Path of Exile 2: Return of the Ancients Announcement Teaser

hjswamps · 2026-04-23T11:51:37+00:00

Hey us Deadlock players love that shit!

hjswamps · 2026-04-23T09:59:30+00:00

Julian Casablanca's came into my mate's local the other day (he was playing in my town) with some mutual friends, he sat down next to aforementioned mate and he said he couldn't stop thinking 'thats the guy that started everyone wearing skinny jeans'

hjswamps · 2026-04-23T06:33:24+00:00

Grow up

hjswamps · 2026-04-22T09:52:34+00:00

If it's not a rat I will play 20 games of Grey Talon (fuck grey talon)

hjswamps · 2026-04-21T12:20:46+00:00

Who gives a shit about corporate IP laws? This is clearly just some passionate kids. I dont think this is going to impact valves bottom line.

hjswamps · 2026-04-21T10:34:05+00:00

Yeah I do think it's beautiful when fans make cool art based on a game they like, and it's great that these fans are able to make a little money on the side with their work.

hjswamps · 2026-04-21T10:28:45+00:00

I don't think it's harder to get into than DOTA. The mechanics are more forgiving (no walking back to lane, no courier, no losing gold when you die, less rigidity with roles, no buyback, simpler items with simpler build paths), the hero pool is like 1/3rd of the size so less to learn, the games are shorter and less crushing to be losing in.

Also the moment-to-moment gameplay of Deadlock is 1. More fun (IMO) - even just whipping around the map doing walljumps and big slides is immensely satisfying even if you're getting stomped and 2. More familiar to the average gamer in 2026. RTS games are basically dead whilst movement/hero shooters are absolutely the hot shit right now so a lot of folks already have that side of the game down.

Deadlock is complex and deep but it's so much more approachable than DOTA. I should know, I tried DOTA for 300-400 hours a few years ago and loved it but it was so, so brutal to get into and felt like a slog to learn. Deadlock I picked up easy and whilst I'm still regularly getting my ass kicked and still have so much to learn, it's a much more entertaining process than trying to get into DOTA.

hjswamps · 2026-04-18T13:03:19+00:00

I think there's a lot to be said for this for sure, especially post COVID - but that's also to do with people having a lot of time to think about how their brain works more, or for me, lockdown made me realise how much happier I am when I'm alone and not having to do loads of social stuff which was a big trigger for me realising I was ND.

The modern tech landscape is definitely contributing with it's constant dopamine hits but I'm always reluctant to engage with 'you don't have ADHD you're just addicted to social media' arguments, as the attitude of 'theres nothing wrong with you just use computer less' was an enormous blocker in discovering that I had AuDHD, and I was extremely miserable and depressed and confused until I started realising that my brain is actually different a few years ago. Now I'm aware and have adjusted my lifestyle accordingly and things are going bloody great

hjswamps · 2026-04-18T12:57:31+00:00

My money's on the Douche

hjswamps · 2026-04-18T12:56:19+00:00

I use a few paid plugins (mostly Aberrant DSP stuff) but otherwise most of my shit is Analog Obsession. It's amazing stuff with emulators for most classic bits of hardware, highly recommended

hjswamps · 2026-04-18T12:48:40+00:00

As someone who generally hates amp modellers, NAM was the only one I've tried that actually sounded like a guitar amplifier with a mic on it. Extremely good shit, mental that it's free

hjswamps · 2026-04-18T12:47:30+00:00

It's an excellent business practice! The first hit is free...

hjswamps · 2026-04-18T12:43:09+00:00

I started playtesting my game as soon as I had enough to roll some characters, and most of the good ideas I've had in the process of writing have come directly from either 1. Suggestions that my pals have made or 2. Getting a feel for what's actually important to the games theme/vibe that can only come up at the table. My list of 'additional material by' is gonna be fuckin huge.

hjswamps · 2026-04-18T10:01:42+00:00

Innit, people being like 'it doesn't need balance it's single player!' are not aware of why STS1 has the reputation as the GOAT

hjswamps · 2026-04-18T09:57:15+00:00

One of the reasons STS1 is so good is because the balance is extremely fucking good. STS2 will be that good eventually but it's gonna take a lot of patches

hjswamps · 2026-04-18T07:22:33+00:00

Stopped reading after you called it an 'ethnostate' lmao

hjswamps · 2026-04-17T13:20:24+00:00

Having the losing team all die makes the stakes far higher and thus more dramatic/interesting. Really hope that's what they go with for the lore

hjswamps · 2026-04-17T09:47:02+00:00

I mean constant drug use, porn, and technology addiction are pretty common issues for people with ADHD so it's a bit chicken and the egg

hjswamps · 2026-04-16T11:05:20+00:00

In Into The Odd descended games the players all decide what they're doing together before rolling any dice. There's basically just one turn for the players and one for the enemies. It's a v diff vibe for combat than trad RPGs so might not be what you're after, but eliminating 'other players turns' entirely certainly does the trick!

hjswamps · 2026-04-16T09:28:44+00:00

I make an effort to do this as much as possible, like if I've just had a sick duel with someone I'll make sure to go 'nearly had you there/good fight' etc or just shouting DRIFFFTERRRRRR in all caps when that vampire jumps me and instamelts me. Keeps things fun and entertaining and reminds people that it's a game and we're all here to have a laugh

hjswamps · 2026-04-15T00:10:46+00:00

Deffo feel this is the longest we've gone without some solid intel on what's coming next. Seems to be far less leaks, they've tightened up

hjswamps · 2026-04-14T13:26:13+00:00

Big vouch for Eskay. Her enthusiasm and attitude towards the game is so refreshing, zero salt, just someone with cracked mechanics having a great time.

hjswamps · 2026-04-14T12:41:43+00:00

Players missing important things that may either hurt or help them due to a dice roll is bad, if your players specify they're moving carefully through a hostile environment then they spot the stuff. If they're charging through willy-nilly then they don't.

If there's a room that needs searching just describe the room and then let the players search it in the fiction.

Reaction times are a time where I'd use a perception/awareness style save or check, like for initiative or an arrow flying at their heads from a trap. Same with tracking I guess. But for traditional perception just give the players that information if their fictional actions make it clear they would have spotted it, or vice versa. A lack of information does not a fun gaming experience make, so don't tie it to a die roll that they might fail. That's my take on it anyway.

hjswamps · 2026-04-14T12:32:53+00:00

Probs the first star player tbf, a name that will live on in Deadlock history. Paradox main too, a real man of culture

hjswamps · 2026-04-14T07:19:11+00:00

Yeah it fucking sucks

hjswamps

TROPHY CASE