#melee weapons upgrade set

[titanomancy]

Just in time to have blown a hundred bucks on out-of-scale 3d printed power axes, it's the long prophesied melee weapons upgrade set!

Lot of value in the box, though. Big fan of the extra heads and hands.

[rocketbirdie]

Laid to rest by ten thousand arrows — the fall of Lao-Shan Lung

HE'S FINALLY DEAD.

This oversized infant has been tormenting me ever since his fateful introduction as the Wall Of All Time in rank G2. It's difficult enough to just scare him off, but for months now, I've had my sights set on outright slaying him.

I tried everything. Aerial style great sword to the face for 30 minutes straight. Max dragon attack striker lance dash spam into his gut. Hell, I even tried the infamous weaponless strategy, frantically hauling cannonballs back and forth, calculating every single ballista shot, carefully counting flinches. But alas, Lao-Shan Lung was simply too powerful for one scrawny little hunter. I was faced with the horrible realization, that if I wanted to take him down alone... I was going to have to play a ranged weapon. (GASP!)

Anyway yeah those guides ain't joking lol dragon pierce bow is ridiculously overpowered against this guy. It took me 2 tries because I've literally never used a bow before, but once I got the hang of it, it was a super easy hunt. Here's the set that netted me a 20 minute Lao kill with both fortresses at 100%:

Magnastar Wil (Max upgraded Valstrax bow), Valor style

Neset Armor (Ahtal-Ka), full set

The luckiest fucking talisman of my entire life, Expert +9 and Crit Element +4, no slots

Armor skills: TrueShot, Pierce Up, Crit Element, Critical Eye 3, Tremor Res

Items: Power Coating Lv.2, Element Coatings Lv.1 and Lv.2, and an unholy amount of mega dash juice

A LOT of patience to obtain all of the materials for the armor and weapon. Phew!

Altheos Incanonis (the max Alatreon bow) is technically better, but there is no way in hell I was going to grind G RANK ALATREON solo, fuck that. I got stupid lucky with the Valstrax grind and got 2 mantles and an orb on a single hunt, so I just ran with it; Magnastar is more than capable of getting the job done, even in the hands of a clueless melee main.

THE DREAM IS REAL!!!! WOOOOOO

[huggingtentacles]

Alright you just beat Elden Ring. Congratulations! You're now one of the cool folks who can actually beat the game, and you're not ready to put it down yet.

Maybe PvP intimidates you and you just wanna explore the world again. You may try a new build sure, but now that you know more about the game, you might wanna try something different, like a challenge run.

"huggingtentacles I am trash at the game there is no way I could do any of the cool runs, I died to Radagon a bazillion times"

Most people are good enough to beat a challange run. You can define what a challange is for yourself! There is no need to jump into something insane like a rune level 1 run or a torch only run. You can set any restriction you want, and completing the game with an additional challange is immensely more satisfying (and gives you bragging rights)

There are many different challange runs all varying in difficulty. Here are the runs that I've done personally.

Easy:

Region Lock Run — the premise is simple, you can't leave the region you are in unless you best the major boss(es) of that region. You can't go to Liurnia untill you beat Margit, you can't go to Altus untill you beat Rennala, etc. This run is fun because you can't skip over progression (like killing the Caelid dragon early with bleed to be overlevelled for Limgrave) which makes every fight feel appropriately difficult.

Starting Class Run — Only use the gear you start the game with. You can level up and upgrade your weapons and flask, but you can't use any other consumables and talismans you didn't start the game with. This run is quite flexible in difficulty because whether you choose to, say, use ashes of war or different spells or even golden seeds is ultimately up to you. All of them count.

No spirit summons — for some this is just the normal Elden Ring run, but for most it's a challange. While it can be somewhat difficult, not having spirit summons still leaves you with enough options to steamroll through the game if you need to. The challenge comes from actually learning the bosses and their patterns and engaging with combat more.

No status effects — As simple as it sounds. Perhaps you used to crutch on bleed, frost, rot or poison, now you can't. There are plenty of other very powerful damage options in the game, so the run is definitely not very hard, it only limits your arsenal somewhat.

Spells only/melee only — depending on what your previous run was. If you're used to standing behind and throwing pebbles, picking up a weapon might be a fun new challenge. And if you are used to your Big Sword, it's gonna be kinda hard to adjust to managing your FP and putting together a build.

Medium:

Spirit Summons Only — moderately difficult because it requires rather extensive knowledge of the game's mechanics. The basic premise is that you can only deal damage using spirit summons. You can restrict it to bosses only or to the whole run in general. It's an absolutely hilarious run. The AI built into the game can beat the entire game for you. Including the hardest endgame bosses like Malenia. Also playing as a support, healing and buffing your summons is really fun :)

No Crimson Flask — LISTEN. I swear it's not that hard. Yes it sucks a bit in the early game, but there are so many tools and options available to completely replace your flask with regen and heal spells. Just level up your vigor. This run is incredibly fun and it's good if you are aiming for harder runs in the future but aren't sure if you have it in you. I know you do ;)

Taunter's Tongue Run — Definitely my FAVOURITE of all of them. Its incredibly simple: you get Taunter's Tongue as soon as you get access to Roundtable Hold and you turn it on forever. Fight invaders alone or with a friend in 2v2s. If you don't have any PvP experience, this is one of the ways to learn. By the end of it, you won't be half bad at PvP, trust me (unless you just run away all the time which is also an option)

Hard:

Rune Level 1 is such a difficult run to do, but the cultural legacy of Fromsoft "no leveling up" runs makes the completion of it so desirable. Completing this run basically makes you part of the small section of people who actually know how to fight every single boss without relying on cheap tactics and cheese. You learn how to counter every move most enemies make because of how unforgiving it is.

But what's more fun is the sheer variety. Stat boosting gear is so common in this game you can literally use almost anything you want as a weapon.

Permadeath — If you die, you restart. Use any tools at your disposal to survive, play it safe, level up your vigor. But most importantly, brace for setbacks. Restarting because of a dumb mistake sucks, but that's why it's such an impressive run to complete. If you can take a loss on Elden Beast and make it to the inside of the Erdtree again, you will achieve one of the hardest challanges ER has to offer.

An easier variation of Permadeath would be "no rune loss" run. There are tools the game gives you to avoid losing runes, but it's still a very difficult run.

Torch Only Run — You pick up a standard torch from Church of Elleh and you use it to Kill God.

An easier variation would be Torches Only run which allows you to use the entire arsenal of torches. Still a very difficult run that requires a lot of skill to beat.

Impossible:

No Thinking About Kissing Malenia run — still working on this one. Can't figure it out. If you have advice please DM me

Feel free to add more challange run ideas!

[novankenn]

i got to say i love yur version of "Jaune Gets a Gun Au" Inspired by @howlingday's RU-JA-GUN-CON, and was wondering if ya can do one that involves a dagger and shield,sword,mask, and a dragon belt that can do this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX7aDQ7mJ1k

@dragon1v2 ... I am VERY sorry for taking like forever to address your ask. I truly am. It is well past the time when I should have done so. I hope you enjoy this offering.

"Jaune Gets An Upgrade AU" Day One - (White Knight Chronicles)

While the rest of JNPR and all of RWBY browsed the wares of the "Firearms & Projectiles" section of the Vytal Festival's Armament Con, Jaune accompanied by Ren was walking through the "Blunt & Blade" section. It was a much smaller set of displays and merchant booths focused entirely on Huntsman/Huntress melee weapons and tools.

Ren: I'm still not understanding why you're here, Jaune.

Jaune: I need to upgrade. It's that simple.

Ren: But why? Crocea Mors is a perfectly viable weapon. Why look to replace it?

Jaune: It's an heirloom, and as much as I love having that tactile connection with my ancestors, I need to send it home. It should be resting with honor.

Ren: Okay, if you're set on doing this.

Jaune: You don't need to be here if you'd rather be with the others.

Ren: No... no. I'm not getting with in forty feet with Ruby and Nora while looking at guns. Pyrrha and Yang will keep them in check, and besides I find this rather relaxing.

Jaune: If you say so.

Ren: Besides someone has to be around you to make sure you don't get scammed.

Jaune: It was ONE time! Can we just forget about it?

Ren: No. No we can't. Atlas Generals do NOT have sneak away from Atlas. They just retire.

Jaune: ...

Ren: So any idea what you would like to consider?

Jaune: I feel I should stick with a sword.

Ren: Makes sense.

Jaune: That looks like an interesting booth.

(Imaged sourced from google - Elden Ring Merchant)

Ren: Uh... I'm... I'm... not sure...

Jaune: What's not to be sure of? He's offering melee weapons and has a good assortment...

Ren: Um... he's inside sitting in front of lean-to and has an actual campfire burning...

Jaune: Just makes him authentic.

Before Ren could offer up any further concerns Jaune approached the "stall"

Jaune: Hi.

Merchant: Greetings. How may I be of assistance?

Jaune: I'm looking for something to replace my current weapon with. Preferably a sword, and maybe a shield?

Merchant: I see. I see. I believe I have an item that would be perfect for you... young master.

Ren raised an eyebrow at that comment, and then he took a step back as with a lazy wave of the merchant's hand a shimmering image appeared...

(Imaged source from Google. White Knight Chronicles)

Jaune: Woah. Cool! It's interesting but the sword seems...

Merchant: Don't let the size of the blade fool you. This is a relic of power... that opens potential in you. Would you like to... try it?

With another wave of his hand, the image faded away leaving just the gauntlet and blade floating in the air before Jaune.

Ren: Jaune I...

Jaune plucked the item from the air and slid it on to his left arm. A phrase instantly jumped to Jaune's mind... one that he was compelled to speak...

Jaune: O Wizel, white warrior, wielder of the ancient sword, grant me your power. Verto!

In a glow of pure white light that blinded Ren, Jaune vanished, and a moment later was standing before him... completely changed.

(Image sourced from Google. White Knight from White Knight Chronicles.)

Jaune: Woah! Cool! I think I'll...

Ren: You'll think about it!

Jaune: Ren?

Ren: Jaune... you're um... you're kind of... overly tall?

Jaune looked down, understanding in some unfathomable way that he stood like 23 feet tall.

Jaune: Now that you mention it you do seem a lot smaller than normal.

Ren: So let's shelve this one... check out a few more booths...

Jaune: But this one is so awesome! I mean I'm totally intimidating like this! I bet I could solo a Goliath like this!

Ren: ...

Jaune takes a step forward and trips over his own feet, unused to his now massive size. Before he could arrest his fall, be hit the floor, leaving a crater and squashing several near by booths... luckily no one was injured... aside from Jaune's pride.

Ren: Jaune?

Jaune: I'm okay! I'm okay!

Merchant: So young... master. DO you wish to purchase this exquisite relic?

Jaune looks at Ren who was standing to the side, arms crossed.

Jaune: Can I come back?

Merchant: Certainly young... master. I will await your return.

Deactivating the item Jaune returned it to the Merchant, before having Ren haul him away.

[rollforthings]

I’ve come across confusion with how Fabula Ultima’s character creation works, especially in people coming to it from DnD5e, so here’s a post to break it down and show how awesomely customizable FabUlt PCs are straight from the hop.

In 5e, pretty much everything about your class is decided immediately. Take it at level 1, it drip-feeds you the same features in the same order. At 1st - 3rd level, you pick a subclass from a short list, and this sprinkles in a few more set-in-stone upgrades. A Level 10 Champion Fighter will have all the same class features as every other Level 10 Champion Fighter. If you multiclass, you get to add in some other features, but always the same features in the same order for every class you do this with.

In Fabula Ultima, each Class is a bundle of features called Class Skills, and in most cases these Skills can be taken in any order and as much or as little as you like. Each level your character has represents such an investment in a chosen Skill in a Class that you have. (There’s an example of all this later that makes it clearer.) Some Class Skills are one-and-done -- spend a level on it and it’s yours. Others Skills have multiple tiers to them, allowing you invest multiple character levels into them to make them more powerful. (Each class also has couple of Free Benefits, little boosts you get for having at least one level in a class.) You can also skip a class skill altogether, if it isn’t something you want for your character build.

Looking at each class, they seem a little barebones. Only five Class Skills, not a lot, and each class is kind of niche. The Rogue doesn’t get martial ranged weapons, and the Entropist's only damage spells deal Dark damage. But you see, in Fabula Ultima, multiclassing is mandatory. At character creation, you get 5 levels and you must invest them in two to three different classes, in any of the skills available from those classes. This does two very important things. One, it ensures a character is good in at least two ways straight out of character creation. Two, when combined with the previous point -- that class features can be taken in any order and arrangement -- it creates this unprecedented level of variety, including with starting-level characters.

Like okay, as an example of all this, I’m going to make two builds for starting characters. They’ll have the same number of levels in the same two classes (Guardian 2 / Weaponmaster 3), and not only will they not step on each other’s toes, they’ll play completely differently.

Our first character is going to be a teamwork-oriented tank, focusing defensive support and enemy debuff. The combined Free Benefits of Guardian and Weaponmaster grant +10 max HP, plus martial armor, shields and melee weapons. From Guardian, we’ll take Protect so we can jump in the way of attacks and spells aimed at our allies. We’ll also take Dual Shieldbearer, to give us some insane Defense scores and let us dual-wield those shields as brawling weapons. Now for Weaponmaster. First we’ll grab Counterattack. This grants us a 50% chance to hit back at enemies when they attack us with melee, including the attacks we block with Protect. And we’ll invest our last two levels in Bonecrusher, so we can choose to swap out damage with status effects and MP drain (lots of it because we invested 2 levels) when we hit. Guardian 2 / Weaponmaster 3 who’s tanky as hell, can intercept and punish enemy attacks, and debuffs enemies with shield bashes.

Okay, same Guardian 2 / Weaponmaster 3 spread, same Free Benefits. However, instead of a tank this character is a simple but reliable damage-dealer. From Guardian, we’ll take one level in Defensive Mastery and one level in Fortress. These skills give us a bit of damage reduction and a bit of extra max HP, respectively, and we’ll probably level these up over taking new Guardian skills in the future. As cool as it is, Dual Shieldbearer won’t work for this build since we’ll use a two-handed weapon like a Katana or a Waraxe for bigger damage. From Weaponmaster, we’ll invest in Bladestorm and two levels in Melee Weapon Mastery. Bladestorm lets us spend MP to hit multiple targets when we attack, and the two levels of MWM give us a +2 on our melee attack checks. Guardian 2 / Weaponmaster 3 who’s got a little padding as protection while they focus on accuracy, damage, and hitting multiple targets at once.

So there you go. Same classes, same number of levels in each, completely different playstyles. And these are just starting characters. PCs gain a level every session or two, and they can invest in up to three classes at once (and 5-6 classes over a level 5-50 career). On leveling up, the tank could double down on Guardian to get even tankier, or level into Orator or Spiritist for more support options. The damage dealer could lean into Fury for increased crit chance and bonus damage, or into a magic-hybrid spellblade build via Elementalist. Or either of them could take on Wayfarer for an animal companion and increased travel/exploration aptitude. The possibilites are truly amazing, and you can get super creative with them as you find synergies and build up team combos. And I didn’t even get into Quirks, custom weapons or Heroic Skills.

So yeah, if you haven’t yet, check out Fabula Ultima. Character building is insanely fun and it’s honestly spoiled the 5e equivalent for me.

[cerastes]

hey, i'm planning to get armored core 6 despite never playing any of those games before and since you seem pretty knowledgeable about them i was wondering if you have any tips for someone totally new to the series?

Sorry for the super late answer!

The first thing I can tell you about Armored Core is that you have to get comfy because half of the game is high speed intense high octane combat, and the other half is accounting. Brother, I know how much you want to go back to the part where rifles go bang and swords go swoosh and you have enough Gs on your body that you could passably cosplay a plate of mashed of potatoes, but you gotta do the Excel spreadsheet part, too.

It's really not as bad as it seems, and once it clicks, you know exactly what to look for. But if you want to get all the juice out of the tenga, you have to sit down and take a deep gander at how the systems click. Once you do, trust me on this one, an endless horizon of options will stretch before you because that's when you'll know exactly how to tailor your big death machine to your exact specifications and playstyle. It's deep, but also deeply rewarding!

Next up, something universally useful in Armored Core: Turning Speed. If you can mod, upgrade, or otherwise improve your "Turning Speed" (or equivalent) stat, crank that up as often as you can. It's always a powerful tool, it's always very useful, it's never superfluous. This ties in to the next point:

Your strongest weapon is your camera. When fighting other ACs, player controlled or otherwise, your strongest tool, throughout the games, has been to keep your opponent in your camera, and to stay out of your opponent's camera. Movement is huge in Armored Core, you need to move so as to 1) keep your enemy in your sights, 2) stay out of your enemy's sights, and 3) line up shots. We call this "lining up a vector" or "keeping the enemy in a vector". What this means is that you want to set up your enemy in such a way that they are moving in a direct vector relative to you -- directly towards you or away from you -- so that your shot with stronger, single shot weaponry will land and deal significant damage. You set up this vector while also trying to not be 'caught' in one yourself, and as you may think, this is hard, because if they are in your vector, you are in most situations also in theirs. So, the solution? Be outside of their camera while they are in yours. Can't shoot what they aren't aiming at, right? This is a lot to take in, I know, but you don't have to commit all of this to execution off rip, just keep it in mind, develop your playstyle and learn naturally with this in the back of your head until it clicks and you start being able to see, through your own playstyle, how it is you'll do that.

One final thing I want to recommend is that you don't fall for the allure of The Big Damage Number without considering other factors. Especially when learning, you want to make a balanced build: Have your single shot strong weapons, like a grenade launcher or sniper rifle, paired with a weaker but easier to land weapon, like assault rifles or machine guns, and compliment this further with some sort of auxiliary tool or weapon, like flares that give you leeway, or missiles that can put further pressure on your enemy. In general, when starting out their Armored Core journey, I recommend to people the following loadout: Grenade launcher, assault rifle, laser sword, missile launcher. This is a well rounded toolkit that'll keep you effective at most ranges, and more importantly, will reveal to you, your own preferences. Once you become a super Newtype ace pilot fuckhouse, you'll doubtlessly make your own deathkaiser machine with quadruple railguns or missileboats or pure melee builds, but to get to that point where you know exactly what you want to do, a balanced build helps in letting you learn where your heart leans, what kind of movement-to-bulk ratio works best for you, which weapons are your favorite, etc.

[mmani-e]

Yuta Asahina and Sparkling Justice doodles.

Yuta's final design is the one with the jacket tied around his neck. Had a lot of fun with him. Really fun drawing these "splash sketches" I s'pose I'd call em hehe. Really fun all throughout.

Inspiration of both the little splashes are actually Genocide Jack and Komaru. With Yuuta based on GJ's, Makoto's on her sister with both them having guns and all.

Edit - some more ideas I had for the two overnight:

Yuta would be cycling between several melee weapons throughout the story like a walking arsenal, each weapon having its uses mirroring the UDG weapon effects. The baseball bat being the BREAK weapon for example, the Ping-pong paddle with assorted balls being MOVE, a sopping wet pool noodle being BURN, and a stop sign for KNOCKBACK. All these items are stored in a special utility belt that shrinks everything down for Yuta till he needs it.

With enough buildup, Yuta can summon Makoto/Sparkling justice. Sparkling justice is ranged and his bullets and gun are customizable. He starts with a six-shooter but can upgrade into different guns which have different clip/mag sizes, calibers, and more. Whenever his clip runs out he changes back.

Just some more designs to finalize and then it's the big set. :)

[theguardiananatak]

Revanant Livestream Recap

——Revenant——

Seasonal weapons NOT craftable, but are focus farmable similar to BRAVE weapons

Onslaught Salvation: revamp with different enemy types, 3 new maps (widows court is one; mothyards getting update for combat flow), new upgrades (player turret from D1 combined arms, air strike)

Episode exotic weapon: Stasis primary ammo GL

New Scorn enemy, Revenant Baron, respawn mechanic similar to lucent hive guardian

Masterworked double perk versions of seasonal weapons drop from higher rounds (30/40/50) of onslaught

Seasonal weapons

2x fire GL - “Envious Arsenals” perk - damaging with other weapons reloads the weapon, for damage rotations

Handcannon - “Rime Stealer” perk - shattering gives you frost armor

Arc Smg - new perk with jolt interaction

Artifact - stasis focus

GL perks, overload, weaken

Col 1 champs, 2/3/4 equivalent, 5 are pinnacle mods

Returning revamped strike - Inverted Spire

More enemies, mechanics, death lasers, etc

Act II - Hinted at return of a fan fav activity (probably not SRL for Christmas but a Guardian can dream)

New earnable skimmer, Nine themed Xûrfboard, 97 strange coins

Vespers Host - new dungeon

Hooded jacket & bracelet

Top 3 get embroidered jacket with gtag

Icebreaker - dungeon exotic - assists and final blows from other weapons generate Icebreaker ammo, possible interaction with breaking stasis crystals?

Festival of the Lost:

Hunter evil wizard

Warlock evil wizard

Titan good wizard

——Frontiers——

Medium sized expansions, 2 “tentpole” moments to move story forward

Comparable to Rise of Iron size (D1)

Compelling stories with unique experience & post-campaign

APOLLO

metroidvania inspired destination

Nonlinear campaign - choose region and path to explore

25-30 story threads

Narrative: plot pacing is faster, more focused stories

Shaking up storytelling loop with Revenant, then very different in Apollo

Keep the player out in the world & exploring

Frontier Concept Art

location & people we haven’t met yet

Cavernous world to explore, find powerful abilities to uncover secrets at own pace

Creative theme:

1960s music thematic inspiration, early prog, king crimson, slaughterhouse five

“Scavengers reign” tv show inspiration for scifi worldbuilding aspect

“Imagine going to mansion, going to parlor, told there’s a secret door, check the book/statue, suddenly a dead end turns into a new entryway. That’s what we want to build”

New gear chase:

making the players WANT to swap to new tiered armor/weapons

Next Generation Armor: value and easy to understand, play into build crafting identities, fewer stats per armor piece, fewer dump stats (like a low resil roll)

beyond 100stat roll armor, 100-200 str range has chance to grant activate second double melee charges, set bonuses (2-4 pieces for bonuses, can mix and match)

Ex: Tex mechanic set buffs hipfire (cammycakes lol go nuts)

Next Generation Weapons

How to create aspirational weapon chase

Reprised weapons in addition to new weapons

Reprised: getting a new updated version of your fav weapons (chroma rush mentioned), like BRAVE arsenal rollout

Customizable difficulty/modifiers

Create a NEED to chase and craft perfect gear sets to take on max difficulty activities

[satoshi-mochida]

Mecha side-scrolling shoot ’em up VISEGUNNE announced for PC - Gematsu

Stardust Vanguards developer Zanrai Interactive has announced VISEGUNNE, a side-scrolling shoot ’em up game where players pilot a soul-powered combat mecha to fight against a conspiracy that threatens the peace of space. It will be available for PC via Steam. A release date was not announced.

Here is an overview of the game, via Zanrai Interactive:

About

VISEGUNNE is a non-bullet-hell shoot ’em up where explosive action unfolds around you: cities are leveled, space colonies collapse, and orbital structures crumble catastrophically. Between missions, interact with your squad to uncover secrets about a post-apocalyptic Earth, visit shops to upgrade your arsenal, or customize your machine’s look in the garage. Each mission offers intuitive controls and scalable difficulty settings, welcoming both newcomers and seasoned veterans alike. Set in an era where the human soul is harnessed as a power source, join the DIVINITY SPACE DEFENSE CORPORATION’s elite mercenaries to confront pro-Earth terrorists threatening the fragile peace of space. With a charismatic cast of characters, a killer soundtrack, and screen-melting effects, VISEGUNNE is a thrilling modern homage to retro action games.

Story

When scientists discover evidence of the human soul, long dormant divides among the nations of Earth erupt into global war. Colonists residing off-world avoid the bloodshed, but live in fear that the planet’s conflicts might soon spill into space. With no formal military of their own, each colony resorts to employing mercenaries and privateers for their protection. The most influential of these firms is the DIVINITY SPACE DEFENSE CORPORATION, utilizing top-secret war machines capable of harnessing a user’s spirit as an endless source of energy. These SOUL-CAPABLE combat vehicles are unmatched in battle and after a century of this order, DIVINITY has grown to dominate colonial affairs, effectively quarantining Earth’s wars and its toxic politics to the planet’s surface. Earth sympathizers are routinely hunted down. But now, a new wave of pro-Earth fanatics threaten the peace of space, demanding an end to DIVINITY’s policy of segregation. Spurred on by the illegal broadcasts of an enigmatic android holy-man known as Kourosh, these dissidents have seized control of a colony and are demanding an end to DIVINITY’s blockade of the planet. As SOUL-CAPABLE pilot End Visegunne, your squad’s mission is to eliminate these terrorists, dismantle their network of co-conspirators, and return peace to the colonies.

Key Features

Traditional Non-Bullet-Hell Action – Gameplay inspired by classic horizontal shoot ’em ups.

Gorgeous Retro Visual Style – Lovingly crafted pixel art and massive set-piece explosions, with a visual style influenced by late ’80s giant robot anime.

Narrative-Driven Adventure – A unique cast of characters and story-oriented mission design tell a tale about war, power, and disinformation.

Diverse Arsenal – Over 20 different weapons to discover and upgrade, each offering game-changing strategies and attack styles. Equip Gatling cannons, grenade launchers, flamethrowers, carpet bombing units, rail-guns, shotguns, missile launchers, melee weapons, and more.

Flexible Scoring System – The DUAL MULTIPLIER chaining system incentivizes balanced weapon use and improvisation. Make a few kills then match your multipliers for a bonus.

Varied Environments – Missions range from collapsing urban orbital colonies to lush sunset forests and hostile desert wastelands.

Meticulous Detail – The game’s world has been painstakingly designed to feel alive—thrusters flare, powerless foot soldiers scurry around, aircraft dramatically swoop in from the environment, and gravity and oxygen levels can noticeably affect certain weapons.

Pumping Soundtrack – Over two hours of original music with an unapologetic old-school flair inspired by CD-ROM era action game soundtracks of the late ’80s and early ’90s.

Watch the announcement trailer below. View the first screenshots at the gallery.

Announce Trailer

[sugar-soda]

Fallout 4 child! Sole Survivor OC: "Sunny" Evageline Roberts

A Kid Shouldn't be Here Masterlist

A/N: This is NOT romantic at all! This is all platonic relationships that explore how the Fallout 4 companions and game would change if the Sole Survivor was a young child. Any romantic suggestions or reblogs will be blocked.

____________________________________________________________

Name: “Sunny” Evangeline Roberts

Age: physically and mentally 12

Hair: Black, long, typically in twin braids tied in an old purple ribbon.

Eyes: Brown, rather big

Face: Round

Body Type: Lanky and stick-like, very beanpole energy

Clothing: Vault 111 suit, standard pip-boy, leather armor tighten as far as it will go (eventually will upgrade to combat armor), stealth boy, duffle bag, duster for cold weather, gains a Minuteman hat and one of Nick’s spare coats when she’s older

Likes: Sugar, mutifruit, teddy bears, long-distance weapons, Codsworth, Dogmeat, the other companions, comics, the Silver Shroud

Dislikes: Tatos, Cram, Super Mutants, being alone for any amount of time, being left behind on missions, melee weapons, the Institute, eventually the Brotherhood.

Fun facts:

The sniper rifle has probably permanently messed up her shoulder. When she’s standing, it sits lower than her other one.

Due to the lack of radiation exposure and proper nutrition when she was younger, tall genes from both parents, and food not being a big worry after Sanctuary and other settlements are set up, Sunny is going to be ridiculously tall by Commonwealth standards by the time she finishes growing. She already is the tallest 12 year old for sure. By the time she’s 18 and stops, the only companions taller than her are Nick and Danse.

Her parents' rings are kept in a safe at Sanctuary, she doesn’t want to lose them.

Has some serious attachment issues with Codsworth and, later, the rest of her companions. One has got to be around at all times. And being left completely alone is sure to bring tears. She gets a little better as time goes on, but never really grows out of it.

She was not planned. Nora was still in law school and Nate was about to leave for deployment when they found out they were expecting. Luckily, their families helped and they bought Codsworth not long before the birth.

 “Sunny” isn’t her actual name, it’s a nickname. She doesn’t like her real name all that much, thinking it sounds like a dog name. She was upset that Shaun got a “real” name, but her parents wanted their names to match. The only person who still called her that was her paternal grandmother, who she was named after.

Being raised by a former soldier, a lawyer, and Codsworth means she’s very polite on how she addresses people. Everyone is Mr, Miss, Mrs, Mx, or some other title with their last name. If she likes you but still sees you as an authority figure, she’ll use their first name with a title, like Mr. Preston or Detective Nick. If she likes you but doesn’t see you as having any authority, she’ll eventually start calling you by your first name, like Deacon. If she doesn’t like you, you will only be called by your last name, or title, if lacking a last name, like Maxson. (This is how I still speak as an adult.)

She technically isn’t cleared for any missions for the factions she’s an honorary member of, but she goes on them anyway, too scared to not be there if her friends get hurt. Deacon, Cait, and Hancock encourage this behavior, Preston does not and has aged about 5 years from the stress she gives him.

She can’t carry nearly as much as the default player in the game, so the 2 companions are compensation for that. 

She loved the Silver Shroud radio show pre-war, and was very excited to see there is still a radio station for it.

Her dad got a leg injury from a faulty Power Armor suit when she was 9, so he became a stay at home dad. That’s when her parents decided it was a good idea to have another kid. So that’s why there is such a big age gap between her and Shaun.

[theworldvsyoshiko]

Since I just linked it from my main blog anyway, I guess this would be a good time to do a State Of The Union for the colony. I usually do some kind of summary a week or so into each colony, but never got around to it for this one.

The fine seaside orphanage of Robot's Ocean is fucking huge now.

We've got multiple nested layers of defensive walls, a world-class temple and rec room, three geothermal generators, a tidal generator, a solar generator, a full natural gas helixien system for heating and cooling, a greenhouse, a genetics lab with an extensive gene bank, space for 5-6 prisoners to live in comfort, and enough freezers to keep about a year of food on hand at all times. And an in-colony hot spring, most importantly.

The colony's currently worth is about $400k, which is $50k more than any of the previous ones have hit, so it probably isn't a coincidence that I've needed to burn two antigrain warheads on recent attacks. That growth has stagnated a bit, which is fortunate, because as combat goes we're about at our limits. On the upside, we now have something like seven combat owlbears, a Scyther, a Tunneler, a Tesseron, a Centipede Blaster on the way, and of course Yoshiko's pet thrumbo Chiyo.

On the other hand, after investing about $15k into building and upgrading Spencer only for it to die trying to get to its bedroom, we're pretty strapped for cash. And we need some, because the map is just about mined out, and all of these robots and endgame weapons require a lot of materials. Unfortunately the map being mined out also limits our options for producing trade goods. The current plan is to mass-produce... corsets. If you haven't played the game just trust me when I say that this is a sensible plan, but we'll need to do a lot of hunting to make it work.

Following the terrible Tactical Nukes In The Hospital incident, I've rearranged things a bit. The short version is that we've only got one outdoor orbital targeting beacon now, and it should steer most drop pod raids to a less terrible location. Will this help much if another group shows up with a dozen rocket launchers? Hell no. Eventually I'd like to set up one or two extra beacons as decoys.

The population is currently 8, which is just about the lowest it's been in years. These kinds of things happen when four colonists get blown up in one evening.

Yoshiko "Happy" Russell

is, of course, a forever-22 psychic cyborg vampire foxgirl who controls robots with her brain. (Her actual effective age is now 34, but the game doesn't care about that.) She's currently undertaking her Dark Slumber in her Chambyr of Bloode for the next day or two, as one must when they are a vampire.

She's good at fucking everything now. (And good at fucking too; she's got an implant for that.) Her lowest skill is Plants at a 9, or 'solid professional.' She's rated as Expert or better in Shooting, Melee, Construction, Animals, Crafting, Art, Medical, Social, and Intellectual. She has 827 kills, 34 mechanical implants, maxed psychic potential with 10 psychic abilities, and wields a sapient EMP sledgehammer named Nalorgargur. Thanks to being a vampire, the only way to permanently kill her is to destroy her brain. With so many implants, I think the only other ways to even incapacitate her in combat are with an EMP or by destroying her liver. In theory you could make her bleed out too, but she's effectively immune to that. (You should go for the brain thing anyway, because she has pretty good body armor under that parka, but still insists on wearing a beret instead of, like... a helmet.)

Truly she is... the ultimate lifeform.

Toby Lang

Man, this makes for some real mood whiplash. I mean, look at him. There isn't much to say about Lang.

He was found in the wreckage of a space battle a few years ago. He spends all of his time cooking, doing doctor stuff, or handling the colony's pet rabbits. He's no good in a fight. Yoshiko adopted him and he adores her as much as is physically possible; her opinion of him is 7/100.

Actually though, Lang does have one solid accomplishment under his belt. During the last Diabolus fight, all of the blood bags prisoners staged an escape. Everybody who was good in combat was off doing that, and Lang was the only person nearby. So, he grabbed a shotgun and did surprisingly well at controlling the situation. By which I mean blowing their brains out. Can't get any blood out of them like that, but it's better than having them set the base on fire on their way out.

Saburo Richards

Listen, I can't stress this enough. He was like this when I found him. Unlike everyone else, he's an Animusen, a natural foxboy by birth. What benefits does this give? Well, uh. Not any, really. He's fast in the cold and slow in the heat, which was nice before the climate's average temperature got bumped up by 18F.

Richards is still 12 and I'm really hoping he gets some fantastic growth at 13, because he isn't good at anything. For whatever reason, he apparently gets really abusive when he's in a bad mood, because every mental break he's had has been an insulting spree. So most of the colony has opinions of him like

In fact, Olga and Yoshiko are the only two who would even be sad if he died, I think. Yoshiko, of course, adores him.

Raymond "Raywolfen" Wolfen

... has to be the most colorful kid here, as a slug person who was raised by wolves and then crashed outside during a space battle. Don't let the sprite fool you; the game just doesn't know how to render how fucked up she looks. According to her genes, she's got the body of a slug, but covered in scales, with the face of a fox, slug-style eye stalks, and constantly secretes a foul-smelling substance that decomposes corpses. You'd think that being a hideous slug/fox amalgam who smells like rotting bodies would be horrible for her social life, and you'd mostly be right, but Yoshiko adores her. She didn't even adopt her or anything. This happened naturally.

Raywolfen's only really good at combat, but that's okay, because we desperately need that right now.

Ben "Bush" Nitsiza

... is another adopted son who recently turned 13. He's great at melee combat, and got two mechanoid kills while horribly sick with the flu last night. He's... decent at crafting, art, and research. We're working on it. He's not decent at social stuff, but he's the preacher anyway. For now, at least.

Bush actually gets along with everybody else pretty well, which is surprising for somebody with the traits of 'snob' and 'too smart.'

Cindy

... is a sapient mech (it/its) that has only been around for half a year, as part of Yoshiko's ongoing quest to find true love. (This isn't working out very well.) As a hunter-killer mech, Cindy's only really good at combat, and is incapable of... most other things. It's decent with animals and research though, and is slowly learning how to do medicine too.

Cindy is currently flirting with Yoshiko about once every few days, which would be cute if it would just wait until Yoshiko considered it more than a passing acquaintance. It'll work out some day though. I'm sure of it.

Dae-up "Nerd" Kim

Is it fair for me to blame Nerd for the fact that he was chased here by pirates with rocket launchers? Probably not. But it still happened, and it got four people killed. And Nerd's a completely amoral kid who tortured small animals when he was little, so I'm not gonna pretend that I like him. I genetically modified him to be good at mining, so he could mine out the collapsed rocks that trapped Sora as he burned to death. Take some responsibility, you little prick.

Most of the colony likes Nerd, but he's really rooted in his intensely xenophobic ideology, so he hates almost everybody in return. The one person he actually likes is Yoshiko, and that's only because she's ridiculously pretty.

Nerd's actually pretty competent, unfortunately. He's great at mining, crafting, and medical. He's pretty decent at construction, and he'll pick up art fast if we find the time and resources for him to do much of it.

Olga Keuneke

... is 11 and a pretty recent arrival, so there isn't much to say about her. Unlike certain assholes, the trouble that she brought with her was a machine that warmed up our Siberian-ass climate, so I already like her. She's got a huge passion for animals, but she isn't learning much about it because she's not skilled enough to work with our animals. You can't start out by training predatory owl monsters that weigh half a ton.

[agbpaints]

I like a lot of battlemechs. Some of them look really cool, some of them play like absolute fiends, some of them are absolute piece of shit graft boxes. The Hammer isn't really ant of those, I like it because of its name.

Designed by Gibson Federated Battlemechs in Free Worlds League space and first rolling off production lines in 3053, the HMR-3M Hammer was intended to serve as a direct competitor to the Federated Commonwealth's popular Valkyrie battlemech in the light fire support role. It packs the same throw-weight in missiles, though it splits it into a pair of LRM-5s equipped with Artemis IV Fire Control and fed by a 2 ton ammo bin instead of a single LRM-10, drops the jump jets (though maintains a ground movement profile of 5/8), and carries slightly less armor than contemporary Valkyrie designs like the VLK-QD. It uses this saved weight for a fairly beefy set of sidearms- three medium lasers arranged in a vertical stack up the center torso and into the head. Interestingly, the arms of the design are free of any weapons, implying it has some want to be in melee which the missile racks really do not want it doing. As far as base models go, it's not super inspirint- as a Valkyrie competitor it lacks the mobility to quickly move to firing positions and as a fire support platform it basically serves as a budget Trebuchet, a mech that already sits firmly in Discount Dan's bin of mostly competent missile boats. It's biggest boon is likely its double ammo bins and low BV cost, which easily allows you to add weird LRM ammo like smoke and thunder rounds to a force without sacrificing an archer or something, and even then you waste the Artemis, tonnage which I think is kinda wasted on LRM-5s anyway.

Now, onto the thing that drew me to the Hammer, the variants. You see, each variant of the Hammer has a fun little nickname instead of just a variant code. That's character most mechs don't get outside customs and I think it's kinda cute. Anyway, the HMR-3S 'Slammer' is our first variant and by far the worst. This one pulls two of the medium lasers on favor of *another* 2 tons of LRM ammunition. This allows the Slammer to keep up its fearsome 10 damage barrage for 48 turns, long enough that someone else might have the sense to wander over and kill it dead.

Next, we've got probably the funniest variant, the HMR-3C Claw-Hammer. This is the compulsory 'oops all medium lasers' version of the design, pulling an LRM rack and its attendant ton of ammunition in favor of four more medium lasers. The heat sinks have been upgraded to double strength freezers to cope with the strain of being roughly 40% of a Nova, and to its credit it can more or less handle the heat of its guns.

Finally, we have the HMR-3P Pein-Hammer. Unlike the previous variants which had some long range firepower (even if it was only token like the Claw-Hammer), the Pein-Hammer is 100% a forward unit. It carries a pair each of ER medium lasers, small pulse lasers, and Streak SRM-4 launchers, along with a TAG laser designator for guided munitions and enough double heat sinks to more or less carry the load of its guns. This Hammer has a sort of annoying, weird anti-synergy with the rest of its ilk- despite being obviously a forward observing unit that LRM boats could benefit from, the TAG system it carries is wasted when combined with the Arty-IV every other model has. It does, however, pair fairly well with contemporary ANV-8M Anvil, spotting for the heavier mech's Arrow IV artillery piece.

I decided to get in on the action and make a pair of my own variants. The HMR-3ASC 'Sledge-Hammer' is an extremely low cost iteration on the 3M- rip off the expensive guidance systems of the LRM racks, along with a laser and a heat sink, and just add more missile tubes. 4 LRM-5s means that with Kerensky's blessing, you can deliver a knockdown at long range, while the lack of inbuilt guidance means special munitions are less feelbad.

The HMR-3AT Trench-Hammer is intended specifically for hunting battle armor. 4 jump jets keep it ahead of most of its prey. While the double SRM-6 rack can be loaded with Inferno munitions to make Toads die a firy death, or just regular missiles to soften them up before they get whacked by your force's bigger guns.

[dailycharacteroption]

Infinite Tech Witchwarper (Witchwarper Alternate Class Feature)

(art by Methiston on DeviantArt)

I do love a gadgeteer hero, someone who always has the right equipment for the job on hand, even when it doesn’t always make sense.

An interesting subtype of the gadgeteer hero, however, is the “arsenal” hero. Typically a “battle mage” of some kind, their whole gimmick is that they have a weapon and/or armor set for every situation, often conjuring them to their hands to replace whatever armament they previously held or wore.

And with the witchwarper, a spellcaster that literally calls upon objects and energies from alternate realities, it only makes sense that there would be some among them that utilize their talents in such a way!

I doubt that this specialization would manifest by accident, so I imagine that those that wield this power trained themselves to focus on weapons and armaments when they tap into the possibilities of other worlds and realities. Perhaps they are soldiers or mercenaries, or they desperately wished for a weapon to defend themselves when they were in danger, and their power awakened and answered.

Either way, their gifts have given them a way to answer any question that their foes and the hazards around them may ask.

With an expenditure of magical energy, these mages can conjure a suit of light armor (with upgrades if resolve is also spent), a basic melee weapon, or a sidearm. Though these armaments may resemble familiar models, they are extradimensional in nature and as such the skill of the mage and the amount of energy they expended determines their damage output and defensive capabilities, allowing them to tailor the armor with the upgrades they need, or the weapons with the damage type and special properties they need.

The greater the magical energy they expend, the more potent their creations become. Armor gains elemental resistances, additional upgrade slots, greater durability. Meanwhile, weapons gain critical hit effects, additional properties, and increases to their damage output.

With this specialization, this version of the witchwarper is less a battlefield control specialist and more a secondary combatant able to tailor their gear to the situation at hand, especially if you’re using the enhanced version of the class that gets a lot of extra uses of infinite worlds. I recommend combat feats to flesh out their ability to stand alongside more combat-focused classes, as well as spells that can hamper and damage foes to make hammering them hard with your conjured weapons as well as your more real mainstays easier. From there, make a list of useful armor upgrades so you can quickly pick them out when going on the defensive.

I said before that these weapons and armor may resemble familiar models  despite using a level-generated stat line, but they don’t have to if you do not wish. You might wield armor that resembles medieval designs, or weapons that function but are very different in terms of design aesthetic, such as an electrical pistol that is accompanied by deafening peals of thunder when fired, or a staff that bleeds flame along it’s length. Feel free to be creative with it!

Hoping to starve them out of advanced resources, the Jolin Corporation blockaded the planet in hopes of quelling the copaxi revolts at their facilities. However, they sorely underestimated the flexibility of the coral-folk. Not only have their biotechnicians begun replicating the advanced tech of the outsiders in biotech form, but more than a few copaxi guerillas have a knack for warping reality, conjuring living weapons from their imagination to fight the company’s occupation.

In order to learn about the mysterious weapon-conjuring mercenary the party has repeatedly encountered, they need to sneak into a server room owned by the corporation that he seems to be connected to. Doing so means braving the automated defenses, including a serpentine hybrid tech guardians, an arcane asp!

The recent string of killings that have occurred seem to have no connection at first, but as one looks into the details, one begins to realize that the murder weapons are all strange and unique devices, leading the investigators to conclude that the wielder must be a tinkering weaponsmith, have raided a warehouse of experimental designs, or perhaps strangest of all, is making them up as they go.

[linuxgamenews]

Unleash the Power of 7 Elements in An Amazing Wizard Prologue

An Amazing Wizard Prologue fast-paced metroidvania and crafting game lets you play for free on Linux, Mac, and Windows PC. Thanks to the creative skills of the Tiny Goblins team. Available to play now on both Steam and itch. Looking for a fast-paced, spell-casting adventure with some seriously nice pixel art? Check out An Amazing Wizard, the prologue blends a fast-paced metroidvania exploration with crafting of your own spells to take down enemies. Now, you can dive into the action for FREE with the native Linux build. You play as a young wizard trying to recover lost memories, conquer the world, and master the power of 7 elements. The game lets you experiment with all sorts of magical combos while facing off against tough enemies in a world that's never the same twice. This passion project is from Tiny Goblins, a two-person indie team. Gobo, the brains behind coding and design, teamed up with Ivan, a freelance pixel artist, to bring the title to life. They've spent the last four years working on it in their spare time. About a year ago, Singapore-based indie publisher Erabit picked up the title, and it's been full steam ahead since then. Inspired by Dead Cells, Noita, and Wizard of Legend, the An Amazing Wizard prologue focuses on crafting spells and long-range combat. In this side-scroller, the levels are procedurally generated, so no two runs are the same. You’ll face tons of monsters by experimenting with different spells, mixing and matching to find powerful combinations. Along the way, you’ll enchant spells and weapons, merge different spells, and collect artifacts to create epic builds. Plus, there are 7 Elemental Wizards to play as, each with subclasses you can evolve into for even more variety.

An Amazing Wizard Upcoming Action Roguelike Game (pre prologue)

The full release is due to be out in Q1 2025 with five worlds and five difficulty levels. As you progress, you'll unlock more of the story and face new challenges at each milestone. But for now, the An Amazing Wizard prologue gives a taste of what's coming:

Fight with over 60 spells and a dozen melee weapons

Enchant your gear with 100 special effects

Collect 120 artifacts to power up

Level up with 100 upgrades of different rarities

Merge spells up to four times for unique combinations and effects

Spell merging? It’s like setting up a combo with rules. In the game you can decide how spells trigger and interact with each other. Whether they go off all at once or in sequence. For example, you can merge a Fireball with Friendly Fire to make it orbit the Fireball, then shoot them together with an Icicle spell. In the free An Amazing Wizard prologue, you’ll get to:

Play as wizards of 5 elements

Explore two worlds: Ancient Desert and Hell, each with two difficulty levels

Fight unique mobs, mini-bosses, and epic world bosses

If you're into spell crafting and love a good challenge, this is a fast-paced metroidvania you need to check out. Grab the An Amazing Wizard prologue for free and start building your perfect spell combos via Steam or itch. Available on Linux, Mac, and Windows PC.

[farsight-the-char]

An interesting mix.

The ruins of Emberguard now play host to the new edition of Underworlds, with Stormcast Vanguard and Skaven tinkerers fighting it out in the ruins.

Da Red Gobbo's A-Bomb-inable Snowman, holidary model, also coming.

Legions Astartes Melee Weapons Upgrade Set for 30k.

New White Dwarf.

....

The High Kâhl's Oath, the first Leagues of Votann feature novel, by Gav Thorpe, comes to preview. Both special edition and standard hardback (thank fuck), plus ebook and audio book.

New Red Gobbo book, and a Red Gobbo collection.

Audio Collections.

....

Warhammer plus has a demo game for new Underworlds, plus a look at the Third Sphere Expansion and Shadowsun's rise to glory (!).

More reveals for Underworlds including 2 new Warbands (!?), plus more stuff.

[thisisnotthenerd]

the dream team's xp leveling

this is complex enough that i needed to create a second spreadsheet. i've doomed myself to an eternity of calculations. anyway:

the unsleeping city:

i did the calculations in the spreadsheet this time, so it's a little easier to follow and there's only one round of arithmetic to do. one key difference here is that contextual multipliers are more common. for the unsleeping city, i used contextual multipliers for the number of opponents as well as other complicating factors that will be listed with each encounter.

mutant santa melee: i separated this encounter into three categories: the mutant santas, the spawn point chrysalis, and the big santa.

mutant santas: based on their hp counts and damage outputs, i'd place the standard mutant santas at CR 1/4, so 50 XP each for 600, with a 2x contextual multiplier because of 1) the number of mutant santas and 2) the complicating factors both the captured santa and things like pete's wild magic surges. total of 1200 XP

the chrysalis: only CR 1/4 because sofia kicked it into the sky. 50 XP

big santa: CR 2, based on damage output and how much it took to kill it. 450 XP

total XP count: 1700 XP, or ~283 XP each

scramble in the sewers: this encounter was fairly standard, and would not be that difficult traditionally; i included the 1.5x multiplier to account for the water level mechanics and the fact that a bunch of the party was trying not to drown while killing the rat king.

rat swarms: CR 1/4. they chased after minor illusion cheese. 75 XP

the beefy boys: technically they are using crocodile stats, at CR 1/2 each. i know this because kug brings them back later on. total of 600 XP

rat king: i'd put him at around a CR 4; with the multiplier that becomes 1650 XP

total XP count: 2325 XP, or ~387 XP each

the war of bugs and rats: first fully standard encounter; varying CRs for each of the opponents, but other than that no major complications

becky the wasp-centaur: based on her level of spellcasting, i'd put her at around CR 5, or 1800 XP

beetle: less challenging than becky at a CR 3 (700 XP). he's gonna have to kill ya.

roaches: proportionally more of them, but they were easy to take care of. CR 1/2, total of 800 XP.

swarms of bugs: same deal as the roaches. CR 1/2, for a total of 200 XP.

bugsters: i went through and calculated DPR and their stats and settled on CR 1, for a total of 800 XP

total XP count: 4300 XP, or 716 each

subway skirmish: only a minor (1.25x) modifier this time, for alejandro summoning the train to nod and the fact that they were sacrificing spell slots to fuel it. this fight notably steps up from the previous fight; recall "i'm gonna kill that dog".

crooked cops: total of 12, but they only defeat 8. CR 4 (1100 XP) for a total of 11000 XP.

epona cirillo: i used her stats & the stats of her weapon to set her CR at 5 (1800 XP), for a total of 2250 XP

total XP count: 13250 XP, or 2208 each

panic at the art show: 1.5x modifier for the environmental hazards; namely the building being on fire adn the fact that they had to evacuate while in combat.

isabella infierno: succubi are CR 4, so i evaluated her stats, which landed her around a CR 8 (3900 XP) for a total of 5850 XP.

artsy devils: standard barbed devil stat block; CR 5 (1800 XP) for a total of 10800 XP

total XP count: 16650 XP, or 2775 each

broadway brawl: another modified (1.5x) fight, due to misty's ritual mechanics and the fact that they needed to fight and perform at the same time.

queen titania: compared a few fey spellcasters from the bestiary and landed on her being around CR 13 (10000 XP), based on her spell use and magic items. total of 15000 XP

seelie dancers: used their stats and dpr to set them at CR 3 (700 XP). total of 4200 XP

pixie mobsters: standard pixie statblocks, but they have guns and kidnapped stephen sondheim, so i upgraded them to CR 1/2 (100 XP). total of 450 XP

total XP count: 19650 XP, or 3275 each

showdown at the stock exchange: this fight was notably difficult; pete dying, the complication of the ritual, and eventually reducing moses to his phylactery.

kiosk vampires: they're blood-drinker vampires; CR 8 (3900 XP), for a total of 31200 XP.

robert moses: using standard lich stats, he's CR 21. i adjusted this with a modifier of .75, because they did reduce him to the phylactery, but the ritual still went off. he wasn't defeated.

total XP count: 55950 XP, or 9325 each

times squaremageddon: the final fight; harder than the kalvaxus fight, easier than the nightmare forest. the american dream is a modified version of robert moses' stats, and has a 1.5x modifier for the individual appeal mechanics and the storm mechanics.

fire maelstrom: not technically elementals, but using similar enough abilities that i'd rate it CR 5 (1800 XP) for a total of 3600

wind maelstrom: same deal as the fire maelstroms: CR 5 (1800 XP), total of 3600

robert moses' american dream: based on a solar (celestial, ac 21, etc.) i would give it a CR 21, but based on the combination with robert's phylactery and the fact that they were fighting on multiple fronts, i'd rate it a CR 23 (50000 XP), for a total of 75000.

total XP count: 82200 XP, or 13700 each.

the unsleeping city total: 196025, or 32670 each. using the overall method of xp leveling (cumulative benchmarks), this would put the dream team at around level 7, as opposed to the level 10 they achieved through milestone leveling.

the unsleeping city chapter ii:

same deal with the contextual modifiers; this season features multiple tower defense fights that require modifiers.

the mystery of the haunted subway: while this fight featured a wide variety of adversaries, many were easily defeated. no modifiers on this fight; it's very straightforward. uses mostly standard statblocks.

zombies: standard zombie statblock; CR 1/4 (50 XP), total of 250 XP

ghosts: standard ghost statblock including the aging ability; CR 4 (1100 XP), total of 4400 XP

skeletons: standard skeleton statblock; CR 1/4 (50 XP), total of 200 XP

werewolf: standard werewolf statblock; CR 3 (700 XP)

vampires: using the vampire spawn statblock puts them at CR 5 (1800 XP), for a total of 5400

spiders: using the giant spider statblock; CR 1 (200 XP), total of 600 XP.

witch: there isn't really a standard witch statblock that i'd consider for this one; based on her DPR, i'd rank her CR 7 (2900 XP)

frankenstein's monster: again, one without a standard statblock; the closest undead i could find was a greater zombie, which was CR 5 (1800 XP)

mad scientist: another one without a standard statblock; i'd place him around CR 6 (2300 XP)

total XP count: 18550 XP, or 3092 each

trouble at the tunnel: this fight gets modifiers because of 1) the number of devils coming to fight them and 2) the ritual mechanics for jj, much like the subway skirmish.

swarm devils: i used the spined devil statblock for these; CR 2 (450 XP), with a 1.5x modifier for the sheer number, even though the dream team could oneshot them very easily. total of 13500 XP

siege devils: couldn't find a standard statblock, but based on their dpr and abilities, i'd mark each of them at CR 10, with a 1.25 modifier for the number. total of 22125 XP

jersey devil: high level spellcaster with legendary actions; CR 14 (11500 XP). with modification, total of 14375 XP

total XP count: 50000 XP, or 8333 each. this happened organically.

parade of peril: i will admit, this had the potential to be a really difficult fight. brennan rolled so bad and the intrepid heroes rolled pretty well. i rewatched this to estimate stats and he really fails so much during this combat. still, i left modifiers for the difficulty of fighting on the balloons.

true clowns: what a truly goofy concept. based on dpr and the wild magic surge ability, i'd put them at CR 6 (2300 XP) for a total of 27600 XP

balloon dogs: cute but vicious; CR 3 (700 XP), for a total of 3150 when modified.

total XP count: 30750, or 5125 each

fight at the museum: pretty similar to the clown fight in difficulty--specific conditions that complicate a battle with mid-level opponents. brennan rolled way better, so even if the encounters were of similar difficulty, this one came across as more difficult.

animated armor: basically beefed up animated armor. instead of CR 1, i'd put these at CR 5 (1800 XP), with a 1.5x modifier for the historicity & exploration mechanics. total of 10800

plate & bardings: these are the knights that were originally surrounding the unicorn. CR 6 (2300 XP) each, with a 1.5x modifier, for a total of 13800.

total XP count: 24600 XP, or 4100 each

the battle of the hot dog cart: another tower defense; each enemy wasn't that difficult to deal with, but the fact that they had significant numbers and siege weaponry contributed to the difficulty of this fight. the other thing that contributed was cody's existential crisis.

ant legionnaires: based on their dpr and other stats, i'd put them at CR 2 (450 XP), with a 2x modifier for the sheer number of them. total of 41400 XP

ant centurions: CR 4 (1100 XP), with a 1.5 modifier to account for cody's no good very bad day. total of 9900 XP

ketchupults: based on dpr? CR 6, for a total of 4600 XP

mustard wagon: also CR 6 because it was a construct that kingston basically oneshotted with a lightning bolt. 2300 XP

total XP count: 58200 XP, or 9700 each

history checks & lost dex: this fight is tricky, because it's only the one opponent, but they had multiple critical objectives to get through during it, and most of the time weren't actively doing battle.

null: based on his abilities, he's a combination of a nightwalker and some variation of a mind flayer; i'd say some kind of spellcaster or psychic. based on the combination of abilities, as well as the stun vs ability conditions he was able to inflict, i'd put null at a CR 23 (50000 XP) with a modifier of 1.3333 to account for the objectives.

total XP count: 66665 XP, or 11111 each

treachery at gramercy: another fight with a bunch of opponents. this time, we have tony simos as the big opponent. given the objective of stopping the flow of raw umbra and the fact that sofie resurrected her husband amid pitched battle, i'm including a 1.5x modifier.

concrete fist monks: not powerful enough for evasion, so based on monk stats i'd place them at a CR 5 (1800 XP). total of 16200 XP

gramercy wizards: enough spell slots to do multiple dispel magics and counterspells, as well as banishment. 7th-8th level, so CR 8 (3900 XP) for a total of 23400 XP

tony simos: 20th level open hand monk with a couple of modifications; immunity to stun, mageslayer, mobile, legendary actions, and the ability to disrupt verbal and somatic components of spells. with all that in mind, i put him at a CR 21 (33000 XP), for a total of 49500 due to the fight complications.

total XP count: 89100 XP, or 14850 each

two sides of the same coin: the finale fight. another tower defense with hordes, plus the baby ritual. originally this fight would have had a 1.5x modifier or one that was even higher; i reduced that to 1.25x because of kingston's divine intervention granting advantage on everything, resistance to all damage, and disadvantage to null. brilliant narrative move; it just made the battle less difficult.

sparties: we finally found out their ac (19). i read somewhere that they were based on wights, but that didn't really matter to me because doing the calculations set them at CR 3 (700 XP) anyway. total of 35000 XP

corporate wraiths: standard wraiths; CR 5 (1800 XP), for a total of 11250 XP

null: as shown in the ellis island fight, i placed him at CR 23, this time with a 1.25 modifier, for a total of 62500 XP

total XP count: 108750 XP, or 18125 each.

the unsleeping city chapter ii total: 446615 XP, or 74435 each. using the overall leveling method, this would take them from the level 7 they technically would have earned in TUC to level 12, which is exactly where they ended in this chapter

overall total and final comments:

over the course of two seasons, the dream team earned 642640 XP, or 107106 XP individually, which was enough to get them to level 12.

there's some notable differences in the way that combats are structured between the unsleeping city and fantasy high:

the party composition is different; the bad kids are a mix of spellcasters and martial characters who eventually multiclass to get spells, while the dream team all have some magical element to what they do. the party is majority full casters, and everyone else is either a paladin or a multiclass, in both seasons.

for the dream team. combats are balanced to reflect the fact that they can do a ton of AOE crowd control as well as melee combat, but don't have a tank or ranged weaponry.

each of the full casters is specialized; pete is a glass cannon, kingston heals & buffs, misty/rowan buffs and charms while covering debuffs including counterspell, kugrash tends to work with summons and their buffs, and iga has a mix of damage and mobility/utility.

for the partials: sofia's spells generally go to personal buffs, while ricky does a lot of protection, and cody's spells go further towards damage.

in contrast, for the bad kids, combats are balanced to reflect the opposite; they have range, melee, a tank, and some spellcasting damage, but not a ton of AOE.

caster specialties: adaine's spell list leans towards utility & divination, with ranged spell attacks and concentration spells for her damage. fig, like misty, works with charm, fear, and buffs/debuffs, and a bunch of fire damage. kristen has a lot of buffs/debuffs and heals, as well as spells like spirit guardians.

for the partials: fabian's spells generally go to damage rolls and buffs, while gorgug has minor repair & healing, and riz's only known spell at the moment is silvery barbs.

the bad kids start at lower level, going from 1-8 in freshman year, 8-9 in sophomore year, and starting at 10 in junior year, while the dream team starts at level 3 and goes to 10 in chapter i, and then from 10-12 in chapter ii. thus the dream team starts with higher level opponents earlier.

the bad kids generally face fewer opponents than the dream team; their structure is generally 6-10 smaller opponents and 1-2 larger bosses, or multiple bosses that they have to deal with. they are generally facing their opponents in standard environments, so i don't assign them contextual modifiers unless they have a specific objective or mechanical disadvantage.

by contrast, the dream team is more likely to have mechanical objectives and obstacles that further complicate their combat scenarios. in chapter ii, half of their fights feature 20+ opponents, if not more. there are three separate tower defense combats. thus, they get more contextual modifiers.

setting wise, the bad kids have more humanoid opponents that they have specific conflicts with, starting with doreen and johnny spells, going all the way to penelope and dayne in the finale of freshman year.

the dream team has a couple of those, but they're generally facing a magically-induced threat, like the bugsters from chapter i, or the animated armor from chapter ii.

and that's it for this time.