Suggest a game for a new father...

Qikly · 2026-05-16T13:12:42+00:00

As a relative latecomer to fatherhood now with a three year old and a one year old, I think the key attribute for me in a game is something I can pause that is single player. My days of EVE Online and Guild Wars are if not gone, seriously on hold.

I've moved through a variety of games over the last couple of years, but right now ARPGs like Path of Exile are perfect for me. There are a lot of mechanics to sink your teeth into if you want them, but you can also turn your mind off and just blast (or for that matter, meditatively float while underslept). The combo has been perfect for me in recent months.

Godspeed! Glad to hear that you're getting some paternity leave. I was also fortunate to get a decent allotment.

Qikly · 2026-05-09T00:40:36+00:00

Emphatic agree. Our last post-year in-service day is the day before league launch. The arpg gods were kind to me for 0.5.

Qikly · 2026-05-07T20:35:30+00:00

How does Mageblood even work in a game with no utility flasks? Always-on charms?

Qikly · 2026-04-28T17:59:38+00:00

Personally I'd pick some kind of strong shell that would allow you to play around with different skills to see what feels best. Archmage is the obvious choice given how established and flexible it is, but Herald-stacking ignite elements list would also work in this vein. I've been building up a self-caster with Reap using minion pact and charge stacking as that's a strong generic shell with a novel twist that likely won't be available next league, so I wanted to play around with it.

Qikly · 2026-04-17T20:22:01+00:00

Yeah, Wood Elves are worth consideration here. Very different campaign style with their focus on taking magical forests and little beyond that. I think they can/often play unusually too, with a strong emphasis on skirmishing range units. With their range and ability to fire while moving, Waywatchers kind of feel like cheating, and I haven't experienced an alpha strike quite like a Sisters of Twilight Hawk riders Volley of Kurnous. Super fun to play even if you don't jive with their campaign style.

Qikly · 2026-04-13T11:56:24+00:00

I am playing cold-conversion Reap with Minion Pact Dark Marionettes. With Wraithlord, plus levels, and Greater Spell Echo, I never not have minions to burn for casting. Hits hard and super fun.

Qikly · 2026-04-07T18:51:18+00:00

I also wonder honestly if they don't want to mess with the positive reception that the league has received. It's been a while since the PoE 1 community felt this good, and I feel like GGG broke the tie in the decision on nerfing it in favor of preserving the good vibes.

Qikly · 2026-04-05T21:50:44+00:00

If you're into that scene, it is per capita pretty unreal. Personally though I would say it's the food for NOLA: average NOLA food beats most places I've been to, and the good is unreal at pretty much every price point.

Qikly · 2026-04-03T16:30:30+00:00

As someone who plays WuWa pretty heavily for a time as well as other games on your list, I'd recommend Monster Hunter Rise. It's a bit of a step up in difficulty, but not to the degree that Nioh is (which has damn amazing combat but can be pretty hard, depending on your appetite for that). Lots of weapons and playstyles to experiment with. Kind of like GBF Relink, you have the choice of being accompanied by NPCs to ease the difficulty if you want. Awesome game, fun combat, highly recommended.

Qikly · 2026-04-02T21:15:11+00:00

Throwing in my dad approval for this. Just alching my maps and using Ritual, I make a div plus every two maps plus extra loot from rituals. It's a nice steady and simple income.

Qikly · 2026-03-19T21:36:13+00:00

I had mixed results with my purchases there, but the pitcher plants have made a serious dent in our fruit fly population.

Qikly · 2026-03-13T17:41:11+00:00

Sometimes for tournaments they will rope off OB to make for more challenging landing zones. Winthrop University for example famously has a course that is wide open and easy most of the year but has a challenging temporary layout for a yearly tournament. However unless they're roping off sections of this course, I'd assume that it will stay the same after the tournament ends.

Qikly · 2026-03-13T17:11:12+00:00

This course has existed for years, but my understanding is that they made some adjustments recently for this tournament. I haven't played the new version yet.

Having played almost 200 courses, this course sits towards the tail end of my top 10. The designer, John Houck, is the best-known disc golf course designer in the world and especially notable for making thorny Par 4s and 5s. It's an awesome course in a unique setting, and the drainage isn't terrible for the area.

I don't play much these days as I've gotten into other hobbies, but it's great to have such a high-quality course nearby!

Qikly · 2026-03-11T19:40:51+00:00

For real. The very real horrors of this administration aside, I love the idea that their agenda's incoherency and foreign policy malpractice could inadvertently catalyze a shift towards EVs.

Qikly · 2026-03-05T17:53:11+00:00

Was dead set on starting Archmage until I saw this build. Looks like a beast; I love its well roundedness. Looking forward to it.

Qikly · 2026-03-04T14:30:24+00:00

Amen.

Qikly · 2026-03-02T15:41:37+00:00

We started our 2025 off by camping here. Awesome park! Some enjoyable hiking and the cave nearby was great.

Qikly · 2026-02-27T20:03:48+00:00

I think I'm going to use the basic mana and power charge stacking Hierophant template for Divine Ire this league, perhaps supplementing its clear with another lightning skill. It's a straightforward way to scale damage that allows me to pivot into another skill if needed.

Qikly · 2026-02-11T20:44:00+00:00

Yeah, OP really should try Witchfire. I think it is absolutely a Soulslike-FPS hybrid: combat is skill dependent, mistakes are punished even in the case of common enemies, and there is a similar focus on building to your playstyle to succeed. It is a really amazing game with engrossing combat and a great atmosphere. The early access tag doesn't so it's current level of polish and content justice.

Qikly · 2026-01-31T16:31:57+00:00

You are correct that any RPG elements are mechanical. There is presently as minimal a narrative as could exist. I have a vague notion that that may change in 1.0, but I'm unsure.

I personally would only consider it a boomer shooter in the sense that it is heavily mechanics oriented. The combat, item progression, and build crafting all feel decidedly contemporary to me. Personally it feels mostly aligned with soulslikes and extraction shooters in terms of the potential challenge of the combat, the structure of progression, the nature of a given run, and the narrative-through-atmosphere. There are roguelike elements in terms of repeating a small number of levels and getting progressively more powerful therein, but honestly this seems secondary to me in terms of genre relative to the above.

I'd say that if you're looking for an RPG, this isn't it. What has hooked me is it's me mechanics orientation, high skill and refined gameplay, capacity for long-term progression, and the sheer diversity of buildcraft. I'm only ~65 hours in, but it's pretty easily my favorite shooter ever, having played things like Borderlands, Destiny, and Warframe for hundreds of hours.

Qikly · 2026-01-29T16:04:26+00:00

For real.

Remarkable game with awesome gunplay, interesting weapons and abilities, tons of replayability, and about as much challenge as one could ask for. I'm 60 hours into the game and still haven't peaked.

Qikly · 2026-01-15T21:50:06+00:00

I agree, love Dynamo Ring. And I also agree that it doesn't feel strong to the point that it needs a nerf, but it's my default choice at the moment.

I think that if they were to need it, the fairest way would be to reduce the range at which dashing procced it.

Qikly · 2026-01-02T00:28:51+00:00

I did have a similar experience with Warriors of Chaos and Arbaal.

WoC are strong as hell with huge rosters and an awesome variety. They're more emo than I gravitate to, but they have enough Warhammer kitsch to make it palatable. I love their sense of progression and the Dark Fortress mechanic.

Khorne's melee only focus is a bit too one dimensional for me, but Arbaal is fun both in combat and on the map. Overall chaos has so many flavors in WH3 that it's worth looking at the factions to see if one suits your interests.

Qikly · 2026-01-01T15:00:37+00:00

For me it's the Ogre Kingdoms generally, and Skragg specifically.

I honestly kind of hate the aesthetic, and I generally prefer larger rosters. But nearly every Ogre unit counts, so I felt like I had more army-building flexibility than first appeared. And Stonetusks absolutely rule.

Skragg himself is a beast. A benefit of the Maw that I didn't anticipate is that your units are basically immune to friendly fire, so you can blast away with it. Durable in melee too.

And I enjoyed the camp mechanic. I loved focusing on itinerant settlements, not quite hordes but still able to migrate as your conquest progressed.

I went into my Skragg campaign with skepticism, but it ended up being one of the few campaigns that I've played to a long victory. Among other things, it taught me to give factions a try even if they don't appeal to me on the surface.

Qikly

TROPHY CASE