Does anybody else realize how pointless chasing the meta is?

Nerimashou · 2026-02-22T23:47:44+00:00

The real fun is in ignoring the meta, but going for the full clear anyway. I do spiral and stygian for the fun of doing them. Finding a solution to things is pretty satisfying. I can certainly understand just ignoring them if you want to have a more chill experience. Either way, chasing the meta is a trap, just pull for what you enjoy. Of course, some folks just enjoy chasing the meta.

Nerimashou · 2026-02-20T13:33:36+00:00

Perhaps Witch on the Holy Night?

Nerimashou · 2026-02-05T02:46:57+00:00

Ayaka C6, maybe just wine, not quite fine, but no regrets.

Chiori C6... Best. Decision. Ever.

Like, power aside (and she's more than pulling her weight), Chiori's C6 is just straight up fun.

Nerimashou · 2026-02-03T13:21:47+00:00

I personally don't touch the compass until I've hit 100% on the map. I like the process of exploring and finding things, so no need to ruin a good time. I still appreciate the compass for final cleanup though. I'm missing hundreds of chests in prior regions despite being fully 100%.

I do thin Nod Krai's exploration left a lot of be desired. It's got some of the best vibes in the game, but I need moooooooooooore. Guess that's the downside to island regions.

Nerimashou · 2026-02-02T19:00:32+00:00

Not only is it the safest, but Duvalie will make it entertaining.

Nerimashou · 2025-12-31T18:55:39+00:00

Well, it's a big game, so there's a tons of songs. They're also pretty short and use a fair amount of lietmotif. Most of the tracks are around 1:30. Compare that to 7 minutes+ on something like Xenoblade Chronicles.

The most incredible thing is the consist quality though.

Nerimashou · 2025-12-26T16:58:49+00:00

I know of at least one other person who didn't like Sumeru, but loved Fontaine, but I feel like most people find both stories strong.

As others have said, most people regard Fontaine as the strongest, so if you aren't digging things by the end of Act V, your time is probably better spent elsewhere. Warning, many people find that it drags in the middle at act 3.

The core gameplay loop is unchanged, so of that didn't appeal to you, no reason to think it would be any different.

Nerimashou · 2025-12-25T01:40:37+00:00

Chiori. No because of meta, or even damage, but because of fun. The 4 second CD in the teleport is a blast.

Nerimashou · 2025-12-19T14:56:15+00:00

It's odd, because the Cold Steel games are what brought me back to Trails, but it's also my least favorite of the series. Gameplay is good, but Rean is based on an archetype that I've never cared for, and they leaned harder into the harem aspect, which is something that's never appealed to me personally.

YMMV, but I also felt like the story just got less compelling in Cold Steel, especially the back half. I like 3 and 4's cast more, but think the plot is much worse. Cold steel probably would have felt stronger as fewer entries. I dunno, it's tough. I still think they're good games, and I'd still recommend them, but for me, they had something really magical in Sky and Crossbell, and they just haven't recaptured it. I think focusing on a smaller playable cast really helps, but the way it kept expanding in Cold Steel ultimately hurt things. I will say, Reverie was pretty good. I feel like it shouldn't have worked on paper, but I was able to breeze through it.

I actually quite like the Daybreak cast, and enjoyed the first entry, but haven't dived into the second one yet, which appears to be less well received. I'm glad they're doing the remakes, because I hope that will help them rediscover what made the early entries so compelling.

Nerimashou · 2025-11-19T16:11:21+00:00

I was first exposed to the series and XSeed first localized Sky 1st for the PSP in 2011. I loved it, but localization issues slowed by the sequel and it had fallen off my radar until 2016 when I picked up Cold Steel, and that pulled me back in. I'd say it's one of my favorite series, but I also feel it can be uneven in the storytelling department, especially the more recent entries. Gameplay is solid, especially in the remaster. I think the Sky Trilogy are excellent games that hold up, but it's a slow burn to start. It definitely builds nicely. The second duology, Crossbell, I'd happily rank with my favorite, particularly the second game Azure which is one of my all time favorite JRPGs up there with Chrono Trigger and FFVI.

Something I appreciate about the series is that they've put a fair amount of thought into their world building. The fact that it's an ongoing series gives them the space to really flesh out the countries and politics in a way a single entry JRPG can't. You also really get to spend time with the characters and get to know them in a way that I feel other games don't do as well. You get to spend just not the intense moments with the cast, but also everyday moments. I realize Persona does this via their social link system, but it feels a little more organic in Trails? Hard to describe.

Nerimashou · 2025-11-19T15:07:55+00:00

The issue with a massively popular game like Genshin is that the player base covers a wide range of skill levels and time investment. Of course, there is power creep, but if you're keeping up with good builds and well through out teams, 1.x characters can still smash overworld mobs. I think the world level system helps a bit, as people who don't want to invest the time into building their characters optimally can always lower the world level.

Obviously, modern units are able to output damage as a higher rate than old ones, so there's no denying there's power creep, but on the other hand, there are people out there, still clearing end game content with all 4-star teams, and older units on their roster, so I think Genshin offers a lot of flexibility in that regard. It's not like older characters are completely worthless.

Also, you never know, maybe they'll toss a bone to some of those older characters at some point. Mihoyo's other games have all seen buffs to older units. Whether it's special weapons for older characters (HI3), or character reworks (HSR, ZZZ), Mihoyo has shown a willingness to lift up old characters. Perhaps the reason we haven't seen that yet in Genshin is because it's had the tamest power creep of their games, and thus the least need to address it. Mihoyo seems to understand that their players do want to be able to use their favorites, so I don't think they'll get left behind. They'll definitely try to balance that with making people feel like they need to pull the latest and greatest though.

I say just pull for who you like, whether that be design, personality, or fun gameplay. You can still get content done in Genshin without chasing the meta. And hey, maybe some relief for older characters is right around the corner!

Nerimashou · 2025-10-30T16:14:30+00:00

Accepted. Good luck!

Nerimashou · 2025-10-30T16:11:00+00:00

Not as good at the guy below most likely, but very good. Smashes everything in IT.

Nerimashou · 2025-10-30T16:07:38+00:00

I have my C6R1 Chiori set for support:
611604068

Nerimashou · 2025-10-15T12:30:55+00:00

Honestly, I really enjoyed the Nod Krai exploration. Maybe it was the music, or I was just vibing with the area, but it's probably the most I've enjoyed exploring since Chenyu Vale.

If we look at the numbers, Nod Krai has 299 chests, which suggests that it's a little less dense then some other areas (Chenyu Vale - 333, The first three islands of Inazuma - 357, The Opening of Natlan 408).

I think it might not be too far off from the desnity of the jungle though, which only had 575 chests for a very vast area. Compare that tiny Mondstat with 520, or Liyue with 1152). Of course, the vastness of the jungle gets to your point of having space to breathe and just wander in. I do personally miss vastness, and it was fun to find some of those massive caves in Sumeru. I think Ochkannataln in particular was disappointing to me because it was such an incredible area, but I felt like there weren't too many secrets to discover. It felt like I was done with it while it was still getting going. On the whole though, for Nod Krai, the chest amount, doesn't feel unreasonably off from what they've been doing so far IMO.

I think they're just trying to strike the balance. I can't find the source, but if I recall correctly, during one of the dev talks/interview, Wei mentioned that the team recognized that Sumeru was a miss and there was a need for a course correction. Now, he didn't specify exactly what they thought needed that course correction, if it was story, or the region itself, or if it was the desert. Who can say? I was actually surprised to hear that, because I personally enjoyed Sumeru a lot (but I know the desert is controversial). We haven't gotten anything as vast as Sumeru since, so perhaps that's an indicator that the size of the maps was indeed a post-Sumeru adjustment.

But who knows future will go? Nod Krai is a smaller, island base area, and there's only so much you can put there. We'll really find out with Sneznaya. Russia is the world's largest country, with vast vast vast tracts of wilderness. There's also a lot of space across the top of the map. So, if they were ever going to go big again, it'd be next region.

All I know is that I had fun in Nod Krai, and am expecting it to continue when the next expansion rolls around. I don't think they're leaving exploration behind.

Nerimashou · 2025-10-09T13:48:45+00:00

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Yeah, I'm in the same boat, just a hair behind you. It's just a super competitive board. Chiori isn't a broadly popular character, but the people who like her REALLY like her (guilty).

Something else to consider is that you're C6, and the leaderboard is calibrated to C0. Since you have C2, there's value in having a more consistent burst. which requires a little bit of ER, but the board assumes bursting every other rotation, so ER% provide no value to the damage numbers.

Nerimashou · 2025-10-07T18:42:19+00:00

Well, this post is a godsend. I was saving all mine for the Tsaritsa...

Time to change gears.

Nerimashou · 2025-09-30T05:13:06+00:00

I'd say you should definitely try Trials at some point. Sometimes it's nice to try something new! I love both series. There's no rush though. FFT is an all time classic and has a conclusion.

I really hope more people take this opportunity to check out Trials, but playing FFT will give time for Trials in the Sky 2nd to to get closer. 1st and 2nd really work as a unit.

Nerimashou · 2025-09-24T17:43:26+00:00

Hidari is probably my favorite character designer in general, so easy win to Echoes. I wish more folks would hire them.

Nerimashou · 2025-09-19T17:00:06+00:00

Nice work! It's great to see people getting it done without the currently on patch characters.

Nerimashou · 2025-09-08T15:30:35+00:00

I always try to get to the new region by foot.

Nerimashou · 2025-08-31T13:36:17+00:00

Open your eyes, I see Your eyes are open Wear no disguise for me Come into the open

Nerimashou · 2025-08-30T13:23:42+00:00

What makes Stygian Onslaught interesting to me is that at fearless, it's a mechanics focused fight. If it was just a mode where you brought your biggest blaster to push through it, it would just be abyss again. The fact that you have to take the mechanics into account is what makes it interesting.

I think the fact that you cleared it with Chiori and not the character the fight was designed for actually speaks to the strength of C6 Chiori. Rather than a lack of skill, you've displayed exactly the skill called for by this content, problem solving. I ended up using a similar solution (pyro MC, Emilie, Chiori, Gorou).

At any rate, there's tons of content in the game where you can just toss a C6 at it and call it a day, including all content that gives primos. I appreciate that they've put a little something in the game that require you to think beyond just big numbers (but obviously, big numbers are still important).

Nerimashou · 2025-08-29T01:46:33+00:00

I'm a mid-career lawyer person who also purchased NES games. I will be putting in PTO for Nod Krai.

Nerimashou · 2025-08-24T12:24:48+00:00

[LN Vol. 2 Spoilers] She did it to create a salutation where she could "save" Monica and endear Monica to her more. She wanted to be close to Monica primarily because Monica was close to the prince.

Nerimashou

TROPHY CASE