#hivemind 7.0

[dawktrap]

I am exposing you to my weirdest ship/canon(s) Shapeshifter!Audrey II

Mr Glitch

= Hivemind 7.0 (Seven)

I am sorry.

[rainofaugustsith]

Rain Plays SWTOR: Directive 7

Directive 7 is one of the solo flashpoints set during the class stories or shortly thereafter, that you can play. If you've never gone through, I'd suggest trying it out now, before 7.0 drops. 

Rewards: In story mode, Directive 7 drops this cool deco. It's technically a mentor processing core, but it looks Voss, and it looks neat in a wide variety of settings. 

trStory: 

Directive 7 is basically an Order 66 type deal - the liberated droids are going to send out a galaxy-wide signal that will compel every single droid on every single planet and system to murder all the organics (yes, we're basically dealing with the droid version of Vitiate). The head of the rebellion, Mentor, has also connected almost all the other droids to their own hivemind. Luckily, one of the liberated droids, C5-M3, tips you off and assists you. Off you go to the planet Zadd to stop Mentor before the slaughter signal can be broadcast.

Where to get it: If you plan on doing this flashpoint once for the experience, I'd strongly suggest getting the full story experience. Imperial side, you can find the droid quest giver either on the fleet near the GTN and gift vendors (upper tier) or on Corellia by the Imperial War Camp. I could not find the Corellia quest giver for the Republic, but there's one on the fleet in the same area - it is marked "Galactic Trade Market" and is the section where you buy companion gifts or browse the GTN terminals. Talking to the droid will give you the Immediate Vengeance story chain. 

There will be a short cut scene with the droid, in which you will learn that your faction's soldiers were murdered en masse by their own droids. And the other faction isn't responsible. Board the nearby shuttle, which will take you to the Ziost Shadow (Imperial) or Gav Dagaron (Republic) fleet ship. There will be a nearby instanced area for another short story scene. After you finish the flashpoint you will return here for another cut scene to complete the mission. 

Now, the interesting thing here is that it's a purple - that is, main story - mission. The flashpoint was considered critical to the story and given a solo mode. To the best of my knowledge, however, you never hear anything about the planet Zadd or these droids again. There isn't even a Codex entry for Zadd. Vestiges of a discarded plotline, perhaps? 

Alternatives: 

If you don't care about the story or have already done the mission, you can pick up the flashpoint by a) talking to the droid outside the instanced area on the Ziost Shadow or b) Press CTRL+G to bring up your activity panel. Go to the 'solo' tab. Scroll down to the flashpoints and choose Directive 7. 

Basics: 

1. This is a long flashpoint. With Viri (Sith Warrior Vengeance Juggernaut, level 75/gear 306) and Lana (influence level 50, set to heals) moving right along and skipping the bonus missions, it took about 45 minutes. 

2. Expect heavy mobs in a lot of places. It's quantity, not quality, but you can get overwhelmed. Make sure you use the combat support droid that is provided to accompany you! And remember you can re-summon the droid if it dies (look on your mission tab in your inventory for the device to re-summon)

3. The only repair droid is at the shuttle where you land, so make sure you have the perk to summon your own. 

4. If you are trying to get a companion kill count achievement, this is a good place to work on it. Without any effort you can defeat more than 100 droid NPCs in here. 

You will be let off the shuttle on a hillside. Head toward the compound. There are several places to do bonus missions. You can finish the "kill 50 droids" one without any effort on your part at all. When you get to the gate, click on the console for a short cut scene with C5-M3. 

Go inside and deal with the first boss, Detector. No real tricks here. Just keep hitting him. Now head down to the end of the dock to click this pile of blue missiles. There will be an explosion, and a bridge will appear behind the column. Cross the bridge to the factory and keep fighting until the next cut scene. 

Mentor Assassins Theta, Beta and Zeta: All three droids will attack you at once. You need to hit whoever is not shielded. Other than that, no tricks. BUG: when I've played this, the Assassins have not shown up at first, so I've had to fight invisible enemies. Use your AOEs until they appear. 

BUG: As you go into the next room, your companion will refuse to follow you. I handle this by going halfway into the room (veer right, don't pull the mobs)  and sending my companion to sell junk. When they return they will be in the room with you. From here you will be going through a very mob-heavy section with unfortunate victims of Mentor's cyborg experiments, and you will need your companion and the combat droid with you. 

Interrogator: This droid's deal is that they will periodically call a "clone" of one of your party members. Spoiler alert: you're solo, so that's you, so be prepared to deal with an NPC that shares your toon's abilities. No other tricks. 

Head through the factory, outside and then back into the factory. 

Bulwark: This fellow spews a lot of electrcity until you click on the panels on both sides of the room to destroy them. Repair astromechs will appear every so often to try to fix the panels - make sure you or your companion or support droid dispatches them quickly. 

More factory. 

Assembler: Remember how in the Imperial Agent story you get to be a droid? This is a supersized version. No real tricks, just make sure you destroy the turrets. 

Mentor: This fight is difficult. Just saying. It goes in several stages. 

You will start the fight by attacking Mentor - you know, the giant thing on the wall. Mentor will target you with their claw. The claw will follow you around the room, trying to fling you, zap you with green lasers and generally be annoying. Use this time to take out the elite turbolasers. 

An announcement in red will flash on your screen, letting you know that one of the four processor cores has overheated. The minute you see that announcement, haul ass over to that processor core. Ignore anything and everything else and click the core. If you don't get to it in time, the core will stop overheating. 

The fight just keeps cycling - claw/turbolasers, processor cores overheating, and this charming fellow. After you have finished destroying all four cores and this jumbo droid twice, your focus will then shift to hitting Mentor directly. As in, the wall. Just keep wailing on it. 

If you are doing the story chain, 'exit area' and go back to the instanced area on the Ziost Shadow or Gav Daragon for your concluding cut scene. If not, you can still click "leave area" and will be taken back to the fleet ship for your faction. Yay! You did it!

[ghostcultmagazine]

Shrykull - Shrykull

  From the fetid depths of Nottingham’s catacombs comes Shrykull, a duo whose severe, wicked noise would shake the foundation of their city. Debut album Shrykull (self-released) is a sub-half-hour blast through blackened hell and pummelling Sludge which commences with the unholy ‘Plagued’: a brutal maelström preceding a morose, often funereal-paced second movement which is wonderfully controlled by William Powell’s spiked riffs and Kez Whelan’s hammer blows. Whelan’s screams cut to the the bone, never better displayed than on the rampant ‘Deafened By The Echo’, Powell’s ireful guitar buzz covering the frantic yet controlled battery. The production here is fizzing, muddy and deliciously dank, which suits ‘Beneath The Murk’ perfectly. Here Powell’s foul larynx gets a workout, seeping over a lumbering troll of a bedrock, before the quickening sees Whelan’s harrowing shriek resume responsibility - arguably the highlight of the album, it is a rough-cut diamond which shines through the bleak night. ‘IBT’, meanwhile, is an intense rampage which shows Whelan’s drumming expertise: able to switch pace on a sixpence yet retain unfathomable power. Powell moves with him, veering from crushing riff to lightning buzzsaw in tandem with his bandmate. Shrykull by Shrykull   ‘Life Of Solitude’ begins as pure Black Metal, the resonant production enhancing the rapid needles shredding the skin, while the second-half breakdown adds poignancy. ‘Destroy The Hivemind’ sounds exactly how that title suggests it should: a furious swarm of hornets fighting against a Rock ‘n’ Roll beat as if Darkthrone was executing a Motörhead cover, with some Hammett-style riffage thrown in for good measure. The monstrous power and weight of closer ‘Fuck The Planet’, complete with its evil laugh, displays the essence of Shrykull: darkened hearts, fulminating consciences, an alarming noise and a determination to slow things down on occasion, to add invention and depth. Shrykull is a powerful statement which affirms the duo as much more than a side-project: given time they may just mount a very serious challenge. 7.0/10.0 PAUL QUINN Read the full article