Next Step: Spectre Armor

Dear Diary,

today I killed Queen Slime. It was exciting ...

So, was it ... is it legit? Technically I could also have the Ankh Shield by now ... I just wasn't sure from my clutter which items I collected and which ones I already had. I'm still not sure about that Armor Polish. Vitamins I could get ... . Anyway still want to do some grinding ... for a life drain. But anyhow ...

There's an ongoing issue within me ... well ... one of them, similar to the Heart of Contention but vastly different by nature - I suppose - is about identity. So, yea, there's that shared aspect/angle, where another one is ... to do with tensions that tear/drag on it left and right.

So, coming to this point I came to further recollect more of my "ancient past" - in Terraria - so, my previous playthroughs with Lisa and Hunter. One image sure is the state I left ... the game in. Lisa ... well, the System I had then, with storage, was virtually non-existent. I had my few chests with the important stuff - and whenever I needed more space I added one. Eventually I made an extra storage room ... mostly because of events and dungeon/hell ... furniture ... and so in my last chest I had all the Moonlord/Pillar stuff ... like, Meowmeres everywhere, and You've seen Hunter's hotbar. So, I was ... dissatisfied. With Lisa I was ... I felt ... forced into a Meelee build because it offered the most protection. With Hunter I felt ... forced into a Ranger build because it offered the most reliable damage.

And this time ... I suppose ... I'm forced into a mage build ... but I suppose it's ... just fair. So, what I wanted was ... at the end of it all ... to "find myself" I guess. I don't know ... what the right term would be. "To get the right drip" I suppose. And ... I don't know how to ... make it work for me. Or didn't. Like, starting with: How to explain it?
What is it? Is it good? How is it OK?


And what gets me is the question for ... what I have then ... at the end of it. What's the cost ... for what to be gained?

And sure ... it's ... a silly question. Somehow. Like, if I wanted to ... I could use that as a reason to stop playing games alltogether ... and "get my act together" - whatever that means. "Stop believing in fairy tales" ... and whatever type of nonsense comes with that attitude. And yea, I've been there a couple of times. But ... it's that last part that usually gets me to turn around really quickly.

So, it doesn't matter. But so, I find this and that ... and I like it ... and naturally I want to keep it. But there's certainly more armor and vanity sets than I can carry, and more combinations than is safe for sanity to manage.

But so there is this whirl ... of sorts ... between ... use and care ... vanity and purpose. And it seems like an eternal contention. The more pieces You add ... especially, I should add, without having a true baseline to normalize stat distribution accross a set of options ... there's an inherent imbalance between modes of expression. In a PvP setting, which is where most of these discussions seem to end, there's skill expression ... which is then where preferences come in ... and on it goes. What's best is eventually cancelled out by the noise, leaving some ... "peak expressions" comprised of the usual suspects.

And there's something I love and something I hate about it. I don't like it when there's a de-facto best in slot or thorough 'must have setup' - but I sure like it when people play the game right, so, speaking of MMORPGs. There's depth of knowledge ... but sure a lot of bitching that boils down to skill issues and intolerance.

I mean, the first time I was a Tank I went in there with ... a Zweihander. Not saying that it worked great ... but we made it.
And ... sure. At that point I deserve to be informed of my misdeeds. It is in fact OK to tell someone that Tanking with a Zweihander is ... kind of rude.

There should be a warning sign maybe, when someone is a noob.


Anyhow ... at some point I found some time to play around - and I wrote of it when "said Solar Eclipse" happened - and ... so I took a closer look at that Spectre Armor. I mean, it was only logical. It is where the Mage progression takes me eventually. And I like it - and ... it then would make for a complete set. Like ... as for having my shit together.

So, it just so happened, in a way. I mean ... dear Jesus I suppose also had a bit of a hand in there. Like, nudging me towards it. Like, taking off my mining gear and focussing on that first Loadout slot some more. Which ... this is not. I mean, it is ... but ... . I mean, it isn't really anything fleshed out.

What I like here is how there's different ... ways one can play this. Like, Orichalcum isn't the best numbers wise, but it offers advantages like movement boni. I'm not saying that it's all 'well designed' - but it works within the framework I guess. Anyhow ...


So, Crystal Armor goes into Loadout 3 - and it does offer more protection than the Adamantine gear ... and eventually Spectre will replace Loadout 2. It goes well with Life Drain. And that's then ... where I want to be. I mean, then there's "the Fist" and the "Kamehame-Ha" - and other cool stuff ... but that's end game. And that's ... one of those things. It doesn't make sense progression wise to think this way. It's a game and not real life. And even in real life ... even more so ... one might say that we can't afford to dilly dally.



Well, the fight. Was it legit? I don't know. Technically ... I had the advantage of an already "planted" desert - so, getting the shards was easy. Other than that ... the Marrow didn't really get used, so, that shouldn't be the issue. The Arena ... well, it is what it is. The key to victory for me was to be cautious with spending flight time, returning to the floor when possible, keeping an eye out for the slime attack drones ... and ... basically ... Onyx Blaster with Ichor Bullets ... and try to deal damage with Sky Fracture while Frostburn and the Armor Debuff are active. I sort of tried ... to use only either, but both I feel have significant shortcomings when used by themselves.


I mean, I love the Sky Fracture ... but ... it's also a bit unwieldy sometimes. So, it's situational ... and when the Aimbot is AFK again ... it's not good at all. And it's not that the situations are far and few between. But it also drains a lot of Mana. So, during a long fight ... one has to take pause anyway ... and so ... the situational advantage can technically be maximized.
Uhm ...

Oh, also avoid the Lava Pit! I mean ... it's funny. I died a lot to spikey-shooty-slimes that all got stuck in that ditch ... so, there wasn't a safe landing zone in the middle. ...


So, case and point: By not obsessing over it and just playing the game I got there eventually. The ambition itself isn't the problem. It's there ... and real ... and so by the time one gets there it feels great. I mean ... it's like wind. It exists for a reason. And beyond that ... just is. And what happens happens.

Talking of which: And it being what it is, means that it isn't what it's not. Which means, that if it could be what it isn't, and that's better, then that what it is ... sucks. The ... this seems to be one of those Antichristian twister mantras ... like, "Lesson One" - if there's something You don't like ... argue it away. How? By offering an alternative. And if it's a Crimson Toilet, it's a Crimson Toilet. But what if it weren't?

"Cool"


I mean, I figured. They might be walking through Heavenly Jerusalem and still find a way to make it sound like it was built by Satan himself.

And the way they act like it's all normal. I mean, in my head-theatre. Obviously it's an act ... but it's aggresively relying on our unwillingness to ... like ... just Punch Nazis. I mean, by now it's like ... "settled", we're not going to kill them or so ... which means they can let down their pants ... and I'm afraid about what Y'all might do in response.

But also how, sure, of course they exploit people, fuck children, kill, rob and steal. "Naturally".
It's just ... a preference. Like ... a lifestyle.

And sure, when You do business ... of course You have to be mindful of the competition.

Yea, competition like them ... I suppose.


But well. I mean, for a moment I was thinking that we're getting somewhere. Like, as for what's been going on in my head. There it was like ... they showed their hands and made sure that people understood that they were guilty. Now, it may be that what I see as a big and central event is to You something that happens in passing. So, I act like it's this huge thing when it really just is an average maybe.

I don't know. But ... within this time they've now been got like three times or so ... which means, it's not real.

And OK, cool. But ... what now? What next? How? What? I mean, I can't escape these impressions ... so, I guess I'm ... in a bit of a pickle.


Where was I?
I feel like there's still something that can be said. About the thing. For once, the items were all there. Ignoring the equipment, like ... all the Terra Boots ... the Armor sets and weapons certainly are. Souls of Flight I have more than I'll ever need ... which reminds me:

Wyvern Hunting for noobies:

Wyverns are assholes. I tried them on and failed - like, I wasn't fast enough and kept getting stunlocked by them. Then I saw a video and I facepalmed. The trick is to basically try and not move left to right - which is to say, dodge up and down ... so they'll have to make a loop ... which You then may have to dodge left or right, so ... point being that You try to stay in place and have them chase You. In relative motion the Wyvern has the advantage - but in degrees of attack and motion, You have. So, I guess ... naturally the strategy must be to maximize what space there is for attack and motion.
Eventually it gets easy. Then You know why they're assholes. "It's one of those Pesky Terrarians again trying to farm me for Souls". "Let me just swipe by and say hi".


So, I had an idea ... but it felt empty. Maybe ... because I have a bad attitude. Like, if it's empty ... fill it. Play with it. Explore it. I mean ... so, I have my different characters and after some back and forth I figured that there's a reason to keep them around. Not treating the worlds they left as static images may be one thing - but for me there's also a matter of identity. Well, starting with memory, and ultimately the matter of fact separation by Identity. But somewhere I don't treat each playthrough as an isolated thing. My creative mind expands beyond that ... thus there's a demand. But how do things come together?

The key might be the fact that "Every world needs a custodian". There are various ... points to that. First, there's the map. And then there's storage. But it's also ... not really right.
Anyway. Point being - there's my thinking ... and whether it's right or wrong doesn't matter at first. While there is no right or wrong, it can't matter. Using it I can however test it for what it is. And ... now spending time in Hunter's world ... I got re-immersed in it, where ... I'm like absorbing my old past. In a way. So ... what? Why? How?

So yea, it's a mystery. I can solve it by now, I guess ... starting by calling it one. I suppose "You" might think of it as an unwieldy knot. Some, twisted confusion without point or purpose. So, take another step while taking reality into account and You'll find ... there has to be something and if it is as pale and simple as me doing Video Game therapy.

But yea, what have we learned so far?
So, speaking of my "excentricity" - we can understand that there's "individualistic preferences" through which some constellations stand out among others, "even if" they don't perform that great "by some metric", regardless of how "important" that metric might be. And sure ... I guess at the end of that argument I'll be told off to play some other silly game like ... uh ... Terraria. So, yea.
Anyway ... sure, there's a conversation to be had about "which priorities one is to set" for playing in a given environment - like, in a social setting that kind of stuff is important. I mean, one way or another, Nightreign (uh ... ???) for instance is a lot more fun with people that know their shit and can play in a team ... than with the occasional lost soul that ventured too far into forbidden lands.
Not that I can't or won't do babysitting. I mean, I like ... it actually. But some people have problems bigger than (just) skill issues.

But then, if this and that is given ... it's just ... awesome. I mean, there's a certain logic to everything and so ... there's a fundamental agreement that can be relied upon. Naturally there's options; Naturally everyone has some kind of plan for how to succeed - and so, the pings on the map give detail as to what someone's up to ... and because it's three ... a simple majority can form around shared targets ... and yea. I mean, to just leave off as the third is borderline ... but it's also kind of ... Your choice. Let's hope they make the loop. I mean, I've also done that ... once or twice.

So, what I prioritize ... ignoring social demand ... is a complex matter. For my skill expression I have to pick something I'm comfortable with. And yea, vanity ... is like a wrench in that system. And I suppose it can totally become a problem.
Vanity eventually can also obscure visual cues by which one might read what others are wearing. What class, what sub-class ... that type of thing.

So, that's a game. And I suppose there's people who demand that that's what games are. That that's ALL that games ever will be. Who wins in PvP?
Or to just, get the best stuff ... in other words. And sure ... in a way. Though it still would be weird, for instance, to loose to a deck of goo and jollypuffs ... in Magic the Gathering. By pixies and cute 7/7 rabbits or something. Sure, it's a 7/7 that's a Terraria Bunny, let's say. If it existed, people would use it. I would love a 7/7 rabbit. Give it deathtouch and ... trample to not make it too Monty Pythony. Next, Bunny Rabbit army in Warhammer 40k - let's gooo!

But at the core of my contention, the issue is that these "Best Picks" sometimes require a certain playstyle. And sure, people will say "adapt" - and I'm not saying that I can't nor that I won't nor that one shouldn't - But at some point it strikes me as odd ... when the game practically for no reason obfuscates certain playstyles or preferences; While generally supporting others. It's like: "To be the best You have to be THIS" - and everything else gets a fuck You. I'm not saying that this is a real life issue, but why then am I having this problem?
I mean, I can't give You any real life examples from the top of my head. But there's a lingering feeling of: Why of all things can I not do this one thing? Like, there's customization but it won't allow me to ... make any use of it.

It's like: Pink Orb or Blue Orb? The Blue Orb deals 20, and the Pink one 10 damage. Everything else is the same. So, of course You pick the Blue one. But why's the pink one there if not only to taunt You?
Assuming that Pink is what You'd want.

Sure, this is just color. But let's then say Pink has the perfect "weight and balance" for my preferences and Blue ... totally not. So, obviously, still I should and would pick Blue ... but Pink will always be there, because ... overall ... it's my preference.

So, at this point I'm "exploring" movement options, although, I don't really have the time and space to test out how well the Orichalcum armor really performs against alternatives that don't have the boni I 'desire'. I mean, when most of the fight is in the air ... movement speed may not really be ... all that great.

Anyway ... is my setup special? Well, if it's that - what if it weren't? And if it weren't, what if it were?


Jumping ahead ... well. It's not the only possible combo there is. One may also go "full [class]" - to like, have the same armor in every loadout while using different accessories. But then, it's also really just a logical Melee/Mage/Ranger thing.


Uhm, yea. Sure ... some things are "peak" for a reason. I guess that beats my whole argument/case/everything.

...
Anyway ... now I'm back to worrying about my life.


(Lightning Boots are conscious choice here - although not wanting to make another pair and not wanting to transfer the other one I have also has to do with it. I'm not sure I like the inconsistency.)