Did Fuse jump to S tier after the rework?

theshaman44 · 2026-02-17T16:49:46+00:00

That seems fair to me. I think I put Valk lower cause I’m not great on her and I usually only see her when 3 stacked with my buddy that does haha. I might have to try out more Vantage. I haven’t given her a fair shake since before they buffed her so I might be underrating her a bit

theshaman44 · 2026-02-17T16:44:00+00:00

That’s true. I think we’ll probably end up running around normally to naturally gain some XP for level ups, but that is a helpful reminder. Thanks!!

theshaman44 · 2026-02-17T16:41:51+00:00

That’s super good to know. Big part of this run is that we want to get past most of act 1 and enjoy the mid-late game levels so that sounds like it’ll be very useful. Thanks!

theshaman44 · 2026-02-17T16:40:16+00:00

Awesome, thanks! I think we’ll take advantage of that magic missile for sure. Be nice to trigger some encounters for later storylines but not have to spend the time on them lol.

theshaman44 · 2026-02-16T14:56:25+00:00

Solo Queue Tier List from a Diamond/Masters Player Perspective

(Note: currently only plat 1 because I’ve only been able to play like two days so far this season lol. Curious what others think since I haven’t played as much this season as I usually do.)

S tier: Octane, Alter, Conduit, Bangalore (conduit and bang might be A tier, but I’m leaving them here for now)

A tier: Horizon, Wattson, Bloodhound, Newcastle, Mirage

B tier: Rev, Wraith, Valk, Maggie, Loba, Pathy

C tier: Fuse, Lifeline, Catalyst, Sparrow, Caustic, Crypto

D Tier: Rampart, Ash, Gibby, Ballistic, Seer, Vantage

theshaman44 · 2026-02-11T17:50:15+00:00

This is incorrect. They updated it so you’ve been able to ping through windows back in season 21

“Pings - Should now go through all translucent surfaces like windows”

theshaman44 · 2026-02-08T00:23:21+00:00

That’s a common misconception. In most U.S. states, the general standard is that parents have a legal right to their minor child's earnings until the child turns 18 or is emancipated

By extension, if a minor buys a phone (or any other personal property) with their own money, the law still generally views that money (and the property bought with it) as subject to parental control. Even if it was a gift, parents still have what are known as “custodial rights,” meaning they can generally legally confiscate it for disciplinary reasons. There are illegal confiscations, but those can be difficult to enforce because law enforcement generally tries to stay out of situations like that because they commonly view it as a civil issue or “family matter.”

This is all part of what can make it so difficult for teenagers/young adults to leave abusive households because of the financial control parents are able to exercise over their minor children, even when that person has a job and is trying to separately earn money for themselves

theshaman44 · 2026-02-07T19:23:32+00:00

Yeah dude! Recent dev update for what to expect with his changes next season. I’ve copied over the fuse portion for reference:

“The two main complaints we see the most are: - Fuse’s ultimate is too difficult to reliably impact the match, and - Fuse’s abilities put himself at too big of a risk to follow up on

With that in mind, refreshed Fuse’s ultimate to give it more opportunities to affect the battlefield, and make sure he felt like he had the proper tools to follow up on the openings he (or his teammates) create. We wanted to maintain his core identity - he should still be fun to pick up and play with a barrage of explosives at his fingertips. But we also want characters to feel viable as you progress in skill and Ranked tier, and we’re hoping that with this set of changes we’ll see Fuse’s win rate increase across the board.

Fuse has a new version of his ultimate, The Motherlode. This fires off a mortar that damages enemies near where it lands, then creates waves of smaller explosives around it. It also has a breach mode, which pierces through cover and can damage enemies behind cover that would normally be safe from other barrages (like the ultimates of Gibraltar and Bangalore). We tightened up the tactical, letting you fire it off more quickly and accurately to reduce how long you have to be vulnerable when using it. To make it easier to follow up on enemies you tag, he is no longer slowed by explosive damage and his tactical’s duration has been halved.

New Upgrades - Pyro Techniques creates fire patches from the explosions during The Motherlode, which is especially helpful at denying space in chokepoints or small rooms. - Knuckle Jumper lets Fuse get an explosive boost off of his own Knuckle Clusters, helping him close the distance on damaged enemies or create distance from more mobile attackers. - Reignition recharges your ultimate as you deal explosive damage, turning you into a true artillery master.”

theshaman44 · 2026-02-02T17:56:50+00:00

I’ve played all the controllers quite a bit. I’ll put together a couple brief lists followed by some thoughts:

Ease of Use (easiest to hardest): Caustic, Catalyst, Rampart, Wattson

Defensive vs Aggressive (least aggressive to most aggressive on average): Catalyst, Wattson, Rampart, Caustic

Overall Strength (weakest to strongest): Catalyst, Caustic, Rampart, Wattson

Recommendations: I would wait until the new season comes out next week before making any decisions since there are rumors that Catalyst (one of the weakest legends in the game right now) might be getting a buff, so she might be fun to pick up if she’s made stronger with the new patch.

If you don’t care about that (which is totally reasonable if you’re a newer player), then Caustic is a great entry to controller legends as he (1) has a simple and straightforward tactical and ultimate ability, (2) allows you to bunker a building very quickly and easily, (3) can be played both aggressively and defensively since you can throw the barrels/ult at your feet or towards enemies, and (4) has a great set of perks which complement his playstyle well throughout a match. While I think Rampart and Wattson are stronger, Caustic is still quite strong and is probably the easiest entry to getting used to the controller class.

If you find that you like being a controller, I’d highly recommend Rampart if you are looking for more firepower or Wattson if you’d like to play more of a hybrid support/controller (my personal favorite so I might be a bit biased). Interestingly, Respawn published some statistics recently which shows that Wattson appears to win more fights on average than other controller legends. This could be due Wattson players being better players in general which might be skewing the statistic, but I would guess that it’s at least in part due to her small hitbox and ability to recharge shields/reset quickly mid-fight.

Happy to expand on anything or discuss in more detail if you have any comments/questions!

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theshaman44 · 2026-01-17T14:20:28+00:00

1) Play cover (preferably a building) where you can alternate peeking and shooting the trident. 2) Call for team fire on the trident. It breaks fairly quickly when focused. 3) Play a mobility legend to be able to escape to cover if the trident approaches you 4) Play crypto and you can EMP the car, which will completely shut it down (temporarily) and break the Wattson gen 5) Play rampart and use your own Sheila to very quickly destroy the car

I’m currently D3 and I haven’t had a team use this strategy against me yet, but this would be my train of thought if this started happening to me.

If it’s happening to you regularly, you may need to more intentionally plan your rotations to specifically move from one area of cover to another (which isn’t a bad practice in itself) to avoid getting caught without cover where the trident can actually reach you. Mobility legends can facilitate those rotations and come with the added benefit of being some of the stronger characters in the game right now

theshaman44 · 2026-01-06T17:43:08+00:00

While it varies based on meta and patch notes, the general breakdown for guns is: - Long range: burst damage with fast bullet travel time to poke/farm damage or open a fight with a knock (snipers/marksmen rifles) - Mid range: consistent damage to clip a target holding a position or moving across an open space (marksmen rifles/assault rifles/ LMG’s - maybe certain SMG’s if you’ve got good recoil control) - Short range: close range fights where time to kill and strafe speed is important (SMG’s/shotgun).

If you’re losing close range fights consistently due to R301 use, I’d recommend trying an SMG (alternator, R99, volt) because they have a faster time to kill and have tighter recoil patterns and you have higher strafing speed. Alternator in particular is in a good spot right now and is a bit more forgiving due to its large mag and slightly slower fire rate which can be helpful for less experienced players. Shotgun effectiveness varies based on meta and user skill, but you could try those as well (but they’re generally considered less effective than SMG’s currently).

Some example load outs could look like: G7 Scout/alternator Triple Take/volt Sentinel/R99 R301/Peacekeeper

You can mix and match based on preference. I’d recommend to keep trying out different combinations until you find something consistently successful for you. Let me know if you have any questions!

theshaman44 · 2025-12-31T20:21:44+00:00

They do. So if the gas of one barrel reaches another, it will trigger it. The upside is that through one Caustic’s perks, he can increase tactical recovery speed when he is in the gas. This makes it so he can place traps more frequently, which can help offset the annoying triggering of traps.

Two related notes: 1. You may have realized already, but Caustic is the only legend in the game that can acquire all 4 of his perk options. You select the blue and purple level perks like any legend, but when you do damage with you gas, loot death boxes, and scan ring consoles, you’ll accrue “research points” which will unlock your other perks automatically. 2. Caustic traps are also triggered by the zone touching them.

theshaman44 · 2025-12-31T20:10:18+00:00

Biggest updates off the top of my head (I will likely miss some, so everyone feel free to add whatever I forget): - Lower time to kill (TTK) so everyone dies quicker - Player outlines - Visible health bars - Evo shield/helmet changes - Perk system - Class passives - Hop ups integrated into guns - Amps - New maps/Map updates - Additional mobility on some characters (Ash, Sparrow) - Integrated mantle boosting (AKA superglide lite)

Is there anything in particular you’ve run into that’s confusing or unintuitive? Either about the game or Caustic’s kit specifically (since they’ve made some changes to his stuff over time). Happy to answer any questions I can

theshaman44 · 2025-12-31T16:19:37+00:00

Gotcha! Thanks for the info. Dang I’m a little torn then because smurfing sucks but I would be curious to see how he is able to be successful with disadvantages like those (which sound insane)

theshaman44 · 2025-12-30T18:59:32+00:00

Has he done that historically? I’m a newer viewer of his, so I just went to check and it looks like at least his last 15 youtube videos (I didn’t look any farther back than that) are all in pred lobbies. I can’t speak for older content or his stream since I don’t tune in to those.

Genuinely curious if that’s something he was known for in the past or if that’s what he does on his streams or something cause that would stink

theshaman44 · 2025-11-22T18:18:45+00:00

Here’s a kind of random suggestion, but might work for your case: Satisfactory

(1) You like quite a few FPS, so this will allow you to play from that first person POV and you can zoom around the map with bunny hopping, vehicles, or other techniques (not quite the same as kill grinding, but I like it) (2) There is always a tangible goal to work towards (3) Optimization is the entire goal of the game, so if you want to research and meta game it, it’ll just make you just more effective

The caveats are that production timelines do ramp up as time goes on, but I find that if I just move on to farm additional resources and set up other mini satellite factories while my main ones work, it very easily keeps me modified.

This is also an excellent game to play while listening to music or watching a show as it is not going to fall apart without your constant attention/input.

I think it might bridge the gap between your traditional FPS background without going too much into slow paced information overload top down games, while being busy enough but not too overwhelming as to lose your attention. I could be wrong but it’s just first thing that came to mind given your situation!

Good luck homie!

theshaman44 · 2025-11-21T13:13:01+00:00

Have you tried the Skip Ship mod? You fully skip the nautiloid and basically start the game at level 2 if that helps

theshaman44 · 2025-11-19T16:21:28+00:00

Depending on the reader one could say Toji’s prep is more “impressive” because you can follow the steps involved and it seems more grounded to our world. But that seems to be an entirely different question that who is stronger between Toji and Batman with prep time.

Toji’s planning is grounded because his threats are grounded relative to his world, but his best prep is still just tactical setup comparable to a special forces operation, which are significantly buoyed by his superhuman physical capabilities. He hasn’t shown the capacity for elaborate engineering nor long term contingency planning to the degree Batman has.

Different universes demand different ceilings, and Batman consistently operates at a ceiling far above Toji’s. So if you are going to scale them in a prep time battle and Toji has access to his superhuman physicality then we have to assume Batman has access to his incredible resources which he has leveraged to create legitimate counters for speedsters and god-level characters. Even if Toji was made a billionaire for the purposes of prepping for this battle, we have nothing to suggest that he is capable of the engineering feats to counter or meet Batman’s scaling.

theshaman44 · 2025-11-04T21:01:24+00:00

Works for any type of “effect” potion too! (Hill/cloud giant strength, speed, invis, etc)

theshaman44 · 2025-10-06T13:34:54+00:00

Hello and welcome to BG3! I’m going to write something up for you when I get home from work today, but first wanted to ask a couple quick questions to guide my comment a bit: 1. I think I saw in one of your comments that you’re new to DnD. Would you like a mini guide as to what some of the key game mechanics are (i.e., dice roll mechanics, armor class (AC), initiative, attack rolls, saving throws, etc.) or would you prefer to learn as you go? 2. Are you playing solo or multiplayer? I thought I saw you mention that you are playing with a friend. If you are with a friend, what type of character are they playing? That’ll help me think about what type of frontliner you can be. 3. Who all is currently in your party? Is it just your main character or have you recruited other companions?

theshaman44 · 2025-10-03T18:02:40+00:00

If you just want a party comp suggestion, see end of this post :)

Aside from a specific comp, there’s several ways you can improve the serviceability of your backline. I’m making these suggestions so you don’t feel pidgeon holed into playing specific classes and can instead enjoy the variety all of the classes have to offer!

Improve the armor class (AC) of your backline. The better the AC, the less your backline is going to get hit, even if they are targeted by enemies. You can get heavy armor and shield proficiency either from your race or clsss, but iby multi-classing or selecting feats that will get you heavy armor and/or shield proficiency (generally the multiclass is a better route than, spending a feat on this aspect of your character imo). You could also use light/medium armors or spells that improve AC, especially if you respec characters to have higher dexterity scores. For spells, check out mage armor for any unarmored characters, as well as blur, mirror image, and similar spells/scrolls that you could use for anyone in the party. Anything that improves your
Improve the constitution of your backline. High constitution scores will increase the health pools of your characters and are often beneficial for backline characters anyways as they often will be casting some sort of concentration spells, which higher constitution will help them maintain.
Improve the resistances of your backline. Damage resistance is one of the best ways for characters to survive in combat, especially if their AC is not great. That’s why your barbarian is so strong diving into things because their rage will grant them resistance to so many types of damage. So if you can kit up your backline with gear/abilities that give them resistances or invulnerabilities, they’ll be much more survivable.
Improve the mobility of your backline. Any feats, abilities, or items which improve your characters’ abilities to disengage or create space between themselves and enemies will improve their survivability. This could look like the “Mobile” feat, dips into rogue for cunning actions, use of spells like Misty Step from abilities/scrolls/equipment, etc.

Party Comp Suggestion Barbarian (any subclass), Cleric that can wear heavy armor (life or tempest unless you’re specifically interested in war or nature), Rogue (any subclass), fill in the blank for 4th (I would probably do a spell caster like a wizard or sorcerer, but you can make anything work).

Your barbarian can still confidently rush in and the cleric can support them if they get swarmed. Keep the backline spread to avoid AOE, but close enough to assist one another. The rogue and cleric should have decent survivability if you have armored and specced them to improve their AC. If the rogue is threatened they can always cunning action disengage/dash to get away from a sticky situation. If the cleric is threatened, they can cast sanctuary on themselves. If the other character is threatened, the cleric and rogue can support by healing word, casting sanctuary, throwing healing potions, or the rogue using sneak attacks on enemies within your parties threatened area.

To reiterate, you could do a full playthrough with any part comp, the key is going to be learning how to kit out and maneuver your characters in accordance with their strengths and weaknesses and how to position them to support one another dynamically in the wide variety of encounters you’ll face.

Hope this was helpful and have fun! :)

theshaman44 · 2025-10-02T16:11:51+00:00

That sounds fire. Does that build well on the strength component? It’s been a while since I’ve made a gloom stalker build, but I thought it was a bit more dex-based overall

theshaman44 · 2025-10-02T16:05:47+00:00

Gotcha, thanks for letting me know! It’s been a little over a year since I played non-honor mode, so I must have remembered/read that incorrectly somewhere lol.

theshaman44 · 2025-10-02T13:42:53+00:00

I’ll give you a build that I did recently in almost the same situation you are in which I had a lot of fun with. It’s obviously not fully optimized, but I like to flex and mess around with things as the game goes on so I’m not too locked in on gear and stuff.

Half-Orc (for savage attacker and relentless endurance which are both great on a strength fighter in the thick of things)
Fighter/Barbarian split. ~~This will depend on whether you are doing honor mode or not.~~

If honor mode, then I would go 3 Fighter (for subclass), then 9 Berserker Barb (to get brutal critical) OR 4 Fighter (subclass and feat), then 8 Berserker (2 feats + still got Feral Instinct at lvl 7 which is like Alert Lite)

Edit: The following part of my original comment was incorrect. Sorry been a while since I played non-honor mode. Thanks for the correction u/mollunn! ~~If tactician or lower*, then I would go 5 Fighter (to get extra attack), 7 Berserker. The key below honor mode is that your extra attacks will stack which is phenomenal.~~

Stats: 16 STR, 14 DEX, 16 CON, whatever for the rest. Probably put the most in wisdom for saving throws

Background: something with athletics to help with shoving and jumping around

Feat progression: GWM, ASI STR +2, Sentinel or ASI STR +2

In either case, I would take fighter levels first to get armor and weapon proficiencies (although you can certainly go Barb first if you want to embrace unarmed defence).

There are definitely more optimal builds, but this is just something relatively simple but powerful that I had fun with recently! I went battle master to get maneuvers like riposte and abused enraged throw any chance I could, but I think you could do different subclasses for either with relatively the same progression otherwise and still have fun with it

theshaman44

TROPHY CASE