What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

[TheMix]

UVHM is work. But I find it more satisfying because it's more challenging. Once you've played through Normal mode a few times, it starts to feel like a tutorial. I mean, you can still die, but you kind of have to try.

TVHM throws in some curve balls. For example, you'll notice that enemies will now heal up pretty quickly if you aren't able to finish them off. And using a fire weapon against everything won't be that useful. But you can often still just brute force your way through stuff.

With UVHM, brute force isn't going to work. Slag becomes your new best friend. It's useful in TVHM to slag mobs first, especially harder mobs, but not usually required. In UVHM, you definitely want to slag and then switch to an appropriate element weapon. Having 4 weapon slots becomes key. So you can have one of every element (well, minus "explosive" ). If you can find a good slag homing slag grenade, that's your best bet.

[Jaddison]

I take explosive is not your favorite? I have a relic assault rifle I just got that is explosive and so far in TVHM blows up everything quick. I am still using the scaling fireworks grenade I got for some upgrade of BL2 - works great except when I blow myself up

[Blackhawk]

You have four weapon slots.

Explosive
Incendiary
Shock
Corrosive
Slag

Pick one to stay at home.

It becomes more of a trade off starting in TVHM (or UVHM.) Which one are you not bringing to the fight? Explosive isn't awful, but it means leaving something else at home. And that's assuming that you don't need alternate types for any of the elements (say, a long range weapon and close up weapon that both do fire.) In that context, explosive just doesn't have anything going for it except brute force, and brute force only goes so far once you get a little further on. It's like playing rock-paper-scissors and choosing to leave rock at home. That isn't to say that there aren't effective explosive-focused builds out there that can really take advantage of it, just that without those perks it isn't anything special - while the others are.

Also note that while you're leveling up you can get away with stuff you won't be able to later. You can always find a good high level, high tier weapon that does so much raw damage that it melts everything in seconds compared to anything else you have. At some point, though, you're not able to do that with raw damage output anymore. Usually when you hit the level cap and all of your weapons catch up with each other in terms of levels and tier. Then the nuances start to matter.

Again, playing in a group changes things. Many groups have a designated slagger, for instance, which frees up other characters for certain builds (like a dedicated fire build.)

[Ralph-Wiggum]

I beat Fenyx RIsing over the weekend. All in all thought it was pretty good, although, as I stated above, too easy. One slight negative is that the loot could've been better; often times you would open up a chest just to get a reskin of a weapon/armor you already had. And many of the attributes of the equipment weren't especially interesting.

Since I finished Fenyx, I loaded up Greedfall for the first time. Only played about 30 minutes. Impressions so far are that the skill trees seem semi-interesting, combat is hard (playing on hard), and the graphics/camera are janky on the PS5. Maybe I'll get used to it as I play more.

Also got playing NBA 2k21 for the PS5 (thanks coop!) and started an online league with my brother and his son. I've only played one game so far, but the graphics are pretty stunning. Almost as impressive is how fast everything loads.

[TheMix]

I take explosive is not your favorite? I have a relic assault rifle I just got that is explosive and so far in TVHM blows up everything quick. I am still using the scaling fireworks grenade I got for some upgrade of BL2 - works great except when I blow myself up

I don't mind explosive damage. But explosive is the same across the board. And I'm not sure if it gets the bonuses from slag (Edit: Looks like you do.). But against a shielded bandit, for example, I'd generally much prefer using shock and then fire. It'll kill a lot faster than just using explosive damage. And a corrosive weapon will burn through robots a lot faster. Assuming it's a good one, of course.

FYI, check out the charts about half way down here.

Using explosives against the same target (shield/health) would be 0.8 vs the shield and 1 vs the health - that's the damage multiplier. Using a shock weapon and then a fire weapon would be 2.5 vs the shield and 1.75 vs the health. Even with a bit of loss from swapping, you'd still probably fair better. And for slagged targets, those values double.

Generally, I tended to run with fire, shock, corrosive, and explosive (often a rocket launcher that only came out during FFYL). Then I'd use a grenade or ability with slag for harder targets.

I suspect that as you progress, you'll find it harder and harder to depend on explosive damage (unless you are using a build that focuses on that).

[TheMix]

Oh, and in case it's not clear, you should worry first about having fun. If you have a fun explosive weapon that is destroying everything, then have at it!

The advice above is more for consideration if you start to find the going get tough.

Also, if you are struggling to find a good weapon, you can either use a key (don't forget about those!), or hit me up. I've mostly stopped playing, but I still have a crazy ton of legendary weapons banked "just in case".

[Jaddison]

Roget that on fun...which i s why I probably with stick to Mechromancer and Siren. Zero is just a struggle and Krieg while crazy dies a lot.

[TheMix]

Axton was a bit ho-hum for me. Probably because he didn't feel that different from Roland in BL1.

Zero is tough. Especially at harder levels. I think that to get him to shine you have to look at his melee tree instead of sniping. But I like snipers....

Siren is way OP.

Mechromancer is pretty good. Though at higher levels you can't count on the robot as much.

I had a TON of fun playing the Gunzerker. Sal is funny. And I got to the point that I could Gunzerk non-stop. With constant ammo and health regen.

I wanted to like Krieg. I was ready for a melee build. But all I did was die every time I tried to melee. So I ended up mostly using weapons. Which sort of defeats the purpose. Though in enclosed/small spaces, his one-shot insta-gibbing is pretty awesome. Until it wears off in the middle of a group of baddies.

[Blackhawk]

I had the same feeling about Axton. He was more of the same.

Maya I loved. She was powerful and versatile.

I played Zer0 through TVHM in coop, but I honestly don't remember him all that much.

I never played Salvador. I don't enjoy 'out of control' gameplay (as opposed to intentional, planned gameplay.)

Gaige left me a little cold. It seemed like here options were either A) let the robot play the game for you and just support him, or B) use the Chaos mechanic which, again, is out of control gameplay.

My son loved Krieg, but the descriptions of his gameplay didn't really draw me in all that much, especially his focus on melee - I play Borderlands when I'm in the mood for a shooter, not a melee game (and yes, I know he has gun builds.)

[TheMix]

I'm not following. What about the gunzerker is out-of-control? I get that Gaige has that build where you can't hit the side of the barn, but the bullets all bounce and damage has been ramped up like crazy. I ran with that for a while. I thought it was kind of fun. But it's definitely not a precision build. But while you can't zoom while gunzerkering, you can still aim. It's hip firing, but it's hip firing with two guns. And depending on the weapons, the accuracy improves as you fire.

Edit: And to clarify, he was my first character to hit max level. I do think he struggles with UVHM a bit more than Maya. But not by that much.

[Blackhawk]

They both deal out massive damage, but the from-the-hip, spray-and-pray gameplay is what doesn't appeal to me.

[TheMix]

Well, all I can say (after probably well over 100 hours with him) is that I never "prayed". I definitely "sprayed". But it was always directed and focused.

[Jaddison]

Hey don't slam "best robot EVAR". I found in TVHM my robot takes a lot more damage and I have to understand what he is up to.

Krieg is fun in an out of control sort of way.

I agree gunzerking takes some getting used to and I am not very good at it. Maya is a cinch especially with the corrosion hopping bomb.

Zero is damn hard to keep alive

[Blackhawk]

My favorite with Maya were the singularity grenades. Toss one to the right of a crowd, it pulls all of the enemies in and hurts them. I then phaselock one on the opposite side of the crowd and it pulls more in, plus the first group, and zaps them all.

[Kurth]

Before my power and internet went down for four days last week, I had been revisiting Destiny and enjoying it. With no internet connection, my XBOX Series X was basically a brick, so I fired up the PS4 and started Horizon Zero Dawn. I am absolutely loving this game. I’m been playing constant for about a week now, and it’s definitely got its hooks in me. Great characters. Good writing. Compelling story. Fun combat. What’s not to like?

[coopasonic]

Before my power and internet went down for four days last week, I had been revisiting Destiny and enjoying it. With no internet connection, my XBOX Series X was basically a brick, so I fired up the PS4 and started Horizon Zero Dawn. I am absolutely loving this game. I’m been playing constant for about a week now, and it’s definitely got its hooks in me. Great characters. Good writing. Compelling story. Fun combat. What’s not to like?

The fact that it took you this long to figure it out?

[Skinypupy]

Before my power and internet went down for four days last week, I had been revisiting Destiny and enjoying it. With no internet connection, my XBOX Series X was basically a brick, so I fired up the PS4 and started Horizon Zero Dawn. I am absolutely loving this game. I’m been playing constant for about a week now, and it’s definitely got its hooks in me. Great characters. Good writing. Compelling story. Fun combat. What’s not to like?

Horizon Zero Dawn was my second favorite game of last generation, only slightly behind Ghost of Tsushima.

[gbasden]

My son and I bought THE FOREST on a whim and had a pretty good time. That game scared the heck out of both of us on a number of occasions. It's brutally difficult, and I'm not sure how much patience I have for it to be honest, but we had a great time screaming and laughing at being stalked by naked cannibals.

If you enjoy being stalked by naked cannibals, I highly recommend Green Hell. It's a pretty good survival game with (imo) a very good story.

[coopasonic]

My son and I bought THE FOREST on a whim and had a pretty good time. That game scared the heck out of both of us on a number of occasions. It's brutally difficult, and I'm not sure how much patience I have for it to be honest, but we had a great time screaming and laughing at being stalked by naked cannibals.

If you enjoy being stalked by naked cannibals, I highly recommend Green Hell. It's a pretty good survival game with (imo) a very good story.

+1 though I don't think it has co-op.

[gbasden]

My son and I bought THE FOREST on a whim and had a pretty good time. That game scared the heck out of both of us on a number of occasions. It's brutally difficult, and I'm not sure how much patience I have for it to be honest, but we had a great time screaming and laughing at being stalked by naked cannibals.

If you enjoy being stalked by naked cannibals, I highly recommend Green Hell. It's a pretty good survival game with (imo) a very good story.

+1 though I don't think it has co-op.

It absolutely does. I played it through with my wife and a friend.

[coopasonic]

Huh. I can usually get my son to join me for survival games and never managed to get him in on this one apparently, oops. Sorry!

[Cylus Maxii]

I've been playing a ridiculous amount of Valheim the last month.

[Skinypupy]

Trying to decide if I want to take the plunge on Bravely Default 2. On the one hand, a new JRPG with wonderful artwork and a classic style. On the other hand, it's ridiculously grindy and they apparently removed some of the QOL features that make the previous games so easy to play (i.e. auto battling trash mobs, etc.). I played both of the originals on 3DS and while I enjoyed them, both games had a point where you felt like the game was wrapping up...and it basically started all over again. It was incredibly frustrating and I never finished either one.

Thinking I want to grab a new game for the weekend, but can't decide between:
- Bravely Default 2 (see concerns above)
- Ys IX: Monstrum Nox (good reviews and I really enjoyed Ys VIII, but those graphics are...yeeesh. It looks like a PS2 game.)
- Persona 5 Strikers (I bounced off Persona 5 twice, mainly because I found the social aspects to be incredibly dull. Sounds like this one focuses less on that and more on action combat, which is intriguing to me. Still, the whole "managing the lives of teenagers" theme is still kinda meh)
- Yazuka: Like a Dragon (looks interesting and funny, but the general theme of a Japanese gangster does nothing for me)

What to do...

[coopasonic]

I've been playing a ridiculous amount of Valheim the last month.

93 hours for me per steam... though I think I am really putting it on pause this time.

[Skinypupy]

Thinking I want to grab a new game for the weekend, but can't decide between:
- Bravely Default 2 (see concerns above)
- Ys IX: Monstrum Nox (good reviews and I really enjoyed Ys VIII, but those graphics are...yeeesh. It looks like a PS2 game.)
- Persona 5 Strikers (I bounced off Persona 5 twice, mainly because I found the social aspects to be incredibly dull. Sounds like this one focuses less on that and more on action combat, which is intriguing to me. Still, the whole "managing the lives of teenagers" theme is still kinda meh)
- Yazuka: Like a Dragon (looks interesting and funny, but the general theme of a Japanese gangster does nothing for me)

What to do...

Or I will get none of the above and pick up the Nier Automata Game of the Year edition instead.

Been meaning to get back to that and run through the alternate endings. I finished the main game back when it was released, but never got around to doing any more.

[Blackhawk]

I actually think I'm going to have to walk away from Horizon Zero Dawn for now. It's an amazing game, but I took about a six-week break from it, and now I'm completely out of the flow. There's just too much going on, and I can't remember a damned thing I was supposed to be doing, plus I've gone from holding my own to getting absolutely stomped in every combat.

I absolutely will come back to it at some point, though.

[Jaddison]

Zero in BL2 should be renamed Resurrection since he dies so damn much......and I just fell through the world, haven't had that happen before. He has gotten a bit easier but I still die way more than I have with any other character.

[Blackhawk]

I always found that Zer0 was at his best in a group so that he wasn't facing the brunt of the assault himself. When he has others to take the pressure off he can do insane amounts of damage.

[Jaddison]

I could see that with Zero and being able to attack from behind.

[YellowKing]

Because I am impulsive when bored, I picked up World of Warcraft: Shadowlands today. I typically get around to playing every new WoW expansion at some point, but lately I've been in the mood for some mindless MMO action and jumping back into FFXIV felt like a steeper re-learning curve than I was comfortable with.

The one thing that really intrigued me about Shadowlands was the smoothing out of the leveling curve and reduction of the level cap to 60. Felt like much more of a fresh start than the last couple of expansions.

I've been having fun with it, although the new tutorial areas REALLY handhold you almost to a fault. For now I'm just going to roll with it and see how it goes.

[Skinypupy]

Well, my willpower held out as long as it could against a new traditional turn-based JRPG. So...a few days. Picked up Bravely Default 2 last night.

This is old-school Final Fantasy in all but name, right down to the names of items and spells (Echo Herbs, Phoenix Down, Fira, etc) and a plot involving crystals. I’m quite enjoying it so far, with the brave/default combat system being the highlight.

For those willing to grind a bit - and you shouldn’t be playing this if you aren’t - there’s an early-game spot (an hour’ish in) that makes a huge difference. After grinding for about 90 minutes, I came away with the Freelancer job maxed (which gives abilities that bump JP gain by 70%), a max stock of 99 of all curable items (ethers, potions, tents, and all status-effect cures), and over $50k in gold (a ton for early game). Should give me a good start on the rest of the game.

[Tao]

Because I am impulsive when bored, I picked up World of Warcraft: Shadowlands today. I typically get around to playing every new WoW expansion at some point, but lately I've been in the mood for some mindless MMO action and jumping back into FFXIV felt like a steeper re-learning curve than I was comfortable with.

The one thing that really intrigued me about Shadowlands was the smoothing out of the leveling curve and reduction of the level cap to 60. Felt like much more of a fresh start than the last couple of expansions.

I've been having fun with it, although the new tutorial areas REALLY handhold you almost to a fault. For now I'm just going to roll with it and see how it goes.

If you are starting fresh and not locked in to a particular server you are welcome to come join myself and a few friends playing on Elune. We have 4 to 5 core people that we play with and just moved our mains to a larger raiding guild that has some nice folks that are pretty accommodating.

[Sudy]

Mrs. Nym and I dropped WoW: Shadowlands before we hit 60. That's not a judgment against it; we'd probably been playing it for a month prior to the expansion, levelling new characters. But it was often too hard to get motivated to play at the same time, and we couldn't find a guild we liked. (Plenty here invited us or offered suggestions, but we didn't really want to pay to transfer or re-roll again.) I think we were also frustrated for different reasons... she was intimidated by newer dungeons, and I was disappointed she wouldn't run them with me, as they were my favourite part of the game. As well, the change to non-RNG loot (which I was encountering for the first time) kind of took the fun out of it.

Also, we got a Switch for Christmas and a lot of our regular gaming time was taken up by Animal Crossing. I think I'll go back to WoW, maybe soon. But it doesn't have legs when I'm playing solo.


For me today and recently, it's been all card games, all the time. While I've been getting a bit worn out by Runeterra (Riot's incredibly good take on the MTG-lite/Heathstone formula), the new expansion just dropped and there's tons of new content. I also picked up Slay the Spire again... can't believe I apparently haven't touched it since 2018. Finally cleared Act 3 with all original classes. This is one I play heavily for a week or two, and then get really burned out on. Finally, I picked up Monster Train, which is a twist on Slay the Spire. I've only done one run so far; there are things I love, and others I don't. But overall it seems extremely solid with tons of unlockables, and is breath of fresh air if you need a break from Spire.

[Skinypupy]

I'm about 12 hours into Bravely Default 2, and think I'm about done. My main reaction is that the game is just mind-numbingly boring. I know turn-based JRPG's can have a bit of repetition, but this one takes it to the extreme. Here's the entire gameplay loop:

1. Get a (typically uninteresting) quest to go to location X or Y
2. Go to that dungeon
3. Grind in the dungeon by using the exact same attack patterns on every single trash mob until you get to the point where they're running away from you instead of running to attack you.
4. Fight the boss, who is 10X more difficult that anything you've faced so far. It will require you to use all sorts of skills and abilities that you've simply ignored for the last 3 hours of grinding because you haven't had to use a single one of them.
5. Turn in the quest and get a new job to level.
6. Repeat ad nauseum

If the story were interesting (it's not) or the characters were compelling (they're not) or the trash mobs did anything interesting (they don't), then the game might be kinda fun in the "turn your brain off" sort of way that many old-school JRPG's are. It looks kinda pretty, I guess (although I had to turn off the distance blur effect because it gave me a headache), but otherwise there's really just not anything interesting about this game at all.

Very disappointing overall.

[mcdog512]

Lately I've been getting into Board Games on Steam. My buddy and I pound a few beers over a zoom call and play games like Castles of Burgundy, Stockpile, Ticket to Ride, Carccassone, Through the Ages and Twilight Struggle just to name a few. Really having a good time with these.

That's a rock solid selection of digital board games (Twilight Struggle & Through the Ages are perhaps the best of all of 'em).

If you're looking for more, you cannot go wrong with the following:

• Wingspan
• D&D: Lords of Waterdeep
• Race for the Galaxy
• Hive
• Root
• Star Realms
• Terraforming Mars
• Sagrada
• Galaxy Trucker
• Small World
• Raiders of the North Sea
• Burgle Bros.
• Splendor
• Gloomhaven - still in Early Access, though not too shabby considering

I have all of those except Root and Burgle Bros.

I also have about 280 physical board games laying around here including most of those listed.

[Skinypupy]

There's a new Hot Shots Golf game on Apple Arcade (Clap Hanz Golf). It's as fun and as addicting as ever.

[dbt1949]

I've been watching a youtuber play Fallout 4 so now I've started a new game of it.

[Zarathud]

My daughter and I are both playing Fallout 4.

[TheMix]

I'm planning on starting up Fallout 4 VR. As soon as I can get up the energy to work on the mods.

[Cylus Maxii]

I recently got re-acquainted with RDR2 on PC. I picked up where I'd left off in my save game last year. I mostly hunted and toured around for the last week, just re-learning how to do stuff. I got back to the story over the weekend, and am now at about 50% progress. This is right at the limit of where I'd previously played on XBONE, so I should start seeing new parts of the story this week.