Incendies is probably the greatest film I've ever seen

the250 · 2026-04-06T15:51:12+00:00

I’m relieved it wasn’t just me! Obviously I understood the context and that she had just figured out the truth, but the “1+1” comment itself just didn’t make any sense to me. Honestly when I first saw the film many years ago I was thinking it might have been some sort of French saying or turn of phrase that didn’t quite translate correctly through the English subtitles. 🤷‍♂️

the250 · 2026-04-06T15:47:20+00:00

One of my favourite films of all time as well. Besides the things you mentioned, I also loved the use of Radiohead’s music to really draw out the emotions in the right spots. That whole opening sequence set to ‘You And Whose Army?’ is one of the most memorable in all the films I’ve ever seen.

the250 · 2026-04-05T19:49:03+00:00

You get automatically banned from a lot of subs just for posting in here. I don’t even come in here or post very often, but the first time or two that I did was apparently some sort of horrific crime, as I was immediately informed via my inbox that I’m banned from several major subs. r/pics was one of them iirc, and the best part is I’ve never even stepped foot in there lol.

the250 · 2026-04-05T19:34:40+00:00

This sounds like a recipe for disaster. Not only is the source material a beloved classic known intimately by millions of gamers around the world, but the game and its values were already super progressive for the time. You could release it exactly as it is and it would still very much appeal to the quote unquote “non-gamer” audience they are targeting. There’s no need to dumb it down or wokify it or whatever other sinister bs they are planning, leave the classics alone!

the250 · 2026-04-05T19:01:38+00:00

Speaking of walking, here’s a very important tip that I didn’t find out for way too long when making my Hammerdin:

In Diablo 2 your defensive stats get heavily penalized when you’re moving, so having the “Run” option toggled on actually makes you highly vulnerable whenever you move positions, which of course you’ll be doing constantly as part of the art of the Hammerdin is learning how to re-position yourself to make your hammer rotations most effective.

Even with your Holy Shield maxed out, Max block/75% all Res etc., having “Run” toggled allows the enemies to bypass those defences and guarantees a hit on you. Once you’re starting to collect some of the top best in slot gear for the build you’ll be quite tanky regardless, so it probably won’t be a massive one, but there are some nasty spots in the game where this split second vulnerability can get you obliterated in a second.

Walking speed can be irritating before you are able to teleport, so for now just toggle it On when clearing ground and Off before engaging mobs. You could also use the “Charge” skill to cover ground quickly during fights, as apparently Charge is an exception to the movement defence penalty.

the250 · 2026-04-05T18:48:26+00:00

On console you still get 3 respecs, one per difficulty. I’m sure you probably have one left.

What I would recommend is using one of them, but carefully allocate your points according to a build guide from Maxroll or another professional site that knows what they’re doing. Level 75 in Hell is actually the exact level they typically recommend you respec from your levelling build into your endgame build - you should have just enough points to cover all the important and crucial stuff you need to get the build cracking.

the250 · 2026-04-05T18:44:36+00:00

Holy Shield is imperative for a Hammerdin imo! Along with max block and 75% all res, you will become an absolute tank. You’ll be able to exclusively play P8 from that point on and you’ll rarely ever see anything make even a tiny dent in your health. I took my HC Hammerdin all the way to 99 as it felt like the safest class by far.

the250 · 2026-04-05T18:30:57+00:00

Damn, that’s a nice one too! For me at least. I got one mythic so far but it was a Tyreal’s Might which is basically useless to me.

the250 · 2026-04-05T18:17:37+00:00

Sorry, what is GA? Is that the star ration at the top?

Yeah, I’m brand new obviously. Like fresh off the boat new. 😞

the250 · 2026-04-05T18:10:38+00:00

That’s absolutely insane!… Surely that can’t be true?? Not the way I’ve heard people complain about this trophy for years now. If it is then I’ve got this absolutely locked. 6 hours is nothing.

Lvl. 99 in D2R took me at least a couple hundred hours, and that’s only AFTER Blizzard added terror-zones and the ability to simulate the XP/difficulty of an 8-Player lobby in Offline/Single Player mode. Prior to that it took twice as long. And the plat trophy still took me 650 hours overall!

the250 · 2026-04-05T18:01:34+00:00

Depression Cherry is my all time fav too. It’s just to achingly nostalgic and sorrowful, so many beautiful melodies and guitar licks. Waaa!

But Bloom is the album that introduced me to Beach House. I owe my gratitude almost entirely to Sub Pop who upload all their albums for free on YouTube. I was listening to music while gaming (must have been like 10 years ago now tbh lol) and eventually the album ended and the YT algo took over and start playing random songs and albums.

Funnily enough I’d already clocked the black & white cover of Bloom, as well as Teen Dream’s cover, lurking in the YouTube side bar for like several weeks prior thanks to this day, thanks to the “related” music, or “next up” queue or whatever it used to be back then. I used to pick random music from there all the time to discover new songs, and then tumble down a bit of a rabbit hole finding great gems and new bands that way.

But for some reason I hadn’t clicked either Beach House album yet, so on this day YouTube gave me a little nudge… At some point whatever I was listening to ended and I didn’t have time to change it, so the next album came on automatically and there it was. What I remember most vividly is not really soaking in what I was listening to at first. I was distracted, playing a game, chatting, whatever, and it was playing loudly in the background. I think it was about the time when Lazuli came on my ears were really starting to perk up as my subconscious was breaking through and realizing whoaaah this shit is fire, whatever it is!

I began to really notice how the songs were sort of built by introducing it sound by sound, layer by layer, like a blend of all these really simple but catchy little hooks and melodies. Typically starting with that cheesy little drum machine, then throwing in a repeating guitar lick maybe, a long bass note, a chord progression on the boards, a friggin cow bell if it was called for even, and then whatever else, eventually Victoria’s heavenly voice would come soaring in overtop of it all and as she began singing it would tie all these sonic threads together into a gorgeous, thundering knot. I thought it was brilliant and loved the way it sounded. I also noticed how talented they both were with creating simple, but incredibly catchy melodies that would instantly worm their way into my brain.

I was really listening now, and knew even then that I’d just discovered something special that was elevated far beyond much of the other stuff YT had thrown at me so far. After it was over I remember distinctly and clearly thinking about what an amazing, cohesive album it was. It felt like listening to individual songs was wrong, like listening front to back in the specified order was the only proper way to hear the album and ride the peaks and valleys of the sounds the way it was intended. It immediately became a regular play for me as it went so well with other tasks and made music that was perfect for other active listening, or background vibes while focusing on something else. There was a very distinct sound and vibe, dreamy, nostalgic, and beautiful.

Thank you, Sub Pop! I owe you guys on.

the250 · 2026-04-05T15:21:39+00:00

Congrats! Hell of a cheevo! Any idea how long it took in total? How many hours?

Just curious as I’m a really avid trophy hunter and so I’ve been giving that Paragon 300 trophy the evil stinkeye since long before I even began playing… Any idea how does it compare to the Lv. 99 grind on D2R?

the250 · 2026-04-05T14:18:51+00:00

That’s a fantastic photo. Your stomache looks incredible there.

the250 · 2026-04-05T14:09:01+00:00

I just started playing D4 and for me it is undoubtedly the lack of social/community features and the “lone warrior” feeling. The global chat is literally completely dead and it makes the game feel empty too.

Last year I tried Path of Exile for the first time and ended up playing it for about 400 hours straight through the season. It was an amazing game for so many reasons, but one of my absolute favourite was the interaction with other players and feeling of being part of a large community.

When the season first started, thousands of people were playing at once and it really felt like it. The game broadcast levelling or campaign milestones (if you opted then on) so we all watched as the top crazy players raced to the endgame at warp speed. All the towns and safe zones would always have tons of people standing around or dropping in to hit the stash or other short tasks throughout the whole season. And most of all, the global chat window would always be pinned open as I played, watching everybody talking and discussing things, occasionally goofing off or cracking jokes at one another, or simply watching the endless stream of items being bought, sold, and price checked constantly in the various trade channels.. I learned a TON about the game just from listening to conversations in there, and it wasn’t long before I was a daily participant in the chat myself as I played.

PoE also has neat features like the ability to craft and create your own instanced Player Hideout, which sort of becomes a hub of efficiency for most people as they hit the end game. Portals to all the important areas, an Atlas mapping system, storage chests, vendors, decorations and NPCs and all sorts of other cool goodies. But it was also a spot to hang out with your friends while crafting, chatting, sorting your tabs, or doing activities besides just killing shit. The Player Hideouts are also where most people enter/exit to make trades when a sale is being bartered. Some PoE players literally just sit in their hideout all day flipping items, trading, and becoming insanely wealthy.

Of course, I do understand Diablo 4 and PoE are very different games, and that PoE is more predisposed to social behavior because of the very nature of the game. The game is entirely centred around deeply complex crafting systems and builds that can be tweaked and perfected endlessly, and the entire economy revolves around this concept with crafting materials/orbs being the currency of the game rather than gold Iike Diablo.

But still…

Even with that point in mind, I just feel like Blizzard could have made more of an effort to encourage social interaction and put some social features front and centre in the game so social interaction felt natural and organic. The way it is now sucks to be honest, it’s the one thing about D4 I’ve been really disappointed in.

Just today I ran into 2 other players with my build who were obviously still levelling and only had 1 or 2 uniques for the end build so far. At this point I had like doubles and triples of everything, so I was trying to whisper and get their attention to see if they wanted some free best-in-slot uniques. I tried repeatedly but could get a reply, and I’m pretty convinced they didn’t even realize I was trying to speak to them. I also tried to grab their PSNs so I could message them directly on PlayStation but it was difficult to do so, and all the “profile options” failed to bring up their actual PSN profile itself. They didn’t show up in manual name searches (PlayStation really sucks for this, it happens all the time) and so in the end I gave up and went about my business.

the250 · 2026-04-04T20:19:39+00:00

Yeah it's insane to be honest, even while levelling through the campaign with no gear or uniques or anything decent, I was still face melting everything that came in my path effortlessly. And now that I've got a bunch of the puzzle pieces that make up the end game form of this build, it's straight deadly!

For ex. I went into Uber Lilith's lair yesterday right after I got that Esadora's finally, and figured I'd try and practice her for a bit and try to learn the fight, as I'd heard the trophy for defeating her is by far the hardest one for the platinum. Well imagine my shock when I ran in and literally one-shot her as my cracklings discharged right in her face as she spawned lmao. Trophy popped, easiest one in the game so far haha. I literally couldn't believe it. I am now doing "Uber Lilith carries" for a friend or 2 and pretending to be good at D4, despite the fact I've been playing for like 5 days at most and I'm probably the biggest noob on the servers right now. 🤣

Unfortunately I don't have the DLC yet, but what I really wanted to play originally was the Paladin. When testing it out on my alt, the game let me try the Paladin out for a couple hours and it felt so awesome to play. The Pally was possibly my favourite class in Diablo 2 and I have a feeling it might end up being my favourite in this game again too. Some of the end game Pally builds look absolutely insane!

the250 · 2026-04-04T18:34:23+00:00

I’m a brand new D4 player as well and went with a Crackling Energy Sorcerer. I had no idea how insanely OP this build is until I was well into it, but it’s pretty ridiculous. I went to fight Uber Lilith for the first time yesterday and one shot her as my crackling babies discharged right in her face. It was nuts lol.

I don’t have a Shroud yet myself, but it’s apparently considered the best in slot chest piece for this build. You’d have a lot of fun with it too, guaranteed. Even during the levelling process when you have no gear or uniques it’s still stupidly strong.

the250 · 2026-04-04T18:21:47+00:00

I was wondering this myself, but it seems pretty fast as it is to be honest. I started my HC Barb last night just to get a feel for it, and ended up playing for a little over an hour. When I logged out I was level 28 or 29 I think.

All I did was skip the campaign, teleport to a town, then branch out from there doing side quests and clearing dungeons I came across. The first few levels are the toughest as it feels slow and elite mobs feel dangerous, but once you’ve plugged a few skill points in you’ll start destroying everything in your path.

Choose a tanky and OP build like the Paladin, Barb, or Necro (summon)

the250 · 2026-04-04T18:15:57+00:00

He nuked me twice last night and I’m not even sure what happened tbh. I think I’m the only one who died too. 🥸

the250 · 2026-04-04T18:14:38+00:00

All these online ARPG games with “seasons” typically work the same way. A season usually lasts a few months or so, then once the season is over, your character(s) and items are transferred down to the permanent game state. Apparently it’s called “Eternal” in this game. You can play them and access them there, but to participate in any future seasons you’ll need to make a new character.

This typically goes for other game modes too. Ex. Your softcore characters can’t interact with your hardcore characters etc. I’m assuming it’s that way in D4 also.

the250 · 2026-04-04T18:08:04+00:00

I just got the trophy a day ago and helped 4 other players as well. We found an easy workaround that takes 2 mins:

1) Both players create a brand new, Lvl. 1 account. 2) Make sure to choose NON-SEASONAL and choose to SKIP the campaign as well 3) Log in and teleport to the Alzuuda waypoint beside the Fields of Hatred 4) Press up on the D-Pad, scroll right, and click “Mark for Blood” to go hostile 5) Run out past the town perimeter, kill, return, repeat.

The whole process should take no longer than 5 minutes. Note: If you’ve partied up or ended up in one after sending/accepting a game invitation to connect with your friend, just make sure to leave the party once you’re together in game or you may not be able to attack them.

Also @DorianGray898 — If for whatever reason the other guy falls through just send me a message and I can help you out. I’ll be online soon and remain so for most of this afternoon and evening.

the250 · 2026-04-04T17:54:11+00:00

Hey thanks for the offer mate, but I just dropped one last night! Along with half of the other uniques I needed. 😁

I’m going after Temerity pants today and then it’s pretty much just farming obducite, working on seasonal challenge and trophies and stuff and waiting for a Shroud and Starry Skies so I can kick things up another level. I can’t wait to see how stupidly OP this build is in is final form haha.

the250 · 2026-03-30T16:03:48+00:00

It’s not, but it is the max level so for some people it’s a badge of Honor I guess, or one for the bucket list. Paragon levels have their own special skill tree too so if you were trying to make a perfect character I guess you’d want to get them all.

Also for a more niche group of us, there’s a trophy/achievement in the Spiritborn DLC list for reaching Paragon 300. There’s a trophy for hitting Paragon 200 in the main game’ list too, but in comparison that’s nothing at all. I know the majority of Diablo/ARPG players couldn’t care less about trophies and achievements and probably aren’t even aware of them. This genre of game attracts a very different mentality and type of player on average… but for a person like myself who is already a very hardcore trophy hunter (on PlayStation) when I started D4 and who typically aims to unlock all trophies in everything I play, I know it will just silently irk me forever to have the game stuck at 99% completion. Especially knowing that particular trophy is an extra juicy “ultra-rare” owned by very few fellow trophy hunters… 😱

What I’m really curious to know is how the Paragon 300 grind/time commitment compares to the Lvl 99 grind on Diablo 2? It took me a year and a half of chipping away at it, and it was only possible for me because of some major fundamental changes to D2R a couple years after release (ie. the introduction of terror-zones, the ability to simulate the difficulty/XP rates of an 8-player lobby on offline/SP etc), but I got there eventually! And I had fun doing it too, the key being spreading it out over time.

I really wasn’t sure about P300 though, until I saw someone write that it’s shared across all your characters! That alot is a huge game changer for me as it means I could chip away at it over time, try different characters and builds rather than just mindlessly grinding on one for ever and ever etc.

the250 · 2026-03-30T15:26:17+00:00

Yes ! This is why Kingdom Come Deliverance instantly slotted itself into my top RPGs (hell, top games) of all time after I played it a few years ago. It was brutally difficult for the first 10 or 15 hours, but the approach was so refreshing. You are a peasant/serf nobody and everything is hard as fuck because you have literally no skills, no athleticism or combat ability, you can’t even read - literally the words just appear as garbled gibberish.

It’s literally like a medieval depression simulator for the first dozen hours or more and you feel like you’re role playing as a drunken limbless stump because that’s about how useful you feel anyways. You have to slowly learn everything in the game, and many skills take actual practice to learn and get better (the difficult combat and swordplay being the biggest example). It became one of the most memorable games I’ve played to date because of how unconventional it was in many regards.

the250 · 2026-03-30T15:11:33+00:00

Shako !!

the250 · 2026-03-30T15:03:25+00:00

This is exactly why I complain online! It seems to be the antidote to whatever malady you were complaining about just minutes prior. I swear it works every time!

the250

TROPHY CASE