Wrapped up Shimousa + free quests just in time for Salem. I like the hook lately of including lower-rarity servants beyond their normal level cap. It's fun to see what others can do with a few shiny cups thrown their way. Anyway, the SQ offered a last-minute crack at NP2 Artoria Lancer; came up without, though Ibaraki, of all characters, showed up instead, along with a pile of swords. We have stocked up on macarons accordingly.
Actually, silly question time: she didn't spook me but also showed up with no glowing orbs, or at least I didn't see any. Is there any actual difference when that happens, other than guaranteeing a 4/5* is about to pop, like the orbs signify whether it's someone in the rate-up or not? Or is it all just gacha trickery trying to push happy buttons in the brain and there's no real pattern to it? I suspect the latter but google gives me conflicting answers.
You're far more likely to not see the sparkles than you are from what I remember of a data aggregation thread on Reddit. They show up 1/3 of the time, gold or rainbow, with another 1/3 for suddenly gold card and a final 1/3 for silver card upgrading to gold with lightning
Yeah, my impression was rainbow is a guaranteed 5, gold is a guaranteed 4 or 5, but either can appear without them and it doesn't actually reflect the odds or the banner. Reminds me a little bit of the Aquapolis from FFXIV, where each door forward was a coin flip whether it would punt you out early. Occasionally it would start fucking with you, faking both failures and successes.
Somewhere in Japan, the supervillain that came up with this is compiling the data, sitting before a bank of monitors and chuckling to themselves.
Pretty much at the finale but can't do anything for another day. I get that they did this in JP because hiding the new class but there's no point to it on Global. You either already know it or you don't, but the info is out there already so let us find out for ourselves
Well, that was a pleasant surprise. New banner wasn't doing it for me so I threw the shop tickets at the story one. Mostly rubbish, but then suddenly the last Gorgon I needed shows up.
Aww, I knew you cared, ya big softie. C'mon, I'll buy you a scone, or whatever the hell they have here in Salem.
(Next up is completing the NP5 waifu trilogy, which has proven quite a bit more difficult considering how quickly the Gorgons showed up. The struggle is the glory, however.)
At the beginning I though it would be my favourite EoR chapter and one of the best singularities overall, but in the second half it really lost it's steam.
It was definitely frustrating how little agency we and our team had in the story. We basically do nothing, playing to the Raum's tune, because "we have a feeling something bad will happen if we will step outside of our roles". Well guess what, it would be much better, if it was SHOWN in the story how we try to do so, get punished for it, and then become more cautious in our approach later.
What is more, we have two different explanations for why are we so passive - "something messes with our minds and knowledge" and "we have a feeling we shouldn't be too aggressive or something bad will happen". The problem is - shouldn't it be the most logical approach to connect those two dots and decide that we are passive because something messes with our minds, so we should become more pro-active? But nah, characters acting irrationally is literally built into the story, which makes it a pretty frustrating read.
Generally I feel like the author of this storyline ran out of time, so in the second half of Salem we've got too little explanations for what is happening. I mean, we CAN guess why Sanson decided to bail out on us and let himself be hanged, looking at what I've written above, but I feel he definitely deserved some more additional scenes to better explain his motivations here.
Later, when I will have time, I will propably write my ranking of all Singularities and EoR chapters, as it's a good stop point to do so, right before Chapter 2 begins.
At the beginning I though it would be my favourite EoR chapter and one of the best singularities overall, but in the second half it really lost it's steam.
It was definitely frustrating how little agency we and our team had in the story. We basically do nothing, playing to the Raum's tune, because "we have a feeling something bad will happen if we will step outside of our roles". Well guess what, it would be much better, if it was SHOWN in the story how we try to do so, get punished for it, and then become more cautious in our approach later.
What is more, we have two different explanations for why are we so passive - "something messes with our minds and knowledge" and "we have a feeling we shouldn't be too aggressive or something bad will happen". The problem is - shouldn't it be the most logical approach to connect those two dots and decide that we are passive because something messes with our minds, so we should become more pro-active? But nah, characters acting irrationally is literally built into the story, which makes it a pretty frustrating read.
Generally I feel like the author of this storyline ran out of time, so in the second half of Salem we've got too little explanations for what is happening. I mean, we CAN guess why Sanson decided to bail out on us and let himself be hanged, looking at what I've written above, but I feel he definitely deserved some more additional scenes to better explain his motivations here.
Later, when I will have time, I will propably write my ranking of all Singularities and EoR chapters, as it's a good stop point to do so, right before Chapter 2 begins.
Just wrapped it up myself, and kinda feeling the same way. Salem had a good core premise and good choice of setting, but I feel the actual plot is kind of muddled.
There was grounds here for a great mystery, and you have a lot of elements competing to naturally raise the tension: the guise of the theater troupe, the reduction of your servants' strengths, the lack of contact with Chaldea, and so on. The problem for me is the details seemed to keep changing. If this was intentional it might have reinforced the fictional conceit; the 'author' is basically trying to invoke Cthulhu and created the Salem loop to do so, resulting in logical inconsistencies that someone could easily have pointed out. Poking at holes in the various characters' stories, or using the plays to pacify the witch hunt itself, would've been a neat way to unravel the plot and figure out who's really setting the stage.
But stuff gets introduced and then discarded on a whim, sometimes in the very same scene. Some of it was small details - the monsters are immune to bullets, no wait your pirate buddies can just shoot the ghosts, no wait the cavalry's here with silver bullets - but I was never clear who was actually affected by the memories of the Salem villagers, or to what extent. Mash getting separated from Carter also seemed like a missed opportunity to explore what happens when people try to leave. The climax of the story kinda just happens, rather than something we've (knowingly or as part of the loop) actually been working towards. All the team had to do was wait long enough, and eventually the villain would pop up and brag openly about his plan. And bloody hell but the Cosmic-Traveling Gentleman at the end was jarring, like a reverse Poochie that got slipped in at the very last moment.
It was alright on the whole, but I think all the good parts were in the first half, especially the theater bits. Medea shouting at Circe over a muted connection to Chaldea was a good chuckle, and I'm imagining the team trying to explain Jeanne d'Arc Santa Alter Lily to a crowd of straight-laced Puritans, and it is just magical.
Anyhoo, finally caught up to the cool kids, looking forward to the next event and plot stuff. In the meantime, back to the QP/ember mines!
Very ambivalent about Abby aside from wanting to collect one of each class. But I snagged Sheba in only a single 10 pull, so that's absolutely good enough for me!
Caster of Midrash is usable, though Elizabot greatly reduced the need for a caster dps to kill assassins. Midrash has better NP gain though I understand. Also she's story-locked, so this banner is one of the few reasonable times to pull for her.
I may just have to burn my next SR ticket on her whenever we get one of those.
All the SSR resources I acquire (read: suck up from the Gacha Economy and hoard) are totally gonna trickle down to everyone else and re-stimulate the Gacha Economy through a surplus of Support Supply. As reported by Faux News.
(This blatantly false economic theory has been paid for by the Nobles of the Mage's Association.)
Gorgon's interlude is amusing. Complete tsundere. Albeit justified I guess.
I heard "Gorgon" and "interlude" and got here as quick as I could. Apparently Medusa lancer and Jaguar also have them now, too? Aw, game, I can't stay mad at you, even if I did come up empty-handed on a 10-pull for Sheba.
And as long as we're lining up Singularity rankings, have some tongue-in-cheek justifications for mine:
"Experts Agree" tier
---
Babylonia - They made an anime out of this for a reason. Best Gil v. Ishtar was endlessly entertaining, as was Fou attacking Merlin and basically everything else. Prominently features second- and third-best Medusas.
Camelot - Ozy can rival Gil in the ham department. The Hassan trio was surprisingly wholesome; would fight and die for Serenity and Cursed Arm. Also features best dad and best grandpa.
Solomon - We all know what needs to happen. Da Vinci could pull it off; I'm already picturing a 'welcome back' group hug followed by a long overdue coffeedate.
"Four out of Five Experts Agree" tier
---
Shimousa - Solid presentation, good cast, legitimately creepy villains. Musashi is fun to have around, but lord do these people love to hear themselves talk, even by Fate standards.
Shinjuku - Moriarty is the kind of supervillain you could trust to look after your kids. Jalter and Salter deserve to be stuck with each other. Plot's a bit muddled, but the setting invoked fond memories of a recent trip to Japan.
"A Majority of Experts Agree" tier
---
Okeanos - "...so that's why we're surrounded by pirates" is a sublime opener. Drake is cool and Herc was a suitably menacing multi-stage boss. Loses points for Blackbeard and inferior Medea.
E Pluribus Unum - Cast selection is nonsensical, but it's well-structured with a likable group of weirdos. Edison is a cautionary tale about designing a character on psilocybin. Geronimo deserves a better skillset.
"A Plurality of Experts Can Live With" tier
---
Orleans - Elisabeth Bathory pushing back on becoming Carmilla is a neat idea that deserved more screentime. Jeanne Alter's presence offsets just how forgettable the rest of Orleans was.
Salem - Some really clever ideas but a conclusion that annoys me the more I think about it. Denied the use of Medea for plot purposes, but Circe bullying is a mitigating factor. No option to touch fluffy ears.
"Some Experts Kind of Shrugged When We Asked" tier
---
London - Jekyll and Mordred had a good rapport, and Fran is cute enough to offset at least one capital offense. Kintoki and Tamamo randomly showing up to fight Tesla remains baffling. Insufficient quantities of Fran.
Fuyuki - AKA "Hey, I remember F/SN!" Started off with some good plot beats, but thereafter known as the Bone Mines, to be revisited only in times of great need. Olga Marie headpats never.
"Experts Agree to Forget This Ever Happened" tier
---
Agartha - Pentheselia clashing with Herc was a high point, and Astolfo and d'Eon are a weirdly complementary duo. The plot was all over the place, though. Scheherazade's abilities are why. Everything else is literally why.
Septem - This was the Nero one, right? Did Elizabeth show up? Wait, no, that was America. I think Altera was the villain? Shit, I'm gonna have to google this.
I would be a lot more depressed about Nero's singularity being largely considered one of the worst in the entire game if her event appearances weren't so fantastic.
Posts
Actually, silly question time: she didn't spook me but also showed up with no glowing orbs, or at least I didn't see any. Is there any actual difference when that happens, other than guaranteeing a 4/5* is about to pop, like the orbs signify whether it's someone in the rate-up or not? Or is it all just gacha trickery trying to push happy buttons in the brain and there's no real pattern to it? I suspect the latter but google gives me conflicting answers.
Somewhere in Japan, the supervillain that came up with this is compiling the data, sitting before a bank of monitors and chuckling to themselves.
The time gating on the other hand is a nuisance.
3DS: 0473-8507-2652
Switch: SW-5185-4991-5118
PSN: AbEntropy
Aww, I knew you cared, ya big softie. C'mon, I'll buy you a scone, or whatever the hell they have here in Salem.
(Next up is completing the NP5 waifu trilogy, which has proven quite a bit more difficult considering how quickly the Gorgons showed up. The struggle is the glory, however.)
Bring on Christmas 3, then Lost Belt prologue!
3DS: 0473-8507-2652
Switch: SW-5185-4991-5118
PSN: AbEntropy
She's also only had only 3 rate ups, and one of those split/shared, outside of the class banners.
You have this or Gilfest next year for her solo rateups.
// Switch: SW-5306-0651-6424 //
At the beginning I though it would be my favourite EoR chapter and one of the best singularities overall, but in the second half it really lost it's steam.
What is more, we have two different explanations for why are we so passive - "something messes with our minds and knowledge" and "we have a feeling we shouldn't be too aggressive or something bad will happen". The problem is - shouldn't it be the most logical approach to connect those two dots and decide that we are passive because something messes with our minds, so we should become more pro-active? But nah, characters acting irrationally is literally built into the story, which makes it a pretty frustrating read.
Generally I feel like the author of this storyline ran out of time, so in the second half of Salem we've got too little explanations for what is happening. I mean, we CAN guess why Sanson decided to bail out on us and let himself be hanged, looking at what I've written above, but I feel he definitely deserved some more additional scenes to better explain his motivations here.
Later, when I will have time, I will propably write my ranking of all Singularities and EoR chapters, as it's a good stop point to do so, right before Chapter 2 begins.
Just wrapped it up myself, and kinda feeling the same way. Salem had a good core premise and good choice of setting, but I feel the actual plot is kind of muddled.
But stuff gets introduced and then discarded on a whim, sometimes in the very same scene. Some of it was small details - the monsters are immune to bullets, no wait your pirate buddies can just shoot the ghosts, no wait the cavalry's here with silver bullets - but I was never clear who was actually affected by the memories of the Salem villagers, or to what extent. Mash getting separated from Carter also seemed like a missed opportunity to explore what happens when people try to leave. The climax of the story kinda just happens, rather than something we've (knowingly or as part of the loop) actually been working towards. All the team had to do was wait long enough, and eventually the villain would pop up and brag openly about his plan. And bloody hell but the Cosmic-Traveling Gentleman at the end was jarring, like a reverse Poochie that got slipped in at the very last moment.
It was alright on the whole, but I think all the good parts were in the first half, especially the theater bits. Medea shouting at Circe over a muted connection to Chaldea was a good chuckle, and I'm imagining the team trying to explain Jeanne d'Arc Santa Alter Lily to a crowd of straight-laced Puritans, and it is just magical.
Anyhoo, finally caught up to the cool kids, looking forward to the next event and plot stuff. In the meantime, back to the QP/ember mines!
Steam
No Fluffy Sheba.
I wanted Sheba. All I wanted was Sheba.
No Fluffy Sheba.
Two Eldrich Abominations and an Arabian Storyteller.
But no Fluffy Sheba.
// Switch: SW-5306-0651-6424 //
Abby NP2 in 30 pulls. Random NP2 Hessian. I guess it makes up for missing Merlin.
Threw a ten pull on it and got nothing, got to save and rebuild my funds for all the event servants next year...
3DS: 0473-8507-2652
Switch: SW-5185-4991-5118
PSN: AbEntropy
"Subtlety is for cowards"
Maybe the animators were playing a bunch of Death Stranding
Also Midrash? Because the game is taunting me for complaining about having no Casters the first year or so.
I may just have to burn my next SR ticket on her whenever we get one of those.
3DS: 0473-8507-2652
Switch: SW-5185-4991-5118
PSN: AbEntropy
I guess I could meme super hard and group her with my Waver and Merlin...
Still bitter on missing her. So very bitter.
3DS: 0473-8507-2652
Switch: SW-5185-4991-5118
PSN: AbEntropy
Continuation. 4 More rolls.
2 Sheeba. 1 Waver (NP4 lol). 1 Origin Bullet.
Took me that much to get my maximum-luffy jackal-eared choco-waifu. I'm fine with her being at NP2.
Now to get off my ass, finish Salem, and dread the never ending Stake grind.
// Switch: SW-5306-0651-6424 //
3DS: 0473-8507-2652
Switch: SW-5185-4991-5118
PSN: AbEntropy
If any of you want to see the Jaguar Warrior recruitment from Babylonia anime. It is...technically SFW but maybe have headphones in.
45% Defense Down --> 47.5% Defense Down.
The strongest of gainz.
// Switch: SW-5306-0651-6424 //
Ugh, the taxes I have to pay on my mansion and Porsche are so ridiculous.
All the SSR resources I acquire (read: suck up from the Gacha Economy and hoard) are totally gonna trickle down to everyone else and re-stimulate the Gacha Economy through a surplus of Support Supply. As reported by Faux News.
(This blatantly false economic theory has been paid for by the Nobles of the Mage's Association.)
// Switch: SW-5306-0651-6424 //
The 'You Should Make A Play/Movie/Show of This' Outstanding
1. Babylonia
2. Solomon
3. Camelot
[C.C.C Would Go Here if it was a Singularity. It had enough real story to be one.]
The Really Good
4. Shinjuku
5. Shimosa
The 'We're Getting There' Good
6. E Pluribus Unum
The Halfway Decent
7. Okeanos
8. Orleans
9. Fuyuki
The 'Characters Taking Dumb Pills'
10. Salem
The Overly Boring and Unexciting
11. London
The Landfill on Fire
12. Agartha
13. Septum
Salem infuriates me because it has some great characters, but they all take stupid pills for the plot.
// Switch: SW-5306-0651-6424 //
The best
1. Babylon
2. Shimosa
3. Solomon
The good-decent
4. Camelot
5. Shinjuku
6. America
The okay
7. Orleans
8. Okeanos
9. London
The whatever
10. Fuyuki (arguably an incomplete/unranked)
The bad
11. Salem (so far, almost done)
The awful
12. Septem
13. Agartha
// Switch: SW-5306-0651-6424 //
*glances down*
Yes...
I heard "Gorgon" and "interlude" and got here as quick as I could. Apparently Medusa lancer and Jaguar also have them now, too? Aw, game, I can't stay mad at you, even if I did come up empty-handed on a 10-pull for Sheba.
And as long as we're lining up Singularity rankings, have some tongue-in-cheek justifications for mine:
"Experts Agree" tier
---
Babylonia - They made an anime out of this for a reason. Best Gil v. Ishtar was endlessly entertaining, as was Fou attacking Merlin and basically everything else. Prominently features second- and third-best Medusas.
Camelot - Ozy can rival Gil in the ham department. The Hassan trio was surprisingly wholesome; would fight and die for Serenity and Cursed Arm. Also features best dad and best grandpa.
Solomon - We all know what needs to happen. Da Vinci could pull it off; I'm already picturing a 'welcome back' group hug followed by a long overdue coffee date.
"Four out of Five Experts Agree" tier
---
Shimousa - Solid presentation, good cast, legitimately creepy villains. Musashi is fun to have around, but lord do these people love to hear themselves talk, even by Fate standards.
Shinjuku - Moriarty is the kind of supervillain you could trust to look after your kids. Jalter and Salter deserve to be stuck with each other. Plot's a bit muddled, but the setting invoked fond memories of a recent trip to Japan.
"A Majority of Experts Agree" tier
---
Okeanos - "...so that's why we're surrounded by pirates" is a sublime opener. Drake is cool and Herc was a suitably menacing multi-stage boss. Loses points for Blackbeard and inferior Medea.
E Pluribus Unum - Cast selection is nonsensical, but it's well-structured with a likable group of weirdos. Edison is a cautionary tale about designing a character on psilocybin. Geronimo deserves a better skillset.
"A Plurality of Experts Can Live With" tier
---
Orleans - Elisabeth Bathory pushing back on becoming Carmilla is a neat idea that deserved more screentime. Jeanne Alter's presence offsets just how forgettable the rest of Orleans was.
Salem - Some really clever ideas but a conclusion that annoys me the more I think about it. Denied the use of Medea for plot purposes, but Circe bullying is a mitigating factor. No option to touch fluffy ears.
"Some Experts Kind of Shrugged When We Asked" tier
---
London - Jekyll and Mordred had a good rapport, and Fran is cute enough to offset at least one capital offense. Kintoki and Tamamo randomly showing up to fight Tesla remains baffling. Insufficient quantities of Fran.
Fuyuki - AKA "Hey, I remember F/SN!" Started off with some good plot beats, but thereafter known as the Bone Mines, to be revisited only in times of great need. Olga Marie headpats never.
"Experts Agree to Forget This Ever Happened" tier
---
Agartha - Pentheselia clashing with Herc was a high point, and Astolfo and d'Eon are a weirdly complementary duo. The plot was all over the place, though. Scheherazade's abilities are why. Everything else is literally why.
Septem - This was the Nero one, right? Did Elizabeth show up? Wait, no, that was America. I think Altera was the villain? Shit, I'm gonna have to google this.
Still a little depressed, though.