I am Canadian, no secrets there. While it’s been rocky times this past year+, the last month has been like no other. I am finding it difficult to sleep with the seemingly non-stop news of things that were inconceivable a few months ago. And well, a lack of sleep has all sorts of other impacts. And now we’re in election mode, with one month to go for some sense of ‘stability’. I tend to avoid writing anything that leans towards a political position, that will continue. What I will state is that these processes seem mechanical, but are social agreements. Trust takes years to build, and seconds to lose. So regardless of the outcomes of the process, the people will remain, and positive relationships are the fundamental key to long term prosperity.

Monster Hunter Wilds

Interesting crossroads here. A recent patch causes the game to randomly crash with any bluetooth controller. Not fun. Especially when I’m resting trying to get a decent investigation to pop up. Feels like a giant waste of time when farming 1-2% power increments. And honestly, at this point I’m really trying to farm level 3 decorations, which is better done through Pollen farms.

With title 1 update just around the corner, I’m going to put this game on pause. I enjoy it, but the time/reward math just isn’t there right now.

Hockey

Kids hockey is nearing the end. I’ve got 2, and one finished this weekend. Another in less than a month. Going to be weird having an extra 20-30 hours of free time a week. Knowing me and my family, we are for sure going to fill it with something. Likely a lot of time at the cottage.

Other Games

While I have a back catalogue of games to play through, I am finding it really hard to find one that sticks. My value of time is so out of whack right now, that I need to find comfort rather than exploration, and in bite size chunks. I don’t have the mental bandwidth to learn new mechanics, but I do have enough to optimize existing ones.

• I’ve tried a few cozy games (similar to Stardew Valley) and none have stuck. Bunch of reasons, though most is due to their balance of time & progress.
• Metroidvanias are everywhere, but the good ones are still the good ones! Animal Well is honestly too mentally taxing.
• Base builder / survival games are not scratching the itch. I gave Enshrouded another pass, it has a ton of new content but there are still friction points that annoy me. I may give Nightengale a shot, the mechanics seem to have greatly shifted.
• Logistic simulators are interesting. Techtonica is done. Foundry has a roadmap but no actual content for a while. Dyson Sphere hasn’t had a content patch in a year, and the last one (Dark Fog) really, really sucks. Satisfactory supports mods (yay!) and has yet to improve trains (boo!). 1.1 is coming with mostly QoL things. 1.0 was great and everyone should play it, but building for “beauty” is not what I play those games for.

Factorio

Ever since I put away my MMOs, no game has taken up as much attention as Factorio. There’s always some problem that is present, one with an evident math solution. The challenge in all logistics games is related to concepts. Your fundamental beliefs and design principles are challenged every minute, and sometimes pushed into very uncomfortable spaces. More than once I realized I made a design call a dozen hours ago that was so wrong that I had to rebuild it all to fit a larger need. The good news it that after you unlock robots (~4hrs or so in), these rebuilds are relatively easy to do. This is not the case in Satisfactory, which is a major friction point for me.

My first playthrough in Factorio was a spaghetti fest. I barely got to rockets and then put it to rest. My second playthrough was organized around city blocks (from Nilaus), which dedicated space and blueprints to focus on specific items. A block for smelting, a block for science, a block for rockets and so on. I played 2.0 in that mindset and got to the end game, RNG and all.

City blocks are a great design principle. The challenge is that aside from Nauvis (the first planet), you don’t actually have that much space to build when you land. So I am starting a new game, and using a smaller design principle that is based on the minimal roboport distance – 50×50 blocks. I will have much less space to use, requiring more creative use of belts, but also much less sprawl as a result. Should be fun to optimize.

Oh, and I turned off enemies and cliffs. I can get PvE in another game.

At this point, I have ‘completed’ all the structured content in Monster Hunter Wilds. All the main quests, optionals, events, and side quests. I think I’ve mapped out everything so I can plop down camps across the maps. This effectively caps off the exploration phase of the game, and transitions to the achievements phase. That phase has 3 main parts – weapons, armor, and decorations.

Weapons

There are two types, and the ‘best one’ depends a lot on the type. Artian Weapons have a pile of RNG and the materials only come from tempered monsters (let’s say they are 20% harder than normal versions). Regular weapons are better for elemental damage and don’t have a RNG roller coaster, and they don’t need tempered fights.

If you do need Artian weapons, there’s some small RNG in crafting them and then a PILE of RNG when upgrading them with 5 random rolls. It is min-maxing at that point though and the long term grind for 1-2% gains. Good news is that only the material to craft the weapons is lost in the RNG machine, the material to upgrade items is always recovered. And if history is any judge, the weapons will be replaced in 3 months with something better.

Armor

This part is rather straightforward. Hunt for parts. It may take time for some pieces (notably gems that have a 2-3% drop rate), but optional quests are usually enough here. I would not recommend taking on tempered monsters here until you get to 300 or so defense, you spend too much time healing. You may need to for some material, but generally can be avoided. I personally find tempered Arkveld easier than Gore Magala, but your mileage may vary.

Upgrading armor is very useful. HR armor usually has 7 tiers, and each tier costs more to upgrade, so spread out the love. Later monsters will certainly unlock better armor, so I wouldn’t concentrate in upgrading them too much.

Decorations

Right, this part sucks, big time. Always has. At HR50 you can target level 1 decorations at the melder, and at HR 100 you can target level 2 decorations. So if you need either of those, wait until you reach the proper HR level.

If you need level 3 decorations, you’re gonna have to spin the RNG wheel. Either you get melding tickets or you hunt, both are quite long in the tooth. Is it worth it? I have never found so, but it is a carrot of sorts to keep going. Decorations are good forever, keep 3 of each.

Investigations

This is the bread and butter of the late game grind and somewhat obtuse as a mechanic. That said, it is a massive improvement on the prior versions… no need to run around and collect material to unlock quests. From the world map, you can take a look at available quests per zone, and then save them so you can repeat them up to 3 times. Don’t see a quest you want? Use the rest feature to reset the quests.

Understanding what makes a GOOD investigation is part of a dance mind you. Once you get the hang of it, the cadence is pretty decent. Right now, there’s optimal investigations and then everything else.

Other Notes

• Capturing monsters is best, unless you have the rare food buff for extra carving. So 95% of the time, capture.
• The AI hunters are both great and ok. Great in that they are super helpful in combat (heal + tank) and WAY better than actual people in terms of etiquette. Ok in that their damage is substantially less than actual people. I’d strongly recommend them until you are at the end game and solo work becomes much faster.
• ‘Farming’ materials is extremely hands off and RNG heavy. Seems that there’s missing a Palico farming system.
• Cooking is still super important, but now consumes material for stronger buffs and longer durations. I personally dislike this change, if only because getting the cooking material is cumbersome. I fully expect farming to tackle this issue in the future.
• The Palico is much less useful than before. You can’t select their skills, and some have massive cooldowns.
• The Seikret mount is both amazing and curious. It can traverse the entire map in less than a minute, vertical and horizontally. It defeats the purpose for camps/exploration, with very specific exceptions. It will save your life when a monster is about to kill you as well.
• There’s very little incentive to actually explore the map. This is very jarring coming from Rise that forced you to collect boosting bugs before every fight. Which is too bad, because the map is really cool! (end game, still a good idea to have a maxed herbalist/geologist set of gear to get mats)
• I find that the game strongly focuses on raw (physical) damage and avoids nearly all status effects except frenzy. Given that there really are only 2 relevant monsters at end game, it is less complex and therefore easier. Or more accurately, Arkveld is substantially less complex than Nergigante.
• Finally, it’s important to note that the content in the game today is a fraction of what it will be within a few months. That’s how Capcom keeps people playing. Judging Wilds against Iceborne or Sunbreak is not even close to being fair. What’s here is good, really good.

I played Pillars of Eternity + Avowed more for the plot than the mechanics (slightly). Both are dialogue heavy games, where choice matters and you want to be involved.

Monster Hunter Wilds is not that type of game, you are there to attack big monsters and the story itself is more of a blur than much else. For some odd reason, the game has 2 types of cutscenes, one where you can skip ahead on the text, and another that’s locked to the entirety I always play with subtitles, too much experience with key words missed in some elvish language or something. So reading during a cutscene is instinctive and miles faster than any voice actor can deliver. Some games it’s super worth watching the nuance (Mass Effect 2 is a real highlight), others not so much. Monster Hunter Wilds is far from a bad game in that sense, but the story is superfluous and the lines given to the actors right up there with the best Monster B-movie. I get it, the whole point is exposition, so they need to tell much more than they show. I will say it’s interesting for your character to have spoken lines!

You can gather than I have the majority of the main line stuff done by this point. I’m into a multi-option quest in Chapter 5, with an HR of 30+. By my math of MH games, I should have 1 or 2 steps left after this, which would them put me in the farming stage.

I had it last post, and will say it again here, MH Wilds is mechanically a superior game to its predecessors in every regard. Combat, movement, interactions, crafting, monsters, environments, sound, art, group play… you name it, it’s done better here. The Seikret mount negates almost all of the in-world friction points from prior games and I absolutely do not miss the Wirebug from Rise. The difficulty is still here, the last quarter of the game is full of 1-hit kill monsters if you’re not paying attention. The grind is there at the tail end, so that you don’t need to farm in Low Rank. Cooking may be a bit of an adjustment as the ingredients are not infinite, but the ability to cook anywhere is amazing.

I’m still in the mix of things now, and normally only come up for air near HR50 or so (e.g. once I have the armor & weapon I want, not the decorations). The top end consumables are not really a consideration right now, nor optimization. So far, the entire vibe is Monster Hunter World 2 – Even Less Friction. Impressive.

All the way to the credits, I enjoyed the ride. There’s just so much here that simply works that it’s extremely easy to dismiss some polish pieces. May be some spoilers in here, will try to avoid.

I played a Wizard build. I tried a more stealth-based role but the combat mechanics don’t really support it. Caster, Bow or Tank are the only real options. Works for me! The character progression options as a wizard are limited for a decent while, as it has a rather unique requirement of using grimoires for spells. Grimoires are spellbooks with pre-assigned skills, so you’re generally looking for a specific type.

The challenge with a wizard, and the game in general, is that 90% of combat is against 6 or more enemies, including ranged attackers & healers. As a caster, you need to use AE attacks which have some rather weird dynamics. Fireball is super useful at the start, if only in pure damage, but the range is small and recast time long. By about level 10 you get accustomed to status effects (fire DoT, thunder stun, ice freeze) and quickly realize there’s only one true path – ice. You can clear entire camps in 2 spells if you specialize in ice attacks (skills + armor), which can feel trivial at levels 20+. I truly don’t mind feeling like a god by that point, cause it sure as heck was rough roads to get there.

Story-wise, the game moves from luscious lands to barren volcanos, with similarly ever depressing quests along the path. The pace and structure are really good though, as nearly every quest has some sort of long-term consequence, either in NPCs moving towns, or help later on. An interesting one in the 3rd zone has you visit a tower with a good 50 traps along the path, to meet 2 NPCs who are doing everything in their power to protect their land from invading forces (which you represent). It’s an interesting bit to talk them down.

Which gets me to the truly fascinating bit here, in that a large chunk of the backstory is defined by your interactions. At key points, you interact with ancient lore and select the behaviour of earlier NPCs. These choices impact the larger story, all the way until the final credits. It feels like choose-your-own-adventure here, and it works really well!

The penultimate choice is the more difficult of them all, and depending on choices / discoveries you made along the way, is either very obvious or very hard to make. I had done everything by that point, discovered a ton of lore, all sidequests, been generally ‘good’ with a couple exceptions and had a really tough time squaring the choice in front of me. It felt like a large gamble. The final choice is super obvious, you either side with a genocidal undead lich, or not. (You should try actually siding with them, I think you’d be surprised how it turns out – or not.)

Having completed the story, I am absolutely impressed with what was presented. While it does have a couple rough spots, the high points shine and make you quickly forget. All the NPCs are well constructed, with interesting and non-obvious drivers. Many of them have hubris, or are outright liars, where you need to discover more contextual clues to navigate. The companions are interesting, with varied backstories and quests. Progress is mostly self-driven through exploration, with only a dozen main quests. The choices you make are generally consequential, and it’s cool to see them come together in the final act.

Avowed does so much right, and with clear and consistent direction from Obsidian, that is honestly puts other modern RPGs with quadruple the budgets to shame. The Pillars of Eternity storyline continues, and I am looking forward to the next chapter!

Right, to the point. Avowed scratches an incredible itch that I didn’t realize I truly had. Video games, at their core, often show up as pretty skinner boxes – you repeat a set of activities hoping for a dopamine hit. The challenge with that construct is that the set of activities need some balance on challenge/reward in order to feel fulfilling. Ubisoft, for example, has lost sight of this where as games like Ghost of Tsushima have used the setting itself as the incentive.

I ‘completed’ the first zone over the weekend and am surprised at my joy in the process. While I certainly threw a lot of fireballs, it never truly felt the same. Each environment was different, so that the tactical portions changed. Sometimes there were a lot of big bad bears (melee who love to charge), other times well placed archers (which I can thankfully defend from), and at times summoners who have a seemingly infinite supply of minions + spells (which I cannot defend from). I had to prioritize each fight.

And the reason for each was different. Sometimes it was a random group just standing around. Others I had to collect a bounty. Others protected a cave I wanted to enter. Heck, a few times I just wanted to pick a fight because the dialogue gave me the choice. I don’t have to collect 5 bear pelts, or bring flowers across town, or some ridiculous box moving puzzle. Heck yeah!

Exploration

This is a thing that hasn’t really been discussed in open world games since Skyrim – 14 years ago. There’s an thing about world building where stuff has to have a purpose, even if that purpose is minor. I can trip over a dungeon that has a set of lore within, or read a note about some hidden mushrooms, or find a lost key in the sewers that opens a door to a shop. They aren’t actual tracked quests, I’m not directed to any of it. They are completely organic activities that serve contained but interconnected purposes. It feels like there’s breadcrumbs everywhere as a result and zero minimap cluster bombs. It’s exploration for the sake of exploration, not achievement. No Man’s Sky scratches that itch, but this world is hand crafted. Some human decided it was a good idea to put a book under a table for me to read, and then go on my own little adventure. Fascinating.

Combat

A decent amount of time is spent here, and a substantial amount of flexibility is present. You don’t get stronger with levels, you simply have more tools. You get stronger with better gear, and there’s so much gear to choose from. Now, you don’t have the enchantment system of Skyrim, so choices are certainly more limited, but it also prevents a sort of min/max situation of ‘perfect enchants’.

Where the game struggles, at least in my opinion, is the defensive portion. You will take a rightful beating at the start, which is likely to impact your playstyle. It’s certainly possible to go in with a 2 handed weapon, but you’re going to be tanking dirt quickly until you figure out the battle dance, especially with the sheer amount of enemy attackers. If the companion NPCs did a better job tanking, this would open more options. As it stands, you’re much better off to start with ranged attacks and finish with melee. Blocking + Parry are life, and a thousand times more reliable than dodging. Avowed is not an action game.

Next Steps

Into the new zone I go, tracking a pile of breadcrumbs along the way. And combating voices in my head every night. This is a truly enjoyable experience.

Simply, it is above my expectations.

The most obvious comparisons are Skyrim and Starfield, but the real comparison is Outer Worlds. Avowed is a level based, instanced, free flow RPG, layered on a strange set of serious lore and quirky events. Sort of like how Fallout has a serious undertone, but you’re going to find a bunch of weirdos along the way. It’s a great Obsidian product.

Character development is simple, but skills and stats can influence each other. You’re never stove piped into a single path, which adds a tremendous about of flexibility. You slowly discover these elements through the tutorial and initial level, allowing you to adapt over time. Notably, dialogue is not hidden behind super complicated skill checks (a part that annoys me in many party-based RPGs). The live action means that the onus is on you as a player to be effective, rather than the skills themselves being right/wrong.

The world itself deserves mention, in particular in regards to the design. Every space has something, and few of them have any indicators other than simply exploring. This is a massive contrast to Skyrim and Starfield, where much of the world is empty. The serendipity of discovery is everywhere. It feels like there are no wasted spaces, which is a miracle in and of itself.

Which gets me to the story elements and core drivers. I get lost easily in RPGs, following all sorts of breadcrumbs. Fallout 1’s ticking clock on getting a water chip, let me tell you how many times I failed that! I found a dungeon, after having read a note, with no in-game marker directing me. The dungeon itself was instanced, and the main story was that a delving team had gotten lost. Within, I found another godlike (born touched by a god) that sacrificed the entire team to power up a homemade robot with the spirit of a god. One, finding the actual area/quest was super organic. Second, the writing of an insane person trying to rationally explain their path was very funny. And third, the integration into the larger storyline didn’t become evident until much later.

I’m not saying the game is perfect. The moment to moment flow feels a little off, and the combat mechanics could use some QoL passes for sure (enemy AI is actually pretty good). It is however a good game, one with an interesting setting, and scratches a heck of an itch for an RPG after years of disappointment from other studios. I hope, truly hope, that Obsidian can be rewarded for what it’s been able to do here. A fraction of the budget and still hitting the right notes.

Now time to dig back in. I am enjoying shooting lightning bolts!