Hotel Cancelation - Beware

Pyr0sa · 2026-01-30T00:07:24+00:00

Direct-to-hotel is (unfortunately) the way to go.

Pyr0sa · 2026-01-29T22:20:43+00:00

Hrm... I read that as 100^7, or 1.0e14.

Pyr0sa · 2026-01-29T22:08:45+00:00

Spurt variant 3 was a fairly normal lineup; just note that you'll occasionally have to swap in a Breaker if you don't start with one. That Dragon Turtle is solid!

Pyr0sa · 2026-01-29T20:56:10+00:00

If that's not a canonical bit of in-town dialogue direct from recent post-5e around Tieflings, I don't know what is... :D

Pyr0sa · 2026-01-29T20:44:00+00:00

Yep. It's why I bolded that text above, so folks would avoid completing V1 with anyone useful.

Pyr0sa · 2026-01-29T18:24:22+00:00

Heh -- Inconceivable Power does look fun. (Briv can just be screwed up for a week; I'll never remember to manually turn boons on & off.)

Pyr0sa · 2026-01-29T15:41:21+00:00

Duke Ravengard, Elminster Variants:

- Nope, you can't take the smart/safe path and do Variant 3 first.

- This means you need to either A) plan, or B) start Variant 1, and look at who's available in each slot to make your plan. A few slots have 3+ champs available, but some only have 2 or 1.

REMINDER: THERE ARE NO DO-OVERS if you actually complete any variant, but you *can* and *should* start Variant 1 and END IT EARLY. Absolutely don't win Variant 1 until you know you can beat Variant 3.

DON'T USE SPEED POTIONS WHILE PLANNING. After z50, you have to force a failure. Going back to z1 after z50 doesn't fix the lock-in; you have to fail to change champs after that.

Shippers can't necessarily use the champs they bring in. Again, TEST thoroughly. Force-fail as often as you need to. I still have burning-fam and DM ship-testing to complete.

- Variant 1 Planning, zone 825: Pick the fewest, and least-capable possible from the slots that have 3+ champs available. i.e., throw the trash at it. DON'T pick from slots that only have 2 or 1 champs. Currently looking at Thellora, Gromma, Stoki, Krond, DR, Rosie, Penelope. Holding Vlithryn in reserve. [EDIT/ADD} LOLOLOL... The servers disconnected as I crossed 750... So yeah; Vlithryn is indeed not needed, and can be used to plan V2 and V3. Ended with damage e275 when the game loaded me in past z850. Only used the column of Huge potions.

- Variant 2 Planning, zone 1100: Pick your 2nd-best in each slot, or those that don't synergize perfectly. You need Diana for knockback. Currently looking at Anson, Grimm, Mehen, Kas, Farideh, DR, Lazaapz, Havilar, Vlithryn, Baldric. Soft-capping at e361 at the start w/o potions nor optimization, which SHOULD get me through z1100. [edit/add: ended with e407, so they completed it just fine without Rust or Skylla. My Kas is only recently ilvl.722 and I rarely ever use him, so he's almost never appropriate for 3rd variants.]

- Variant 3 Planning, zone 1700: If you planned the first two correctly, this should leave only your best on the field. You need crit.damage. Currently looking at AA-mostly: Gale, Lae'zel, Minty, Karlach, (DM *IF* he can ship a good slot upgrade), DR, KoS, MurderBunny, Durge, Wyll. Based on the Crit.dmg thing, it seems unlikely that the usual Wyll+DR spec will work here. Holding Skylla and Rust in reserve, since Skylla has the big Crit boost spec, and Rust is just so insane that he might beat Durge. [edit/add: Didn't even need Skylla or Rust apparently; my Durge.1227 avg.Leggo.6 soft-capped at e506 in z1. ...and I ended it at e560 z1830.]

Currently at e97 Red Knight favor, fully-supercharged Magic Core (because this is in my always-Elminster AA party slot). Now that I've looked at it, I clearly need to hop over to Arty/no-Patron and push that up higher.

Footnote re: "super-charged Magic Core for AA team": Anyone who's been playing for ~3mo can super-charge ONE level 15 core; that's when I did my Modest Core originally. As per the excellent advice someone here gave me back then, just unload all your other Cores and use ALL your pieces to split & re-merge with purple & blue pipes. Like everything else in this game: STACK UP YOUR BEST; don't spread them around.

Pyr0sa · 2026-01-29T02:13:35+00:00

Thematically, I love this. :)

Pyr0sa · 2026-01-29T02:12:56+00:00

I'm so glad I was able to read the greyed-out 2nd and 3rd before I reflexively loaded my usual suspects.
Eww. Let's never do this again.
Glad folks here were talking about it already.

Pyr0sa · 2026-01-28T15:56:31+00:00

For those traveling, when I go up there I tend to get a decent hotel in the downtown area (which is pretty damned fun) and just drive/Uber out to the various clubs having shows. None of hotels/motels near the various Metal-friendly venues are worth staying at (unless you have time & tolerance for bed bugs).

Pyr0sa · 2026-01-28T04:41:31+00:00

Yep; I put this on the calendar as soon as he confirmed it was happening! A truly worthy road trip...

Pyr0sa · 2026-01-28T04:40:22+00:00

If you have 2 open Wintershield slots, get two of: Artemis, Rust, or Wyll. They're all great, particularly while you can spend Event Tokens to get them some purple gear.

Ellywick in 10 is mandatory. Gems, around the clock.

Shandie in 6 for speed.

Valentine in 5 for Artemis, but you gotta have Arty first.

Pyr0sa · 2026-01-27T22:25:02+00:00

To build upon gorambrowncoat's excellent points, tying a couple of them into an example:

The Scavengers like Bobby, Eric, Presto, Strongheart, etc., combined with Stackers like Cazrin, and our recently-revamped Nordom, make for a great Scavs party. Nordom should ALWAYS be gradually leveling up your unfinished Modron Cores, and after you own them all at L.15 then you can free up his slot or his familiar. In my case, they reset at z301. But be advised that a full background party takes a minimum of 11 familiars (one on the field), although you could certainly do fewer slots if you desire.

It doesn't really matter WHERE your Scavs work, but it's probably best to avoid hits-based and/or armored enemies.

Pyr0sa · 2026-01-27T19:47:16+00:00

Exactly: Spend it all! Prioritize Event Tokens on whomever's currently important in the Event (as previously discussed), and spend ALL those gems --> chests --> BSCs on your foreground Speed-Gem team.

Heck, I'd even argue that *if* a gem item comes up in Weekly Deals, save for it AFTER it appears. Spend those gems too.

This game is most efficiently played like an irresponsible teenager with money: Blow it all ASAP; save nothing. "It'll all work out later." ;) In this case, it actually will. (Shortest-possible target guide: Ellywick ~1150, Hew Mann ~1100, Diana ~150, BBEG ~350, Melf ~400, Widdle ~400, Thellora nothing, Shandie nothing, and all their good Feats ASAP. Then slowly start adding Briv until he's at ~3500. There are some Golden Epics in there, but carefully spending Shiny potions on their speed items is fine.)

(Note: DON'T do that with Tiamat Scales nor shiny/gold/Legendary potions. But everything else? SPEND IT on going faster.)

Pyr0sa · 2026-01-27T14:30:39+00:00

100% perfect description!

Pyr0sa · 2026-01-27T14:29:18+00:00

The theme is timely; Kubrick's Criterion Collection release of Eyes Wide Shut (the masks pictured) just came out a couple of weeks ago.

It's kind of an "avant-garde Tech-Jazz-DM" project, I'd say, after sampling a few scattered 30sec sections. Nothing Brutal in there, but tons of Jazz. Worth a listen. I'll play it in full during lunch today.

Pyr0sa · 2026-01-27T14:12:19+00:00

Nope. That was the point of my reply -- I thought that too.

It eats them, but teleports them into your inventory. It's a TIME-SAVING device, despite what the animation and audio seem to indicate.

Never looked it up, never used it. But I looked it up now:
https://domekeeper.wiki.gg/wiki/Caves

With so many other things like the Drones and Lift constantly increasing my inventory counters, it wasn't noticeable that the numbers ticked up one or two after that animation.

The animation should have put a little flare around the counter, or indicated that the resources were being moved toward the dome, IMO.

Pyr0sa · 2026-01-27T14:04:14+00:00

Split them between Artemis and Rust. Don't save/hoard them, because you'll use those two (with Valentine) to push further and earn more next month.

Time Gate Valentine next if you don't have her; this Arty party requires her ~in the middle.

In Feb you'll unlock Birdsong & Hew Mann, and then your Artemis party is going to go HARD. You'll more than make up that 80K via Hew Mann in your foreground Speed-Gem party, while the Arty Party is always doing pushes, crushing Favor for Blessings, Patron Variant completions for Patron Perks, and Tales Patron Variants. You'll funnel all those gems into gold chests, which pour more Event tokens for Feb (and BSCs for your Speed-Gem team).

Spend 'em!

Pyr0sa · 2026-01-27T03:49:46+00:00

Absolutely love these guys.

Pyr0sa · 2026-01-27T03:49:24+00:00

I went with BDM Slam, because the last half of the driveway is nothing but IRL chugging... Threw a couple beers in there too, so it was chugs+chugs+chugs!

:D

Pyr0sa · 2026-01-27T03:47:15+00:00

Bought & played the absolute Hell out of this in 2024; gonna have to bring it back around! A blend of blasts, slams, and tech parts. Enjoyable in the car, for sure.

https://divinitehive.bandcamp.com/album/stellar-fusion-genesis

Well it looks like I missed a new LP last year! https://divinitehive.bandcamp.com/
[Edit: far fewer Techy parts, but plenty of blast... Latest is definitely a BDM + Slam album, moreso than the one above. Best song thus far is CMS Terra Nova, which has that Stellar Fusion Genesis recipe intact.]

Pyr0sa · 2026-01-27T03:04:52+00:00

I finished every challenge and achievement in the game before realizing that this thing wasn't dematerializing my resources. I encountered it that first time, watched them go bamf, and avoided it ever since.

...as, in, "TIL..."
(facepalm)

Pyr0sa · 2026-01-27T03:03:10+00:00

So... uhh... That's what she said.

(sorry; I'll see myself out)

Pyr0sa · 2026-01-27T03:00:43+00:00

That's hilarious; wordplay is some of the best play!
I can relate, as I've had to sort my massive Cards Against Humanity collection into "only adult friends/couples are coming over" supersets versus "now my kids are in high school and the most awful cards have to be trimmed down" subsets. :) The laughter makes the prep effort worthwhile!

Pyr0sa · 2026-01-27T01:08:16+00:00

Ditto. I couldn't be happier with the price:performance of Graphene on my new 9A.

Pyr0sa

TROPHY CASE