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[Castlevania & Bloodstained] sitting in a tree, S-L-A-Y-I-N-G

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Posts

  • SteevLSteevL What can I do for you? Registered User regular
    I posted this in the Plug & Play Mini consoles thread, but it's relevant in here too. The upcoming Turbografx-16 Mini's game list is out. How is it relevant to this thread? It includes Rondo of Blood! Granted, it's the untranslated Japanese version, but still nice that there will be another way to legally obtain the game. The game's not difficult to play in Japanese either; I did so for the first time back in 2002 and loved it.

    DrovekIncenjucar
  • MNC DoverMNC Dover Full-time Voice Actor Kirkland, WARegistered User regular
    I think the rough, early phase is easing up as I haven't died in a while. Still only have two teleporter locations open, so I'm hoping to find a third soon. And please, please, please let me find either a double jump item or something that increases my move speed. Miriam moves like she's stuck in molasses.

    Anyway, I defeated the second boss and need to find a Big Hand ability. Trying to do all the villager quests at the same time. I'm assuming new quests pop up after encountering new enemies or unlocking new areas?

    Also, is there a general idea for upgrades? Like, should I focus on Shards, buying new gear, recipes, etc? Is there any point in holding onto extra Shards or do I sell them off?

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  • SteevLSteevL What can I do for you? Registered User regular
    MNC Dover wrote: »
    I think the rough, early phase is easing up as I haven't died in a while. Still only have two teleporter locations open, so I'm hoping to find a third soon. And please, please, please let me find either a double jump item or something that increases my move speed. Miriam moves like she's stuck in molasses.

    Anyway, I defeated the second boss and need to find a Big Hand ability. Trying to do all the villager quests at the same time. I'm assuming new quests pop up after encountering new enemies or unlocking new areas?

    Also, is there a general idea for upgrades? Like, should I focus on Shards, buying new gear, recipes, etc? Is there any point in holding onto extra Shards or do I sell them off?

    Don't buy new gear; pretty much everything you can make is either equal to it or better. And you can often find better weapons too.

    Having more than one of a shard gives it a higher grade, which makes it more powerful. Note that this is separate from the shard's rank, which is something you upgrade with Johannes. Also note that when you rank up yellow shards to level 9, they become permanent shards that you can toggle on/off in the menu. This is extremely useful!

    For food, seek out the first-time bonuses of the drinks like lemonade, smoothies, etc. I think it's a while before you can actually make them, but their mana regen properties are very handy, as mentioned on the previous page.

    Yeah, the "kill X enemies" quests expand as you get to other parts of the map, I believe.

    Once you get the Big Hand ability, here's something that's not obvious about it that will help you get past one optional obstacle, and later, an unavoidable one:
    You can use it to pick up those iron maiden traps that spit you out when you walk into them

    I didn't know this until much later in the game, and I know I'm not the only one.

    MNC DoverIncenjucarFrem
  • AbsoluteZeroAbsoluteZero The new film by Quentin Koopantino Registered User regular
    Extra shards (up to 9) will make an ability more powerful. Beyond that, sell em. I also sell all shards past the first one for any ability that I don't find useful. When you find a particularly useful shard (like True Arrow or Welcome Company) it's not a bad idea to farm the enemy that drops it until you've got a full 9 shards. The alchemist dude can use materials to enhance shards too, which can make them more powerful or add effects. This also tops out at 9. A fully leveled shard will be Rank 9 Grade 9. Yellow shard effects will become permanent (as in you don't need to equip the shard) when they've been fully leveled up. Some are pretty powerful.

    The lady that gives you quests to kill monsters will dole out more the further in the game you get. The others will just give you the next quest upon completion of the current one.

    There is a double jump ability, I think it might actually be the boss after the giant hand one. There is also an equipment item that will increase your movement speed, but I forget where the heck I found it.

    cs6f034fsffl.jpg
    MNC Dover
  • SteevLSteevL What can I do for you? Registered User regular
    And there's also a shard that greatly increases your movement speed, but you don't get that until near the end of the game.

    MNC DoverIncenjucar
  • Dr. ChaosDr. Chaos Post nuclear nuisance Registered User regular
    Its going to break my heart when the spiral sword outlives its usefulness.

    Digging into enemies with that thing is so damn satisfying.

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  • Road BlockRoad Block Registered User regular
    Dr. Chaos wrote: »
    Its going to break my heart when the spiral sword outlives its usefulness.

    Digging into enemies with that thing is so damn satisfying.

    Fortunately
    The same enemies who drop that, also drop a very effective shard that acts virtually the same.

  • BRIAN BLESSEDBRIAN BLESSED Maybe you aren't SPEAKING LOUDLY ENOUGHHH Registered User regular
    Bloodstained is overall a huge bag of fun but I feel a little spoiled by modern Metroidvanias. I'm motivated to push forward by a mixture of the plot, light questing and overall character levelling and progressing and the super fun feeling of getting stronger, but it's a huge bummer every time the game's momentum grinds to a halt.

    Usually when I have to do something incredibly obtuse, like kill a specific enemy to obtain a specific shard to explore a specific area, or backtrack to one tiny unexplored area that I couldn't reach previously to get that one specific piece of equipment. I get some of it is the heritage of its genre and I don't mind the sidequests being some weird thing that requires translation, but obfuscating progression behind cryptic hints and riddles feels artificial and shitty in a way that Metroidvania games of our current generation have resolved some time ago.

    Also did... did True Arrow just get shittier at max rank??

  • Dr. ChaosDr. Chaos Post nuclear nuisance Registered User regular
    edited July 2019
    I have discovered Miriam customization.

    This has now become Bloodstained: Fashion of the Night.

    Dr. Chaos on
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    SteevLAbsoluteZeroElvenshaeLBD_NytetraynHenroidRius
  • GONG-00GONG-00 Registered User regular
    Dr. Chaos wrote: »
    I have discovered Miriam customization.

    This has now become Bloodstained: Fashion of the Night.

    Sadly, it seems only the Valkyrie Armor changes Miriam's primary outfit and that cannot be modified.

    Black lives matter.
    Law and Order ≠ Justice
    ACNH Island Isla Cero: DA-3082-2045-4142
    Still waiting on Dan "Man of his Word" Ryckert to eat a hat
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    IncenjucarEmperorSeth
  • NEO|PhyteNEO|Phyte They follow the stars, bound together. Strands in a braid till the end.Registered User regular
    GONG-00 wrote: »
    Dr. Chaos wrote: »
    I have discovered Miriam customization.

    This has now become Bloodstained: Fashion of the Night.

    Sadly, it seems only the Valkyrie Armor changes Miriam's primary outfit and that cannot be modified.

    The shovel armor does too

    It was that somehow, from within the derelict-horror, they had learned a way to see inside an ugly, broken thing... And take away its pain.
    Warframe/Steam: NFyt
    GONG-00SaraLunaAbsoluteZeroEmperorSeth
  • MNC DoverMNC Dover Full-time Voice Actor Kirkland, WARegistered User regular
    I have no idea what Miriam's face looks like because she's been wearing the blue catcher's mask looking helmet since the beginning of the game. Oddly enough, no items I've come across have had better stats than it. In fact, nothing seems to be statistically great from what I've seen so far. Granted, it's still early, but the incremental stat buffs I would normally expect just aren't there.

    In older games, you'd get like Sword (+2 STR), then Short Sword (+3 STR), then Gladius (+5 STR) or whatever. There seems to be far less of that and WAY more cooking/crafting stuff. Not that I'm complaining, just an odd thing I started picking up on.

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  • OrphaneOrphane rivers of red that run to seaRegistered User regular
    edited July 2019
    MNC Dover wrote: »
    I have no idea what Miriam's face looks like because she's been wearing the blue catcher's mask looking helmet since the beginning of the game. Oddly enough, no items I've come across have had better stats than it. In fact, nothing seems to be statistically great from what I've seen so far. Granted, it's still early, but the incremental stat buffs I would normally expect just aren't there.

    In older games, you'd get like Sword (+2 STR), then Short Sword (+3 STR), then Gladius (+5 STR) or whatever. There seems to be far less of that and WAY more cooking/crafting stuff. Not that I'm complaining, just an odd thing I started picking up on.

    There are definitely upgrades but I think the progression tends to be split between int and str equips so you might go a long stretch where you collect mostly int equips when you're looking for str gear or something

    Orphane on
    Incenjucar
  • Dr. ChaosDr. Chaos Post nuclear nuisance Registered User regular
    edited July 2019
    Anyone else just constantly stop and grind for the shard whenever they run into a new enemy?

    Kind of kills the pacing of the game dead but I love finding new ones.

    Dr. Chaos on
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  • ZundeZunde Registered User regular
    I do.

    But i just lost almost my entire progress in a new area including lengthy grinding sessions because i jumped off an edge after inverting and landed on a miniboss that generated me.

  • AbsoluteZeroAbsoluteZero The new film by Quentin Koopantino Registered User regular
    I only grind an enemy if I like the shard it drops, or if it drops something valuable. Like there's an underwater horse creature that drops a weapon that can be dismantled for gold. A lot easier than getting all the shit together to make gold.

    cs6f034fsffl.jpg
    IncenjucarNitsua
  • IncenjucarIncenjucar VChatter Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    Save grinding for end-game where it becomes ridiculously easy unless you actually use a thing.

  • Dr. ChaosDr. Chaos Post nuclear nuisance Registered User regular
    Incenjucar wrote: »
    Save grinding for end-game where it becomes ridiculously easy unless you actually use a thing.
    I was going to say the game will already be mostly over by then and I won't have a use for them anymore but theres new game plus with hard mode for that I guess.

    Endgame grind it is.

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  • The Dude With HerpesThe Dude With Herpes Lehi, UTRegistered User regular
    Dr. Chaos wrote: »
    Incenjucar wrote: »
    Save grinding for end-game where it becomes ridiculously easy unless you actually use a thing.
    I was going to say the game will already be mostly over by then and I won't have a use for them anymore but theres new game plus with hard mode for that I guess.

    Endgame grind it is.

    Having played entirely through on two platforms and went 100% on both, this is very good advice, but hard to follow if you are like me and have an obsessive need to complete things before moving on.

    To anyone else though, yeah, grinding (for anything, shards, money, items) is so much dramatically faster by the end of the game, and you need virtually none of said grinded stuff during the game, that you will save so much more time it isn't even funny.

    Having said that once (or whenever) you start grinding for things, there are certainly a few shards and items you want to focus on maxing out first, in order to further ease the grind.

    Really, probably the only thing I'd (and did the second time) stop to actually grind before moving on with the game was getting and maxing Augment Gold asap, because it makes gold acquisition much more natural throughout the normal gameplay, meaning more money for stuff later without mindless candle genocide.

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    Incenjucar
  • Jealous DevaJealous Deva Registered User regular
    edited July 2019
    Finally finished this off and was so psyched I went back and finished up dracula’s castle on order of Ecclesia as well (I had set it aside before after the bad ending).

    Now I don’t know what to do, I have played through Symphony, Harmony of Dissonance, Order of Ecclesia, Timespinners, Bloodstained:RotN, both GBA metroids, and the Mummy Demastered in the past few months and I still feel like I need more Metroidvania.

    Jealous Deva on
  • KoopahTroopahKoopahTroopah The koopas, the troopas. Philadelphia, PARegistered User regular
    Finally finished this off and was so psyched I went back and finished up dracula’s castle on order of Ecclesia as well (I had set it aside before after the bad ending).

    Now I don’t know what to do, I have played through Symphony, Harmony of Dissonance, Order of Ecclesia, Timespinners, Bloodstained:RotN, both GBA metroids, and the Mummy Demastered in the past few months and I still feel like I need more Metroidvania.

    Hollow Knight, Guacamelee, Ori

    KalnaurRoad BlockMNC DoverFremBurnageXaquin
  • Dr. ChaosDr. Chaos Post nuclear nuisance Registered User regular
    Finally finished this off and was so psyched I went back and finished up dracula’s castle on order of Ecclesia as well (I had set it aside before after the bad ending).

    Now I don’t know what to do, I have played through Symphony, Harmony of Dissonance, Order of Ecclesia, Timespinners, Bloodstained:RotN, both GBA metroids, and the Mummy Demastered in the past few months and I still feel like I need more Metroidvania.
    Zangetsu DLC probably isn't too far away.

    Probably be able to come back and sink another 20 hours or so with that.

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  • EmperorSethEmperorSeth Registered User regular
    So did anyone else get the Cosmetic survey today? If so, how uncomfortable were you filling it out?

    You know what? Nanowrimo's cancelled on account of the world is stupid.
  • IncenjucarIncenjucar VChatter Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    So did anyone else get the Cosmetic survey today? If so, how uncomfortable were you filling it out?

    Some of the options seem pretty fun. The pervy ones are basically "Hey, remember Japan?"

    Elvenshae
  • BRIAN BLESSEDBRIAN BLESSED Maybe you aren't SPEAKING LOUDLY ENOUGHHH Registered User regular
    edited July 2019
    Finally finished this off and was so psyched I went back and finished up dracula’s castle on order of Ecclesia as well (I had set it aside before after the bad ending).

    Now I don’t know what to do, I have played through Symphony, Harmony of Dissonance, Order of Ecclesia, Timespinners, Bloodstained:RotN, both GBA metroids, and the Mummy Demastered in the past few months and I still feel like I need more Metroidvania.

    Hollow Knight, Guacamelee, Ori

    I get the physical shakes thinking about how Ori and the Blind Forest is so organic and mechanically adept at the same time. There aren't even traditional boss fights, just amazing set pieces and trials of platforming skill.

    It's pure unobstructed forward momentum the whole way through despite having clear Metroidvania levels to backtrack through

    Guacamelee is also great for a combat-focused perspective

    BRIAN BLESSED on
    KoopahTroopah
  • RidleySariaRidleySaria AnaheimRegistered User regular
    So did anyone else get the Cosmetic survey today? If so, how uncomfortable were you filling it out?

    Not at all, actually.

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  • ZundeZunde Registered User regular
    I have discovered the harrier enemy.
    A blue ninja in the den of the behemoth's you can't attack him you have to race him to the end of the room and if you beat him i guess he dies? Cause he give's you probably the best blue shard in the game and once you beat him once the shard he gives makes beating him super easy and each win get's you another shard which make's the blue shard more powerful and it's just crazy good it's called Accelerator and it basically turns Miriam into sonic the hedgehog at grade 9

    ElvenshaeIncenjucarAbsoluteZeroMatev
  • SteevLSteevL What can I do for you? Registered User regular
    Zunde wrote: »
    I have discovered the harrier enemy.
    A blue ninja in the den of the behemoth's you can't attack him you have to race him to the end of the room and if you beat him i guess he dies? Cause he give's you probably the best blue shard in the game and once you beat him once the shard he gives makes beating him super easy and each win get's you another shard which make's the blue shard more powerful and it's just crazy good it's called Accelerator and it basically turns Miriam into sonic the hedgehog at grade 9

    Yup. It makes grinding for gold later on much easier too.

  • ElvenshaeElvenshae Registered User regular
    Incenjucar wrote: »
    So did anyone else get the Cosmetic survey today? If so, how uncomfortable were you filling it out?

    Some of the options seem pretty fun. The pervy ones are basically "Hey, remember Japan?"

    The most important question was the last one. Did everyone else pick the right answer?
    There is no wrong answer.

  • ZundeZunde Registered User regular
    I almost broke my nintendo switch by getting jumpedscared by enemy 44.
    I looked it up and it just told me what to do to get it to appear not that the damn thing was going to screamer my fucking screen.

    L Ron HowardKoopahTroopahGONG-00AbsoluteZero
  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    Zunde wrote: »
    I almost broke my nintendo switch by getting jumpedscared by enemy 44.
    I looked it up and it just told me what to do to get it to appear not that the damn thing was going to screamer my fucking screen.
    Good luck trying to farm the shard from it btw.

  • SteevLSteevL What can I do for you? Registered User regular
    Henroid wrote: »
    Zunde wrote: »
    I almost broke my nintendo switch by getting jumpedscared by enemy 44.
    I looked it up and it just told me what to do to get it to appear not that the damn thing was going to screamer my fucking screen.
    Good luck trying to farm the shard from it btw.

    I got it once. That was enough for me since it took me probably 12 attempts.

  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    SteevL wrote: »
    Henroid wrote: »
    Zunde wrote: »
    I almost broke my nintendo switch by getting jumpedscared by enemy 44.
    I looked it up and it just told me what to do to get it to appear not that the damn thing was going to screamer my fucking screen.
    Good luck trying to farm the shard from it btw.

    I got it once. That was enough for me since it took me probably 12 attempts.
    I farmed it to grade 9. And then I stopped playing the game. <_<

  • Dr. ChaosDr. Chaos Post nuclear nuisance Registered User regular
    edited July 2019
    So, are we thinking all of the Curse of the Night characters are going to end up playable eventually?

    I need playable angry old man Alfred. Didn't like him in the retro game but he seems pretty awesome here.

    Dr. Chaos on
    Pokemon GO: 7113 6338 6875/ FF14: Buckle Landrunner /Steam Profile
  • SteevLSteevL What can I do for you? Registered User regular
    Dr. Chaos wrote: »
    So, are we thinking all of the Curse of the Night characters are going to end up playable eventually?

    I need playable angry old man Alfred. Didn't like him in the retro game but he seems pretty awesome here.

    So far they've only said there will be a total of three playable characters. We already know one of them is Zangetsu. I've seen rumors that the other will be
    Dominique
    .

  • Kai_SanKai_San Commonly known as Klineshrike! Registered User regular
    It is 3 characters, which is based on Kickstarter goals. I forget who is third but it might be gebel

  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    Clearly the third playable character is going to be OD.

    Please god let it be OD?

    Kane Red Robe
  • Dr. ChaosDr. Chaos Post nuclear nuisance Registered User regular
    Wouldn't Gebel just be a male version of Miriam?

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  • YggiDeeYggiDee The World Ends With You Shill Registered User regular
    I'm hoping for either OD, or, 'kill those murderers dead!' woman.

    SaraLuna
  • IncenjucarIncenjucar VChatter Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    Henroid wrote: »
    Zunde wrote: »
    I almost broke my nintendo switch by getting jumpedscared by enemy 44.
    I looked it up and it just told me what to do to get it to appear not that the damn thing was going to screamer my fucking screen.
    Good luck trying to farm the shard from it btw.

    Easy.

    Go right, jump onto the platform, direction magic it to death.

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