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mattoyaki · 3 years

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Zhongli Build Guide

UPDATED FOR 3.0

So you pulled the Geo Daddy and now you’re wandering, “what the heck do I do with this guy?” Well, the answer is just about whatever you want! Big Dong Zhong has a schlong so long it’s bigger than King Kong!

All jokes aside, with Zhongli getting his third rerun I thought it would be good to update this guide since more people have him now

If you’re interested in Zhongli or already have him and want to build him then hopefully this post can be of use to you! :3

Role

Zhongli is one of the most versatile characters in the game. His kit offers the strongest shield in the game, crowd control, and an elemental burst that nukes. He’s also capable of being main DPS if built for it, though he’s truly designed to be a support.

Zhongli’s shield is the best shield in the game, hands down. Not only is it more durable the other shields, it’s very easy to build by stacking HP on his artifacts, and it also provides universal resistance shredding which gives it an additional offensive use.

Zhongli’s Burst also packs a serious punch and acts as a form of crowd control, petrifying enemies for a short period of time. This can be extremely useful against large groups of enemies in the overworld as well as the Spiral Abyss.

Talents

When building Zhongli’s talents prioritize his Burst or Skill depending which one you will be using more. As a support Zhongli does not need his normal attacks leveled up. My Zhongli is level 80 with his skill and burst both at level 8 and his performance is chef’s kiss 👩‍🍳 💋

As a DPS prioritize normal attacks first, then Burst and then his skill.

Zhongli’s talents require books of Gold and Slime Secretions which are both very easy to farm. At higher levels he will require Tusk of Monoceros Caeli, a weekly boss drop from Childe.

Weapons

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Staff of Homa; Vortex Vanquisher; Primordial Jade Spear; Skyward Spine

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Deathmatch; Favonius Lance; Blackcliff Pole; Crescent Pike (for physical DPS only)

⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Black Tassel

The weapon you should use depends on what you’re going for. Support, DPS, or Hybrid

The Staff of Homa is by far Zhongli’s best weapon for both support and DPS so if you have it, congrats!

If you don’t have Staff of Homa, Zhongli has multiple options based on the role you’re going for. Most 5⭐️ polearms are good for a DPS build, as well as 4⭐️ options like Deathmatch and Crescent Pike*. Black Tassel and Favionus Lance are BiS for support, even above all 5⭐️ options aside from SoH. Tassel provides extra HP for more durable shield while Favonius Lance can funnel energy to party members. Both are great support weapons! I personally recommend Favonius Lance as long as you have about 35k-40k HP at Lv90.

If you want to use Zhongli as a DPS then the Crescent Pike is his BiS 4⭐️ weapon for physical DPS. It’s a craftable polearm so it’s relatively easy to obtain. CP is not good for support though, so only use it if you’re running a physical DPS set and don’t have a 5* Polearm. Deathmatch is bette rig you’re going for burst damage.

Artifacts

This one will be kinda long....like Zhongli’s big dong, (sorry I had to) because Zhongli can make use of several artifact sets. It really just depends if you plan to use him as support or DPS as well as the sub stats. I’ll focus mostly on Support since that’s where Zhongli truly shines.

Overview - Support

(4pc) Tenacity of Millelith; (4pc) Noblesse Oblige; (2pc) Archaic Petra, (2pc) Noblesse Oblige; (2pc) AP, (2pc) ToM; (2pc) Exile, (2pc) Scholar.

Tenacity of the Millelith is an artifact set that’s pretty much tailor made for Zhongli. 2pc set provides 20% extra HP which the geo daddy loves, and the 4pc set increases both attack and shield strength of all party members, even when Zhongli isn’t present on the field. On paper this is insane and it is a truly great artifact set for Zhongli if you want the strongest shield possible. You do lose some damage from his burst though with this set so it’s not necessarily better than the other options, it kinda just depends on how you want to use Zhongli and what sub stats you have.

Noblesse Oblige is a fantastic option for Zhongli if you want his meteors to do big pp damage. As I mentioned above, this set is pretty much tied with Tenacity of the Millelith in terms of usefulness, it just depends if you want a stronger shield of a stronger meteor.

The other options listed above are also great depending on the sub stats. You can mix and match Archaic Petra, Noblesse, and Tenacity sets to get a 2pc bonus of either one.

Stats

Timepiece: HP% OR Energy Recharge

*Run HP% unless as mentioned above your ER is very low.

Goblet: Geo Dmg Bonus or HP%

Circlet: Crit Rate, Crit Dmg OR HP%

*Generally you always want Crit on your circlet even in a support build since Favionus Lance is often used there. However, if you just want Zhongli’s shield to be stupid tanky then HP% will help you more there.

Sub Stats

Prioritize sub stats in the following order

Crit Rate = Crit Dmg > HP% > Atk% > Energy Recharge > Flat HP > Flat Atk

Overview - DPS

(4pc) Gladiator; (4pc) Retracing Bolide; (2pc) Glad, (2pc) Bloodstained Chivalry; (2pc) Archaic Petra, (2pc) Gladiator; (2pc) Archaic Petra, (2pc) Noblesse Oblige

It’s typically recommended to build Zhongli for physical DPS, similar to Razor. 4pc Gladiator is the general rule of thumb for physical DPS but can be hard to farm, so it can also be used with 2pc Bloodstained or even 2pc Archiac to provide more burst damage. 4pc Retracing Bolide is also a great option since Zhongli has very consistent shield uptime. Similar to the support options, which one is best really just depends on the sub stats.

Stats

Timepiece: Atk%

Goblet: Physical Dmg Bonus

Circlet: Crit Rate; Crit Dmg

Sub Stats

Prioritize Sub stats in the following order

Crit Rate = Crit Dmg > Atk% > Energy Recharge > HP% > Flat Atk

Overview - Burst DPS

(4pc) Emblem of Severed Fate; (4pc) Noblesse Oblige; (2pc) Archaic Petra; (2pc) Noblesse Oblige; (4pc) Tenacity of the Millelith

Stats

Timepiece: Atk% or HP%

Goblet: Geo Dmg Bonus

Circlet: Crit Rate or Crit Dmg

* The timepiece can go both ways. If you’re running Staff of Homa HP% is generally better due to the busted passive. If you’re not running Homa it comes down to sub stats. If you want to maintain a stronger shield then HP% is better, even if Atk% is technically better for your build.

Sub Stat Priority

Crit Rate = Crit Dmg > HP% > Atk% > ER > HP = Atk

Team Comps

Unlike artifacts, this section is short because, well, Zhongli can fit into literally any team comp! His universal res shredding and shield durability will help out any team in any situation. He’s especially useful when paired with glass cannons like Ganyu or characters that are easily interrupted like Klee or Yanfei. Consider running him with a physical DPS like Razor or the upcoming 5 ⭐️ character Tighnari for that sweet Dendro resistance shred! He also does very well in double Geo comps, but geo resonance is by no means a requirement! Literally just put him into any team comp, you won’t be sorry.

TLDR

Long Dong Zhongli, the geo shield Daddy, is a fantastic character and works in any team composition! As a support, stack HP% on his artifacts and make sure he has high enough ER to keep his Burst up. As a DPS stack Atk% and give him a physical dmg bonus goblet. Staff of Homa is his BiS weapon but any 5⭐️ polearm is great. Favonius Lance, Deathmatch and Prototype Starglitter are good 4⭐️ options. Crescent Pike is a great 4⭐️ weapon if you’re building him as a DPS. Last but certainly not least Black Tassel is hands down the best weapon if you want his shield to be the strongest (generally you don’t need max shield strength anyway though.)

I hope some people found this useful! If you are pulling for the Geo Daddy good luck to you, he’s an amazing character and I just know you’ll love him!

#genshin #genshin impact #Zhongli #genshin zhongli #zhongli build #genshin tips #gaming #Gacha

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paganimagevault · 3 years

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Etruscan terracotta head of a young male 4th-3rd C. BCE. 8-1/4 inches High. Ex. old collection of Dr. Angelo R. Bergamo, N.J.

"This wide territory was divided into three grand districts — that in the centre, which may be termed Etruria Proper; that to the north, or Etruria Circumpadana; and that to the south, or Etruria Campaniana. And each of these regions was divided into Twelve States, each represented by a city...

In Etruria Circumpadana there were Twelve cities. Liv. V.33; Serv. ad Virg. Aen. X.202. Plutarch (Camillus) however, asserts that there were eighteen cities of commercial and manufacturing importance in this region of Etruria. The capital appears to have been Mantua (Virg. Aen. X.203; Serv. ad Aen. X.202), though Pliny asserts that Felsina, now Bologna, was intitled to that honour. Plin. III.20; cf. Liv. XXXVII.57. A third city was Melpum, of which we know no more than that it stood north of the Po, was renowned for its wealth, and was destroyed by the Gauls on the same day that Camillus captured Veii. Corn. Nepos, ap. Plin. III.21. Atria, or Adria, was a noble city and port of the Etruscans which gave its name to the Adriatic sea. Plin. III.20; Liv. V.33; Strabo, V.p214; Varro, Ling. Lat. V.161; Fest. v. Atrium. The notices of Justin (XX.1), and Stephanus (sub voce) are referred by Müller to the Hadria of Picenum. Etrusk. einl. 3, 4; cf. Cramer, Anc. Italy, I. p116. And Spina, at the mouth of the Po, though called a Greek city, was certainly a Pelasgic settlement, as Dionysius (I. p15, ed. Sylb.) affirms, and probably also Etruscan. See Niebuhr, I. p36; Müller, Etrusk. einl. 3, 4. Müller thinks, from Strabo's notice of it (V. p214), that Ravenna is to be regarded as an Etruscan site; and Cupra in Picenum was probably so, for its temple was built by the Etruscans and named after their Goddess, Cupra, or Juno. Strabo, V.p241. Yet Niebuhr (I. p48) refers this statement to the Tyrrhene-Pelasgi, not to the Etruscans. We know the names of no other Etruscan cities beyond the Apennines. There were Twelve chief cities also in Etruria Campaniana. Liv. V.33; Strabo, V.p242. The metropolis was Capua, built by the Etruscans 800 years before Christ, and called by them Vulturnum. Strabo, loc. cit.; V. Paterc. I.7; Liv. IV.37; Mela, II.4; Serv. ad Aen. X.145. Nola also was of Etruscan foundation. Vell. Pater. loc. cit. Dicaearchia, or Puteoli (Pausan. IV.35, VIII.7; Steph. Byz. v. Ποτίολοι), Pompeii, Herculaneum (Strabo, V.p247), and Nuceria (Philistos, cited by Müller, einl. 4, 2) were all once possessed by the Etruscans; and Marcina in the Gulf of Paestum was built by them. Strabo, V. p251. Surrentum, also, from the temple of the Etruscan Minerva on its promontory, must have belonged to that people (Stat. Sylv. II.2, 2; Steph. Byz. sub voce); and Müller (Etrusk. einl. 4, 2) would also incl Salernum. Niebuhr (I p73 et seq.), however, considers most of what is said of the Etruscan possessions south of the Tiber to refer to the Tyrrhene-Pelasgi, not to the Etruscans, properly so called."

-George Dennis, The Cities and Cemeteries of Etruria: Introduction note 11

https://paganimagevault.blogspot.com/2020/04/etruscan-terracotta-head-of-young-male.html

#etruscan #rasenna #european art #pagan #europe #european history #paganism #antiquities #antiquity #italy #ancient #sculpture #statue #literature #history #art #4th century bce #3rd century bce

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argentdandelion · 5 years

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The Perils of Being Literally Not Human

Image by Zarla-s

Terminology

Monsters are obviously not human. Not only do they look non-human, but they also have very different bodies and abilities, and see no problem in calling themselves “monsters”. Inconveniently, the very term “monster” connotes something scary that ought to be killed or avoided. (Assuming Mt. Ebott is in the United States, one wonders if humans would suggest the word “Teratoan-American?’) Knowing this, people who haven’t personally encountered monsters before might be easily manipulated into hating them.

Perpetual Armament

Monsters can also produce large amounts of magical bullets at whim. While it’s possible for monsters to direct bullets away from targets (e.g., Toriel) or reduce the amount of damage they do (e.g., Asgore and Papyrus), the very fact monsters emit magical bullets as an everyday occurrence of self-expression would put them into conflict with humans. In most cases, humans can drastically reduce other humans’ killing power by disarming them, but there’s nothing to disarm for monsters. Thus, some humans might consider monsters perpetually armed, and therefore incorrigibly dangerous. Furthermore, while monsters can surely be taught to avoid emitting bullets around humans, or in areas with high human density, depending on when monsters gain the power to emit bullets, their children may be too young to properly control them. Thus, humans may feel threatened even around monster children. Even if, somehow, monsters found a technology that would safely block accidental bullet emission around humans, or every child had great self-control, humans may still feel uneasy. After all, some monsters (e.g., Asgore) are physically imposing, have sharp horns, claws, teeth, or other so-called natural weapons, or are outright made of fire (e.g., Grillby).

Laws

There’s also the long history of humans equating “human” with “person”. Humans often get over their natural reluctance to kill sentient beings or their own kind by describing other humans are beasts, vermin, or monsters. Since humans can dehumanize their own kind, they could easily dehumanize monsters. Worse, humans could characterize monsters as not only non-equivalent or inferior to humans, but inherently evil. Some monsters could be loosely described as “demons”, such as the bulky devil-like one in the MTT Resort. Moreover, the fact Asgore is an imposing, horned, goatlike, fire-associated being with a trident who rule(s)/ruled an underground realm parallels the Devil of Christianity, so more religious humans may consider all monsters suspect by association.

As humans often equate “person” with “human”, it might be hard for people to give monsters legal protections, since laws are made with the assumption only humans can be legal persons. Until some law is made to protect monsters, even if only a stopgap law (like legally classifying them as great apes, if the territory around Mt. Ebott has strong great ape welfare laws), humans could kill monsters freely. However, even a stopgap law that prevents torture and experimentation would have many loopholes. If monsters were not considered legally equivalent to humans, humans could reject monsters from service or jobs, and monsters would have no legal recourse. Even if protected from experimentation and torture, humans could still exploit monsters. (e.g., underpaying them in bad jobs) That humans can stomach being cruel to intelligent animals (e.g., dogs), but also compassionate towards other humans suggest humans might care less about unethical treatment towards monsters than towards humans.

Ease of Murder

As the movie Independence Day shows, teaming up against a non-human entity can unite humanity behind a shared cause. The human brain is hardwired to love whatever one’s own tribe (or team) does, and hate whatever the other tribe (or team) does. A shrewd (and evil) politician could present monsters as a threat to humanity as a ploy to unite a large voting base and gain power, regardless of whether they actually believe monsters are a threat. Once riled, humans may love to hate monsters. Any conversations to the contrary can easily be shut down with, “They are obviously not humans.”

It would also be easier to kill monsters than humans, both in psychology and strength. More unhinged humans who would love to get away with murder might find it socially feasible, or at least less worthy of punishment, to kill monsters. Monsters which cannot talk, such as Moldsmal, would be psychologically easy to kill. Other monsters, such as Whimsuns, would have such low stats and poor defensive abilities it would be physically easy to kill them, even for someone with no LOVE.

Furthermore, monsters are vulnerable to hateful intent, to the point a child with a notebook can (under the right circumstances) beat a super-strong monster. Anyone who starts with a great hatred for monsters could kill even strong monsters with ease. Due to psychological hardening (of LOVE and in general), stat increases from gaining LOVE, and the stat-increase effects of using actual weapons to fight, any human that kills a monster would find it easier and easier to kill more. Eventually, such humans would find it easy to kill even monsters that look more similar to human beings. (e.g., Undyne or Mettaton)

Monster-murderers would also find it easy to get away with murder. Monsters don’t leave behind bodies when they die, only dust. It would be difficult to do forensics on a murder scene to figure out murder patterns. Worse, if monsters only leave a small pile of dust, then even if it’s as heavy as a big sack of flour it would be much easier to transport and hide than a human corpse. If monster dust is like normal dust and not, say, mud, any dust on a murderer’s body would be easy to clean with some water or hand sanitizer in a few seconds. Unlike blood, which is harder to explain, if monster dust is white or grey one could easily excuse it as road dust (when an area has white soil), flour, or white soot.

Transport

Larger monsters might have trouble fitting in standard cars, public buses, trains, subway vehicles, and especially cramped airplanes. (see Undertale Character Heights Part 2) Large enough monsters would only be able to safely drive or even fit inside the biggest vans, customized vans, or in convertibles with the roof down. Even if they can fit, differing proportions mean they may be unable to use standard seatbelts, putting them at risk of both car crashes. (and unavoidable seatbelt ticketing) While extra-big monsters would probably face physical inconveniences and disapproving looks on crowded public transit, extra-small monsters (e.g., Whimsuns, Froggits and slimes) might be inadvertently stepped or sat on in crowded conditions.

Monsters that aren’t proportionately similar enough to a “standard” human may be banned from most airplanes entirely, both for logistical packing reasons and their own safety in case of a crash. Very big monsters (e.g., Onionsan) would find it impossible to use any but the most specialized transit, such as trains formerly used to transport circus elephants. Overall, many monsters would differ so much from human standards that they would be in danger when using cars, be functionally banned from travel, or forced to use specialty monster transit. If less human-proportioned monsters have no compatible cars and are functionally banned from public transit, it would be difficult to leave town quickly in case of anti-monster riots or, worse, roaming murderers.

The author of this post would appreciate funds to her Ko-Fi and Patreon.

Related Reading The Perks of Monsters Being Literally Not Human Undertale Character Heights

#Undertale #Analysis #Post-Pacifist #Meta

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deerskewl · 4 years

Note

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 19, 23, 25, 26, 27?

2. Favourite merc?

Don't make me choose :( but if I absolutely have to, it's Spy or Medic. For obvious reasons, I think.

3. Least favourite merc?

I don't want to say that I have a least favourite merc, because I love all of them, but..... I suppose I don't have as much of an attachment to Soldier? Which sucks because he's really cool I just don't hold him as much as I do the others?

4. Casual or Competitive?

Imagine being good enough at the game to play Competitive, this post was made by the me gang. Yeah no I play Casual on Attack/Defend and Payload exclusively.

5. First map you ever played?

I honestly don't remember, probably Upward? That sounds about right. Or uhhh Dustbowl?

7. How many hours do you have for TF2?

*quickly loads up Steam to check* uhhh that's 234 hours exactly :)

8. When did you start playing TF2?

I. uhhh don't exactly know? I got into it about 2016 but I didn't know how to play it— wait I can check my achievements uhhhh 2017 it seems! Whack.

10. Favourite song from the TF2 soundtrack?

I gotta be honest with you, I actually love More Gun a lot?? Of course all three of Medic's themes and specific Dapper Cadaver I love a lot too but there's something about Engie's theme that just makes me go :)

11. If you had to main any merc for the rest of your life, who would you choose?

Either Pyro or Sniper, actually. While I don't have as many hours on Sniper I think I could play him just as well, and I think both of those are the most versatile for me? Because while I love playing Medic sometimes you just need to go feral and burn shit down but also stand 20 ft away from everyone at all times and I already live in a constant state of anxiety I don't need to play in a constant state of anxiety as Spy.

14. How did you hear about TF2?

I'll be completely honest. I have no fucking idea. I think I just.... somehow saw one of the Meet The Team videos and went HOLY FUCK, combined with my cousin introducing me to the game?

15. Favourite thing about TF2?

Every part about it, it's fun. The game is fun to play, the characters are so interesting and wonderful, the ideas people come up with, the fanart and fanfiction is creative and brilliant. Of course I'm sidestepping around problems like the aimbots and the people with horrifically bad takes, but if you know where to keep yourself, then TF2 is just overall really nice and fun.

19. Loadouts?

OHH BOY OK. I'll go with the ones I have actual loadouts for sjdnjs:

For Pyro I usually have stock Flamethrower (Smalltown Bringdown Mk.II warpaint) or Backburner, Shotgun and The Lollichop for weapons, then Candy Cranium (painted A Deep Commitment To Purple and renamed "no braincells only candy"), Party Hat and The Sub Zero Suit for cosmetics.

For Medic I have the Blutsauger, stock Medi Gun (Night Owl Mk.II warpaint) or Quick-Fix, and Ubersaw (Smissmas Sweater warpaint) for weapons, and some combination of the Dad Maddendoktor, Madmann's Muzzle, Derangement Garment and Pocket-Medes.

For Sniper I have stock Sniper Rifle (Autumn Mk.II warpaint) or the Huntsman, stock SMG and the Shahanshah for weapons, and only Wagga Wagga Wear (painted Mann Co. Orange) for cosmetics :')

For Spy I have the Diamondback, Your Eternal Reward or stock Knife (Seriously Snowed warpaint), either stock Sapper or Red Tape Recorder (I really want the Ap-Sap tho,,) and the Cloak and Dagger for weapons, and........ no cosmetics lmao. I actually put The Spirit Of Giving on him because since I've never given any gifts it shows no heart on it and I just think that's really funny, and I was half tempted to put the Ghostly Gibus that I got while playing Pyro on him just to look like One Of Those Players but I ended up not doing it lmao.

23. Funniest moment while playing TF2?

I don't remember many but I think the best one was playing Medic on 2Fort, sitting in intel with my friend who was playing Engie, and just. somehow managing to mow down like three Scouts with just the Blutsauger because they just kept running at me in a straight line and whatever damage they dealt I healed near instantly. Rip to them but I'm different.

25. Favourite cosmetic? (Any class)

Honestly I love the pocket cosmetics so much. They're so cute!! I would kill for like. Actual pocket plushies in real life. I would like one (1) Pocket Medic please. And a Pocket Pardner. And an Itsy Bitsy Spy-der. Hold them soft and gentle.

26. Favourite voice line? (Any class)

LISTEN I LOVE ALL THE VOICE LINES SO MUCH but NOTHING will compare to like. All of Engie's voice lines. And Medics!! I love both of them. Engie's Bam Pow Bap with the Gunslinger and his I'm wolverine mean you son of a bitch and Medic's GET THEM, RAUS RAUS are such wonderful repeatable statements. Though nothing will be funnier to hear in-game than SPY_PAINCRITICALDEATH03.WAV.

27. Favourite weapons? (Any class)

The Backburner is a really fun weapon to play Pyro with if you're sneaky! Getting around people do deal critical hits 100% of the time is WONDERFUL, but only in certain situations because of the +150% airblast cost :/. I actually wanna try playing with the Thermal Thruster to be able to get behind people easier in open-air maps? And I think Your Eternal Reward is a good knife for Spy if you're like me and can't switch from knife to sapper quick enough to get the Engie and then the Sentry? Plus it works well with the L'Etranger and the Cloak and Dagger (in theory! I don't actually have the gun in-game I only put this together via looking at stats). Also the bows for Sniper are really good too, not just for Medieval Mode. I actually find it easier to use than the actual rifles at times but of course that means you have to get closer to the fight, and therefore closer to death.

#ask box

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ilovereadingandilovebreathing · 6 years

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Just Keep Swimming

Sorry not sorry. Also, this version has a read more. I swear I put one on the original post. :p

Summary: Virgil is the new kid (adult? kind of?) in school, and he’s still trying to navigate in unfamiliar waters. Thankfully, some more experienced fishies are more than willing to help.

Word Count:

1954

Genre: Teacher!Human!AU; slice of life

Characters: Virgil (Anderson), Logan (Foley), Patton (Thompson), Roman (Prince), Sleep (Remy Cordova), Deceit (Declan Anwir)

Warning for DECEIT and a lot of dumb teacher humor. School stuff. Self doubt. IDK what else.

Twain uses syntax. Twain also uses many different types of sentences- “Oh my god if I read this repetitive garbage one. more. TIME.” Virgil Anderson threw down his pen, sighed, and leaned back in the plastic chair, roughly running his fingers through his hair.

“What’s got you all worked up?” Roman Prince queried from the copy machine across the sizable work room.

“Apparently, Mark Twain uses syntax. Of course he uses syntax. Syntax is sentences. My god-” “I hear he also uses diction and chooses his words.” Roman teased as he strode past his co-worker with a mountain of copies in his arms. “So I hear.” Virgil mumbled, allowing the grin nipping at his lips to come to light. Roman could win every once in a while.

“How long have you been at that?” Roman paused at the door, cradling his papers on his hip like a baby. “Not too long. Just long enough to be fed up already. These are honors kids, for crying out loud. I know they have better thoughts than this.” “They do. They just don’t know it yet. Who’s giving you trouble?” “Giselle Wilson.” “Oo yeah, I had her last year. She’s a smart girl, really, but very much a verbal processor. Try doing writing conferences and talking through her thoughts. She does better that way.” “I don’t have time for that though. We’re already behind as it is-“ “Lesson plans are a formality, Virge. Lighten up.” “Says the man who’s been teaching for 5 years already.” “You’ll get there.” Roman flashed him one of his obnoxiously bright smiles. “I suppose losing your classroom during your planning period doesn’t help, but…it all settles in after the first few years.” “Yeah, if I last past the dropout stats. What is it? 20% in the first 3 years?” “It doesn’t matter because you won’t be one of them.” Roman replied shortly but not unkindly. “As I said, you’ll get there. As for me, I must get back to my domain before the serfs run amok.” “Oh my god, Roman; you left them alone?!” “Just for a few minutes.” Virgil eyed the precarious stack he was hauling. “They’re fine. They’re seniors. Some of them can vote and serve; they can handle themselves for 10 minutes.” “Whatever you say.” Virgil rolled his eyes as the other sauntered away, turning back to his grading with another sigh. “Another day, another assignment to grade.” Virgil had just lapsed back into the flow of grading when the tap of footfall pulled him from his focus. “Oh, hello, Virgil.” Logan Foley paused inside the doorway. “I forgot you do your planning in here. I can come back later if you are trying to concentrate.” “No, it’s fine. I need a break anyway. Papers are painful.” “I understand the sentiment.” A shadow of a smile graced Logan’s lips as he sat across from Virgil. “My AP Language students are writing responses to past AP Examination prompts, and reading through them is taxing. My students often do well, but…I do always worry.” “That’s fair. But hey, Mr. Teacher of the Year, I think you’ll be fine.” Virgil nodded slightly. “They couldn’t have anyone better.” “Unless they have me.” Virgil visibly tensed as their red-headed colleague slunk into the room.

“Your students’ scores have certainly been quite comparable to my own.” Logan conceded. “Of course.” Declan Anwir chuckled. “This place needed me desperately. You’re doing great and all, Logan, but one man can only do so much. Especially after all of that-“ “Do you mind? I’m trying to grade here.” Virgil snapped, gesturing to the papers spread out in front of him. “Not all of us have the luxury of a classroom during all periods.” “Of course. My mistake. I thought this was the teacher workroom, after all.” Virgil rolled his eyes after Declan rose and turned his back on them. “Anyway, I have a lot of grading to do. Those AP essays won’t score themselves.” He gave them a sharp wave and went out. “God, that guy gets on my nerves.” Virgil filed below his breath. “Sure his AP scores are high, but the kids hate his class. He’s a dictator. One of my past honors kids from last year broke down in Anime Club because of the workload in his class. It’s nuts!” “His methods may be…strict-” “Tyrannical.” “But the data is unarguable. His students get top scores.” “And that makes it all the worse…” “He is not a bad teacher, Virgil.” “He’s not a good one, either, though!-” Virgil caught himself and snapped his mouth shut; he inhaled deeply through his nose and unclenched his fists. “…So anyway, how is everything going? With….you know-“ “Clear as of the last check.” Virgil physically relaxed, his sharp gestures softening. “Good. Glad to hear it. But don’t hesitate to let us know if things aren’t good.” “Of course. I cannot thank you enough for everything you did for me when-“ “Well, hello, gentlemen!” Patton Thompson breezed into the room. “No one told me we were having a planning party!” “Not a party, Pat; just…a chat.” “Nice rhyme, Virge; you just might be a poet after all.” “Never again.” Virgil’s lip curled, and Patton exploded into giggles. “You teach English, silly goose; you’ll have to deal with it eventually.” “Yeah, Yeah-“ “So how are our freshman, Patton?” “Oh, they’re fine, as always!” Patton laughed as he headed toward a copy machine. “My precious babies. Still adjusting to high school life. It really is so hard.” “Pat, they’re 14, not 6.” Virgil muttered, the grievance not at all expressed in his expression. “They’ll be fine.” “Ooooooh I know, but I just want to scoop them up and take care of them, you know? They’re so helpless-“ Logan sighed. “They play on your kindness like a harp, Patton, and you know this. Yet you still give in.” “It’s just because they need the push, but they’re too scared to ask.” “Sometimes, I think you’re too soft for your own good, Pat.” Patton flashed his co-worker a grin before removing the warm papers from the finishing tray. “Soft inside; tough outside.” “Soft inside; soft outside, is more accurate.” Logan interjected seriously. “We’ll work on the tough part, Pat. I’ll teach you how to do a teacher scowl.”

“Don’t need it, but thanks for the offer!” Patton saluted. “They’re just fine with me as their Captain-”

“Don’t.” Virgil quipped.

“What?” Patton peered at his co-worker with his signature doe eyes.

“Don’t do it. I heard ‘Dead Poets Society’ through my walls yesterday. How many times a semester do you use that movie, anyway?”

“I use clips every chance I get! It really is a versatile film. I thought you liked that movie?!”

“I do, but hearing it quoted weekly makes it lose its appeal.” Patton’s jaw tightened, and Virgil backpedaled. “Sorry, Pat. I didn’t mean to go off on you like that. I just….It’s been a day.”

“Mass grading. I counseled you against such practices, Virgil.” Logan interjected. “It is not only harmful to you, but to your students’ grades-”

“I know. I know! I just….god, I agonize over grading. I start out so harsh, but then I worry that I’m too soft, and it’s all just so much.” Virgil slumped dejectedly, eyeing the stack of essays with malice. “And I have no one to blame but myself because I assigned them.”

“True that.” Patton shrugged. “That’s why I assign stuff that I’ll enjoy grading. And that meets standards and is good for the students, of course!” Patton giggled, swiping up his copies from the tray.

“But you’re experienced and just…talented enough to do that. I’m not there yet.”

“But you will be one day.” Logan replied softly. “It takes time. Remember, you just got your Bachelor’s Degree. Patton and I both have our Doctorates and years of experience to drawn upon. You will get there. Be patient with yourself. Besides….if your students’ reactions to your activity last week was any indication, you are already off to a satisfactory start.”

“What was your activity?” Patton called over his shoulder.

“Nothing that great, really. It’s basically four corners. I put a scenario up on the board, and they go to one place or the other depending on their opinion. I try not to let them be in the grey area, and they have to argue their points to each other. It’s like an informal debate, and they get really into it.”

“I do not believe I have seen or heard your honors students be so rambunctious.” Logan commented.

“Yeah, sorry about that. They’re really passionate about Of Mice and Men, apparently. And the death penalty.”

“That one can definitely get people stirred up!”

“Shaken or stirred, Patty, because there’s a difference.”

“Hey, Rem!” Patton greeted their sub-turned-part-timer. “Ready for the day shift?”

“You know it. I’m joe’d up and ready to flow!” Remy snapped a finger, the other hand grasping a coffee cup, as per usual. “Whatchya got goin’ on here, Toddler Teacher?” Remy gestured to Virgil’s piles.

“Honors Lit. essays. This batch hurts.”

“And so did the last one, but surely they’re getting better!” Remy pulled out a chair and sat backwards, resting his chin on his arms. “Shoot.”

“Twain uses syntax-”

“That’s all I need. You’re in for it, baby boy, but it’s normal. They’re still adjusting.”

“It’s week 3.”

“And they’ll be adjusting at week 13, too. They’re teenagers. It’s normal. You just gotta know when to hold their hands and when to let ‘em go.”

“You talk like you have teaching experience. Or parenting experience.”

“We’re their school parents, in a way, you know. Or at least, we can be.”

“I don’t think I’m at that stage yet. I think I’m still in the ‘weird older brother stage.’”

“Now don’t you say that, Virge!” Patton cut in. “Your kids love you!”

“Yeah because I’m…unconventional, I guess.”

“Because you’re a good teacher who does your best and cares about them! That’s all they want and everything they need.”

“True dat, Patty Pat.” Remy sipped at his frozen coffee.

“Sometimes it doesn’t feel like enough.”

“It is. Trust me.” Patton smiled warmly and jumped a bit when a sharp ringing sounded overhead. “You’d think I’d be used to that darn bell after all this time-”

“Well, they did change out the system this year. The pitch is higher and more shrill than it has been in the past.” Logan sighed, hauling himself from his chair.

“It does it’s job, though.” Patton left with a wave, easily weaving into the sea of students in the crowded halls.

“Time to get to it.” Remy slapped the back of his chair and rose, shouldering his laptop bag before placing a hand on Virgil’s shoulder. “Have a good one, kid.” He gave it a squeeze and disappeared into the mass of bodies as well.

“Are you managing well, Virgil?” Logan asked in a low tone, making direct eye contact. “Really?”

Virgil sighed deeply and gathered his papers and pens. “Yeah. ‘Well’ is a relative term, but I’m managing, that’s for sure.”

“Remember to inform me if that changes. We are here for you if you need us.”

“Thanks, Logan.” Virgil’s smile reached his eyes as he fell into stride beside the older teacher. “So, what were your kids doing yesterday? They got pretty loud, too.”

“Peer editing argument papers.” Logan replied, traces of a grin gracing his lips. “Some of them had opposing stances on the same topic, so I paired them together to gauge the result.”

“You’re a mad genius.” Virgil laughed out loud as they merged together into the current of teenagers, chatting until they reached their shared hallway and parted ways into their respective domains.

#sanders sides #sanders sides fanfiction #sanders sides fanfic #thomas sanders #thomas sanders fanfic #teacherau #mine #tsfanfics

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talesoftheraysen · 6 years

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Ah, hello! I'm quite new to the game so what would you recommend I look over/try to get a grip on first? Thanks a lot in advance～

My first recommendation would be to get comfortable with the menu layout; there’s a video that addresses this here. Aside from that, here are some quick tips that should help:

Do what you can in the story/current Events. You’ll get experience to level up your characters, Dias from each stage to roll in gachas, and AP points (the yellow orbs that show up beside your AP gauge) from story events (marked with a book!), which are used to proceed with quests. Note that 3 AP points will restore all your AP and add 1 more point to it. You can also get these by watching sub-events as well (Menu->Scenario->Sub-event -> Character of your choice).

Even if you’re not too keen on the current Event that’s running, try farming what you can from it anyways. You can exchange the drops you gain for some really good items, including tickets that give you a free roll for the characters featured in the event!

If there’s a certain character you’re aiming to get weapons for, try to keep a reserve of Dias for them, or at least be mindful of how you spend. You won’t want to miss them when their gacha drops!

Get comfortable with knowing what Anima is and setting up teams for each color. If you play on a stage using characters of that Anima, their stats are doubled! For example, if you fight on a stage in Yuri’s chapter, you should set your green team since that’s what color he is. There’s a guide for it here.

Send characters out for Orders whenever you can! This is a super helpful way to get EXP and farm items, as well as functions as your typical Cooking system. @minonott wrote a very in-depth guide for it here.

Keep in mind that the first 10 pulls you do in a gacha gets you guaranteed 4☆ weapon.

Be sure to level up and limit break your weapons! A level 1 weapon vs. a level 50 weapon can be the factor that changes the tide of battle. Don’t hesitate to manually level up your characters as well.

Doing each quest in the Enhance section gets you Dias. More on it here.

Try taking on the tower! It doesn’t cost any AP to do, and each set of 10 stages you complete gives you Dias as well as other rewards. Note that you can only go into it with Awakened characters (if you have a gacha Mirrage Arte for them or Awaken them with an item).

Follow your friends and anyone with a strong Mirrage Arte that you find helpful to use them in battle whenever! There’s a few very helpful Mirrage Artes to keep in mind; Bride!Mint freezes time for a few seconds afterwards, Mithos pulls all enemies into the center of the stage (helpful if you use him first and chain other Mirrage Artes after him for max damage), and characters like Stage!Mileena’s attack all enemies while healing your entire party, so try to follow people who use these and see what works for you!

On that note, try to keep your ally’s Mirrage Arte for the boss, as you can only use them once per stage.

Feel free to check out our ever-growing guides page for more help, and drop by again if there’s anything specific you’d like to know!

#Anonymous #answered #guide

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ateamforumjpulupdates · 4 years

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[JPUL] 9/2/2016 - New Step Up Spawn, Furniture, and Returning Events

09-02-2016, 06:07 AM

Originally Uploaded by Forum User: TaikunZ

Special thanks to Hysteria Guild's Alitheia, for the screenshots provided and her assistance on translations. Please be aware that I may or may not have made some mistake(s) in translations. Thank you!

1. Step Up Spawn Seems like a wind-themed Step Up Spawn which also features Kirin. Step - Requirement - Reward 1 - Spawn x1 Gem (gives 1 Gear) for 1 time - Save 2 Gems 2. - Spawn x5 Gem (gives 3 Gear) for 1 time - Save 4 Gems 3. - Spawn x15 Gem (gives 6 Gear) for 1 time - 1 SR or higher Gear Guaranteed 4. - Spawn x30 Gem (gives 10 Gear) for 1 time - Something about SR Gear, comes with 1x Super Augment Quest Key. 5. - Spawn x30 Gem (gives 10 Gear) for 1 time - SSR Gear Rates Increased 6. - Spawn x30 Gem (gives 10 Gear) for 1 time - 1 SSR Gear Guaranteed

Weapon Gear #1 Type: Sword Skill: Chance to massively increase the Ability Power of Dual Impact. Weapon Gear #2 Type: Lance Skill: Chance to massively increase the Ability Power of Cross Assault. Weapon Gear #3 Type: Bow Skill: Chance to massively increase the Ability Power of Qwaser Waltz. Weapon Gear #4 Type: Staff Skill: Chance to massively increase the Ability Power of Blood Oath. Weapon Gear #5 Type: Book Skill: Chance to massively increase the effect of Cleanse Healing, Dignity, and Area Recovery. Def Gear #1 Type: Armor Skill: Physical Damage Cut XL [Defensive Opening Skill] Reduces physical damage taken in the first 30 seconds of a battle by 16%. Level bonus: Effect boosted by 1% for each increase in Skill level. Def Gear #2 Type: Clothing Skill: Magic Damage Cut XL [Defensive Opening Skill] Reduces magic damage taken in the first 30 seconds of a battle by 16%. Level bonus: Effect boosted by 1% for each increase in Skill level. Def Gear #3 Type: Helm Skill: Physical Damage Cut XL [Defensive Opening Skill] Reduces physical damage taken in the first 30 seconds of a battle by 16%. Level bonus: Effect boosted by 1% for each increase in Skill level. Def Gear #4 Type: Hat Skill: Magic Damage Cut XL [Defensive Opening Skill] Reduces magic damage taken in the first 30 seconds of a battle by 16%. Level bonus: Effect boosted by 1% for each increase in Skill level. 2. New Furniture 19 new Furniture are added to the Furniture Spawn.

Furniture #1 Type: Table Sub Effect: Confuse Resistance Up

Furniture #2 Type: Chair Sub Effect: Poison Resistance Up

Furniture #3 Type: Small Sub Effect: Blind Resistance Up

Furniture #4 Type: Large Sub Effect: Confuse Resistance Up

Furniture #5 Type: Wall Sub Effect: Paralyze Resistance Up

3. Return of The Bride's Resolve Event The Bride's Resolve Event returned to JPUL this week.

4. Return of Dark Element Guild Raid Event Now it's Sammael's turn to come back for those that missed him for the first time. While the Global version still has the remaining Dark Guild Raid left unreleased (which was seen being used by Combatants during the last United Offense Event), we have yet to see if the past Guild Raid Events will come back to Global.

Since he's not yet released in Global, here are his stats and skills: Sammael, Wicked King Reforges from: Sammael Element: Dark Stats: MATK and MDEF Type: Monster Skill: Ability Power 70. Damages all enemies with magic dark damage. Chance to hit 1-3 times. Added effect: Reduces status ailment resistance of all enemies by 40% for 50 seconds. Level bonus: Ability Power boosted by 10 for each increase in Skill level.

5. Class Spawns Class Spawns are back. The Spawns come in x50 and x3 for each Class.

6. Upcoming Collaboration Announcement

Looks like another collaboration event will be happening on JPUL in September 7. A Ticket that can be used for Ticket Spawn in the future are given once a day. 5 Campaigns are held before that day, which are:

Advent Quests (which are the 34 cost Monster Events) make a return for a limited time each day. The order goes Thanatos (September 2), Zephyrus (September 3), Ra (September 4), Yukino (September 5), and Vol & Rena (September 6).

All Reforge Quests will always be up at all times before September 7.

EXP/Proficiency/Gold x1.5.

Augment and Reforge Quests AP are halved.

Great Success Rates Up.

Edit: According to CrownZ's thread (https://forum.a-tm.co.jp/forum/uniso...-collaboration ), the collaboration event will most likely be Hatsune Miku. See CrownZ's thread for details. Screenshots for the rest of the updates this week are on the comments of this post.

#collaboration #Fate/Stay Night

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mattoyaki · 3 years

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Albedo Build Guide

Albedo is a character I initially skipped to save for Ganyu (and no regrets there at all) but man, I do hope to get him some day! (Edit: he came home!) He has an interesting kit and personality and I love his design. Albedo is also extremely easy to build and you’ll see why. If you’re looking to build your Albedo hopefully this guide can point you in the right direction!

Role

Albedo is one of the best Sub DPS in the game right now. Dubbed, “Afk-Bedo” His E is extremely spammable and is very effective at dealing off field damage. What’s even better about Albedo is he’s comparatively very easy to build. The damage from his E skill scales with his defense. You know all those annoying and soul crushing Def rolls you get on your artifacts? Albedo will happily take them and make good use of them! Another great thing is his best weapons are a free 4⭐️ weapon given out in 2.3 and a 3⭐️ weapon!

Talents

Prioritize Albedo’s Skill for transient blossom damage and then his Burst. I don’t advise leveling up his normal attacks unless you just really want to run him as a phys DPS, but the multipliers on his AA are very low so this isn’t optimal.

Skill > Burst > Normal Attacks

Albedo’s talents ascend with books of Ballad, Samachurl Scrolls and Tusk of Monoceros.

Weapons

⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Harbinger of Dawn

Unless you just really want to build him as a main DPS, look no further than HoD. It’s perfect for Albedo in the current state of the game, is super easy to refine and level, and the Crit Dmg sub stat provides more leeway with artifact sub stats!

Why HoD over other Crit weapons? It’s a crit stack stick, providing 28/46 Crit Rate/Crit Dmg respectively. The weapon passive is easy for Albedo to abuse too, since he stacks Def%, is usually shielded, and is rarely on field, it’s easy for him to maintain the 90% HP. But the most crucial reason is Albedo’s skill damage scales off defense, so the low base attack that otherwise makes this weapon rather weak is a non-issue for Albedo.

Edit: Cinnabar Spindle is an event limited weapon in 2.3. It’s Albedo’s signature weapon offering a 69% increase in Def% and increases his skill damage by 80% at max refinement. Alongside the new artifact set this weapon allows you to optimize crit in your sub stats over all other sub stats. HoD is still a fantastic weapon due to its Crit value, so if you missed out on CS don’t worry too much about it!

Artifacts

4pc Husk of Opulent Dreams; Archaic Petra; 2pc Archaic Petra, 2pc Noblesse; 2pc AP, 2pc Defender’s Will; 4pc Tenacity of the Millelith

Albedo‘s best artifact set is without a doubt 4pc Husk, introduced in 2.3 patch. It’s perfect for him, providing him large amounts of both Def% and Geo Dmg Bonus.

Outside of HoOD set, any combination that includes 2pc Archaic Petra and has good defense and Crit stats can work.

If Albedo is paired with Zhongli, 4pc ToM is very good since he can maintain stacks with his E effortlessly. However, this set does lose out on E damage so it’s only recommended in comps where he’s supporting (Geo Resonance Hu Tao for example)

Main Stats

Timepiece - Def%

Goblet - Geo Dmg Bonus

Circlet - Crit or Def%

*Crit is preferred but if you happen to have a good 1:2 ratio from sub stats and HoD then you can optionally stack more Def% for E damage.

Sub Stat Priority

Crit Rate = Crit Dmg > Def% > Energy Recharge > Flat Def

See what I mean about being easy to build? How often is Def% and flat def a good thing???

Team Comps

Albedo can fit into virtually any team comp. All he does his pop his E or Burst and swaps right back out, allowing your on field characters to dish out really high damage. He pairs especially well with Zhongli and Geo Resonance comps, but those are by no means requirements. He also pairs well with Fischl for off field damage!

Team Comp Ideas

F2P Comp

Noelle + Albedo + Flex

Literally any three characters + Albedo

Geo Resonance

Ningguang + Bennett + Albedo + Zhongli

Hu Tao + Xingqiu + Albedo + Zhongli

Razor + Diona + Albedo + Zhongli

Afk Team

Kokomi + Fischl + Venti + Albedo

BiS Teams (high investment)

Geodudes

Itto + Gorou + Albedo + Zhongli

* Noelle can replace Itto here

TLDR

Albedo is a very good sub DPS character that can dish out consistent off field damage. He’s very easy to build, especially for a 5⭐️. Cinnabar Spindle is his best weapon, but if you missed it Harbinger of Dawn is still very good on him. 4pc Husk is best artifact, stack Def% and Crit stats. He can fit into literally team comp that needs a sub DPS so he can be used with anyone!

I hope this guide was helpful :)

Edit: changed some details in artifacts to include the new 2.3 set. Good luck to everyone rolling for Elevator boy!!!

#genshin impact #genshin #albedo #albedo genshin impact #albedo guide #albedo build #albedo genshin #genshin guides #genshin impact tips #character build guide

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entergamingxp · 4 years

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Final Fantasy 7 Remake Review — For the Reunion

April 6, 2020 6:00 AM EST

23 years after Final Fantasy 7 changed the gaming landscape forever, Final Fantasy 7 Remake seeks to revisit Midgar on a scale we could only dream of.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake is here at last. Hoo boy, where does one even begin?

Say what you will about the original Final Fantasy 7, but its influence on the gaming landscape was massive. It’s not a legacy you can simply ignore, whether you like the game or not. There has been a huge amount of hype and expectation for this remake, and the team at Square Enix has seemingly shown every bit of acknowledgment and respect for that going forward. It’s because of that legacy that I must lay down a couple of points before we begin.

First: I have endeavoured to make this review as spoiler-free as possible. That includes both the events of Remake and of the original. If you don’t know what specifically happens in either, I’ve got you in mind. For those who do know spoilers, I urge you to keep them quiet to fresh players as well. Just go and look up the raw, unspoiled reactions to That Scene from the original; it’s something best preserved for people to experience fresh.

Second: my credentials. I’ve played the original Final Fantasy 7 to completion at least once, and other attempts at playthroughs more than that. This was well after the 1997 release (probably first around 2005), and I went in already knowing about That Scene and other spoilers. FF7’s impact on gaming and JRPGs had been well established by then, so I arrived late. Nonetheless, I thought it to be an excellent game and thoroughly enjoyed my playthrough. It isn’t — and wasn’t — my favourite Final Fantasy game, though it’s never strayed far from the top of the list.

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“It’s inevitable that opinions of Remake from any source or outlet will be coloured by prior attachment and sentiment to Final Fantasy 7 (or lack thereof).”

Lastly, I’ve also seen or played most spinoffs (notably Advent Children, Last Order, and Crisis Core). That’s a little less pertinent to this review, but fans of those products can take heart: there are nods to these in the game, as well as style choices that reflect them in places.

Hopefully, now you can approach my words on Final Fantasy 7 Remake with the full context of my connection to the original. It’s inevitable that opinions of Remake from any source or outlet will be coloured by prior attachment and sentiment to Final Fantasy 7 (or lack thereof). As such, take my words as a guideline and use them to make an educated decision of where you’ll land.

Remake Part One

If you’re an FF7 fan reading this review, you’re probably here to find out how much of the game is present. Remake has been split into multiple parts after all, and this is just the first. Square Enix did this to cut as little as possible from the game, sparing no expense in remaking it to the fullest. Having now finished, I can say that they achieved that aim so far.

Content wise, there is a full game here, and my playtime ended at 43 hours. This entailed playing on Normal from start to finish along with being thorough and doing as much side content as I could. Further, additional perks and content become available once the credits roll. If you’re worried that you’re paying full price for an unfinished game, don’t; this is as much a full release as any newly numbered Final Fantasy title, and without Final Fantasy 15’s wealth of DLC required to make it whole.

“Pretty much every locale, scene, and story beat from the original is present in Remake.”

That said, Remake takes place entirely in Midgar, in contrast to the five to ten hours spent there in FF7. Pretty much every locale, scene, and story beat from the original is present in Remake. The additional time is primarily spent to bolster these moments, expanding on dungeons or smaller areas to give them the same scope. A tremendous amount of attention and care has been given to every facet, though. Character banter and dialogues are numerous, with a lot more cutscenes and chances for each to express themselves. Much of the runtime is used well, with new areas and events feeling interesting and consistent with Midgar’s style. Only a small fraction feels like genuine filler.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake is fairly linear at first. You’ll proceed through a chapter in a fairly direct fashion, with some side areas and branching paths to explore for treasure and extra fights. Once you move to the next chapter, you likely won’t be coming back. There’s a handful of areas where the game opens up, allowing you to explore a more populated area and take part in side quests and mini-games. One area relatively late in the game opens up quite a bit more, bridging a couple of areas together and allowing an open-ended respite before funneling you towards the final few chapters.

You’ll gain access to a chapter selection function once you beat the game, however. This lets you go back with an experience/AP gain increase and find anything you missed, as well as access the post-game content. I’ll come back to specifics later. So, how does it play?

Mechanics, Materia, and More

Final Fantasy 7 Remake continues the trend of Square Enix games becoming more cinematic and action-heavy in battles. If their aim is to make a playable Advent Children, they’re getting pretty close. This time around, the Active Time Battle (ATB) system of old has been merged into this for a pretty compelling take on an action/RPG.

You start the game as the main character Cloud. Combat will consist of utilizing his basic attacks, as well as manually guarding or dodging incoming damage. Your ATB gauge fills over time and increases when you strike, at which point you can open a menu to expend it. Time slows dramatically in the menu, letting you select from abilities, magic, and items. You can hold up to two bars of ATB (with the option of a third later), and every menu action requires at least one to use. These abilities and spells can be interrupted, but they hit considerably harder than your basic attacks. The damage difference is noticeable, so don’t come in expecting a pure action game; you’ll need the turn-based menu abilities to progress.

Once you get other party members, you can freely swap between them with a D-pad press. Characters you aren’t controlling will play defensive and try to get attacks in when safe. You’ll be the one ordering them to use menu abilities as they build ATB, though, and it becomes quite intuitive to cycle through them as you need.

To keep things fresh, each party member has a set of different mechanics and playstyles. All have an attack string and guard/dodge options, but that’s where similarities end. The triangle button is dedicated to the character’s unique actions. Cloud swaps to a slow-moving, hard-hitting Punisher stance, Tifa has finisher attacks based on the stacks of an ability she has, and so on.

“Of the handful of hybrid action/RPG systems the series has tried, Final Fantasy 7 Remake definitely feels the most well-done.”

Charging time is pretty slow if you aren’t getting in the thick of it, but this also leaves you quite vulnerable to attack. Guarding is a trade-off, as it slows your passive ATB gain dramatically, so trying to stay aggressive and dodging smartly is encouraged. This is further compounded by each enemy having a break meter below their health; hit them enough or with certain attacks and you’ll pressure them, which usually stuns them and makes them take more break damage. Max it out, and you’ll stagger them, wherein they’re completely stunned and take a large increase to all incoming damage for a time.

Of the handful of hybrid action/RPG systems the series has tried, Final Fantasy 7 Remake definitely feels the most well-done. It avoids the spamming of items from Final Fantasy 15 and ends up feeling like a Final Fantasy 13 that you actually control.

If this seems basic, there are further ways to supplement your moves. New abilities are gained in two ways: learned from specific weapons, or gained by equipping materia. Weapons are spaced out throughout the game, and each has a specific ability. Use that ability in battle a handful of times and you’ll achieve proficiency with it, whereupon you can use it regardless of your weapon.

Materia is the major noteworthy mechanic from FF7, and it’s been carried over almost identically to Remake. You’ll find materia orbs as you explore, and these can be set to slots in weapons or armor to gain their abilities. Furthermore, you’ll level the materia through AP gained after battles. A Fire materia will grant the Fire spell to the character while held, for example, and can be leveled up to access Fira and Firaga. Materia can be freely exchanged between characters out of battle, and most strategies for tougher fights will hinge on your setup. Different materia types can offer passive buffs, active abilities, or even massive summons that can be used only in specific fights.

At first, you won’t have much materia to play with, and even fewer slots in your gear to equip them. Cue Remake’s weapon upgrade system. Every time a character levels up, they’ll get 5 SP to spend, with bonus SP available from side objectives later. Each weapon has a unique “core” skill tree, and SP unlocks nodes on it. Each unlock grants the weapon new passive stats, modifiers, or even materia slots. At certain level thresholds, you’ll gain access to new sub-cores to further customize them.

What’s more, each individual weapon gets all your SP retroactively, so no need to pick and choose which to invest in. This means that if you like Cloud’s Buster Sword, you can absolutely keep it relevant throughout the entire game. All weapons have their own unique identity now, with stat priorities and abilities that you can prioritize based on circumstance or playstyle. The build options are quite diverse, and since you can reset them for a small gil fee, there’s no wrong way to approach it.

All these systems are in service of allowing you to customize your characters for the battles to come. Each ability has its uses, and there’s a good selection of materia to play around with. What I found most limiting about the battles, then, is the action parts.

Those who played the demo might have expressed some misgivings about the lack of variety in Cloud’s moveset. For those who feel that this is pretty basic, I’m sorry to say that it won’t get that much more diverse. Almost every ability and materia is one selected from the menu, not in your basic attacks. The different playable characters and conditions of encounters might shake things up, but it’s the ATB spenders that receive most of your attention.

I found this especially disappointing because my expectations were set quite high from the outset. Exploring down a side path in Chapter 2, mere minutes after where the demo ended, I found the Deadly Dodge materia; this changed Cloud’s attack string immediately after a dodge into a larger AoE one. Finding this so early eased my fears that the combat would feel similar for the whole runtime, then! Surely there would be other modifiers like it if I got this one so early?

Nope! This is almost the only materia like it in the whole game.

Much later, you can get the Parry materia (which lets you do a short hop and strike back if using dodge while guarding), and that’s about it. All other materia like it is simply a passive effect or occasional long cooldown. Otherwise, it’s all menu abilities that require ATB. This was tremendously disappointing to discover, and more options like that to personalize my general moveset would have been so much nicer to have. Even something like a perfect guard would have been great, though at least Cloud’s Punisher mode has counters on block. Perhaps that’s on me for coming to Final Fantasy 7 Remake having just played Devil May Cry 3, but that’s how I felt regardless.

That misgiving aside, the battles are nonetheless fun experiences. Bosses in particular tend to be larger than life affairs, with multiple parts to attack and various phases of the fight that change their mechanics. Again, those who played the demo will be pleased to note that more bosses play in the vein of Scorpion Sentinel than not. Some encounters can be pretty challenging, though for every game over I encountered (maybe half a dozen), a quick adjustment to my materia loadout and shift in strategy saw me triumph next time.

“There was a hell of a lot to love about the battles in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and even if I had been hoping for more, it still stands out as a damn good time.”

Even regular enemies have individual mechanics. The circumstances by which the pressure and stagger systems are applied is unique to most enemies, so learning and exploiting their weaknesses makes the experience much smoother. There was a hell of a lot to love about the battles in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and even if I had been hoping for more, it still stands out as a damn good time.

Mini-games are also interspersed throughout Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Most are variations of what was in the original, but there’s been a few added just to break up the routine. They were enjoyable for the most part, so there’s not much to say about them save that I appreciate the inclusion. There’s also a coliseum, letting you fight specialized groups under set conditions in exchange for unique rewards.

After the credits roll, you’ll gain access to the Chapter Select and can revisit any part of the game. You’ll also unlock Hard Mode, which doesn’t serve as a difficulty selection for a new game; instead, you can activate it when accessing Chapter Select. Hard Mode locks out your items and stops MP recovery from rest spots, but offers unique collectibles in exchange. New battles are added to the coliseum also. Those who want more even after the game is over shall find there’s at least a little to check out.

Overall, Final Fantasy 7 Remake kept my attention for the whole runtime. The only real lapses were a few areas of traversal that were overly drawn out, and some of the side quests felt a little mundane. Even so, these featured additional cutscenes and conversations with the cast that really furthered the attachment to the world, so it at least felt worth it to do them once finished.

Tifa fans should do all the side quests in Chapter 3. Just saying.

Regardless, it was an enjoyable game to play. A little more concession to action mechanics would be great, but the hybridised action/RPG implementation was otherwise very impressive. Square Enix definitely seems to have arrived at a happy medium that previous Final Fantasy titles didn’t manage, and I hope they continue with it.

Presenting: Midgar!

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Presentation is the shining star of Final Fantasy 7 Remake. The demo made it clear that Square Enix wasn’t messing around, and it’s honestly one of the most graphically striking games I’ve ever seen. If any concerns were had about that level being impossible to maintain consistently, they certainly kept it close. Some of the larger open areas — particularly the slums — suffer from character pop-in, delayed loading on textures (if they aren’t just rough or muddy outright) and other small nitpicks. In addition, some cutscenes with minor NPCs talking to party members can be pretty jarring. They simply cannot match the level of fidelity achieved in rendering the main cast or other notable characters.

When the main cast is the focus and the set pieces are rolling, though? It’s far and away beyond anything else the series — or Square Enix in general — has produced. There’s a lot more daytime than the original game, so there’s enough colour variety to keep it from looking bland. Mechanical dieselpunk designs weave into gritty but “lived-in” slum streets. A pristine plate sector at night gives way to rusting maintenance structures underneath. The tall, clean and imposing Shinra HQ is met with the garish lights and noise of Wall Market. Midgar is a fantastically designed place and a treat to explore.

It’s not just the city itself that is well designed, though. To Square Enix’s credit, they have taken the sometimes goofy enemy designs from the original and kept them completely intact. High fidelity or no, it’s not afraid to take an enemy that is just a spiky dancing frog and have it make sense. There are even character dialogue and bestiary entries that further suggest how they work or came to be. If things didn’t have to be changed, they weren’t; they were just reimagined and made to fit.

“Midgar is a fantastically designed place and a treat to explore.”

All of this visual and design splendour is furthered by the audio quality. From start to finish, the voice acting and direction is stellar. Shelving the voice actors that played the characters previously was unexpected, but the new cast absolutely nails their roles. Most have emotional moments or serious scenes that the actors manage to capture effortlessly. Even the NPCs and minor characters have quality voice acting. Shoutouts, in particular, have to be given to Barret’s VA for one particularly memorable scene, and to Hojo who is suitably creepy and sinister in every appearance.

Last but not least on the presentation front: the music. Oh man, the music. NieR: Automata laid the groundwork for implementing dynamic tracks, adding layers as needed to change the tone of the same track at just the right moment. Everything that was learned from that game was applied wholeheartedly to Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and then some. Musical cues and stings are on point, highlighting crucial moments in the best possible way.

The original soundtrack is regarded as one of the finest works of legendary composer Nobuo Uematsu. Now, most of those tracks have been remixed or remastered in a slew of creative ways, but they almost always fit the tone required well. Some see multiple variations in different areas to wholly distinct effects. Music in the boss fights tends to really stand out, as the longer battles allow them to build up and crescendo during later phases. You know that the music is a highlight when songs are one of the main collectibles and each is a separate remix from their actual game appearance, all done in the style of music that might actually be made in Midgar’s setting. Genius.

There’s quite a lot to unpack and respect about the game on presentation. But all that presentation is in service of one thing: telling the story.

Reunions

I fully intend to avoid spoilers, so I will keep this section relatively brief.

The story of the original Final Fantasy 7 is one of the major elements that left a mark in gaming. These characters, their world, and their tales are iconic and beloved. Every moment of that story has been retained in full, just as Square Enix originally intended. Some trailers have hinted at adjustments and new developments — especially the launch trailer, which I encourage you not to watch for fear of spoilers — but this accuracy was paramount to the developers.

It’s safe to say that they achieved this. Every notable character, conversation, or location from the original game is included in Remake in some way. There’ll be adjustments, of course; they’re displayed in high fidelity and voice acted this time, so concessions will need to be made. But it’s all here, and the attention to detail in places was honestly staggering.

With that said, Square Enix had no intention of just retelling the same story verbatim. Additional scenes and moments have been sprinkled all throughout, with at least one early chapter composed entirely of new events. All of it builds on the original framework, strengthening it further. There’s more character growth, banter, and interactions between the cast than ever before. It ends up making them feel so much more real and believable. Even characters I wasn’t certain about initially won me over by the credits. This isn’t limited to the cast either, and gives the same treatment to villains and NPCs.

The fact that this is only a chunk of the complete tale means that certain events, characters, and flashbacks have been brought forward in the timeline. You’ll be seeing Cloud get headaches or recall memories of his hometown right out the gate… and that’s to say nothing of Sephiroth. Even so, all of these concessions are handled with the same care as the rest of the game, so their placement fits and strengthens the whole. Better to portray these scenes and build up the characters now than have them appear out of nowhere 10 hours into a second game, right?

Now… thus far, I’ve been talking purely about parts that primarily concern the original work. If this praise was also true of the wholly original plot threads and changes, I’d have no issues whatsoever with Remake’s story. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. Far from it.

Early on, there will be a couple of divergences to the story that seem to be setting up a new sub-plot. These divergences increase in volume over time, and grow exponentially in the last two chapters. All the original beats remain, but they’re interspersed with these divergences, leading to a new climax and expanded conclusion.

“Genuinely, I was loving my time with it. But if the game had been a tasty meal up until that point, the final section soured it.”

And here is where it all started to come apart for me. For a brief while, I was ripped out of Final Fantasy 7 and dumped heavily into an unholy marriage of Advent Children and Kingdom Hearts. It was awkward, it was confusing, and it left me shaking my head in dismay. It felt massively out of place.

Did this part have to change so dramatically? Maybe. It wasn’t a true climax or game-ending point in the original, after all, and I expected some new conclusion and an added boss or two to cap off this experience. Yet, until now, it had been such a solid remake that made measured changes to supplement the classic story. Here, at the eleventh hour, it jarringly erupted into a massive spectacle that honestly felt like underdeveloped fanfiction.

When I say spectacle, I mean that it was spectacular to behold in terms of graphics, sound, scale… but it comes at a huge cost, and that cost is the integrity of the story going forward. This finale and the accompanying changes have massive implications for the future installments of Remake, all of which feel like they’re going to ride the divergence train at full speed away from the classic plot. Suddenly, the insane turns that things like Dirge of Cerberus took are looking far more likely in the future.

I had been enjoying Final Fantasy 7 Remake throughout the entire runtime, whether it was new or old material. Genuinely, I was loving my time with it. But if the game had been a tasty meal up until that point, the final section soured it. This isn’t just because they tried something new, either; I could easily forgive it if it was just a new thread that tried, landed flat, and wrapped up. No, this sudden divergence has ramifications that could potentially change all future installments in dramatic ways from what was expected, and I now find myself lacking confidence that it can succeed.

In conclusion: old stuff? Great! Supplementary additions to old stuff? Also great! Character writing, development, and worldbuilding? Excellent! Brand new stuff? Middling at best, potentially disastrous at worst. Most of my grievances with the game are almost entirely to do with that final section. I fully admit to bias in the kinds of stories and developments I like, so your mileage may vary. But I cannot say I walked away from the ending feeling happy.

A Final Fantasy For Fans and First-Timers

One of the big questions approaching this game is, inevitably, “Should I play this if I haven’t played the original?” That’s an easy answer: yes. Everything is here that made Final Fantasy 7 such a stand out of its era, delivered with some of the finest presentation we’ve seen in triple-A video game development. It’s a fun action/RPG hybrid with solid gameplay systems, a strong story, and a set of well-realized characters that suitably develop and bond over time. Fans of the original will inevitably spot more references or appreciate the extra nods, but even newcomers should be able to slip in and find plenty to enjoy.

Next: should you play this now, before the other parts come out? That’s a more tentative response, but yes. Had I not walked away from the ending with such mixed feelings, it would’ve been easy to recommend. Even without knowledge of the source material, the main story and throughline here is clear to follow and wraps up nicely. It’s mostly the setup of larger threads and what’s to come that have me so hesitant to recommend it, and I don’t think the ending was handled well. Buyer be warned, regardless.

“Final Fantasy 7 Remake is arguably the best non-MMO Final Fantasy game released in a very long time.”

Final Fantasy 7 Remake doesn’t replace the original. That’ll be true even when all parts have been fully released. Final Fantasy 7 will be a generational touchstone of gaming with a legacy that has lasted decades, and will remain long after the hype for Remake has cooled. I don’t foresee that same legacy being granted to Remake once the dust has settled, but it nonetheless stands with Resident Evil 2 Remake as a testament to the quality such a project can aspire to.

This is still one of the most excellently presented games I’ve ever experienced, and with a few tweaks for the next installment, that excellence might extend to gameplay and story too. Whatever misgivings I may have going into future releases, it’s undeniable that this was an enjoyable 42 hours marred by a single bad one. Even so, Final Fantasy 7 Remake is arguably the best non-MMO Final Fantasy game released in a very long time. Despite my qualms, it’s been a welcome Reunion.

April 6, 2020 6:00 AM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/04/final-fantasy-7-remake-review-for-the-reunion/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=final-fantasy-7-remake-review-for-the-reunion

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wrapupfam · 5 years

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2019 Week 2 Wrap Up

Wow folks, another interesting week of matchups and I feel like I’m in the upside down. Literally, the standings are almost completely upside down from where we ended things last year! We’re going to go team by team this week, doing a little post-mortem on the first two weeks of the season. I have a feeling there are going to be some big changes to rosters coming soon for some folks that aren’t happy with the squad they started with. I expect to be approving some trades here very soon! Let’s get into it.

Blondes take more L’s What do the bottom 3 teams have in common? Blonde hair, lack of depth, and 0-2 records.

Cry Me More Rivers: I maintain that Mandy’s starting roster is good. Who could have seen a dud performance of the “playoff hopeful” Chargers against the Lions coming? It’s not her fault Jimmy G might actually be a quarterback and she started the nearly 40-year old Rivers instead. Even with a goose egg from Njoku, she almost came back Monday night, making a terribly boring game terrifying. I was refreshing my stat tracker after every LeVeon run, and she would have gotten me if he hadn’t fumbled on the 3 after a great screen play. I think things are going to work out for Mandy, but until then she’s in last place.

Not Theilen So Good: Attention Jamie’s running backs - you need to play every week. CMC and Josh Jacobs were the highlight of her team in Week 1, and while they didn’t get her the win the first time around, they ensured they wouldn’t be getting it this time around. I think some of you are learning about how difficult it is to be in a 12-team league. Like who is Mike Davis? He rushed for a yard. Jamie didn’t even come close to Dirt this week. She has her two weird QBs (BAKER AND JAMEIS) to thank for that. Send her trades, people. She needs the help.

Karma’s a Miss: It looked like the trade Emily made with Alex before Week 1 even ended was going to make the difference here. Lo and behold, it wasn’t enough to get over the hump. Surely we all remember the week 1 57 point meltdown, but Em came back to break 130 this week. The double dip strategy of Matty Ice and Julio Jones paid off for a combined 46 points. Did you know that they used to call Julio “Waffle House” in college? Why? Because he’s open 24/7. Unfortunately for Emily, G closed it down with some great subs. I think Emily will get her first win this week, but I hope the Fantasy Football Gods somehow end this in a tie.

Where’d You Gooooooaat?: Last week, we lauded over Terri’s decisive win and solid roster. But we can thank an awful Thursday Night game for the disappearing act performed by some of Terri’s main guys. Cam has something wrong with his foot and with his mind, resulting in a pathetic non-attempt on that final 4th down play. He’s stepping away from the team this week for personal reasons, leaving Terri to start Cam’s mini-me, Kyler “I can’t throw over my offensive line” Murray. Things didn’t get better for Terri when Kamara didn’t show up either for the Saints in a game where you’d want your rushing attack to be the main feature. Let’s see if there’s a bounce back game in her future.

MaHopeless to MaHopeful: We were all worried about Dirt last week. An uncharacteristic implosion by a team that on paper, is solid, yet lacks depth. Those things were still true through Week 2, but he just happened to find a dance partner with two left feet that made his win an easy one. Still, questions of depth linger when you are carrying one inactive player and one retired TE that thinks he can cure CTE. Those spots could be used to players that aren’t 3.10 points from Duke Johnson. If your RB got ran out of Cleveland before they were good, that’s not a good sign. Dan finally made use of some of the dead weight he was carrying at QB by trading the vampire Tom Brady to Scott for Calvin Ridley, in a trade that I think makes both teams better, and that’s bad for all of us. He’s turning things around, but I think he might stumble this week.

Brown Eyed Beast: It’s a sad day when I can’t make fun of my mom for losing in fantasy football. But it makes me happy when she beats T. I just looked at her roster for a solid 5 minutes wondering how we let her draft this team. Then I see guys like CJ Anderson on her bench and it makes me feel better. RIght now, Bob is at .500 all time for her fantasy career. 48 wins, 48 losses. Which way will the scale tip this week?

Alex, Change Your F*)%$# Team Name: You have so many names on your roster that would make for great puns, it’s such a wasted opportunity. This joker had Lamar Jackson put up 28, Jones with 23, and a million and a half points on his bench and he still couldn’t get the win. Alex should have 6 trade offers in his inbox by tomorrow morning with all that WR depth. He’s got an easy win this week against a team ranked higher than him, but we can’t call it an upset.

G…. ZZZzzZZZzzZZ: Effortless, just like his team name. Emily was losing her mind making trades and learning about fantasy football last week, and G was hanging out in Phoenix and probably didn’t know when kickoff was due to the time zone change from Florida. He DROPPED Matt Ryan, just to have Emily pick him up. He was happy to let her use his rejects, knowing that it wouldn’t work. I feel like this is a common theme when we jumped to 12, but I’ll say it again. DEPTH, people. I’m scratching my head about the drop of Matty Ice, and keeping Case Keenum, but hey, it’s working. I’m probably going to go in and change your team name to “Kerryon My Wayward Son” if you don’t. I have the power to do that.

A Kittle Too Close for Comfort: I am without a doubt the worst team at 2-0. I might be the worst team in the league. If we go by points, I am 10 points behind last place. Strength of schedule, folks. If this were college, I wouldn’t even be ranked in the AP poll. I hated my team as soon as the draft was over, but it’s gotten me into a good spot. Weird, but good. Mandy almost had me this week, which makes me sad to say. I am going to say this: I’m open for business folks, let’s talk trades. I’m all ears.

Cuz I Can’t Think of a Good Pun: Jojo continues to shock the world. She decided to go with the unheard of two-TE strategy this week and boy did it pay off in a big way. Both Kelce and Andrews broke 20 points, with John Ross trailing behind by a touch. Beating a team that I maintain as the deepest in the leauge, Jojo is proving herself against strong competition early on. The exact opposite of what I’ve been doing so far. Now we’re matched up together and I’m shaking in my boots.

Right Moves Clyde: The auditors have arrived, folks. I’ve been waiting for this moment for years. I think we’re going to get an undefeated Scott season and I’m so happy. This man has been working off a dial-up modem and trying to draft players from 1999 since the inception of this league, and he finally hit refresh on his football knowledge and drafted a juggernaut of a squad. He could afford to trade Calvin Ridley, and his team won’t skip a beat. I don’t even think they’ve hit their stride yet. We should all be so honored to lose to Scooter.

I like the way the schedule looks this week. We’re guaranteed to have a team that stays undefeated AND a team that stays winless. Sorry this came out late, I’m employed again and got ambitious with breaking down every team. Also, can everyone stop complaining to me about the waiver wire? It’s been this way since the beginning, people. Deal with it. See y’all in Week 3, I hope everyone loses :)

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fantasticalscholar-blog · 7 years

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Getting Started - Playable Races, Mithra/Miqo’te, and Akadoubutsu!

Now it’s time to populate this gorgeously fun world you’ve created! Final Fantasy normally utilizes Humans to fill most corners of the world and to serve as the leading protagonist; BUT! That does not necessarily have to be the case for your FFD6 campaign! I

In fact, you can choose to include or exclude as many races as your heart desires! Heck! Make new one’s too! I know I ended up doing so for my Eleos campaign and it’s been a lot of fun!

No matter what you choose to do, there is a list of suggested playable races in the FFD6 PDF starting on Page 176. I personally think that this list is a great start, but there are a good handful of other races, or details that the PDF does not cover. As such, I introduce you to one of the biggest topics I’ll be touching on in this Blog: HOME BREW CONTENT (Game and System aspects that are not included in ‘official’ resources for tabletop role playing games!)

I’m not going to share all of the home-brew race content I’ve created just yet, since that’ll just be an absolutely enormous post that’ll take up half your feed. Instead, today, I’ll go ahead and focus on two entries.

I think it should, while PC Races are on the shelve, worth noting that FFD6 does not usually offer bonus Attribute Points or Skill Points (A topic saved for a post in the near future). However, if you are a die hard for adjusting stats and skills due to race, go nuts! I’ve included some suggested scores to improve, but a word of warning; FFD6′s level up system involves improvement of Attribute Points (AP, we’ll abbreviate) at every level, so the bonus would end up being a small push or detriment within only the first few levels.

I’ve also included a Favorable Jobs section to give suggestions to PC’s in case they have no idea what kind of Job, which is the equivalent of classes in FFD6, they want their character to have. With that being said, it is still to your preference and imagination for what Job a character should have. Honestly, some of the craziest combinations make for wonderful character concepts!

So with that in mind, sit back, and maybe consider some of these other fantastic Final Fantasy Races that have appeared in other games (and potential revamps of mentioned races!)

~ ~ ~

The Mithra / Miqo’te

Meet the Mithra and Miqo’te, felinesque residents of the Worlds Vana’diel and Eorzea (FF XI and FF XIV). Technically different races, I still see it prudent to lump the two together as their design is essentially the same, and I observe few differences between the two. At the very least, I wish to highlight Mithra as they are discussed as a sub-race of the Viera. I personally like the idea, lore-wise, but I think it’s good to further distinguish the two more.

I’ll keep this brief as there are only a handful of differences between the three races;

Mithra: Sporting cat tails and ears, this race does not stray very far from their description in the manual; the Mithra are heavily dominated by the female sex, as male Mithra have a fairly low birth rate comparatively. Very athletic and nimble, the Mithra are renowned for their tenacity and fierceness in battle. They are fairly conservative when it comes to technology, and are highly tied to their natural roots.

It should be known that if a Mithra, much like Viera, leave their homeland (typically tropical rain forests, deserts, and other tropical biomes), they are most likely to be treated as an alien upon their return. That doesn’t stop most adventurous Mithra, however.

Miqo’te: A sort of human-cat hybrid in appearance, the Miqo’te people are agile, clever, and often quite crafty. Whereas the Mithra are incredibly tied to nature and their clans, Miqo’te are loners for the most part, and are typically territorial to others around them (not in the least, other Miqo’te!).

It should not be surprising at all that Miqo’te are the kind of people to become wanderers. Cats very much so do what they want, and I think it’s fair to say that Miqo’te can embody this sort of fickle nature seen in many of our feline friends. But in the same breath, the phrase, ‘If I fits, I sits’ is also not that bad of a Philosophy for the Miqo’te, as it would only make sense that city life can be a good break from the hustle and bustle of adventure.

[Average Attributes]

Typical Height: 1.6 - 1.8 m / 5′ 2″-5′9 [Males and Females Similar]

Typical Weight: 49 - 66 kg / 107.8 - 145.2 lbs. [Males and Females Similar]

Hair Color Ideas: Reds, tawny, blacks, grey

Eye Color Ideas:

Mithra: Reds, Golds, Silvers

Miqo’te: Blues, Greens, Yellows

Lifespan Suggestions:

Child-Adolescent: 8-17 Years Old

Young Adult - Adulthood: 18-90 Years Old

Older Adults: 91 - 180 Years Old

Suggested Attribute and Skill Bonuses (If Applicable):

+2 Dex, (-1 RES)

+2 Thievery, +2 Nature, +2 Lore: Cities

Ideas for Favorable Jobs:

Mithra Females:

Warrior - For the strong willed and fierce, may work with tribe in squads.

Geomancer - For the spiritual leaders of tribes, may even be the Matriarchs.

Ranger - For the loner and marksman, also make for good hunters.

Mithra Males

Geomancer - A good, spiritualistic class to gain favor in the eyes of female compatriots in the tribe.

Thief - For those who have literally gone rogue and abandoned their tribe, and entered human society.

Entertainer - For the light hearted wanderer, and one who was tasked with music or poetry within the tribe.

Miqo’te

Theif - Light on their feet and quite possessive, good for the mischievous.

Gambler - For the fickle of heart and cocky. Besides; Black Cat with gambling powers anyone?

Dragoon - With incredible reflexes and jumping power, Cat Dragons are totally in this season.

~ ~ ~

Akadoubutsu

The next race I’d like to introduce is, as I will dub them, the Akadobutsu (Ah-kah-doe-boot-sue). Though there is no official name for the race, the Akadobutsu first were introduced in FFVII where the main party encountered and was joined by one of these beings named Nanaki (pictured above).

The Akadobutsu are a sentient race, capable of learning and speaking the Common languages of the world, and are known to be highly intelligent. As many of the other animal like species in the worlds of Final Fantasy, the Akadobutsu are known to function in groups of tribes, often residing in areas of great spiritual importance. It is also known that, in their appearance of FFVII, a flame was kept at the center of the Akadobutsu settlement, which may hold some significance to the eternal flame that burns at the end of their tails. Depending on the setting of your FFD6 campaign, the GM and the player of a Akadobutsu PC can determine if this is significant.

The Akadobutsu are known to be incredibly tied to the natural world, and are very in tune with the condition of the world. This strong bond has manifested itself in a way that many Akadobutsu are mistrusting of large civilizations, and even more so of incredibly advanced technology that can damage the environment. Furthermore, such close connections with nature has also shown to increase the magical prowess of the Akadobutsu, though they are known to more so rely on their fangs and claws for weapons.

One last thing to talk about; The Akadobutsu are normally Quadrupeds. This can either limit what weapons they can use, or you can have an explanation as to why the fiery character can wield a 30 pound sub-machine gun. ESP maybe? They are also capable of walking on their hind legs? Do they start with natural weapons with their claws and teeth? Who knows! Make sure to talk to your GM and vice versa to figure out how you can live out your fantasy while playing as an Akadobutsu.

[Average Attributes]

Typical Height: 1.2 - 1.25 m / 3′9″- 4′1″ [Male] 1.0 - 1.05 m / 3′2″ - 3′5″ [Female]

Typical Length: 1.4 -1.5 m / 4′5″- 5′ 0″ [Male] 1.2 - 1.4 m / 4′0″ - 4′5″ [Female]

Typical Weight: 63.5 - 86.2 kg / 140 - 190 lbs. [Male] 52.2 - 77.1 kg / 110 - 170 lbs. [Female]

Fur Color Ideas: Reds, golds, oranges, auburn

Eye Color Ideas: Yellows, Greens, Reds

Lifespan Suggestions:

Child-Adolescent: 20 - 140 Years Old

Young Adult - Adulthood: 140 - 460 Years Old

Older Adults: 460 - 700 Years Old

Suggested Attribute and Skill Bonuses (If Applicable):

+1 DEX, +1 MND, (-1 RES)

+2 Athletics, +2 Nature, +2 Lore: Religion

Ideas for Favorable Jobs::

Geomancer: To be so attuned to the world around them, Akadobutsu would make for excellent candidates to unleash the power of nature on those that wish it harm.

Dark Knight: A particularly tragic hero of the Akadobutsu could go rogue, harnessing the powers of darkness after witnessing the destruction caused to that which was considered sacred.

Samurai: For an enigmatic, lone wolf of a character, to choose to be a Samurai allows Akadobutsu to uphold and fight with honor though they have left their respective tribes.

~ ~ ~

Well now! That took me awhile!

After several sessions of adding info and researching, I present to you a start on races! I’ll again suggest glancing at Chapter 6 in the PDF (it starts on Page 174), and from there you can glance at the provided list of races and the worlds they normally inhabit!

I hope that now you can start feeling comfortable with the sense of freedom FFD6 offers, and if you are eager to unleash your imagination, that you go for it full throttle!

If you see grammar mistakes, contradictions, mathematical miscalculations, have observations, or suggestions, please let me know! With this mention of AP (Attribute Points) and SP (Skill Points) this time around, you can expect a character creation post just around the corner! Is it weird to abbreviate those, or should I just type them out? FIRST HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT QUESTION!

Anyways; thank you for your time and your interest. I hope you have a wonderful evening, and enjoy the approach of summer and last hurrahs of spring!!! ~ Ryan

- Lots of credit this time!

Thank you KuraudoStrife from the site ‘The Lifestream’ for the image of the races at the top!

Pictures of the Miqo’te found on the consolegames wiki site, where you can find their page and info right here!

Pictures of Nanaki, or Red XIII, and information on his character and race were found on the Final Fantasy Wikia, and you can find this page right here!

The Miqo’te, Mithra, and proclaimed Akadobutsu races were originally conceptualized by the creative teams at Sqaure Enix, and much of the information gleaned for this post comes from the Final Fantasy Wikia and the FFD6 PDF created by ‘Dust’.

#roleplaying #rpg #rp #finalfantasy #ffvii #redxiii #nanaki #mithra #miqo'te #ffxiv #homebrew #tabletop #ffd6 #worldbuilding

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