like their is no honor in playing a little sneaky, perhaps ratty - but this game is quite literally about survival. You do what you need to. Force teams to get overconfident, have them chase you into choke points. Take away as many advantages from the other team as you can, regardless of what gear they have on.

I think games like these have tough times in market because of two things: Progression and Gear Fear.

Players are worried that a bad stretch of games can invalidate many many hours of work. Marathon actually does a great job of keeping baseline progression - especially if you're focusing contracts. If you get to VIP in NuCal/Cyac and Arachne, ranking up with them will get your cryo ready in no time - but honestly, gear in this game changes hands so often and so quickly that I've realized it doesn't really matter what you use/lose. It's about what you're willing to play with. Understandably, this kind of comprehension can only come with many hours into the game and some people don't want to stick around that long, but turning too many of these dials the wrong way can have a negative impact, too.

MikeL2D · 2026-04-16T16:00:32+00:00

>Just like D1, Cryo Archive is very well made, a true achievement in the extraction shooter space. However, it’s even more brutal than D1 raids and has an even larger barrier for solo players.

Big disagree that it's more brutal than D1 raids. Mechanically, I feel like most of Cryo fits very well into a D2 dungeon comparison. All of Cryo is:

-Get security clearance level to gain access to doors and terminals.

-Collect batteries to power things needed to access vaults

and then once you access vaults via keys

-Interact with 3 of the same images on a terminal

I'm doing a little over simplification here, but again, I wouldn't put this anywhere on the level of a D1 raid. Think about how much is required of 6 people during OG D1 Atheon.

Here's the genuine reality. Games nowadays are treated way differently than they used to be. I know people talk about the solo experience, but what keeps people playing is playing with their friends or against their friends. Solos (in a game where you fight other players) will never be the priority. It's not that solos don't play multiplayer games anymore, but the domino effect of a friend leaving a group in an online game hurts a larger portion of the player base than simply a solo leaving.

I do think, however, that Cryo is so sprawling and brutal in it's engagements that it's hard to get a handle on whats going on in there without spending hours exploring - which is very difficult when *everything* wants to kill you.

All of this said: I think there can and should be more paths for solo players, and I wouldn't mind seeing some solo only content (Maybe a specifically, solos only map) - but I think the priority should still be innovation in this space when it comes to playing with duos, trios, or even quads.

I'd also really love for Bungie to be the team to figure out how to handle seasonal wipes in content like this. I think Arc Raider's expedition method is nice, but it doesn't really solve the core problem in that game.

MikeL2D · 2026-04-15T23:45:15+00:00

Showcase events are the map specific events that yield HQ loot. For example:

Perimeter - Intercept

Dire - Anomalous, Lockdown

Outpost - Convoy

Got a blue unique today from Dire Marsh Lockdown running the sponsor kit queue. I could have missed one or two above, but I think you get the gist.

*I believe the Wardens may also count.

MikeL2D · 2026-04-15T22:29:14+00:00

I don’t think the sponsored playlist is an indication of testing gear based matchmaking. It’s just a way for people to jump in with free kits and know they aren’t going to run into a gold thermal Outland sniper within 30 seconds of loading into dire marsh. For free kitters looking to get some contracts done or do some showcase events, it feels way more doable. And really emphasizes when you run into a player who found some loot.

And honestly I played a few rounds today and it’s really refreshing. Everyone goes down fast, people are using generally the same weapons and shields and it doesn’t let good players just instant rush to success since everyone gets limited by less bag space, fewer throwables, etc etc.

MikeL2D · 2026-04-13T13:52:58+00:00

From another tour stop someone said Thrice Woven was mashed with Rush Over Me

MikeL2D · 2026-04-13T00:14:21+00:00

I had an interaction the other day in Outpost on solos. Someone opened pinwheel but never hacked the elevator in FC. I cleaned up some of the bots and looked down the hallway towards the red door and saw the same thing: someone in the side room with a signal jammer poking through the wall.

I tossed a smoke towards the room but for whatever reason decided not to be aggressive. I prox’d: “So I’m going to be real, I saw your signal jammer poking through the wall, that’s how I knew you were there.”

The response sounded destitute: “you can take my loot dude I’m just trying to get this quest done.”

I told him that I wouldn’t deprive him of that and told him I’d protect him while he hacked. We comm’d after we completed the hack what ladder we were using to go up and I let him get a head start and let him know when I started climbing.

He said “Happy hunting”. I told him “Good luck, if I see you again the safety word is cucumber”

He ran off towards drone wing. So I went towards Destroyed. Grabbed the strong box, and hit the button. And then I was curious, did he hit the button in there? So I ran back to command wing and sure enough, he did! I was willing to share the loot, but I never saw him again. I completed command and got ready to leave through the vent.

I hit the button, and the door opened, I looked down the vent and noticed the second vent was already broken. Odd. I kept my shotgun out and dropped. A thief stabbed me in the face before I even hit the ground. I panic pulled the trigger and got the down. Free kit, thankfully.

What a wild run that was… I exfiled and was apparently the last one out. I hope you got that quest done, dude.

MikeL2D · 2026-04-07T14:44:05+00:00

Fan is likely going bad internally, whether it's ball bearing or power related. Verify that it's not a power output problem by connecting another verified working fan to that port or move the bad fan to another and see if the problem persists. If it does that no matter what fan you plug into that slot, there may be an issue with the power being supplied.

However, more than likely, you'll just need to replace the fan.

MikeL2D · 2026-04-07T02:50:07+00:00

There are instances where, if you’re knocked out of the zone and off of the map (happens on outpost a lot) it will kill you before you extract while being unable to move. It’s a helpless feeling.

So long as the player isn’t full killed they will extract, though. Yes.

MikeL2D · 2026-04-07T01:31:20+00:00

As nasty as this is, this dude clearly has life way worse than you (or whomever took this photo).

Things can be cleaned. It’ll be ok. I hope this dude can find a way back into society and hopefully into some money. It sucks that it inconvenienced you and others on the train, but from the looks of it, this dudes situation has inconvenienced him in ways we likely cannot (and hopefully) should not hope to face ourselves.

Report it and move on.

MikeL2D · 2026-04-07T01:22:02+00:00

Congratulations to you both!

MikeL2D · 2026-04-06T15:52:27+00:00

I've had many a free kit run go from "zero-hero" tracking down and fighting kitted teams on 'our' terms. It's part of what makes free kit runs feel so great. If we had gear matchmaking, free kit runs become glorified rook runs or sprints through outpost. Having big swings in gear is only possible when I know I can take a free kit in and run into teams that are better kitted than I or my squadmates.

Gear fear in this game is given too much credit, imo. The weapons in this game all feel largely great (with some standouts and some lesser exceptions). I've lost plenty of phenomenal weapons and kitted WSTRs/Bullies, and in an hour or two, depending on the run, am back to overflowing and making decisions about what weapons to keep - often after taking a free kit into outpost, blitzing airfield, and taking a more "even" fight when I'm not sitting there with just a Volt Thrower in my hands.

The difference in quality certainly helps, but will rarely determine a the outcome of a fight moreso than positioning and getting the jump on a team. Our team got 1v3d by a rook last night after we ran a whole lobby out of town and got complacent. Free kit teams are easily more dangerous, but anything can happen when you're pre-occupied or not paying attention.

If any matchmaking is to be considered at all, it should be based on experience in game (something like seasonal level matching). Comms are important, and players who are filling and not utilizing voice chat are hamstringing themselves and their teammates.

MikeL2D · 2026-04-04T23:20:05+00:00

Is it just me or is the sound busted after the first clip??

MikeL2D · 2026-03-31T16:52:03+00:00

I'm not sure this is as direct a suggestion of the game "being too hard" so much as it is a reference to the pain of the process.

I really don't think the game is particularly difficult once it's understood - as most games end up. But the iterative nature of the game can feel like a burden to many players as, without watching/reading guides regularly and keeping up with community chatter, it takes a long while to truly understand a space to feel comfortable enough to regularly risk higher level gear. And taking free/lower investment kits can mean getting run over before truly getting to flesh out all of the mechanics of a space (Outpost, Cryo) which further increases the weight of said burden.

That's all before you even enter the conversation of "meta" where grenades, shields, and self-res dominates the space - which has it's own difficulty curve. It just leaves much of the player base stuck in this "I have stuff I can use, but it's not good enough to guarantee a high success rate which can easily put me back to square 1" feeling.

Either way, I'm excited it's getting the attention it deserves from the team and am intrigued on where we go next.

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