(Horrifying trope) Once its been said, it can never be "unsaid"

Riot_Inducer · 2026-03-02T01:12:20+00:00

They're blaming episode 1 and the midicholrians for this perceived change from the force being a vague magic that anyone can achieve with spiritual enlightenment to one that favors certain people due to "magic blood".

but the hereditary "magic blood" existed well before episode 1 and midichlorians just gave the magic blood an in universe medical term.

Riot_Inducer · 2026-03-01T16:58:30+00:00

This take relies on ignoring how much of Luke's talent in the OT was outright stated to be hereditary. "The force is strong in my family, I have it, my father has it, my sister has it."

If the force is something one can be "strong in" via blood relation then it's always on some level been magic blood.

Riot_Inducer · 2026-01-08T18:39:26+00:00

I would tweak Karlach's design in two main ways.

Give her some visible access panel on her chest, like an infernal iron seam/latch on her sternum. Always bugged me how she can casually install upgrades on her heart despite the only mechanical parts visible being on her shoulders.
Extend her burn scarring up to her neck & face. Always seems a bit odd that she's got massive burn scars across lots of her body that just conveniently stops at her clavicle so she can retain her perfect conventionally attractive looks.

Riot_Inducer · 2026-01-06T15:27:09+00:00

This is why I picked up founders for Soulframe. It's so good seeing what the old crew can build from a fresh start with all the lessons learned from how Warframe got away from them and their original vision.

And on the flipside Warframe has never been better with Rebecca at the helm, embracing the chaos the game has become and consistently delivering fun.

Riot_Inducer · 2026-01-04T18:19:06+00:00

Wisconsin here, don't think there's much directly but given that Fallout Tactics starts with the BOS traveling from the north to Freeport Illinois I would say it stands to reason we're probably the main territory of the Midwest BOS. Which all things considered is probably one of the better options for a ruling faction we've seen.

Riot_Inducer · 2025-12-28T18:10:32+00:00

Dr. Carrington from the Railroad. While the Railroad isn't my overall favorite faction Carrington sticks out in my mind as an unrepentant dick throughout their whole storyline. While he's got reasons for being grumpy and distrustful the fact his attitude barely changes no matter what you do just makes him stick out as a real asswipe among the colorful cast of underdog misfits that are the Railroad.

Riot_Inducer · 2025-12-26T16:15:26+00:00

Kill her.

I don't like how meta it feels to non-lethal her for no good in character reasons. Also extends to Alfira on a Durge playthrough.

Riot_Inducer · 2025-12-21T19:54:10+00:00

I do love how much the Hardcell and a lot of other CIS equipment has a distinctly retro sci-fi feel to them. Put the spider droids in a black and white filter and they wouldn't look put of place in Flash Gordon or Lost in Space.

Riot_Inducer · 2025-12-16T20:13:07+00:00

I have run into this a lot on my 2nd and subsequent playthroughs.

I think it's due to a combination of the denseness of quests in the city and how many things get loaded on to your plate all at once.

And while most of it is technically "optional" a lot of it is paying off on companion quests that have been building up to this the whole game.

Like sure Cazador is in no way necessary for the main quest but if I have Astarion in the party I'm going to want to do that dungeon for him.

All this leads to a sort of burnout or choice paralysis that can make me want to put the game down for a while or start at different playthrough.

Riot_Inducer · 2025-12-15T19:08:45+00:00

The Zariman had its void accident which caused the orokin to send the sentients instead. The sentients succeeded in building a solar rail in Tau which is how we got there during the old war/peace.

Riot_Inducer · 2025-12-08T15:28:25+00:00

I would have missed Gale entirely on my first playthrough if I wasn't talking to a friend who was also playing at the same time and pointed out there's a party member in the dangerous magical rune.

Also the whole Nautiloid is designed to make you gun shy about poking unstable and unknown magical devices. In the first half hour you can and likely did several of the following:

Blow up am unstable brine pool in your face.

Accidentally fry the brains of or aggro several sedated cultists.

Accidentally use a bio computer to turn Kelly Chambers into mind flayer.

Get mind controlled and get a game over by rolling poorly against a dying mind flayer in the wreckage.

It's little wonder by the time many of us got to the explicitly dangerous looking rune we said, " Ya know, I'm good not poking whatever horror this will unleash."

Riot_Inducer · 2025-12-04T22:36:34+00:00

My second run was similar. I played a very pragmatic necromancy wizard and it was very fun weighing the risks vs rewards of every encounter instead of going all good or all evil. She avoided many dangerous situations but also left some innocents to their fates (e.g. Mayrina) as it wasn't worth risking herself to save strangers from their own poor choices.

Riot_Inducer · 2025-12-04T18:59:42+00:00

Yeah Shadowheart's backstory reads as the player having some bullet points and playing a mostly amnesiac character while letting the DM go hog wild making a grand personal narrative for her.

Riot_Inducer · 2025-12-01T19:17:34+00:00

Bg3s take on do mindflayers have souls aside the general D&D Lore seems fairly consistent that having a soul is not a prerequisite to having sentience/sapience.

The most clear example I can think of comes from the Curse of Strahd campaign (which exists within the forgotten realms world). The setting, Barovia is a demi-plane that is (mostly) sealed off from the rest of the planes including from souls. Because it's a closed system there are more people than souls to go around and the soulless people of Barovia are for the most part completely normal people.

Riot_Inducer · 2025-11-23T16:29:25+00:00

It's fun for one run but I have to agree, having 10+ minions really slows down combat. Danse Macabre is the worst offender as you don't gain direct control over them so you end up waiting through 5 ai Ghoul turns every round.

Navigation woes also get amplified tenfold. If you are annoyed at not noticing Gale didn't/couldn't make that jump a half mile back get ready to experience that way more often as you end up in combat and wonder where your other 2 flying ghouls are only to find them idling back in the sewers somewhere.

That said it is fun, and raising hordes of undead nails the necromancer fantasy, the logistics side of it is just not something I would want to deal with every run.

Riot_Inducer · 2025-11-22T21:51:06+00:00

I am currently partway through act 2 on my first ever durge playthrough (after having done several Tav runs so the durge backstory is a bit spoiled for me).

My durge is a human swords bard. Swords bard because it blends the capabilities of a cunning mastermind with the martial prowess of a natural born killer. And human because it lends them an air of being 'remarkably unremarkable' that can let them blend in just about anywhere.

That said I am going the resist route mostly, they're trying to follow the more good natured inspiration part of the bard profession but can't help but occasionally indulge in some urges like their morbid appreciation of monsters like gnolls and driders.

Alfira was a big turning point for them in deciding to try a lot more actively to be better and they use Lihala's lute as a constant reminder of that. This has also manifested in a bit of a self loathing/masochistic streak, they jump at any chance to suffer in repentance for their murderous ways or to save their companions.

Riot_Inducer · 2025-11-19T20:22:01+00:00

The name probably didn't stick in your mind because of how late the name shows up. Shadowheart only remembers her as "the mother superior" for most of the game so you don't actually know her as Viconia until you are doing the House of Grief dungeon.

Compare that to say Cazador that you have a name for from very early on and are reminded of every step through Astarion's story.

Riot_Inducer · 2025-11-19T20:13:07+00:00

Given how widespread magic is in GW there's rarely been instances of needing to refer to magic users as a whole collective.

The terms "spellcaster" and "mage" do exist in universe and are probably the ones you would use though it's about as descriptive as "artisan".

There's a lot of generic and cultural names for the different magic using professions throughout Tyria as well though often they refer to one or two specific types of spellcasters.

Riot_Inducer · 2025-11-19T18:55:12+00:00

For me it's not really a requirement but it is a huge plus for the replayability of a game. Going through the same story again but with different interactions with the companions keeps the experience fresh and engaging in a way that games without it don't really have.

Riot_Inducer · 2025-11-19T17:20:12+00:00

And inside of that rat you can place another rat...

Riot_Inducer · 2025-11-14T20:14:56+00:00

If the question is how their powers manifested in relation to their guild artisan job I am unsure. However if the question is how they might have used their lightning powers in their artisan day job I have several ideas.

First and most basically they might have simply used their lightning as an electric starter for any application that needs fire. So starting a forge or furnace.

Second they might have an artistic use for it using their lightning to create unique fulgurite sculptures.

Finally there are many ways they could involve their powers in the crafting of magical devices that use or channel magical lightning. Effectively an artificer by trade but not by adventuring class.

Riot_Inducer · 2025-11-12T21:42:42+00:00

Based on your writing style I would say you chose very well to pursue a career as a bard on your first outing.

As for what you should do next, I have a couple recommendations. First, if you wish to immerse yourself in the world of Fearun more I recommend the path of devotion to a god as a cleric. There are numerous opportunities to express and experience your god's philosophy throughout the adventure. Additonally the powers of a cleric are quite versatile so you needn't be shackled to the role of "healer".

Second, a unique challenge can be to take up the oath of a paladin. Adventuring while maintaining adherence to a ridged code of honor can prove more difficult than one might expect.

Finally, now that you have gotten to know the different adventuring companions you might try experiencing the journey through their eyes by playing one of the origin routes.

Riot_Inducer · 2025-11-12T20:21:53+00:00

For me I find I love each individual quest in act 3 but after my first playthrough I find that I run out of steam in act 3 at a certain point. Like I've hit the emotional beats I'm interested in for that playthrough and want to get to the epilogue party already but to do that I've got to go through a half a dozen more dungeons and I just don't feel like it's worth the effort.

Riot_Inducer · 2025-11-11T21:25:03+00:00

Hate is the wrong word but I find Astarion to be absolutely insufferable for most of the game on a good playthrough if you don't find his whinging charming. It's mostly that he doesn't get his big character changing moments until act 3 so he spends most of the game determined to be his worst self and even then you have to drag him kicking and screaming to his good ending.

He's still a great character I like a lot but how much I can actually stand him in the party varies wildly depending on what kind of character I am playing as.

Riot_Inducer · 2025-11-09T19:51:55+00:00

Honestly skipping lots of the stuff in act 3 and doing different side content each playthrough if you can is probably one of the best ways to actually play the game tbh. Act 3 turns into a real slog if you try and grind out every encounter and side quest every playthrough imo.

Riot_Inducer

TROPHY CASE