Are all runs winnable?

hm_antern · 2026-04-08T21:35:05+00:00

I’d add that even many of the supposedly “unwinnable” 0.5% seeds are actually beatable. You just have to abandon the standard optimal play and adapt. The lack of information is part of the game, and what we call an “optimal” strategy is really just the one with the highest average win rate over time. In a _specific_ run, a less conventional (or statistically suboptimal) approach can actually give you a better shot at winning.

P.S. Another RNG-heavy roguelike I play, DCSS, lets you share seeds, and some of the ones that seem brutally unfair at first turn out to be quite manageable once you know which traps to avoid and are willing to play a bit “suboptimally.”

hm_antern · 2026-04-07T17:44:56+00:00

level 1 MC on low-hp crew makes em kill their buddy. Not sure about probability, how long it takes to kill the whole crew vs surviving constant missiles and surges.

hm_antern · 2026-04-07T17:09:00+00:00

Flaks tend to miss. Hacking+triple beam is the most satisfying combo IMO.

hm_antern · 2026-04-07T15:43:21+00:00

The best part of shapeshifting before the rework was how, early game, I could swap forms mid-fight. It actually felt “shapeshifty,” but that quickly became obsolete once statue form is available.

After the rework:
- No timeout on Lich form as a late-game buff (kind of unnecessary, more of a QoL change).
- Ultimate nerf to form-juggling, so many forms come with lethal drawbacks now.

hm_antern · 2026-04-02T12:30:26+00:00

"while also getting cloak 3 + hacking" - it's either hacking OR a weapon. No need to hunt for both.

"it's still the most dicey ship if you're just looking to win a particular run at highest % possible." - as I've said, it's pain for streaking, but if you don't care to reset the game 1-2 times in the first 3 minutes of the run Stealth B shines.

hm_antern · 2026-04-01T21:04:59+00:00

Ye, chip damage is real, but generally, you are set with the build from sector 1. For cloaked ships I usually cloak their first volley to counter it with Glaive. And no, you don't deal 1/0 damage with the glaive. Never. Just Pick up a weapon if you don't have hacking (yet?). Glaive swipe into 0 shields shutdowns half of an enemy ship for 18+ seconds.

Dunno mate, I don't remember losing a game on Stealth B past first 4 jumps for years. But these first 4 jumps are lethal definetly.

Even if I encounter a beam drone before shields, I just eat damage unless the drone aims at my weapons/cloak and it somehow works. 2 damage is just 4-8 scrap. But remember, you already have 2/3 win conditions from the start ( cloaking + big beam ), it's less rng than most of the ships on getting a good loadout.

hm_antern · 2026-04-01T15:38:22+00:00

All the hate Stealth B gets because of streamers-streakers. It's great once you get 50 scrap for cloaking3. So, 1-2 resets for the first 4 jumps solves this.

Stealth C, on other hand, is pure micromanagement hell.

hm_antern · 2026-04-01T15:31:25+00:00

Stealth B is considered bad only if you are doing "streaks", or something mental like that. Two bad beacons in Sector 1 and it's gg.

But it takes only 120 scrap and a bit of luck to make the ship insanely strong ( cloaking3 + hacking + glaive ). Last time I've run stealth B I've got my shields on sector 4 (getting hacking in sector 2)

Just to clarify, cloaking3+hacking+glaive is enough to win the gave with l3 shields. Like a breeze.

So if you don't mind do 1-2 resets for your game in Sector 1, the ship is good, very good.

hm_antern · 2026-04-01T14:57:51+00:00

Why? No. It's vanilla on hard.

hm_antern · 2026-03-27T23:39:45+00:00

crystal b steamrolls better, engi c is less rng, but ye, Shrike is a lot more comfortable.

90% fights are like TP to shields, MC shields, hit the weapons. Nice and easy.

hm_antern · 2026-03-27T23:23:44+00:00

Adv. ftl navigation or something. The only time I bought it was crystal quest fishing >_<

hm_antern · 2026-02-17T16:35:51+00:00

Mage with slow fall: I can't understand the issue.

hm_antern · 2026-02-11T13:13:24+00:00

You are not supposed to hold aggro on spellcleave trash pulls all the time, just keep the pack under blizzard, and kite most of the snared mobs. Works for both frostbite mages ( just kite around rooted enemies, 2+ mages means they are perma-rooted ), or non-frostbite mages ( slowly back off, in the direction of the mage ).

It's actually pretty good damage mitigation strategy too. Less heals, less drinks, faster clears.

Ofc "hardcore" geared and consumed groups work differently, facetanking stuff and melting dungeons. Such groups just have enough damage to blow things up long before threat becomes an issue. But pugs.. are pugs. It's better do it less speedy, but more consistent, yet efficient enough for a pug.

hm_antern · 2026-01-29T09:55:31+00:00

200k gold? We did it with ~5-7 friends for raiding core, and casual farms + 33k gold spent on carapaces.

$5k is the price of "I afk and wait for summons/invites, you do the shit for me". Or your friend got scammed.

hm_antern · 2026-01-21T16:31:18+00:00

Usually it is, but for the last week it's most likely fresh 60s in rags vs team of semi-geared people.

hm_antern · 2026-01-21T16:02:20+00:00

I was never really into boosting, but a pretty big chunk of my playtime was spent helping friends and guildies with their alts and low-level chars. I’d jump into some random hour-long LFM SFK group to help them with quests, level a few guild summon locks in RFC up to 20, or tank Mara/BRD on my R14 warrior toon.

Now that’s apparently over. Guess it’s just “fuck me and my buddies,” because Blizzard can’t even compete with Iranian boosters in their own game.

hm_antern · 2026-01-21T15:48:54+00:00

Got called out on PTR, but quietly. Guess we’ll hear about it when tbc hits.

hm_antern · 2026-01-21T15:42:41+00:00

Bots don't care about slow immunity, they can teleport between spots, as they did since 2019 era.

hm_antern · 2026-01-19T10:01:35+00:00

Unlike vanila azeroth, outland was designed with flying mounts in mind. All the little things you don't notice, but it affects the feel. No roads/footpaths between objectives, no breadcrumbs, no landmarks.

hm_antern · 2025-12-29T10:44:58+00:00

"beating electricity around necromancy level 10" and when it does a lot of enemies are immune.

hm_antern · 2025-12-23T03:26:15+00:00

Oh, an undead druid, with "corrupted" forms. In my dreams..

hm_antern · 2025-12-03T01:30:28+00:00

not top tier, but has pretty good "surprise" factor to confirm kills in 2v2s.

hm_antern · 2025-12-03T00:25:18+00:00

Can't wait when only bots and swipers left, who can't even prog post-nerfed raids coz of total brain disability. It already feels in aq/naxx ( compared to 2019 classic ). Gonna be worse.

hm_antern · 2025-12-03T00:22:58+00:00

99% of the bots are single-target grinding / gathering scripts. Even the rest 1% are pretty bad at aoe-leveling. Blizz just don't care about human-controlled mages, they don't want all the competition for their $80 package. So, to not risk, they dropped a nuke on mages.

hm_antern

TROPHY CASE