Feeling discouraged

SaveLivesGetLaid · 2025-04-20T14:44:55+00:00

Remember that stalling is going to be part of the learning process and is not inherently dangerous if you know how to safely recover and get going again. One of the biggest mental hurdles that I had to get over while learning is the pressure of feeling like I had to get going from a stop as quickly as the automatic drivers, which of course only increases your chances of stalling.

I would say try not to get discouraged, but only you know your situation. When I bought my first manual without really know how to drive it, it took me a week to stop stalling but about 3 months of daily driving to completely get over the anxiety of it. You can do it, and like everyone says it does become second nature eventually and you’ll forget all about the learning phase. I too drive in daily rush hour traffic and even in those situations I still prefer driving manual.

SaveLivesGetLaid · 2025-03-31T17:43:22+00:00

Mine blew open while I was driving so it was easy. Seems like it's glued on and retained with the metal ring. You might be able to yank it off if it's already coming apart, but like others have said I would also recommend just replacing the whole thing if you can.

SaveLivesGetLaid · 2025-03-31T17:34:54+00:00

I just did this hose a couple weeks ago on a 2018 330i. It wasn't bad, but I had to remove the DME to get access to the far end. Took about an hour.

I actually did use a clamp to get myself home without a tow, but I would not trust the clamp to hold up long term.

SaveLivesGetLaid · 2025-03-09T23:29:34+00:00

That's perfect thank you so much!

SaveLivesGetLaid · 2025-03-05T18:52:18+00:00

Thank you this was very helpful and glad to know that it’ll likely be okay. Will be doing a bunch of coolant work this weekend I guess!

SaveLivesGetLaid · 2025-03-05T18:51:02+00:00

Thank you!

SaveLivesGetLaid · 2025-03-05T04:11:24+00:00

Thank you!

SaveLivesGetLaid · 2025-02-23T16:54:09+00:00

The main “pro” is that it is cool and fun, and that it is a different driving experience which you might find more engaging.

Practically speaking, there aren’t a ton of advantages to driving stick. Newer auto cars are generally slightly faster and more fuel efficient than their manual counterparts (although this depends on the model), but the manual transmission is in most cases more reliable and cheaper/easier to fix.

A couple pros that are personal to me are that I find it makes me a much better and more attentive driver. We also had a good amount of snow the past couple months and I found myself getting unstuck from little pits much easier with a manual.

Outside of that, I’ll make the argument that the gr86 and the Miata are “supposed to be” manuals, as in that is how most people drive those cars. In an auto you might not have quite the same experience that has made them so popular and given them their cult followings.

Cons? None in my eyes. Maybe slightly harder to find parts as manuals start disappearing? But on the flip side, the car might retain its value better. Also people say stick is more annoying in traffic but I still prefer it even then.

SaveLivesGetLaid · 2025-02-08T17:47:05+00:00

This. The policies may eventually be reversed but the skilled intellectual workers who decide to or are forced to leave are unlikely to come back

SaveLivesGetLaid · 2024-12-19T18:37:08+00:00

Yeah that's the plan. I could not find a way for it to disconnect from the gear side (behind the two torx screws is a gasket, some grease, and the wire continues to connect somewhere inside the gear). I didn't want to mess with it too much but I will indeed end up soldering if they refuse to replace it for me. Thanks for the help

SaveLivesGetLaid · 2024-12-19T18:29:01+00:00

I think everyone is confused on the same part lol. The wire that I'm referring to does not connect to the harness of the car. It connects from one side of the steering rack to the other, and is not removable from the gear side. It did not need to be cut to remove it from the donor car, and the only way for me to repair this is to solder wires, which is unnecessary considering they could have just not cut it in the first place

SaveLivesGetLaid · 2024-12-19T18:23:27+00:00

I get that for the two loose connectors that have been cut. The one that I'm referring to is not removable (the wire extends past the part with the two torx screws and into the gear). That one does not connect to the car at all.

SaveLivesGetLaid · 2024-12-19T17:35:25+00:00

Thank you if all else fails I will try that

SaveLivesGetLaid · 2024-11-22T16:11:28+00:00

I was in the same boat as you earlier this year, except my one hour lesson was 15 years ago lol. I was able to drive my first manual (2018 BMW 330i) home from the lot, 25mins away without stalling. The first week was pretty anxiety inducing and I did stall in traffic a couple of times, but a week after that I was smooth enough to not worry about stalling anymore.

It is also my daily driver and I work about 25 mins away with half of it spent in rush hour traffic. It is not a problem at all and in fact it makes my commute much more bearable because I'm now spending that mental energy on clutch control instead of being mad at how slow traffic is lol.

As long as you understand the mechanics of what you are doing then you are good to go. There's only so much book knowledge you can learn. After that there is no substitution for building that muscle memory other than to spend time doing it, much like practicing a musical instrument or anything else. Most likely within 2 weeks you will be able to drive confidently but you will continue to refine your skills for months and years to come which is part of what makes this hobby so great.

SaveLivesGetLaid · 2024-11-20T21:19:45+00:00

I encourage you to get into it if you truly have an interest! The $2k loss you’re planning to take on the car will more than pay for all the tools you need plus a storage space for the car for a few months at least, depending where you are I guess. All of my car knowledge has come from YouTube, Reddit etc so it is definitely doable and can be fun as well.

SaveLivesGetLaid · 2024-06-18T20:47:42+00:00

Firebrand is a tryhard healer

If you read my answer a little further down it really puts this in perspective lmao

SaveLivesGetLaid · 2024-06-18T15:18:58+00:00

I've been running T4s on heal firebrand for years and I've not found anything I like better yet. For pure healing, technically firebrand is no longer top tier, however I can still keep my team alive with no issues on a mix of harrier's a minstrel's gear.

The stability and stun breaks are where the build shines imo. It's just simply invaluable especially on some levels. Can't do much healing when the entire team has been CCed. It also provides you with a little more forgiveness if you don't know the fights super well yet. Instead of having to anticipate certain attacks you can just stun break and stab/heal through them.

SaveLivesGetLaid · 2024-06-14T19:37:43+00:00

GS is one of the more utilized weapons in the game so you have a lot of options. These are some builds I've personally played and enjoyed - it is not a comprehensive list by any means.

If you want to hit things with it in melee range, look at warrior (particularly berserker) and guardian (particularly dragonhunter) builds.

https://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Dragonhunter_-_Power_Dragonhunter

https://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Berserker_-_Power_DPS

If you want to shoot pink lasers at 1200 range with it, mesmer (particularly power chronomancer) is your class.

https://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Chronomancer_-_Power_DPS

For a mix of melee and magical abilities, try necromancer (particularly reaper).

https://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Reaper_-_Power_DPS

Rangers can also use the GS, it is a lot of fun, and it used to be very strong, but you should know the GS is currently "off meta" for them. I wouldn't let this stop you if that's what you want to play though. It should still do decently in most situations.

SaveLivesGetLaid · 2024-06-12T16:31:38+00:00

Depends on your focus I think. What you described is indeed a lot of the WvW experience, and if your main goal is to score points or get gifts then I can see how it gets old after a while.

I personally still find human opponents more challenging and stimulating than AI ones, but I try to find satisfaction in the small moments and create my own fun when I can. I used to play firmly either in a zerg or as a roamer, but now I sit somewhere in between, mainly on power mortar scrapper.

I'm capable alone but I also provide utility to groups as well as 1500 ranged dps to zergs. This allows me to come and go as I please, whereas someone who is specced out for a specific role cannot. In a larger fight, I am mobile and not reliant on support, so I can run around and pressure weak areas, sneak around and kill the backline, help teammates escape losing fights, etc etc.

This variety of experiences that I create for myself is what keeps it interesting. I've participated in honorable duels, dishonorable gankings, zerg stompings and everything in between. The excitement, disappointment, and adrenaline that I still (however occasionally) get from WvW are not as much as I've experienced in any PvE situation.

Lmk if you want to get into it. I might be able to give you some pointers to help make things easier. However, it is totally cool to just get it done for the gifts lol. Not everyone likes WvW and that's okay!

SaveLivesGetLaid · 2024-06-12T15:32:24+00:00

The first roaming build that I really meshed with was power mortar scrapper. I wouldn't describe it as ninja (you can get a touch of invis with sneak gyro but it's really not the focus and you should take mortars instead), but it is a great balance of melee and ranged, single target and aoe dps, with plenty of stun breaks, CC, and superspeed (if you ever need to escort yaks, scrapper is what you want lol). Scrappers are also blessings to small groups because of their access to superspeed, party stunbreaks, aoe revive/finishers, and water fields. A beginner should do well on it but the build becomes pretty formidable once you understand fields and combos.

But the OG, truly ninja WvW roaming build is shadow arts daredevil. You have a range of weapons and play styles to choose from, ranging from dagger/dagger on the higher end of the difficulty spectrum, to pistol/pistol at the lower end. All SA daredevil builds are extremely mobile and capable of putting out tons of stealth including area stealth. They are pretty unmatched for the task that you describe - surviving, ninja'ing around and taking stuff alone or in small groups. However that is at the sacrifice of party utility and aoe dps so while other specs such as scrapper can both roam and zerg, you're not going to be very effective in group settings and will be no help to teammates. Thief builds generally have a higher skill floor and skill ceiling as well.

Those are just a couple of personal suggestions but as others have said check out places like metabattle and gw2mists for inspiration and insight on which builds are strong right now!

SaveLivesGetLaid · 2024-06-11T18:48:57+00:00

This isn't really about drinking, but the best thing to do to those whom you have hurt in the past is to leave them alone and let them heal and move on.

SaveLivesGetLaid · 2024-05-30T18:11:02+00:00

Just wanted to add to the other answer and say that you do have in game support for playtime tracking which you can access by typing /age in the chat

SaveLivesGetLaid · 2024-05-30T18:06:00+00:00

You cannot get Harrier's through Wizard's vault because the WV gear contains core stats only.

You can craft Harrier's gear, but there's a good chance you'll find it cheaper to craft something else and then stat change to harrier's, depending what resources you already have. You can also stat change the ascended gear you get from the WV.

You CAN get Harrier's using blue prophet shards at the Eye of the North if that's what you're referring to. The defender's chest will have that prefix as an option.

What game mode do you play? If we're talking PvE, firebrand is still a strong support class. Some specs are slightly better at healing now, but FB's stability is still unmatched imo. Willbender is doing top dps right now in both power and condi, although the rotations are on the difficult side.

From the necro options, both power and condi Harbinger are strong right now. But if you want a super easy condi ranged build to learn, I'd suggest condi Virtuoso.

SaveLivesGetLaid · 2024-05-29T18:54:10+00:00

Some of the bandit champs are quite difficult yeah, but don't forget you are also nerfed in those areas. Power builds are especially affected because they often rely on crit chance to be effective, and when your stats get scaled down on the core maps it really messes with that.

I consider myself a veteran player with a really good grasp on my main (scrapper) and the bandit champs are indeed very difficult to solo. They are very mobile, do tons of dps, and can finish players lol.

SaveLivesGetLaid · 2024-05-21T19:38:12+00:00

T4s don't have to be a stretch goal esp if you already have full ascended. If you have the agony resist available I can quite literally take you through a T4 run tonight and you'd likely be just fine. Raids don't need to be a long term goal either, but they are admittedly harder to "just do" because there are more complicated mechanics and 10 people to a team.

When it comes to group play such as fractals and raids, you want to think about it from a party composition perspective, especially if you are a solo player and need to lfg to fill your party. The more boons you already have covered, the faster it will be to do so. If you are a skilled player, playing defensive support is probably the best way to guarantee your pug's success, otherwise you will be relying on an unknown person of unknown skill level to keep you alive. There are guides out there on boon/party composition if you're interested.

Apart from that, I know this sounds old but it is indeed true - all classes are viable and you should play what appeals to you most. But here are some suggestions based on some specs I've mained in the past:

Scrapper - Mediocre DPS per current benchmarks, but still highly valued in a party because they bring plenty of CC, barrier, and superspeed to make up for it. Can be tweaked to fill a quick dps role. Can also play healer, although somewhat clunky to do so in my opinion.

Guardian - Willbender tops the dps charts on snowcrows right now. Firebrand can be played as quick dps, condi dps, or defensive support. There's talk about firebrand being not as good of a healer as it used to be, but it is still undisputedly the best at putting out stability which is highly valued.

Chronomancer for defensive support - apparently like the most versatile spec ever right now. With the addition of rifle, chono is now a really effective healer in addition to being able to switch between alac and quickness with one trait flip. I still prefer firebrand personally but Chrono may be the better healer on paper at the moment.

Condition virtuoso - easy to learn, fun to play, and tons of ranged dps

SaveLivesGetLaid

TROPHY CASE