1w ago

What are you playing this weekend? 2025-05-02

Broke my streak of finishing one chapter per week in Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition.

Spent most of the time surveying Noctilum to reach 20% mark, finally did it. Also completed couple of affinity quests in the meanwhile.

Started Chapter 6. About to reach the place where the quest is. Wonder how long it will take.

The second area was pretty big in The Surge. Cleared that, and reached the 3rd Area.

Nothing new to say about it. Have been playing with one-handed weapon, but just got a staff that seems good, but I am level 13 with one-handed weapon and would have to start with 0 proficiency with staff. I guess I'll just stick with one-handed one...

What about all of you? What have you been playing and/or plan to play?

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Also working on Xenoblade Chronicles X. I accepted an affinity mission for Phog and Frye that I can’t complete even though I am five levels above the recommendation. I hate the way inventory works on this game! I am getting wrecked by gravity attacks, but planning out ground gear just doesn’t work in my brain! Arg!

In Octopath Traveler Champions of the Continent, I’m still chugging along, leveling up my party and exploring Solista. Found the underground tournaments and unlocked a new character, too! Hooray!
- Don't have Frye yet, and haven't even selected Phog's fist affinity mission, well, second I guess, first after having him in the team, since it's in Sylvalum (or was it Cauldros?).
  The game seems a bit weird in this. Some enemies I can kill even if they are 3-4 levels above me, some give me trouble even if I am 3-4 levels above them. Though after reading your message I am realising I have never paid attention to attack type, so that could be the issue.
  
  I try to always remember that beam wrecks mechs!

Still working my way through the story in guild wars 2. I played it for a bit a few years ago, then picked it up again in earnest late last year, been slowly working through the expansion content. I'm up to the season 4 content, working on unlocking the roller beetle, which looks like fun.
- Interesting, not really into MMOs so never tried it. Is the game still active?
  
  It sure is. Not sure how current numbers compare to other MMOs or previous peaks or whatever, but my personal experience is that there are always players around, no matter where I am, or what I'm doing. The community is also very nice. Always happy to jump in and help another player in trouble, or assist in a quest or event that requires a group to do.

Continuing my playthrough of Tears of the Kingdom using my custom hardcore ruleset!
Let me know if y'all want the deets, it's a super fun way to refresh the game and make it more challenging if you're already very familiar with the game and its mechanics.
- Finished your Breath of the Wild playthrough? Those were some tough rules.
  And yeah, would love to see the ruleset for Tears of the Kingdom!
  
  Haha I only got about halfway before moving on to TOTK. The QoL upgrades alone just make the game too enticing, and I was itching to play test this ruleset. I might go back to BOTW again once the upgraded Switch 2 version comes out, but until then please enjoy my hardcore ruleset for TOTK!
  The Base System: A base is any location where you may access and interact with your Materials and/or Armor inventories. All towns, villages, stables, and the Temple of Time are considered bases. Lurelin may be used as a base only after restoration is complete. Additionally (and very importantly) your registered horse or rented sand seal can serve as a mobile base. You may use the quick access menu to change weapons, bows, and arrows (see #3), but you may not throw/drop items for purposes of using Fuse outside of a base. Use of Zonai devices is allowed at any time, since these are pretty central to the game and in my headcanon they’re small little capsules that can be easily carried and deployed.
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  Restricted Fast Travel: Fast travel may only be used between the warp circles at activated Skyview Towers, Tech Labs, and towns. Fast travel may be used to a town’s shrine only after its regional phenomenon has been resolved, or a temple after it has been completed. Fast travel may be used to “ascend” from a Lightroot to its respective shrine on the surface after both are activated/completed. You may use Travel Medallions if you wish, but once deployed they can only be picked up while standing on them.
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  Combat Focus: The inventory screen may not be opened at all while Link is moving or while combat music is playing. Weapons may be swapped using the quick access menu on the D-Pad, but for any and all other needs you must first defeat all enemies or retreat from combat. No mid-battle meals. Additionally this will mean that you cannot eat or drink while swimming, falling, or gliding.
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  Wrong Weight Division: You may not use Perfect Parries against Moblins or heavier enemies. Perfect Parries are too easy and too powerful against these foes, especially Lynels. You must rely on your ability to dodge effectively, or in some cases might find it a more appealing option to simply avoid combat entirely.
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  Not-Quite-Superhylian: You may only use aerial bullet-time to fire one bow shot between touching surfaces.
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  Forbidden Fruit: Hearty meals may not be consumed, they are simply too overpowered. You may cook them and sell them if you wish, but you may not eat them under any circumstances. Hearts obtained from any other source are allowed.
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  Packed Lunch: While away from base, you may only carry one cooked meal with you. This feels more realistic, will force the player to prioritize high-quality cooking, and in addition, the inability to access the material inventory away from base increases the importance of food immensely. As a parallel to this, however, you may carry up to four elixirs with you at any time. This way you can plan additional status buffs to bring with you, or just prioritize healing elixirs outright. The choice is yours.
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  Hunter-Gatherer: Foraging is allowed; e.g, you may pick up or hunt something and then eat it immediately, whether it is classified as food or a material (such as raw vs. cooked fish). An obvious example is the cooked meat you can often find on spits in bokoblin camps. This gives the player an additional option when running low on hearts if they are reluctant to retreat and regroup, while preserving the unforgiving limit on how much food you can carry.
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  Rauru’s Test: Inventory and meals may not be accessed in shrines. No Zonai devices, Fused or new, can be used in shrines except for the ones found therein.
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  Essential Schematics: Auto-Build may only be used to construct schematics that have been discovered in the overworld, no favorites may be saved.
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  Zonai Recharge: Zonai charges may not be used while the battery is being used.
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  Pro HUD: Play on Pro HUD mode.

I'm nearing the end of current content in Monster Hunter Wilds. The current Arch-Tempered Rey Dau event kicked my butt quite badly. It was the first time I actually had to truly learn a monster's patterns and tells, but now I can beat him without carting. I only have HR Zoh Shia left and I have heard enough tales to not rush into that one. I'm gonna fully upgrade my armor first.
Brothership is still happening. Every now and then. Not as much as I would like, but with Monster Hunter going into a pure grinding phase, I'll have more time.
And when I only have a little time, I go back to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2. I've had the main game beaten for a while, but there's still plenty to do on the huge achievement list, which really adds to a game lime this. I even found myself hitting the difficult speedrun times. I wasn't going to try those very hard, but at least for the first two levels, they were doable.
Occasionally, I've also been playing the 1994 CD-Rom version of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, a childhood game I have been trying to find for 30 years. It wasn't hard to find per se, those old Carmen Sandiego games are all abandonedware at this point, but good luck getting a modern PC to understand a 90s CD-Rom! The best I could do in the past was a DOS version, which just wasn't the same without music and voice acting. But I finally found the 'VileBox', which is a fan-compiled collection of all old Carmen Sandiego games that just works! That nostalgia hit pretty hard~
- Good luck with your armour and Zoh Shia!
  Any plans on what to start next? Or going to worry about it after finishing MH Wilds and Brothership?
  
  I know what to follow up with on the Switch-side, since there's really not much left for me there. My backlog on PC is much bigger and whatever I feel like playing now is probably not what I want in a week, so I try not to think about it. Monster Hunter has no real end in sight anyway. I'll grind away slowly, a bit every other day to not grow rusty for whatever nightmare gets added next, so I probably won't start anything with too much depth.

Playing Xenoblade X!
I was quite overleveled from exploring and doing side-quests so I decided to rush through some story missions during the long 16h trip home. Finished Chapter 12 which was was the ending of the original WiiU version.

So I'm quite curious to see where the extra story content goes.
- I finished Chapter 6! But have lots of side content that I can tackle right now, so going to do that before going for Chapter 7. Also thinking about getting the skell before that.
  About that 16 hour long trip, how long does your battery last? I am noticing mine only lasts about an hour or so when playing XCX (with usb dongle of headphones attached), I mostly play docked these days, so it's not much of an issue, but it's about time to look at battery replacement. It is a launch unit, so it makes sense, still happy that it lasted this long.
  
  Also thinking about getting the skell before that.
  Definitely do it, the game changes a lot (in good ways) after you get it.
  About that 16 hour long trip, how long does your battery last? I am noticing mine only lasts about an hour or so when playing XCX (with usb dongle of headphones attached)
  Not a lot, probably 2h or so using a bluetooth headset (no dongle), but I carry a powerbank which gives me a couple extra charges and this particular plane also had power outlets which made it easier.

Started Oblivion Remastered last weekend. Jumping right back into what is my third playthrough over the last twenty years, and power leveling skills so I can start breaking the game with potions and enchantments!
- Is the leveling and enemy scaling still broken? Or did they fix that?
  
  Yes and no. They changed the leveling system a bit. I forget exactly how it used to work, but you still level up skills and go to sleep after getting x skill increases, but they adjusted it so you don't have to min max your build from the beginning to avoid being underpowered.
  Enemies still scale with your level, but overall the game feels easier than before. Not sure if that's because I've already played through it a few times, or because of the adjustments to leveling and scaling.

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