Kieran

I absolutely fucking sucked ass at this DLC

The first boss i died to maybe 2 or 3 times, then I spent the whole DLC basically out of potions, didn't die any more though. I died once intentionally to Omega to restock potions, then unintionally maybe, god, 4 more times? Like it was kicking my ass. And when I finally did it, it's lucky i did as i was out of potions

Considering the main game weren't that hard, even the final boss weren't bad. This? It just felt ridiculously hard. Probably what didn't help too, by the end of the main game I was level 48, yet things were level 33-38, so i was over levelled. Yet starting the DLC I was level 49 and enemies were 47, and by the end i finally reached level 50

I dunno if this sounds good, but it was so incredibly tasty

I'll start with the pros:

1. The game has great voice acting! As I said previously, while i had this game wishlisted, it was seeing Ben Starr talk about voicing Clive in a Clair Obscur interview, which really got me interested in the game. So obviously he does well, but everyone is great too! Joshua, Jill, Cid, Gav, Annabelle (the cunt). Just everyone does so well!

2. Which speaking of, I just really liked the characters themselves! Even when you met characters who told you their history with Clive, though you never witnessed it, it felt true. You wanted to protect Jill, Joshua, Cid felt like a hero. The characters were great! And Annabelle was great at being a cunt!

3. This game does epic moments like nobodies business! Like all the fights with the Eikons/Aeons/gods, whatever you wanna call them. I genuinely was smiling during Bahamut! And Titan was just insane! But even opening on such a great one! And the final boss! This game knows how to absolutely nail an epic moment

4. Some of the sidequests give you such insanely good rewards, like, to the point i can't imagine not doing/getting them. Like the expanded inventory, boosted healing, you got such better armour and swords, and even Ambrosia! I couldn't imagine getting by with none of those!

5. The game is exceptionally beautiful, visually it is just stunning. Day, night, dawn, dusk, dense forest, large city. This game just looks gorgeous! And the few pre-rendered scenes it has just amplifies it like crazy

6. The game runs well! I played on graphics mode on my PS5, yet i never had any lag, glitches, nothing. I love a well made game!

7. Certain sidequests I wanna praise in particular. Like Lostwing, I have no idea what it's like if you do nothing, but the fact that, via the sidequests you do, it changes massively and literally goes to war. Like i loves that they weren't all just minor, one and done things, stories evolved and you saw the changes! Like the Hideaway garden getting nicer

8. While i used my phone to find the hunts, as i got tired if stumbling vaguely around the area. I really liked that i had no real need to use my phone. Everything was in the game, easy to follow, i love it when games don't have me constantly searching shit on Google

9. Going back to the epic moments. I loved how each fight with the Eikons/Dominants was different! Like, you never just fought the Dominant then the Eikon, each one changed up how they were fought, with like Benedikta/Garuda being the Dominant then Eikon, Titan being the Dominant, Eikon, then a fucking mountain, then Odin constantly switching phases. I really appreciated how unique each one was!

Now for my critcisms:

1. I know this was the idea, and it isn't necessarily a criticism on the game. But I got so fucking sick of how Bearers were treated, like it was genuinely upsetting. Seeing them get literally fed to monsters, treated like replaceable parts in a machine, not even seen as human. All because they were born with an ability to wield magic, a thing you think would make them superior. And like, L'ubor for instance, the fact he does so much for his community, and they all turned on him like that? I hated it the whole game

2. While some of the sidequests were good, most weren't. It got *REALLY* tiring how every single quest was just talk to this NPC, go to this location, press X, warp back to the NPC, done. They just weren't fun. And while some gave you good rewards, most others gave you such worthless shit

3. So this will be broken into many points, but the combat. I kinda got tired of how repetitive the enemies are. It felt like there were maybe 8 enemy types, if that, but they got reskins, and they didn't even get new abilities, you were just fighting the same few enemies over and over, and it got very tiring

4. The big enemies were so fucking needlessly spongey. Cause I fought them so much, it got to the point they rarely ever hit me, yet I just hit a wall any time we encountered one due to how long they take to kill. So when the game threw multiple encounters in a row like that at you, i felt frustrated as it got so tedious

5. I don't think the combat was great. You essentially just mash square over and over, and while you get different abilities, swordwise they don't do a ton of damage, and I noticed some could be a pain to trigger, like magic burst. And although you get the Eikon abilities, it just wasn't enough to make the gameplay fun, as you just spam those too. So due to all of this, towards the end i just kept skipping encounters as i got sick of the combat

6. The game was not good generally between the epic moments. You get so many sidequests, most are tedious and not rewarding. You fight the same enemies with a not great combat system. While the epic moments are great, yeah. Like, fatigue did slow me down in playing this due to my health. But that was the other issue, on more than one occassion I genuinely almost stopped playing the game, as it turned into such a slow, tedious, repetitive slog between these epic fights. While it picked up at the very end, like, 85% of the rest of the game (outside of those few moments) just wasn't fun for me

7. Actually, kinda forgot but the DLC reminded me. Sorta 2 in one i guess. Firstly, the lock on. I hate that there's no way to switch lock on targets, and sometimes I wanna lock on to a specific enemy due to them healing, shielding, or being annoying. Yet no matter what I try Clive will just keep locking on to other enemies, including ones barely on screen when the enemy i want is in the centre of it. That can be tedious. Which speaking of tedious, mild complaint 2. If you don't equip Phoenix/Garuda, I have no idea how you are meant to hit flying enemies, so when i didn't have a Phoenix/Garuda one on, i would spend ages waiting for the AI to somehow bring them down. Unless i missed something with an ability or move, yeah, that gets tedious too

Also, as i haven't said, thoughts on the end. I was really sad about Joshua, and i was scared this'd happen with Clive. I'm scared that FF games are just about protagonists dying now with the few I've played. And while very bittersweet, I'm glad that Clive seemed to manage to save the world and stop the Blight. But seeing Jill and Torgal at the end, genuinely wanted to cry. Torgal is the bestest boy. It was nice taking down Ultima though, and it was interesting hearing even more about him and his story, and, yeah, those final fights were insane. Whether due to music or design, i got major Seymour and Sephiroth vibes at times. Just, yeah, a sad ending, but a good one

I'll probably look at the first DLC after dinner

I got all the ultimate gear now :D Least I assume it is

I got the quest in, don't wanna butcher it, but Dalamil? Dhalamil? Something like that. Then what seems like several quests in the hideaway. Then i can finish the game once those are done!

I must admit, I looked online and saw people say they stay away from "ultimate builds" which i supposedly had, like, Bahamut's and Ramuh's ultimates, and then Odin's stuff. As you wait so long between uses that, while crazy damage output, it limits combat and makes it square spammy. So i saw people recommend faster cooling stuff

So i made a set of fast cooling things, the one that shows off my gear too. And it's been hard to tell as I have just been fighting all these optional bosses. But I think it's okay? While my damage isn't reaching the crazy output the other had, cause i can spam abilities so fast, they do decent damage. I probably need to try and find a balance of fast cool down, good damage output, and good stun, as i feel stun is where i am lacking a bit still. I know Garuda has good stun abilities, but they just feel so weak

Clive was naaakkkeeeeyyyyyyy

No spoilers please, not even vague hints

Also, I've left off, as I am going to bed soon, before going to Origin, but also having tons of sidequests to do, so tomorrow should be an interesting gaming day! And potentially Sunday depending how long it all takes

It's been interesting finding out everything about Ultima, us. I had wondered if Ultima was like Alduin, a process that isn't necessarily evil, just one starting anew. Which, yes, Ultima is different, and a lot more complex

It felt good to finally take down Barnabas, I must admit, initially I was rather let down by his abilities as they didn't do as much attack or stun as Bahamut, which Shiva also was a let down there. But then in equipping and using them, while not an intense initial damage output, over time once you get a level 3, that damage output is insane

While initially I was so happy Dion was alive, given the conversation we just had with Joshua, it doesn't seem long lasting. I want to hope he'll be okay, i want him and Terence to be okay, the game is suggesting otherwise. Which, similarly, the more the story is progressing, the more I think about the other FF games I've played, the more concerned I am for Clive

I have, what i assume, is the best gear, I just need to get the best sword, which I assume some of these quests and any final hunts will lead to. I am eager to see where some of these side stories end, as, eh, this whole post, like I usually do with games, i wanna make a big final post on my thoughts, which I have taken notes, and I keep almost going into things I wanna say then

Just to give a TL;DR. It's how people get so fucking focused on being offended for and "defending" imaginary disabled people, that they ignore actual disabled people, or shit on actual disabled people. Like it is the most blatant feigning of trying to be a good person and caring for others, while showing you don't actually give a shit about the thing you're talking about

Though i guess a pre-side rant. I dunno why, but i can comment something 100 other people have, yet i am always fucking singled out and I don't fucking get why. Every fucking time. I am always targeted. Case and point, the thing i am about to vent about, it was in response to a comment someone else left, stating the same sentiment, with many others agreeing. Yet my reply is the only one targeted????? Not even the original comment that said virtually the same thing. Just my reply??????? I don't get why this always fucking happens

Anyway. So a comment on a post was complaining about people who hog the machines at gyms without working out. So i shared my own frustrations, listing a few examples which included a guy who just literally sleeps on machines every day. 2 women who by the time i am doing my workout (which can include multiple machines, doing 3 sets of 8-12 reps with a minute break between each) either do no reps, or like one set of reps, yet sit on machines that whole time talking to each other. People who get on a machine and do one set of 4 reps, sit on the machine for 15-20 minutes doing nothing, then get up and walk away. And a dude who stood still on a treadmill, talking on a phone for 25 minutes before leaving the gym

My comment and the original comment have multiple likes. Yet the responses to my comment are asinine. All they have been are people defending the people at my gym! Keep in mind, these are people who don't go to my gym, aren't impacted by it, aren't seeing these things happen, nothing. Yet are telling me, the person going to my gym, the person impacted by it, and the person witnessing these things that I'm wrong or a terrible person for getting upset about it

They've thought up any manageable excuse under the sun as to why people are working out that way, including, yes, disabilities or chronic health issues. Are saying maybe this is the only place they can get some sleep?????? Or are cherry picking my comment to shit, ignoring all the things they can't excuse, then acting like the one thing they think up an excuse for means the rest of my comment is bullshit

Thing is, even after stating that I suffer from chronic health issues and count as disabled myself, and the reason it bothers me is the machines people hog are the only ones i can manage so i need to use them. 5hey've then either ignored me to keep going on their bullshit, made fun of me for my health issues, or acted like i was saying that because I have health issues and can manage these things, that means anyone else with any other difficulties can. Which I didn't come close to even saying

(Ignore all the boxes/Amazon stuff on the floor, I will remove it soon, but they like having them down there to go in and/or bite)

I took my time last time when I was picking up ice cream, it's hard for me to slow down in a shop due to how over stimulating i find it, but i did it. And i saw so many flavours I wanted! I picked up these 2, but there were more that caught my eye!

My Amazon package felt weirdly heavy, and like, i didn't understand why as I got like a denture case, brush, and I thought only a few tablets for cleaning it. I underestimated the amount of tablets :')

They were such a good price though! Others were like, £10 but you only got like 50, and these had lots of good reviews! Weirdly my brushes didn't arrive, but i am using a sponge and that seems fine. Also, i think Amazon tried forcing me into getting Prime as this said it'd be here August 10th originally