It wasn't all that long ago that I had to dream of getting a kaleidoscope at all. Now I get to dream of having a maxed copy of one!
Still pretty far off on both accounts, though. I think one of them has gotten four, but I'll be reluctant to max one until getting a sixth.
Yeah, I'm not giving up 80% NP on demand for multiple servants just to jump one to 100%. One of the benefits if you'd been playing since the start and the 5* CE pool was so much smaller... If only I'd known then what I knew now...
I've got five of them, which is the worst number to have after you get two. Three taking up space with no use. Then as soon as I have six everything becomes amazing again.
Found this on Reddit if anyone wants to plan out their SQ. It's a listing of all the predicted banners we're gonna get in 2021. I'm linking rather than embedding because it's kinda huge.
Maybe not as much as you might think! Here's another image with all the rewards (SQ/tickets/grails/etc) we can expect from events in 2021. Take a look at Kama's and Anniversary in particular.
Most of next year's servants that I really care about (Li, Ganesha, Nobu, Da Vinci, summer Okita and Melt) I was lucky enough to get on my other account, so it's gonna be a weird year for this one. I'm gonna roll a bit for Beni-enma, but my only other goal is "get either Summer Musashi or Space Ishtar".
Of the bunch, Assassin Li, Travel Size Da-Vinci, Big Nobu, and Space Ishtar jump out at me. Not sure how much I'll budget for each but all deserve a sincere attempt. In the last case I think it's literally just because they called her Space Ishtar, and there's a certain level where simplicity becomes genius marketing.
Then there's Summer Okita, and I can feel the bad decisions happening already...
Next year has a lot of stuff to chase after... I don't think there's anything I can really save for so much as just throw stuff at everything and see what sticks.
I just noticed that in Arash's new NP animation in JP, he shatters during the animation, so he's already gone when the animation ends. So even though the animation itself is slightly longer, it's effectively a LOT faster than it was before.
I just noticed that in Arash's new NP animation in JP, he shatters during the animation, so he's already gone when the animation ends. So even though the animation itself is slightly longer, it's effectively a LOT faster than it was before.
It's also way more in tune with what his Noble Phantasm actually is, namely him shooting an arrow so powerful it vaporized him the instant it launched, so I really like the new animation.
Ozymandias basically fanboys over Arash. It's criminal that he's a 1* servant... or it would be, except it means that everyone can quickly get him and abuse his awesome power.
It's not like he's the only servant who is way underrated or overrated by the rarity system, though.
Ozymandias basically fanboys over Arash. It's criminal that he's a 1* servant... or it would be, except it means that everyone can quickly get him and abuse his awesome power.
It's not like he's the only servant who is way underrated or overrated by the rarity system, though.
The artist's commentary for his design is kind of interesting, actually:
The great hero from Persian mythology… at least that’s what he was supposed to be, but everyone tells me he looks like a background character (sweats). At the time I still didn’t how to draw characters for smartphone games, so I was trying a lot of different ideas and ended up thinking too much about his rarity when I designed him. Despite this, he got the Self-Destruct Noble Phantasm and was promoted to a Sougin no Fragments character. Thank you everyone, specially Sakurai-san and Nakahara-san. Although I’m saying all this, I really liked the design for the armor and weapons. I like thinking about the balance between lame and cool and about making things visually memorable when I design characters. I designed the bow in a way you could feel like he cut down some holy tree to make it. By the way, the first idea for his Noble Phantasm was making the bow grow giant, but it got cut for several reasons (laughs). (BLACK)
"Sougin no Fragments" is sometimes translated as Fate/Prototype: Fragments of Sky Silver. The Servants in that weird little fragmentary light novel are Proto-Arthur, Berserker Hyde, Archer Arash, Lancer Brynhildr, Rider Ozymandias, Caster Paracelsus and Assassin Serenity - so if you ever wonder why those specific servants tend to have lines and interactions in events and interludes, it's mostly because they were in the same work.
Ozymandias basically fanboys over Arash. It's criminal that he's a 1* servant... or it would be, except it means that everyone can quickly get him and abuse his awesome power.
It's not like he's the only servant who is way underrated or overrated by the rarity system, though.
The artist's commentary for his design is kind of interesting, actually:
The great hero from Persian mythology… at least that’s what he was supposed to be, but everyone tells me he looks like a background character (sweats). At the time I still didn’t how to draw characters for smartphone games, so I was trying a lot of different ideas and ended up thinking too much about his rarity when I designed him. Despite this, he got the Self-Destruct Noble Phantasm and was promoted to a Sougin no Fragments character. Thank you everyone, specially Sakurai-san and Nakahara-san. Although I’m saying all this, I really liked the design for the armor and weapons. I like thinking about the balance between lame and cool and about making things visually memorable when I design characters. I designed the bow in a way you could feel like he cut down some holy tree to make it. By the way, the first idea for his Noble Phantasm was making the bow grow giant, but it got cut for several reasons (laughs). (BLACK)
"Sougin no Fragments" is sometimes translated as Fate/Prototype: Fragments of Sky Silver. The Servants in that weird little fragmentary light novel are Proto-Arthur, Berserker Hyde, Archer Arash, Lancer Brynhildr, Rider Ozymandias, Caster Paracelsus and Assassin Serenity - so if you ever wonder why those specific servants tend to have lines and interactions in events and interludes, it's mostly because they were in the same work.
Ozy's also remembers Arash from there which colors some of his lines and respect for him.
Ozymandias basically fanboys over Arash. It's criminal that he's a 1* servant... or it would be, except it means that everyone can quickly get him and abuse his awesome power.
It's not like he's the only servant who is way underrated or overrated by the rarity system, though.
Yeah, there are quite a few powerful servants that get a backseat in rarity, from Kojirou supposedly able to fight Musashi to a draw, to Georgios being essentially unkillable. It's definitely a gameplay thing first, but if pressed for a handwave I'd say it comes down to some degree of self-awareness and understanding of one's own legacy. For all the people treating him like he's Duke of New York, A#1, Arash still thinks of himself as just some guy who's good shot with a bow; he's consistently one of the more down-to-earth and approachable servants, and interludes featuring him (even his own to an extent) are usually about helping someone else out.
Give the man a hug before his next run as a guided missile, he's earned it.
Cu Chulainn is a 3* and Heracles is a 4*. Both could take on a large number of the 5* Servants and win easily in an actual Holy Grail War removed from gameplay.
Hell the entire reason Cu Chulainn kept getting jobbed in Fate Stay is because he was too strong compared to nearly everyone else with a Noble Phantasm that reverses causality to ensure instant death barring plot shenanigans.
Cu Chulainn is a 3* and Heracles is a 4*. Both could take on a large number of the 5* Servants and win easily in an actual Holy Grail War removed from gameplay.
Hell the entire reason Cu Chulainn kept getting jobbed in Fate Stay is because he was too strong compared to nearly everyone else with a Noble Phantasm that reverses causality to ensure instant death barring plot shenanigans.
Canonically, it's not 100% instant death, since servants with truly ridiculous abilities like Saber can reduce it to merely a serious wound (but Saber has high luck and reflexes bordering precognition), and there are noble phantasms that can deal with it. (Also, it's range is a real drawback, though Cu is nearly immune to projectiles so :rotate:)
Hercules is one of the strongest servants period. He's absolutely insanely OP. Gilgamesh only wins because Enkidu hard counters divinity. Artoria can theoretically win, but only because Excalibur is second only to Ea in raw destructive power.
The fifth grail war is honestly a ridiculous anomaly in the level of servants summoned. Heracles. Artoria. Cu. Medusa (screwed by circumstances). Medea even is among the strongest of casters. Archer and Assassin are the only ones who aren't monster tier.
Cu Chulainn is a 3* and Heracles is a 4*. Both could take on a large number of the 5* Servants and win easily in an actual Holy Grail War removed from gameplay.
Hell the entire reason Cu Chulainn kept getting jobbed in Fate Stay is because he was too strong compared to nearly everyone else with a Noble Phantasm that reverses causality to ensure instant death barring plot shenanigans.
Canonically, it's not 100% instant death, since servants with truly ridiculous abilities like Saber can reduce it to merely a serious wound (but Saber has high luck and reflexes bordering precognition), and there are noble phantasms that can deal with it. (Also, it's range is a real drawback, though Cu is nearly immune to projectiles so :rotate:)
Hercules is one of the strongest servants period. He's absolutely insanely OP. Gilgamesh only wins because Enkidu hard counters divinity. Artoria can theoretically win, but only because Excalibur is second only to Ea in raw destructive power.
The fifth grail war is honestly a ridiculous anomaly in the level of servants summoned. Heracles. Artoria. Cu. Medusa (screwed by circumstances). Medea even is among the strongest of casters. Archer and Assassin are the only ones who aren't monster tier.
Well, true, it's just that for most people getting stabbed through the heart tends to be instant death. I don't think we ever actually get to see Gae Bulg land a direct hit in Fate Stay do we? He stabs Shirou but that's just ordinary stab not the NP, stabs Saber with the NP but as you mentioned she evades it just enough, I honestly have no idea how Emiya's shield legitimately blocked the NP, and then he...uh...stabbed himself with it before stabbing Kirei. No one ever took the direct blow.
As for Archer and Assassin, I'd probably just reason that Archer essentially hijacked the slot over whoever was actually meant to show up because Counter Force shenanigans and his singular wish while Assassin was an anomaly from the start because Medea fucked with the rules as she is wont to do. Otherwise they may well have been the monstrosities to complete the set.
Cu Chulainn is a 3* and Heracles is a 4*. Both could take on a large number of the 5* Servants and win easily in an actual Holy Grail War removed from gameplay.
Hell the entire reason Cu Chulainn kept getting jobbed in Fate Stay is because he was too strong compared to nearly everyone else with a Noble Phantasm that reverses causality to ensure instant death barring plot shenanigans.
Canonically, it's not 100% instant death, since servants with truly ridiculous abilities like Saber can reduce it to merely a serious wound (but Saber has high luck and reflexes bordering precognition), and there are noble phantasms that can deal with it. (Also, it's range is a real drawback, though Cu is nearly immune to projectiles so :rotate:)
Hercules is one of the strongest servants period. He's absolutely insanely OP. Gilgamesh only wins because Enkidu hard counters divinity. Artoria can theoretically win, but only because Excalibur is second only to Ea in raw destructive power.
The fifth grail war is honestly a ridiculous anomaly in the level of servants summoned. Heracles. Artoria. Cu. Medusa (screwed by circumstances). Medea even is among the strongest of casters. Archer and Assassin are the only ones who aren't monster tier.
Well, true, it's just that for most people getting stabbed through the heart tends to be instant death. I don't think we ever actually get to see Gae Bulg land a direct hit in Fate Stay do we? He stabs Shirou but that's just ordinary stab not the NP, stabs Saber with the NP but as you mentioned she evades it just enough, I honestly have no idea how Emiya's shield legitimately blocked the NP, and then he...uh...stabbed himself with it before stabbing Kirei. No one ever took the direct blow.
As for Archer and Assassin, I'd probably just reason that Archer essentially hijacked the slot over whoever was actually meant to show up because Counter Force shenanigans and his singular wish while Assassin was an anomaly from the start because Medea fucked with the rules as she is wont to do. Otherwise they may well have been the monstrosities to complete the set.
Nah, Archer got summoned over other candidates because he has a catalyst for Rin and it's weird time travel stuff. Any Counter Force stuff in Fate/Stay Night is explicitly left ambiguous, much like how it was ambiguous in KnK. (The only time it hasn't been is basically just F/GO with the various Servants summoned into singularities/lostbelts by the World and also Fate/Accel Zero Order, I guess.)
But also they kind of make up for Archer being less of a heavy-hitter by having Gilgamesh stick around from the last war, and having him get a fight with most of the other heavy-hitters (except Cu).
To be fair Archer is an extremely powerful servant. He's a mage, disguised as a long range fighter, disguised as a close range fighter. Despite that he still holds his own in close combat to the point that a lot of other servants try to figure out what Archer would use swords. He's also the quintessential archer in strategy, preferring to take the battle as carefully and cautiously as possible, eliminating enemies from safety. Can't hold him too much at fault for his Master forcing him into conflicts he might have avoided.
Probably one of the reasons why I loved Robin Hood so much in Extra. That, and well, it's Robin.
There is no aspect, no facet, no moment of life, that cannot be improved with pizza.
I mean Archer did essentially make Caladbolg from scratch, Broke it so it was even more powerful (the sword has wiped out a mountain before) while becoming dangerously unstable, then shot it like an arrow from his bow at Berserker at a distance to nuke him and everyone around him
I don't know about you, but I also saw Archer use Unlimited Blade Works and then murderface Buddha with multiple exploding Caladbolg shot at his face, taking one turn to bring the God from 100 to 0.
I don't know about you, but I also saw Archer use Unlimited Blade Works and then murderface Buddah with multiple exploding Caladbolg shot at his face, taking one turn to bring the God from 100 to 0.
I know you probably(?) meant to reference something Extra but my mind immediately went to Records of Ragnarok.
I don't know about you, but I also saw Archer use Unlimited Blade Works and then murderface Buddah with multiple exploding Caladbolg shot at his face, taking one turn to bring the God from 100 to 0.
I know you probably(?) meant to reference something Extra but my mind immediately went to Records of Ragnarok.
Final boss of the first Extra game. Archer can delete is entire HP in a single turn after SMT style setup for 1-2 turns prior.
Nero had the easiest early game but is weakest late (lack of a strong full no-sell hard defense really hurt). Tamamo had the hardest early game but was the strongest late in a general control the opponent and battle sense. Meanwhile, late game Archer played like a SMT protagonist: buffs, debuffs, NP, unload.
Tamamo also had the highest luck, which made surviving Gae Bolg (without knowing exactly wtf you were doing) possible. Speaking of fighting against Mega Man, Rani didn't get as much love as she deserved. The story beats hit me a lot harder when round 6 was
watching Rin finally take you seriously, and Rani struggle desperately to help while dealing with the classic What Is This Emotion Called Love problem.
Compared to that having Rin on your side felt like everything was going right, while Rani had devolved further into lacking emotions. That kind of a "happy moment" without a very high cost just didn't feel like it worked for Fate.
Not to mention her route meant Berserker was played by good ol' whatsername... no seriously what the heck is her name?
There is no aspect, no facet, no moment of life, that cannot be improved with pizza.
I mean Archer did essentially make Caladbolg from scratch, Broke it so it was even more powerful (the sword has wiped out a mountain before) while becoming dangerously unstable, then shot it like an arrow from his bow at Berserker at a distance to nuke him and everyone around him
Oh, absolutely. But Caladbolg II is as hard as he can hit really, and plenty of servants are stronger. He's above average, but mainly because he's very careful and has lots of tools to plan with.
I mean Archer did essentially make Caladbolg from scratch, Broke it so it was even more powerful (the sword has wiped out a mountain before) while becoming dangerously unstable, then shot it like an arrow from his bow at Berserker at a distance to nuke him and everyone around him
Oh, absolutely. But Caladbolg II is as hard as he can hit really, and plenty of servants are stronger. He's above average, but mainly because he's very careful and has lots of tools to plan with.
He loses to lots of servants in a straight duel.
It's telling that IIRC he never actually wins a fight in anything outside of Fate/Extra (which is weird, power-level wise, given the Aozakis and all)? At best he can get a draw.
Then again, he was also kind of the villain for most of his appearances and thus didn't get to win.
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Still pretty far off on both accounts, though. I think one of them has gotten four, but I'll be reluctant to max one until getting a sixth.
Yeah, I'm not giving up 80% NP on demand for multiple servants just to jump one to 100%. One of the benefits if you'd been playing since the start and the 5* CE pool was so much smaller... If only I'd known then what I knew now...
https://i.redd.it/fo6heaisax261.png
Maybe not as much as you might think! Here's another image with all the rewards (SQ/tickets/grails/etc) we can expect from events in 2021. Take a look at Kama's and Anniversary in particular.
https://i.redd.it/ubdlxyqc31361.jpg
Steam: YOU FACE JARAXXUS| Twitch.tv: CainLoveless
I got to see Murasaki’s inkstone a year or so ago, so hopefully that’ll work as a catalyst
Then there's Summer Okita, and I can feel the bad decisions happening already...
But she is one of the worst 5*s in the game and needed two strengthenings to make her pretty okay
Although she has been really satisfying to use ever since the addition of Nobukatsu. He's the best strengthening she could have asked for!
3DS: 0473-8507-2652
Switch: SW-5185-4991-5118
PSN: AbEntropy
No, going with God is for warrior monks, who Nobu kills without mercy
I’m going with Japan’s Unifier
It's also way more in tune with what his Noble Phantasm actually is, namely him shooting an arrow so powerful it vaporized him the instant it launched, so I really like the new animation.
Fun fact, if you didn't know: Chiron considers himself to be a worse archer than Arash.
It's not like he's the only servant who is way underrated or overrated by the rarity system, though.
The artist's commentary for his design is kind of interesting, actually: "Sougin no Fragments" is sometimes translated as Fate/Prototype: Fragments of Sky Silver. The Servants in that weird little fragmentary light novel are Proto-Arthur, Berserker Hyde, Archer Arash, Lancer Brynhildr, Rider Ozymandias, Caster Paracelsus and Assassin Serenity - so if you ever wonder why those specific servants tend to have lines and interactions in events and interludes, it's mostly because they were in the same work.
Ozy's also remembers Arash from there which colors some of his lines and respect for him.
Oh yeah, and here's his NP theme from the drama CDs. Rather somber.
The companion OST tracks for the light novels and drama CDs for Fate/Prototype are fantastic.
// Switch: SW-5306-0651-6424 //
Yeah, there are quite a few powerful servants that get a backseat in rarity, from Kojirou supposedly able to fight Musashi to a draw, to Georgios being essentially unkillable. It's definitely a gameplay thing first, but if pressed for a handwave I'd say it comes down to some degree of self-awareness and understanding of one's own legacy. For all the people treating him like he's Duke of New York, A#1, Arash still thinks of himself as just some guy who's good shot with a bow; he's consistently one of the more down-to-earth and approachable servants, and interludes featuring him (even his own to an extent) are usually about helping someone else out.
Give the man a hug before his next run as a guided missile, he's earned it.
Hell the entire reason Cu Chulainn kept getting jobbed in Fate Stay is because he was too strong compared to nearly everyone else with a Noble Phantasm that reverses causality to ensure instant death barring plot shenanigans.
Canonically, it's not 100% instant death, since servants with truly ridiculous abilities like Saber can reduce it to merely a serious wound (but Saber has high luck and reflexes bordering precognition), and there are noble phantasms that can deal with it. (Also, it's range is a real drawback, though Cu is nearly immune to projectiles so :rotate:)
Hercules is one of the strongest servants period. He's absolutely insanely OP. Gilgamesh only wins because Enkidu hard counters divinity. Artoria can theoretically win, but only because Excalibur is second only to Ea in raw destructive power.
The fifth grail war is honestly a ridiculous anomaly in the level of servants summoned. Heracles. Artoria. Cu. Medusa (screwed by circumstances). Medea even is among the strongest of casters. Archer and Assassin are the only ones who aren't monster tier.
3DS: 0473-8507-2652
Switch: SW-5185-4991-5118
PSN: AbEntropy
Rank E luck.
// Switch: SW-5306-0651-6424 //
Reminder that Luck is not luck, it's the ability to change your fate.
That is something that is inimical to Cu.
Well, true, it's just that for most people getting stabbed through the heart tends to be instant death. I don't think we ever actually get to see Gae Bulg land a direct hit in Fate Stay do we? He stabs Shirou but that's just ordinary stab not the NP, stabs Saber with the NP but as you mentioned she evades it just enough, I honestly have no idea how Emiya's shield legitimately blocked the NP, and then he...uh...stabbed himself with it before stabbing Kirei. No one ever took the direct blow.
As for Archer and Assassin, I'd probably just reason that Archer essentially hijacked the slot over whoever was actually meant to show up because Counter Force shenanigans and his singular wish while Assassin was an anomaly from the start because Medea fucked with the rules as she is wont to do. Otherwise they may well have been the monstrosities to complete the set.
Yeah, Fragarach is very interesting. Of the humans who possess NPs though, Grey has the more reliable one.
3DS: 0473-8507-2652
Switch: SW-5185-4991-5118
PSN: AbEntropy
Nah, Archer got summoned over other candidates because he has a catalyst for Rin and it's weird time travel stuff. Any Counter Force stuff in Fate/Stay Night is explicitly left ambiguous, much like how it was ambiguous in KnK. (The only time it hasn't been is basically just F/GO with the various Servants summoned into singularities/lostbelts by the World and also Fate/Accel Zero Order, I guess.)
But also they kind of make up for Archer being less of a heavy-hitter by having Gilgamesh stick around from the last war, and having him get a fight with most of the other heavy-hitters (except Cu).
Probably one of the reasons why I loved Robin Hood so much in Extra. That, and well, it's Robin.
// Switch: SW-5306-0651-6424 //
I know you probably(?) meant to reference something Extra but my mind immediately went to Records of Ragnarok.
Final boss of the first Extra game. Archer can delete is entire HP in a single turn after SMT style setup for 1-2 turns prior.
Nero had the easiest early game but is weakest late (lack of a strong full no-sell hard defense really hurt). Tamamo had the hardest early game but was the strongest late in a general control the opponent and battle sense. Meanwhile, late game Archer played like a SMT protagonist: buffs, debuffs, NP, unload.
// Switch: SW-5306-0651-6424 //
Compared to that having Rin on your side felt like everything was going right, while Rani had devolved further into lacking emotions. That kind of a "happy moment" without a very high cost just didn't feel like it worked for Fate.
Oh, absolutely. But Caladbolg II is as hard as he can hit really, and plenty of servants are stronger. He's above average, but mainly because he's very careful and has lots of tools to plan with.
He loses to lots of servants in a straight duel.
3DS: 0473-8507-2652
Switch: SW-5185-4991-5118
PSN: AbEntropy
It's telling that IIRC he never actually wins a fight in anything outside of Fate/Extra (which is weird, power-level wise, given the Aozakis and all)? At best he can get a draw.
Then again, he was also kind of the villain for most of his appearances and thus didn't get to win.