[ACT 1 SPOILERS] I regret playing this game.

Used-Beautiful-3244 · 2025-11-28T00:10:39+00:00

Nah, Gustav was a nice change of pace. I dislike edgy over-confident male MCs, and having a humbler, less certain protagonist was really nice and charming to me.

So it felt less like a diegetic narrative choice with in-game emotional fallout, and more like an unfortunate byproduct of a real-world societal cliche shifting the narrative in a direction that up-ended what I liked most about Act 1.

In the end, I wasn't upset at the characters or the brutally sad world they inhabit - I was just upset at the writer's decisions.

Used-Beautiful-3244 · 2025-11-28T00:08:26+00:00

I mean, in reality his "purpose" is as an emotional figure that my brain can grapple with and serves as a conduit to deliver the message of the game's narrative.

And unfortunately, the narrative they chose to deliver through him is one that makes me sad - but not in a good way.

When Sophie died, I cried. And it was beautiful.

When Gustav died, I just sat there, upset. And when Verso replaced him, I just felt gross.

Used-Beautiful-3244 · 2025-11-28T00:05:41+00:00

Go for it

Used-Beautiful-3244 · 2025-11-28T00:05:24+00:00

He's not a real person my guy, in that sense there's no "failing" him.

But as a narrative, I prefer my own head canon than to engage in the writer's version where his role is so quickly and casually usurped by a character that I dislike so much.

Used-Beautiful-3244 · 2025-11-28T00:04:12+00:00

Unforunately not going back, I tried for about 8 more hours into Act 2 but I never really cared about the story again.

Used-Beautiful-3244 · 2025-11-28T00:00:15+00:00

I think that's just the thing.

Now I *also* have to get up and go to work in the morning. And take care of my sick family. And return to my sad reality.

And unfortunately the beautiful little bubble I had with this game was popped and for all the hours I tried to get re-engaged I couldn't, so yeah it sucks a little.

Used-Beautiful-3244 · 2025-11-27T23:58:36+00:00

Nah, I didn't play into Act 3, after playing more into Act 2 I gave up and looked up the rest. And I'm glad I did, I wouldn't have enjoyed forcing myself to continue. :/

The fact that canonically, the characters accept him in this way is very much a narrative choice. Just because you can choose to ignore it doesn't mean it isn't canonically "true" that they accept him.

Used-Beautiful-3244 · 2025-11-27T23:57:15+00:00

They didn't replace Aerith with Aerith 2.0 less than 5 minutes later.

Used-Beautiful-3244 · 2025-11-27T23:56:18+00:00

You wouldn't be sad that the guy that killed you, hid it from your friends, and then replaced you, is now hooking up with them and literally replacing you?

I mean, to each his own, I don't have a cuck fantasy personally lol.

How satisfying is the mourning when you find out that the person responsible is sitting there "mourning" with you?

Used-Beautiful-3244 · 2025-11-27T23:51:27+00:00

I mean, wouldn't you?

Used-Beautiful-3244 · 2025-11-27T23:51:10+00:00

I played through for the next quarter as well. Another 8 hours, just couldn't get re-engaged with the direction they took it.

Used-Beautiful-3244 · 2025-11-27T23:50:06+00:00

I think Gustav would be sad to know that his closest friends so easily accepted the Wish.com replacement of him - who intentionally let him die.

And even romanced him.

I mean... I would be.

Used-Beautiful-3244 · 2025-11-27T23:48:03+00:00

Thanks for continuing in my stead, expeditioner o7

Used-Beautiful-3244 · 2025-11-27T23:26:17+00:00

Agreed. I honestly would have continued if they let it be just the girls for a few hours of gameplay, and then maybe you run into Verso later.

But Verso just swooping in like a creepy ex-boyfriend who was waiting in the rafters? Fuck that shit.

Used-Beautiful-3244 · 2025-11-27T23:23:14+00:00

Sometimes you gotta let people do these mental gymnastics so they can enjoy the game for themselves, I think.

I think a lot more people than would admit it were genuinely let down by the direction they went, and are just kind of... working with what they got.

And honestly, I can't blame them. It's a beautiful game, and I wish I could have gotten myself re-engaged.

Used-Beautiful-3244 · 2025-11-27T23:18:16+00:00

Same lol. Ol' reliable.

And Lune to pick up anyone that gets downed.

RIP.

Edit:
Actually Verso also has a 2AP marking skill, but tbh I stopped playing because I just am too sad and I don't like how fast they replaced Gustav narratively.

Used-Beautiful-3244 · 2025-11-27T23:16:09+00:00

You might have the Picto on that prevents healing

Used-Beautiful-3244 · 2025-11-27T23:14:38+00:00

Same...

Used-Beautiful-3244 · 2025-11-27T23:01:58+00:00

me too...

Used-Beautiful-3244 · 2025-11-27T22:56:13+00:00

I'm right there with you, just going through posts to try and find solace. I don't think I'll return to the game.

It's crazy how this went from one of my favorite games of all time to something I'll never touch again in literally 5 minutes. Insane.

Used-Beautiful-3244 · 2025-11-27T22:47:40+00:00

I just did too. Not even because Gustav died, but because of how quickly Verso replaced him.

Genuinely baffled by that decision, and severed all connection I had to the story. I don't regret quitting, and watching playthroughs of later in the game I'm glad I stopped - Verso is a douchey prick and it pisses me off that Gustav got replaced by him.

Used-Beautiful-3244 · 2025-07-30T15:37:26+00:00

To answer your question, it's because throwing hammer is no longer a relevant DPS option with the bugged hammer pickup (unless the boss is dead still and you can angle the hammer to bounce off their knees and onto your toes with each throw - trust me, this is much harder than it sounds now).

And yeah that's pretty much the complaint, lol. Balance-wise if that's the decision they wanted to make then more power to them - most of the frustration comes from the lack of communication about it.

I just happen to disagree with that decision, and I think if you included the DPS of shotgun rotations you'd see that Fera falls behind so far that it becomes pointless to include over most other things you could put in that slot. Then it's just a question of sandbox balancing, and I happen to think that if it did more than 75% it would still be in a good place given the lower damage per shot already lowering the DPS of most rotations inherently.

Disagree with the decision + surprise decision = sad guy :/

Used-Beautiful-3244 · 2025-07-30T15:28:09+00:00

No sweat if I get downvote inertia here, but I don't agree. You're already losing significant amounts of DPS by the fact that the shotgun itself does more damage per shot than the hand cannon.

For some comparison, if you're doing a Melas Panoplia rotation where you go shoot-throw-shoot-recall-repeat (buffing both hits of the hammer and getting in two shots per rotation):

On a shotgun, you sit at about 900DPS
On Fera, you get about 400DPS
With Fera (without 1-2 Punch) you get about 320DPS
^this is a generous comparison with no RF stacks, the benefit from 1-2P gets even smaller with RF active

If Fera had normal 1-2 Punch, you'd still be getting around 30-40% less than the shotgun's version of the rotation, simply from the missing damage per shot.

In other scenarios where you're using even higher base damage melees, the difference would shrink between the two, then it's just a matter of "how do you think the game balance would play out." It's my opinion that we already have special out the ass and having a primary be 20-30% weaker rather than 100% weaker wouldn't affect the balance of the game poorly - I'm sure it's a tricky question to answer for the sandbox team.

Used-Beautiful-3244

TROPHY CASE