BG minus R: A post on Baldur's Gate 3 Pt 4

Okay, I won't be discussing Act 2 in this post. Instead, it's about how I spec my Ranger. The process was 100% trial and error in the first playthrough, so my ranger build doesn't have a defining identity. Things went much smoother in my alternate Tav (i.e. the second) playthrough. Before I continue, I decide to up a Hunter Ranger build video, which is much better than my build.

Storm Hunter build

Introduction:

This is my take on the Stormwarden subclass in the earlier versions of DnD. I remember this being my favourite subclass when playing Neverwinter Online years ago. Of course, are there better takes on the so-called Stormwarden build within the BG3 community? I wouldn't be surprised if the answer is yes. Because the official subclass being used is the Hunter, I decided to call this the Storm Hunter build.

Race:

Different races do have different perks. So choose the one that suits you most. I go with Wood Elf due to its proficiency in Perception and additional movement speed. Half-Wood Elf is a viable option, but it doesn't have proficiency in Perception. At the same time, it doesn't have the Human's option to choose an additional proficiency. Human is also a good choice due to the additional proficiency, which can make your Human a pseudo-Elf. In fact, Perception, together with Persuasion and Sleight of Hand, are the most utilised skills in the game.

Favoured Enemy:

This is another aspect of the Ranger which I don't consider gameplay-defining apart from Bounty Hunter. But even then, choosing Bounty Hunter is more about your playing style than anything else. There are those who use Ensnaring Strike as their primary Concentration spell and those who (like me) choose Hunter's Mark. Of course, you can use both. But you'll need to know when to use one and the other. If you're playing as a pure level 12 Ranger or a level 11 Ranger multiclassing with a level 1 in another class, then it's possible you'll be using both. In this case, however, this build is a multiclass build revolving around the Ranger class that uses more than one level of another class. I'm going with Ranger Knight, as History checks often trigger in Act 1. At the same time, if you want good heavy armour asap, just fight Edowin's siblings for the chainmail armour.

Natural Explorer:

Natural Explorer is... I don't know how to put it. Urban Tracker is good because you'll use Sleight of Hand frequently unless you're not the party's resident klepto. Beast Tamer gives you cannon fodder during fights. Wasteland Wanderer is where I have specific issues with Natural Explorer. Fire damage occurs occasionally in this game, with poison and cold damage on rare occasions. Useful in certain fights (e.g. Lorroakan, if you fail to go first, cast Silence. and bust him within the first turn), but not often enough. Apart from Urban Tracker, I'd say Natural Explorer isn't gameplay-defining. Go with Wasteland Explorer: Fire if you're not the resident klepto, as fire damage is more common than cold or poison.

Background:

I find Backgrounds to be more about RP than anything else. If you want to go 100% orthodox Ranger, then Outlander is the way. If you wish to emulate Drizzt Do'Urden, then go for Folk Hero. If you want to role-play a Ranger of faith, then Acolyte is a good choice. Soldier or Urchin is a good choice if you want a worldlier Ranger. In particular, Soldier inspirations are easy to get. If you want to do an inspiration Pokemon spree, Soldier is a good choice. Counter-intuitive choices would include Criminal and Guild Artisan. My personal choice? Soldier.

Stats:

Strength-8

Dexterity-16

Constitution-16

Intelligence-9

Wisdom-14

Charisma-12

Unlike other Ranger players, I went for 12 Charisma instead of 10 Charisma and 2 points into Constitution or Wisdom. Dialogue checks happen often, and passing certain dialogue checks gives you certain perks/advantages. An example of this (apart from the Thorm family fights) would be convincing Rolan to stay and fight in Druid Grove. If you pass the check (DC10. And no, the Ranger dialogue option will NOT work), saving the Tiefling refugees later in Act 2 would yield additional XP. In fact, you can get around 700+ XP in total, compared to only 200+ if you didn't convince him to stay. A +1 in dialogue check is better than nothing at all. Of course, a 16 in Consitution does help in terms of HP and passing Concentration saves, while a +1 in passing Wisdom checks and saves is always welcomed. It depends on what you want, as the difference of +1 in Charisma checks isn't going to change the build.

Intelligence is a moot stat more often than not unless you're running a Wizard or some other builds relying on Intelligence checks. Interestingly, running a High Elf/Half-High Elf Warlock would probably involve getting the Intelligence up to 17 via Warped Headband of Intellect due to the Fire Bolt cantrip. If I'm to run to run a Rogue, however, I wouldn't mind setting it at 10 instead of 8 just for class flavour. That plus Rogues have proficiency in Intelligence saving throws, so I'd prefer a +4 instead of a +3.

For Strength, 8 is enough. It's not like this is about running an Aragorn/Gwaeron Windstrom build. You can get it up to 10 for more inventory capacity and better Strength saves. However, you can use a high Strength party member as an equipment mule for the former. Or you can just run the Carry Weight Increase mod. Note that this mod isn't included in Larian's official in-game mod manager.

Constitution at 16 is optimal if you want more HP and slightly better Concentration saves (note that Concentration saves cannot go below DC10).

Wisdom at 14 is more for saving checks than anything else. I don't know if this is true, but someone mentioned that Wisdom saves are the most common ones in the game. At the same time, a particular gear would mean getting Wisdom to 14 is necessary. You can get Wisdom up to 16 with Constitution to 14 if you want to.

Skill proficiency:

Sleight of Hand (due to Urban Tracker)

Athletics (due to Soldier background)

Perception (due to Wood Elf racial trait)

Intimidation (due to Soldier background)

Insight

Investigation

Nature

I could have gone for Survival instead of Investigation or Nature, but the loot you get from unearthing chests isn't something to shout about. This is more of a personal preference as passive Intelligence checks do trigger at times, and I'm one for gleaning additional information. Insight? That skill triggers often enough in Act 1 and 2 for me to take it. Apart from Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, and Perception, none of the skills in BG3 are considered gameplay-defining.

Character level 1-Ranger level 1

This is your starting point.

Character level 2-Rogue level 1

I went counter-intuitive because being a Rogue gives you expertise in two skills you're proficient in and proficiency for two skills due to multiclassing. This results in a more evenly rounded approach focusing on Persuasion and Sleight of Hand. The former is for dialogue checks and better buy-and-selling, while the latter is because my version of this build is meant to be the resident klepto. I don't find any point in having two party members with Sleight of Hand proficiency.

Additional proficiency:

Acrobatics/Deception

Persuasion

Expertise:

Sleight of Hand

Persuasion

Character level 3-Ranger level 2

From this point, I'll be levelling up the Ranger aspect until level 5 due to Extra Attack.

Fighting Style:

Two-Weapon Fighting

Spell choice:

Enhanced Leap

Speak With Animals

For my spell choices, I opted for utility rather than combat. Both are not gameplay-defining, but the fact is that Ranger spells gravitate towards the utility side instead of combat. Passing up Ensaring Strike and Hunter's Mark for now isn't going to break the game for me. That plus Scratch and the owlbear cub. Speak With Animals would add so much flavour when it comes to the dynamic duo of absolute cuteness.

Character level 4-Ranger level 3

Subclass:

Hunter

Hunter's Prey:

Colossus Slayer

Additional spell choice:

Hunter's Mark

This is where the fun part starts. Hunter's Mark works well in lower levels for spell usage due to limited spell slots. At this point, you only have 3 spell slots. If your Concentration gets broken, you'll need another spell slot to cast it. For Hunter's Prey, it's a toss-up between Colossus Slayer and Horde Breaker. I feel that Horde Breaker is better for archery and tank builds. With that said, Horde Breaker is situational in nature, while Colossus Slayer's usage applies in any and every fight. Even in fights involving more than one enemy, it's not a given that you'll have two or more bunched together. Yes, it happens. But not always. Giant Killer comes across as niche to me. Large or bigger enemies don't pop up all the time.

Character level 5-Ranger level 4

Feat: Ability Improvement

At this point, getting your primary stat to 18 is imperative. While Alert seems tempting, going first over a stat score of 18 doesn't make much sense. Granted, fighting the Beholder in the Underdark and obtaining the adamantine ore at the forge library involves getting ambushed. But getting surprised won't break the fight for you. As for Auntie Ethel, I believe the fight in her lair now involves her appearing and trash-talking your party instead of jumping on you. Alert, as a feat, is more about guaranteed going first than anything else. However, getting ambushed by Yurgir will probably be a real pain in the neck. By that time, though, you should have your second feat.

Character level 6-Ranger level 5

Additional spell choice:

Spike Growth

5 is the magic number for martial classes. At level 5, it's Extra Attack time. This is also where you'll unlock level 2 spell slots. If Hunter's Mark is about one specific enemy, then Spike Growth is about targeting the entire mob. Or at least most of it.

Character level 7-Rogue level 2

You're clearly on your way to the most crucial part of the build. For me, I have little to no need for Cunning Action. The next level is where the fun starts. Namely...

Character level 8-Rogue level 3

Subclass:

Thief

The Thief subclass is the reason why this build will work. In fact, barring specific cases (i.e. builds dual-wielding one or two non-light weapons), Thief should be a must for dual-wielding builds. At this point, this is where the build starts to peak. Also, Sneak Attack at this level can deal 20+ damage.

Character level 9-Rogue level 4

Feat:

Alert

Now, I know what some of you may be thinking. That I'm as barking mad as Donald Trump. While I don't claim to be a stable genius, I find Alert a good feat. I have it for all my party members for every playthrough, regardless of Dexterity. Being able to go first can give a massive advantage in any fight. In Act 2 and beyond, the fights would get more challenging. While I wouldn't say the best-case scenario is busting the enemy within the first turn, being able to stun any boss in the first turn, after which the HP has already gone down by more than half, means the fight is pretty much done. That happened in my alternate playthrough against Lyrthindor with Lae'zel stunning him with her great Gith sword. Having 112 HP doesn't matter. Even if we're talking about a Life Cleric (e.g. my default Shadowheart choice), having the option to go first means Bless can be cast immediately. Note that the initiative order doesn't matter for your party as long as the character portraits are lined consecutively. In short, DON'T rely on auto-mode if you have a Cleric in your party when it comes to casting Bless. That is unless your Cleric is never about casting Bless (e.g. Tempest domain Clerics and just about any Clerics running with Luminous Armour and Spirit Guardians like a living nuke).

Character level 10-Ranger level 6

Favoured Enemy:

Sanctified Stalker

Natural Explorer:

Beast Tamer

At this point, running Bounty Hunter as a Favoured Enemy choice is pointless. The reason is that Rangers have limited spell slots. For AoE, you have Spiked Growth. For single-target, you have Hunter's Mark. This makes Ensnaring Strike pointless. In fact, I suspect the Ranger's offensive spell gameplay is all about forcing the players to choose two out of the given three: Hunter's Mark, Ensnaring Strike, and Spike Growth. As for Keeper of the Veil, Protection from Good and Evil is a Concentration spell. In short, it's bound to bugger up your combat spell gameplay unless you're using options like Hail of Thorns, Conjure Barrage, and Lightning Arrow. True Strike? That one is officially buggered. It's a tragedy that True Strike isn't a bonus action (that is, unless you're wielding Bloodthirst in your off-hand slot). Larian could have made it so Sneak Attack couldn't profit from it. This comes to Sacred Flame. Now, this cantrip can be seen as the cause of many Cleric users' annoyance. Passed the Dex save? Take no damage. On the flip side, you can cast it anywhere so long it's within range. It's effectively a case of shooting blind. With that said, I cast Sacred Flame in a specific situation: When I'm confident the potential damage can take out the enemy while having at least 80% hit chance. That's where I'm willing to risk a Sacred Flame meme. The possibility of that happening is definitely low, considering this build is running with a Wisdom score of 14 instead of 18.

Running Sanctified Stalker is more for Religion proficiency than anything else. Would it matter for the Mirror of Loss? The answer is no due to the DC25 check. Favoured Enemy functions more for role-playing than actual gameplay. Which is a shame as Larian can utilise enemy types instead of proficiencies. An example list would look like this:

Favoured Enemy: Gives +2 damage roll against specific enemy types and proficiency in particular skills.

Bounty Hunter: +2 damage roll against Beasts and proficiency in Investigation

Keeper of the Veil: +2 damage roll against Aberrations and proficiency in Arcana

Mage Breaker: +2  damage roll against Spellcasters and proficiency in Arcana

Ranger Knight: +2 damage roll against Fiends and proficiency in History

Sanctified Stalker: +2 damage roll against Undead and proficiency in Religion

For Beast Tamer, the summoned minion is more of a cannon fodder than anything else. It's a viable option since it takes a short rest to recast.

Character level 11-Ranger level 7

Additional spell choice:

Fog Cloud

Defensive Tactics:

Multiattack Defence

Why Fog Cloud at this point, one may ask. The reason is straightforward. In Act 3, Fog Cloud helps a lot, as opening unearthed chests in the city is considered a crime. Using Fog Cloud helps a lot in not getting into trouble. At the same time, there are at least two instances where Fog Cloud helps greatly. The first is to steal the two runepowder barrels in the Ironhand Gnomes' hideout. In Balanced mode, throwing them in succession against the Netherbrain greatly helps the fight. Then there's the lockpicking of the Steel Foundry gate, where it's extremely easy to get busted. By the time you get to Act 3, you should be at level 10. So get the runepowder bomb from Wulbren early on (you'll need it if you want to enter House of Hope and exit Raphael's base alive) and leave the barrel stealing for later when you reach level 11. This also means leaving the Steel Foundry quests until you reach that point. Alternatively, you can use Gale to cast Fog Cloud.

As for Multiattack Defence, it's the most straightforward choice. Frightened status is rarely applied, so Steel Will isn't a good choice. Escape the Horde is more for archery builds. This leaves Multiattack Defence as the only option. Throughout the game, there's every chance that you'll fight enemies who can multi-attack.

Character level 12-Ranger level 8

Feat:

Ability Improvement

This is the final step to get your primary stat up to 20. Once you get to level 12, chances are you can still do quite a bit of questing before entering the point of no return. I like this approach from Larian as it gives me enough space to enjoy the game at level cap.

Gear

Gear-wise, this build is easy to spec. In fact, you can get the gear setup working as early as Act 1, with Acts 2 and 3 being more about improvements than anything else.

Act 1:

Ritual Dagger, Knife of the Undermountain King, Firestoker, Hand Crossbow +1, Diadem of Arcane Synergy, Hide Armour +2, Gloves of Power/Gloves of Baneful Striking, Boots of Stormy Clamour, Amulet of Misty Step, Ring of Absolute Force, Strange Conduit Ring

For Act 1, Ritual Dagger in your main hand is good due to the Bless status upon hit. Knife of the Undermountain King is for the Organ Rearranger trait. There aren't many decent choices for hand crossbows, so Firestoker and Hand Crossbow +1 are the best you can get. It's either that or two Hand Crossbows +1. Diadem of Arcane Synergy is meant to synergise with the Bane and Reverbration statuses. A consistent proc means your Arcane Synergy will be up 100% of the time. At Wisdom 14, the weapon damage bonus will be at +2. If you want to set your Strength to 8 for a 16 Wisdom, having a +3 damage as a tradeoff for a +3 Strength save is perfectly fine. Hide Armour +2 is good for Rangers running as kleptos. Otherwise, you can run with a Chain Shirt +2. Gloves of Power does proc consistently despite the tooltip implying a more probability-based approach. In fact, Gloves of Power's insane consistency actually extends to Act 2. If you want to play it safe (either that or you don't have Mark of the Absolute), Gloves of Baneful Striking is an alternative. Apparently, a bug with this gear resulted in a 100% proc instead of a probability-based proc. Boots of Stormy Clamour is a no-brainer due to how the Reverbration proc. Amulet of Misty Step is for tactical positioning since you'll have decent ranged attack options. Ring of Absolute Force is for the additional Thunder damage for Reverberation, while Strange Conduit Ring is for Hunter's Mark and Spike Growth usage.

Act 2:

Sword of Clutching Umbra/Sword of Life Stealing, Knife of the Undermountain King, Hellfire Hand Crossbow, Ne'er Misser, Diadem of Arcane Synergy, Thunderskin Cloak, Yuan-Ti Scale Mail, Braindrain Gloves, Boots of Stormy Clamour, Amulet of Misty Step, Ring of Spiteful Thunder, Strange Conduit Ring

In Act 2, you can switch Ritual Dagger for Sword of Clutching Umbra due to Shadowsoaked Blow. Alternatively, you can go with Sword of Life Stealing. Hellfire Hand Crossbow and Ne'er Misser are excellent. The former is BiS for hand crossbows with free Scorching Rays per short rest. Ne'er Misser deals Force damage, which very few (if any) enemies have resistance to. That, plus a free Magic Missile cast per short rest, means you have plenty of tactical options in a fight. Thunderskin Cloak is to proc the Daze status. Yuan-Ti Scale Mail is arguably the best medium armour in Act 2 due to Exotic Material and Ambusher. Braindrain Gloves is meant to synergise with Strange Conduit Ring. Mental Fatigue, together with Reverberation, means you'll be tripping damage like crazy. As for Ring of Spiteful Thunder, it maximises the chance of inducing Daze as the Thunderskin Cloak effect only triggers if an enemy with Reverberation targets the wearer. This build is pretty much into debuffs.

Act 3:

Crimson Mischief, Ambusher, Hellfire Hand Crossbow, Ne'er Misser/Hand Crossbow +2, Diadem of Arcane Synergy, Thunderskin Cloak, Armour of Agility/Bhaalist Armour, Braindrain Gloves, Boots of Stormy Clamour, Amulet of Misty Step, Ring of Spiteful Thunder, Strange Conduit Ring

This is where the end game starts. Crimson Mischief is a no-brainer. Prey Upon the Weak stacks with Colossus Slayer when the target is below 50% HP. If you're running with Risky Ring, the reward is even more significant with Redvein Savagery. Risky Ring, however, heightens your chances of disruption where Reverberation and Mental Fatigue are concerned due to the disadvantage to saves. At the same time, Concentration saves cannot go below the DC10 threshold. So there's a risk here. As for Ambusher, the advantage in Perception checks and a +1 Initiative is too good to pass up. At the same time, Ambusher's Streak can be triggered multiple times for a dual-wielding build, be it ranged or melee. This means you'll be dealing 4-24 Necrotic damage in total. For Ne'er Misser, you can replace it with Hand Crossbow +2 if you want additional damage. However, Piercing damage resistance is far more common than Force damage resistance. Bhaalist Armour is the offensive alternative to Armour of Agility. Ambusher for this armour now gives +2 Initiative instead of +1. With Ambusher (i.e. the weapon), that'd go up to +3. However, Aura of Murder does not apply to enemies with Piercing damage resistance or immunity.

Conclusion:

This build is more suited for single targeting than multiple targeting, as the lack of Risky Ring means you can't Sneak Attack for free. Ideally, you should pair this build with an Evocation Wizard or Sorcerer due to the AoE damage. Can you solo the game with this build? I don't know since I don't intend to play the game this way. You can use the More Actions mod if you want to and set your Actions (and Bonus Actions) to a four-member party's worth, although that one isn't listed in Larian's in-game mod manager.

BG minus the R: A post on Baldur's Gate 3 Pt 3

Okay, so my main playthrough is nearing the end. The only quest left to do is to defeat the Netherbrain. In this post, I'll mention my thoughts on Act 1 and my impressions on some of the fights.

Something went buggy

Unlike Luality, I won't claim that Larian rigged my client. But there was something buggy with my fights from Wyrm's Rock Fortress to Wyrmway. Whenever I first melee attacked, my attack mode auto-toggled to auto dual attack (I'm running a dual-wielding build). To make things worse, my Uncanny Dodge passive was also turned off automatically. To make things look buggier, the same didn't happen for Lae'zel, where her all-in passive for Great Weapon Master feat was concerned. As a result, I had to specifically look out for whether the bug triggered every turn. It wasn't game-breaking, but it was annoying.

On the flip side, my alternate playthrough scored multiple 20s early in the game. It feels ridiculous.

Remember to save!

The good thing about BG3 is that it's very casual-friendly in Balanced mode, so long as you know the right strategies. With that said, remember to save before rolling. And with that, remember to delete your saves when you don't need them. A good indication of save inventory cleaning is after you complete an Act. Either that or you can clear your save inventory whenever you don't need them. You wouldn't want to clutter up your save inventory, especially after finishing a playthrough. For Steam users, it seems that Steam cloud saves have a limit.

Act 1: From Level 1 to 6

Act 1 should be where you start the pace for levelling up. Ideally, you should be at level 6 by the time you reach Act 2. I did it in my main playthrough, where I hit level 6 after finishing every Crèche Y'llek quest. Despite the Dream Visitor telling you not to enter that place, it's highly recommended that you go ahead. You can gain additional XP, and the vendor also sells some neat stuff that can sustain some of your characters until you reach Act 3 with enough gold to spare. Sometimes, you may even stick with the gear you buy there for good (Knife of the Undermountain King, I'm looking at you). For dual-wielders, Knife of the Undermountain King can last for the entire game, if not at least until Act 3, where you can buy Cold Snap from Ferg Drogher (that one pairs very well with Crimson Mischief although the same goes for Knife of the Undermountain King. It depends on your build). For Gloves of Dexterity, it goes well with fighters until you grab Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength from the House of Hope (just make sure you don't give it to Helsik). I find budgeting a good way of doing things (no, I don't steal from vendors).

A good Soldier is a good one

If you're running a Soldier background, choosing to do good helps due to No One Left Behind, To Arms!, Chain of Command, Warrior of the Hells, and A Headless Horde background goals. Interestingly, it'd seem that knocking out Minthara wouldn't lock you out of A Headless Horde. That is unless Larian redid the whole thing. One thing to note is that Start Them Young and Stalwart Heart no longer give inspiration. Instead of being a bug, I suspect Larian purposely made this the case. No One Left Behind should be pretty easy to pull off. For To Arms!, it should also be easy if you're a fighter or a ranger with a Wisdom of 14 (Soldier as a background does make sense for rangers).

Error 404

One note on the owlbear cub. It seems that Larian made specific changes, or it's a bug. In my main playthrough, resting would trigger the mother owlbear's death. In my alternate playthrough, however, that didn't happen. As a result, I had to initiate the fight by approaching the skeleton (because the skeleton and nest were close to each other). After the battle, despite several rests, the little critter didn't show up. I don't know what's going on here. Hopefully, that little critter can pop up by the end of Act 2, as this would be the cut-off point.

You'd do well to do them

You definitely should be doing the Adamantine Forge and Auntie Ethel quests. For the former, Adamantine Shield and Splint Armour can last you until Act 3. Considering how expensive heavy armour is, that can save you plenty of gold. For the latter, it is to unlock the Act 3 quest that gives you Duellist's Prerogative, arguably the easiest high-end legendary weapon to get. If you're running with or as Lae'zel, this one can last you all the way until you get the legendary Silver Sword of the Astral Plane from Voss. If you're doing a two-fighter party run, depending on your party setup, it can even last you all the way until the end.

NOT Rings of Power

Then there's the Gloves of Power, which you can get early in the game by repelling the goblin attack on the Druid Grove. This is an excellent fit for rogues and rangers, especially those proficient in Sleight of Hand. To make this count, however, you'll need the Mark of the Absolute to unlock its full potential. The +1 to Sleight of Hand may seem nothing without the mark, but the ability to Bane any enemy once you have the mark means a fully unlocked Gloves of Power can last you all the way until Act 3, where you can get either Legacy of the Masters (if Dammon survives) or Bonespike Gloves (if you trigger the Farslayer fight at the correct spot). In the worst-case scenario where Dammon dies and you fail to loot Bonespike Gloves, Gloves of Power can still last you for the entire game so long the Bane ability is unlocked.

There's something about Crusher's Ring

Crusher's Ring is another piece of gear that can last long due to its excellent utility value. The increase given to movement speed means it's a great fit for both melee and ranged damage builds. To get this ring, however, you'll have to kill Crusher or kiss his foot. The one issue with the latter is that the DM/narrator doesn't tell you about the ring on his foot. In short, you'll have to mess around with dialogue options for the sake of it to discover it. Either that or you'll have to search the internet for relevant information. From the RP perspective, it's a terribly bad design. It'd be much better if you had to roll a passive Perception check at the relevant point so that the RP factor doesn't get broken.

Stuff you get in Blighted Village

Haste Helm and Bracers of Defence are also great for the early game, and they can be easily obtained in Blighted Village. The former is good for melee and ranged damage dealers, while the latter is excellent for barbarians, wizards, and sorcerers. Put this on Gale together with Mage Armour, and you'll get a +4 bonus for AC. For any wizard and sorcerer, every bit of AC helps in surviving any fight.

Fighting fire at Waukeen's Rest

Doing the Waukeen's Rest quests is highly recommended. Not only does it give inspiration to party members with the Soldier background, you can get some neat loot as a result. Faded Drow Leather Armour is good for rogues and rangers alike. For rangers, however, it's recommended that you switch to Hide Armour +2 once you reach the Goblin Camp, where you can buy it from the vendor (i.e. the guy outside the temple, NOT Roah Moonglow inside). For me, the real deal is saving Florrick, as completing it would give you a choice between three weapons that give you Lightning Charges. I choose the quarterstaff for Gale as the other two options don't last long for my character builds since there are better options within Act 1. Saving the half-naked dude and resolving his dowry issue was more of something I did for the heck of it. That said, Joltshooter with Jolty Vest is a good combo for archery ranger builds.

#FreeOskar

Saving Oskar. Should you or should you not? Free the Artist is a common complaint among gamers, as the consensus is that it's poorly designed. In the past, you could free this guy from the Zhentarim for free if you passed the relevant dialogue checks. Now? It's either you pay the full amount or the discounted amount if you pass the dialogue check. Personally, I find the change to be outright stupid. In fact, I see it as actively discouraging players from freeing him. If this was Larian paying attention to the gamers' complaints, it wouldn't have been the best way to do it. In Act 1, you may not have that much gold. Even if it's the discounted price of 600 gold (800 if you decide to play the nice guy to Oskar), would it be a waste of resources? Sure, you can sell the painting gained at the quest's end (provided Kerri didn't do him in) for an actual profit, as long as you save Figaro from Dolor. But is it worth it? Completing Free the Artist does give you 1K+ XP. Then you have the XP gained by killing the poltergeists and easy access to Philgrave's Mansion. Otherwise, you'll have to pass a Perception check to have a chance of getting inside. If you kill the Mystic Carrion (i.e. for good), you'll get Hood of the Weave. It really depends on how you view the tradeoff. If you really want to free Oskar, I recommend completing Free the Artist before you hit the level 12 cap so that you won't waste the XP tradeoff.

Anders' Game

Sword of Justice is probably one of the best early-game weapons in Act 1 before entering the mountain pass (the other being Phalar Aluve). To get it, you have to help him kill Karlach or help Karlach kill him. If you have party members with the Soldier background, then there's clearly motivation to choose the latter. I've come across online posts stating there's some kind of bug in the game where ending Anders before killing off his two goons would result in Karlach leaving the party upon reaching Act 2. I don't know how accurate this is or whether the bug has been addressed, but I'm not waiting to find out. Doing this fight at level 5 is relatively easy. If you have a wizard/sorcerer in your party, you can position the caster on the house's second floor. Then cast a level 2 Magic Missile on Anders once the fight starts. That can wipe out more than half of his HP. At the same time, Magic Missile is auto-homing. In short, you can fire this from an awkward angle and still hit him. Make sure to take out the vendor asap, as she can pop a potion of speed and use a scroll of Hold Person on any party member within sight. This can be problematic as Anders' attack can wipe out a huge chunk of HP per strike.

And one more thing. Remember to get the tollhouse key to loot the tollhouse for gold and some camp supplies. Split up your party to sit on the two stone chairs to open the secret chamber for more gold and additional weapons to sell for... well, gold. Make sure to have Shadowheart (if you have her in your party) to detect the traps. Being a cleric with proficiency in Perception means she's arguably the ideal party member to detect traps and do passive Perception checks.

Sword of Justice or Phalar Aluve+Ring of Absolute Force?

By itself, it's easy to choose Sword of Justice over Phalar Aluve due to the damage and Tyr's Protection. With the Ring of Absolute Force in the equation, however, and that's where things get interesting. Using Shriek will deal an additional 1d4 Thunder damage. With the Ring of Absolute Force, that'd be 2-5 Thunder damage instead of 1-4. Sword of Justice deals 3-13 damage. Phalar Aluve, with both hands, would deal 1-10 slashing damage plus 2-5 Thunder damage with Ring of Absolute Force for 5 turns. That'd translate to 3-15 damage in total for 5 turns. Use this off an Action Surge to maximise the efficiency of the combo. I guess it depends on whether you're more comfortable with a five-turn burst in damage or a slower but more consistent damage burn. With that said, this Phalar Aluve+Ring of Absolute Force combination can work wonders against Orin when it comes to whittling down her Unstoppable stacks. Assuming we're talking about a level 11 fighter, one turn translates to 3 attacks. Assuming the Thunder damage add-on applies to removing one stack of Unstoppable (not sure about that), one turn can wipe out six stacks of Unstoppable. With that said, there's a bug for Ring of Absolute Force where the wearer doesn't need to be branded with the Absolute's mark to unlock the additional Thunder damage bonus. Has it been fixed? I don't know. That being said, BG3 is a good game to be a fighter since Duellist's Prerogative isn't the only BiS choice until you get Silver Sword of the Astral Plane and Balduran's Giantslayer.

Push the duergar down the lake (so my country can be free)

I'm tempted to add the link to Borat's provocative song about throwing a Jew down the well (hence, "so my country can be free"). While I'd be doing this for the fun of it (fact check: Borat is factually a Jew), I don't want to be seen as a Hamas-loving leftist moaning over Yahya Sinwar's death. Despite dealing with a few level 5 enemies, this fight is 100% doable with a party of level 4 members. If you have party members with the Soldier background, winning the battle will give them free inspiration. Granted, you'll have to pay a fine of 100 gold by the duergar government of Grymforge. But hey, the XP and free inspiration make this deal worthwhile. Also, doing the fight means you can loot the ship and enemies for loot to sell. In Act 1, having as much gold as possible is better. This fight takes place on two boats. Ranged damage dealers should stand on high ground and fire away, while melee damage dealers should just run up and pummel the opposition. If you have a warlock (Wyll or someone else) able to cast Hunger of Hadar, just drop it on the enemies' boat and wait for them to come.

Taking down True Soul Nere

This fight is easy. Just cast Silence, corner him with melee damage dealers, and watch him die. One random observation from this fight is that casting Lightning Bolt with a brazier in the AoE will result in the brazier dropping down. It's an accident resulting from Gale casting Lightning Bolt to damage Nere and Thrinn.

BG minus the R: A post on Baldur's Gate 3 Pt 2

Before I start this post, I have to point out that after the suicide case I mentioned in the previous post, I've had to contend with yet another regrettable episode involving my fellow Singaporeans. This reminds me of my past in school, where I had no friends. As a social reject, I was either shunned or bullied. It started in Primary 5, although my first bully appeared in Primary 4. From that point onwards, it's ostracisation and bullying after ostracisation and bullying from secondary school to ITE. Did the teachers do anything? No. I wondered whether most of them were ignorant, but there were two of them who knew what went on. One did nothing, and the other (my Secondary 2 form teacher) did not come down hard on the perpetrators. One of the bullies punched me in the stomach, while another one (either that or it's the same person) stepped on my hand. One of them believed it'd be cool to take my school bag and hide it somewhere. Then another one broke me by making me hate him and curse his name as a dog in my heart. As a result, I had to deal with apathy in my adulthood. I wish I could feel remorse whenever I did wrong. But something just broke inside.

So, how did I deal with it? By trying my best to live an upright life. The fact that I was a victim of unrighteousness doesn't mean I have to embrace a victim's mentality. One is a fact. The other can and will create a monster in anyone. I will utilise my rationality if I cannot feel remorse for my actions. If emotions don't work for me, I still have my mind. If one part of myself is broken, I'll use the parts which are not. I will not roll over and die as a human being by living as a monster. There are too many such people out there, and I don't want to be like them. Years ago, despite all that had happened, I decided to friend request some of my ex-classmates on Facebook. The reason was that I decided to make peace with my past. And that includes forgiving those who did me wrong, whether through actions or inactions.

If I were asked whether I feel anything for my fellow Singaporeans regarding artistic creativity, my answer would be no. But do I feel something for Japanese dark fiction? Works like Berserk, Attack on Titan, Tokyo Ghoul, and Vinland Saga resonate with me far more than the likes of Crazy Rich Asians and The Fraud Squad for a reason. They allowed me to think in depth about human nature. To the likes of Miura Kentaro, Isayama "Hametsu no Hajime" Hajime, Ishida Sui, and Yukimura Makoto, I have to offer my thanks to them.

Note: If my past sounds like that of Astarion, that's because there's probably some semblance of truth in it. The interesting question is whether the proverbial Cazador are those who did me wrong or a toxic educational environment making the prolonged torture possible.

Speaking of monsters...

Perhaps monstrosity is a focal theme of the Baldur's Gate series. In BG1 and 2, we have Gorion's Ward, who happened to be a Bhaalspawn. In BG3, we have a team of potential mind flayers. If we include the Dark Urge, that'd be a Bhaalspawn Mk II. If you're doing a good run (something I'd always do), it's all about not becoming the monster others believe you to be.

I made a mistake here...

In my previous post, I stated that choosing Ranger Knight for ranger players is the way to go because the ring mail armour is readily available early in the game. Well, that was wrong for a reason. I failed to consider the AC bonus from Dexterity. At a score of 16 (the highest possible number you can get at the start of the game), you would have a +3 AC bonus. Add it to the default armour, and the AC should reach 14. That's the same number you get for ring mail armour. So yeah, that was a big mistake on my part.

Does that mean Ranger Knight isn't a good choice for rangers? It depends on whether your ranger would want a Grymskull Helm, as it is under the heavy armour category. The good thing about Grymskull Helm is that it makes the wearer immune to critical hits. Assuming your party setup includes a fighter and a cleric, you can have three members out of four having crit immunity if you craft an Adamantine Shield and an Adamantine Splint Armour, as I prefer Yuan-Ti Scale Mail to Adamantine Scale Mail. If your ranger runs on a multiclass, a lack of spell slots may make this option viable.

Do you need to steal to get the good stuff?

At first glance, this may seem true. After all, pickpocketing the vendors is the best way to get the good stuff, right? But what if you don't want to steal, be it for personal reasons or skill issues? I noticed that having a high enough Charisma can sell specific stuff for more gold. Not all of them, but certain ones. I may be wrong, though. But my impression is that selling with a high enough Persuasion bonus seemed to increase my gold count. Currently, my alternate playthrough has 3K+ gold, while my main playthrough has 60K+.

One thing of note is that in Act 2, you can earn quite a lot of gold. The reason is that plate armour drops from Act 2 onwards. In fact, Act 2 does have quite a bit of plate armour drops, which are the most expensive armour type you can buy or sell from vendors. You have quite a bit of them by killing the adds in Halsin's portal quest. In the final Moonrise Tower fight (provided the Last Light Inn didn't go bust), you can loot the dead enemies for plenty of plate armour and sell them to the Harper vendor after finishing the fight against Ketheric Thorm. I managed to purchase an Armour of Agility by the time I reached Act 3 straightaway in this manner.

If Act 2 is about getting the gold, then Act 1 is about getting camp supplies. In fact, the camp supplies I got from Act 1 were enough for me to last through Act 2. Blighted Village is a good spot for farming camp supplies. Another place to farm camp supplies is Waukeen's Rest and the barrels in Risen Road. If you camp in the blacksmith's forge, there are also camp supplies to be looted. I've already racked up around 1500 camp supplies in my alternate playthrough and am still in Act 1. In my main playthrough, it's more than 4000. Combat in BG3 doesn't function like FF14, where there are plenty of fights. In fact, combat in BG3 doesn't happen that often. It's more about exploration than fighting. As a result, using camp supplies for long rests doesn't happen that often. Do you need to partial rest? The answer is yes. More often than not, I'd use it for the vendors restocking the healing potions. Gear-wise for uncommon and above, partial or long resting doesn't affect the stock.

Duellist's Prerogative=You're probably gonna use this for most of Act 3

After Act 2, I geared Lae'zel with Selûne's Spear of Night for the fun of it. Looking back, maybe I should have stuck with Phalar Aluve until I got Duellist's Prerogative. Now, one can be deceptively good despite the fact that one must not wield anything in the off-hand slot to make it work. I ran it with Lae'zel, and it was bonkers. Two reactions instead of one means running a Battle Master with this can be very good so long you have Riposte. At the same time, you can go all in by using both reactions to score the additional necrotic damage. The latter is suitable for non-undead enemies (apparently, even devils are not immune to it), while the former can be used against undead foes. Until you get the legendary Gith greatsword from Voss, your Lae'zel will probably run with this. Before that moment comes, stick with Phalar Aluve. Sing is an excellent action to use. Just pop it in and use Action Surge afterwards.

1 level of rogue=universal logic?

Dialogue is a vital part of the game. There are moments when passing a dialogue check would make a fight easier. An example of this is the Dror Ragzlin fight. For some reason, my main playthrough pushed me straight to the dialogue where Dror Ragzlin forced me to interrogate the mind flayer. As a result, I have to pass a dialogue check.

Is 1 level of rogue a universal logic. The reality is that your main character will probably do the bulk of the talking unless Wyll is in your party. 1 level of rogue can do wonders for dialogue checks, as it'd give you expertise in any two skills of your choosing. However, it also depends on how you want to build your main character. For example, fighters. Investing in 1 level of cleric under the Tempest or War domain is arguably better. As for paladins, two fighter levels may be better due to Action Surge.

Will there be a part 3?

It depends on whether I have enough to write. I got some ideas swimming in my head, but whether they're enough remains to be seen.

BG minus the R: A post on Baldur's Gate 3 Pt 1

It's weird for me to say this, but the impulse to write up on Baldur's Gate 3 actually originated from a piece of recent news involving a suicide case. I don't want to elaborate on it beyond two points:

1. The ones who caused the death used logic to kick the dead.

2. Apart from The Online Citizen, aka the media outlet famous for picking a fight with the PAP government, no local media has picked up the story. Not even Independent SG, although it covered the story of how Calvin Cheng is going to butt heads with the two individuals responsible for the tragedy. Close enough? No.

What is the relationship between two seemingly unrelated things? As a Christian, I admit to playing fast and loose with my liberty when I decided to play this game. Ryan and Frontline Bro are currently playing Black Myth: Wukong, but would they play Baldur's Gate 3? Comparing them to me is like comparing Shazam to John Constantine. Writing up on BG3 is my way of responding to the coldhearted aspect of human nature on display, no thanks to the suicide case. Should this be interpreted as a Stone Cold Steve Austin against Vince MacMahon moment? It depends on whether the Vince MacMahon in question refers to the two individuals or the dark side of human nature.

Speaking of Black Myth: Wukong, I feel happy for its success, damn what the leftist press says. To the devs, this song is for them.

Where it all happened

It began far earlier than one may expect. Unlike many others, my experience in playing BG3 started from early access. The starting part in the nautiloid ship took me untold hours. The reason is that BG3 was my first DnD CRPG. As a result, I was messing around with things like a stereotypical Catalan minus the baldness instead of a typical Singaporean (note to self: Pep Guardiola is definitely not a Singaporean). I still remember the character I was using: a Seldarine drow rogue. Liking what I was dealing with, I decided to purchase it. That was during the early access period. Then came a problem: I didn't realise romantic scenes were an euphemism for sex scenes. That temporarily broke the deal for me. It wasn't until much later that lingering curiosity made me realise I could turn off the nudity. So there I am now, writing up a post on a game that hit 10/10 before Black Myth: Wukong did the same.

Red lines

Needless to say, there would be red lines not meant to be crossed. The nature of the game requires me to set guardrails. So, below are the rules I set for myself.

1. No nudity. Thank Larian Studios for the no-nudity option.

2. No same-sex relationship.

3. Due to a particular media coverage involving Astarion and a bear (if I remember correctly), the animal sex option is clearly a bear-sized red line.

4. No evil playthroughs. I don't know whether it should be interpreted as a personal choice, but this is an option I'm not about to take.

5. No creation of non-binary characters. I don't mind creating a female one, though.

6. I don't know how to two-time companions, but even if I did, I'm not about to do it. I like that CDPR clearly said no to players two-timing Yennefer and Triss.

7. I don't mind doing the Sharess' Caress quest. But taking the reward? No.

Current progress

I'm taking this game slow instead of trying to clear it as soon as possible while exploring as much as possible. The fact is, I'm no streamer. I have a day job and am not interested in something I'm not meant to do. The only reason I write a blog is to do something I want to do. Numbers? That's pointless. As a casual player, I explore Reddit, guides, and videos on getting things done. More often, videos on YouTube. This was how I took down the House of Grief fight. One thing I noticed about the game is that it's very preparation-heavy. Quite often, consumables are optional. But there are moments when using suitable consumables can make your life much easier. It's all about adopting the right strategy. Get it correct, and you can clear the game easily in Balanced mode. Get it wrong... well, I don't want to elaborate on it. Ultimately, it's either you search for guides and videos or you trial and error. House of Grief can be a significant source of grief if you don't know the correct strategy.

I have only three fights/quests left before entering the final brain fight: Free the Artist, fighting Ansur, and dealing with Gortash. At the same time, I've started a new character playthrough as well.

Lessons in playing a ranger

In my main playthrough, I'm running a Seldarine drow ranger. In my alternate playthrough, I'm starting with a wood elf ranger. One thing I've learned about using a ranger is that there's not much point in going the whole 12 level unless you're running a Beastmaster due to the pet upgrades. Ranger class progression beyond level 5 focuses more on the spells than physical attacks. This is not to say you shouldn't try a pure level 12 ranger build because BG3 is all about theory-crafting. With that said, the ranger is an excellent main class to multiclass. My Seldarine drow is running a level 5 Hunter ranger with a level 5 Thief rogue and level 2 fighter. Fighting style-wise, it's a combination of Two-Weapon Fighting and Archery. During my main playthrough, I learnt a few things:

1. Ranger Knight is a good feature if you plan to run a melee build with Hunter's Mark as your primary concentration spell. This is because melee builds require better survivability than ranged. But you won't need heavy armour once you get a Yuant-Ti Scale Mail or Adamantine Scale Mail unless you're running a tank build. Ideally, I would prefer to get a Hide Armour+2 as a replacement before that.

2. Bounty Hunter is an excellent option to go ranged, as you can ensnare and shoot from a distance. That plus Ensnaring Strike counts as a weapon attack. This means you can attack the second time with it. Combine this with Gontr Mael for some massive punch.

3. Hunter is a suitable subclass for melee DPS builds if you choose the Colossus Slayer option. Giant Killer and Horde Breaker are good for ranger tank builds, although I'm not a fan of melee AoE attacks. Colossus Slayer stacks very well with Crimson Mischief as the main hand weapon choice. Run this with Cold Snap in your off-hand slot for the fun. I plan to do this for my alternate wood elf run, as my Seldarine drow is running with Knife of the Undermountain King in the off-hand slot.

4. I prefer Uncanny Dodge to Charm.

5. Ranger spells are mainly for utility purposes. Hail of Thorns is a good choice if you want to use post-level 1 spells in combat. Otherwise, I use Hunter's Mark only on a level 1 basis. Conjure Barrage suits ranger tank builds if you have one cleric and two ranged DPS. Otherwise, I don't like the idea of friendly fire.

6. Try to get Armour of Agility as soon as possible once you enter Act 3. Unless you run a tank build, this is the default BiS body armour for rangers.

7. Fog Cloud is handy in Act 3, as you'll use it to make your life easier at certain moments. Steal two runepowder barrels from the Ironhand Gnomes' hideout for the final brain fight? Check. Use it to lockpick the office door at Sorcerous Sundries so that you can enter the vault? You got it. How about looting random chests in Lower City without getting caught? You'll need it. Then there's lockpicking the gate at Steel Watch Foundry.

8. Speak With Animals. Make sure you have that to free up gold and alchemical resources for other uses.

9. Strange Conduit Ring is useful if you're using either Hunter's Mark or Ensnaring Strike (i.e. very likely you'd be doing that). The damage can stack, especially if you're running a Hunter melee build with Crimson Mischief.

10. Get the Sussur weapon. You'll need it for fights like Lorroakan and Farslayer of Bhaal. It's next to useless against Raphael, though.

11. Are Gloves of Dexterity worth it? After all, you can't use ASI on your Dex if you pick this option. It depends on your confidence in getting Bonespike Gloves in Act 3. You can do so without issues if you have a spell level 6 minion that can fly and Lae'zel (provided her Misty Step isn't on cooldown). An alternative is using Gale to cast Misty Step.

12. Alert and ASI should be at the top of your feats list. Depending on how you spec your build, you may end up having only 2 feats instead of 3. If you're using Gloves of Dexterity, you can replace ASI with Savage Attacker because certain enemies have physical damage resistance.

13. Items granting Misty Step is my pet favourite. You can get them in Act 1. Depending on your party setup, everyone can Misty Step.

14. Try to get your Charisma to 12. This is for two purposes: Dialogue checks and Persuasion bonus when buying from vendors. Most of the gear they sell is meh, but some are very good.

15. Speaking of the Persuasion bonus, one level of rogue can give you expertise in Persuasion. For my main playthrough, the discount percentage is at 47%.

More things to say, but...

As I've said, I have a day job. So I'm going to leave things here. However, there are other things that I'll be talking about in the next part.

Year of the Dragon's Dogma 2 Pt 3

So here I am, doing Part 3 of my Dragon's Dogma 2 post series. I'm doing this post mainly because I downloaded its character creator and want to say some things about it. However, I need more than character creation to do a post, no matter how short it may be. Thankfully, there are other things for me to talk about. I hope to come up with a decent length of words.

People die when they are killed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAXvqVvyEPg

In a recent article, Itsuno mentioned the issue of NPC death. This is interesting because of the possible situational context. Namely, escort quests. That's the only possibility. This leads to why Itsuno mentioned character deaths in this possible context. Was it because character death is impossible in the first Dragon's Dogma game where escort quests are concerned? It's interesting because under what other circumstances would you have an NPC with you who can only kill a rabbit at best? Another question is whether such a scenario would suit a ranged vocation better than a melee. Imagine running back and forth to ensure no one dies in the process. Or you don't have to do anything for the aggro to attack the NPC. Who knows?

Safety hazards. Please be careful

One possibility in Dragon's Dogma is being grabbed by a flying object and dropped to the ground. Obviously, this leads to instant death. In the second game, everything stayed the same, which leads to the question of how to predict such circumstances. The reality is that players shouldn't expect themselves to zoom the camera upwards once every five minutes to see whether there's some kind of UFO waiting to abduct them like a terrorist. That'd be too tiring. Then I came across a YouTube short by someone called Dantics where he was gushing over the combat system. My focus was on something other than that. Instead, I was paying attention to the final scene, where a goblin ran up and unleashed a rolling boulder of doom to flatten the Arisen. The only ones flattened by the rolling boulder of doom were its fellow goblins (no IDF-Hamas comparisons, please). This begs whether some rumbling sound would come out. After all, it's physics. While it makes more sense to see the boulder of doom rolling down and react accordingly instead of doing the same by listening, would abnormal sounds be used to alert Arisens of potential flying objects out to abduct them? It'd be weird to hear a griffin chirp like a sparrow. As for what kind of sound harpies make apart from singing, like how harpies sing in BG3, that would be interesting. Although I'm very sure they won't be clucking like chickens. It'd be a bummer to get abducted in an open space with no terrain to hide as a countermeasure. Or move in another direction when an abnormal sound comes out. Of course, there is another possibility. Namely, a Pawn pointing out a flying object nearby. Seriously, it'd be terrible to be abducted without warning.

Are inns all over the place?

One question about Dragon's Dogma 2 is how many settlements will be in the game. In the previous DD game, there were only two settlements: Cassardis and Gran Soren. This time around, there may be more if there's anything implied by the oxcarts. Last time I checked, oxcarts didn't exist in the first DD game. And besides, including them would be weird since it's only two locations. As a result, there's likely an inn for every settlement. The same goes for vendors, although I can't say the same for counterfeiters. Then we have the vocation maisters. Will they be concentrated at the starting village of Melve? I doubt so. If there's any additional motivation behind exploration, it'd be finding vocation maisters as if you're playing Pokemon Go. In fact, some of the vocation maisters may not even be in settlements if Sigurd's images on the official site are anything to go by.

Royal Rumble

I've seen some gameplay footage on YouTube, and the combat gameplay really resembles a tavern brawl more than an organised fight. In this sense, DD2 isn't Elden Ring. The latter is more about duelling and an organised approach to combat. DD2? If Elden Ring is the showcase event of Wrestlemania, DD2 is the showcase event of the Royal Rumble. Target prioritising is definitely important. I've seen a gameplay video on YouTube where an armoured cyclops fight was complicated by a pack of wolves, and the streamer got murdered by those mutts because they weren't dealt with fast enough.

Oh, and one more thing. It's always possible for one giant monster to gatecrash your fight with another big monster. In this battle between Godzilla and Mechagodzilla, it's a no-brainer to focus on the one you're fighting instead of fighting both Godzilla and Mechagodzilla.

Adjustable difficulty

Itsuno had said that DD2 would be more challenging than the first DD. Unless Reno Gazette Journal got the translation wrong (which in theory at least was possible), the exact wording is, "a pretty hard game compared to the previous one". I googled the first DD game's difficulty level, and the feedback was that the original game was already hard enough. It's as if Itsuno thought the first game was way too easy. Again, this might be a translation error. Things did happen before.

Mistranslation or not, this made me wonder whether I should purchase the game. The reason is that I have a job, and the work-life balance in Singapore is stereotypically East Asian. Just look at Japan, South Korea, and China. They're East Asian countries. Then, take a look at Singapore. We're an East Asian majority country. In fact, it was a miracle (or a madman's determination) that I could clear the entire FF14 storyline in slightly over a year. I'm not my fellow Singaporean, whose name is Arthars. He games for a living. I don't. I can't say I envy him, but I can say we live two very different lives. At the same time, FF14 Dawntrail is coming out possibly around this June/July (apparently, it's back on schedule for Yoshi-P and co considering Endwalker's release date was an anomaly). There is still a chance for me to try out DD2, though. In the worst-case scenario, I would end up burning 90+ SGD. I'm actually a flat-spender who rarely spends money on new games.

Interestingly, there were Steam community users who said the game was easy. Some said that hard mode was... well, hard, while others said it was only hard on paper. This might imply that a lot hinges on your party setup since you must fight blind to discover an enemy's weakness. That plus doing the notice board quests. Can you imagine doing the Cassardis well quest at a level lower than 7 or 8? Those reptiles would curbstomp you. And don't get people started on rescuing Quina from Witchwood.

This brings us to the issue of adjustable difficulty. The big question is how it would work. From what I assumed in the context (i.e. Itsuno mentioned implementing it into the system), it's likely something like Resident Evil 4 Remake. Coincidentally, both were made using the RE Engine. If anything is to go from RE Remake's example, we may have three tiers of difficulty. The lowest tier could yield more health curative drops, while standard difficulty wouldn't add anything. As for the third tier of difficulty, that may be the hard mode players of the first game would be familiar with. Beyond that, AI difficulty would remain unchanged, with the challenge level adjusted according to player performance. Of course, would every player be okay with it? I'm sure some would rather see the standard difficulty slider instead of this. In fact, I understand if someone says this is a controversial decision.

On one hand, casual gamers would be forced out of their comfort zone in ways more than one. On the other hand, hardcore gamers may feel this is nothing more than a sub-par hard mode. One thing I suspect about Itsuno's vision for DD2 is that he's out to prove casual gamers can play games of a higher difficulty so long the conditions are right. On the flip side, DD2 combat involves a narrower scope of concentration due to how the ability controls work. It's more about getting used to menu-switching and going on from there. It's like 2 core skills, 4 weapon skills, and 6 augments. That's it. I wouldn't be surprised if theory-crafting in DD2 will be easier than some may think.

Lastly, here's some Pawn designs I've made

Character creation for DD2 is now making the news from Kotaku to Forbes. All over the world, gamers are creating designs from Timothée "the Jewish version of Timothy" Chalamet and the Emilia "she survived it like Clark Kent's sis" Clarke version of Daenerys Targaryen to the likes of Doraemon and Pikachu. As if that's not enough, some channelled their inner Ito "the Stephen King of Japan" Junji (it will be hilarious if the likes of Chalamet, Clarke, and Ito end up playing DD2 because of this). While I didn't attempt my own version of Karolina "no pun jokes on her last name, please" Shiino and Yamasaki "the first alphabet of YKK" Taku, I did try to create the DD2 version of Koizumi "he's not responsible for Super Mario" Junichiro. It was a failure, and I gave up the ghost. I tried creating Ronald Reagan. I nearly succeeded because there was a character face template that looked like him. However, the hairstyle option wasn't available. That plus the upper lip of the so-called Reagan model clearly didn't look... well, Reagan. It's interesting to see some character face templates looking like people we see on TV or in movies. An example is the Sean "not Austin" Astin version of Samwise Gamgee. It's nuts if you're to ask me.

To give myself a challenge, I decided to create an Emilia Clarke. Not the Daenerys version but herself as a person. So why did I choose to do so? The reason is this image below. Apparently, one thing led to an urge to do something crazy.

Seriously, you can really do this if you dare to.

No, she won't be my main Pawn if I play this game.

Streamlining of inclinations

I'm going to point out that Pawn inclination has been streamlined. In the first game, it can seem convoluted. You have nine options, each with strengths and weaknesses depending on your party setup. In DD2, however, you only have four options: Kindhearted, Calm, Simple, and Straightforward. I'd say it makes your Pawn planning much easier as the text is easy to understand (i.e. you have a good idea of what your main Pawn will probably do). So unless Itsuno chucks a curveball at the players, I don't think inclination change will be an issue.

And to end this post...

I decided to take the DD2 vocation quiz. While I don't take such a thing seriously more often than not, the results made me reassess myself. Is my way of doing things constructive to playing a Thief? Or does it make me better for other vocations? After a few attempts at doing the quiz (it's on the official site), I realise maybe, just maybe, I'm more comfortable playing a Magick Archer if the vocation quiz is anything to go by. Sure, my focus thrives on adrenaline. In this manner, I can try out the Thief vocation. After all, playing a Thief is probably about climbing and stabbing until your stamina hits below 50% (around 30%, by my estimation, if you have the Endurance augment). At the same time, however, I wouldn't be surprised if I'd perform better from range due to a better time reading the fight. Either way, I don't function well as a player if I'm playing as a tank.

If I insist on playing Thief, the Weapon Skills list may look like this: Helm Splitter/Biting Wind, Enkindled Blades, Powder Charge (apparently, triggering the bomb would result in auto retreating. Good for getting off a Godzilla if it starts thrashing like an angry American) and Smoke Screen for tanking support/Concussive Step for Helm Splitter follow-up. If I were to play a Magick Archer, I would use Irradiant Orb (for open-space AoE), Ricochet Seeker (for closed-space AoE), Flamefang Arrow (which will probably be my staple spell 9 out of 10 times), and Remedy Arrow (healing or rezzing).

Speaking of Magick Archer, one thing I noticed about playing this and the Archer vocation is that using a keyboard and mouse differs from using the controller. Using the controller means you have more say in mobility, as the left analog stick is intended to have better movement than the W-A-S-D keys on the keyboard. Can you imagine moving and shooting with a keyboard and mouse? I don't know about you, but it's unthinkable to me. Playing with a keyboard and mouse means effective positioning is more vital than mobility.

This is what it means to play with a controller

This is what it means to play with a keyboard and mouse

Year of the Dragon's Dogma 2 Pt II (This is going to be really short)

Well, March 22 is nearing. In other words, Dragon's Dogma 2 will be released in less than three weeks. Truthfully, it's been a disheartening week or so. Recently, my country's educational ministry decided to release a curriculum focusing on the Israel-Hamas War. It was a bad idea because people had already chosen their sides. Understanding is only applicable if and when people choose to. After all, you can't legislate understanding. Things then only seemed to go from bad to worse. From the alternate media not giving the Jewish community space to air its views to posters accusing NTU of aiding in Israel's war efforts (i.e. in their own words, genocide), the only thing left waiting to happen is another Six-Day War or Yom Kippur War. Seriously, this is one of those moments where I don't want to talk to people to protect myself from grief. Depending on a specific factor, I may (or may not) have a nice distraction from the Singaporean version of Hamlet. Come to think of it, are we living in a Shakespearean reality?

30 fps issue

If there is a reason for me not to get Dragon's Dogma 2, it'd be this. The rumours were finally put to rest and proven true: The game will run at approximately 30 fps. And that's not even to include the factor of instability. As expected, Reddit went Fukushima mode. Okay, it's not that bad. There's one Reddit thread entirely of complaints. However, there are others where questions are asked whether things are really that bad. Things were quite civilised since we're talking about Reddit instead of Singapore. But if there's anything I'm sure of, it'd be Capcom possibly going all out to ensure a stable 30 fps. The fact that DD2 doesn't have a performance mode may be pointing towards this. I'll wait for reviews once it is released before buying. That should be 2-3 days after launch.

Demo and patience

As a Singaporean, I'm too used to having a fast-food mentality. We're too used to wanting things fast. Especially fast grades and equally fast success. Do we admire Pep "the stereotypical Catalan genius" Guardiola? Yes. But are we able to nurture another stereotypical Catalan genius? No. If Thomas Edison was a Singaporean, I doubt he'd have invented the light bulb. Enough of my griping. Let's move on to the subject of patience. This word is clearly the polar opposite of a fast-food culture. Patience is the name of the game if you're to play DD2. Itstylo has stated the game will NOT hold your hands like an ah-kong. Once you start playing the game, you must be your own ah-kong. Can't think critically? Too bad. Don't want to fail? Then don't play this game.

And since I'm a Singaporean, DD2 is bound to be a culture shock. All the games I've played involved quest markers. So imagine playing a game where the quest details tell you which direction to go and nothing else. Using my brain, however, there's always a hope that the objective point shouldn't be somewhere far off. Of course, that's a fallible assumption unless proven right. Then, we have the return of time-gated quests. This is something I'm very sure I'll fail a lot. While I can analyse things, my ability to read maps is nonexistent. In fact, I suspect I'll be opening the map at least twice as many times as the average player if I decide to play it. Thankfully, reviewing quests is adorable. There's only this much the game can cut the players loose. So yeah, there's some semblance of a journal/quest board, so the players don't miss out on anything.

While I relish the challenge, I need to test myself to see whether DD2 is the game for me. A lot of things have clicked into place except for two: The 30 fps issue and patience. This is where the demo comes in. Now, it has yet to be announced by the bigwigs at Capcom. We may get a definite answer to this at 7 am local Singapore time. Of course, it's possible that a lot hinges on when the final vocation showcase trailer for Warfarer comes out. After all, it'd feel weird to release the demo before that. I'll only take one quest at a time if I play it.

Fighter: Either you or your main Pawn

Now information has it that your starting point upon playing the game would be the fortress village of Melve. There stands the Fighter vocation maister Lennart. Simply put, the most convenient vocation to level up is possibly Fighter. That plus there are bound to be quests in the starting area. So, that's where you start learning before doing the more dangerous and challenging stuff.

Rated M for implied sex

It's official. The sexual themes listed in ESRB's rating referred to sex scenes. Or rather implied sex scenes with sex workers. At the same time, the harpies and sphinx are officially topless, minus the nipples. In other words, this is the kind of game you wouldn't want kids to play. And that's not to mention plenty of blood, gore, and monsters screaming like angry people in pain. In a certain way, it's even more rated M than Baldur's Gate 3. One thing to note, however, is the question of why the lack of sexually explicit visuals even though Itstylo has no qualms in portraying uncensored violence. This reminds me of the Japanese release of Baldur's Gate 3, where government censors reason why explicit nudity was cut from the Japanese version. Just don't ask me why the Japanese porn industry is legit because I don't come from a political dynasty whose surname starts with the letter K, LDP or no LDP. Anyway, if my guess is correct, this was also the reason why DD2 will NOT have any sexually explicit visuals. Personally, I'm comfortable with a line being drawn. If this 30-fps game can run better than expected, I may have a go at it. That is unless Capcom screws up the PC port.

Before I continue, I'm going to speculate on Wilhelmina. There's something about the way she dresses that's definitely different from the likes of Ulrika, Doireann, and Nadinia. There's such a logic called era-relevant. If people have a problem with what I'm saying, that's because their imagination isn't my problem. Simply put, the Rose Chateau she owns is a famous brothel. In the classic high fantasy setting, it's natural that men hold all the power apart from certain exceptions like Cersei, Daenerys, and Disa. As the OF platform has effectively proven, a horny man is a useful man.

Since sex scenes are synonymous with romance in the modern era of video gaming, whether we like it or not, this raises the question of whether the player character can romance the main Pawn (note that I never said having sex because you can separate romance from sex). An interesting aspect of storytelling is the Dragonsplague. Is this an indication that the main Pawn is more relevant in the plot? If so, will this point to the possibility of romancing the main Pawn? This was something players found a bummer in the first DD game.

Press R1 for...

I won't be doing any analysis on the vocation trailers. The reason is that others are in a better position than me to do so. With that said, my assumption of Mystic Spearhand's R1 being the teleportation strike was wrong when I analysed a specific gameplay video on YouTube. So what does the Redoubted Bolt R1 command do? I'll be waiting to find out.

One interesting thing I noticed, however, is the R1 for Sorcerers. In an IGN gameplay video, using R1 when not switched to the Weapon Skills menu would speed up random spells instead of specific ones. This leads to the question of whether the random selection effect also applies to the Weapon Skills menu. Or would it be R1+the chosen spell?

Interestingly, AoE attacks didn't result in friendly fire.

Cross-posting screw-up?

To end this on a quirky note, I realised that the DD Facebook page is likely using a cross-posting tool linked to the DD Twitter/X account. In other words, whatever is posted on Facebook would be reflected on Twitter/X (Note that the other way around isn't the case). I mentioned it because I noticed something weird about the Mystic Spearhand post on X. Long story short, the said X post was removed despite vocation trailer posts always being a case of cross-posting from Facebook. I knew it because I noticed something weird when the X post was reflected via Google. In the Facebook post, the media file was a video. In its X counterpart, it was an image link. At the same time, the hashtag #DragonsDogma2 was missing in the X post. Apart from that, the text was identical.

Simply put, it looked more like a copy-and-paste job with cross-posting temporarily disabled. Then it got removed. How did I know it? I clicked on the X post out of curiosity. How in the blue hell could an image file be confused for a video file? Why in the blue hell did the hashtag go missing? Was it an angry employee out to exact some semblance of revenge? But that'd feel too contrived, as there would always be more embarrassing alternatives. It's weird.