What Are You Playing: 9 Years since the Last Dragon Age

[LibraryOgre]

That would make sense.

Having trouble with Kingmaker, I think just the fact that I know the kingdom management is coming up is putting me off. But picked up the second Season Pass for WotR, so maybe I'll try the Shifter class, maybe do a Werewolf Azata before going Vampire Trickster with the new DLC. Because the one thing I've been saying D&D needs for years is a dedicated shapeshifters class.

I kinda feel like Shifter gets poisoned a little by having Ulbreg in the game... like, there's more than a few different ways to be an Oracle or a Wizard or a Fighter, but it feels like being another Shifter when there's Ulbreg limits your options. Kinda like BG3 already having 2 druids as companions... my druid needs to be pretty special to work in that situation.

[LibraryOgre]

The Mod Ogre: We're on the edge of 50 pages again, neighbors. Be thinking about your new title.

[Anonymouswizard]

I kinda feel like Shifter gets poisoned a little by having Ulbreg in the game... like, there's more than a few different ways to be an Oracle or a Wizard or a Fighter, but it feels like being another Shifter when there's Ulbreg limits your options. Kinda like BG3 already having 2 druids as companions... my druid needs to be pretty special to work in that situation.

Possibly, although I believe he gets a more focused variant, which might be just about different enough from the standard class. I'm much, much more annoyed by the alignment restriction right now.

Debating going Azata or Demon->Legend right now. I vaguely like the idea of Shifter 20/Barbarian 20, but I want to look up exactly how Legend works first. Azata meanwhile is Azata, and there's always the option of Demon-> Gold Dragon...

[LibraryOgre]

Possibly, although I believe he gets a more focused variant, which might be just about different enough from the standard class. I'm much, much more annoyed by the alignment restriction right now.

Debating going Azata or Demon->Legend right now. I vaguely like the idea of Shifter 20/Barbarian 20, but I want to look up exactly how Legend works first. Azata meanwhile is Azata, and there's always the option of Demon-> Gold Dragon...

If you have Inevitable Excess, it can be a good way to test some build ideas... create a new Commander who makes all those choices you want.

[Rynjin]

I kinda feel like Shifter gets poisoned a little by having Ulbreg in the game... like, there's more than a few different ways to be an Oracle or a Wizard or a Fighter, but it feels like being another Shifter when there's Ulbreg limits your options. Kinda like BG3 already having 2 druids as companions... my druid needs to be pretty special to work in that situation.

I mean, your Druid is special. Because they're your Druid. Like your Druid companions are Sex Pest and Yearns For Death, you're by default more interesting than them.

...Also I don't even know who Ulbreg is, I'm pretty sure you can just bring other companions, not like you're short of them in either game.

[Anonymouswizard]

If you have Inevitable Excess, it can be a good way to test some build ideas... create a new Commander who makes all those choices you want.

I do, and I might. Although I've settled on Demon for my early path and either Gold Dragon or Legend of my late game path, because I honestly feel like good-aligned demon is one of those paths that's clearly been intended (and the Evil dialogue choices seem to lean towards it anyway).

I mean, your Druid is special. Because they're your Druid. Like your Druid companions are Sex Pest and Yearns For Death, you're by default more interesting than them.

He asks once, and let's it drop with no fuss if you just say no.

...Also I don't even know who Ulbreg is, I'm pretty sure you can just bring other companions, not like you're short of them in either game.

To be fair being a Shifter he slots into a warrior role, which is one of the better ones to double up on. Which you can just do because of the six person party. And that only matters for his personal quests, on this run I can just slot in Seelah or Regill at other times.

[LibraryOgre]

...Also I don't even know who Ulbreg is, I'm pretty sure you can just bring other companions, not like you're short of them in either game.

I shifted gears in there. Ulbreg is from Wrath of the Righteous "The Last Sarkorians" DLC. He's a Shifter, a new class introduced (think "Barbarian who Wild Shapes instead of Rages" and you're not far off), and while there are a lot of different archetypes for them, they seem to mostly boil down to "You turn into monster to hit things".

For "my druid needs to be pretty special", I mean "I am largely mechanically interchangeable with two NPCs"

[Rynjin]

He asks once, and let's it drop with no fuss if you just say no.

Oh cool, if they patched that I can amend his nickname to Irrelevant Boringman instead!

For "my druid needs to be pretty special", I mean "I am largely mechanically interchangeable with two NPCs"

So you don't play any classes your companions have? No Rogue because Astarion, can't play a Wizard because of Gale, etc.?

Kinda limits your options pretty heavily.

[Anonymouswizard]

I shifted gears in there. Ulbreg is from Wrath of the Righteous "The Last Sarkorians" DLC. He's a Shifter, a new class introduced (think "Barbarian who Wild Shapes instead of Rages" and you're not far off), and while there are a lot of different archetypes for them, they seem to mostly boil down to "You turn into monster to hit things".

Yeah, it's basically another hybrid class but with a very solid concept. Honestly I'd probably agree with you if I'd gone for one of the archetypes, pretty much all of them focus on one alternate form, but I'm a base shifter and so while Ulbrig does one form very well I get to play mix and match with (eventually) five animals.

Plus, you know...

For "my druid needs to be pretty special", I mean "I am largely mechanically interchangeable with two NPCs"

This is why I like the mythic paths. Sure it'll take until Act 3 to really pay off, but I'll have mechanical stuff Ulbrig just doesn't.

Currently thinking of potential Legend Builds, I wonder if I can do something decent with one of the unmounted Cavalier archetypes instead of Barbarian or Fighter....

Or I'll just go Shifter 20/Gold Dragon 10, but I can't be a tiger and a dragon at the same time...

[Zevox]

So you don't play any classes your companions have? No Rogue because Astarion, can't play a Wizard because of Gale, etc.?

Kinda limits your options pretty heavily.

Also, kind of an odd choice given you can freely reclass your companions, so nobody ever needs have the same class as you no matter what you pick. And Halsin and Jaheira both take a narrative back seat to the main six companions anyway. Personally I've always just had them as bench-warmers outside of when doing their personal quests.

[Triaxx]

Nah you just don't use a companion that shares your class.

[Errorname]

It's a shame we're at 3 years over 10 between Elder Scrolls titles or I'd suggest keeping the theme up.

I kinda feel like Shifter gets poisoned a little by having Ulbreg in the game... like, there's more than a few different ways to be an Oracle or a Wizard or a Fighter, but it feels like being another Shifter when there's Ulbreg limits your options. Kinda like BG3 already having 2 druids as companions... my druid needs to be pretty special to work in that situation.

Designing party balance is very tricky, especially with modern CRPGs which generally go tall on a handful of companions. BG3 having two druids felt terrible to me in a game which didn't even have companions from every class. I think you want to be able to support diverse party compositions without feeling like you're breaking the narrative, and I think it's hard to do that without a deeper bench.

Honestly it making your druid feel less special doesn't bother me as much, in a story with schools of magic it doesn't feel wrong for the main character to run into and recruit a peer of similar background. All it requires is some reactive dialogue that makes it feel like Druid!Tav and Halsin have a different dynamic owing to both being druids, which isn't nothing but honestly a little reactivity can go a long way for this sort of thing.

Also, kind of an odd choice given you can freely reclass your companions, so nobody ever needs have the same class as you no matter what you pick. And Halsin and Jaheira both take a narrative back seat to the main six companions anyway. Personally I've always just had them as bench-warmers outside of when doing their personal quests.

Jaheira also still feels right as a Ranger, which helps.

[Zevox]

Finished Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance today. And I already want to play it again, so I'll probably do that. Yeah, goddamn is it one of the greats, been way too long since I last pulled it out.

[Triaxx]

What are you playing: 10 ways to stealth archer.

[Errorname]

Finished Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance today. And I already want to play it again, so I'll probably do that. Yeah, goddamn is it one of the greats, been way too long since I last pulled it out.

I love how it's basically a musical.

[Zevox]

I love how it's basically a musical.

Oh hell yeah, the music and its use of it is fantastic.

(...random thought: "What Are you Playing 10: The Musical"? If nobody has any better ideas.)

[Anonymouswizard]

Finally unlocked the '**** it wolf time' power. While personally I'd have preferred to become a normal sized rather than massive wolf I can see why they did it for the game.

...yes I went wolf, I almost went mammoth but I wanted something bitey with the +2 damage. Probably picking up tiger for my second aspect.

In honour of the recent discussion I propose What Are You Playing 10: Party Member Took My Favourite Class

[warty goblin]

Not a lot of game time this week + weekend, final wedding prep is getting under way, and a couple of setbacks making the rings ate my entire weekend.

(Pro tip, don't air cool rose gold unless you want to make it super hard and brittle.)


Wrapped up another AoW 4 game, short version is my very magical elves made friends with a rather mineralized orc and a very disappointing dragon, then stomped the other two AIs into the dirt. Also we swapped out legs for snake bits because it made commuting around the inland sea a lot faster and also looked rad.

It's definitely time for an AoW break though. Thought about Solasta, but between mainlining AoW for two months and beating Knight's Tale over the previous two months, I feel a need for something that isn't turn based tactics (this also precludes Fallen Legion, the otherwise excellent looking Knight's Tale spinoff)

Obviously the solution is real time strategy, specifically Spellforce 3. Game still looks damn good, and I quite like the hold ALT to pull up abilities system the game uses. I do kinda miss the over the top art style of the first two games, but the more realistic aesthetic is quite good too.

[DaedalusMkV]

The Mod Ogre: We're on the edge of 50 pages again, neighbors. Be thinking about your new title.

It feels like, this being gaming, we can do some work with the Roman numeral. Say:

What Are You Playing: Xtreme Edition
What Are You Playing: Solve for X
What Are You Playing: X Games in my Backlog

Something like that.

[halfeye]

I blooming loathe musicals. When I was a kid every other film was a pesky musical, The Sound of Music was the worst but by no means the only.

I vote -1 for any potential thread title with "musical" in it.