Miscellaneous Music Time

I haven't posted anything music related for awhile so lets remedy that now with some Eurovision 2025 stuff (which as always, I'm super late with). There were sirens, a sauna, a couple of ballads, a lot of techno music and numerous food related songs. As rare as it is, I agreed with the winner this time around as they were the best in the field.

If Eurovision isn't your thing maybe try instead these covers of Dancing in the Dark and We all Lift/for Narmer. Or if you want something with more class, the BBCs coverage of the 75th Military Tattoo is on youtube now and is very entertaining. Hope are all having a good day! :)

Warfarme: Qorvex

Getting this radiation stone themed frame will require jumping more than a few hurdles including completing the quests Heart of Deimos, the New War and Whispers in the Walls which nets you the main blueprint and access to Sanctum Anatomica. There you can collect the rest either by getting lucky from the local bounties or by using Cavia standing (which you get by doing those bounties) to buy them from the bird shop.

Qorvex is built pretty solidly too, and while his speed takes a hit because of that getting the +3 punch through for any weapons he wields is great. Powers wise though, his status shield ability which protects both him and his nearby team is probably best as his summoned pillars or crushing walls are very situational and his ultimate radiation beam feels like a rehash of ultimate beams from other frames (it's weaker than Wisp's but better than Caliban's). He's an OK frame but by the time you get him you'll have found and are probably using something better.

Warframe: Dagath

Blueprints for this headless horsewoman warframe are acquired from a room that must be added to your clan dojo called "Dagath's Hollow" and to build her you'll need a bunch of new things called vainthorns which only drop from the "locked" abyssal zone in Ceres, a place you might not even see unless you have the keys to access it. Each run through that zone needs you to use a key which you can buy from one of the "big 6" syndicates (Arbiters, Meridian, Suda, Perrin, Loka or Red Veil) for 5000 standing, and only if you are at rank 2 or above with them.

While the abyss mission itself is just a visually darker exterminate with eximus (strong guys) stronghold  activating about 2/3rds of the way through and an extra pick up and deliver a cursed lantern to extraction tacked on, you'll need to do this a decent number of times to get enough vainthorns to build her and even more if you want her pure slash whip-sword weapon.

Sounds like a pain to build her and it is, especially if you don't yet have a strong frame to grind out those components but she is very rewarding and a fun close combat frame to play as her abilities of spinning scythes (Yareli's only good move), adding viral, adding crits (+possible ghost form) and summoning a charge of ghost cavalry that absolutely wreck everything in a straight line all work very well together, with survivability coming directly from her passive that makes every 3rd health or energy orb 300% more effective. You'll want to be right in the thick of things to make the most of that. Dagath definitely gets my tick of approval.

Warframe: Art Show

This will be the last of these galleries for now as I've been playing less Warframe as of late. I'll need to start visiting more dojos to collect more works if there is interest for these to continue. :)

Warframe: Monsters

Continuing from the previous gallery, it looks like creatures and monsters are another common subject people create in their dojos...

Warframe: Knights, Angels and Demons

Continuing the art gallery theme from last time, here are even more works of art I've come across in various dojos...

Warframe: Giant Mechas

While this could have related to the Corpus and their Jackal sized creations, this is instead a little art gallery of player made mechas that are sitting in their dojo. Such incredible talent... and probably an incredible amount of time spent on each of these!

Warframe: Kullervo

Enjoys the stabbing.

To get this melee focused warframe you need to beat him up multiple times in his Duviri prison which only appears during Anger, Sorrow or Fear spirals and in these fights you'll definitely find him using two of his available abilities against you: a rain of daggers and a teleporting, heavy attack which is boosted by his passive that makes it hit harder and swing faster. He might be troublesome if you face him early but if you stack on some decrees you'll be able to curb stomp him easily.

His other two skills are cone of curse, wherein if any of the cursed take damage the others also take a portion of it and recompense, which is his main mechanic - activating his daggers which then autoseek any enemies to deal damage to and at the same time heal Kullervo and give him overguard (because he has zero shields). Any daggers that don't find a target in the short time frame attack Kullervo instead, a punishment for being too far from melee - so you'll want to turn that on before teleporting right into the thick of it.

Pretty cool frame but the lack of shields with a melee game style is pretty risky, though still better than a number of others on offer thanks to the overshield. Mmm, still on the fence with this one. He hasn't been fed to my helminth... yet.

As an aside, I'm now Legendary 1 (which is the next step up from True Master). Whee! :P

August 2023: The New Blaugs

It's been awhile since I've done a blog status post, so I totally missed announcing that DL managed to get our Guild Hall to level 20 in Neverwinter Online early last month! Also, it's been a minute since I've revisited anything Blaugust but it looks like there's a whole slew of new participants and while I'm not joining those festivities I'll be adding each one to my blog roll as time permits. Just as well since my list was whittled down to 28 over the gap period, so it's time for some new blood. Or new blaugs as it were.

Anyway, it's time for some cool links that I've come across. Mainly "I wish" links. Like, I wish I was this good at archery, or I wish I had Hikaru's precognition(?) of chess, or I wish I had the voice control of Avril Lavigne who can still sing like she's a teenager. Those are all super impressive for me.

If you prefer the funnies you can read through Warframe's red text shenanigans (Red text being the global chat alerts that take place when an update occurs). Or you can watch this amazing clip from an Indian daytime drama. Or relive Neon Genesis: Evangelion, condensed into 10 minutes of live action!

That's it for this post. Have a good day everyone! :)

Borderlands 3: The Sword and the Gunslinger

[Part of the Wasted Land story]

The next key pieces are on the planet Promethea, home of the Atlas corporation, but it too is under attack by both Maliwan and COV who are in clear alliance. Fortunately, Lilith knows of allies here as well, the first being Mad Moxxi who distracts most of the COV by participating and winning the galaxy wide broadcast of "Who wants to bang a bazillionaire" in nearby Lectra City, basically an all female city wide death match with the winner being able to bang the host in front of a large audience, both broadcast and live (with much audience participation to boot).

Lilith's second ally in the area is the space ninja (warframe?) Zer0 who makes use of the Sanctuary III to assault the Maliwan orbiting death star to end the war and earn the remaining key parts that Dr. Tannis needs to finish the key.  Maya volunteers herself to open said vault where she defeats the impressive guardian monster within only to then encounter the Calypso twins. While Tyreen absorbs the power of the defeated monster, Troy absorbs and disintegrates Maya herself.

While they replay her snuff film on a loop, Dr. Tannis discovers that this vault seems to be linked to another on Eden-6, the swampy home world of the Jakobs family who are also in conflict with the COV. They hire a trusty gunslinger squire named Clay - the lone merc who didn't simply take Calypso money and leave like a whore.

Warframe: The Duviri Paradox

When feelings spiral out of control.

This update is so much fun. After playing through the main Duviri story which would only be at most three hours, you are then invited to return to the emotional dreamscape in one of three modes: "The Lone Story" is basically the speed run version of doing 6 tasks to get construction materials from the end boss. "The Duviri Experience" has the 6 main tasks but also has TONS of side activities to do in Duviri's open world and "The Circuit" which is for people that just want to stay in warframes - an endless cycle of standard warframe missions but with the twist that you can pick what rewards you are working towards.

The Duviri Experience is my favorite mode, and I stay in that world for much longer after the six "main" tasks are done to the point that I kinda forget I'm playing Warframe. I think its because every little thing you do lets you power up via "decrees". Maybe you killed a bad guy patrol, or solved a puzzle, went fishing, or played warframe guitar hero - bam! You get a decree which powers you up and these stack till you leave Duviri, at which point you need to start from scratch. For me, that's just fine because you get so overpowered so quickly it is great fun. It's even better in a group because if any individual does any task anywhere on the map, the entire team gets rewarded!

Decrees also help mitigate the fact that you might not have your regular gear on hand. This is because at the start of each Duviri outing you must choose from a limited, randomized pool of warframes and weapons to bring. While some will be what you own, there will be things that you don't thrown in the mix (unless you are legendary rank 3 and own everything I guess). There are always three times in the main quest where you'll need to use a warframe, and if you're stuck with unfamiliar or weak items you might be in trouble... OR NOT, because those decrees carry on into the warframe mode too - so as long as you are overloaded with boons, you should be fine regardless.

Excellent update, and if Soulframe is anything like this I'm definitely going to look into it. If you'd prefer a more visual experience of Duviri without downloading Warframe, DL has put up some videos.

Warframe: True Master

Finally, I've won Warframe!

Haha, not really but this was my main personal goal and it feels great to finally have reached MR30. I know there are (so far) two more levels higher than this (Yue is on legendary 2 O_O) but I think I'll leave those ranks alone for now. All I really wanted was the ability to put gigantic statues of myself on the relays! :P

That's a pretty good likeness!

For those wondering, my Loki Firewalker and Xoris combo was excellent for the mastery 30 exam. The disappearing platform tests (MR10/MR13) were more annoying but the (MR28) condensed thermia one was definitely the harder, if not the hardest for those first thirty tests.

Now with that obsession out of the way I might be able to look at other games again. At least for a week or so until the Duviri Paradox comes out. :P

Warframe: Citrine

Make your gemussy sparkle...

Clearly it is worth being on when the red text updates just prior to a patch appear because they are hilarious.

That aside, Citrine is a gem themed support frame that you can harvest from the mirror defense mode on Mars. Like Voruna, if you get unlucky with blueprints you can also purchase her blueprints from Otak on Deimos (using currency you get from running mirror defense).

Her abilities include fortifying the armor of her team (up to 90% only, no invulnerability), putting a big gem that helps blast status effects at enemies targeted by the team (awesome), covering enemies in gems to both paralyze them and increase damage done to them, and throwing a cone type gem attack to make enemies bleed, have a greater chance of dropping HP or energy orbs, and can increase her passive HP regeneration for the team if she personally kills them.

A very decent frame especially for those who play with squads often, but I'm not sure that HP restoration is the way to go especially since higher level Steel Path laughs at your HP bar no matter the numbers on it and a lot of players seem to enjoy being in nigh invulnerable walking nukes to counter that. I'm sure with work you can make the Citrine into this too, but there are far easier frames to do this in.

Still, as a frame available from Mars it's definitely a viable on for players earlier in their Warframe careers. Mine is going to the Helminth.

Warframe: Voruna

The wolf pack.

Obtained through conjunction missions on Lua, which is basically a fancy survival mission that gives you a chance at a "piece" every 20 minutes, expect to do more than a few runs to not only collect blueprints but also Thrax plasms which are used both in construction of Voruna AND buying the blueprints from Archimedean Yonta on the Zariman if you just had lousy luck grinding. Which I did.

Once built this she-wolf has four passives that can be triggered one at a time: increased parkour, stat resistance, heavy attack efficiency or a bonus life (60 second cool down on that last one). On top of that she also can turn invisible for a short while, go feral with a five strike pounce, gain health through melee attacks or energy via head shots and lastly spread negative statuses on enemies.

Pretty cool, but she seems to very much lean into status application and skill spamming as opposed to my preferred crit builds. I suppose it's just one of those things where, yes - she's pretty cool, but can she fill a purpose better than the others? She's very much a "killing things" frame (over say a sneak, defense or tank frame), but her killing is kinda slow - and there's a lot of competition in the "killing things" category. That probably means my helminth is going to taste wolf.

As an aside, yay! At least until Citrine is released that means I have now "mastered" all the non prime frames! :)

Warframe Market

After the thousands of hours I have in Warframe (now MR27) I can no longer say that I am a Free to Player. Yep, much like Mabinogi before it - it has finally convinced me to part with some real money which in turn has become in game platinum - and now I'm introduced to a new (for me anyway) part of the game: Merchanting.

Standing around at Maroo's Bazaar to sell something can be boring and likewise its annoying to hop in every now and again just to see if someone is selling something I want (trade chat can help) - but this Warframe Market fan site just makes trading so easy. My favorite part isn't even the buying and selling: it's that every time I go to do a trade with someone I usually end up in their fantastically decorated dojos to explore for a bit! Our dojo is very spartan in comparison.

Warframe: Gyre and Volt

A pair of electrical themed frames that are on the opposite ends of the spectrum!

Gyre

This warframe is one you'll get late in the game as it is only available through Zariman bounties. The Gyre is a clockwork dancer who uses her gears to make lots of sparks and passively gains 10% crit chance per electricity stack on her target! To aid with this she has an ability to increase her criticals even more while recharging energy, create a swirl of electricity around her and has a choice of two electrified balls she can toss that explode with more electricity!

Despite being a light show and a crit monster I found Gyre to be somewhat flimsy. It's hard work to zap people and avoid damage due to the short ranges of her abilities (*maybe not so bad if you build for max range), especially since those balls aren't the best projectiles around. If you want a lightning based frame, the one below is a much better choice.

Volt

Either selected as a starter frame or researched from at the Dojo, the Volt is basically the Flash complete with lightning powers. He can electrocute a small number of foes with his first ability or a huge number of foes with his last, run and melee super fast (and get his allies to do so as well, though he can't run as fast as Gauss), and create an electrical shield that blocks enemy fire but greatly improves allied fire that passes through it. This is Juris' favorite frame and one of the best in the game as his abilities synergize very well.

The speed is awesome in most missions as it can also speed up escort targets and the shield is great in defense and against bosses - Eidolons in particular as the shield also improves Operator based weaponry! Highly recommended.

Warframe: Spectrosiphon Zephyr

A very fun build for defense type missions.

Of the Inaros, Chroma, Octavia, Harrow and Zephyr Prime frames I currently have - the Zephyr is my favorite, especially with Gara's spectorage replacing air burst (using the Helminth) and with the spectrosiphon mod installed. With these stats (150% DUR / 130% EFF / 175% RNG / 100% STR) this is how the powers work in tandem.

Tail Wind - lets you fly or hover to make the most of Zephyr's +150% crit chance while in the air.

Spectorage - creates a carousel of mirrors that attracts baddies into its center (there's a little more that it does but it's not important in this build). The spectrosiphon mod increases the chance (up to +50%) that enemies that die in the carousel to drop energy.

Turbulence - creates an air shield that makes you invulnerable to most ranged attacks (except nearby splash damage) for a time.

Tornado - drags nearby enemies into a tornado (or tornadoes), lifting them and basically making them helpless while dealing low damage. This damage can be increased by shooting the tornadoes (or you can attack them directly). A tap on the button lets the tornadoes run amok. Holding the button down keeps them in place.

So the sequence is cast spectorage where you expect enemies to pass - they'll want to come close to the mirrors. Cast a non-moving tornado in the center of spectorage which will pull them in. Kill them while they are helpless. Collect lots of energy. Repeat.

This defeats most infested units. Against gun wielders, either put this trap around a corner or you go around a corner after putting it to lure them in. Don't forget Turbulence makes you invulnerable to their fire. Very handy. Still doesn't replace my Loki for stealth, nor Slowva Nova for interception, but it's definitely one I'm keeping around.

Voidstar: The Winner

[Part of the Voidstar: Warframe-128 story]

Despite Amar's close quarters prowess, he could do nothing when the Gantulyst eidolon crushed him under foot, and Kela De Thaym could only damage the Profit-Taker Orb before being blown away by its artillery. Like Archon Boreal before her, the weakened Archon Nira was torn to shreds by the regenerating Void Angel, and Parvos' Protea was severely hurt in finally destroying Nef Anyo's Razorback with her summoned turrets.

This meant she was easy prey when the Void Angel finally came for her while the Gantulyst eidolon wrecked the Profit-Taker up but still ultimately lost to the giant spider due to the eidolon's weakened state. And so, the last two combatants finally faced off against each other: The Profit-Taker Orb versus the Void Angel!

Screeching as it unleashed its deadly attacks the Void Angel took the giant spiderbot to the edge of death before it unleashed hell upon the void nightmare. As it did before, the Angel retreated to the void to heal but since the Profit-Taker isn't some stupid eidolon, it continued to fire everything it had to disintegrate the angel's dormant body, forcing it to be trapped in its voidscape forever! [Um, I suppose that would work?]

"Dollie dollie, I a giant. Big and bad as Hunhow's heart.
Salty squishes are my diet. Death and murder are my art." -Profit Taker

Now free to search for the promise signal, the towering raknoid turned only to find that she was dwarfed by a giant, smiling face looking down upon her. "Hey, kiddo..."

That's brings Voidstar to a close, thanks for reading!

Voidstar: Semi-Finals

[Part of the Voidstar: Warframe-128 story]

As fewer combatants remained standing, the call of the promise signal grew stronger in each of their minds. An explosion in the sky signaled the destruction of the Balor Fomorian as the Void Angel ripped it apart from the inside, and this was echoed by an explosion on the ground where Kela De Thaym put an end to the heavily damaged Exploiter Orb.

While the sword wielding Shadow Stalker got curb stomped by the Profit-Taker, Vor and his Janus key further damaged Nef Anyo's Razorback but could not defeat it as the war machine's autocannons ripped him in two. Elsewhere, Malice managed to snipe at the Gantulyst eidolon before being caught and destroyed by one of its energy pillars, Zuud was put down by Parvos' Protea, and Teshin put up a heroic but ultimately doomed battle against Archon Nira who turned him to stone [and then broke his neck :P].

The easiest Archon.

Her brother Amar faced off against the Rhino specter in an equally long battle, and after dealing considerable damage to each other the Rhino's Soma and Dual Raza are not enough as he falls prey to the highly aggressive wolf archon. [Also, Amar is basically a Rhino Prime with cheat codes enabled so... there's that.]

Voidstar: Nihil vs Teshin

[Part of the Voidstar: Warframe-128 story]

The Lich Worm Queen barely avoided the collapsing Teralyst, forcing her out into the open and right into the sights of the Balor Fomorian which promptly vaporized her. Derim Zahn also had no chance as he was eaten by Archon Nira, and the injured Archon Boreal could not match the regenerating Void Angel while Ballas [without the Lotus powers] couldn't keep up with Parvos' Protea.

Zuud's Tombfinger proved effective against the predictable Sprag who moves in straight lines, and while Lephantis slew Captain Vor, his Janus Key revived him as Corrupted Vor to ultimately destroy the infested ettin with his new Janus energy beams. The injured flying sentient, Ropalolyst was also killed when it fought against Nef Anyo's Razorback, only damaging the missile launching war machine.

"I find chaos... unsettling." - Nihil

They need to make more boss fights like this one!

Neither Nihil nor Teshin gave it a glance as it fell in the landscape beyond them, with both swordsmen keenly focused on their own duel. "Finally, a worthy foe," Tenshin remarked as he nimbly dodged away from Nihil's giant Vitrica. "Your persistence is disruptive to my efforts to order," the orokin giant replied as he fired shards of glass from his forehead gem down at the Dax warrior - but Teshin was too agile for him, and in a display of true mastery used his nikana to reflect one of the glass pieces right back into Nihil's neck. Eyes widened by surprise, Nihil dropped his sword and fell to his knees as blood poured from the wound. Using this opening, Teshin threw his Orvious disc and made it explode right in Nihil's face, ending the Glassmaker once and for all.