The Last To Post Wins!

[Acacia Sgt]

Well, got another bout of bad luck in the Monster Arena... though once I was able to recover and gained a decent sized lot, I called it done for the day.

Perhaps I should just settle on what I can get now in the chapter for now rather than go for long-term investment... hmm...

[Caster]

Should continue Extella Link tomorrow, been pretty lazy recently.

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

5 hours ago, Benice said:

Well you'd better got more sleep or I'm gonna stalk you again.

Get well soon!

Thanks!

The more I sleep, the less I post to be stalked.

[DragonFlames]

21 hours ago, Armagon said:

By the way, in case you're wondering, there's 10 chapters.

Then I'm in for a long run! Awesome!

@Falcom Knight I hope you'll feel better soon!

---

Doing Merc Group Missions in Xenoblade 2 allows me to do some other stuff on the side while I wait for them to finish, which is very convenient. Earlier, I was continuing to try and max out everyone's friendship levels in Warriors All-Stars. Having all these different people interact with each other produces some quite hilarious and/or interesting results. (Spoilers for size reasons)

The irony is that that is exactly how Lu Bu meets his end in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel, the Dynasty Warriors games, as well as in actual history.

---

Also, there are a whole bunch of JRPGs on sale in the PS Store currently. They're offering really good stuff like Megadimesion Neptunia VII, Nights of Azure and Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk for under 20€. I myself am thinking about picking up a few. The sale will last until the 7th of this month.

Edited March 4, 2020 by DragonFlames
added spoilers for size reasons

[Lightcosmo]

1 hour ago, DragonFlames said:

Doing Merc Group Missions in Xenoblade 2 allows me to do some other stuff on the side while I wait for them to finish, which is very convenient.

 

I think this was a good idea, allowing you to complete them without having to go through all the hassle. Although, if not for increasing the amount of blades you can have, I don't think it would be worth it.

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

2 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

 

@Falcom Knight I hope you'll feel better soon!

Thanks!

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Also, there are a whole bunch of JRPGs on sale in the PS Store currently. They're offering really good stuff like Megadimesion Neptunia VII, Nights of Azure and Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk for under 20€. I myself am thinking about picking up a few. The sale will last until the 7th of this month.

Indeed there are.

Also I am jealous how cheap PS4 games are compared to Switch.

Fairy Fencer F costs 8 €, as much as a pizza.

 

Edited March 4, 2020 by Falcom Knight

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

I really wished the e-shop had that kind of sale like "Big in Japan"...

[Armagon]

Finished Atelier Shallie. Gonna be writing up my thoughts later.

[Armagon]

Atelier Shallie thoughts here.

 

[Acacia Sgt]

Alright, my luck today was much better; and got like over 30K tokens this session. Although there were still lots of loosing matches.

I recently found a thread on GameFAQs that talked that, at least on the mobile version, who wins each time is actually set. Though apparently it will vary phone by phone. I decided to put that to the test, though I didn't got enough repeated match chains to confirm it. Well, maybe later on I can check.

Though, haha, the Endor tournament got close to being a close call. I went there with no Medicinal Herbs and without having used the Inn. Still beat it, though it did made me doubt a little.

And finally, I'm done with Chapter 2.

[Armagon]

Ah yes, my favorite days of the week.

So yeah, i started Atelier Sophie. I'm not even a whole hour in yet so i can't really say much about the game other than combat is.....odd. Your actions don't happen automatically but rather, you select all the actions and then once you've done that with everyone, then the turn plays out. So it's kinda like a card game in that sense. I'll have to get used to it.

Also i'm playing on PC and there is no option for controller remap. It's not too big of an issue because it's a turn-based game and also my Switch Pro Controller actually works with this game but still, if you're gonna have a PC port of your game, controller remap is like, a basic need.

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

Sophie is one of maybe two or three Atelier games which does not have a Switch port unfortunately.

[Armagon]

4 minutes ago, Falcom Knight said:

Sophie is one of maybe two or three Atelier games which does not have a Switch port unfortunately.

Every Atelier game before Rorona also doesn't have a Switch port and there's quite a few of them. These likely won't recieve any Switch -or any other console- ports.

The only modern Atelier games to lack a Switch port are Sophie and Firis and these probably will get one in the future.

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

I do not even know the parts before Arland (though I know the series exists for about 20 years).

Only Sophie and Firis came in mind.

 

[DragonFlames]

17 hours ago, Falcom Knight said:

Indeed there are.

Also I am jealous how cheap PS4 games are compared to Switch.

Fairy Fencer F costs 8 €, as much as a pizza.

Getting Fairy Fencer F for 8€ is something I'd do in a heartbeat if I didn't have it already.

16 hours ago, Falcom Knight said:

I really wished the e-shop had that kind of sale like "Big in Japan"...

Same.

4 hours ago, Falcom Knight said:

Only Sophie and Firis came in mind.

As far as I know, Sophie and Firis are the only two "current" Atelier games that aren't on the Switch. The third game in the Mysterious trilogy, Lydie & Suelle, has a Switch port. A bad Switch port, I've heard, but a Switch port nonetheless.

---

Now that I can do Merc Group Missions, all the problems I have with the regular Quest system in Xenoblade 2 have intensified. Merc Group Missions offer the same if not better monetary and Experience rewards than regular Quests and honestly? I'd rather do Merc Missions then, because holy f***, Quests are annoying in this game. Like, really annoying. And they make me hate the Nopon, because most of the quests come from them.

It's like:
"Do this thing for me!"
"Okay. What should I do?"
"Yeah, you need to travel halfway across the [current Titan] and the item you need to bring me is rare. Better get lucky with RNG!"
"Okay, and where can I find that item? Any pointers?"
"Nope."
"F***ing hell..."
*a long time and a few deaths due to overlevelled enemies, if applicable, later*
"Okay, I got your items. Can I have my reward now?"
"Wait, I just remembered I also need this RNG-based thing you can only get via salvaging. So get to spending your money on salvaging gear so you can bring it to me!"
"F***ing hell..."
*a long time of salvaging and an empty wallet later*
"Okay, I got your items. Can I have my reward now?"
"Nope, I still need you to do this thing for me that involves these Field Skills that you don't have."
*a painstaking while of getting Blades with the right talents for Field Skills later*
"Okay, I did the thing. Can I have my reward now?"
"Ugh, fine. Here you go."
*checks rewards: 500 Gold, 300 EXP*
"Are you f***ing kidding me...?"

As opposed to the Merc Group Missions:
"Hey, do this thing for me!"
"Okay, let me just see which Blades I can send off."
*Blades sent off, some time of waiting and being productive on the side, either in-game or outside of it, later*
"Yay, Quest done! Here are your rewards! Have fun with the rest of the game!"
*checks rewards: 1,000 Gold, 600 EXP*
"Well, thank you, Xenoblade 2!"

[Lightcosmo]

@DragonFlames quests also give you a good amount of SP, making completing skill trees much easier, so I would say that reward alone makes a pretty big difference. Of course, there are better ways of doing that, but quests are simple, and have other rewards of course.

[Armagon]

3 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

Now that I can do Merc Group Missions, all the problems I have with the regular Quest system in Xenoblade 2 have intensified. Merc Group Missions offer the same if not better monetary and Experience rewards than regular Quests and honestly? I'd rather do Merc Missions then, because holy f***, Quests are annoying in this game.

To be fair, it takes longer to complete a Merc Mission than a regular quest. Sure, the former's rewards are greater but in the time it takes to complete one Merc Mission, you could probably do like, 10 quests. And it's not like you can't do both either. Doing both just gives you more EXP and money in the long run.

[Lightcosmo]

24 minutes ago, Armagon said:

To be fair, it takes longer to complete a Merc Mission than a regular quest. Sure, the former's rewards are greater but in the time it takes to complete one Merc Mission, you could probably do like, 10 quests. And it's not like you can't do both either. Doing both just gives you more EXP and money in the long run.

Personally, I don't see many reasons to do quests in Xenoblade 2 besides getting the blades tied to some of them. The rewards just aren't worth it, EXP is easy to get, and money doesn't really do much after a certain point. And if you know how to, getting SP is easier in other ways as well.

 Torna fixed this by making the quests much more interesting by making them more personal.

Edited March 5, 2020 by lightcosmo

[Armagon]

13 minutes ago, lightcosmo said:

Personally, I don't see many reasons to do quests in Xenoblade 2 besides getting the blades tied to some of them. The rewards just aren't worth it, EXP is easy to get, and money doesn't really do much after a certain point. And if you know how to, getting SP is easier in other ways as well.

Oh i know, i'm just saying it all adds up.

[Lightcosmo]

38 minutes ago, Armagon said:

Oh i know, i'm just saying it all adds up.

Ah, I gotcha. It's too bad, as I kinda enjoy doing quests too.

[DragonFlames]

1 hour ago, Armagon said:

To be fair, it takes longer to complete a Merc Mission than a regular quest. Sure, the former's rewards are greater but in the time it takes to complete one Merc Mission, you could probably do like, 10 quests. And it's not like you can't do both either. Doing both just gives you more EXP and money in the long run.

Quests stopped becoming worth it to me the moment I noticed I was basically working for diminishing returns, i.e. I was spending more money on quest-relevant items or, as I mentioned before, salvaging gear than the quests ever gave me back. Not to mention that everything seems to be too reliant on random chance (item drops from enemies or gathering points, treasure found through salvaging etc.), meaning a quest can go by really quickly or it could take much longer than necessary.

Gotta say, Xenoblade 2 has fantastic presentation and music, but the gameplay is not for me. There are small annoyances all over the place that have all come together to form one big, dark cloud over what I otherwise enjoyed and it makes me f***ing sad.

[Armagon]

18 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

Not to mention that everything seems to be too reliant on random chance (item drops from enemies or gathering points, treasure found through salvaging etc.), meaning a quest can go by really quickly or it could take much longer than necessary.

Yeah, i'm not gonna deny this. And really, now that you're in Ch.4, money is basically a non-issue thanks to Golden Cylinders so quests really don't need to be done.

Have i explained the strat for that yet? Basically just buy as many Golden Cylinders as you can. Then salavage in Argentum (the salvage deck specifically) until you've used up all your Golden Cyilnders. Then, trade in what you salvaged at the trading posts and you'll more than make back what you lost with this method. Fastest way of buying Sheba's Core Crystal from Torigoth.

23 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

Gotta say, Xenoblade 2 has fantastic presentation and music, but the gameplay is not for me. There are small annoyances all over the place that have all come together to form one big, dark cloud over what I otherwise enjoyed and it makes me f***ing sad.

Oof but understandable.

[DragonFlames]

1 minute ago, Armagon said:

Have i explained the strat for that yet? Basically just buy as many Golden Cylinders as you can. Then salavage in Argentum (the salvage deck specifically) until you've used up all your Golden Cyilnders. Then, trade in what you salvaged at the trading posts and you'll more than make back what you lost with this method. Fastest way of buying Sheba's Core Crystal from Torigoth.

There's cat food with the name Sheba, lmao.

I know what I'll be doing the next few hours of gameplay.

2 minutes ago, Armagon said:

Oof but understandable.

I mean, I'm still going to finish the game. I really want to see this through to the end even with all my gripes. The story and characters have me too interested to quit now!

[Lightcosmo]

36 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

Not to mention that everything seems to be too reliant on random chance (item drops from enemies or gathering points, treasure found through salvaging etc.), meaning a quest can go by really quickly or it could take much longer than necessary.

Gotta say, Xenoblade 2 has fantastic presentation and music, but the gameplay is not for me. There are small annoyances all over the place that have all come together to form one big, dark cloud over what I otherwise enjoyed and it makes me f***ing sad.

I'm pretty sure things like drops are based on the luck stat, but dont quote me on that. 

Yeah, it does have its ups and downs, but hey, it's not for everyone! 

13 minutes ago, Armagon said:

Have i explained the strat for that yet? Basically just buy as many Golden Cylinders as you can. Then salavage in Argentum (the salvage deck specifically) until you've used up all your Golden Cyilnders. Then, trade in what you salvaged at the trading posts and you'll more than make back what you lost with this method. Fastest way of buying Sheba's Core Crystal from Torigoth.

I honestly had no idea this was a thing! Not that I need it, but it's pretty neat!

[Armagon]

12 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

I mean, I'm still going to finish the game. I really want to see this through to the end even with all my gripes. The story and characters have me too interested to quit now!

Well that's good at least. And i do recommend you give other Xenoblade games a shot in the future since the gameplay between each one differs enough that people have their own preferences so while you might not be feeling the gameplay too much in 2, you might in the other games. I've talked to folks who weren't that into Xenoblade 1's gameplay but really liked 2's and vice versa. And then Xenoblade X fans are on a higher plane of existence. Even between 2 and Torna, there's enough of a difference (2 is my overall favorite game but Torna does improve on 2's gameplay in most aspects).

10 minutes ago, lightcosmo said:

I honestly had no idea this was a thing! Not that I need it, but it's pretty neat!

I found out near the end of the game and i wish i had found out earlier since it was at a point where core chips were getting a bit expensive. But yeah, getting money really isn't an issue in Ch.4.