I had previously resolved not to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens, on the principle of “fool me six times, shame on you; fool me seven or more times, shame on me.” My feelings on Star Wars are known by now. I think the movies are, for the most part, childish and ridiculous.

I also have a pronounced dislike of JJ Abrams.

But the smartest person I know — who is also not traditionally a Star Wars fan — liked it, and frankly, I wanted an excuse to have popcorn for lunch.

First of all, let me say that this is still very much a Star Wars movie. And by that I mean it views logic, continuity, and common sense as optional frills and frequently interrupts the already thin plot for yet another over the top spew of (admittedly excellent) special effects.

There are so many things about this movie that are utterly ridiculous or make no sense at all — not even movie sense. I couldn’t even begin to list them all, though I would especially like to highlight the First Order’s incredibly liberal definition of “fifteen minutes.”

Much of the Force Awakens’ stupidity results from its endless need to make shameless and unnecessary plays to nostalgia. I’m not sure I entirely agree with those who say that this is purely a retreat of A New Hope, but it does feel that way at certain points.

By far the most egregious example is the fact they built another Death Star.

What is it with these Dark Side types and their Death Stars? Lordy, I thought I had a one track mind.

It’s like Terry Brooks with the damn Blue Elfstones. Just stop. There are other plot devices out there!

And just like the original Death Star, it destroys worlds and kills millions in a cataclysmic attack that is forgotten by every character within five minutes and has no significant impact on the story.

However, not every nod to the past is a negative. Both Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher reprise their original roles, and perhaps the biggest surprise for me out of the whole movie was how incredibly good they both were.

Both show a great vulnerability, and they’re very convincing as a pair who have simply suffered too much and lost too much. It’s kind of heartbreaking, honestly.

Han still has all of his cockiness and sarcasm, but it’s clear it’s now just a shell he’s built around his pain. There’s a definite fragility to it.

However, the real strengths of The Force Awakens are where it stops riding the coattails of its predecessors.

For all its many flaws and unabashed stupidity, there is one major highlight to the seventh Star Wars film.

Her name is Rey.

Now, I can understand why people call her a Mary Sue. She pretty much is, but that’s kind of par for the course in Star Wars. It’s meant to be a very larger than life, mythic story. So it fits for Rey to be amazing at pretty much everything.

Either way, she’s impossible not to like. Daisy Ridley plays her with an irresistible combination of toughness, vulnerability, and charisma. Despite her admitted Mary Sue-ish traits, she still comes across as a very human character, and watching her grow and evolve over the course of the movie, defying the expectations of those around her at every turn, is a complete joy.

This is something that hasn’t really existed in Star Wars before: competent acting. Not just competent — excellent, even. I’m very impressed by the subtleties of Daisy Ridley’s performance. She’s able to communicate a lot of inner turmoil and growth with just subtle facial expressions and changes in her tone of voice.

Rey is definitely the star of The Force Awakens, in every sense of the term.

Of course, she’s also a complete reversal of the stereotypical roles women are generally relegated to in the media, and generally a feminist’s dream come true. Hell, I’m a guy, and I love it.

This is another unexpected triumph of The Force Awakens; it does a fantastic job of giving women a fair shake. Not just in terms of major characters, but even just unnamed fighter pilots, stormtroopers, and random extras. I don’t think I ever truly realized how male-dominated our media truly is before now. This may be the first blockbuster I’ve ever seen with a cast that is more or less gender-balanced.

Does make me feel good to pay to see the movie. That’s actually part of why I decided to see it in the first place — I heard it was an unusually progressive movie. Anything I can do to piss off racists and misogynists.

Which I suppose brings us to the other main character of the film, Finn. He’s still an unusually strong character for Star Wars, but he definitely isn’t the home run Rey is.

What I like most about Finn is that he’s a stormtrooper who refused to bow to evil. It puts a human face to what have previously been portrayed as evil drones without identity or humanity. On the downside, this statement is rather undermined by the fact that everyone else in the First Order is portrayed as cartoonishly evil, with no attempt made to give them any kind of nuance, or a motivation beyond “rawr evil.”

I also found that John Boyega was hamming it up a bit. Sometimes it’s the charming kind of ham, but other times it’s just ham.

I also feel like they’re trying to set-up a romance between him and Rey, which already has me cringing over its predictability. I’d be more on board with all that Finn/Poe shipping that’s going around. They’ve got chemistry.

And just as not all of the nods to the past movies are bad, not all of the new characters are marks in the film’s favour. Specifically, Kylo Ren has got to be one of the most pathetic excuses for a villain I’ve ever seen.

At no point does he feel even remotely dangerous or intimidating. He comes across as a whiny, petulant child. If there’s one thing Star Wars got right before, it was Darth Vader, so Ren feels especially disappointing considering the act he has to follow. Hell, even Palpatine’s one-dimensional cartoon evil was still better than Ren’s temper tantrums.

And I still say that lightsaber crossguard is idiotic.

Finally, The Force Awakens does have a very bad case of “first movie in the trilogy.” All whizz bang action aside, not all that much actually happens, and it ends up feeling more like an introduction to the new characters than a fully fleshed out story.

So honestly, I’m really struggling to figure out how to rate The Force Awakens. It is both an excellent movie, and a powerfully stupid one. One scene will have you facepalming so hard you’ll get bruises, and the next will make you want to stand up and cheer.

I guess I can say this much: I don’t regret going to see it. There’s that.

Overall rating: 7/10 I definitely think this is one of those things where I’ll come back in a few months and feel that I should have given this a different rating. This is the best I can do for now.

Full disclosure: I had most of the movie spoiled for me before I saw it, and I do find Daisy Ridley very attractive. Both of these things may have skewed my review one way or the other.

It saddens me to no end that the RTS genre has fallen to the wayside as it has, so I try to snap up any decent-looking one I can find.

Enter sci-fi RTS Grey Goo.

I’ll say upfront that this review focuses on the single-player campaign. I’ve heard it said that the multiplayer community for Grey Goo is virtually nonexistent, and I didn’t have much interest in playing it competitively anyway.

Grey Goo centers on the conflict between three races: a ragged group of alien refugees called the Beta, a hyper-advanced far future version of humans, and the titular all-consuming nanotechnology.

Interestingly, we first experience the game through the eyes of the Beta, not the humans. The Beta have spent generations fleeing across the stars to escape something called “the Silent Ones.” When hostile probes begin appearing on their world, they fear the Silent Ones have found them again, but the new threat is discovered to be something altogether alien to the Beta — though rather familiar to players.

And through it all is the rising danger of the Grey Goo, a ravenous breed of nanotechology consuming all in its path to attain some unknown goal.

Based on the setting and the trio of races, I had expected Grey Goo to be something of a StarCraft clone, but it turns out to play more like the old Dune or Command and Conquer games. I have since learned a lot of former Westwood people worked on Grey Goo, so that explains that.

It’s not my favourite style of RTS, but with the genre flagging as it is, beggars can’t be choosers, and it’s been so long since I played a game in this style that there was something pleasantly nostalgic about it.

There’s just one resource to gather, catalyst, and the races aren’t terribly distinct. Beta and humans play pretty much the same with only subtle differences.

The Goo are a bit different. Their units are still fairly similar to those of other races in a lot of cases, but there are more deviations (the Goo, for instance, cannot field air units), and their economy is completely different. There are no structures, only protean blobs of Goo that then transform into units.

Each race can also field epic units, which are akin to Age of Mythology’s Titans. They are very difficult to create, but nearly unstoppable once produced. Although Goo were my least favourite race to play, their epic unit, the Purger, was the most fun for me. Nanotech Cthulhu.

This is a rare case where I actually liked the humans best. An interesting twist is that in Grey Goo, humanity plays the role of the super advanced aliens, with the Beta technology being far more basic and rough around the edges. At one point a human dismisses the Beta as primitives by saying, “They’re still using bullets in their guns.”

I mostly enjoyed the campaign, but it does suffer from two major flaws, which sort of feed off each other.

The first is that it’s very short. There are only five missions per race, and I was able to finish the entire campaign within ten hours.

As a result, it can also be quite rushed. There isn’t enough time to fully flesh out the characters or develop the story arcs.

The other issue is that this is one of those games that really throws you into the deep end and hopes you learn to swim. This is true of both the gameplay, as Grey Goo does offer a relatively steep learning curve, and the story, which throws you right into the middle and leaves you to try to figure out what’s going on. It took until midway through the final campaign for me to get a clear picture of Grey Goo’s backstory and what was really going on. This is undoubtedly the result of how small the campaign is.

There’s a DLC campaign, Emergence, to help flesh things out, but it’s quite brief, so while it does add some welcome insight into the events of the campaign, it doesn’t do much to help the game’s length issue. It’s also very difficult and thus somewhat frustrating.

There are a few other hiccups, as well. The mission design is old school in the extreme, with nearly every mission being some variation of “go destroy the enemy base.” The difficulty is a bit oddly tuned, too, with some missions being fairly simple, but others, especially near the end, being incredibly frustrating even on the easiest difficulty setting.

That said, once you finally figure out what’s going on, the story of Grey Goo is pretty interesting, with some good twists and excellent use of its core sci-fi concepts.

This is definitely not the same style of sci-fi StarCraft is — IE just fantasy with space ships and guns — but a game that is serious about its science fiction. Grey Goo is about as close to hard sci-fi as I’ve yet seen in a video game. Which still isn’t that close, but still.

Putting aside the issues mentioned above, the storytelling is of a high quality. Cutscenes are frequent and spectacular, and the voice acting is very strong.

Despite some stumbles, I would like to see a sequel or expansion to Grey Goo. There’s a really interesting premise here, and the world needs more quality RTS games.

Overall rating: 7.3/10

Also, because I can:

I’ve only ever seen one episode of Archer. The ants thing was the only part that made me laugh.

Well, this is it. The end at last. I hope you’ve enjoyed the story so far, and if you’re just joining us, you can get caught up with the previous chapters now.

With the war over, the time has come to pick up the shattered pieces of civilization. The next journey is at hand.

———————

Epilogue: The Next Journey

The ceremony began.

The crowd hushed as Yarnig approached from their left. In the distance, the rush of the river could be heard. Yarnig’s boots crunched on the blackened gravel beneath his feet, all the remains that the machines had left behind after Retgard’s abandonment.

He felt oddly relaxed. All he had to do was speak well, and that was the one aspect of leadership he was skilled at. He wore the finest clothes he had been able to find, and a circlet of gold – a replica of the one that had been lost with the death of Empress Lorganna – sat upon his head.

He came to stand before the center of the crowd, beside a kneeling figure in polished chain mail and fine furs. The crowd spread up the side of the valley, arranged so that they all had a view of the ceremony. Leha, Drogin, Doga, Benefactor, and Natoma stood in the front row, smiling.

Yarnig faced the assembly. “First, there came the Tor Sinnis, the Tor Makers, who led our people away from oppression and founded this nation. Then came the Tor Vargis, the Tor Liberators, who freed our people from the rulership of the Northern Clans. And finally, the Tor Lannis, the Tor Defenders, who broke the power of Jansia and made Tor Som one of the great nations of the world.”

He lowered his voice, dropping his eyes mournfully. “Then, when the Automatons rebelled, our nation was shattered, and our leaders were wiped out. Only I, the last scion of the Tor Lannis, survive, and I have never been prepared for the burdens of leadership.”

He brought his gaze up to face the crowd, slowly raising his voice. “I cannot lead our people into the future.” Solemnly, he reached up and removed the circlet from his head. “Perhaps the day will come when my line shall again lead, but it is not today. I hereby abdicate the throne of Tor Som.”

He turned to the kneeling form at his left. “But there is another with the strength and the wisdom to bring our nation into the future. Today, we begin a new dynasty,” he said, his voice echoing through the mild autumn air. He reached down and placed the circlet upon the pale hair of the kneeling figure. “I crown Eranna Tor Kellis, the Tor Savior, empress of all Tor Som!”

The crowd erupted into jubilation.

Leha clapped and cheered.

“Hail Eranna!” Doga shouted, his deep voice booming, and many in the throng echoed his words.

Eranna came to her feet, holding up a polished spear. “Thank you. I promise that I will do all I can to ensure that our nation recovers from the horrors of the past year. Tor Som will rise again, my friends.”

The people cheered louder.

Yarnig applauded his successor, feeling a burden lift from his shoulders.

* * *

The celebration lasted throughout the day and into the evening. The sun disappeared behind the rim of the valley, and the stars came out above, and still they celebrated.

The celebration was not just for Tors. The coronation of Empress Eranna constituted the first step towards rebuilding the lives that people had before the rebellion of the Automatons. This brought them all closer to reclaiming what they had lost. Thus, Tors, Eastenholders, Karkarans, Urannans, Clanspeople, and even a number of Lost Ones and ice creatures all joined in the merriment.

For Leha, circulating through the gathering and sipping her ulu and brandy, it seemed a magical night. It was a chance to relinquish the burdens of leadership and simply enjoy herself, something she had not done in a very, very long time. The air was cool without being cold, and the stars were bright. If the night had been crafted to be pleasant, she didn’t think it could have been better.

There was little food to be had, but that didn’t matter to the revelers. The chance to enjoy each other’s company, and to do so without fear, was worth more to them than a thousand banquets.

The festivities also brought the chance to enjoy something else that had been all too rare over the past year: music. During the struggle with the Automatons, there had been little time for music, and even in the few moments of peace, no one had felt much like playing, or listening. But now things were different. Now, they had both the time and a reason to enjoy themselves.

Most of the musicians and instruments of the other nations had been lost in the war, so the music came courtesy of the Clanspeople. Their music, played primarily with large drums and horns, was loud and booming while still being harmonious and melodic. Smaller wind instruments provided subtle undertones to the songs.

Leha danced for what felt like hours. She danced with Drogin and with Lahune, and she and Doga taught each other the dances of their respective worlds. Once, near the end of the night, she even danced with Yarnig.

Afterward, she thanked the young Tor for saving her life after the battle with the Automaton Lord. He smiled, seeming to enjoy the compliment. She watched him go, thinking of how much he had changed since she had first met him. He had a purpose now, she saw. He was not just a lost boy anymore.

Those at the celebration spoke much about the future. The trials of the past months had necessitated the loss of many social inhibitions, and there was no separation between high and low-ranking individuals at the celebration, so Leha was privy to all the discussions.

The Tors mostly talked of rebuilding their nation. They wistfully described the beauty that their cities had once had, and they speculated on how things would change with the reconstruction. They talked of resuming their lives, of again farming and doing business.

The Karkarans also planned to rebuild their nation. Some had already headed south to begin the work.

The Eastenholders seemed divided. Many were eager to return home and rebuild what the Tors and Automatons had destroyed, but others believed that it would be better to move forward and find a new homeland. So much of the world was now unclaimed.

Many Eastenholders believed that they needed to reform their government, to elect a new magistrate. All agreed that, in such a contest, Leha would be chosen in a heartbeat. She tried to steer them away from that idea. She had no intention of accepting new responsibilities. Besides, she reasoned, she knew little of law or governance.

The Clanspeople had lost the least to the Automatons, and they did not have much recovering to do. Their lives would change little. However, there would be one major change for them. To Leha’s delight, they had negotiated an agreement with the Tors that would not only see them open trade but also allow the Clanspeople to make use of the northern reaches of Tor territory, land that had belonged to the Clans before the Tors had claimed it as their own.

Members of all nations talked of going south, to Uranna. Most of the country’s once vast population had been killed, and a host of people were eager to resettle the clement, fertile land.

Lahune said that he planned to stay wherever populations were high. Recent events had rendered people more open to his order’s teachings, and he planned to make the most of it.

Most of the Lost Ones and ice creatures would be returning to their worlds to aid in rebuilding what the machines had destroyed – many had already done so – but others, especially among the Lost Ones, had become enamored with Barria and would be staying. Some hadn’t decided.

Late in the festivities, Leha took Doga aside and asked what his plans were.

“I’ll be staying here for the moment,” he said. “I plan to help Eranna rebuild her country. I learned much about logistics and organization while we fought on the northern front. I should be able to help.”

Leha nodded.

“After that, I am not sure. I miss Tyzu, but I want to see more of Barria. I want to see it without the pall of war obscuring my vision.” He breathed in the cool air and gazed up at the stars. “For seven thousand years, every Lost One has dreamed of visiting Barria. I’m not eager to leave.”

She nodded again, trying to imagine what it had been like to be cut off from humanity’s homeworld.

He peered down at her. “What about you? What are your plans for the future?”

“Natoma and I are planning to head south,” she said, her voice slightly slurred by the brandy. “There are survivors in Pira, Karkar, and Uranna, and they need to know the war is over. They need to know that there are other humans out there who can help them. We’ll take a small group and find everyone we can.”

“Many people scattered when the machines rebelled. It may take years to find them all,” he said.

She agreed. “We won’t be able to search everywhere, but we’ll do what we can. Benefactor wanted to come, so we’ll be able to use his telepathy to look for nearby minds.”

“When will you leave?”

She shrugged. “In a week or two. There are a few loose ends that need tying up first.”

He wished her good luck with her journey, and she thanked him.

He asked if she wanted to dance again, but she refused, citing her tiredness and the effects of the brandy.

Sometime after midnight, with parts of the celebration still going, Leha found her way to her to tent and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

The cool air whipped past Yarnig’s face as he rode up the lane, his horse’s hooves pounding on the unpaved dirt. The road had been neglected for the better part of a year, and leaves and detritus covered it, but it had not yet become impassable.

Trees lined both sides of the road, their branches occasionally arching overhead to provide shade. This far north, the leaves had already begun to change, and the bright sun reflected off reds, yellows, and oranges as well as the green of the leaves that had not yet begun their metamorphosis. The scent of fallen leaves filled his nostrils as he rode.

He could have made this trip by jumping point, but he relished the opportunity to ride through these woods again. Every smell and sight brought back pleasant memories of his youth.

As he looked about him, he saw no signs of Automaton-inflicted damage. He took some hope from that. The nearby town of Timbrocken, where he had jumped in, had been flattened. But the machines had not had time to completely scour the world of human influence, and there had been reports of isolated homes or settlements surviving.

Ahead, the road forked. He took the right fork, grinning as he tore around the bend.

Yarnig had planned to come here for months. The notion had been at the back of his mind since Leha had ordered the settlements abandoned, and once the war had ended, he had promised himself that he would make the journey.

Healing wounded and helping with the recovery had kept him busy for days after the battle at the camp, and then the journey back to Tor Som had kept him distracted for several more weeks. Now, he had started to help in the reconstruction of Retgard, but Eranna had allowed him time for this personal journey.

He spotted a pair of gates ahead, and his heart skipped a beat. They appeared intact.

He brought his horse to a halt and dismounted. He stepped forward. The gates were made of iron and spanned the distance between two pillars of stone. They were remarkably simple for something owned by a royal family and bore little adornment. They were a bit rustier and more weather-beaten than he remembered, but they were otherwise undamaged. Lines of tall evergreens, planted many years ago by servants of his ancestors, extended from either side of the gates, delineating the edge of the lands owned by the Tor Lannis family.

Beyond the gates, Yarnig could see the roof of his country home.

Behind him, Yarnig’s companion reined in her horse and dismounted, streaks of blue touching her hair as the sun glinted off it.

“Is this it?” Natoma asked, hitching their horses to a tree.

He nodded. “Yes.”

He produced a key from his pocket and unlocked the gates. They swung open with a whine, and Yarnig and Natoma stepped into the courtyard.

The country home stood ahead of them. Like the gates, it was very simple by royal standards. This place had been built as a place to retreat from the burdens of court, and its builders had not wanted a reminder of their rank and responsibilities. It was a large dwelling, but it was far from a palace. The months of abandonment had left it in need of some maintenance, but it seemed largely undamaged.

To their left, a building that had once housed servants stood in a similar state of disrepair. To their right, the wind whistled through an abandoned stable.

Out beyond the country home and a few small outbuildings, the vast forest stretched into the distance, the trees sighing to each other.

They moved forward, taking in the sights.

“This is where you grew up?” Natoma said.

“Yes,” he said, striding across the leaf-covered stones of the courtyard. “We spent most of our time in the palace in Retgard, but this is where all the good things happened.”

She breathed deeply. “It’s beautiful.”

He glanced about, smiling wistfully. “Yes, it is.”

He went to the front of the home, opened the door, and went inside. He moved through the rooms, inspecting them to see how they had weathered the past months. Natoma entered a few moments after him, following a path slightly different from his through the house. The air smelled of dust and mold, and he noticed signs of mice and other vermin, but no severe damage had been done to the place.

“It isn’t too bad,” he called to Natoma from a guest bedroom. “A few weeks work should be enough to restore it.

She strolled into the doorway behind him. “Do you plan on coming back here permanently?” she asked.

He turned to face her. “I don’t know.” He went to the room’s window and looked out. “I love it here, but it will be very isolated until the countryside is repopulated, and I’m needed in Retgard.” He considered. “I suppose that’s where I’ll stay for now. But I want to come back here one day. Soon, hopefully.”

They resumed their exploration of the home. Yarnig lost himself in memories of the past.

Sometime later, he found himself in one of the sitting rooms, the one in which he had first thought of traveling north to contact the Clans. He went to the far wall and found the map that he had stared at all those months ago. He wiped a thin layer of dust from it and considered the blank stretch that represented Clan territory.

He heard Natoma come in. “Who is this?” she asked.

He turned around. She stood before a sketch of a woman with pale, flowing hair and noble, elegant features. Yarnig’s servants had brought much of his artwork with them when the place had been abandoned, but this one had been left behind.

“My mother,” he said, coming to stand next to her.

Natoma glanced at him. “I can see the resemblance.”

He nodded.

“Have you decided whether you’ll be coming yet?” she said after a moment. She referred to Leha’s mission to the south.

He sighed. “I don’t think that I can. They need my abilities in Retgard.”

She turned to face him, nodding understandingly.

“But you’ll be jumping back for supplies regularly, right? We should still be able to see each other,” he added.

She smiled warmly. “Yes, we will.” She kissed him.

He returned her smile.

She collected the portrait of his mother, and they left the home together, hand in hand.

* * *

They arrived in a flash of green-white light, briefly illuminating the ruins of Three Gates.

Leha, Drogin, and Eranna stood in what had once been a square. The homes and shops that had surrounded it were now nothing more than charred rubble and broken foundations. The sun shone almost as brightly as it had on the day of the city’s death, and a light wind ruffled their clothes. The air was silent, and their breathing sounded loud.

They began to move, picking their way through the rubble, saying little. They soon split up, each going to confront the past in their own way.

It had been Leha’s idea to come. The idea of traveling here to put the past to rest had been in her mind for weeks now. One night, she had suggested it to the other two, and they had taken to the idea.

None of them had set foot in the city since its fall. They had passed by it on their journey to Tor Som after the Battle of Heart, but the Tor army had already looted it of useful supplies, so there had been no reason to enter it. At the time, Leha had wanted to avoid the ruins and the memories they brought up. She suspected the others had felt the same way.

As she made her way down the rubble-strewn streets, Leha realized she hardly recognized anything. Almost nothing was left standing, and little of the remains were identifiable as what they had been.

She supposed it was surprising that this much remained. The Automatons had ground the cities of the other nations into nothing but dust and pebbles, but they had been far less thorough with the Eastenholder settlements. They hadn’t had time in the early days of the war, she guessed, and her people had abandoned the country, so the machines had probably decided the scouring of Eastenhold could wait. She didn’t doubt that they would have done it eventually.

Here and there, she spotted pieces of white bone. She shuddered.

She hoped she had done enough. She hoped nothing like this would ever happen again.

At last, she came to something too familiar not to recognize: a rectangular foundation filled with enough rubble to indicate that the building had had a second floor. Her shop. Her home.

She stepped through what remained of the doorway. Numbly, without thinking about what she was doing, she began to sift through the rubble. The sound of stone against stone echoed eerily in the quietness of the ruins.

She moved a large chunk of brick, and something glinted. She reached down and retrieved the object. It was the Urannan mirror she had removed from the window on the day of the attack. Its glass had been cracked, and its frame was scuffed, but it was in surprisingly good condition otherwise.

She studied her reflection.

She didn’t look as she had on the day of the attack. Her face remained youthful, but her eyes, with their deep blue pupils, lacked the sparkle they had once held, and her longer hair made her look older.

She noticed a small scar beneath her right eye. She ran a finger along it, trying to remember how she’d gotten it. She couldn’t.

She sighed and set down the mirror. With one hand, she collected her hair at the base of her neck. She sent a small amount of acid trickling down one claw of her other hand, and in one quick motion, she burned through her hair, leaving it shoulder length.

She retrieved the mirror. Her hair now formed a frame around her face, barely reaching her shoulders, as it had before the war. She put on a smile, and in the reflection, she almost looked like she once had.

She continued to rummage through the ruins, but she found little. Her books had been consumed by fire, and most of her artifacts and trinkets had been smashed.

In the end, she left it all behind.

As she made her way back, she encountered Eranna. The Tor’s eyes widened slightly when she noticed Leha’s hair.

Eranna asked a few questions about what she had been doing, and Leha briefly described the return to her shop. They fell silent for several long moments.

“I used to have dreams about this,” Eranna said, gesturing at the shells of buildings.

Leha glanced at her questioningly.

“I dreamed about the battle,” she explained. “In my mind, it melded with the battle in the Mannall Range, and sometimes with other battles as well. Whenever I closed my eyes, I saw the fire, the blood.” Her eyes stared at something Leha couldn’t see.

“Do you still have them?” Leha asked.

Eranna shook her head slightly. “They’ve been getting less frequent since we won the battle at the camp. I haven’t had one in a few weeks. I’m hoping that they’re gone for good.” She managed a smile.

Leha squeezed her arm gently.

When they returned to the square they had jumped in at, they found Drogin waiting for them. He carried a small sack in one hand. He showed Leha its contents: a small bronze sculpture of General Phanto and a few other items from his home.

They took one last look at the ruins, and then Drogin raised his wand. Green-white light flashed around them.

* * *

Eight days later, early on a frosty autumn morning, Leha and the others who would make the journey south began the final preparations for departure.

The Clanspeople had constructed several hovering wagons specially for the journey. Having already been stocked with food and weaponry – there was always the risk of encountering Automatons that had evaded the hunting parties – the wagons were hitched with their teams of reindeer and brought to the edge of the valley that Retgard sat within.

A tingle of excitement ran through the air. Leha smiled often, looking forward to seeing more of the world, even in its ruined state, and Benefactor twitched eagerly, baring his dark teeth.

Leha felt a kind of cheer that she had not in a long time. Since her journey to Three Gates, the pain of the past had not seemed so strong.

A great crowd gathered to see them off, waving and calling out good wishes. They stayed at a respectful distance to allow the members of the party and those close to them to say their goodbyes privately.

Leha joked with Lahune about how their lives continued to interfere with their recording efforts. Then she and Drogin shared a long hug, saying their heartfelt goodbyes. Yarnig and Natoma stood close to each other and shared a few hushed words of farewell. Doga and Eranna went among the members of the party, wishing them good luck. The other members of the party bade farewell to their friends and family.

The time came for them to leave. Leha and the others boarded the wagons, still calling out final words of parting. The reindeer began to move, and the wagons set off down the road to the south, the sun shining brightly upon them.

The next journey had begun.

———————

If you’ve enjoyed Rage of the Old Gods, I encourage you to show your support by purchasing a copy for yourself or a friend. Smashwords ebooks are DRM free, so you can share them as you please.

Also, I currently have no plans to release any free chapters of the next two books beyond the free previews currently on Smashwords and Amazon. If you want to see the continuation of Leha’s adventure, I encourage you to check them out.

In Children of the Gods, our heroes must face the dark legacy of the Old Gods when a heretofore unknown offshoot of humanity lands on the shores of Pira. Leha must defend her people, but in so doing, she betrays everything she has fought for. Will humanity’s survival come at the cost of its soul?

And in Human Again, a haunted Leha must confront the cost of her gambles: an entire universe of worlds ruined by her mistakes. Can she withstand such horrors? Can the saviour of humanity save herself?

Here in Canada, a new streaming service — like Netflix but not Netflix — called shomi has been offering a two month free trial, so I figured I might as well check it. Price is right, after all.

I wouldn’t say shomi is any better than Netflix, or any worse. Both have fairly limited selections (Canadian Netflix is a pale shadow of its US incarnation). But importantly, there isn’t a lot of overlap between their selections, so I’ve been enjoying shomi purely as a source of variety.

In addition to finally catching up on Vikings, I decided to give iZombie a try, having seen a few ads for it and been mildly curious.

As it turns out, it’s actually pretty good.

iZombie is the story of Olivia “Liv” Moore, a bright, over-achieving young medical student who has been dead for about six months.

Liv had the misfortune to be caught in a sudden and inexplicable zombie outbreak. One scratch and some light drowning later, and she is now possessed of an unusually pallid complexion and some rather extreme new dietary requirements.

She now works in a morgue for easy access to fresh brains. After eating a brain, she gains the person’s memories and some of their personality, and she begins helping the police solve crimes using these stolen memories. Her cop partner is of the impression she is an emo psychic, which explains her pallor and her visions.

It’s weird. But fun.

iZombie is a hard show to define. If I had to give it a label, I’d call it a comedy, but it also has elements of drama and mystery and at times resembles a cop show or a superhero story. It’s based on a comic book, so it is, well, very comic book-y.

It’s not a series with a whole lot of depth, and there some parts of it that you just shouldn’t think too hard about — such as the incredibly lax security at the police station morgue — but it’s plenty entertaining.

The characters are likable — especially Ravi, Liv’s disturbingly eager accomplice in all things undeath-related — and it’s just so odd it’s hard not to appreciate. Where else can you find gems of dialogue such as, “You ate the woman’s temporal lobe. The least you can do is help find her killer.”

Also plenty of little in-jokes. I mean, she’s a zombie, and her name is Liv Moore. I see what you did there, iZombie.

To be fair, I’ve only see a couple of episodes so far, but I haven’t seen a bad one yet. “Live and Let Clive” was a little weak, but worth it for Liv’s instant kung fu, progression of Blaine’s plot, and Major and Ravi geeking out over Diablo III.

So if you haven’t seen iZombie yet, I would definitely recommend checking it out. It might not be Shakespeare, but it’s funny, entertaining, and very different.

* * *

By the way, if you’re wondering why I’m not doing my usual battery of reviews for this show, the simple answer is I don’t want to. For the most part I enjoy maintaining this blog, but having to come up with a ~500 word review after every episode of a show can at times feel a little burdensome.

iZombie is an ideal show for relaxation — light-hearted and largely uncomplicated — and I didn’t want to spoil that by having to get into a work headspace after every episode.

But it’s a good enough show that I wanted to give it a shout out. It’s worth your time.

…Now I’m wondering what would happen if Liv ate my brain. Probably she’d just start tripping and dropping things more, and bore everyone around her to death with constant chatter about Elves.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is another movie I missed out while I was living out in the middle of nowhere, but thanks to Netflix, I have now caught up.

The previous movie was somewhat imperfect, but still enjoyable on the whole, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is pretty much the same. It’s more well put together than Rise was, but still ultimately unsatisfying in some ways.

For Dawn, the plot jumps ahead ten years and goes full post-apocalyptic. Most of the human race has been wiped out by the so-called “simian flu,” to the point where the apes believe humans are extinct altogether.

The apes, on the other hand, have prospered, and led by Caesar, they have begun to build their own society in the wilderness of California.

Caesar and the orangutan Maurice are the only characters to return from the first movie, though I doubt anyone’s complaining, as the human cast members were by far the weakest link of Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Things change when a group of human scouts stumbles into ape territory, hoping to reactivate an old hydro-electric dam to power an enclave of survivors. Relations between apes and humans are initially tense, but Caesar hopes to come to an understanding with the humans, and he finds a kindred spirit in a human named Malcolm and his family.

But there are elements on both sides who are distrustful. The biggest obstacle to coexistent between human and ape comes from Koba, a lieutenant of Caesar’s who was tortured by human medical experiments in the past and wants nothing more than to make humanity suffer.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes wisely puts a greater emphasis on the apes than its predecessor, and they remain the more interesting and developed half of the plot, but this time the humans are not so flat and lifeless, and they also prove a worthy contribution to the story.

There are also a lot less things in this movie that are, well, stupid, compared to Rise. There are still some implausible or ridiculous things — Caesar seems to have Wolverine-levels of healing ability, and the size of the ape population seems to vary based on the needs of the plot at any given moment — but on the whole it’s a much more well-written story.

However, the themes and arc of the story are a bit confused. It often seems to be wanting to tell a morally gray story, with neither the apes nor the humans being entirely good or evil, but in practice it does tend to make the apes out to be bad guys more often than not. Ultimately Caesar and Maurice are the only decent apes.

It makes the movie a bit hard to get invested in, because the apes are the focus and the main characters, but they’re also the villains. It’s… odd.

Perhaps because of this, I found the story somewhat unsatisfying. The ending is neither pleasant nor conclusive.

Overall rating: 7.3/10 Like its predecessor, it’s an interesting but flawed movie.

The Secret World has at last launched its long-awaited group finder tool, and I’m finding it a study in how small changes can make a huge difference in how fun a game is.

Really all the group finder does is make finding groups less time-consuming and encourage people to run a greater variety of dungeons — there’s now a daily challenge to complete a random dungeon via the group finder’s randomizer feature.

Yet this feels like one of the biggest updates TSW has ever had.

Consider that for much of my TSW career, running dungeons has been something done only very sporadically, and when I did, I basically only ever did Polaris on nightmare, plus the occasional Darkness War, Hell Raised, or Hell Eternal — and I do want to stress occasional.

Elites were worthless, with no relevant rewards at all. Non-18s nightmares were too stressful, and groups for those dungeons always mandated higher levels of gear than I own anyway.

It’s a whole other story now. I can easily find groups whenever I want — no need to muster the energy to spend an hour looking for a group — and now that elites, too, can be rewarding, the pool of potential dungeons has effectively expanded massively. I’m not stuck endlessly spamming Polaris.

I’ve done several runs with the group finder at this point, all positive, but there’s one story I’d like to particularly highlight.

I’m getting in the habit of doing a random elite regularly for the daily challenge. It’s low stress and rewarding, reminding of running heroics back in Wrath of the Lich King so much the nostalgia is palpable. In this case, I was playing my Templar, who needs better gear to tackle Tokyo.

First of all, I was queued as DPS only, and the group still popped instantly. That’s amazing. That doesn’t happen in WoW, and it has a much higher pool of players to draw from. I can’t imagine how this happened, but I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth. It is worth noting, though, that while my other queues have not been instantaneous, they have all been very fast — five minutes at most.

We zoned into the Slaughterhouse, which is a dungeon I haven’t run in over a year, at least. It was a perfect sweet spot where I mostly remembered the mechanics, but it still felt almost new to me.

I had forgotten that TSW actually has great dungeon design. My complaint was always the difficulty of finding groups. But now I’m reminded that its dungeons boast fantastic art design, fun and interesting mechanics, and strong stories that don’t interrupt gameplay.

I think, also, that the stress of finding groups always robbed some of the fun from the experience. By the time I got into the dungeon, I was usually exhausted and frustrated from the time spent gathering a group, and the thought of how hard it would be to find another if this group broke up was a constant anxiety in the back of my mind. That’s no longer a factor.

It was a good run. The tank explained the more important mechanics for those of us with rusty memories, and since we overgeared the place a bit, it was all fairly relaxed. One person DCed at one point, but the group finder eventually replaced with them — with no input from us, even — and we did okay without them in the meanwhile.

At the final boss, things got interesting.

A mechanic bugged out and killed our tank early on. Automatic wipe, right?

Apparently not.

It turns out our healer was some kind of demigod. Picture three DPS running around like chickens with our heads cut off while the healer somehow kept us alive through it all. I had resolved to merely go out fighting, but the battle kept going, and somehow, we endured.

Phase two starts. One DPS falls. The remainder of us come within inches of death several times. But the healer keeps bringing us back from the brink, and the boss’s health keeps going down. The tank is joking and cheering us on from back at the anima well.

And we did it. Our four-man, no-tank group triumphed.

Healing is disgustingly overpowered in this game. And I’m okay with that.

Afterward, we were all laughing and cheering. It was the most fun I’ve had in The Secret World — or any game — in a long time.

And it never would have happened without the group finder.

I still need to try running low level dungeons and the new Tokyo dungeons. I’m a little concerned because there’s bound to be far fewer people running low level dungeons, and I’ve heard a lot of horror stories about the Tokyo instances.

But even so, the dungeon finder is still a huge boon for the game.

I’ve long said that TSW is a fantastic game when treated as a single-player RPG with optional co-op, but that it fails as a massively multiplayer game. The first half of that sentence is still true, but now, finally, it is also a strong contender as an MMO.

I am, simply put, very happy with where the game is at.

* * *

Since we’re on the subject, TSW is enacting major changes to its subscription rewards program. As part of this, they will no longer be selling the grandmaster pack lifetime subscription as of February 5th. Until then, it’s on sale for 25% off.

I know $150 is a lot to spend on a video game, but I will say that I have been a grandmaster for over a year now, and I’ve never once regretted it. With the new subscription rewards, it’s also now a better deal than ever. If you’re on the fence, I’d advise you to get it now while you can.

Blade and Soul impressions:

While I wasn’t as rabidly excited as some, I’ve been interested in Blade and Soul for several years now. Now that it’s finally arrived in North America, I made a point to check it out as soon as the launch rush died down a little.

My thoughts are up on MMOBro, but suffice it to say Blade and Soul is not what I was expecting.

While you’re there, why not check out my other recent articles on the site? Find out why MMO NPCs need more Witcher and less Skyrim, or learn which MOBA is right for you.

It’s certainly a strange relationship I have with the Dragon Age franchise. I’ve had plenty of harsh words for it over the years, especially where the first game is concerned. But Inquisition’s DLCs seem to have converted me to a true fan, at least until the next disappointment, so I find myself eagerly anticipating Dragon Age IV.

We’re in an interesting spot because the next game hasn’t been announced yet, but Trespasser gave us a pretty good picture of what it will entail. The one big question mark is who we’ll be adventuring with in the next game.

I started to ponder who I would like to see, so I now present my Dragon Age dream team. This is very much a wishlist, but I tried to make some basic concessions to realism. Balanced classes, for instance — left to my own devices, it would basically be 80% mages.

Mages:

Morrigan:

I was pondering recently why I like Morrigan so much, despite the fact that she is, shall we say, not the most easily likable person around.

It occurred to me that Morrigan is sort of like the fantasy genre personified. Her family is full of mythic figures, and she’s all about history and uncovering ancient mysteries both wondrous and terrible.

It’s that sense of history and the wonder (and terror) of the unknown that really defines the fantasy genre, and it defines Morrigan, as well. So no wonder I like her so much.

It was nice to see Morrigan again in Inquisition, but I never stopped wishing that I could ask her to come adventuring with me.

Merrill:

Merrill is history’s most adorable necromancer and the centrepiece of my favourite in-game romance arc to date, so naturally I want to bring her along.

Of course, the odds of playing as Hawke in the next game are basically nil, so I wouldn’t be able to continue her romance arc, but that’s fine. It’d still be lovely to see her again. She’s a fiercely likable character, and considering the likely subject matter of Dragon Age IV, I think her expertise would be most welcome indeed.

Calpernia:

I really wanted to put Anders here, but then I remembered Calpernia and decided she was just too intriguing an option to pass up.

Otherwise known as “the only good reason to side with the Templars,” Calpernia is one of Inquisition’s many missed opportunities. Her role in the game is small, but in what little time she was on screen, she was established as, I think, one of the more complex and compelling characters in the franchise.

I tend to think of her as a dark mirror to Dorian, but even that might be overly harsh. Despite her role as a major antagonist — Hell, she’s the right hand of Corypheus — she comes across as a very admirable person.

Here’s someone who has lived through the absolute her country has to offer — which says a lot when your country is Tevinter — and yet she’s still a patriot. She still sees good in Tevinter wants to see it reach its full potential. It’s downright inspiring.

Considering Calpernia only appears to roughly half of Inquisition players and can potentially be killed, the odds of her appearing in later games at all, let alone as a party member, are incredibly slim. But I’d still love to see more of her.

Rogues:

Sera:

Yeah, you knew this was coming.

Sera may be crude, undisciplined, and kind or racist, but she’s also one of the most deep and layered characters Bioware has ever come up with, which says a lot, and for all her many flaws, I find it very hard not to like her.

I also have purely selfish and somewhat spoilery reasons for wanting Sera in the next game, which you will understand if you read my gushy post-Trespasser post.

…How long before I have to stop worrying about spoilers for Inquisition, anyway?

Also as I outlined in that post, Sera is one of the few characters on this list I believe to have a decent chance to show up in the next game.

Scout Lace Harding:

I personally think it’s all but guaranteed that Harding will be a party member in the next game. She seems to have been pretty popular, and I really don’t think that they snuck her into the final shot of Trespasser for nothing.

Not much to say about Harding other than that I like her. She’s tough, but still warm and friendly. Seems like a good person to have around when things go to pieces, and I’d enjoy getting to know her better.

Bianca Davri:

Yes, I want two fem Dwarf rogues. Why not?

Bianca’s appearance in Inquisition was brief, but memorable, and since I don’t expect we’ll have Varric joining us this time, she can fill the sarcastic Dwarf-shaped hole in our hearts. Good opportunity for a Varric cameo, too — perhaps we can learn more of their complicated history.

Warriors:

Fenris:

And again, you probably knew this was coming. It was not my intention to have an Elf of every class, but I certainly don’t mind the idea. I would love to be able to have a party made up entirely of Elves. Came close in Inquisition, with the ability to have a 75% Elven and 100% non-human party thanks to Bull.

But I digress.

Fenris is interesting because he’s anti-mage, which normally I loathe, but in his case at least he has understandable reasons for his feelings. He’s not just blindly bigoted. Also he’s badass as Hell, and I have a man crush on Gideon Emery.

The Iron Bull:

Bull is another sad entry in the “probably won’t show up because he might be dead” file, but I’ll hold out a little hope anyway.

I’m not as big a fan of Bull as some people I know, but he’s a very hard character not to like, and since I imagine the Qunari will have a big role in the next game, his unique perspective on the Qun would be very welcome.

Plus, I did feel Bull was yet another aspect of Inquisition that didn’t get as much development as he deserved. His story always felt a bit unfinished to me. Bringing him back could help address that.

Cremisius Aclassi:

Those who know me might expect I’m including Krem to support the inclusion of a transgender character, but honestly? I just like Krem. He’s a good guy.

Skeptical Krem… is skeptical

The progressive angle doesn’t hurt any, but yeah, I just like Krem. Would like to see more of him.

Plus, the next game is likely to put a big spotlight on Tevinter, so another Tevinter character would be a good fit.

Honourable mentions:

For all their other flaws, Bioware games never lack for good characters, so there are lots more I could have included. As mentioned above, Anders is the best, and I’d love to see him again. Blackwall was a close second for the final warrior slot, narrowly beat by Krem.

Of course, I’d welcome Dorian back into the party. I mainly didn’t include him because of stiff competition in the mage category, and because of my belief his role in the next game will be comparable to, say, Leliana’s in Inquisition — important, but not a party member. Be nice to have Varric back, too, but I don’t see it happening.

I would be happy to see Bethany Hawke again, unlikely as that is. Shaper Valta would be a very interesting prospect — the first ever Dwarven mage, perhaps? And it’d be very hard to complain about venturing forth with Zevran once more.

Who you pick for the ultimate Dragon Age dream team?

It’s that time again: I’ve got a bunch of gaming topics that I want to discuss, but which aren’t quite meaty enough to fill an entire post.

Let us not waste time.

She’s so good she astounds herself:

At last, the final playable character from Diablo III has reached Heroes of the Storm. I might complain about them taking so long to add my favourite, but clearly they were just saving the best for last.

There weren’t many characters left I was super excited to see in Heroes, but Li-Ming is one of them, and on the whole, I’m fairly happy with how she turned out. I’m not sure she’ll threaten Jaina’s position as my go-to assassin, but she’s definitely a fun character.

The interesting thing about Li-Ming is that she feels very different from the game’s other heroes without resorting to coo-coo bananas weirdness like Abathur or Murky. Not that I don’t enjoy coo-coo bananas weirdness, but it’s good to know Blizzard can make heroes feel distinct in more subtle ways, as well.

Li-Ming is one of those hyper-specialized heroes. Her ability damage is absolutely ruinous, but her auto-attacks, much like the goggles, do nothing, and her health is so low that she instantly evaporates under any kind of pressure.

Based on that, I’m finding the best strategy is actually to not auto-attack at all and simply hang way at the back and bombard the enemy team with spells. Her spell range is very long (she even out-ranges towers, which makes for some intriguing possibilities), so it works surprisingly well, and it keeps her well out of harm’s way.

Zeratul is the bane of her existence, though. Why are all the characters I play hard countered by Zeratul? What did I ever do to him?

She looks amazing, too. The detail on her clothing and the expressiveness of her face are unbelievable. Makes me sad she looks so much crummier in her own game.

My only complaint with Li-Ming is that she’s another character who rides her mounts side-saddle. It was bad enough on Jaina, but it could not be more hilariously out of character for Li-Ming. Because we all know how shy, demure, and proper she is.

*Eye-roll.*

At least I’ve got my hoverboard from the Legacy of the Void CE.

Random fun fact: I had a bit of trouble early on because I kept trying to teleport using the Diablo hotkey for it.

Grey Goo: Descent of the Shroud

Much to my surprise, sci-fi RTS Grey Goo launched a free DLC a few days ago that adds an entire new playable race. To the Beta, they are the Silent Ones. To the Goo, they are the Shroud. To all sentient life, they are the enemy.

Unfortunately, the new story content in Descent of the Shroud is limited to a single, very brief mission. At that point, you have to wonder why they even bothered. There aren’t even any new cinematics, which is a real shame because after all the hype I was eager to witness the Silent Ones in all their terrible glory.

The only conclusion I can come to is that the developers wanted to do more but simply didn’t have the resources. Again, it’s a real shame.

I did play a skirmish map just to see what the Shroud are all about, and they turn out to be pretty interesting. They’ve got much of the creative design found in the Goo, but without being so awkward or irritating to play.

Some of their units are very clever. For instance, their artillery, rather than firing a traditional projectile, summons an invulnerable unit that will run through the target area, damaging all it touches, until the artillery dies or is told to move.

As increasingly unlikely as it seems, I really do want to see a sequel or ambitious expansion to Grey Goo. It’s a game with some rough edges, to be sure, but some of the ideas behind it are really good, and the story represents some of the best science fiction I’ve seen in a video game.

And I definitely want to learn more about the Shroud. Where do they come from? What is their motivation? They’re such a mystery. I find it interesting that their entire mythos is about silence, but all their unit names are sound-related. Echo, klaxon, banshee, howler…

The Secret World: Shambala

I remain very happy with TSW’s new group finder. Queue times are very quick, and I’ve yet to have a bad run. Recently I got to run the Facility for the first time in forever, and I was reminded how much I truly love that place. It’s the sort of strange and fascinating story you can only find in The Secret World — mad Soviet scientists tear into reality deep beneath the earth to understand the deepest mysteries of the universe.

But the dungeon finder isn’t the only new addition of note. The game has also gotten its first new PvP mini-game post-launch, Shambala.

Having recently changed my view on PvP in TSW from “wouldn’t touch it with a thirty-nine and a half foot pole” to “it’s a decent diversion now and then,” I made sure to give Shambala a shot.

It’s definitely not like any other MMO PvP I’ve experienced. Shambala is single elimination death match. That is, if you die, you’re dead. No respawns, no second chances. Last team standing wins.

Making things even more frenetic are constantly spawning buffs and environmental hazards, and the arena regularly shrinks as a deadly winter storm closes in. Win or lose, it’s always over fast.

All the matches I’ve played have been terribly one-sided, but they’re over so fast it’s hard to get frustrated. Even if you get your ass kicked, it’s not like you’ve wasted much time. It’s certainly a change of pace from the more drawn-out capture mechanics MMO PvP tends to focus on.

D3: New zones

Diablo III has also had some more free updates recently. Patch 2.4 added several new areas, the most significant of which is Greyhollow Island.

It’s an interesting zone. It’s not really clear what’s gone on there, but clearly there is something terribly wrong with that island. Normally I find this kind of ambiguity in story-telling obnoxious, but when it comes to horror, I’m okay with it. The unknown is always scarier than the known.

It’s an incredible looking zone, too. I’ve often ragged on D3’s graphics, but Blizzard is getting better at making the best of a bad situation. The detail in the textures is outstanding. It also has lovely audio and some pretty interesting monster designs.

The new Eternal Woods area of the Ruins of Sescheron is also gorgeous, though it seemed a bit light on content when I went there. On the plus side, I ran into a new (to me) event in the older section of the ruins while I was there and finally met Abd al-Hazir.

That was neat, but after so long, I would have liked to have his appearance be a part of some larger story, rather than some throwaway event in the middle of nowhere.

I did like how he followed me around and provided occasional commentary on my surroundings even after the event, though.

As nice as these updates are, and as much as I do respect Blizzard for offering new free content entirely out of the kindness of their hearts, I still remain impatient for an expansion announcement. These little tastes of content only leave me hungry for more. I want a new class, a new full-length storyline, whole new lands to explore.

WoW: MooseQuest 2016

On top of everything else on my gaming plate, I have reluctantly returned to World of Warcraft.

Why? Because moose, that’s why.

I mean, I’m Canadian. Clearly I need a moose mount.

Initially my plan had been to gear up my rogue and earn it legitimately through a PUG, but apparently I dislike Warlords of Draenor more than I thought. It only took a day or two for burnout to hit and hit hard.

So long story short, I paid a raiding guild thirty-thousand gold to carry my newb ass. Yes, it’s cheating. No, I don’t care. I have a moose, and that’s all that matters.

I had initially planned to level my monk to 100 while I’m here, but as it turns out, I’m really not in the mood to play WoW right now. Not Draenor, anyway. It seems like a waste — even if I paid for the month with gold, not real money — but right now I’m not sure I want to embark on this slog right now.

Be easier if she was Horde. Alliance gets stuck with bloody Yrel. Ugh…

I enjoyed District 9 back in the day, so when I heard the director was putting out another sci-fi movie, titled Elysium, I was immediately interested. Of course, my life was a mess at the time, so it’s taken me until now to actually watch it.

Set 150 years in the future, Elysium depicts a dystopic planet Earth utterly ruined by disease, overpopulation, and pollution. The wealthy have escaped to a vast, paradisaical space station, Elyisum, where their every need is fulfilled, and any sickness can be instantly cured.

The story follows Max Da Costa, played by Matt Damon, an ex-con factory worker. He receives a lethal dose of radiation in an industrial accident and is given five days to live. Meanwhile, his childhood friend, Frey, struggles to support her daughter, who is dying from leukemia.

I think you can see where this is going.

I was expecting Elysium to be an intellectual, thought-provoking piece of science fiction. As it turns out, not so much. The story is fairly straightforward, and the messaging is quite ham-fisted.

In particular, the ruling class of Elysium are so cartoonishly heartless and evil it’s difficult to take seriously sometimes. Even my anti-corporate, pro-equality, angry leftist self found this to be a case of laying it on a bit thick. It’s certainly not the chillingly believable dystopia of Continuum.

Thankfully, though, Elysium does have other strengths to call upon.

Elysium didn’t turn out to be a think-piece so much as a fairly standard sci-fi action adventure, but in that, it does its job well. The action sequences are brutal, visceral, and exciting. The special effects are spectacular, and the art design is strong. It manages to both an incredibly ugly movie and an absolute feast for the eyes at the same time.

The main characters are a little thin, but they’re good enough to keep you engaged. Similarly, the acting is adequate but not award-worthy. I was able to forget I was watching Matt Damon after a while, at least.

Actually, the best acting probably comes from the main antagonist, played by Sharlto Copley, who is so skin-crawlingly vile from beginning to end that I spent half the movie visualizing gruesome and painful fates for him.

Elysium has a pretty strong emotional punch, and while the journey to get there is a little inconsistent, its ending is one of the more powerful and satisfying that I’ve seen in recent memory.

So in the end Elysium is a lot like District 9. It, too, was a bit rough around the edges, but ultimately it was a good movie, and the same is true of Elysium. Not a masterpiece, but worth your time.

Overall rating: 7.3/10

World of Warcraft is famous, or perhaps infamous, for change, for constantly reinventing itself. Classes change, often radically, with each new expansion, and the game’s systems and content are in a constant state of flux.

There was a time when I tolerated, even welcomed, this level of change. I enjoy the idea of an ever-evolving virtual world, and I respect Blizzard’s desire to be constantly tweaking, constantly looking for a better way.

Indeed, change is a necessary part of any online game. Change too little, and the experience becomes stale. Minor annoyances become intolerable over the course of years. I’ve spent a long time complaining about the lack of change given to the rogue class, and I’m overjoyed we’re finally getting an overhaul in Legion.

Still, I am now reaching a point where I believe World of Warcraft is changing too much. Or, perhaps more accurately, it’s not offering enough permanence.

I fully grant that this is not a black and white issue; the line between too much and too little change in an MMO is incredibly blurry and probably different for every individual player. But I’m still going to attempt to make the argument that WoW is now in too much flux.

Class war(craft):

I really don’t want this to be a post about my own personal gripes with current class design, but I must bring them up at least a bit just to give an example of what I’m talking about.

Although my main is a rogue (in so much as the term “main” has any meaning for an altoholic like me), I also play a warlock quite a bit. Now, for the second time just since I started playing one, warlocks are being rebooted as a radically different class. I rather liked the first reboot, but this coming one is tickling my fancy much less, to put it mildly.

I find myself with little enthusiasm to muster about the warlock class as it will exist in Legion. For that matter, I’m also none to keen on the changes planned for monks — windwalker spec aside.

This has me wondering if checking out some new classes might be worth it. Demon hunter is obviously tempting, but with the current state of alpha, it’s hard to say how much I’ll enjoy it.

Hunter, on the other hand, is intriguing. Hunter class mechanics never quite clicked for me, but I love archer classes as a rule, and their changes in Legion look very appealing.

In particular, the dark ranger talent has perked my ears up. I’ve wanted to play as a dark ranger for years, archery and shadow magic being two things I love. It’s the chocolate and peanut butter of class design.

Yet I have to wonder: Is it worth getting invested in a new class when all these new toys that excite me might be thrown out later? Perhaps Blizzard will later decide to add an actual dark ranger class and remove those abilities from the hunter — they’ve already proven themselves willing to gut existing classes to build new ones.

That would make all the time I spent leveling, gearing, and growing to love a hunter a waste.

Constantly trying new classes used to be one of the main things that kept me playing WoW, but now I struggle to find the motivation. Class design now seems so mutable that there’s not even any point in getting invested in something new and exciting.

And yes, I’m looking forward to the upcoming rogue overhaul, but I imagine there are more than a few who are upset by how much their class is changing — almost into something unrecognizable — and I can’t say I blame them. While these particular changes appeal to my tastes, the truth is we probably didn’t need change on this scale. All we rogues ever really wanted were some quality of life tweaks, better animations, and one or two cool new abilities.

Plus, I do wonder if it’s even worth getting excited about the new rogues when there’s a good chance all the things I like are going to be thrown out and replaced in an expansion or two anyway.

Again, I don’t want this post to be about my personal gripes. You might not agree with my complaints about Legion’s class design. But I wager most people who’ve played WoW for any length of time can think of at least one example of a class they loved changing into something unrecognizable that they no longer enjoy.

Fleeting features:

Ever-changing class design isn’t the only issue, though. I’m also growing increasingly distressed by Blizzard’s new policy of adding features that are only used for one expansion, such as scenarios, garrisons, and now artifact weapons.

This, to me, just seems asinine on so many levels. I’ve always felt that the point of an expansion — what justifies the price tag and separates it from a content patch — is that it expands the game. It adds new features and avenues of play that we’ll continue to enjoy for years to come.

I still miss scenarios. A lot. They were fantastic story-telling tools, they were a lot of fun, and they fit perfectly into the ecosystem of WoW’s endgame. I loved how I could queue for a scenario, a dungeon, and a raid, and have each pop as I finished the previous, with no wait times.

Garrisons got a lot of hate, some of it deserved and some of it not, but I still believe they were a feature with incredible potential. To see them abandoned is a great disappointment. Here’s a case where Blizzard’s endless tweaking would have been most welcome. We were so close to a compelling player housing system that would have fit well with the personality of Warcraft, but now it seems WoW’s hopes for true player housing have been dashed forever.

I’m excited for artifact weapons in Legion — they fit very well with my own ideals for how RPG progression should work — but we already know they’re not going to be sticking around after Legion.

Just think about that for a minute. Imagine how much it’s going to suck to take the bloody Ashbringer and stick it in your bank, where it will gather dust and never be seen or used again.

So, again, I struggle to find motivation going forward. Why should I bust my hump to upgrade and max out an artifact that I’m just going to replace with a quest green three days into World of Warcraft: Still Not an Azshara Expansion Because Screw You That’s Why? I can tell you knowing garrisons aren’t being supported going forward killed a lot of my motivation for alt play in WoD, since garrison and character progression are so strongly linked.

It’s supremely hypocritical on Blizzard’s part, too. We’re constantly being told that we can’t have X feature or Y improvement because of limited resources (the “cost us a raid tier” meme), but yet they can find the resources to design massive, intricate features that are simply thrown away after one expansion? That’s mind-bogglingly wasteful.

I can see pitfalls for the idea of carrying things like garrisons and artifacts forward — for example, some people might not like being stuck with a single weapon forever more (though I’d be fine with it) — but I certainly don’t think these are problems that can’t be solved. To use the artifact example, Blizzard could add more artifacts to compete with the old ones, or create a system where artifacts and drops are both valid choices.

This can even tie-in to my favourite ranting topic: Blizzard’s attempt to remove flight in content going forward. Though they eventually backed down (partially), they had no problem invalidating mounts that players had spent months or years grinding for.

Why should I pursue any goal in this game when Blizzard has so little regard for the effort I’ve expended? I like collecting transmog gear, but should I even bother? Who’s to say Blizzard won’t try to remove or severely limit transmog at some point? Makes as much sense as their attack on flight.

* * *

Here’s what it boils down to: I can live with the current changes, even if I dislike some of them, but I have so little faith left in the game’s stability going forward that it’s hard to become invested in anything where WoW is concerned. It’s not the current round of overhauls that bothers me so much is it is the next one, and the one after that, and the one after that.

Change is a key part of an MMO, but so are investment and permanence. Change is only good so long as it doesn’t overly threaten one’s desire to build and develop a character over months and years.

After all, why build a house on sand?

By now I think it’s well-known that I’m one of those oddballs who plays MMOs, but prefers to do so in solitude. I play in PUG groups when the mood strikes me, and I will occasionally chat in public channels (especially in The Secret World, where general chat usually won’t make you lose faith in humanity), but for the most part, I tend to keep to myself.

I wasn’t always so anti-social. I used to belong to a small but tightly knit guild in World of Warcraft, but once it fell apart, I embraced the loner lifestyle with open arms.

And for the most part I’m content with that decision. It makes the most sense for my playstyle, and humans and I have never mixed particularly well.

Still, every decision has consequences, and this is no exception. There are definitely some things I miss out on by being a virtual loner.

For instance, I’ve been putting a lot of effort into my stronghold in Star Wars: The Old Republic, and I’m really happy with how it’s turning out. But I can’t help but feel a little depressed that, in all likelihood, I’m the only person who’s going to see it.

I could post images of it on this blog — and I do — but it’s not the same.

All issues of vanity aside, it’d just be nice to have an excuse to spend more time hanging out there — there’s just not that much to do in a stronghold on your own.

Similarly, going to more diverse events in-game might give me an excuse to use more of the many different costumes I’ve collected in my various games.

There are also the occasional grinds that would benefit greatly from some company. Right now I’m procrastinating about leveling my monk in WoW. I really want her to be 100 to be ready for Legion, but boy, I do not want to slog through Draenor again. It would be much more appealing if I did not have to travel alone. Just having a friend to chat with would help.

Then there’s the fact that I still haven’t found four people to recruit in Heroes of the Storm…

And sometimes it’d just be nice to have someone to share experiences with. Someone else who gets excited when TSW launches a new issue or something. The blog somewhat fills my need to gush and flail, but still.

Of course, there are some things I just can’t do on my own — like raids in TSW or dungeons in Elder Scrolls Online — but honestly, that doesn’t bother me nearly as much as you’d think. It’d be nice to do those things, I guess, but it’s not very compelling.

Which is perhaps an interesting lesson to take from this. Of all the reasons I sometimes regret playing alone, forced group content is at the absolute bottom of the list. Mostly I just sometimes want company for things I’d do regardless.

Take heed, MMO developers.

Of course, I could reach out more. I could try to find more people to spend time with in-game. But I jump around between games so much I doubt any guilds would want me, and again, me and humans don’t mix well.

So, yes, I’m comfortable being alone in the virtual crowd, even if it has its downsides.

It is well-known that I enjoy playing multiple different games from day to day. I bore easily, and there’s just too many good games these days to limit yourself to one at a time.

But over the last few months, I think I may have bit off more than I can chew. I’ve been juggling so many games it’s starting to give me a headache just trying to find time for them all (first world problems). It’s at the point now where I fear something has to give.

I thought I’d run down the games I’ve been playing (or trying to play) over the last few weeks, and what concessions I’m willing to make to lessen the load.

Star Wars: The Old Republic

I’m still chugging along in SW:TOR. The “new game smell” has started to wear off a bit, but on the whole I’m still enjoying myself. I’ve nearly finished the agent storyline, and I continue to putter around with my various alts, mainly my sage and assassin.

I do think this game will be a long-term — though not necessarily permanent — investment, but I’m little unsure how to proceed for the immediate future. I plan to play through the various expansions, but I’m not in a rush to. This is an older game with a lot of content, and I intend to take my time working through it all. I had considered focusing on alts to see more of the launch story before moving on to expansions, but I’m not sure.

I’m also undecided as to whether I want to keep subscribing. I don’t want to keep subscribing indefinitely, and I’m definitely starting to chafe under the psychological pressure to play it creates, as I always do, but I’m not eager to give up my subscriber perks.

Raids are also a stumbling block. I don’t plan to make raiding a major activity in SW:TOR, but I’d at least like to do them once for the story. Non-subscribers can’t access raids at all, as far as I know. That’s vexing.

The Secret World

I’m in an odd spot with TSW right now. I’m extremely happy with the state of the game, but after three years and ~700 hours, there isn’t a whole lot left for me to do. My Dragon and Templar have finished Tokyo and are well-geared. My Illuminati is moth-balled indefinitely. I do mean to continue leveling my other Dragon at some point, but I’m no rush.

I try to do my daily dungeon run when I can, but I’m often distracted by other things. I still need to do the new Tokyo dungeons at some point.

A lot of people are very excited by the new subscriber perks, but I was fine with the old system, and the new cosmetics aren’t really to my taste. I have nothing against the new system, but it doesn’t do much for me — though the bonus bullion is nice, I grant.

So TSW isn’t doing a whole lot to crowd my gaming plate, though I wouldn’t mind spending a bit more time with it if I could find the time. It remains my favourite game of the modern era.

And since I haven’t evangelized it in a while, I will once again encourage all and sundry to try this game. It’s the perfect marriage of the best of both single-player and MMO elements, equally enjoyable solo or with others, and it features some of the best-storytelling and most inventive gameplay in gaming history. I still have plenty of trial keys — just send me a note through my contact page if you’d like one.

Edit: I have just learned that Funcom has discontinued the buddy key system. There is currently no way to try The Secret World for free. That… sucks.

World of Warcraft

I had intended to play a lot more WoW this month. Don’t want to waste subscription time, even if I paid with gold and not real money.

But once I got my moose, I pretty much stopped logging in but to kill Kazzak once a week on my two max level characters and do my daily garrison chores.

I keep saying I need to put at least some effort into leveling my monk. I do want her ready for Legion. But I didn’t particularly enjoy Draenor the first time, let alone the third time, and with so much else tempting me on the gaming front, WoW keeps getting passed over.

Sooner or later I’ll need to get back to it earnest. I want my monk ready for Legion. There’s the pre-launch event. And the expansion itself, though I still haven’t decided if I want to buy it at launch or wait a while.

Heroes of the Storm

Rationally, Heroes of the Storm would be the best choice for me to abandon. It takes up a lot of time while offering none of the features that usually attract me to games — no story, no artistry. It’s just a mindless slaughterfest.

And I admit I don’t have the best headspace for competitive gaming. I don’t cope well with defeat, especially if I’m already in a bad mood from my real life (which is usually the case). At least I don’t take it out on the other players as so many do.

Yet I do not wish to stop. For all its frustrations, winning is a thrill. Just in the last few days I’ve had some incredibly exhilarating, highlight-reel worthy plays. An hour or so before writing this, I watched my team’s Falstad fly into a bush, watch the enemy team kill the boss mercenary, and then use his gust ultimate to push them all out of the way at the perfect moment, allowing he and I to capture the boss right out from under the enemy team.

Nothing beats the adrenaline rush of stuff like that.

And the constant stream of new heroes and content makes it a game that always feels fresh.

So perhaps I should give up Heroes, or at least put it far on the back burner, but I don’t think I’ll do either of those things.

Also, as a reminder, I’m still looking for people to recruit via my referral link if anyone wants to try it. I might even give some coaching or newbie tips if you’d like some.

Elder Scrolls Online

And there’s Elder Scrolls Online, a game I have been slowly plugging away at for months now. Thanks its glacial pacing, I’m still nowhere near level cap.

As much as it pains me to say it, I think this is the game I’m going to leave by the wayside to stop my head from exploding. Not because it’s a bad game — it’s a pretty good game — but of all the games I’ve been trying to juggle, it grabs me the least. It may offer little cause for complaint, but there’s also little about it that truly impresses me and makes me go, “Wow.”

I had thought of at least playing long enough to finish the main story and wrap up the Aldmeri Dominion storylines — I have grown rather fond of Raz and Ayrenn — but with how slow this game is, that could still take me many weeks.

Maybe I’ll be back at some point. I certainly won’t rule it out. But even if I’m not, I definitely got my money’s worth.

I got as far as the end of Greenshade, and I know one of my readers was curious what I’d think of that zone, so I’ll just cover my thoughts on it briefly.

Greenshade was decent — possibly my favourite zone to date, though definitely not by much. I really liked the early bits with the Wilderking. It was the first time I’ve seen ESO cast off its low fantasy shackles and make me feel like I’ve truly come to a world of magic and mystery.

But that was also over far too quickly. And that’s the problem with Greenshade. It has, like, three different storylines that are only loosely connected, and none of them really get enough time to be fleshed out as they deserve. On the whole it’s still a solid zone, but I definitely wouldn’t rate it as anything special in the greater scheme of game stories. It maintains ESO’s standard quality level when it comes to storytelling: okay, not great.

And more

And that’s just what I’ve been able to find time for. There’s other things I’d like to play but can’t find the time for, and even putting ESO aside, I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to get to in the immediate future.

I still have a few unplayed games sitting around in my Steam library. Particularly I still haven’t gotten around to loading up the remastered Age of Mythology, and now that they’ve put out a new expansion (seriously), I really need to make time for that.

I’ve also been meaning to get back to Defiance for what must be around a year now. Now that the show’s gone, I would like to experience what the game has to offer while I still can. Though at the same time part of me wonders if it’s even worth investing in the game now.

Part of me would like to get back to Star Trek: Online at some point. It’s a very rough game, but I was enjoying the Romulan story. It might be worth another shot someday.

Then there are co-op missions in StarCraft. Wish I had a regular partner for those, but even without one, they’re decent fun, and I’d probably do more of if I had the time. Plus I want to play through Legacy of the Void on brutal and get some more achievements at some point. And there’s the upcoming Nova DLC.

Then there’s Diablo III, the (perhaps faint) hope of an Overwatch beta invite, and sometimes I have to try new games for work.

Really the list is just endless. Going forward, I’ll have to make more careful choices about what games to play. Go less mad on Steam sales.

You know, I always thought Syp over at Bio Break was a bit mad for his strict game rotations and schedules and the like, but these days I’m starting to see the method to his madness.

300 is a movie I have a lot of fondness for. It’s the ultimate guys’ movie, heroic bombast at its finest. And yet not entirely a mindless slaughterfest, either. Maybe it wasn’t the smartest movie, but it was smarter than it needed to be, and maybe it wasn’t the most heartfelt movie, but it put more feeling into the story than it needed to.

So I was eagerly anticipating the sequel from the moment I heard about it.

Of course, it’s an old story by now: I missed it in the theatre because Real Life was in the way at the time. But now it’s made it to Netflix, so I was finally able to see it.

Rise of an Empire takes place mostly concurrently with the events of 300. While the Spartans seek to hold the Hot Gates, the Greek fleet, led by the Athenian general Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton), battles the Persian fleet at Artemisium and Salamis.

Themistocles’ rival is Artemisia (Eva Green). Greek by birth but with a profound hatred of her homeland, Artemisia is Xerxes’ most loyal adviser and most ruthless commander.

Over the course of the film, Themistocles and Artemisia vie against each other across the open seas, resulting in no end of spectacular and ridiculously gorey battle sequences. Whereas Xerxes was a minor prop in 300, Artemisia has a much bigger role with much greater development, and Eva Green does a decent job as the ruthless femme fatale.

However, while much of the same elements are there, I didn’t find Rise of an Empire as compelling as its predecessor. There’s all the same bombast and gloriously absurd violence, but it feels hollow somehow.

Part of it is that Sullivan Stapleton’s Themistocles has none of the charm or charisma of Gerard Butler’s Leonidas. On the whole he’s just not very convincing as the famed hero of Athens. At least they did justice to Themistocles’ brilliance as a tactician.

Lena Headey puts on another strong performance as Queen Gorgo of Sparta, but her role is too small to have much of an impact on the film as a whole.

Also — and I realize this may seem a ridiculous problem to have — it did bother me how many historical inaccuracies were in Rise of an Empire.

Don’t get me wrong. I know these aren’t documentaries. I wasn’t expecting a perfect adaptation of history. But 300, for all its cartoonish extravagance, stayed surprisingly true to the story of the Battle of Thermopylae. Its biggest departure was the implication that only three hundred Spartans fought at the Hot Gates, when there were also several thousand soldiers from other Greek cities present. Otherwise, you’d be surprised how much of 300, including much of its more memorable dialogue, was ripped right from the pages of history.

Rise of an Empire takes much greater liberties. Darius didn’t die by Greek hands, not at Marathon or anywhere else. There was a Queen Artemisia who served in the Persian navy, but the character in the movie bears little resemblance to the historical figure beyond that.

Similarly, 300 presented a very rich — if somewhat simplified and exaggerated — depiction of Spartan culture, but Rise of an Empire does not do the same for the Athenians. They’re just random dudes with swords. How did they make a ninety minute movie about Athenian soldiers and not mention the goddess Athena once?

300 was like an enhanced version of history, painted in broad and dramatic strokes to heighten the story. Rise of an Empire is just an action movie loosely based on historical events.

Overall rating: 6.8/10 Rise of an Empire lacks the spirit and vigour of its predecessor, reducing it to naught but an empty bloodbath.

The Division hasn’t really been a game that’s been on my radar. Shooters have never been my favourite genre, and I just hadn’t heard anything about the game that made it sound particularly appealing to my tastes.

But when Ubisoft decided to thrown open the doors for an open beta, I figured I had nothing to lose by trying it.

I’ve done a full write-up on my experiences in the beta on MMOBro: The Division Beta Is Mostly Empty (But Maybe That’s Okay).

I have to say I was surprised by The Division. I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to, and given my preferences, it’s even more surprising that I enjoyed the exploration and side missions more than the main story content.

I’ve given serious thought to actually buying it, but between my glut of games to play and the game’s whopping $80 price tag, I think I’ll hold off until the next Steam sale, at least.

* * *

While at MMOBro, consider checking out my other recent articles on why high fantasy MMOs remain so popular, and the most visually appealing MMOs.

If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you’ll note that there are some game developers towards which I have, shall we say, very intense feelings. You’ll often see me going on epic rants about their blunders or casually putting them down. Yet paradoxically I’ll play virtually anything these companies produce, and I remain rabidly passionate about their games. It could be pretty confusing to a reader.

For all their flaws, though, each of these developers brings something special to the world of gaming, something exquisite that keeps me coming back for more. I thought it would be interesting to look at these companies and explain why I am so loyal to them, despite everything.

Up until relatively recently, only one developer would have fit his category, but these days the number has grown. No prizes for guessing that the original is…

Blizzard Entertainment:

I have been playing Blizzard games since before I knew how to spell my own name, and they remain a company to whom I am so loyal that I often joke they “own my soul.”

But that doesn’t mean I think they’re perfect. Far from it. In fact, they faceplant with alarming regularity, and their games are almost never without some significant flaw.

I think Blizzard’s brilliance and their blunders both stem from the same source: passion.

Have you ever seen Chris Metzen talk about the games he’s worked on? He’s the living embodiment of childlike joy and enthusiasm. He has so much passion for Blizzard’s games it’s like he could spontaneously combust at any moment.

And I think that’s true of all of Blizzard to some extent. They love games. They love making games. They have fantastic passion for everything they do.

And therein lies their folly. I think much of Blizzard’s mistakes come from them being so caught up in their passion and excitement that they don’t take the time to pause and think if what they’re doing is really a good idea.

I think that’s how we got the trainwreck that is Warlords of Draenor. They thought, “Hey, I bet it’d be cool to bring back all the old Horde characters,” and never considered much beyond that. If they had, they would have realized what a powerfully dumb idea that is.

I don’t know if this preference for passion over common sense can explain every one of Blizzard’s mistakes, but I think it’s one of their most core flaws and the reason why their plots are often a bit shallow, their continuity nonexistent, and their games rough around the edges.

But that same passion is what makes their games irresistible. Blizzard are so colourful, so larger than life, so bombastic and beautiful and unabashedly fun that nothing else can compete. I often say that Blizzard games may be popcorn movies, but they are the absolute best popcorn movies around.

Their passion means that when Blizzard gets something right, they get it so right. Legacy of the Void was a breathtakingly epic experience and an absolute joy from beginning to end. Ditto for Reign of Chaos, Reaper of Souls, and to a lesser extent Wrath of the Lich King and Mists if Pandaria.

At their best, Blizzard games are the perfect embodiment of the entire concept of “superior realities” that this blog is based on, an utterly engrossing vacation from anything resembling the real world.

Bioware:

I’ve often said that Bioware makes great choose your own adventure novels, but no one told them they’re a video game company. This is my way of saying that they’re good at story-telling, but that they seem to put no real effort into compelling gameplay.

Of all the Bioware games I’ve played, Inquisition is the only one where I’d list the combat and general game mechanics as a mark in the game’s favour. And even then, Inquisition’s combat isn’t great. It’s just decent. And I’m not sure I’d feel so good about if knight-enchanters hadn’t been so crazy overpowered.

That leaves story-telling as Bioware’s strength, but even that isn’t entirely true. The main storylines in Bioware games are, at best, hit and miss. The only ones that really impressed me on that front are Dragon Age 2 and Mass Effect 3 (yeah, I’m a freak). Origins’ story was just weak, Inquisition and ME2 had potential but became entirely too bogged down with irrelevant side missions, and ME1’s story was okay but not exactly mind-blowing.

Bioware is also, ironically, one of the worst developers out there for marrying story and gameplay. As in they don’t even try. The story is told through scripted cutscenes that are entirely divorced from the actual gameplay. Game mechanics are almost never used to heighten or enhance the story being told. Part of the reason I was so impressed with Inquisition’s Trespasser DLC was because they finally did start using game mechanics to enhance the story (IE the mark going crazy).

However, there are two things about Bioware games that are truly special.

One is the choices they offer. Even if Bioware’s stories aren’t always stellar, they’re engaging because it’s your story. There’s a tremendous satisfaction to being able to react as you choose to the situations the game throws at you, and it allows you to become so much more deeply invested than you otherwise might be.

I was reflecting recently that I almost never make the “evil” choices in games, but I’m glad they exist, because it makes the “good” choices feel far more meaningful. Sometimes being the hero isn’t about saving the world so much as it is about simply not clicking the button that says, “[Torture him]”.

It appeals to me as a writer, too. All the hard work of building a world and characters is done for me, and I can go nuts telling the story I want to.

Even then the choice system is often very imperfect. If I had a nickel for every time in a Bioware game I made the wrong choice because of a misunderstanding…

But very few games offer this kind of experience on this scale, so Bioware kind of has a monopoly.

The other thing Bioware does better than anyone else is creating amazing characters.

I’ve often tried to explain to non-gamers in my life what the characters in Bioware games are like, but words can’t do it justice. They feel real enough to reach out and touch. Going back and replaying a game feels like a family reunion. I genuinely miss talking to characters like Sera, or Tali, or Thane, or Merrill.

That’s not to say I always like the characters in Bioware games. In fact, every game has had at least one cast member I’d happily shove down a flight of stairs: Alistair, Isabela, Vivienne, Zaeed, Jack, Kaliyo…

But even there, the depth of hatred I have for these characters speaks to their quality and realness.

Dontnod:

It might be a bit early to add Dontnod to the list, since they’ve only put out two games so far, but already they have all the makings of another company I love and hate in equal measure.

Life Is Strange and Remember Me were both brilliant games with serious flaws. On the whole, I found Remember Me was good enough to forgive the flaws, but Life Is Strange not so much. I know the general consensus is the other way around.

But what I respect is that both were games with big ideas, big ambitions. They tried to not only be good video games, but works of art, as well, and largely succeeded, despite their stumbles. I’d rather games that shoot for the stars and fall a little short.

I’m already kind of excited about Vampyr, and I don’t even like vampire fiction.

Last night, I at last wrapped up the Imperial agent class story in Star Wars: The Old Republic. In the end, it did actually manage to live up to the hype that has surrounded it for so many years. It’s definitely going down as one of my favourite Bioware stories to date.

It’s very much a slow burn story. There’s not necessarily any point of it that’s boring, but it does take a long time to get to the stuff that’s truly memorable. But once it finally hits its stride, it’s well worth the wait.

I don’t know how the agent story compares to the other class stories, but I have to say this didn’t feel like just a class storyline to me. It felt like the main plot of the game. It wasn’t pared down or seemingly unfinished or otherwise lacking the way class or faction-specific content in other MMOs tends to be. The Imperial agent storyline could easily have worked as a standalone RPG.

As always, Bioware’s skill with character writing shone through. By the end, I was reflecting on how attached I had become to Vector, Lokin, and Temple (I’m still airlocking Kaliyo and SCORPIO at the first opportunity), but what was even more impressive was the deep, violent hatred I had developed for my enemy.

It has been a long time since a villain or group of villains — in any medium — has inspired such a depth of loathing in me. Maybe Adrian Zorlescu in The Secret World.

Bioware’s excellent character development really does go both ways. They can make you absolutely adore a character, but they can also build a character who is so vile, so insufferably smug and irritating, so utterly despicable that it’s all you can do not to punch your monitor every time they appear.

I also found the ultimate conclusion of the story immensely satisfying. Looking online afterward, I was surprised to discover just how many different variations on the ending there are, but it looks like I got the best one. The best for my particular head canon, anyway.

It does make me a bit sad that Bioware didn’t have the resources to continue the class storylines, but it’s obvious they never could have. Even WoW doesn’t have that kind of resources. It can’t be done — they simply bit off more than they can chew.

I hope I at least get to see Keeper again. I like the cut of her jib. Would love to see her become a full companion somehow at some point. I know it’s not too likely, but a man can dream.

Speaking of companions, that is one minor blemish on the experience. Companion stories could have been handled better.

Let me summarize the climax of every companion story for you:

Companion: “I’m going to do a cool thing.”

Me: “Can I come?”

Companion: “No.”

Me: :(

And then the camera fades out briefly, and the companion returns to tell you of their adventure. I imagine it’s another resource issue, but there were companion missions in the early game that let you go out and do things. You’re telling me I have to trek to the ass end of the galaxy to help Kaliyo get revenge on someone who talked back to her five years ago, but I can’t be there for my boyfriend on the most important day of his life?

It’s not right, man.

The layout of companion content is odd, too. New conversations are relatively rare in the early parts of the game, but near the end, they’re popping up after nearly every mission. I don’t know why they couldn’t have been spread out more.

Same deal for unlocking companions. I was stuck with nothing but Kaliyo for a huge stretch of time, but I acquired SCORPIO so late I’m not sure why they bothered including her at all. Why couldn’t they space those out better?

Still, this is on the whole a minor nitpick that doesn’t much detract from an otherwise excellent experience.

Of course, there’s still plenty to do. I still have expansion content awaiting me on my agent, though as I’ve said before I’m not in any rush to do so. I’m not sure my patience will last, but right now what I’d like to do now is finish one or two more class stories (at least consular to see the Republic side of things, and maybe inquisitor as well) to get a full view of the launch story before moving on to expansions.

I may also end up playing other alts down the line, too. Both knight and warrior have companions I want to get to know, and I’m still somewhat intrigued by the trooper story, even if the class itself didn’t impress me much. Bounty hunter is tempting as well, purely because I’m a Grey DeLisle fanboy.

I don’t think I’ll be done with SW:TOR anytime soon. This is why I followed through on my original plan of cancelling my subscription and buying enough cartel coins to eliminate the worst restrictions. Which brings me to…

Making the switch from sub to preferred:

As I wrapped up the agent story, I was also getting used to life as one of the unwashed masses without a subscription.

On the whole, it hasn’t been too bad so far. It’s very different from what I had been expecting; either the information I had read was out of date, or I had misinterpreted it. Probably a little of both.

Firstly, action bars. I had been led to believe I would lose access to some of my action bars after the switch, but this was not the case. Nothing changed. Granted, I don’t use the full compliment of action bars, but at the same time, I can’t imagine why you would need to, even considering SW:TOR’s outrageous case of button bloat.

Similarly, I had been led to believe I would be limited to six character slots, which would force me to decommission one character (likely the level 60 smuggler I made purely to farm Gree reputation), but I actually have eight, which allows me to have one of each class. Will come in handy if I ever decide to make that bounty hunter.

I had also been led to believe my cooldowns for quick travel type abilities would go up significantly after I let my sub lapse, but they didn’t change at all. With full legacy perks, this means I have no cooldowns at all on quick travel and the fleet pass.

But one thing I had never seen mentioned is that I can no longer use my stronghold to reach the fleet or my ship. The good news is the legacy perk to teleport to my ship isn’t too hard to get, so it’s not the end of the world.

In the end I had to buy less unlocks than I expected to. Kind of frustrating that I bought more cartel coins than I needed to, and I’m not sure what to do with the leftovers. I bought some extra legacy perks (rocket boost FTW) and stronghold decorations, but I’ve still got over a thousand left. Despite having some of the most aggressive monetization in the industry, SW:TOR has a surprisingly unappealing cash shop. Usually I buy clothes in these things, but most of the outfits are less interesting than what I already have, or too expensive.

My agent has been max level for ages, so I can’t judge the impact of the reduced XP until I spend more time with alts, but as a subscriber I was always well ahead of the level for each planet I was on, so I can’t imagine it’ll be too problematic.

The one thing that is bothering me, surprisingly, is the credit cap. I’ve never been very wealthy in the game, so 350,000 credits seemed like a nice high ceiling, but turns out I hit it quicker than I thought, and the warning messages about approaching the limit are far more insistent than I realized. It’s irritating, especially as I slowly run out of things to buy.

Still, on the whole, life as a preferred player isn’t half as bad as I had feared. So far, anyway.

This ultimately only further baffles me in regards to Bioware’s decision-making. Supposedly the point of their free to play model is to offer a free trial and then entice people to stay subscribed, but it doesn’t work. The absolute worst experience you can have in SW:TOR is as a new, level one player who hasn’t paid before. The later in the game you get and the more you’ve spent in the past, the less reason there is to keep spending.

It’s like the world’s wonkiest buy to play model.

I think there’s a rule somewhere that if you blog about MMORPGs, at some point you need to do a rant about the “holy trinity” of group roles (tank, healer, DPS). For or against, it doesn’t matter. You just have to do one. I have decided, if only out of a sense of obligation, that it is time for me to undergo this time-honoured rite of passage.

This is a very complex topic, and I wish to be thorough, so I will be doing this a series of no less than three posts.

Oh, yeah, I’m milking this one. Milking it dry, baby!

Introduction:

To start with, I’m going to lay out the basics: my view on the trinity and its flaws.

If I had to pick a side in this endless debate, I would go with the “against” faction, but really my view is more nuanced. There are some people who truly hate the trinity, who want it dead and buried, but I’m not one of them. I’m not a particular fan of the trinity, but it’s a functional system that has been well-polished over the years. I play plenty of games with the trinity, and I enjoy group content in these games well enough.

What does bother me is when people start to treat the trinity as be-all and end-all, the only system under which you can have interesting group mechanics.

This is of course nonsense. The vast field of non-MMO multiplayer games without the traditional trinity (at least as we see it in MMOs) quite thoroughly debunks such a notion. ARPGs like Diablo are an especially good example — they share much of the same DNA as MMOs, have nothing resembling a rigid trinity, and offer fun and satisfying group play.

What I am sick of is the trinity being the default setting. I don’t mind that it exists, but I do mind that there’s almost no escape from it. It’s one option among many, and it doesn’t need to be as stiflingly omnipresent as it is. If you take nothing else from my trinity of trinity posts, let it be this: I want variety.

That’s not to say the trinity doesn’t have its virtues. The biggest, in my mind, is offering a variety of playstyles. It gives classes and builds clear identities and sharply distinct ways of operating. That’s a good thing.

But the trinity also has many flaws. Let’s go over some of the biggest:

It spreads responsibility disproportionately:

This is possibly the biggest issue. Under the traditional trinity, there is a wild disparity in the responsibility placed on different roles.

With only a single tank or healer in the average group, those two individuals face tremendous pressure. A single mistake by either can not only get themselves killed, but the entire group.

And the MMORPG community is not forgiving. One mistake, and you run the risk of being verbally raked over the coals and/or summarily kicked from the group. Even when things are going well, the pressure is constant. It’s very hard to relax while playing as a tank or healer, and that’s not a good thing for a game, or any form of recreation.

Meanwhile, damage dealers have no such worries. It’s possible for them to screw up badly enough to wipe the group, but the odds of that happening tend to be a lot lower. If a DPS dies, it’s an inconvenience, but rarely crippling. It’s far less stressful.

I firmly believe this is the main reason why DPS tends to be overwhelmingly the most popular role. I know it’s why I spend so much more time playing DPS than anything else, even though I like the mechanics of the other roles.

This ties into the next issue…

It makes finding groups difficult:

We’re all familiar with this. Because DPS outnumber tanks and healers so utterly, it makes finding groups as a DPS far more difficult. You can end up waiting twenty minutes or more, and that’s if your game has auto-grouping. Heaven help you if it doesn’t.

Meanwhile a tank can find a group as quickly as they click the queue button or type the words, “Tank LFG.”

It’s unrealistic:

Immersion is very important to me. It’s the great strength of the RPG genre, the ability to fully inhabit another life, another world. The trinity, however, is an absurdly gameified system that shatters said immersion. It could not be more divorced from real combat, and it rips you right out of the experience, forcibly reminding you this is merely a game.

The purpose of the trinity is to bring order to combat, but combat isn’t orderly. It’s anything but, especially in a pseudo-Medieval setting. Do you have any idea how often soldiers in the old days ended up stabbing their own allies because things were just that chaotic?

“But they’re fantasy games! Realism doesn’t matter!”

Yes, and no.

Nobody’s expecting a highly realistic experience from an MMORPG. I doubt anyone truly wants one. But there is the issue I love to raise: verisimilitude. A game need not be true to life, but it should create a convincing illusion of truth. I should be able to suspend my disbelief.

I can’t suspend my disbelief for the trinity. It’s too ridiculous. Every enemy develops tunnel vision on the one person who presents the least threat, magically ignoring everyone else, who just stand around doing their thing unmolested.

It doesn’t even make sense within the fantastical absurdity of a fantasy setting. There is no lore justification for the trinity. Imagine the initial Dark Portal cutscene from Warlords of Draenor under trinity rules. The entire Iron Horde dog-piles Maraad while Thrall stands in the background spamming chain heal and Khadgar just sits perfectly still firing off arcane blasts with impunity.

That would have been one crumby cinematic.

The other thing is that the point of unrealism in games is to make things more exciting than reality. Is it realistic when Anjali leaps into the air and crashes down on her enemies in a blaze of holy fire? Hell no, but it’s awesome, so who cares?

The trinity isn’t awesome. It’s functional, but not awesome. There’s nothing about the trinity that heightens the thrill of battle. Its artificiality is an unpleasant side effect, not a desirable feature.

It compartmentalizes combat too much:

Under the trinity, you only experience a narrow sliver of combat at a time. Only tanks directly interact with enemies, only healers directly interact with allies, and only DPS make a real impact on enemies and have the satisfaction of those big, juicy numbers.

Yes, you can play multiple roles to get the full experience, but you’re still only seeing one part at a time. In a discussion about this on another blog aways back, I said it was like eating a piece of bread, then a wad of peanut butter, then another slice of bread. It’s the same meal in the end, but it’s more enjoyable in the form of a peanut butter sandwich.

It doesn’t mesh with solo play:

The interesting thing about the trinity is that it can screw things up even when you’re playing alone.

Soloing as a tank or healer is infamously painful, which is probably another reason they tend to be relatively rare. Games have gotten better over the years at making questing as a non-DPS less Hellish, but it’s still significantly sub-optimal.

Similarly, tanking and healing can’t exist outside of a group. You’re essentially a crippled DPS at that point. This is especially true of healers; at least there’s some overlap between tanking in a group and playing as a tank solo.

This means tanks and healers can never really practice their skills without risking a whole group of players. Coupled with the social pressure mentioned above, this presents a massive barrier to entry for these roles. DPS may not play exactly the same in groups as they do solo, but the basics are the same, and if you’re stepping into early content, you can pretty much just do what you would when questing and at least do okay. Tanks and healers have no such luxury.

* * *

So those are the main problems with the trinity, at least as far as I’m concerned. Next time, I’m going to look at some of the best group experiences I’ve had without the traditional trinity to help illustrate that things can work and work well without it.

After what even I will admit is a fairly ridiculous delay, the third installment of my World Spectrum trilogy of science fantasy epics, Human Again, is now available on Amazon.

Though humanity hails her as a hero, Leha is haunted by the ghosts of those who died because of her recklessness. The weight of her mistakes crushes down on her.

Things are about to get much worse. A great force is sweeping through the spectrum of worlds, blurring entire realities together, and it will send Leha face to face with the proof of her failures: a universe of worlds ruined by her gambles.

But the greatest torment will come not from the countless worlds where everything went wrong, but the one world where everything went right.

I won’t bore you with the details of the bureaucratic nonsense that delayed this so long. The important thing is it’s finally up.*

If you’re just hearing about the the World Spectrum series, you can learn all about on the official site.

*(…That’s what she said?)

We come now to part two of my trinity trinity, a trio of posts on the tank, healer, DPS triad of MMORPG group rules and how I’d really like to see the genre break free of it. Catch up on part one if you missed it.

Today I’d like to highlight some of the best experiences I’ve had without the trinity, or at least with a modified version of it. Interestingly nearly all of these are from games that theoretically do subscribe to a rigid trinity, though I imagine that’s just a coincidence.

I hope to accomplish two things by doing this. First, it offers more insight into where I’m coming from when I talk about alternatives to the traditional trinity, and second, it further debunks the notion that a rigid trinity is necessary for interesting group content.

Two Sith walk into a bar flashpoint:

Star Wars: The Old Republic’s tactical flashpoints are a fascinating ground for experimentation with MMO group roles. The game builds a full group for these, but it does so agnostic of roles, and the content is tuned accordingly. Usually this means you end up with full DPS, or three DPS and a single tank or healer, but sometimes stranger things happen.

Such was the case a few weeks ago, when I had one of the most fun group experiences of my MMO career.

I queued for my first dungeon on my Sith inquisitor, who I’m building as a tank. I fully expected to be the only tank in a group of damage dealers, but I wound up matched with another tank of the same class alongside two ranged DPS. The responsibility usually placed on a single individual became spread between half the group.

It was glorious.

All that social pressure, all that fear of failure, melted away. I had all the fun of tanking and none of the downsides. I waded into combat fearlessly, imposing my will on my enemies, without fear that a wrong move would doom the group. The other tank and I worked together, taunting mobs off each if one of us ever became overwhelmed.

The trinity is often held up as a shining example of team work, but really, everyone is kind of doing their own thing. My fellow Sith and I felt more like a team — in a random PUG with minimal communication — than most hard trinity groups I’ve been a part of.

Even aesthetically, it was a major improvement. My comrade and I formed a wall of armour and blazing lightsabers, holding back the enemies from our softer team mates. There was no breaking of immersion here; it looked and felt like a real battle.

I cannot overstate how fun this run was. I long for a time when experiences such as this might be commonplace in MMOs. This is how it ought to be.

Never say Neverwinter:

Neverwinter does have a traditional trinity, but of all the games I’ve played, it has the best take on it, at least if you ask me.

Neverwinter may have the trinity, but if you’ll pardon the pun, it’s not religious about it. I’ve done high-end dungeons with no tank and done fine, and the roles are a bit softer. Tanks generally don’t hold aggro on everything all the time, and DPS can survive a few hits. Both tanks and healers still do decent damage, though less than their damage-oriented comrades. Heavy use of healing potions helps balance the responsibility of player survival.

The most fun I’ve had as a healer in an MMO — at least in terms of core mechanics — was as a devoted cleric in Neverwinter.

In Neverwinter, healers aren’t just slaves to HP bars. They’re more like Swiss army knives, utility characters adapting on a moment to moment basis. Sometimes you’ll be healing, but other times you’ll be throwing out buffs, and if nothing else is needed at the moment, you can put out some respectable damage.

I like this because it’s not forcing you into a narrow box the way the trinity does. I get to experience a broader wedge of combat without having to change character or specialization. To borrow the metaphor from my first post, it might not quite be a peanut butter sandwich yet, but it is at least toast with peanut butter.

…Hopefully I won’t get in trouble with the Hague for torturing that metaphor so much.

Old school oddness:

There isn’t much I miss about life before dungeon finders, but one thing that I do have some nostalgia for is being forced to come up with odd, random group compositions out of sheer desperation.

The tank left? The warlock is pulling out his voidwalker. Healer ragequit? Well, the shadow priest is gonna throw out some heals, and the rogue has some bandages, and the mage is praying to every deity in the book that we finish this.

It didn’t always work. It often failed miserably. And it wasn’t sustainable. We were able to bluff our way through some leveling dungeons, but you couldn’t do challenging, endgame content that way.

But it was interesting to stretch your toolkit that way. It required a lot more thought than a rigid trinity does, and again, you weren’t being forced into some narrow role. That voidwalker wasn’t going to hold aggro on everything all the time. That shadow priest wasn’t going to save you if you didn’t make good use of your own survival tools.

It offered respite from the stifling order and choreography of the trinity.

Double D:

I was always surprised by how much I’ve enjoyed instanced group content in MMO shooters like Defiance and to a lesser extent The Division.

Now, I’ll be honest. It’s pretty mindless. It’s not exactly every man, woman, and rogue Castithan for themselves, but teamwork is much less than you’d find with a hard trinity.

But it’s fun. There’s a joyful chaos to running in, guns blazing, and watching the bodies hit the floor.

Games are meant to be fun. They don’t always have to be super serious, or intellectually stimulating, or brutally challenging.

I wouldn’t want all games to devolve into mindless anarchy with little team play and no roles, but there is a place for that. Again, I want variety. Mindless slaughterfests should be part of a balanced MMO diet.

* * *

Next time, in my final post on the MMO trinity, I will outline my plan for how I would “fix” the trinity.

I’m not sure if it’s the result of boredom, burn out, or pure coincidence, but lately I’ve found myself exploring new builds and playstyles in both Heroes of the Storm and The Secret World.

Jack and Jill of all trades:

Of course, experimentation is part and parcel of the Secret World experience, but lately I’ve been doing more of it than usual.

I’m not sure what prompted it, but I suddenly got it into my head that I wanted to be able to fulfill all three group roles on both my endgame characters, the Dragon and the Templar. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been running so many more dungeons since the group finder launched.

See, up until now, I had consciously limited myself to two roles per character, DPS and something else. My Dragon was a healer, my Templar a tank. Partly this was because the work required to build and maintain three different group builds and gear sets was daunting, and partly because I wanted to maintain distinct character identities despite the game’s lack of classes.

But I came to the conclusion I could maintain character identity as long as I kept their builds distinct, and with gear so much easier to acquire now, it didn’t seem like such a mountain to climb, though it still took a few days of hard grinding.

At the same time, I’ve also been adjusting some of my old builds to further clarify the fantasy of each character. The fact I almost never play anything harder than elites makes it a bit easier to be creative with builds, rather than having to min/max.

Essentially, I’ve decided that my Dragon uses magic and swords, so everything should focus on that. His blade/blood solo build and blood/elemental group DPS build remain unchanged, but increasingly I’m using a blood-focused build to heal rather than my traditional fist weapons (though I doubt I’ll ever abandon them completely). His new tanking build uses swords and chaos magic.

My Templar, on the other hand, is a direct sort. Firearms and hammers all the way for her. This meant throwing out her old chaos/hammer tanking build for a new hammer-centric build with shotgun thrown in as the second weapon for funsies.

This took quite a bit of experimentation to get right. Hammer isn’t the best main weapon for a tank, and constantly getting groups with 10.9 DPS didn’t help matters any. However, I think I’ve now settled on a set of abilities and a playstyle that’s functional, if not entirely optimal.

And I do enjoy the new build. TSW’s abilities get a lot of flack for having dull animations, and that’s not entirely undeserved, but hammer abilities have a great weight and power to them.

That left a healing build for her, and since I wanted to focus on guns, that meant it was finally time for me to try leeching.

I’ve always been interested in leech healing, as I am in anything that hybridizes healing and damage, but the guides made it sound very complicated, and I just never found the motivation to get around to it. Until now, that is.

My leech build will probably still need some polishing — I think I need more heal rating — but I have successfully healed a run of Hell Fallen elite.

It’s interesting — I’m still making up my mind on it. On the one hand it’s hard to argue the appeal of keeping your group alive while also dishing out the big crits and pretty damage numbers. However, I do find AoE healing frustrating, the “oh ****” buttons don’t seem as effective as those of other healing types, and it is mainly a lot of Anima Shot spam. So much Anima Shot spam.

On a related note, I briefly tested my build on some random Tokyo mobs, and I was once again reminded that Anima Shot is basically the “I win” button for solo content in TSW. As my Templar continues to struggle in Tokyo, I am now strongly considering swallowing my pride and just making a solo build that incorporates assault rifles.

I don’t even know how much I’ll use these new builds, but it’s nice to at least have the option, and it felt good to break out of my rut and explore the ability wheel again for the first time in quite a while.

Young women who blow up things with their brains:

There has been much wailing and gnashing of teeth over Nova’s recent rework in Heroes of the Storm. I’ve voiced my share of frustration myself — just looking at how many cool toys she lost was horrifying, and most of the Novas I’d seen since the change struggled badly to accomplish much of anything.

I was so dismayed I pretty much gave up on playing her altogether — I had never done so with great frequency, despite my fondness for the character.

But then came the day when I had daily quests for playing as both an assassin and a StarCraft hero. Dreading what was to come, I reluctantly selected Nova, cobbled together a new build focused around Pinning Shot, and queued up for a match.

I lost my first match, but it didn’t seem to be my fault, and I still needed at least one StarCraft match, so I tried again, and things went better than expected.

Much better.

I went on to have one of my most dominant performances ever as Nova — or any hero, for that matter. I ended the match with a takedown/death score of 47/2.

This was both more takedowns and fewer deaths than anyone else on my team, and nearly half of those takedowns were cases where I had landed the killing blow myself.

It’s not even as though the enemy team was exceptionally bad (I had a similarly dominant performance immediately afterward, but that can be accounted for by the enemy team’s Illidan feeding us easy kills the whole match). Watching them, the only obvious mistake I saw them making was that they didn’t do much to try to counter my Triple Tap.

I’ve played several more matches as Nova since, and while I haven’t won them all, I have maintained a fairly healthy win ratio, had strong personal performances in nearly every match, and often dominated completely.

I have no idea why this is. I’m not sure what it is I’m doing that’s making such a difference. But somehow I’m better at Nova now than I ever was before, despite the fact she appears crippled on paper.

Meanwhile, with a different character but the same voice actress, I also decided to finally try this teleport build for Li-Ming that seems so popular.

It’s interesting. The extra AoE is nice, and there’s a certain Leha-esque madcap recklessness to it that’s very appealing. “I have one of the smallest health pools in the game, but I’m going to go toward enemies, rather than away! Wee!”

On the whole, though, I think I like my usual Magic Missiles build better. Safer, saner, and from what I’ve seen slightly more powerful.

I will, however, take the teleport build when I get Infernal Shrines. You need all the AoE you can get on that map.

* * *

Fun fact: Apparently it’s been three years to the day since I posted this. The more things change, the more they stay the same.