Shadow Warrior 2

[Art Blade]

I have started to play in free roam on T7. First I spend all my money on crafting so I don't lose any on dying  Then I choose a few gems that I haven't tested yet and create a combination of gems (changing my stats) to get a best possible loadout fit for survival. And then I go test it and prepare for a killing spree.. Question is, who will be on a killing spree, me or them?

Enemies can still knock out everyone, I haven't met anyone who'd say he could watch TV while playing on T7. It is the bloody hardest difficulty I have ever seen so yes, everyone on T7 is prone to dying if they don't keep an eye out. And I'm far from being an exception. In a fair fight, face to face, I can kill them but if I get surrounded it is getting dangerous and if being surrounded by massive enemies, I keep shedding my life all over the place.

So.. I had got into a situation today that was only funny in hindsight. I got knocked out cold, fighting for my second chance and managed. Yay, I surv.. whack.. second chance.. I managed again. Phew, I'm glad I got that amulet which.. whack.. oh for *bleep*'s sake! Dead again! Another second chance.. I managed and survived. Whoa! Then I killed those few remaining bastards that were still around and after my life. No multiple second chances for them

Thanks to another co-op player with whom I started to play recently I now know that "life drain" actually works, too. It means, if you've got that ability in your loadout, that you can take some health from an enemy by hitting or killing him and fill up your own. Like that, my own health keeps going up and down but not always going down all the way. I can stay in battle longer without having to actively heal myself. That, of course, is still necessary once in a while.

However, removing the cooldown of the second chance so I can get multiple chances in a row is just marvellous and only necessary on T7. The Hand of the Reincarnation amulet is my absolute favourite part of my T7 loadout, sad as it is.

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[Art Blade]

OH WOW! Yiiiiiehaaarrrrr! 


The most difficult trial, Trial of the Ancient God, on Insane Difficulty, Tier 7, single player.

I just thought hey, let's put that loadout shown above to the ultimate test.. All I changed was the amulet because during a trial, there is no second chance. Either you survive or you fail. So I used one that allows for healing without any chi costs. I didn't even have to use that, I only healed a little bit a few times to make sure I'd stay on 100%. It wouldn't matter, the loadout itself just proved fit for survival, during free roam or missions, the Hand of the Reincarnation amulet will stay and make the experience a better one (hey, who want's to die over and over.. fighting for a "continue" is way better than dying and losing part of your money, all of your chi and resetting every surviving enemy's health to full health)

I BLOODY WON!! On top, it was just like that, go in, win, leave. I didn't even die trying! Wowzers!

I almost can't believe it!! 

Imagine, on normal difficulty, you'd get 3 orbs for winning. On T7, it's 57

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[Art Blade]

I've been playing some more free roaming on T7. It is thrilling 

And I still make more or less small changes to my loadout and weapon stats. Just trying to get even stronger 

Something that is different compared to the other difficulty levels / tiers on insanity is that enemies are basically all immune to "just" physical damage. It means, any ordinary weapon won't deal any damage. Weapons have to have an elemental damage added to them, preferably 100% elemental damage (else, like 50% physical, 50% elemental, only those 50% elemental damage will actually hit, rendering your weapon weaker than you think it is) and at least one weapon for each elemental damage is needed.

If an enemy is immune to physical damage, they're also typically immune to one elemental damage, let's say fire (funny enough, those usually are on fire like a torch on legs). Also, they typically have one weakness, let's say vulnerable to ice damage. Now, you should have an ice weapon to deal the maximum damage, but you need to have at least something that deals neither only physical nor fire damage as the enemy is immune to those. So, you equip an ice weapon.

However, enemies rarely come alone, they like to party and bring friends. And they usually have different immunities and vulnerabilities. What can happen now is that you have two guys running at you, one is the burning guy described above that you fight with ice. His friend is immune to ice and perhaps vulnerable to toxic damage. You don't deal any damage to him if you hit both of them with your ice weapon.

You could use a toxic weapon as one of them is vulnerable to it and the other one at least isn't immune to it, so both will take damage. A party wouldn't be a party with just two guests, they come in packs. Often the ruckus attracts nearby demons so they'll join the party and you're the star everyone wants to shake hands.. er, shake a stick at.

I think you've already got the picture. Quickly switching weapons and through those different types of elemental damages, you might want to have somewhat equally levelled weapons. It's kind of funny if you can kill someone with one hit of ice but take minutes to kill the twin brother with toxic just because you haven't got a strong toxic weapon.

All the while you're bloody vulnerable to everything they throw at you, unless you up your resistance and health. And that doesn't make you immune, just less vulnerable.

You see.. insanity on tier 7 isn't just hack and slash or shoot 'em up, it requires a lot of preparation and time and luck crafting some good yet random gear. Which is why I am so happy.. 360 hours into the game, rank 345, and finally playing in the top league. Hell, I often get kicked when I join some random rank 30 player who hosts a public co-op game.. they think I am a cheater because they haven't seen anyone with a rank above 100..  And the guys who play on higher difficulty, usually they don't host public co-op games. Well, very few do, and those who do and those who join them, by now I know them by name 

I much rather play "invite only" with my few new friends. We're all dedicated hardcore T4+ players.

[PZ]

Nice w0#k AB!

I'm afraid that I'm having less patience as I age - almost feels like ADHD 

[Art Blade]

cheers

haha, your ADHA = "ignore everything that doesn't interest you but freak out when it comes to thinking of and actually preparing food."

Today I had six or seven times a 2nd chance in a ROW!  They were so keen on killing me.. must have upset them big time that every time they thought they had killed me, I got back up again and killed one of them. 

[Art Blade]

just have to say, payment during a playthrough is splendid. We played a few missions as a 4-man co-op posse. I noticed that we got 20,000 zillyen as well as 112 orbs for a mission. Also, the loot (gems) is quite nice. Basically you find stuff that is so valuable that on lower difficulty levels you'd need to craft them. Meaning, having to combine three gems and pay perhaps 50,000 zillyen just to get one random new gem that isn't necessarily a good one.

It is good and not half as deadly when you play with more players. The four of us took care of everyone who had the cheek to attack us. We administered a steel therapy that resulted in a permanent cure.

[Art Blade]

Today I played with g-mann again. Just the two of us, proceeding with his game on T7. While I was able to play without dying (well, I did have one or two 2nd chances) he croaked a few times. Discussing our loadouts, he realised he didn't have any resistance (what you'd call armour) so no wonder he got snuffed a few times Actually it is amazing that he survived quite a few encounters. I know that he got a few rather powerful weapons. If you deal a lot of damage and try to keep the demons at a distance, it works. However, they can literally jump you and kind of pound you into the ground. Or they just smack you with a vengeance.. Or you get surrounded and hammered on. Without armour and some extra health, you're screwed within a second. Hell, I got killed instantly WITH armour and extra health but not nearly as often as with fewer armour and health. That second chance ability plus amulet kept saving me.

Thanks to quite a bit of testing during free roam and experience from missions, I had changed my loadout again before we met today. I much rather have some armour (+79%) and extra health (+42% which can be boosted by something like med kits to +100%) and still stand after getting clobbered over the head but at a price, I don't have extremely powerful weapons. They still deal quite a bit of damage so I can basically go through enemies almost like I used to on lower difficulty levels. It still feels a little strange. Like, it used to be a horror trip back then and now it's more like, "is this really T7?"

I might add, we killed our first boss, too. It was a bit of a fight, particularly because enemies regain their full health if a player dies. I didn't die but needed a 2nd chance to stay alive (killed a minion). In the end, we managed. Yay And I do know that g-mann is now determined to get some armour

[PZ]

I might not have such a problem with bosses if they kept their health loss after I died and returned 

[Art Blade]

indeed

However, really powerful weapons and good armour are almost all you need (well, dodging skills help)

[Art Blade]

Today almost felt like a walk in the park. I didn't even die during some more missions and only once a 2nd chance while we played together. Johann joined up so we had a good time together, the three of us picking every possible fight along the road 

Well, it is still not exactly easy. Actually, it is a little exhausting because one false move and dead. Not paying attention, dead. Overextend oneself, dead. But with precaution and particularly when the group sticks together, basically anything goes. It is already good if you're just a duo but as a trio it certainly is easier.

[PZ]

lol, it is always a "feel good" time when you don't die during a mission 

[durian]

Glad you have a lot of fun with this game, Art. I watched the video review of this game a while back, and I think it's fun. As for the monsters, demons, I used to hate them in games but now I don't mind as long as the gameplay is great. But I have one concern:  it seems a game has fast paced combat which may cause me to feel dizzy.

[Art Blade]

PZ, so true

durian, thank you

And yes, at first this game is all quiet and slow and peaceful until those demons see you.

Then they charge at quite some speed, try to flank you, get behind you, and overall try to surround you and play meat grinder with you. In order turn the tables on them, you'll have to be quick in all directions. Fights usually don't take long. Either because they kill you fast or the other way around, you finish them off really quickly. If a fight lasts longer, then it usually means that they're a tad too strong and you'll keep taking damage. You'll be more busy healing yourself and dodging and running away than actually winning the fight

In fact, it is one of those games I don't use my controller for; mouse and keyboard are definitely an advantage during fights as they are so fast.

Something else that is somewhat related to your dizziness: Sometimes there are so many and so big enemies that I hardly see a thing.

Everything around you seems to be a blur, demons hulking up and jumping at you, fire blinding you, guts flying around, poisoned corpse explosions that spill out green mist and goo, limbs and body chunks flying around, powder barrels and gas tanks and cars exploding all around you, clouds of blood and gore, furniture and broken statues exploding, debris flying around, energy flashes from weapons, flying objects thrown at you.. it can be QUITE a mess

[fragger]

Sounds a bit too frenetic and far out for my taste, I think I'd get overwhelmed. I tend to like my shooters to be "down to earth" and a bit more sedate Not too sedate though... I'm not hugely into walking simulators either

So if you had all that armour and weapons and skills (or boosts or whatever you'd call them) and played on T1, it would be like swatting flies, by the sound of it

[Art Blade]

Actually, yes. I remove my armour and damage multipliers so I can use extra money bonuses.. currently I can get +127% more money than without any money boosts. Then I walk around on T1 and still one-shot about any enemy there is because of the in-weapon modifiers that are insane.. hehe A walk in the park that usually means: half an hour walking and "fly-swatting" and around 750,000 zillyen (credits) in my pockets. Money I need for crafting.. so back to T7 for that matter