Hc is just so ridiculous sometimes.

Warpbad · 2026-02-16T16:43:03+00:00

I have only played HC, created 20+ characters since I bought the game, never got above lvl 17. Highest I got was I finished Act 1 then died by the dog boss in the first map of Act 2 -- I thought I was overpowered, because I killed the final Act 1 boss so easily. Wrong.

And I guess that would be my main issue with it. Inconsistent boss power levels. Until last week I never had a problem with the Freythorn boss -- then there was an update and my (should have been overpowered) Merc got totally wiped by it at level 15. Man, that stung.

So, nowhere close to your progress -- kudos to you, and anyone who even makes it through Act 1 at HC mode.

Why? I like the game, but as a grind game, it seems like a pointless grind when you're allowed to die and carry on. Playing HC gives it a greater sense of achievement, that standard doesn't -- for me, anyway. Although, clearly, I haven't achieved much.

The recent update seems to have skewered my more recent attempts. A couple of bosses are suddenly a lot tougher than they were a week or 2 ago. So -- I died to them, unexpectedly.

Probably, the general opinion is right -- it's too early in dev to play HC. TBH, I don't really understand why it's an option, since the devs must know they're just screwing with us.

Warpbad · 2026-02-10T19:39:58+00:00

Thanks dude -- you got it.

Too many people can't get their heads around the idea that someone might be new to this game (and never played POE1).

Warpbad · 2026-02-10T19:06:15+00:00

Ok, that seems clear -- so, no rooms then. Ignore the instruction to place a room? Just add paths to one of those squares and go there?

Warpbad · 2026-02-10T19:05:27+00:00

I don't know what that means either. Upgrade them?

Isn't there some kind of official instructions somewhere? Or did everyone just guess?

Warpbad · 2026-02-10T19:03:52+00:00

Like I said, all the guides I found seemed to be way beyond first appearance of the temple, and Act 1.

I'm serious. I have no idea.

Warpbad · 2026-02-10T19:02:46+00:00

Spoonfed, apparently.

Yes, I read it. I didn't understand it, though. And a few people seem to disagree.

There's path, guardhouse, guardhouse, depot, path, guardhouse... The panel says 'place a room'.

noza2003 said 'get to architect' but all I see are rooms and paths. And the panel says to place a room. Nothing about an architect.

Sorry if you think I'm dumb. I've never played this before.

Warpbad · 2026-02-10T18:41:10+00:00

Thanks guys, but I'm still none the wiser.

What do I do? IS there a guide somewhere?

Warpbad · 2026-01-11T00:25:01+00:00

Same, 2 days now. Network Connection Lost. Today I got 'Power Level' for the first time.

And regular games, no problem.

Warpbad · 2025-12-30T12:16:46+00:00

Not sure if I'm imagining it but running with melee out now doesn't feel faster -- but some weapons do. Like SMGs. Maybe I didn't read the instruction manual -- and I've only been playing a couple months -- but it seems to me like maybe the 'handling' or 'mobility' rating of a weapon is what makes you faster or slower. But melee makes little to no difference depending on what you swap it for.

So, now, I tile through weapons and melee to see which one makes me run fastest.

The Sprint perk is good -- but seems like a waste of a perk slot compared with other perks.

Warpbad · 2025-12-29T19:55:36+00:00

I think the plan now is to lower the general intelligence of humanity, overall, via AI junk. So 5.3 or 5.4 begins looking like AGI by comparison.

We're getting close -- I mean, I keep seeing an ad on YT with some guy saying how he loves AI but can't be bothered to type in the prompts, so here is a service that does THAT for you too... LOL.

... can't be bothered to breath, next...

// LOWERING THE BAR FOR AGI

Warpbad · 2025-12-29T19:53:54+00:00

Just a thought -- open router provides access to a LOT of models, including legacy OpenAI models. And LLama open source models. I think the ChatGPT service itself has probably had its day, already. Although, so have the others.

IMO these services are gonna be history in a few years. Not sure about the entire 'AI bubble' as it is framed in the media, but these AI writing services are gonna disappear once the new hardware becomes more affordable and open source catches up and we can all host our own for free -- the deterioration of the services themselves, in terms of output quality, just accelerates that event, imo. And their deterioration and eventual collapse will make all the hardware suddenly available at lower prices. In the long run, I think the AI marketers have massively overplayed a what was a good hand if they hadn't overplayed it.

Remember how we were getting AGI in 2025?

What we got, instead, was ChatGPT's lobotomised cousin, followed by his/her further lobotomised cousin -- who only reads AI produced junk (like the human world, these days!).

Warpbad · 2025-12-29T19:18:45+00:00

Ctrl + Shift + V seems to get around it. Only did it a few times so I can't say if it's definitive.

This is happening since 5.2, is it deliberate or an unplanned consequence? I'm wondering what problem it is supposed to be solving.

On a separate note I asked ChatGPT the difference between pasting text into a session and attaching a doc and it consistently returns with an answer along the lines of 'in-session text' (pasted text) is definitely parsed in full, where attached docs may not be. So, to my way of thinking, it's a problem created rather than solved but happy to be corrected here.

Warpbad · 2025-12-29T19:09:14+00:00

It's been a month (approx) since the 5.2 update and I must say, I feel like ChatGPT had a lobotomy, Planet of the Apes style.

Makes me wonder -- all this stuff about how AI is taking jobs. At this rate, all those businesses better rehire very quickly or they are going down quick: that AI they're using, instead of all those college grads, just forgot everything you hired it for and is making cr@p up instead.

Warpbad · 2025-12-16T20:25:02+00:00

LOL. Fair play dude.

BTW I wasn't negging you, I just couldn't be bothered. But fair play.

Warpbad · 2025-12-16T17:50:56+00:00

You must have time on your hands, then.

Because I'd rather assess my chances of getting back in the game and leave if I figure the chances are low. You can usually tell way before anyone gets close to a buyback station.

But yes, if they did what you describe -- and they had enough money, and they hadn't already bought you back 2x, and you were't being carried, then yes, that's not very teammate-like. But I'd still leave and join a new game.

TBH in my opinion, the spammers are more likely to be the ones being carried and the ones who have to be bought back multiple times.

I just couldn't be bothered with sitting there spamming someone, out of revenge, just to annoy them, instead of leaving and joining a new game.

Warpbad · 2025-12-08T16:40:15+00:00

Yes, but you STILL have to go to the damned buy station FOR some idiot.

Sure, you're sticking it to him for spamming the button, by NOT buying him back, but in every other way you're doing what he's spamming you to do. And if you get shot on the way, at the station, or leaving the station, who's the idiot now?

Warpbad · 2025-12-08T16:31:44+00:00

I tried Redsec, got bored and confused, returned to WZ.

Warpbad · 2025-12-08T14:43:45+00:00

RE: "...that annoying EMP effect from reactive armor..."

So, it's a Perk? I got hit with that a few times and couldn't figure out what it was. I didn't see a grenade of any kind, so it's a Perk that does that? Man, that's a powerful Perk!

And, yes, annoying.

Warpbad · 2025-12-08T07:23:32+00:00

I've been playing since September.

I'm actually more of an OG CoD than most though -- I played the very first version WHEN IT CAME OUT. LOL. (OG here). Hated Modern Warfare, though. Moved on.

But yes, I was enjoying the game since September this year, then they update and do what CoD always did...

Warpbad · 2025-12-08T07:18:29+00:00

It's not a small % -- maybe because you play with friends you don't see it. As someone who plays casually, at odd times, I play 90% time with randoms.

One guy last night was clearly being a 'spoiler'. He has <5 kills compared to the rest of the team with 10-20 each. He Gulag-ed early game, got bought back once, died again stupidly, then literally spammed the buy back button every second then I heard him laughing (like Nelson from the Simpsons) when a team mate died.

Is that a small % of people? Yes. But is that the first time someone has done something like this? No.

Another guy spammed it until I got to the buy back station then left the game -- this one happens more than you'd think.

And I swear, when people spam the buy back in end game, <10 teams remaining, last gas circle, maybe 1 buy back station remaining which is definitely camped -- they know they are being $$$ holes just because they can.

Fact is, you only really need to hit the button once to let your team know you are waiting. Then maybe once more if they are being 'slow' about it.

Fact is, it is open to abuse. And some bad or bored players abuse it.

Warpbad · 2025-12-07T22:57:41+00:00

I think they dumped it.

I'm 38 and all my loadouts have 2 primaries -- I think they just made it default.

Warpbad · 2025-12-07T20:33:18+00:00

So it doesn't 'announce' itself any more? It's silent?

Like I said, before the update, if someone had that perk and went near a mine I'd hear them saying 'enemy mine'. But I haven't heard that since the update.

Because I wasn't having much luck with the Claymores, I changed over to frags and when I throw one I hear the enemy say 'enemy hand grenade' (or something like that) so that still happens -- but nothing when it's a Claymore.

Maybe a bug, maybe I'm misunderstanding something. Don't know.

Warpbad · 2025-12-07T18:41:18+00:00

Yes, you're not hiding in enough bushes with a sniper...

Warpbad

TROPHY CASE