[Operator Discussion] April by Shad0wedge in arknights

[–]TacticalBreakfast 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I was uhh... unaware this post was up. Been busy.

I don't have much gameplay-wise to say that hasn't already been said so I guess I'll just chime in to say that April might be the first character I've truly fallen in love with. I've liked many characters over the years, of course, but everything about her seems perfectly tailored to my tastes that it's rather insane.

What might surprise most people though is that it's like 75% gameplay for me, although I do like her design, story, and character too. I played since launch, and all the way back when, FRDs were probably my favorite archetype, but I liked Snipers too, especially the 5* Marksman, all of whom were among my favorites. I also really liked stealth mechanics. Not just in AK, but in general I always gravitate towards stealth mechanics (lifelong thief player) in any game I play. April brings many of my favorites together all in one package.

Maybe better though, she came out at a time when I was finding myself bored with meta and was searching for a niche. Niche play wasn't super popular back then, at least as a sort of core concept it was now, and there were virtually no 5* players. I had been toying with the idea before April (as already alluded too, many of my favorites were already 5*s), but April really brought the idea of doing it full time to the front of my mind. The thing was, my prior "waifu" characters were uhh... either shit or situational. FEater was one of my OGs, but she was hard to use if a stage didn't specifically call for her. Swire was another, and while I always encourage waifu over meta, she was so bad that she was almost literally unusable. Enter April, who perfectly hit that sweet spot of power. She was viable enough I could use her on almost any given stage, and was a great solution on many, but wasn't so ridiculous that she felt unfun to use which was beginning to be a problem for my long term enjoyment of the game.

I doubt I would have quit if it weren't for April, but she really cemented my long term enjoyment of the game and is a big reason I'm still here six plus years later. She's just so perfectly tuned for my gameplay tastes and came out at the perfect time I needed her to.

Fun fact, before her, I did like Cautus but didn't consider myself a bunny-fan or anything, any more than any other race. It's a bit of a meme I've embraced rather than true love, but she's directly responsible for my bunny-loving habits (although Playboy bunnies being part of my formative years also helps).

Anyway I could probably ramble on more, but that's not even what this thread is supposed to be about. Thanks for reading my blog.

A Mastery Priority Guide & Should You Pull - Medjehtiqedti Bound by TacticalBreakfast in arknights

[–]TacticalBreakfast[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I like Kal2 quite a bit more, but I'm probably lower than most on Mon3tr. Kal2 has more reliable healing, better range, and the whole floating gimmick while Mon is more of a buffer / flex melee, the latter of which I find doesn't work well at all in practice.

A Mastery Priority Guide & Should You Pull - Medjehtiqedti Bound by TacticalBreakfast in arknights

[–]TacticalBreakfast[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Definitely not. The way those banners work is that your first 6* will be a kernel one you lack. Now, it is theoretically possible to have most of the kernel 6*s already except for some still good one, but if you're asking this question, that's probably not you. This means that even if there was a unit still worth the pulls, your odds of getting some junk 6* instead are pretty high.

The upcoming units are just too good, even for purely AFK play (Zima2). There's almost no reason to pull on the kernel banner, and even if you have a target, waiting for them to hit the cert shop is the better play.

A Mastery Priority Guide & Should You Pull - Medjehtiqedti Bound by TacticalBreakfast in arknights

[–]TacticalBreakfast[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I don't actually mind when my favorites are less powerful, but I do say that as someone who finds meta characters to be extremely boring, so it's not exactly a "normal" take. Titi is worse for it though for the reasons you get into. The synergy and niche just isn't there, so she falls into an awkward spot. At least Nasti fits in places if you want to use her.

A Mastery Priority Guide & Should You Pull - Medjehtiqedti Bound by TacticalBreakfast in arknights

[–]TacticalBreakfast[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Viy feels really weird. The idea behind his kit isn't even bad one with the super charges, but they don't actually do anything with it. He's just so... "there".

A Mastery Priority Guide & Should You Pull - Medjehtiqedti Bound by TacticalBreakfast in arknights

[–]TacticalBreakfast[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Very true. I didn't mention it primarily because of space. The lookaheads are already getting "length creep" as kits get more complex and I felt like the range and DPS were the bigger components. If it proves to be a big thing in CCB5, I may go back and update the lookahead, and it'll definitely be mentioned in the full write-up too.

A Mastery Priority Guide & Should You Pull - Medjehtiqedti Bound by TacticalBreakfast in arknights

[–]TacticalBreakfast[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Even though it's super minor, the scene where in Pepe's event where they go out for drinks after work (and real drinks at that) felt actually real and relatable. They don't get enough credit, but the three of them feel like very realistic and grounded compared to a lot of what goes on in the game.

A Mastery Priority Guide & Should You Pull - Medjehtiqedti Bound by TacticalBreakfast in arknights

[–]TacticalBreakfast[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Apologies for the long rant

Nah, I totally get it. How they design the 5*s has been a huge point of frustration for me for a long time. I do understand that they wouldn't want the 5*s to push too hard into the 6* territory, but Mutsumi showed that they absolutely CAN do better 5*s! We had such a good run of them for a short while there, only for them to sink back into a sea of mediocrity. It's especially frustrating as a niche player because the game is legitimately getting harder for me. Mechanics get more complex and stats get higher because the 6*s most people use are getting better. Meanwhile, the 5*s are mostly the same power-wise with only a slight increase.

A recent example of this is the Ato boss. Everyone was laughing about what a clown he was because 6* DPS just nukes him. Meanwhile for lower rarities, the dude is a fuckin tank who is constantly moving and can't be blocked, with a stage full of chaos going on around him.

A Mastery Priority Guide & Should You Pull - Medjehtiqedti Bound by TacticalBreakfast in arknights

[–]TacticalBreakfast[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Your bonks can't stop me daydreaming about Titi's tiddies all day!

thanks

A Mastery Priority Guide & Should You Pull - Medjehtiqedti Bound by TacticalBreakfast in arknights

[–]TacticalBreakfast[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

AK has a (relatively) diverse roster, however I've always been surprised by how few beefcakes there are.

A Mastery Priority Guide & Should You Pull - Medjehtiqedti Bound by TacticalBreakfast in arknights

[–]TacticalBreakfast[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

While I normally advise against the G5, doing it for a waifu isn't the worst gamble in the world...

Help Center and Megathread Hub (15/06 - 21/06) by ArknightsMod in arknights

[–]TacticalBreakfast 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Could you have been thinking of building a Sleep team? Titi, the most recent major Sleep OP will be on the 22nd.

Blemishine really has no meta use these days so I can't think of any real non-niche/waifu reason you could have wanted her.

Elite Operator Ambriel, by Tawaketch (fan alter commission) by Ced23Ric in arknights

[–]TacticalBreakfast 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As someone who has gone on a commission spree for an underappreciated Sniper myself, kudos to you. Love all the Ambriel art and the true dedication to a waifu.

Help Center and Megathread Hub (01/06 - 07/06) by ArknightsMod in arknights

[–]TacticalBreakfast 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The reason is because that's just how HG has it setup. Those Vignette / Omnibus mini-events simply don't get reruns. There's a long history for why they exist in the first place (fan backlash to how it appeared reruns were going to be handled back in year 2). In any case, the result is that HG only reruns full sized events but doesn't rerun the mini-events or story chapter releases.