So, it's not a DND story, but a horror story nonetheless. The game in questions is Shadowrun.
To preface this, I played a lot of D&D and Pathfinder over the years but I desperately wanted to try out some new system with a different genre, something futuristic like cyberpunk. Then I heard from a few people I played with about an upcoming Shadowrun group that should start with 1-2 oneshots to get to know each other and then start a real campaign. Didn’t know anybody from that group but since I was eagerly interested to finally try out that system, I signed up.
We were 4 players plus the DM. Based on some talk with the DM I liked his idea of experimenting a bit for fun and learn as we go and playing an amnesiac character. We roughly agreed on a Spellcaster though, as I thought this would complement the other players quite well and I thought it would be a bit more interesting for me to finding out stuff, cause when you carry a big ol cannon it’s not hard to guess what you specialize in. 2 of the other players were already very experienced with the system, so it sounded like a solid plan to everyone.
When the game started, however, I immediately realized that the DM had taken the amnesia very seriously. I couldn't remember anything. Literally nothing. And I didn't even get a single chance to find out anything. My only information was “you wake up in an apartment” and “there's a note with a place and time on it”. No matter what I asked or tried it was only blocked off and met with an irritantingly annoyed response, I wasn't allowed to look in a mirror, check for any implants, take a closer look at what I'm wearing or even search my pockets. My only option was to follow the note, so that's what I did. When I got there – slightly after the specified time - I found a dead dwarf. Nothing and nobody else around. The DM asked "what do you do?" but again, all attempts to find out anything were blocked. I couldn't take a closer look at the body to see who it was, how he died/was killed, nor could I see if there were any tracks, if anyone was hiding here, etc. Everything I tried was simply answered with “you have no idea what you're doing”.
Up to this point, it had been a good 30 minutes already in which I hadn't even been given the slightest hint and simply knew nothing. Nothing at all. And accordingly, my character had no motivation to stay in this place.
So I then said “right, I'mma head back to this apartment then and lie down again”.
I was then stopped even more annoyed and the sudden loud arrival of the other players was announced to me. Whereupon I was asked to roll my dice. I asked briefly if I had noticed anything unusual and was told “No...”. The 3 characters who noticed me approached me directly as if they knew me, but not like a friend. I played along (and was looking forward to finally having some RP, so the annoying crap with the DM was over, but oh boy was I in for a surprise). As soon as we were facing each other the other 3 were asked to roll and shortly after 2 of them directly threatened my char with weapons and they started tying him up. Attempts to calm the situation through RP to find out what was going on failed, not only because they ignored me but also because they gagged my char.
I then asked the DM directly if there was any way I could find out something and maybe do something about it. Silence. In the meantime my char was tied to a tree, hooked up with a booby trap in case I free myself and on top of it my gag was replaced by a grenade too and one of the others discovered the dead body an said “found the real one”.
Extremely frustrated at this, I tried one last time “Hey DM, what's the deal, is there any way I can get this grenade out of my mouth or can I communicate telepathically somehow? Or do you just want to take your anger out on me?" I was then told to roll the dice. I did and apparently attacked the other players.
Gagged. With my hands tied behind my back. Tied to a tree.
And the 2 experienced players went straight for it and started shooting me.
Probably should’ve done it earlier, but right at this point I just grabbed my stuff and left.
Worst TTRPG experience of my life. It’s been a couple years already, but this is still burned into my memory and I’m still mad at the guys who recommended that group to me. And I really hope the third guy got out of there too.
Luckily enough I found a different group playing Eclipse Phase a while after that, which was awesome and totally fulfilled my cyberpunk craving.

Book 1 Prev Next
"I don't know if I like that you're resorting to dying as a solution," Ahkelios says.
It's not the first time he's shared this sentiment. It's probably the third, actually. I groan. "Look, I want Whisper's attention to be directed away from what the rebels are doing," I say. "There wasn't any way that fight was going to end well for me, and Miktik and the others were basically seconds away from being discovered. I had to end the loop there."
"Yeah, but what about when you get out of this?" Ahkelios argues. "You aren't going to be in a time loop anymore, but what if you've gotten used to doing this and you do it by accident?"
"I—" I sigh. I appreciate that Ahkelios is worried about me, I really am, but I can't imagine any world where I'd jump to death as a solution. It's not like I enjoy the process of dying. "Look, that's why I'm asking you to do it, isn't it? I'm not building any reflex for it. You'll be able to refuse me if I try to get you to do it once we're out."
Ahkelios grumbles under his breath. "I guess you're right," he says. He doesn't sound happy about it.
I change the subject. "You seem way more willing to believe that I'm going to get out of this," I say, half-joking. "Why the change of heart?"
Ahkelios looks up at me, narrowing his eyes. "I never said I didn't think you'd get out of this. You didn't use the link to read my mind, did you?"
"No," I say. I'm pretty sure it doesn't work that way. "It's just that you've never talked about me getting out of the Trial. Ever."
There's a short silence there. Ahkelios looks away, and I realize with a start that I'm closer to the mark than I realized.
"I don't know what it is," he says eventually. "But the more time I spend with you, the more sure I am that you'll figure something out. You just keep... doing it. Finding a way out of things. And it's almost never what I expect or would have done. And it works out better for you than it ever did for me."
I almost don't know how to respond to that. "Thank you," I say.
"Do you know what you'll do when you win?" Ahkelios asks me. "I don't know what you did on your planet, but I doubt it's anything close to this."
"I have not even begun to worry about that," I grunt. "And I don't think I want to just yet. I'll figure it out when I get there."
"Or we will," Ahkelios says softly. "Or... I don't know. Do you know what's going to happen to me?"
I don't have an answer for that.
"...I'd like to figure out a way to get you back into a body of your own, not just one made out of Firmament," I say eventually.
"But that doesn't mean I'll have a home," Ahkelios says. "I don't even know what the Integrators did to my planet."
"Then I guess I know what I'll be doing once I'm out of here," I answer instantly. The words come out before I'm even aware I'm saying them, but... they feel right.
Ahkelios's eyes widen a bit as he looks up at me. "You'll help me?"
"You're helping me right now, aren't you?" I say, holding out a fist. "I figure I owe you a favor."
Ahkelios gives me a tiny fistbump, suddenly looking much more cheerful. "Time to find Tarin?" he asks.
"Not before I get you some moss," I say with a laugh. Ahkelios looks delighted.
I don't have that much time to take breaks in this Trial. The clock ticks away with every second I spare.
But without moments like these, I think I'd forget what I'm fighting for.
—
There are two things I need to do at the Cliffside. The first of them is meet up with Tarin. This time he's ready and waiting. Considering Mari's lack of reaction, he doesn't appear to have told her about the loop this time, and that's... probably for the best. It's not like the village's imbuement stones are going to work for me, anyway.
She does give me a suspicious once-over. "Tarin say he helping you fight."
"That's... true," I say.
"Good." Mari nods. "You need. Your Firmament soft."
At least they're not calling it unstable anymore — but what's soft supposed to mean? Before I can question her on it, she disappears back into their hut, muttering something about needing to make preparations to protect the village if Tarin was going to be away for a while.
"Was it actually that easy to convince her?" I ask Tarin.
"Yes!" Tarin nods, looking at me as if offended. "She understand. Sometimes hatchling need help."
"Are you calling me a hatchling?"
"What else I call you? You still no feathers."
"I— Tarin, I'm an adult human."
"You baby crow."
If it weren't for the shit-eating grin on Tarin's face, I would've been a lot more exasperated. As it is, I just laugh and shake my head. "...I'm going to go talk to Virin before we leave. I promised I'd help him out with some imbuement stuff."
Virin is still asleep when I knock on the wall to his hut. His daughter is not, and I wince when she jumps on top of him to wake him up. He shoots out of bed with a squawk and enough force to send his daughter flying.
Right back into her nest hanging from the roof. Huh. Have they practiced this? Judging by the giggles, they might have.
I smile a little. He's a good father.
"Hey, Virin," I greet. "Listen, this is going to sound really strange, but..."
To my surprise, the moment I explain the loop and his own plan to him, his eyes light up — there isn't even a hint of hesitation or doubt. When I describe what happened to the rock, he doesn't seem surprised or concerned. "I always wonder!" he exclaims, taking the moss-covered rock out of a nearby drawer and examining it with interest. "Means activation need to be different. You say last time I just pour Firmament in?"
"Yes." I remember it quite distinctly, mostly because I hadn't been expecting to watch a rock burst into flames and then evaporate.
"Okay. Now you need remember activation point. You watch." He aims for a specific part of the rock — something outlined in concentric circles of moss — and stabs it with a needle of Firmament.
The rock melts into liquid.
I stare at the rock, then at Virin. "Was that supposed to happen?"
"You remember," Virin insists, already pushing me out the doorway. "I need more sleep! Next time you not come so early."
Bemused, I make my way back to Tarin.
—
The rest of the loop up until Isthanok goes much the same way. The guards at the Great Gates don't give me any trouble, and the ones at the Isthanok border have clearly been told to look out for someone going for the Arena, so they don't even give me a second glance when I tell them I'm there to visit Thys and Thaht.
Perfect.
Tarin and I head straight for Miktik's workshop. Tarin skips all the confused preamble and just knocks sharply on the fused crystal that hides the entrance to her workshop; there's a long pause, longer than the one we experienced in the previous loop, before it reluctantly slides open. Just like before, Miktik frantically waves us in.
A little less like before, she's noticeably more suspicious of us. "You weren't surprised that door was missing," she says. "Tarin. How did you know?"
Tarin squawks in impatience. "You open door for me last time," he says.
I sigh.
"What do you mean, last time?" Miktik is more visibly agitated. She trusts Tarin, I can see that much, or she wouldn't have let him in in the first place — but I guess being under Whisper's rule is pretty stressful. I imagine it's hard to tell if someone might be acting under the effects of a Whisper. That said, though...
"I think we both know if Tarin was being manipulated by a Whisper he'd be a lot louder about it," I say dryly. Tarin's not the type of bird to just listen to whatever a mysterious voice tells him to do. For the most part.
"Who are you, anyway?" Miktik pivots her attention to me nearly immediately.
I don't bother with the games. "I'm the Trialgoer," I say. "The Trial's started, and I need your help to evade Whisper."
"And why should Miktik trust you?" Miktik asks. She's nervous, but she keeps glancing between Tarin and I — clearly his presence is enough for this encounter to be a lot smoother than it otherwise would be.
"You don't have that much of a reason to," I admit. "But Whisper is as much an enemy to me as she is to you guys, and I've already worked with you and been here before. Look, let's get further inside with the others and I'll tell you the full story."
Miktik blocks my path. "What others?" she demands. I almost open my mouth to retort that we're wasting time, but... I see the look in her eyes and stop.
She's not disbelieving me or just stubbornly denying the existence of the rest of the resistance. She's testing me.
Okay.
"You've got the kobold brothers — Thys and Thaht. A crow like Tarin named Bimar. A silverwisp named He-Who-Wanders. And a morphling..."
I hesitate. I don't remember his name.
"Vahrkos," Ahkelios supplies. The sudden movement and sound from my head is enough to startle Miktik into letting out a small yelp. Her legs twitch, and she swings a miniscule tool at her belt to point at Ahkelios before forcing herself to relax.
"You're kind of jumpy," I observe. "What happened?"
"You tell us your story first and I'll tell you ours," Miktik grumbles. "This way."
—
It doesn't take much time to get them caught up on the time loop thing. They're all a little disbelieving of the idea, but it's not like I don't have a half-dozen ways to prove it — from knowing about Miktik's Firmament sink to knowing what would happen if Whisper tried to overload it, to Ahkelios's own knowledge of Hestia and the recounting of some of his own loops.
I stop him when he begins to get a little too into his retelling. I can see the little guy starting to shake a little. Whatever memories he has, he doesn't seem ready to face them yet.
The Interface has taken a bit more from us than any of us know, I think.
"So," I say eventually. "I'm going to need your help."
"Let me get this straight." Bimar is unsurprisingly the most skeptical of the lot. The crow's wings tap impatiently against the makeshift table they're all seated at. "Your plan is to make Whisper think that you're here for the Arena, distract her from the fact that you're actually here to help us develop a new Firmament sink and to... what, abduct He-Who-Guards?"
"Abduct implies that he's unwilling," I say. "I doubt he's unwilling."
"Your doubt doesn't guarantee our effort won't be wasted," Bimar says sharply. "And these loops of yours might, but only if they're real. Even then, they seem unreliable at best." She gives Tarin a pointed look. "Who's to say something doesn't get preserved that permanently ruins us?"
"The Trialgoer is still the best option we've had in a while," He-Who-Wanders says. "The risk of working with him is no greater than the risk of any of the other tasks we undertake on a regular basis."
"Whose side are you on?!" Bimar demands.
Thys sighs. The kobold leans in to give me a stage whisper. "Bimar's just angry because you messed up our plans," he says. "She'll calm down eventually."
I just blink. "What plans? You had plans?"
And now it's their turn to tell me what happened at the start of this loop. Miktik takes the lead, and Bimar declines to participate for most of the discussion, instead watching me and Tarin with sharp eyes. She doesn't trust us, I can tell.
But I notice her gaze lingers on Tarin more than it does on me, and I find that... strange.
"Whatever you told her about the Arena made her change the format of it," Miktik explains. "It's a tournament-style arena now, at least for the next couple of days. The points it rewards are multiplied the higher in the tournament you go."
"...That sounds like an obvious trap," I say. I don't bother hiding how bewildered I am. She believes I told her the truth about wanting prizes from the Arena, but why the change of format? The rules technically benefit me, if anything; it means it'll take much less points for me to earn what I need...
Of course, it'll also put me directly in her sights, which is probably what she wants. I have no intention of spending multiple loops trying to perfect my performance in a tournament.
Miktik nods, agreeing. "We were wondering what that was about. Between the new guards she put out, He-Who-Guards being missing, and the sudden change to the Arena, we figured she might have been on to Thys and Thaht."
"Kinda glad to hear that's not the case," Thys quips.
Vahrkos speaks up. "I would assume the tournament exists in order to identify you," he says, his voice a low, smooth rumble. "One that can travel through time would be easy to spot in a series of fixed combat challenges."
"It would've been just as easy to spot me in the regular Arena," I say.
"That would depend on your level of skill," Vahrkos says. "But this announcement will attract many new combatants, including ones not from this city."
Tarin's eyes gleam. I groan. "Tarin, we're not—"
"Training," Tarin insists.
I sigh.
—
Despite Tarin's insistence, I refuse to actually join the tournament and walk straight into Whisper's trap. The setup is alarmingly specific — if all she wanted to do was identify me, she could Whisper to every contestant walking inside the Arena grounds. Unless, of course, there's a cost to her Whisper that prevents her from doing it at that scale.
The point is, whatever she's doing, I don't trust it. And neither do any of the rebels.
"We're going to resign from the Arena this round, I think," Thys says, glancing at his brother. "No point getting involved in whatever this is."
"Yeah, getting involved in this sounds dumb," Thaht agrees.
Bimar rolls her eyes. "You set yourself up for this," she tells me bluntly. "You want to keep playing whatever game you're playing with her, you're going to need to do something, or she'll figure out you tricked her. And that you have a counter against her Whispers."
...Well, she's not wrong there.
"I enter tournament," Tarin declares.
I frown. "That's not going to work," I say. "She knows the new Trialgoer has to be an offworlder. You're from Hestia."
"I not say I pretend to be Trialgoer," Tarin says, scoffing at the idea. "I say I go tournament. My turn for training, yes?"
"He's going through the loops too, isn't he?" Bimar speaks in her usual brusque manner. "If Whisper is on the lookout for someone that acts like a time traveler, Tarin's going to check all those boxes eventually. Even if she figures he's not the Trialgoer, she'll know he's connected to you."
"Right. Because he is connected to me." I think for a moment, then let a devious grin curl up into my lips. "I think I can make that work."
Book 1 Prev Next
Author's Note: I'm not as tired today, but my brain is still fried because it took me something like twelve hours to get a flight booked. Airlines gotta get their websites together. Going to be at DragonCon for a bit! Sadly I don't think physical copies of DRR will be out by then. Maybe next year.
As always, obligatory RoyalRoad and Patreon links. Finally got around to updating the book cover! Text is placeholder, but it's done by my favorite artist, as usual (cosmiccroissant, same one that's done fanart for DRR previously).
Also, a friend of mine is just started posting Stolen Divinity: Sun God Cultivation on RR, which you should consider checking out if it sounds like your jam.

We're going back to the dreadnaught!!

There's no come down here after the final shape campaign, we are riding that wave! We are hyped and we are excited for what's to come .. all the way up to year 11 and we're looking for new guardians to join our little clan and get stuck in together.
_____________________________________________________________________
Looking for a UK based Clan that's all about the banter, the boll\cks and those god rolls?* I just might be able to help you out there.. "Do it for a scooby shaxx" is welcoming old and new destiny players.
_____________________________________________________________________
The original admin crew met many many moons (moons haunted y'know) whilst trying to find something that fits for them, they realised they wanted a clan that was chill, light on rules, welcoming and heavy on nonsense. We're a UK-based clan with an open-door policy, come in, shoot shit and don't be a d*ck.
The majority of those in the Clan are in GMT timezones and have to balance the monotony of adult life around playing games.. so there are not many no-lifers here but with that in mind, we are an active inclusive community looking for other like-minded players.
All we ask is for you to get involved in the discord, chat nonsense, brag about god rolls etc.. and just be up for a laugh. You must have a mic.. no excuse not to these days and be 21+ as we're at times NSFW.
We have Title gatherers, Pinnacle Hunters, Sherpas, Sweats, filthy casuals and everything in between, Some of us have been year since year the beta and believe it or not we're still here and we're not even that salty about it.
So say 👋 below, drop your discord ID or send me a DM here or discord ( batcaaakes)
You can always join the discord first and get a feel of the clan first, no obligation to join the clan straight away.

I’m going to go ahead and defend VA for a second here. The fumbles were unfortunate, yes. They were also extremely untimely, yes. But when you look at the totality of the game I thought VA was sharp and accurate and does look better than last year already. Way less int worthy plays.
The Oline is still bad. Granted the toronto Dline is probably the best in the league, however both run and pass blocking was very lackluster, especially in the 4th. VA had dudes in his face before his receivers even made their cut.
Run defence is fastly improved, pass rush remains to be seen. Holding Carey to 4.1 yards per carry with a few TFLs is impressive IMO, especially considering the toronto Oline is by far the best. Pass rush was way less impactful without betts. We’ll see if a more physical bull rush style works against literally any other Oline, not gonna panic about that yet.
Covington? This makes me question how close CFL and NFL talent is, all this hype about getting a 9 year NFL vet and I saw him get locked up 1 on 1 multiple times. Still just having him vastly improves run D so we will see if he shows up against worse Olines.
Stanback is a major upgrade but WE GOTTA USE HIM MAN. Run blocking was bad so we abandoned it. Something to keep an eye on.
I still think this team can contend with the best. Week 1 is the best week to expose what you need to do better. Excited for the home opener!

2.36.0.24 -> 2.36.0.25

Aircraft FM changes:

• F-47N:
  • Wing, flaps retracted zero-lift drag coefficient increased from 0.007 to 0.01
    • Will mean overall slightly more drag
  • Fuselage area: 25.5 -> 30.5 m2
  • Empty mass: 5810 -> 5426.421 kg
• P-47N:
  • Wing, flaps at 100% deployment zero-lift drag coefficient decreased from 0.15 to 0.02
    • Will mean overall less drag
  • Empty mass: 5810 -> 5426.421 kg

Aircraft DM changes:

• Firefly F.R. Mk. 4 [FRA], Hunter F. Mk. 6 [FRA], Tornado F. Mk. 3 (AOP): user skin fixed
• Su-27SM: cockpit MFD changes
• A129 (ATP): cockpit MFD changes
• Mi-28N cockpit changes
• Scout drones: crashing no longer creates craters

Aircraft weapon changes:

• F-14A, F-14B, MiG-29 (9-12A), MiG-29 (9-12B), MiG-29 (9-13), MiG-29G, MiG-29SMT, Su-25SM3, Yak-141: countermeasures split
• F-16AM-15:
  • Countermeasures split
  • Equipping PIDS countermeasures now gives AN/AAR-47 MLWS and AN/ALR-56M RWR
• J8B: Custom loadout changes:
  • Slot 1 changed: Option changed: 1x Drop tank (stock) -> 1x Drop tank (stock), must be equipped together with 1x Drop tank on slot 4
  • Slot 4 changed: Option changed: 1x Drop tank (stock) -> 1x Drop tank (stock), must be equipped together with 1x Drop tank on slot 1
• MiG-21 Bison:
  • New loadouts:
    • 4x FAB-250-M62
    • 2x FAB-500-M62
    • 8x OFAB-100-120 (stock)
    • 64x S-5K
    • 4x S-24
  • Custom loadout changes:
    • Slot 1, 5 changed:
      • Added 1x S-24 option
      • Added 16x S-5K option
      • Added 1x FAB-250-M62 option
    • Slot 2, 4 changed:
      • Added 1x S-24 option
      • Added 16x S-5K option
      • Added 32x S-5K option
      • Added 4x OFAB-100-120 (stock) option
      • Added 1x FAB-250-M62 option
      • Added 1x FAB-500-M62 option
      • Added 1x ZAB-500 option
• Su-27SM: countermeasures: 96 -> 126

Sensor changes:

• AI Mk. 24 Foxhunter Stage 2G, AN/APG-66(V)3, AN/APG-68(V)5, AN/APG-68(V)7, AN/APG-68(V)9, Ferranti Blue Vixen, N001VEP RLPK-27VEP Mech, N010M, PS-05/A, Thales RDY, Type 1492: new line: max weapon targets: 2
• ALR-400, AN/ALR-46, AN/ALR-46(V)3, AN/ALR-56C, AN/ALR-56M, AN/ALR-67, AN/ALR-68(V), AN/ALR-68(V)3, AN/ALR-69, AN/APR-39, AN/APR-39A(V)1, AR830, ARI 18241/1, ARI 23284, ARI 23333/1, CARAPACE, ELT/156, J/APR-4, J/APR-6, KJ8602, KJ8602A, L-150 SPO/SPA-18 Pastel-K, L-150-16M SPO/SPA-18 Pastel-K, SERVAL, Sherloc, Sky Guardian 200, SPS-200, TARANG: now identifies AN/APG-63(V)1 of the F-15C (MSIP II), F-15C Baz Mashupar and F-15J(M) as F15
• AN/APG-63:
  • Narrow search:
    • Period: 0.62 -> 0.85
    • Width: 10 -> 15
  • Medium search: period: 3.5 -> 3.4
  • Wide search: period: 7.3 -> 6.8
  • BVR lock search: period: 0.5 -> 0.43
  • Vertical lock:
    • Bar height: 2.5 -> 1.5
    • Bar count: 3 -> 4
    • Centre elevation: 20° -> 25°
• AN/APG-63(V)1:
  • New line: max weapon targets: 2
  • Narrow search: period: 1 -> 0.85
  • Medium search: period: 3.5 -> 3.4
  • Wide search: period: 7.3 -> 6.8
  • BVR lock search: period: 0.5 -> 0.43
  • Narrow TWS:
    • Period: 1.35 -> 1.3
    • Bar height: 3.2 -> 2.5
  • Medium TWS, Wide TWS:
    • Period: 1.8 -> 1.7
    • Bar height: 3.2 -> 2.5
  • BVR lock TWS: period: 0.5 -> 0.17
  • Vertical lock:
    • Bar height: 2.5 -> 2.2
    • Width: 30 -> 25
    • Bar height: 2.5 -> 1.5
    • Bar count: 3 -> 4
    • Centre elevation: 20° -> 30°
  • HUD lock changed to SS lock:
    • Period: 2.2 -> 1.3
    • Bar height: 2.5 -> 3.33
    • Bar count: 8 -> 6
• AN/APG-65GY:
  • New line: max weapon targets: 2
  • LPRF, MPRF, HPRF, HPRF velocity: antenna:
    • Azimuth: angle of half sensitivity: 3.3° -> 3.9°
    • Elevation: angle of half sensitivity: 4.5° -> 3.9°
  • Narrow search: bar height: 3.2 -> 2.75
  • Medium search:
    • Period: 3.7 -> 2.7
    • Width: 30 -> 22.5
    • Bar height: 3.2 -> 2.75
  • Wide search: bar height: 3.2 -> 2.75
  • Narrow TWS:
    • Period: 2 -> 1.85
    • Width: 20 -> 10
    • Bar height: 3.2 -> 2.75
    • Bar count: 4 -> 6
  • Medium TWS:
    • Period: 2 -> 2.4
    • WIdth: 40 -> 20
    • Bar height: 3.2 -> 2.75
    • Bar count: 2 -> 4
  • Vertical lock:
    • Period: 1.85 -> 1.2
    • Width: 37 -> 25
    • Bar height: 5 -> 3
    • Centre elevation: 23° -> 30°
  • HUD lock:
    • Period: 2 -> 1.2
    • Bar height: 4.5 -> 4
    • Bar count: 4 -> 5
    • Added 4° centre elevation
  • ACM lock:
    • Period: 0.5 -> 2
    • Width: 1.25 -> 2
  • BVR lock search, BVR lock TWS:
    • Width: 4 -> 4.5
    • Bar height: 2.5 -> 2.75
  • Added Wide TWS
  • HPRF Velocity search: doppler speed: 40 / 1500 -> 45 / 1200 m/s
• AN/APG-65Q:
  • LPRF, MPRF, HPRF, HPRF velocity: antenna:
    • Azimuth: angle of half sensitivity: 3.3° -> 3.9°
    • Elevation: angle of half sensitivity: 4.5° -> 3.9°
  • Narrow search: bar height: 3.2 -> 2.75
  • Medium search:
    • Period: 3.7 -> 2.7
    • Width: 30 -> 22.5
    • Bar height: 3.2 -> 2.75
  • Wide search: bar height: 3.2 -> 2.75
  • Narrow TWS:
    • Period: 2 -> 1.85
    • Width: 20 -> 10
    • Bar height: 3.2 -> 2.75
    • Bar count: 4 -> 6
  • Medium TWS:
    • Period: 2 -> 2.4
    • WIdth: 40 -> 20
    • Bar height: 3.2 -> 2.75
    • Bar count: 2 -> 4
  • Vertical lock:
    • Period: 1.85 -> 1.2
    • Width: 37 -> 25
    • Bar height: 5 -> 3
    • Centre elevation: 23° -> 30°
  • HUD lock:
    • Period: 2 -> 1.2
    • Bar height: 4.5 -> 4
    • Bar count: 4 -> 5
    • Added 4° centre elevation
  • ACM lock:
    • Period: 0.5 -> 2
    • Width: 1.25 -> 2
  • BVR lock search, BVR lock TWS:
    • Width: 4 -> 4.5
    • Bar height: 2.5 -> 2.75
  • Added Wide TWS
  • HPRF Velocity search: doppler speed: 40 / 1500 -> 45 / 1200 m/s
• AN/APS-109: now identifies AN/APG-63(V)1 of the F-15C (MSIP II), F-15C Baz Mashupar and F-15J(M) as AI/PD
• AN/AWG-9: new line: max weapon targets: 6
• APP-27: now identifies AN/APG-63(V)1 of the F-15C (MSIP II), F-15C Baz Mashupar and F-15J(M) as PULSE and CW/PD
• APP-73: now identifies AN/APG-63(V)1 of the F-15C (MSIP II), F-15C Baz Mashupar and F-15J(M) as MPRF and CW
• ARI 18223, ARI 18228: now identifies AN/APG-63(V)1 of the F-15C (MSIP II), F-15C Baz Mashupar and F-15J(M) as I
• ARI 18228/10, ARI 18228/19: now identifies AN/APG-63(V)1 of the F-15C (MSIP II), F-15C Baz Mashupar and F-15J(M) as IPD
• L-006 SPO-15 Beryoza, L-006L SPO-15L Beryoza-L, L-006LM SPO-15LM Beryoza-LM: now identifies AN/APG-63(V)1 of the F-15C (MSIP II), F-15C Baz Mashupar and F-15J(M) as PD
• Mirage Detecteur: now identifies AN/APG-63(V)1 of the F-15C (MSIP II), F-15C Baz Mashupar and F-15J(M) as PULSE and CW

Naval changes:

• Coolbaugh (DE-217): added ammo storage data
• Queen Mary (14):
  • Removed four 120 mm structural steel from unknown places
  • Added another mast

Ground changes:

• General changes:
  • Internal fuel tanks: HP: 250 -> 400
  • Fuel tanks (internal and external):
    • When hit with CE, previously it "topped out" at 250 damage / 30% fire / 20% explosion, now at least 400 CE damage has 50% chance of fire and 50% chance of explosion
    • When hit with at least 300 KE damage: 70% chance of fire and 10% chance of explosion -> 50% chance of fire and 50% chance of explosion
    • When hit with at least 400 KE damage: 50% chance of fire and 50% chance of explosion -> 30% chance of fire and 70% chance of explosion
    • When hit with at least 600 KE damage: 20% chance of fire and 80% chance of explosion -> 100% chance of explosion
    • When destroyed: 50% chance of fire and 30% chance of explosion -> 30% chance of fire and 70% chance of explosion
• M1128 MGS, M1128 MGS (3/2nd Cav.Reg.) "Wolfpack": removed 5 mm armour around the turret crew and ammo
• Leopard 2 A4M CAN: suspension changes
• Leopard 2 A7V:
  • Added 20 mm "collar" to the hull roof on either sides of the turret
  • Vertical limits in the rear (130° / 180° and -180° / -130°): 1° / 20° -> 3° / 20°
• Tiger E (late): turret roof: 25 -> 40 mm
• 9P157-2 ("Khrizantema-S"): added 0.6125° static elevation
• BMD-4, BMP-3, ZBD04A: fuel tanks:
  • Armour modifier against KE: 0.05 -> 0.45
  • Armour modifier against CE: 0.1 -> 0.45
  • Armour modifier against shrapnel: 0.05 -> 0.45
  • Fire protection HP: 15 -> 10
• Object 279: drowning fix reverted
• Falcon:
  • Added two forward gears
  • Added a reverse gear
  • Max speed: 47.91 -> 47.59 km/h
  • Max reverse speed: -7.93 -> -7.48 km/h
• M113A3 (ADATS):
  • Added two forward gears
  • Max speed: 64.3 -> 64.21 km/h
  • Max reverse speed: -14.78 -> -10.09 km/h
• T.O.G. 2*: the 76 mm's ammo is now actually consumed by it
• Tiger E [JPN]: turret roof: 26 -> 25 mm
• Leopard 2A7HU: added 20 mm "collar" to the hull roof on either sides of the turret
• Vextra (TML 105):
  • First axle steering deflection: 20° -> 30°
  • Second axle steering deflection: 10° -> 20°
• CV9035DK: added 500 mm armour to the left turret front and turret sides
• Merkava Mk. 3 Bet, Merkava Mk. 3 Bet Baz ("Merkava Mk. 3C"), Merkava Mk. 3 Dor Dalet Baz Kasag (Ra'am Segol): fuel tanks: fire protection HP: 12 -> 10
• Namer (RCWS-30):
  • New damage model
  • Ammo storage split in four
  • Suspension changes

Aircraft weapon changes:

• 20 mm GI-2: HEFI-T -> HEI-T

Ground weapon changes:

• General changes:
  • ATGM: explosive damage: radius: 0.25 -> 0.3
  • HEAT, HEAT-FS: explosive damage: radius: 0.15 -> 0.3
  • HESH: explosive damage: offset: 0.2 -> 0.1
• 20 mm GAI-CO1, GI-2, Oerlikon 204GK, Oerlikon KAD: HEFI-T -> HEI-T
• 20 mm M139:
  • HEFI-T -> HEI-T
  • M594 -> M599

Missiles changes:

• General Changes:
  • ATGM: explosive damage: radius: 0.25 -> 0.3
  • Multipath effect: up to 100 m -> up to 50 m
• AGM-65A, AGM-65B, AGM-65D, AGM-65G, AGM-65H, AGM-65K, Flz.Lwf. LB 82, RB 75, RB 75T: removed explosive and shrapnel damage

Tech-tree changes:

• Number of vehicles needed in UK bluewater Tier V to unlock the next rank: 5 -> 6
• Queen Mary (14) [UK]: Hidden for everyone -> Shown for everyone

Economy changes:

• F-16AM-15:
  • Minimum Repair Cost: 1065 / 1060 / 867 -> 1215 / 1210 / 989 SL/minute
  • Full Stock Repair Cost: 2576 / 7437 / 8757 -> 2940 / 8485 / 9991 SL
  • Modification changes:
    • Compressor:
      • Repair cost coefficient: 0.046 -> 0.041
      • GE cost: 400 -> 410
    • Fuselage repair:
      • Repair cost coefficient: 0.009 -> 0.008
      • GE cost: 400 -> 410
    • 20 mm belts: GE cost: 400 -> 410
    • BLU-27/B: GE cost: 400 -> 410
    • LANTIRN: GE cost: 400 -> 410
    • AIM-9L: GE cost: 400 -> 410
    • New boosters:
      • Repair cost coefficient: 0.065 -> 0.057
      • GE cost: 440 -> 460
    • Airframe:
      • Repair cost coefficient: 0.058 -> 0.051
      • GE cost: 440 -> 460
    • G-suit:
      • Previous modification (visually, not required): MAW -> MAW
      • Tier: 2 -> 3
      • Repair cost coefficient: 0.065 -> 0.057
      • RP cost: 10000 -> 11000
      • GE cost: 440 -> 500
    • New 20 mm cannons/MGs:
      • Repair cost coefficient: 0.019 -> 0.017
      • GE cost: 440 -> 460
    • Mk82: GE cost: 440 -> 460
    • GBU-12: GE cost: 440 -> 460
    • AIM-7M: GE cost: 440 -> 460
    • Wings repair:
      • Repair cost coefficient: 0.067 -> 0.059
      • GE cost: 480 -> 500
    • Cover:
      • Repair cost coefficient: 0.057 -> 0.05
      • GE cost: 480 -> 500
    • NVD:
      • Tier: 3 -> 4
      • Repair cost coefficient: 0.091 -> 0.08
      • RP cost: 11000 -> 17000
      • GE cost: 480 -> 780
    • LAU-3/A: GE cost: 480 -> 500
    • Mk84: GE cost: 480 -> 500
    • GBU-24: GE cost: 480 -> 500
    • AIM-9M: GE cost: 480 -> 500
    • Engine:
      • Repair cost coefficient: 0.1 -> 0.087
      • RP cost: 20000 -> 17000
      • GE cost: 880 -> 780
    • LAU-68:
      • RP cost: 20000 -> 17000
      • GE cost: 880 -> 780
    • AGM-65D:
      • RP cost: 20000 -> 17000
      • GE cost: 880 -> 780
    • AGM-65G:
      • RP cost: 20000 -> 17000
      • GE cost: 880 -> 780
    • AIM-120A:
      • RP cost: 20000 -> 17000
      • GE cost: 880 -> 780
• MiG-21 Bison:
  • Number of modifications needed to unlock Tier 3: 2 -> 3
  • Modification changes:
    • Added UB-16 as Tier 1 modification
    • Added UB-32 as Tier 2 modification
    • Added FAB-500 as Tier 3 modification
    • Added S-24 as Tier 3 modification
    • B-8M1:
      • Added Required modification: S-24
      • Tier: 1 -> 4
    • Mk82:
      • Removed Required modification: B-8M1
      • Tier: 2 -> 1
    • Mk83: Tier: 3 -> 2
    • KAB-500Kr: Required modification: Mk83 -> FAB-500

New loading screen:

• login_layer_desert_warrior : https://i.imgur.com/WFHiHEC.png

New tech tree icons:

• USS Coolbaugh : https://i.imgur.com/9QSORjO.png

Tech tree icon changes:

• ▄MiG-21 Bison : https://i.imgur.com/rTqmo5s.png -> https://i.imgur.com/oYeKu1E.png

New statcard icons:

• ◗Fokker G.IA : https://i.imgur.com/XoKTiga.png
• Baz Meshupar : https://i.imgur.com/6IormTp.png
• ◘Hunter F.6 : https://i.imgur.com/CXI5iQM.png
• ▄Meteor F Mk.8 : https://i.imgur.com/osJLrxK.png
• ▄Mirage 5BA : https://i.imgur.com/UWC4sDL.png

Statcard changes:

• ▄MiG-21 Bison : https://i.imgur.com/gXIt0nP.png -> https://i.imgur.com/OzAwmZ2.png

New texts:

• New sound mod texts:
  • "Warning! The previous game session ended abnormally, most likely due to the installed sound modification. The sound modification is disabled. Please contact the author of the modification for a updated version, or, if you are the author, make changes to the modification based on the current sound project located at GitHub"
  • "https://github.com/GaijinEntertainment/fmod_studio_warthunder_for_modders"
• New HUD texts:
  • "AAM4"
  • "AAM3"
• New modification texts:
  • "MAW"
  • "Missile approach warning system, allowing false heat target shoot off."
• New weapon text: "M599"
• New skin texts:
  • A-1A
    • Bicolor camouflage
      • Standard bicolor pattern with insignia of Brazilian Air Force
  • F-4F KWS-LV
    • "ICE 43" camouflage
      • Camouflage "ICE 43" with insignia of JG 72 Luftwaffe
    • Anniversary camouflage
      • Anniversary camouflage with insignia of JG 71 Luftwaffe
    • Demonstration camouflage
      • Demonstration camouflage with insignia of JG 74 Luftwaffe
  • F-15C (MSIP II)
    • "Sandman" camouflage
      • Demonstration camouflage with insignia of the 114th FS USAF
    • Demonstration camouflage
      • Demonstration camouflage with insignia of the 194th FS USAF
  • F-15J(M)
    • Anniversary camouflage
      • Anniversary camouflage with insignia of the 306th Hikotai, Japanese Air Force
  • F-16A-15 [FRA]
    • "Tiger meet" camouflage
      • Camouflage "Tiger meet" with insignia of the Belgian Air Force
  • F-16AM-15
    • "31 Tigers" camouflage
      • Camouflage "31 Tigers" with insignia of the Belgian Air Force
  • F-104G [FRA]
    • Unpainted camouflage
      • Unpainted camouflage of the Belgian Air Force
    • "Tiger meet" camouflage
      • Camouflage "Tiger meet" with insignia of the Belgian Air Force
  • Firefly F. R. Mk. 4 [FRA]
    • "Shark" camouflage
      • Standard navy pattern with insignia of Dutch Navy
  • Hunter F. Mk. 6 [FRA]
    • Bicolor camouflage
      • Standard bicolor pattern with insignia of 22nd Squadron Belgian Air Force
    • "Red Devils"
      • Aerobatic camouflage of the group "Red Devils" Belgian Air Force
  • JAS 39C
    • Anniversary camouflage
      • Anniversary camouflage with insignia of the F17 Air Force Wing Swedish Air Force
  • Meteor F. Mk. 8 [FRA]
    • Bicolor camouflage
      • High visible bicolor pattern with insignia of Belgian Air Force
    • Unpainted camouflage
      • Unpainted camouflage of the Belgian Air Force
  • Mirage 5 BA
    • 1 SQN Anniversary camouflage
      • Anniversary camouflage with insignia of the 1st sqn of Belgian Air Force
    • 2 SQN Anniversary camouflage
      • Anniversary camouflage with insignia of the 2nd sqn of Belgian Air Force
  • Su-27SM
    • Tricolor blue camouflage
      • Tricolor painting scheme of the Russian Air Force
    • Tricolor camouflage
      • Tricolor painting scheme of the Russian Air Force
  • Tornado F. Mk. 3 (AOP)
    • Demonstration camouflage
      • Demonstration camouflage with insignia of 43 Sqn. RAF
  • Leopard 2 A4M CAN
    • "Forest camouflage"
      • "Non-standard forest camouflage"

Removed texts:

• Removed weapon text: "M594"

Texts changes:

• Changed menu texts:
  • "For crew training it is necessary to set the technique in the slot." -> "For crew training, you need to put the vehicle in the slot."
  • "Remove vehicle from the preset" -> "Remove vehicle from preset"
• Changed weapon text: "AGM-123 Skipper missiles" -> "AGM-123 Skipper missile"

Current Dev version : 2.36.0.25
Current Dev-Stable version : 2.35.1.119
Current Live version : 2.35.1.119

Obligatory mention : Friendly change my mind. I am not on a crusade to prove a point, just want to discuss. I am at my 5th playthrough and tested most of the main build branches (with respecs, mods and save editors), so i was wondering which was the strongest.
Frame of the question : - Patch 2.1 - We are talking about a lvl 60 V - All gear available (even post game) - No use of glitch and exploit. The most realisic and probable version of V's world is used. - There is only one V in each world, so no need to compare one V against another one. Its how efficient one V can be in its own world. Anyway, pitting V's against each others would result more in a "weapon triangle" situation, where a meta would arise from different builds countering others. - Each build archetype uses its most efficient version. Of course, quickhacker V could use Tech weapon, but it is not its most efficient use of the build.
Arguments : - Cyberdeck's processing power let you slow time to a crawl without requiring any abilities. - 360 degree annihilation or crowd control in the blink of an eye. - Access to device hacking. - "Control" over other's cyberware. - Longest range. - Most stealthy build. - Access to the most versatility (covert and control quickhacks). - Extremely high damage output, both single target and for crowds. And enough to one shot anything except smasher and some minibosses. - Easy to play, as you don't need to aim, shoot, move, be in the fray etc.
What i am NOT saying : - This build deal the most/highest damage. - This build is the best (strongest <> best, best is subjective). - This build beat your build. - This build is fun for everyone. - It is my favorite build.

Hey there! Looking for some new people to talk to, down to chat about pretty much anything as long as you can somewhat hold a conversation haha. Not really great at writing these things so I'll just list off some of my interests and things I'm looking for.
About me:
-i like watching sports; baseball, hockey, F1, sometimes basketball.
-i love video games, I play mostly on my PC, but I also have a PS5 and a switch. Right now I'm mostly playing dota 2 and r6 siege, but I have and play a lot of other stuff too.
-I have two cats that I love to death, totally down to show you how cute they are!
I love movies, I have a pretty large physical movie collection of blu rays and 4ks, I especially love horror but I'll watch most genres.
-I also enjoy music a lot, mostly metal, but also pop punk, pop, rap, country, and some other random stuff too. I've been to A LOT of concerts over the past 10 years but haven't been to many recently.
-im pretty introverted, I work a lot and when I'm not working I like to pretty much stay in and relax for the most part.
-i work night shift, i I have a pretty unorthodox schedule and sleep during the day and I'm up all night haha
I have 6 tattoos!
I don't smoke or drink, I don't really mind or care if you do though!
Physically im 6 foot tall hazel eyes with glasses and short brown hair. Medium build, a bit of a dad bod.
That's pretty much it, I'm sure there's a lot more I could include but I'll save that for later. Now here's some things I'm looking for!
What I'm looking for:
-someone who can somewhat hold a conversation and is actually interested in getting to know each other
-down to share selfies and possibly down to voice chat in the near future
down to switch to another platform, I don't really want to use the chat feature on here, sorry.
-open to the possibility of something flirty, and or just friendship. I'm not strictly looking for friendship only.
That's mostly it I think. Shoot me a message with a little about yourself if you're interested

This build is a build I designed a long time ago to wreak havoc on full squads when invading. The only downside is, you can’t use it in duels, but you can use it in Combat Ordeal.
The build makes use of a devastating true combo, which will basically 1 shot any PvP player in the game.
How it works: In your right hand, you have the pulley crossbow with sleep bolts. In your left hand, you have Fingerprint Shield with Shield Crash AoW. Block with the shield, use the crossbow to shoot sleep bolts at the opponent when they finish attacking, and then when they go to sleep, run them over with Shield Crash AoW, because it true combos.
Stats:
SL150
Have at least 43 strength, 11 Dex, and 80 Arcane. 55 vigor. Use Radagons Soreseal talisman to boost your stats to use Pulley Crossbow and Fingerprint Shield. This talisman will also boost your vigor to 60.
For the other talismans, use Shard of Alexander to boost shield crash damage. And the final 2 talismans are mostly up to the player to decide what is needed.
As far as endurance goes, instead of investing into endurance, use Winged Crystal Tear Physick flask to eliminate your equip load entirely. This allows you to wear the beefiest armor possible (bullgoat, etc…), without any consequences (except you can’t run or roll without drinking the flask). The flask lasts long enough to win multiple fights in most cases. For the other Physick flask, try Crimsonwhorl Bubbletear to protect from magic spam.
This build is completely designed for PvP, it isn’t very good in PvE since sleep doesn’t work on most enemies.
Again, block the opponent, shoot them with sleep bolts (80 arcane will cause really high sleep buildup), then press L2 to shield crash as soon as they go to sleep. Essentially, you will 1 shot ANYONE.
For extra damage, try Bleed/Occult infusion on the fingerprint shield (decide which one works better).
In Duels, you can’t use a flask, so unless you wanna fight with a severe handicap, only do PvP with this build in scenarios where you can drink a Physick flask.
As a side note, this build is extremely good at countering powerstance spears and Naginata’s, which are basically the most oppressive setups you can encounter.
Enjoy! =]

So, this is about my best friend (M22) of 8 years. I (F20) have been crushing on him for the past couple of years. In sum, he very obviously crushed on me in the beginning (which blatantly ignored because I did not feel the same at the time), but once I realized I caught feelings, those days were long past us. He's an online best friend who keeps in contact, but will disappear for months at a time after continuous gaming calls/text conversations and recently we've had a falling out. Essentially, he was mad at a post I posted with another guy and refused to go on a trip with me because of it (it was going to be the trip where we met up for the first time, and the post was my first soft launch). He then went on to forget my birthday (which he promised me a few different things would happen on that day), and then called me dramatic when I told him how him forgetting hurt my feelings. He sort of dismissed me with that conversation/argument of sorts and I didn't like it at all, so after trying to talk to him a few more times, l blocked him and haven't talked to him in 3 months for that and a few other reasons mainly for my mental health.
That being said, I can't get over my crush on him and miss him. I've been trying to get over it and let him go, but after 3 months l've found it's easier said than done. He has had a girlfriend for the past 4 years (and I assume they're still together, but I have never really heard much of her to begin with other than a vent every now and again from him asking for advice on situations with her), and she's why I feared telling him I like him as I don't want to potentially ruin either our friendship or their relationship. So should I confess to get it off my chest and properly move on if he rejects me, or just make peace with letting him go? Any advice helps!! Thanks!

(I know it's not the main focus in the title but I'd also be super keen to talk to people in the UK, either London or somewhere in England or Scotland around like Edinburgh as there's a near 100% chance I'm moving there this year)
Hi everyone!
My name is Jack, I'm 21 and I'm a recent cyber security and forensics and internetworking and network security graduate, but I hope to go on for a few more years and do post grad studies! (this year my goal is to move to Edinburgh for my masters!)
Hobbies!: For the past few years I've been heavily into formula 1, never missing a race (even the 3 am ones and even worse, the 7 am ones!)
I also enjoy doing photography, I mainly do cars but I have recently started thinking about more landscape/urban photography.
Now for games! My main ones are Destiny 2, and rainbow six siege, (for those wondering my highest rank is diamond 3 (when rank actually meant something lol)), but I haven't been playing them much these days. I play heaps more than that but I can't think of them off the top of my head lol. To try and list some id say project zomboid is one I'm very into as of right now, that and hell divers 2. I really enjoyed elden ring so I want to try more souls like games. Red dead redemption 2 is amazing and my favourite game of all time is probably watch dogs 2.
I love JDM cars and unfortunately haven't been to a car meet in over a year now. My introduction to photography was through cars so if you'd like to see some of my photos do let me know! Most of my part time work went towards getting my dream car so I definitely plan on going to more meets!
As for what I look like I'm 5"11' brown hair that touches my shoulders and never acts normally. I am 75 ish kg and I have brown eyes. That's a basic description of me but if you want a picture that's not an issue.
I'm not really too good at writing these advertisements or making titles or finishing them off so I'll just say if I sound appealing to you or you wanna know more, feel free to shoot me a message! For those in WA I'm down in the Mandurah area but travelling up to Perth isn't an issue for me! And hopefully I see all you Scots later this year!
Thanks for reading! Stay safe people!!

Some thoughts for new players wondering about purchase and play order:
So, assuming you are committed to only playing the revised stuff and not hunting down every last outrageously priced out of print pack and playing in original order, I did some brainstorming on what the best path might be for you.
First, in a revised only world that the typical new player would experience, I think in hindsight I'd actually recommend playing the 3 cycles in reverse order.
Ered Mithrin is the most new player friendly and keeps things familiar at first with Mirkwood, even recycling some core set encounter sets for the first time since Mirkwood. When this cycle came out alot of people called it Core + Mirkwood 2.0. It breathed a fresh life into the game showing signs of being almost a soft reboot. I remember some uncertainty at the time of it's release about the future of the game, then this came out, was extremely well received and felt like a perfect product if the game ended right then and there. (It didn't). Dark of Mirkwood 's quests also originally came out around this time. You could play core, DoM, then go straight into Ered Mithrin. It also gives you a nice self-contained Dale archtype. If I remember correctly, approaching this cycle with just core and this cycle itself could be a good self -contained experience for a new player at the time. Similar to Core + Fellowship as a self-contained experience (more on that later)
Dreamchaser would be the next cycle I would do after this. It isn't as hard as Angmar and probably a bit easier than Ered, but it's much more complex. It's a good one after you've learned the ropes and are ready for something different. By this point you will be ready for more complex setups and moving beyond fundamentals. Do this next.
Then finally Angmar is the hardest. I'd do this last after a full RCO card pool is established with all hands on deck.
So where does saga fit in all this? Well saga also has 3 releases that get progressively harder. So lets make 3 "blocks" out of this stuff. Fellowship + Ered Mithrin (great self-contained experience) TTT + Dreamchaser RotK + Angmar (super hard quests)
Perhaps throw in 1 starter deck per block. Trying to keep things thematic I think you could do: Fellowship + Erid Mithrin + Elven Deck TTT + Dreamchaser + Rohan Deck (goes great with TTT) RotK + Angmar + Gondor Deck (goes great with RotK)
Throw in the Dwarven Deck as a wild card wherever you like.
I hope this helps. This is the path I would take if I was going for perfect balance of challenge and theme exploring just the RCO content. When I begin my RCO series on youtube, I believe this is the path I'll take as well.

I 26M got into a LDR last year with a girl 25F, I was fully in love with her but it was tough due to distance, time zones and her being unsure about her future. We still spent almost every hour of every day together when she wasnt working, for nearly a year. I often felt like nothing but a source of fun and attention for her and it made me nervous.
When I asked her about ambitions she says she lives in the moment, which, I did not like as an answer considering the situation, but I kept dating her.
I broke up with her in november due to her behavior and feeling like she was slowly losing feelings, but we talked and she cried heavily and showed serious remorse. I folded instantly and we fully made up and had a wonderful holiday and we were back to being highly intiamte. She said she understood the breakup entirely and we agreed to still be fully in a relationship. We agreed to put the dating label on it again once we see eachother irl but that was simply a formality. There was an unspoken obvious that we'd be far more compatible irl where we can physically be together because shes not great at being intimate over text or video nor is she highly receptive to it.
Her ex complains about her being super clingy irl and that's exactly what I like. Her being highly codependent is a part of why we ended up being a couple to begin with. We got sick back to back in january after a wonderful christmas break and our communication and intimacy dropped off a cliff due to it. Once shes "not in the mood" theres essentially nothing I can do aside from spend time with her platonically until she starts liking me again. The problem is in jan I was also getting very depressed and wanted alone time. All she wanted to do was play league and I wanted to do other things. At the end of jan she bought me apology gifts for the lack of intimacy and began talking about visiting again but the gifts were a suprise and I didn't get them until after a crappy conversation where i told her i was depressed and she took it as a breakup. It really muddied the water for the 3 weeks leading up to her "leaving" me, because we were on completely different pages.
Back in october, I helped her learn how to play league because she likes to spend a ton of time together on call but doesn't like doing anything, and I figured it would be something mindless we could enjoy together. She hated it, fought me, cried about playing it, whined and complained but warmed up to it after a few months. She would quit after 1 loss and go to bed early etc. It would kill intimacy for us many nights, and I didn't understand why she got like that, and we talked and considered it a possibility that because some nights we play with her recent ex, it could possibly be bringing up dormant emotions. They didn't have a proper breakup either. She didn't disagree with this theory, but we kept playing with them because I refused to set boundaries. The recent ex is a good guy and I get along with him well. She hasn't been in many relationships and it was her most serious.
By january I didn't want to play league anymore because I felt like she was taking it a bit too serious, and I wanted us to play other games. I didn't like how it affected her mood so much, and shes far more affectionate when we spend our time doing other things.
Again, she'd wine and refuse and get upset about me wanting to play other games or watch anime She began playing league alone or with her ex at the very end of jan/start of feb. I woke up to them playing on call in the server one morning (shes 7 hours ahead of me) and got extremely grossed out but didn't make it an issue because I didn't want to be insecure/controlling which I deeply regret.
In feburary our relationship kept deteriorating but I knew after time passed we'd make up and be back on track, so I didn't push her or make a fuss about her lack of intimacy. I needed to work on myself and make more money so I could just buy the plane tickets. At this point, I knew i needed to be the one to buy them or it wasn't happening. She initially was going to buy them herself but I told her to focus on moving out of her parents house first because we were still new and I felt like that was a more important step in her life. But as soon as she moved in with her roomate, she began changing a lot and her interest in visiting me faded. Our relationships highly cyclical because she has honeymoon phase addiction where she tries really hard at the start and it trickles off as she gets comfortable. She always comes back around though so I give her space and let her be the one to do it.
Unfortuantely, peer pressure got to her around valentines, her friends and roommate convinced her to meet someone on bumble. She would vent to friends about our breakups and disagreements and at some point it became clear she'd been telling her friends me and her were nothing but a situationship. Me and her never called it that and it couldn't be further from the truth. We never went through a real breakup but she attests "they were real to her" which I can't buy. If I never stopped giving her love affection loyalty care and attention at any point, its not really a breakup. It's not like I don't communicate with her the issues and try to seek solutions, she just refuses any form of conflict resolution. Shes extremely stubborn and never apologizes or tries to make up. If we have a disagreement or lose a game of league for example and she won't tell me she loves me for 2 weeks.
When she began swiping on bumble, she didn't tell me anything. I didn't think much of her behavior because I was trying to get used to her not telling me she loves me for weeks at a time. I'd also began growing used to her cold spells. I wanted to be with this woman, so i needed to grow accustom to this less affectionate behavior, because I didn't want to break up with her or make her feel like she wasn't good enough or I didn't feel loved if this is just how she is. So i was trying to come to terms with being with a less verbally affectionate person despite how I was raised and my previous relationships training me to crave constant affirmations. I loved her and didn't want things to end because she felt like she couldnt give me what I wanted. I was happy with her despite our differences, I was just emotionally stunted. She begged and made it clear to me she didn't care about our differences in the past and I wish I was on the same page back then when it was new, but I was affraid she was just honeymooning and would lose interest over time; and maybe thats exactly what happened, but I don't know
Unfortunately, She began playing league with this new guy every single day from valentines day, the last day we really spoke as a couple. I didn't find out until 3 weeks after when her ex texted me and asking who she was playing with. (he wasn't being invited anymore) I also found out shortly after through a friend she went to a movie with the guy week 2.
I immidiately tried to talk to her when i found out and it was a nightmare. She just cried a ton and shut down on me and told me we can't be friends or hangout cause she still had feelings for me, is trying to move on and is "losing progress"when we speak which made me confused and even more upset.
Considering how our relationship started and ended, theres never going to be a situation where she doesn't "lose progress" talking to me. It doesnt seem to be possible for us to interact platonically because she treats relationships as nearly plantonic to begin with. For example, just being in call together or hanging out as friends is too much for her and its why she caught feelings for me to begin with. Shes admited if she spends enough time alone with any guy she will catch feelings and theres nothing she can do.
I... don't know how to respond handle or cope with this.
She heavily complicated my emotions and situation by essentially confirming that she jumped the gun and started hanging with someone new and can't back out even though she still loved me.
This is destroyed me.
I thought I could handle it and let her go through with it, but after 3 days she went back to playing league with him and I had a mental breakdown. I've already been in situations where theres another guy. It's not worth sticking around. No one wins.
If I did this same thing to her she'd be completely devestated. If I stayed cool and let her do it, and then moved on to another girl, she'd be devestated. We were in eachothers servers and still fully connected everywhere online.
Theres no way out without someone getting hurt due to her actions and the way she handled it.
Simply having her added and seeing her activity was destroying me, and it was my own doing as I requested her not to hide it after i realized what was happening. She was also constantly checking my discord server and social media but not interacting outside of reactions.
Ultimately I caved to my mental and deleted/blocked her everywhere on everything, kicked her and her roomate and left her server. I deeply regret it because I love her to death and wanted her as a friend always no matter what but it was too late.
What she was doing was too much on me.
She would play way longer with him, as opposed to going to bed at 10pm while palying with me, she'd stay up till 12am on work nights. She used him to climb ranks because he's diamond. She has competitiveness issues and wanted to climb rank to be higher than my ex, her ex and her friends, yet she refused to play ranked with me back when we played because it was too scary/stressful (no i am not mean or anything) She was new back then, but still, this still hurts me deeply. I was essentially forced to play bot games only long after she'd gotten used to the game. Now shes completely addicted to climbing ranked with him.
It just slowly crushed me. She has been playing an absurd amount of league with him and its the sole reason she's not even bothered talking to me or fixing things even as friends. shes found something else to occupy 100% of her time and energy and completely replace me. I got fully discarded like garbage. Not to mention, the reason she didn't say anything is because she knows if it failed with him or they didn't click she'd come right back to me. I essentially was left in the dark as a "just in case" This girl used to sit in call and do nothing but stare at me smiling for hours.
Even now, i know I'll never get closure or an apology as long as she's spending copius amounts of time with this other guy ranking up, and my hearts completely shattered because of how much time and energy she requried and the things she helped me get through in life. She ment A LOT to me. I'm unsure how she could stomach doing this. It hurts so badly.
I have the guys discord, given to me by a mutual, and could attempt to speak to him, and every day I feel myself inching back to wanting to do so. I'd hoped I'd just move on and get over it but I'm still dreaming about her. I had a dream she apologized recetly and I'd woke up crying. It constantly brings my mood down and I can't distract myself enough to let it go. Even with friends something will get said that throws me back into depression.
In my heart I know if that new relationship fails she'll be forced to reflect on what she did and despite the horrible ending there's a very good chance she'd reach out to check on me in her loneliness. Same goes for if she falls out with the friends that led her to use dating apps. It hurts even more that these girls with all mutual friends with me. They never even bothered talking to me about it. So this morning in a low, I made the mistake of checking her Op.gg for the first time in months and saw theyre still playing constantly, every day, and her rank is significantly inflated.
It hurts so bad.
I want her to be happy obviously, I want to move on too, but god will not let me rest even in my sleep. It's very hard for me to move on as well, because I'm extremely picky. I didn't agree to date her on a whim, and when she asked me out I declined at first but came around over time and asked her out instead, because I trusted her and she swore she was serious about this. I never thought she was capable of anything like this, and the girl back then definitely wasn't. I chose to date her very carefully.
She moved in with a friend that ended up having her wing-manning for her on tindr dates, and this is where things started seriously going downhill.
Something I never thought to get upset about because I didn't want to be controlling, but it changed her. She used to swear off dating apps like I do and the friend ate away at her until she folded.
I know messaging the new guys a shit idea, but the upsides are there. Theres a possibility I can get the full story from his POV. I want real closure. I want to see the bumble messages she was sending to him from the start so I can move on not feeling as if I was the reason things failed. I can find out how the relationships going and get a full picuture. They could be dating or it could already be dead in the water and shes just putting off bothering me again. The pain of seeing her do what for me essentially amounted to cheating will grant me closure, because right now I still love her due to the complications. My emotions unfortunately aren't fickle and I struggle heavily to get through things. Seeing her completely and utterly happy with another man will push me to move on. He'll obviously be curious about me too. She never broke up with me after all, and began things with him without even properly ending our relationship. I didn't put up much of a fight because competing with someone she can physically be with is irrational, but this still hurts me as if it were real. As her friend I wanted her to have that. I just never wanted to get abandoned like this for it.
I'm scared to do it, but I can't think of anything else that would bring me any form of closure. Venting to her and venting to mutuals was a mistake and just made things worse. I wish I just messaged him from the very start and never bothering speaking to anyone else. Now he's spent thousands of hours straight up boosting her account. Shes a brand new player and hes made like 5 alts in order to keep ranking her up.
I know theres a high chance he doesnt react well to me contacting him and goes to her about it immidiately, but my relationship with her is completely and utterly over reguardless from my current pov, so why not get closure for myself through him? There's also a chance that me and him get along great and I get the closure she refused to give me without messing anything up for her.
I'm just tired of suffering, it's been literal months and it still hurts the same.
I can answer any questions with more context. Talking about it for a bit usually helps me feel better. It only gets this bad in solitude. I can't vent to friends or mutuals anymore. I need to keep appearing like I've moved on for the people that care about me.
I'm not even sure at this point what advice I need or I'm looking for, I just feel like I seriously got fucked over by someone who made me promises and begged to be with me despite the complications because she wasnt really sure what she wanted in life. I wish I just ended it back then instead of falling in love. I would rather have died than go through the pain of losing her the way I did. It brought me nothing but agony.

Putting lore and closure for a 10 year long story telling aside, and focusing on what one fiscally/virtually gains from putting oneself on the chopping block that is the new raid (especially without a constant fireteam), I really don't see any reason to go past the 3rd encounter (and secret chest), being a titan main (warlock mains most probably will disagree).
I will start by saying that I have absolutely no knowledge (or care) for pvp, and so my analysis will focus only in pve, and that English isn't my 1st language, making so that typos are a certain. I will be referring to salvation's edge loot table and weapon possible rolls a lot, so it would be recommended to open one of your own (I like blueberry's loot table and d2 foundry for weapon rolls, but any site works). And so, the complaint commences:
• the armor looks horrible for every class, titan is the least bad, and only the arms, and maybe the class mark, save themselves (I really want those chonky/slightly winged shoulders) • the exotic is only really good for strand warlock. By community tests, it's 3 threadling every 2 shots, with each threadling damage instance (with the weapon in hands) upping it's damage by 2% (for a total of 50% max at 25 threadling, at least the damage buff is refreshed on every threadling damage instance)
• of the weapons:

• the intrinsic perk (collective purpose) exists, and it one of the intrinsic perks of all times (could be very significant on the bow, depending on how much draw time multiplier it gives). The new weapon perk (chaos reshaped) seems very good, it's frenzy 2.0, no handling nor reload, but more damage bonus, and even more damage after more time (with health gain on top of that)
• the pulse: seems nice (even thou adhorative from season of the wish has most of what it is capable of, but I prefer the 2 hit pulses), it's most unique roll would be firefly + incandescent, but you lose on heal clip. One of the few weapons I could see people going after to use, and not only to complement the collection;
• the smg: Extremely generic, nothing bad, but nothing really to look for, except for the new weapon perk it could be a new world drop and no-one would notice;
• the bow: Is really nice, archer's tempo/dragonfly on the 3rd column and archer's gambit/volt shot on 4th, it's the legendary version of trinity ghoul (minus the 30% more damage to red bars). The 2nd weapon (on this list) I could see people going for;
• the sword: Is what I'm mainly going for, simply because of it's new frame (even thou Bungie will probably give us another one of those in the next season, or the one after) it also runs relentless strikes + surrounded/bait and switch. If we at least could have more content to bring swords and not be demolished by stomps.
• the glaive: absolutely nothing interesting, and I'm a huge glaive fan, the most unique perk it has is reconstruction, it's frame is inconsequential (in pve), but it's biggest problem is that it's not a kinetic slot glaive, other than that, it does what most recent glaives do.
• the sniper: is mildly interesting? the main perks I see are chill clip/reconstruction on 3rd column and bait and switch on 4th. Chill clip is a first on snipers, and it would take 2 shots (if the perk is not changed for snipers) to freeze at longer distances than a fusion could, but where do you really have to freeze something so far away that you would prefer a sniper to a fusion? It probably is faster, but I would rather have chill clip on a rapid fire sniper than an aggressive one (such as this one).

And they all are just so visualy chonky (Titan fashion aside, it dissoates from the rest of the game), it feels like a collaboration with Monster Hunter (and I love Monster Hunter), I could probably tape together 2 pulse-rifles side by side and it wouldn't be as thick as this raid's pulse.
This raid's best thing is that the only 2 drops you can't get from the first 3 encounter are the exotic, and the boots (both can drop from the witness fight). All in all, I will still do the whole raid once, but after than that, first 3 encounters and never look past it.

1: Bouncing Leatherback
You have a dash boost cooldown of 4 seconds (blue bar) and a block cooldown of 7 seconds (yellow bar).
Right clicking spawns a shield, similar to the one in the base game, for 2 seconds. If you touch anything in this state, you will bounce off it. You can bounce up to 4 times while shielded, Bouncing off a surface resets your dash boost cooldown and decreases your bounce limit by 0.5.
You can dash then shield in under 0.2 seconds to do a "ricochet": upon touching a surface with your shield, you will do an extended dash towards your cursor. After doing a ricochet, you will not be able to bounce off terrain until the shield expires.
2: Arapaima Bouncing Demo
Right-click to do a bounce dash. Upon right-clicking, a 1-second timer will start, during which you can bounce off surfaces if you're facing away from them. The duration of this timer is displayed with the yellow bar in the bottom-right corner.
Bouncing in this demo might be tricky due to the the nature of bounces: you need to be facing away from the terrain to bounce off it, and this can be hard to do due to you needing to boost into the terrain to attempt a bounce in the first place. To increase your chances of doing a successful bounce, turn away as soon as you boost.
This demo is made to match the arapaima concept as closely as possible, so bouncing in-game will be as difficult as in this demo.

Any good VR games/simulators for shooting practice? Specifically for the Meta Quest 2/Oculus. Obviously it’s not going to be the same and won’t have recoil or anything, I’ll still be going to the range and don’t expect it to replace the real thing. But looking for something where the guns have realistic physics and function, realistic and accurate sights, something that might actually help improve shooting skills and translate to real world practice to some extent, not just a fun zombie shooter. Looking at Gun Club VR possibly.

This is a game I played on my school iPad, downloaded on self-service. It was really pixelated, and I remember you could design your own characters, and give them like a walk, idle, jump, etc. animation. Every time you tested out a character you were making, you were put in this little (grass?) rectangle with platforms in it. I’m pretty sure you couldn’t make worlds, or at least I never did, you just played on the already made worlds built into the game. I’m pretty sure everything in the worlds was in blocks, kinda like Minecraft but 2D. Idk what the objective of the game was other than just explore and not die, you could swim and jump and everything. There was also a jetpack, and I remember some places you could only get to if you used it. Pretty sure one of them was like a cloud castle/area. I think there were some npcs around that you could talk to, and there were also signs you had to click on and read. Sorry I don’t have a lot of info, I can answer questions in the comments.

TLDR; Hopefully this can ease some of the anxieties newer players may have. JUST DO IT! The community is amazing. Trust me, go play!
Yesterday was the first time getting back to open play in YEARS. I went solo & was definitely the lone wolf. Got there and set up in staging at my own picnic bench. Everyone has friends with them, groups of people hanging out with coolers of food, music, etc.
Then there was me. Brand new field I never been to, alone, with brand new gear I haven’t played in years.
To start the day, I pull my helmet and gear out my bag and immediately notice a screw got lost (I need to learn to thread-lock my shit next time lol) and I needed a zip tie to hold the chin strap to the temple area mount. Someone immediately offered a zip tie with snippers. Said no problem dude have fun!
Had NO clue how this field worked. Found a worker at the food stand and asked some general questions, “hay ride/trailer” style car gets announced every X minutes and you’ll load up. Refs will explain everything once at the “map” you’ll be playing once everyone arrives in the netted safe zone upon arrival. There’s about 7 different maps.
So I’m just hanging out scrolling on my phone and hear “AIRSOFT! Next trailer leaves in 5 minutes!” Ah shit….. have no clue what to do. Idk where it’s going, idk what game mode, nothing. So I found a group of 5 people dressed almost exactly same camo.
Randomly went up to them and just asked “what’s up guys, they gonna pair us on same side? Sorry never been to this field before.” Immediately they say what’s up man! Yeah join us, this is (his) first time too so just stick with us no prob. - immediately helpful and friendly.
The games went by flawlessly. Random teamwork through out the game, friendly calling “on your left”, etc. the teamwork and flow was amazing and this was consistent through all games.
Played for 6 hours with meal breaks in between when I decided to sit some trailer rides out and hang at my picnic table in the shade and scroll social media and have some food.
The best part: during the end of the day, my battery died…. Fuckin forgot my backup back at staging. My teammate next to me literally hands me his m4 right off his back to me and says don’t worry I got a pistol. WHAT!!??
Did not think twice, we finished the round and it was just the most honorable cool thing to have someone do and he had no clue if I was new or a vet.
The like minded friendly people of the hobby is something I haven’t seen before. Super chill, cracking jokes, showing off gear, shooting the shit, hanging out was just effortless. If anyone is nervous I suggest you just GO. Do not hold back because your friends won’t go. Don’t hold back because you feel lame as hell. Don’t stay home because people backed out last minute plans. Just go!!!

Hey everyone, I wanted to share my story from being a below-mediocre golfer last July to significantly improving my game over the past few months or so. Although I still consider myself a mediocre player, I’ve managed to shave over 20 strokes off my game. I don’t have an official handicap yet but I’m certainly getting one soon. I wanted to share my experience with SwingTweaks and GolfTec to improve. I hope my story can help those in a similar position who want to create a passable golf game.
I was at a breaking point with golf when I saw an ad for SwingTweaks on Instagram or I heard about it on here. Around that same time, I signed up for GolfTec since there was a sale. In hindsight, it was silly to sign up for both at the same time (although I still have some SwingTweaks) but they both contributed to my progress. I went from struggling to play golf to having a reliable swing, sometimes controlling the shape of my shots, and having way more confidence.
Hopefully, this recap helps newbs in a similar position I was in.
Background on My Golf Game (skip this section if you just want to get the meat of how I improved)
For about a decade, I played golf once or twice a year with my Dad or with pals. My Dad is an excellent golf player but wasn’t the best teacher for irons and driver. I never learned the proper mechanics of a golf swing besides “keep your head down and your arms straight.” As a result, I’d “play” golf but not keep an honest score, probably shooting around 120 or more. My swing was one-dimensional, ripping my arms and hips on a straight plane back which often resulted in short, chunked, or topped shots. I later realized I was swinging over the top, but didn’t know it at the time.
Fortunately, even though my Dad couldn’t help me much with my irons and driver, he is an excellent golf coach with pitching, chipping, putting, and general strategy. So, I was able to still develop a good course strategy, understand how to aim, develop a near-green strategy, and have a strong set-up, even though my iron and driver swings were terrible. Played like that for a while and didn’t care too much for golf but then the golf bug hit me when I was playing last July and then I entered the wormhole.
I started with YouTube, a lot of range time, playing with friends, reading Ben Hogan’s 5 Fundamentals, Harvey Penick’s book, and some other less useful books, and listening to podcasts. I don’t know the quantitative amount of time I spent but it would take me ages to figure out concepts like “over-the-top, or how to hit a “low draw.” I spent a lot of time figuring out what something was, and then more time trying to implement a solution. Implementing the concepts was challenging because even if I was trying to shallow I didn’t understand how to do that without pushing the club down which affected other parts of my shot. I would record myself, and try to self-diagnose but that had varying results because of the aforementioned. In short, diagnosing issues was challenging and time-consuming. However, it helped me to learn a more general understanding of the mechanics of a golf swing and did help me at times develop a “feel.”
I did this method for a couple of months, culminating in not breaking 100 (target goal) or making my way down the fairway consistently. Golf was still fun, but I knew I wasn’t playing the game with any strategy. I was just praying to hit the ball in a generally straight direction without fatting, topping, chunking, shanking, or going completely left or right. I hit a breaking point when I spent like $40 on a round with friends to lose a good handful of balls. I thought about the money I was spending on the range/playing. I realized investing in lessons was just more economical and efficient in the long run.
Everyone suggests lessons. I did some research about instructors in my area and thought I picked a decent one. I got one for $50 at one of my local track. I felt like it was useless for me but to be fair the instructor and I may have not vibed. He just kept asking “What do I feel?” That didn’t help me much, because I already knew my club, and my hands “vibrate” or get a weird feeling whenever I mishit the club. I had a sense of what part of the face I hit when I had a bad miss off-center. That’s the only thing he focused on. The only physical thing he showed me was a minor grip change.
He did list himself as a beginner coach, but his style of coaching just wasn’t working for me. I also went to a golf “beginners clinic” that showed up some pitching/chipping and watched us strike irons for like 10-15 minutes. I didn’t learn much there either. That wasn’t much help and didn’t have the pace or individualized coaching I wanted.
I also got a more expensive lesson for $150. That was slightly more helpful and focused on the mechanics of the swing, but in hindsight, I think he was trying to give me a style to break a 100 and not a swing for a lifetime. It felt like he wanted to just help me hit the ball and keep me on a horizontal plane/over the top and not make major changes. Respectable, but not what I was looking for.
What I Did:
SwingTweaks: I think I saw a post on here or saw an ad on Instagram so I decided to try it out. For those of y’all who haven’t heard of it, SwingTweaks is an app where you send in your swing and a PGA pro sends back a short video (2-4 minutes) with 1-3 things to work on along with relevant YouTube videos if needed. The first few tweaks were pretty helpful and I was able to diagnose my backswing pretty quickly and make a minor change in my setup. I worked on that for about a week. I either got a promotion email or saw they were doing a big sale, so I pulled the trigger to buy 10 tweaks. I don’t remember exactly how much it was but I think it was around $170ish.
Golftec: A week or so later, I realized a Golftec was within 5 minutes of my apartment. For the uninitiated, GolfTec is a chain brick-and-mortar golf coaching spot. They have simulators and you hit on that. After some research, I found some people have beef with Golftec because they force you into a swing pattern focused only on draws and matching up with a PGA player’s swing. Also that it's very expensive. I sat on my research for a bit and then saw a big sale was going on. I Googled a referral code for a free “swing analysis.” Accordingly, the first lesson was a swing analysis where they matched up my swing to a PGA pro and told me everything right/wrong with my swing. I thought it was pretty useful, but I can see how people with physical inhibitions or who already developed a good swing wouldn’t find that appealing. I found it appealing because I figured if I could get a mastery of doing it the “right way” I could tweak that and make it my own.
GolfTec is going to give you a hard sales pitch. Originally they pitched 30ish lessons that included everything from playing lessons, putting, chipping, and everything else. I already knew GolfTec was a bit of a sales thing so I planned to commit to 5 lessons before I walked in, so long as it felt helpful. It was like a shitload of money for 30ish lessons even with the sale—I think what he recommended was over $2000. As I mentioned, I wanted to do 5 lessons but he suggested away from that and he seemed like after I initially told him I was not interested in the 30ish lessons, he told me he thought 5 lessons were probably not enough for me after the swing analysis. Probably a sales thing—but I bought into it.
In hindsight, I should have also bought their "practice sessions" package, which allows you unlimited use of the simulator. However, I didn’t want to spend that much. The combined cost for 10 lessons and practice sessions was around $1000. So ultimately, I got 10 lessons without practice sessions for around 700ish dollars. I did manage to negotiate a bit; he gave me a $100 discount. My coach has thrown in a couple of free practice sessions. He also goes over time all the time with the lessons, unless someone else has to use the simulator. From my research, it seems like a lot of GolfTecs don’t do this.
My biggest issue with GolfTec is the tight schedule and high cost. They have you complete the 10 lessons within 3 months, which means I was practically doing lessons week to week or now and then bi-weekly. As forementioned I was going to the range 1-2 times some weeks, so it was difficult to nail down a concept before the next lesson arrived. If you haven’t mastered the last concept, then they just go over the concept again. In retrospect, I would have benefited from purchasing the practice sessions so I could work on my swing more frequently, especially since GolfTec is much closer to me than my nearest practice range.
For context, I could have gotten 5 lessons from a well-respected PGA pro in my area for about $200-$300 more. But I didn’t want to commit to that because I had beef with the last time I got a lesson and I was at my wit's end. I also felt like considering where I was in my golf game (almost non-existent) I could get all my fundamentals down and then seek a golf coach later down the road and get more value out of that instead of being asked “What I’m feeling” like my previous session or get charged $100 something dollars to make a minor change in my set-up.
Improvement:
So, both helped in different ways. With the first few SwingTweaks, I was able to diagnose my backswing quickly and the GolfTec instructor agreed as far as their metrics were concerned that my backswing didn’t need any changes, or at least didn’t want to focus on that for now. After my swing analysis, we concentrated on correcting my over-the-top swing. I ran that through SwingTweaks and I got the same feedback, so I focused on that for a while.
During my second lesson, the GolfTec coach was pleased with my progress, so we started working on rotating my forearms (though I'm still unsure if this is the same as wrist supination). Unfortunately, this adjustment caused my over-the-top swing to return because I hadn’t nailed that down yet, so I had to revisit that issue. Meanwhile, I was still fatting the ball, which was extremely frustrating—particularly when I played with friends or went to the range. I turned to SwingTweaks for help, and they suggested a hip bump to address the fat shots. This change quickly resolved the fatting issue and, alongside fixing the over-the-top swing, was the most significant improvement I made in my swing.
I was focused on both of those concepts for a while. I returned for what I believe was my 4th lesson and the GolfTec coach diagnosed the over-the-top swing again and threw in a free practice right after the lesson (probably felt bad for me LOL). In the meantime, I also had the hip bump mostly down, so I ran another SwingTweak and that led to the same conclusion from GolfTec about the forearm rotation, albeit a bit cheaper. The wrist flip improved quite dramatically, although its still very slightly there now. I did have a couple of tweaks left and I ran another one which said I had a lot of good things going on with my swing but the Coach suggested implementing LAG along with a potential minor grip change, but I haven’t committed myself to practicing that intentionally yet since I’m pretty pleased with how I’m hitting the ball for now and just want to focus on playing. I have 3 more tweaks left (I used one for driver).
But the main point—I was trying to address too many aspects of my swing too quickly. With weekly lessons and incorporating feedback from SwingTweaks, I had a lot of swing thoughts which made it challenging to make consistent progress.
Ultimately, after about 5 lessons in both programs, I was naturally shallowing my swing, hip bumping effectively, and using my hips instead of my arms to drive the club. I mostly eliminated fat shots and felt more consistent overall. Significantly, and I think important to note for someone like me, is that SwingTweaks did identify the issues GolfTec identified, but the weekly diagnostics at GolfTec were helpful because the coach would catch any bad habits creeping back and ensure I was implementing changes correctly (according to their metrics). As mentioned, I had 10 lessons at GolfTec, so we did another range session mixed with driver so that was 2 lessons (30 min + 30 min), and then we did one on woods and hit irons again to work on throwing the club away from the body. Last, lesson we just worked a little bit on the flip with the hands.
GolfTec was pretty useful to get a diagnostic on anything else I worked on. For example at GolfTec, he shared the tour percentage for hip bumping. It provided me with a useful indicator to know that I was bumping too aggressively. I was bumping way too much when the tour average is 3%. That helped me soften my hips. As I mentioned, he didn’t tell me about this in any of our lessons, but when I started incorporating it he gave me some recommendations.
As time progressed, I found myself narrowing my focus during my own range sessions and focused only on hitting targets within 100 yards. I was pretty much hitting mostly draws with most of my clubs, including woods. I’d occasionally duff one, but I think that’s just apart of getting better. SwingTweaks and GolfTec diverged in their analysis with the driver, so I ended up using GolfTec’s swing recommendation because that let me find more fairways. I did have the GolfTec coach look at my woods, but we didn’t focus on that all that much. I admittedly have somewhat of an arm swing for woods because it seems to help me keep the angle of attack flat, but it's working for me for now.
After my driver lesson, I still had 3 lessons left. I believe one of the final techniques I learned at GolfTec was not to move my chest back during my backswing, because that could change my low point. But, we mostly focused on consolidating what I had already learned and making it second nature. I’d occasionally swing slightly less shallow or not quite as outside as whichever PGA Pro the Coach would pull up at GolfTec so we’d return to that to ensure it was 100%. He still did show me at least one thing new every time even if we didn’t focus on that and I could work on that on my own time. I journaled whatever he mentioned after the lesson, so even if it was an off-hand comment or not our focus of the day I could return to it at a future range session. But, overall it was a minor error to commit to 10 lessons. It was excessive and I spent more money than I needed to. The program moved too swiftly, and even though some of the later recommendations were helpful, my primary aim was to establish solid fundamentals so I could progress to the playing level I wanted and potentially revisit lessons later on. 5 and then maybe reloading on 5 later would’ve been fine.
The way I see it, GolfTec provided insights into how fundamental concepts could be tweaked to achieve specific shot shapes like draws, and using that information helped me understand how I can also use those same concepts to hit other shots. This coach was obsessed with hitting draws and that's the only thing they were going to diagnose around, but that information honestly was helpful in how to command fades as well.
SwingTweaks was cool because it was hella convenient for me to implement changes at my own pace. Almost every tweak I received directly addressed the specific problem I was facing, except one. Now, I may have backslid when I didn’t focus on that one change for a bit, but as long as I was focused on fixing it with the solution they gave me, I would generally have it fixed within a week or two. Moreover, it was way more cost-effective than GolfTec. On the other hand, it had some limitations, because they only work with the information provided and since they aren’t observing a series of shots, they might miss a bigger problem pattern if you have one. And of course, since they aren’t seeing you week to week if that issue creeps back up and you don’t realize it, they are going to mention it in the tweak but if it’s not exhibited in that tweak video, they naturally aren’t going to diagnose it. I did like they were able to diagnose issues quickly. I just included the relevant write-up with my video and the feedback was almost always helpful. I’d be interested to see how it assists me now that I am more advanced and how it might help better players than me in achieving more narrow goals like increasing distance or how to shoot particular shapes.
I think SwingTweaks was slightly more helpful than GolfTec. On the other hand, it may have been a combination of both programs and diving balls deep into golf through lessons, personal research, and practice. In particular, there was one moment where it all clicked when I was watching a movie, and in my head, I was like “Gravity… is the key!” I started just letting gravity put my club down after the backswing and everything else I’ve been trying to do just came together—less swing thoughts. I still have to refresh myself here and there and occasionally take a step backward when I learn a new movement, but I know it’s on its way.
In my opinion, SwingTweaks was solid for a player like me. I got a good diagnostic on the cheap and I could do my fix at my speed. On the other hand, GolfTec was good because it put pressure on me to practice because of the time limit. When I was doing GolfTec, I had to ramp up my practice because I didn’t want to waste my money or feel embarrassed for not implementing suggested swing changes. It’s expensive as hell, but the motivational push and weekly diagnostics were good. I felt like with SwingTweaks I got the same level of diagnostic—if not better—but I wasn’t as compelled to make those changes as rapidly. If I could go back and do it differently, I’d probably just do SwingTweaks for 10 lessons, but commit myself to a different target and limit myself on time. Instead of saying, “ok I want to break 100” I would change my thinking to “ok, I want to stop swinging over the top.” I’d refocus on only having a workable swing, rather than a score target. If I could’ve found somewhere I could go crazy on a simulator for a couple of months, that would’ve been great.
In saying that, I still wouldn’t recommend going to any lesson whether that's a PGA pro, SwingTweaks, GolfTec, or whatever right off the bat if you are a beginner. I’d develop some “feel” over a few months. Even if the swing looks terrible you start getting a sense of how things feel when it goes right and you gain a sense of the mind-club-body connection. GolfTec nor SwingTweaks is going to be able to help you with that, so their advice will be more helpful if you have some “feel.” I can’t quite describe what “feel” is so maybe someone in the comments can describe it better than me.
So my golf game now. I’ve improved significantly. I have confidence from before my swing to after. I examine the potential shots and targets. Pick one and commit. I have a solid set-up before the ball with the proper aim. My swing thoughts aren’t consumed by swing mechanics and I can trust my muscle memory to deliver a swing. I can swing consistently. I drive the ball forward, even if my shot dispersion isn’t as narrow as I’d like. I am not afraid of water hazards whether with a long iron or wood, because I am confident in my skill to hit over them without embarrassing myself. My GIR has improved dramatically. I might lose a ball or two per round, but I can shoot in the low 90s without any gimmies. I don’t swing over the top anymore and I feel like I’m playing golf instead of just chunking across the landscape and praying for a good shot. I would like more swing speed, but I think that will come later. Even after the shot, if it doesn’t go exactly how I planned my misses aren’t as dramatic and I know I can hit a good shot and recover. I see myself realistically breaking 90 pretty soon. I have no idea what my ceiling is but it feels like the sky is the limit! Haha.
I can’t vouch for how either SwingTweaks or GolfTec might benefit intermediate or lower handicaps, but it was effective for me. I’m happier on the course and more fulfilled when I play. I’d recommend giving it a shot if you are in the same position I was in.
Other Things That I Did:
Read a lot of books that weren’t helpful with my issues, but were pretty enjoyable:
Shortlist:

• The Four Foundations of Golf — Jon Sherman
• Ben Hogan’s 5 Lessons (probably the most helpful)
• Harvey Pennick’s Little Red Book
• Golf is Not A Game of Perfect
• Also, not for your game but I also read The Greatest Game Ever Played and Paper Tiger which were just straight-up enjoyable for anyone and let me be in the nexus of golf, but not thinking as much about my swing or my game.

YouTube:
YouTube didn’t help me much. It’s difficult for me to diagnose my issues, so with YouTube instructions, I’m hoping I have the issue identified correctly and that the video is a particular solution for that issue. I know some people have had a lot of success with this, but it just wasn’t for me unless it was specifically relevant to something someone had already told me was an issue.
Practice:
I probably was at the range 3-4 times at my peak, and then that went down to 1-2 times a week just because I was busy with life stuff. I probably played 9 holes once a week, but that dipped to 0 times a week for about a month, and then went back to 9 holes once a week.
I rarely get the time to play 18 so I might do that once a month. I also got my Dad to help me. In the aforementioned background section, I mentioned he is a killer when he is near the green, so he was able to help me with my putting/pitching/chipping. Even with the irons and other clubs, he was able to help me understand proper aiming and some other non-physical mechanics-related skills.
Recording:
I recorded my swing periodically, not every session. I felt like I didn’t want to see my swing that often because I wanted to see what crept back (over the top, hip bump, no hip movement, or anything else that had already been pointed out to me). I also feel like it is a waste of time to record, adjust, record, adust. You can’t see your swing on the course, so I didn’t feel like this was a good solution for me. I liked to see it a few times, and then feel it, and then try to replicate that feel after.
After I was told what was exactly wrong, I usually was able to get a good “feel” of when it was going right and when it wasn’t, because the first couple of times I’d exaggerate it. The times I was backsliding a periodic recording would let me see it if I already knew what the issue was.
I wasted time on Instagram’s Explore page watching golf influencers and “fun” golf channels on YouTube. If I wanted to put a positive spin on it, that type of play helped me keep going and inspired me to keep playing. I do think watching some of the older golfers highlights helped with tempo.
I’m certain some people may have achieved greater improvement with the resources & money available, but I’m content with where my game stands. I am aware there are probably areas that could be refined, but my focus was to enjoy the game and that’s where I’m at. I can play any public course with anyone and do just fine. I still get frustrated here and there, but nowadays it’s not because I completely shot a ball off into the woods, its more like “how the hell was that a fade” or “why was I lined up away from the green” or “stupid decision to club down” instead of being frustrated with my swing. I feel like I’m playing golf now. I’ll probably seek lessons again at a later point, but right now I’m good.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel no matter what you do but these programs helped me put that on an accelerator. If you use either of the programs, I’d be grateful if you use my referral code. I don’t get anything if you sign up for SwingTweaks, except entries into periodic drawings, but I believe you get 20% off. If you sign up for GolfTec we both get $100 off if you sign up.
TLDR: Sucked at everything except putting/chipping/pitching, used GolfTec and SwingTweaks to get better at irons, woods, & driver, use my code.
GOLFTEC: https://gt.golf/HP52sZ (PS my dude said referrals only work if you sign up for lessons or else you have to pay for your swing analysis).
SWINGTWEAKS: referral code - GoatTrackDhimar

Hi so I bought this game on sale over memorial day, and I've always been a fan of the game. Been playing for about 30 hours and it's been awesome but suddenly since yesterday the game will suddenly crash on round 1. Nothing I do fixes the crashing. The game starts as normal and I can run and shoot for about a minute before the game freezes and crashes, no warning or error code.
I do not have an anti-virus active or installed and this is on private and solo games.
How do I fix this? I don't think I can return the game at this point either....