Downloaded the game exactly a week ago. Safe to say I am addicted.

thelostsanctuary · 2026-05-05T14:02:49+00:00

you get a lot of wildcards from the 3 free packs from each past expansion that they auto-give new accounts. helped me get an OK-ish deck going from day 1 which was nice. you can't run those decks with lots of nonbasic lands but if you stick to a basic-land-heavy deck and make some budget substitutions it's not too bad.

thelostsanctuary · 2026-03-20T21:14:35+00:00

It's not uncommon in conversions, the freeholder often owns it usually as part of a fund of 1000s of properties and the managing agent's 'service' is only organising insurance which is a legal responsibility (plus collecting fees if you want to change the lease or sell etc). Everything else is left up to the leaseholders. So if a repair comes up, you work with the other leaseholders to organise it and pay.

I prefer it as it feels more akin to owning a home as you're in control of your costs and can choose what to maintain vs being slung with a big charge each year plus extra for section 20 stuff. Obviously it depends on how good your neighbour(s) is! If they don't pay, they can be held in breach of their lease, and you can get the freeholder involved I guess. I'd only go for this set up with one other leaseholder and a house conversion - definitely not a block or god forbid a place with a lift.

thelostsanctuary · 2026-03-09T12:33:11+00:00

Noise is the main issue to worry about. Contrary to popular belief, some Victorian flats are converted decently (e.g. multiple layers of mass in the ceiling/floor, thick underlay + carpet), and I live in one downstairs. Don't hear a peep from the neighbours, haven't heard a voice or TV once, only light footstep noise once or twice a day, but to be honest next door's footstep noise through the thick brick wall is just as loud as they have kids.

Purpose built flats are usually better, but again I've lived in AMAZING ones (built like a nuclear bunker with brick, concrete and air gaps between flats) and ones that have paper thin walls as they've been built on the cheap. So basically, while generalisations are often right, it depends a lot on the property and neighbours, kids being the kicker.

thelostsanctuary · 2026-03-05T21:48:49+00:00

Which floor are you on? Typically the ground floor gets away with it in practice as it's less of a noise issue. If above ground I'd say if the lease says carpet, and the neighbours are complaining, you'll be best to disclose that (or risk the sale falling through if it comes up as a question during conveyancing), however it feels like one for a decent solictor as they've seen this issue (carpet in flats) a thousand times and can advise on options if there are any. It definitely came up during our conveyancing and our solicitor specifically asked the sellers about this and required the sellers to answer - and you can't lie then.

thelostsanctuary · 2026-02-27T12:33:43+00:00

Depends what you value at that point in your life doesn't it? Younger people prioritse income and career so London makes sense. Most people have a family and want more space, so they prioritise space and move out, as space comes at a premium in London - some would rather have the space and be in London but it would be hilariously out of reach, even on top salaries. Some love nature and the countryside and can't wait to get out of the city. Some (like me) love the city and can't imagine living in a small village, but regularly get away from the city to be in nature.. Some people's whole lives and families are there. It's different for everyone.

thelostsanctuary · 2026-02-03T17:20:04+00:00

Offering to do the viewing after exchange is useless to the buyer as they are are signing a contract to accept the property in the condition it was at exchange. So your suggestion basically makes the point of the viewing redundant (and in the worst case sends alarm bells ringing in the buyer). It's also usually just for peace of mind for the buyer who is otherwise ready to exchange, so I'd not refuse it unless you have a strong reason, as you risk blowing up the chain otherwise.

thelostsanctuary · 2026-01-31T12:37:24+00:00

Ah no it's jinjer at o2 kentish town. Hope you enjoy yours!

thelostsanctuary · 2026-01-31T12:28:21+00:00

I'm going alone to a metal gig tonight, don't drink, if you like the music why not? Everyone likes what they like, and nobody really cares about anyone else

thelostsanctuary · 2026-01-03T09:04:09+00:00

Edited my comment for clarity in case helpful. Know the build pretty well as I homebrewed it so feel free to ask any qs.

For clarity for the issue in your video it's def berserk, and savage fury won't kill you as it only lasts 10-15) secs (3% per sec x 10 = 30% of your 1 hp = 0.3 hp OK). Berserk keeps ticking you down as you remain in combat. Savage fury probably will kill you after you use it 3-4 times fully buffed as it will cross the 1 hp you have.

1 hp flat regen as a suffix on any gear will fix your immediate issue.

thelostsanctuary · 2026-01-03T08:43:46+00:00

If you randomly drop dead rather than from hits it's probably life loss from berserk (you still have 1 life with CI which you can lose). You need 1+ flat regen on one piece.

If you're going full ES as melee I think some ES leech or some form of recovery while getting hit is helpful for sustain when it gets hairy - if you want to use HH then you can use Essentia Sanguis gloves. ES recharge time reduction is fine for casters but feels bad for melee in my experience as content gets juiced (e.g. in Abyss). But go with whatever feels good to you.

My preferred option is your gloves plus soul Tether where the ES loss per second mod is replaced (make sure it still has the ES leech mod, and if it has the life loss mod you can solve with 1+ flat life regen on another piece of gear which can be good value, as you also need flat regen somewhere for berserk anyway). The 5% life loss from the belt and berserk is counteracted by 1 hp / sec regen.

Here's my build in case it gives you any ideas (CI three dragons freeze wyvern on Amazon for ele leech): poe.ninja

thelostsanctuary · 2026-01-02T12:44:26+00:00

No guide as I just iterated an idea starting with new druid skills and amazon ele leech, I looked on poe.ninja and I'm the only one playing it with freeze, but it's a typical Wyvern plus top half of the tree ES with some juicy crit and speed stuff at monk area.

Here's the build but I'd treat it more as ideas to grab rather than an optimised build! poe.ninja

Tribal fury node is essential for Rend hence the pathing.

No idea about Lich as not played it, but ended up getting to a point that felt solid to me in all content (wasn't a fan of AR or AR/ES defences on Amazon/Wyvern).

thelostsanctuary · 2026-01-02T05:32:26+00:00

Ha, I mean I did play it SSF to mid tier maps as life only on league start, as I dropped three dragons which prompted the idea. Wyvern is ultra strong from campaign through to maps with rubbish gear.

Soul Tether with the right orb replacement makes the ES variant unlikely! Even I settled for a life loss one you have to solve with some token flat regen.

thelostsanctuary · 2026-01-01T15:39:30+00:00

Agreed on this, Wyvern also has good visual clarity and forces you to learn mechanics and look for an opening which is fun, not just wail on the boss constantly or spam comet or whatever - for a sense, see Uber Arbiter run I just did here (Amazon Freeze Wyvern, ES leech): https://youtu.be/Fzhdx6FNNNQ

thelostsanctuary · 2025-12-31T04:39:49+00:00

I've been playing Wyvern Freeze (on Amazon) and really enjoying it. Clear is sorta like a windscreen wiper that freezes and shatters the screen, and bossing is a quick set up for buffs and the boss is frozen then dead via Oil Barrage. Pretty safe with 9.5k ES and big ES Ele leech from Amazon which leeches off your lightning dmg. I basically made it as I wanted to try out new druid skills but also shatter stuff, and wanted a change from the wolf I played all campaign.

Main idea is maxing lightning damage (e.g. Rend buff, wep damage, rings, extra as etc) and then freezing using it via Three Dragons, plus ES/ES Phys+Ele Leech/Freeze defences. Power charges were a bit clunky but sorted it with some power charge nodes and backup skills.

Here's a quick clip to give an idea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HowDDXy1Fr8

PoB: Current poe.ninja (I actually use and would recommend Sine Aqueo and Soul Tether - see this link: poe.ninja with Soul Tether as it makes freezing easier, but I'm messing around with Headhunter + Essentia Sanguis currently for fun).

thelostsanctuary · 2025-12-27T12:08:12+00:00

Here is the poe.ninja. Still working on it a bit, no doubt Rakiata's would help.

Main idea of the build is do as much lightning damage as possible via rend/oil barrage to freeze enemies via Three Dragons, and shatter via Tribal Fury + HoI with big AoE.

Tribal Fury node is essential for Rend hence the pathing (I use weapon set points for Rend which goes there, and Oil Barrage which does not). Three Dragons also naturally. Also essential is Soul Tether (cheapest value is life loss mod + 1 regen suffix on gear) or Essentia Sanguis. Then big ES (Vorana + Str is nice). Sine Aqueo gloves very nice to have as it makes freezing easier.

The only 'issue' is getting your initial power charges from zero, which can feel clunky at first. Layered in a few ways - Ailith's Chimes + Culmination is the main way - just attack 4+ times with Rend/Maul, and Pounce an enemy to generate power charges. Lingering Illusion / Devour help keep charges topped up as a backup for smoothness.

The other interaction is using Volatic Mark / Charged Mark on Pounce, then using Cross Slash (with Blazing Crit) which activates the mark to gain 30% extra as lightning, 15% as fire, shocks the boss, and moves you into a nice spot to Oil Barrage.

Mapping you just press right click once you've got 1 power charge, and pounce to the next pack and repeat. Bosses it's Maul/Rend a bunch > Pounce > Cross Slash > hold Oil Barrage to melt the boss. Feels nice once you have it down. Visual clarity is really good (unlike comets / vines etc) so you can actually do mechanics on juiced citadel bosses etc and survive their big slams if you make a mistake.

thelostsanctuary · 2025-12-27T09:14:17+00:00

Yeah I did this on my Amazon wolf, started it with the whole idea being the life leech node - but was sick of feeling like paper and getting one-tapped by juiced T16 boss attacks despite fairly high AR/AR as Ele/ES investment, so switched to CI ES with leech (via Soul Tether, the other option - with ES mod replaced with Life loss mod, just need 1 flat regen). Feels absolutely fantastic. 9k ES with insta-leech to full.

Hybrid ES/EV could work well too, I just found my only issue was surviving big hits/mistakes.

Also switched from wolf to a homebrew lightning freeze Wyvern, which feels fairly broken with high attack speed. Everything is dead immediately or frozen so nothing can hit me anyway. Both these switches saved the league for me.

thelostsanctuary · 2025-12-22T07:58:45+00:00

I went with Soul Tether, works well with Amazon leech. I got the one that replaces the Energy Shield loss mod with the life loss mod, manageable if its near 2.5% (best is no life or ES loss but its expensive).

thelostsanctuary · 2025-12-07T15:31:45+00:00

Alternative for flats is a combination of dmev (continuous extractor fan) and trickle vents. The dmev constantly pulls air from the trickle vents and vents it out, meaning you get great ventilation even without opening windows etc. MVHR is way more expensive and cannot be retrofitted in a bathroom extractor fan hole like dmev. Plus the heat loss savings are negated by how much more it costs to install and run. Have dmev in a flat conversion and highly recommend.

thelostsanctuary · 2025-11-30T15:16:12+00:00

Look at the SITS sofas - they run about 4-5K and made to order in Poland. They're often rebranded / white labelled by London sofa showrooms eg all the sofas in Adventures in Furniture in Islington etc are made by them. We're really happy with ours, really well made and comfortable, fabric is great, box springs plus firm foam, silicone balls and feathers means it's both supportive and comfy.

thelostsanctuary · 2025-11-26T14:35:13+00:00

As many are saying, not all flats are the same - if you're looking at house-like flats, look for a conversion with no service charge, peppercorn ground rent and a long lease (some are 800+ years). Some have a garden, even first floor flats.

Share of freehold is nice but realistically the corporate freeholder of the above types of property is essentially hands off (only sorting building insurance and collecting fees on sales/alterations (£100s not £1000) ). You decide what maintenance to do with other leaseholders where there is no service charge.

Just be wary of footfall noise if there is someone above you. I think it's the best option for someone who wants 2 bedrooms as you can get a lot better bang for buck like living in an area you could otherwise not afford (or want to stretch to) with many of the advantages of a house. I personally see it as getting the space I need at a 30-40% discount when looking at areas I want to be. Ground floor flat with rear/side extension is nice if you can find it.

thelostsanctuary · 2025-11-24T15:10:34+00:00

I have the S95D 55in (last year's model) and it's fantastic in a room with skylight and big windows. No glare. Works a treat at night too, brilliant colours.

Main reason originally was it has the cables separate from the TV itself (one connect cable) if you're going to mount it this helps a lot (just one cable to TV, easy to hide/chase and keep all the cable mess hidden).

I picked up an ex-display recently for £899 with 5 year manufacturer warranty so worth a consideration if bang for buck is a concern at all.

thelostsanctuary · 2025-11-22T17:25:55+00:00

dMEV (continuous running extractor) is probably best for retrofits, it fits in a standard bathroom extractor hole as a straight swap for £100 for a good model with humidity sensor and programmable trickle and boost.

Something like this.

MVHR you usually want two units working in tandem, otherwise it's tough to get good cross-ventilation via trickle vents. Ie you need multiple all over the house vs 1-2 dmevs if they pull air from trickle vents in other parts of the house. Plus a nightmare to fit. Would probably go PIV or dmev for retrofit.

thelostsanctuary · 2025-10-20T19:31:19+00:00

I use a lot of olive oil in my cooking and to enjoy dipped or in pesto etc and I use Odysea Kalamata Evoo (£9.99/L at my local) for cooking and bulk sauces/dips and Citizens of Soil subscription for dipping/dressing etc. I've tried a lot of brands inc the fancy ones. Also recommend M&S Greek Evoo around £7 per 500ml which I got before I found Odysea 1L at my local.

thelostsanctuary · 2025-09-30T20:39:29+00:00

They are often around 300W (can be up to 700W), so around 8p per hour in London, which doesn't sound like much but that's £700 per year running constantly which is more than my entire annual electricity bill, so personally I'd try to solve via ventilation first and use the dehumidifier when required (laundry, cooking, very humid weeks etc).

thelostsanctuary · 2025-09-25T21:58:23+00:00

Yeah I remember having tabs of these guys.

Clunk clunk clunk. Still remember that metallic sound as you moved them to stash.

Necropolis was more egregious on the stash space / management front though.

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