When Lindon nocked the arrow to the string of the Silent King Bow, a dark Icon formed in the sky

We see a magical monster jump around a bloody building happily. It seemed extremely happy as it found the manager of the building who threw things like pencils, papers, and a chair at it but nothing in the office could harm this creature.
Creature: Nehehe! Kahahahahahaha!
Manager: HELP! HELP MEEEEE! HELP ME NOW!
The creature went to grab the man but its arm was cut off at impossible speeds. It gasped in shock. Even the man couldn’t tell what happened as he looked around the room and saw an older woman.
Woman: Heh… monsters like this have been popping up a lot. Tell me assassin what might be the cause?
The creature would regrow its arm and send a raw blast of pure mana at the woman who would easily step out of the way. A woman in a white multi-layered kimono with black hair appeared behind the monster and stabbed it through the throat.
Creature: NEGHEGharajafa!
It turned into dust being easily killed by the black haired assassin.
Assassin: I presume it’s the work of a servant and or master.
Woman: That’s correct! Good job!
Assassin: So you already know the cause behind this?
Woman: Correct! I even know the servant and master responsible!
Assassin: Alright then…
Manager: What’s going on?! What’s happening?!
Woman: Assassin.
Assassin: Yes master.
She threw her dagger into the manager's skull killing him in an instant. Assassin sighed at her order and the kill. She picked up the dagger before placing it back within the scroll she normally used to conceal the small blade.
Assassin: Master who did this?
Woman: I'm not telling~
Assassin: Ugh… fine then master.
The two women walked out of the office building the master smiling brightly.
Woman: Hmm… I wonder what Saber’s master is doing?
Assassin: Is he of interest?
Woman: I knew his father! Would you be a dear and spy on him for me assassin?
Assassin: As you wish master…
Assassin bowed and quickly disappeared leaving the woman all alone as she laughed to herself.

Leo was reading a comic book while lying on his busted-up blue couch. He didn't have a single thought on his mind aside from the words and the images placed on each page.
Just then Ky walked into the room with an immaculate keychain in his hand. He held it up and passed it towards Leo who grabbed it as it flew above his head.
Ky: Here it was made back in Japan’s Heien Era.
Leo: What is it?
Ky: A cursed chain. While you have low mana it converts the lack of mana you have into physical strength. Therefore-
Leo: I can be super strong!
Ky: Basically. Just keep it in your pockets. I had the pull a lot of strings to get this from my sensei.

Elegant: You want it? Beat Shine in hand to hand! No powers just skills!
Ky: HOW AM I MEANT TO DO THAT?!

Ky: Ugh…
Leo would shove the chain back into his hoodie pocket. He gave a bright smile and placed his comic book down crossing his arms and leaning over the back of his couch.
Leo: So! What is the plan to win this war?
Ky: We need to get you trained up preferably. And we need to exterminate every master in the war.
Leo: Can’t we just… let them all kill one another and pick the last guy off?
Ky: Nope. Most likely they'll come for you while you try this strategy anyway. Even worse is the possibility the final master and servant standing could be an extremely bad matchup for Saber.
Leo: I guess you're right…
Ky: Now then… GUNPOWDER!
Guns appeared behind Ky who shot at a wall next to the bullet manifested the black-haired assassin servant.
Ky: Assassin!
Leo: Oh shit!
Ky’s technique is “Mental Recreation” This powerful ability has him use up his mana to create objects based on certain topics. These topics are gunpowder, transportation, death, nature, and war. These objects are limited to what Ky subconsciously associates with these words whenever he hears them. He can summon these objects with a hand sign or by saying the topic of origin. However, he can not create actual life. But his technique is based on his own interpretation. So if learns to interpret his limits differently his technique will respond in kind!
Ky: Death!
Skeletons appear from the floor but Assassin cuts both their heads off in a moment using her scroll.
Leo: Woah… she's fast…
Ky: If I had to wager a guess… I would say she's faster than Saber and closer in speed to Lancer.
Leo: You can tell that just by her attacking once?!
Ky: I am good with my eyes…
Leo: Saber!
Saber from the front porch came rushing into the living room switching from her casual clothes to her armor and pulling out her misty blade ready to fight.
Assassin: It would seem I'm outnumbered.
Ky: Wow she can even count!
Leo: Why are you even hear?
Assassin: I am here solely on orders from my master. I have no intention of fighting but if you force me to…
Leo: Oh fuck that!
Leo went to punch her in the face and Assassin ducked under grabbing him by the throat and personally slamming him through a wall the sunlight now radiating through the hole made within the wall.
Ky: Gunpowered!
A canon ball appeared a mere 2 inches from Assassin’s face and the second the canon shot she managed to dodge out of the way within an instant. She ran up and shoved the scroll into Ky’s shoulder stabbing through and making him bleed as she jumped onto the coffee table.
Ky: Damn it… some kind of concealed blade…
Saber: I don't wish to destroy Leo’s home… but I want to take out Assassin as soon as possible!
Saber sighed and rushed forward at incredible speeds that still were outmatched by Assassin who managed to dodge each slice of her blade before kicking Saber in the gut before roundhouse kicking her in the face sending her into another wall and cracking it.
Assassin: Strong as you all are I'm simply too fast for you all.
Leo then just grabbed a potted plant in the corner of his room as she wasn't paying him any attention and hit her in the back of the head with it stunning her so Saber could get back up, run, and stab Assassin in the shoulder.
Assassin: AHHHH!
Assassin cut Saber’s arm and elbowed Leo in the face before running out of the hole in the wall she made earlier.
Saber: Master!
Leo: What did I say about calling- actually I do not care…
Saber ran towards Leo who'd been sent to the ground on his ass. He seemed fine as he stood up holding onto Saber.
Leo: I am fine don't worry ok?
Saber: If you insist master! But should I give chase to Assassin?
Ky: Would not recommend it. She's clearly highly skilled. Even if you are probably stronger than her chasing her down might be a bad idea.
Leo: Yeah what Ky said! But what am I gonna do? Am I not safe in my own home now?
Saber: I'm afraid it seems you are not Leo…

Assassin walked into a large mansion on top of a hill and entered a bedroom.
Assassin: Master!
The woman turned to her with a sly grin pasted upon her face. She was currently sitting on her wooden chair while writing something in a notebook.
Woman: Assassin!
Assassin: I am afraid they spotted me rather quickly.
Woman: Did you kill any?
Assassin: No master…
Woman: Perfect! I don't want them to die before they know my name… Isda!
Assassin: Why?
Isda: That is for me to know Assassin! Me and me alone!

Gilgamesh sat upon his throne. Among all masters and servants in the holy grail war, he alone stood as the honored one. He viewed through on of Pat’s crystal balls the events that transpired between Assassin and Leo’s group.
Gilgamesh: That Saber… she's quite strong. Even with the master holding her down. And the Assassin is quite boring to me.
Pat: A-Archer-
Gilgamesh: You know nobody is watching us use my true name peasant!
Pat: Forgive me Gilgamesh! But why are we sitting in this pocket dimension?!
Gilgamesh: Simply to protect you from getting killed. You are quite weak and well I won't have any fun if you die. Even I can't sustain myself without a master!
Pat: O-oh I see…
Gilgamesh truly was a king!

I’ve always hated the term “my other half”. I don’t want to be half of a person, and neither do you. I’m my own person, we’re our own people with our own aspirations and ambitions and talents and experiences, that’s why i’ve always loved the red string of fate. It proves that we are our own people, with our own lives, but there will always be that small red string, unnoticeable to everyone else, that connects us even in the moments that we’re far apart.
It comforts me in the times when i’m sitting alone in my room, living through my past and traumas, i know you can’t be there for that and i don’t want you to be, but that red string, OUR red string, reminds me that there’s a connection that’s worth holding on for, and it reminds me that even when i’m sinking into the deepest parts of my soul, you’ll always be on the other end, waiting for me to pull on the string whenever i need you. Thank you for that, my love, i’m so happy to have that little red string, tied into a bow on my pinky.

Hi guys! This is my first post here, hope I do follow the rules.
I’m an adult violin beginner and want some advice on violin teacher choice.
Teacher No.1: straight musical school student, doing his PhD in violin performance. He gave me my first 15 lessons, 10 spent on holding the bow properly, and right&left hand basics. He really insists that I have right hand(fingers, wrist, shoulder) loose and be able to move, and left fingers able to hit with deep muscles. The other 5 lessons we learnt quickly how to read sheet music, how to practice with metronome, and I learnt the first two lines of Hedwig’s Theme and Pastorale (Sha Hankun), a 5th grade piece for violin level test in mainland china.
The main problem with him is, I feel my practice task a bit confusing and the teaching doesn’t have a framework. I practiced open string without knowing if I really improved, then I practiced left fingers on A string, then the melody but only first 2-3 lines. When we have lessons, he corrects my posture and makes useful allegories to help me understand. He can give me advice on how to improve sth, for example right hand pinky or left hand finger exercises, but I never know how much should I practice and there are just so many forms of exercises.
Teacher No.2: ~ 8 years of teaching experience. Just had one lesson with her. She has a framework and gives me practice task everyday ( 4 sets of open string exercise + first two lines of Twinkle star with minimum noisy sound, etc, we started with Suzuki ). She said that my right and left hand postures are ok for beginners and that now I need more practice and less thinking. Her philosophy is, practice is like doing math exercise, you need to finish a certain number of questions to get a solid basis and improve. Also she thinks it’s useless, confusing and frustrating to practice without melody.
My doubt is, if she doesn’t correct my left hand tension or straight pinky and just asks me to reach the amount of practice, will I do bad practice? I asked her and she said no. She thinks those are higher level concerns I shouldn’t bother now.
Which one do you think is better for my current level? Tks!!

There's a slight buzzing sound sometimes from my bow and it's really annoying. My teacher can't help me diagnose it because she can't hear it and it's intermittent. It's also hard to present to a luthier unless I wait till I hear it, then rush over to show him.

• the buzzing sound is very slight, as if there was a sheet of paper flapping in very high wind. Not the flap-flap-flap-flap sound, but the resonant flapping that sounds like vvvvvvvvvvvvvv
  
• it seems to be associated with rosin use. when it happens, if I wipe down my bow hairs with a dry cloth, it gets slightly better, but it's still there
  
• I once found a tiny hair or fiber on the string, and when I removed it, the buzzing got better. This might be a red herring since all the other diagnoses point to the bow.
  
• a different bow works fine
  
• It gets a little better after wiping down the strings to get rid of the white powder (rosin).
  
• the buzzing is consistent on at least three different violins
  
• the buzzing goes away completely when using the other side of the bow hairs, so like extreme pronation to be "backwards"
  
• the buzzing is intermittent.
  

Has anyone else had this issue? It's so frustrating because only like 1/3 of the time I get the sweet resonant sound I know my violin can make.

I think many on this sub are aware that many build websites and content creators caught on the coattails of BG3's success and quickly threw together some builds of questionable quality. Many of those websites improved their BG3 builds over time, and while they may have once been questionable they are now decent or even good. Alcast Builds do not follow this trend. In this post I will go through the first 6 of 12 builds in his "Best Builds Database" and point out the topics I find that are just plain wrong. It is very clear that they have abandoned updating this page, as they still have not selected their best companion builds. But when you Google "BG3 Builds" they are one of the top results so I still think this post is worth calling out their shotty work. My goal is that those who may be led astray by his builds may instead find this post and be made aware that Alcast builds are flawed due to a fundamental misunderstanding of game mechanics.
I take no issue with the fact he does not multiclass. Multiclassing can seem an intimidating hurdle for new players. I can see a lot of value in detailed, single class build discussions for those players who do not want to dabble into multiclassing. But his single class builds are not worth recommending. I am not getting into things like whether his builds cheese elixirs or not, nor am I getting into things like whether Resilient Con is better than War Caster, or whether you should take sharpshooter at level 4 or a later level. I am not going to assume that there are other party members in the group who could cover the bases he is trying to cover, so for example if he recommends a character take the blade ward cantrip then I will not assume there is some mass healing word cleric with whispering promise ring and hellrider's pride gloves, nor will I criticize the usefulness of a full caster character devoting their concentration to blade ward. I am not going to contend with his classifications of wild magic sorc being the best sorc build, or evocation wizard being the best wizard build. I am only going to point out the things that any person with common sense would say are undeniably wrong.

Moon Druid Build

1. Ability scores - This build starts with all even ability scores except for Wisdom, which starts at 17. It then takes ASIs in Wisdom at levels 4 and 8, saying to then put the spare point in Constitution. Alcast's lack of awareness that odd ability scores don't help you is something that will come up in many future builds. For those not aware, this build would be better by just starting with 16 Wis. The extra point in Wis here does absolutely nothing except take away two points that could be put elsewhere in character creation. If he intended for you to take a half feat or use Ethel's hair then maybe he is on to something. But that is not the case. Edit: BG3 does not have any feats or multiclassing requirements where you need odd ability scores. All that matters is your ability modifier, not the ability score (exceptions: initiative ties for Dex and carry weight for Strength). This is an extremely basic concept which Alcast's builds never take into account.
2. Starting cantrips - They recommend shillelagh and thorn whip to start out. These are two cantrips that kinda fill the same roll; short range damage. Most of his gear recommendations are scimitars so shillelagh isn't even usable. Close range damage is also something that your whole wildshaping moon druid identity already fills far better than either of these cantrips. No mention of a ranged cantrip or one of the best cantrips in the game - guidance.
3. Spell Sniper or +2 Con - At level 12 he recommends taking spell sniper. The only spell in the entire writeup that uses an attack roll is thorn whip. That is the only spell that he took the time to recommend that will get a benefit from this feat. Alternatively he recommends putting 2 points in Con if you are struggling to maintain concentration. This will increase your con modifier by 1 and HP by 12. But because at this stage in the build you actually have an odd numbered Con score you could instead take Resilient: Constitution, which will also increase your con modifier by 1, HP by 12, and give you proficiency in Con saves giving you an additional +4 to all those concentration checks as well as any other Constitution Saving Throws.
4. Not mentioning tavern brawler - I am hesitant to bring this up because I hate tavern brawler. It is overpowered and dominated discussion on this sub for too long. I am also hesitant to bring this up because at the time Alcast wrote this guide tavern brawler did not work with wild shape (it still sorta doesn't in honor mode). But fact of the matter is this is one of the best possible feats for a moon druid and it is never mentioned. A top Google result should be better than that.

Lore Bard Build

1. Ability scores - Let the horror begin. This build starts with 4 odd numbered ability scores. Anyone who understands build basics will probably discard anything this entire website has to say as a result of this one sentence. This is insane. At level 4 he says to put +2 in Cha, bringing it up to 18 or 19 "depending on which race you choose." Priority #1 should be getting even numbered ability scores here. But second, races have had flexible ability scores since launch. Your race does not matter for this discussion.
   1. I disagree very strongly with a lot of the race recommendations, recommended gear, the spell sniper feat, and the level 10 magical secrets spells. But his recommendations are not outright flawed or bad. Just leaving this build at one bullet point would make it seem like I don't have much else to criticize. I have a lot of things to criticize and think his straight lore bard build could be a lot better. But it is not undeniably, flat-out incorrect in so many areas as his other builds.

Hunter Ranger Build

1. Wood Half Elf recommendation - He says that wood half elf is basically the same as wood elf but slower. This is wrong. Wood half elf is not slower than wood elf. Also wood elf gets perception proficiency whereas wood half elf does not. Wood elf is mildly better for this build, but not at all for the reason he states.
2. Ability scores - Same issues we've seen before. Starting with 17 in your main stat and not giving a damn about even numbers
3. Natural Explorer - Throughout this guide he discounts the benefits of the damage resistance options granted by natural explorer. Poison and fire damage are rather common in this game, and his dismissiveness of these damage resistances makes no sense.

Shadow Monk Build

1. Strength 10 recommendation - The reason he says not to lower Str below 10 is because this will make it easier for you to be shoved. This is a Dex based build where he recommends proficiency in acrobatics. It will use acrobatics to resist being shoved.
2. Ability scores and feats - This one is a little different. He once again recommends 17 in your main stat. Through sheer dumb luck he happens to recommend taking the Athlete feat at level 4, bringing Dex to 18! I do question the usefulness of the athlete feat on this build but hey, we got to all even ability scores. Then at level 8 he recommends Mobile which is kinda overkill in my opinion on an unarmored monk, but zooming around the battlefield can be fun. So here we are, approaching level 12 with all even ability scores. There is no way he can mess this up, right? Well this is where he recommends putting a +1 into Dex and a +1 into Wis. An absolute total and complete waste. Alcast shared this build on this sub, I pointed out that this was utterly pointless in a comment months and months ago. The issue still persists.
3. The Mighty Cloth - He recommends the mighty cloth in his early game build recommendations. The graceful cloth can be obtained earlier and is outright better by leagues and miles for a Dex based monk. Note: I am not going to hold against him the lack of mentioning tavern brawler. The feat's benefits are limited on a Dex based monk like this. Until he mentions the gauntlets of giant strength in his end game build recommendations, it never makes sense to take this feat on this build.

Great Old One Warlock

1. Race recommendations - I have scratched my head at some of the race recommendations before. This is the one where I finally figured out what is going on. Alcast does not seem to know about race features that get unlocked past first level. It is the only reason I can think of for why he still has yet to recommend Tiefling, even though he has already covered lore bard and now an eldritch blast warlock. The one time he did recommend Tiefling it was for the monk build since the Tieflings get produce flame. And when he recommends Drow he only discusses the first level features. He just doesn't know they get things past first level.
2. Ability scores - Once again starts with 17. And at level 4 he says to bump up Cha by 2 to 19 again. But this time at level 8 he says to take a half feat to bring Cha up to 20!!! Hoorah! Except the half feat is Resilient: Charisma. Let's ignore the fact that Charisma saves are probably the least common saves in this game. Bane and maybe some of Cazador's abilities are the only hostile effects I can think of where you need to make a Cha save. Let's ignore that. Warlocks are already proficient in Cha saves. He could have taken Actor as an amazing half feat here. He could have taken Performer just to get instrument proficiency. But no, he had to take the one Cha half feat that offers absolutely nothing else to this build. I can't make this up, it is embarrassing to tout these builds as high quality.
3. Hellish Rebuke - At level 4 he recommends Hellish Rebuke because it only takes up a first level spell slots, and you supposedly have plenty of those. Except you don't. You don't have any level 1 spell slots. You have 2 spell slots per short rest, and they are both second level. Burning a pact magic slot on Hellish Rebuke is not something to be flippantly disregarded
4. No Hunger of Hadar - I get if you don't want to use the spell. But for a build about an EB spam with repelling blast build, one of the best spells to combo with this is at least worth a mention.
5. Devil's Sight and Darkvision mix up - He says that one should pick devil's sight if their race does not grant Darkvision, because this will stop you from having disadvantage in dark areas. Devil's Sight is more than just Darkvision. It allows you to see through magical darksness. Goes great with that Darkness spell he recommended a few levels ago, or that you would get a free casting of if you went Drow or some Tiefling variants and knew they got the spell at 5th level.
6. Armor or no? - He keeps flip flopping on whether this build will use armor. When starting out he says you'll be wearing light armor. At level 7 he says to take the armor of shadows invocation which he claims increases your AC by 2 (if you are not wearing armor then this increases your AC by 3, and if you are wearing armor then it has no effect). In his gear recommendations sometimes he recommends armor, sometimes not.
7. Cantrip scaling at level 11 - This is a relatively minor issue but he is incorrect. Here he says cantrips scale up again at level 11. That is how it works in tabletop. I don't know why Larian changed this, but in BG3 it is level 10. Maybe he mentioned this in other posts, I am not going to go back and check. It's a small concern but I wanted to point it out.
8. Gear - Everything this build selects during the level up process is focused around Eldritch blast. Yet he keeps mentioning rapier proficiency, gear like gloves of power, etc. I don't want to go too far into this, as a character who focuses on Eldritch blast but uses weapons in a pinch seems fine. But he never really pulls the strings together on this. He recommends the gold wyrmling staff on a character with 10 strength that already has a souped up Eldritch blast. This just feels like a bunch of copy paste with no critical thought.

Battlemaster Fighter Build

1. GWF style - He says GWF only applies to weapons with the two handed property. This is incorrect. It also applies to versatile weapons wielded in two hands. This is a bit of a nuanced topic and a change from tabletop that not many are aware of, so I don't hold it against him too much. But I wanted to point it out.
2. Racial proficiencies - He recommends Githyanki and Gold Dwarf because of the weapon proficiencies they get. Fighter is already proficient in all armor and weapons. Githyanki is my favorite race and anyone who talks bad about Lae'zel is getting banned (/s about the banned part), but this is not a reason to pick these races as a fighter at all. This is day 1 build stuff. I would be embarrassed to have shared such blatantly incorrect info so widely.
3. Acrobatics proficiency - Here he stresses the importance of proficiency in acrobatics to avoid getting shoved around. On a high Str character who following his guide would be proficient in athletics. How did he get this 100% wrong on both his monk and fighter builds?
4. Ability scores...again - If you follow one of his backup recommendations to take toughness at level 12 then things do work themselves out to even numbers. So there is a chance you could end up on a decently planned out build by following his guide.
5. Action surge + extra attack - he says that a level five fighter who action surges can make 3 attacks a turn, and how strong this is. Imagine if he actually played this character or had a basic rule understanding to learn that a level 5 action surging fighter can make 4 attacks a turn. He doesn't comment on action surge on a level 11 fighter but I am sure he would see stars given just how strong he thought 3 attacks a turn at level 5 was.

Conclusion

I could make a post nitpicking any one of his builds in a post as long as this one. But it would be a lot of stuff along the lines of, "You say to use any heavy crossbow on the fighter character, but really this character would be best served by bows that give an increase to initiative." That is not the point of this post. This post is to point out more than just disagreements. It is to point out fundamental misunderstandings on Alcast's part and why I would never recommend one of his builds. If he can't understand proficiencies and ability modifiers, should you trust any part of his builds?

Daily Modifiers

Vanguard Ops

• Heavyweight: Power weapons deal more damage, and more ammo is available.
• Increased Vanguard Rank: All Vanguard Rank point gains are increased!
• Solar Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Solar damage.
• Strand Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Strand damage.
• Arc Threat: 25% increase to incoming Arc damage.
• Power Level Disabled: Combatant difficulty is set at a fixed level.

Dares of Eternity

• MA-75 Multipurpose: Guardians deal increased damage with Auto Rifles and Grenade Launchers.
• Champion Foes: You will face [Shield-Piercing] Barrier, [Disruption] Overload, and [Stagger] Unstoppable Champions. Visit the Character or Mod Customization screen to view your active anti-Champion perks.

Onslaught: Playlist

• Onslaught Rules: Defend and repair the ADU against waves of combatants. There are 10 waves to a set. ADU: If the ADU is destroyed, the activity ends. Scraps: An in-activity currency. They are earned by scoring and used to purchase and upgrade defenses at the start of every set and after waves 3 and 6. Rewards: Paid out after every set upon defeating the boss wave. Subsequent sets pay out better rewards. Legend increases rewards. Bonus Objectives: Rewards resources, vendor reputation, and armaments.
• Power Level Disabled: Combatant difficulty is set at a fixed level.
• Arc Threat: 25% increase to incoming Arc damage.
• Solar Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Solar damage.
• Strand Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Strand damage.
• Champion Foes: You will face [Shield-Piercing] Barrier, [Disruption] Overload, and [Stagger] Unstoppable Champions. Visit the Character or Mod Customization screen to view your active anti-Champion perks.

Riven's Lair

• Mettle: Power Level: All combatants in this activity will be at least 5 points over the player's current Power level.
• Arc Threat: 25% increase to incoming Arc damage.
• Grounded: Damage taken while you are airborne is greatly increased.
• Stasis Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Stasis damage.
• Solar Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Solar damage.

The Coil

• The Coil Rules: Successfully complete four pathways inside Riven's Lair. Escalating Difficulty: Player's Power levels are fixed. Starting at 0 each subsequent pathway increases all combatants' Power level over the player's by 5. Wishing Glass: Wishing Glass is an in-activity currency. They drop from combatants, Glass Collectors, and pots. Wishing Glass comes in multiple rarities equating to their worth. Wishing Glass is used to purchase Dragon's Gifts from Riven. Dragon's Gifts: A set of buffs are randomly chosen, once per run. Between pathways, players can purchase buffs from Riven via Wishing Glass. Buffs are separated into three price point tiers. Rewards: After each pathway, players will return to Riven for their rewards. Subsequent pathways pay out better rewards. Breaking through score thresholds unlock secret chests. Finishing The Coil with a platinum score rewards players with access to the lustrous and lucrative Chamber of Wishes.
• Multiplicity: Combatant difficulty scales with fireteam size.
• Limited Revives: Limited fireteam revives. Purchase additional revives from Riven with Wishing Glass. Small chance to drop from destroying pots.
• Full Extinguish: If all your fireteam members fall with 0 Revive Tokens, everyone is returned to orbit.
• Chill Touch: Being hit by a melee attack slows you.
• Galvanized: Combatants have more health and are more difficult to stun.
• The Pathways: Riven's wish magic stirs weekly. The following are the pathways and their order in The Coil: -First Steps (Temple of the Queen's Wrath) -Divining Hall -Sensorium (Pavilion) -Observatory
• Solar Threat: 25% increase to incoming Solar damage.
• Scorched Earth: Enemies throw grenades significantly more often.
• Overcharged Shotgun: 25% bonus to Shotgun damage.
• Overcharged Linear Fusion Rifle: 25% bonus to Linear Fusion Rifle damage.

Seasonal

Legend/Master Lost Sector

Exotic armor drop (if solo): Chest

Gilded Precept: Legend

• Legend Difficulty: Locked Equipment, Extra Shields
• Champions: [Shield-Piercing] Barrier, [Stagger] Unstoppable
• Threat: [Arc] Arc
• Shields: [Solar] Solar, [Void] Void
• Modifiers: Scorched Earth

Gilded Precept: Master

• Legend Difficulty: Locked Equipment, Extra Shields
• Champions: [Shield-Piercing] Barrier, [Stagger] Unstoppable
• Threat: [Arc] Arc
• Shields: [Solar] Solar, [Void] Void
• Modifiers: Scorched Earth

Misc

• Terminal Overload: Ahimsa Park Weapon: Basso Ostinato (Shotgun)
• The Wellspring: Attack Weapon: Come to Pass (Auto Rifle)
• Altars of Sorrow Weapon: Apostate (Sniper Rifle)

Guns & Materials

Banshee's Featured Weapons

Name	Type	Column 1	Column 2	Column 3	Column 4	Masterwork
Timelines' Vertex	Energy Fusion Rifle	Candle PS // Jolt PS	Ionized Battery // Projection Fuse	Lead from Gold	Elemental Capacitor	Tier 2: Charge Time
True Prophecy	Kinetic Hand Cannon	Fastdraw HCS // Crossfire HCS	Tactical Mag // Steady Rounds	Overflow	Demolitionist	Tier 2: Reload Speed
Whispering Slab	Kinetic Combat Bow	Agile Bowstring // Natural String	Helical Fletching // Natural Fletching	Archer's Tempo	Swashbuckler	Tier 2: Draw Time
Code Duello	Heavy Rocket Launcher	Countermass // Linear Compensator	Alloy Casing // Implosion Rounds	Quickdraw	Frenzy	Tier 2: Blast Radius
Piece of Mind	Kinetic Pulse Rifle	Corkscrew Rifling // Hammer-Forged Rifling	Armor-Piercing Rounds // Flared Magwell	Overflow	Vorpal Weapon	Tier 2: Range

Note: Fixed perks on weapons are not displayed

Master Rahool's Material Exchange

• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Legendary Shards)
• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Dark Fragment)
• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Phantasmal Fragment)
• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 25 Herealways Piece)
• Enhancement Prism (1 for 10 Enhancement Core & 10000 Glimmer)
• Ascendant Shard (1 for 10 Enhancement Prism & 50000 Glimmer)
• Ascendant Alloy (1 for 10 Enhancement Prism & 50000 Glimmer)

Bounties

Commander Zavala, Vanguard

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Pride Before Destruction	Defeat powerful combatants. Defeating Champions grants additional progress.	10 Powerful combatants	XP+
Rocketing to Prominence	Defeat combatants with Heavy ammo. Rocket Launcher final blows in Vanguard playlists grant additional progress.	20 [Rocket Launcher] Rocket Launcher	XP+
In Their Face	Defeat combatants with Special ammo. Shotgun final blows in Vanguard playlists grant additional progress.	20 [Shotgun] Shotgun	XP+
Finish Them	Defeat combatants with your finisher in Vanguard playlists.	5 Finisher	XP+

Lord Shaxx, Crucible

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Sparring Grounds	Complete matches in any Crucible playlist.	2 Crucible matches	XP+
Standard Fare	Defeat opponents with any Kinetic weapon.	5 Kinetic weapon	XP+
Knockout Round	Defeat opponents with melee.	1 [Melee] Melee	XP+
Push the Advantage	In Control, defeat opponents while holding Zone Advantage.	3 Zone Advantage	XP+

Saint-14, Trials of Osiris

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Orbs of Lit	As a fireteam, defeat opponents using grenade final blows in Trials of Osiris.	5 [Grenade] Grenade	XP+
Lane Plinker	As a fireteam, defeat opponents using Scout Rifle final blows in Trials of Osiris.	20 [Scout Rifle] Scout Rifle	XP+
Katake's Retribution	As a fireteam, defeat opponents using Fusion Rifle final blows in Trials of Osiris.	15 [Fusion Rifle] Fusion Rifle	XP+
Voidswept Precipice	As a fireteam, defeat opponents with Void weapon final blows in Trials of Osiris.	20 [Void] Void weapon	XP+

The Drifter, Gambit

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Big-Game Hunter	Eliminate a high-value target in Gambit.	1 Targets	XP+
Fistful of Motes	As a fireteam, bank Motes in Gambit matches.	100 Motes banked	XP+
Sun Charred	Use Solar abilities to defeat enemies in Gambit. Defeated Guardians are worth extra points.	15 [Solar] Solar ability	XP+
Not Your Mama's Combat Drill	Defeat enemies in Gambit.	50 Targets	XP+

Banshee-44, Gunsmith

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Bow Calibration	Calibrate Bows against any target. Earn bonus progress with precision final blows and against opposing Guardians.	100 [Bow] Bow	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Sidearm Calibration	Calibrate Sidearms against any target. Earn bonus progress against targets at close range and opposing Guardians.	100 [Sidearm] Sidearm	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Machine Gun Calibration	Calibrate Machine Guns against any target. Earn bonus progress against opposing Guardians and for additional targets defeated without reloading.	100 [Machine Gun] Machine Gun	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Solar Calibration	Calibrate Solar weapons against any target. Earn bonus progress using Power weapons and against opposing Guardians.	100 [Solar] Solar weapon	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress

Nimbus, Neomuna

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Snipers of Myth	In Neomuna, defeat combatants with precision final blows. Vex combatants grant additional progress.	60 [Headshot] Precision	XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Vexing Void	In Neomuna, defeat combatants with Void damage. Vex combatants grant additional progress.	60 [Void] Void	XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Combustive Purpose	In Neomuna, defeat combatants with Solar damage.	25 [Solar] Solar weapon	XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Terminal Rewards	Open chests after completing Terminal Overload.	3 Chests opened	1 Terminal Overload Key & 50 Neomuna Rank & XP+

Lord Shaxx, Hall of Champions

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Onslaught Defender	Deploy and upgrade defenses in Onslaught.	30 Defenses completed	1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Defiant Looter	Open a bonus chest at the end of Defiant Battlegrounds using a Defiant Key.	1 Bonus rewards	1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Bombastic	Defeat targets with grenade abilities. Combatants in Onslaught and Guardians are worth more.	100 [Grenade] Grenade	1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Clearing the Nest	Defeat Hive. Those defeated in Onslaught are worth more.	100 Hive	1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation

Spirit of Riven, H.E.L.M.

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Will of the People	Complete public events in the Dreaming City. Heroic completions are worth more.	6 Public events	XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Lair Defense: Kinetic Weapons	Defeat targets with weapons in the Kinetic slot. Combatants in Riven's Lair or The Coil and Guardians are worth more progress.	30 Kinetic weapon	XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Dragon's Maw	Defeat targets with Fusion Rifles or Shotguns. Combatants in Riven's Lair or The Coil and Guardians are worth more.	30 [Fusion Rifle] or [Shotgun] defeats	XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Dragonflame	Defeat targets with Solar or Stasis damage. Combatants in Riven's Lair or The Coil and Guardians are worth more.	30 [Solar] or [Stasis] defeats	XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation

^{Never forget what has been lost. While the API protests have concluded, Reddit remains hostile to its users as their IPO looms in the horizon. More information can be found here.}

Daily Modifiers

Vanguard Ops

• Heavyweight: Power weapons deal more damage, and more ammo is available.
• Increased Vanguard Rank: All Vanguard Rank point gains are increased!
• Solar Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Solar damage.
• Strand Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Strand damage.
• Arc Threat: 25% increase to incoming Arc damage.
• Power Level Disabled: Combatant difficulty is set at a fixed level.

Dares of Eternity

• MA-75 Multipurpose: Guardians deal increased damage with Auto Rifles and Grenade Launchers.
• Champion Foes: You will face [Shield-Piercing] Barrier, [Disruption] Overload, and [Stagger] Unstoppable Champions. Visit the Character or Mod Customization screen to view your active anti-Champion perks.

Onslaught: Playlist

• Onslaught Rules: Defend and repair the ADU against waves of combatants. There are 10 waves to a set. ADU: If the ADU is destroyed, the activity ends. Scraps: An in-activity currency. They are earned by scoring and used to purchase and upgrade defenses at the start of every set and after waves 3 and 6. Rewards: Paid out after every set upon defeating the boss wave. Subsequent sets pay out better rewards. Legend increases rewards. Bonus Objectives: Rewards resources, vendor reputation, and armaments.
• Power Level Disabled: Combatant difficulty is set at a fixed level.
• Arc Threat: 25% increase to incoming Arc damage.
• Solar Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Solar damage.
• Strand Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Strand damage.
• Champion Foes: You will face [Shield-Piercing] Barrier, [Disruption] Overload, and [Stagger] Unstoppable Champions. Visit the Character or Mod Customization screen to view your active anti-Champion perks.

Riven's Lair

• Mettle: Power Level: All combatants in this activity will be at least 5 points over the player's current Power level.
• Arc Threat: 25% increase to incoming Arc damage.
• Grounded: Damage taken while you are airborne is greatly increased.
• Stasis Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Stasis damage.
• Solar Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Solar damage.

The Coil

• The Coil Rules: Successfully complete four pathways inside Riven's Lair. Escalating Difficulty: Player's Power levels are fixed. Starting at 0 each subsequent pathway increases all combatants' Power level over the player's by 5. Wishing Glass: Wishing Glass is an in-activity currency. They drop from combatants, Glass Collectors, and pots. Wishing Glass comes in multiple rarities equating to their worth. Wishing Glass is used to purchase Dragon's Gifts from Riven. Dragon's Gifts: A set of buffs are randomly chosen, once per run. Between pathways, players can purchase buffs from Riven via Wishing Glass. Buffs are separated into three price point tiers. Rewards: After each pathway, players will return to Riven for their rewards. Subsequent pathways pay out better rewards. Breaking through score thresholds unlock secret chests. Finishing The Coil with a platinum score rewards players with access to the lustrous and lucrative Chamber of Wishes.
• Multiplicity: Combatant difficulty scales with fireteam size.
• Limited Revives: Limited fireteam revives. Purchase additional revives from Riven with Wishing Glass. Small chance to drop from destroying pots.
• Full Extinguish: If all your fireteam members fall with 0 Revive Tokens, everyone is returned to orbit.
• Chill Touch: Being hit by a melee attack slows you.
• Galvanized: Combatants have more health and are more difficult to stun.
• The Pathways: Riven's wish magic stirs weekly. The following are the pathways and their order in The Coil: -First Steps (Temple of the Queen's Wrath) -Divining Hall -Sensorium (Pavilion) -Observatory
• Solar Threat: 25% increase to incoming Solar damage.
• Scorched Earth: Enemies throw grenades significantly more often.
• Overcharged Shotgun: 25% bonus to Shotgun damage.
• Overcharged Linear Fusion Rifle: 25% bonus to Linear Fusion Rifle damage.

Seasonal

Legend/Master Lost Sector

Exotic armor drop (if solo): Chest

Gilded Precept: Legend

• Legend Difficulty: Locked Equipment, Extra Shields
• Champions: [Shield-Piercing] Barrier, [Stagger] Unstoppable
• Threat: [Arc] Arc
• Shields: [Solar] Solar, [Void] Void
• Modifiers: Scorched Earth

Gilded Precept: Master

• Legend Difficulty: Locked Equipment, Extra Shields
• Champions: [Shield-Piercing] Barrier, [Stagger] Unstoppable
• Threat: [Arc] Arc
• Shields: [Solar] Solar, [Void] Void
• Modifiers: Scorched Earth

Misc

• Terminal Overload: Ahimsa Park Weapon: Basso Ostinato (Shotgun)
• The Wellspring: Attack Weapon: Come to Pass (Auto Rifle)
• Altars of Sorrow Weapon: Apostate (Sniper Rifle)

Guns & Materials

Banshee's Featured Weapons

Name	Type	Column 1	Column 2	Column 3	Column 4	Masterwork
Timelines' Vertex	Energy Fusion Rifle	Candle PS // Jolt PS	Ionized Battery // Projection Fuse	Lead from Gold	Elemental Capacitor	Tier 2: Charge Time
True Prophecy	Kinetic Hand Cannon	Fastdraw HCS // Crossfire HCS	Tactical Mag // Steady Rounds	Overflow	Demolitionist	Tier 2: Reload Speed
Whispering Slab	Kinetic Combat Bow	Agile Bowstring // Natural String	Helical Fletching // Natural Fletching	Archer's Tempo	Swashbuckler	Tier 2: Draw Time
Code Duello	Heavy Rocket Launcher	Countermass // Linear Compensator	Alloy Casing // Implosion Rounds	Quickdraw	Frenzy	Tier 2: Blast Radius
Piece of Mind	Kinetic Pulse Rifle	Corkscrew Rifling // Hammer-Forged Rifling	Armor-Piercing Rounds // Flared Magwell	Overflow	Vorpal Weapon	Tier 2: Range

Note: Fixed perks on weapons are not displayed

Master Rahool's Material Exchange

• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Legendary Shards)
• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Dark Fragment)
• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Phantasmal Fragment)
• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 25 Herealways Piece)
• Enhancement Prism (1 for 10 Enhancement Core & 10000 Glimmer)
• Ascendant Shard (1 for 10 Enhancement Prism & 50000 Glimmer)
• Ascendant Alloy (1 for 10 Enhancement Prism & 50000 Glimmer)

Bounties

Commander Zavala, Vanguard

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Pride Before Destruction	Defeat powerful combatants. Defeating Champions grants additional progress.	10 Powerful combatants	XP+
Rocketing to Prominence	Defeat combatants with Heavy ammo. Rocket Launcher final blows in Vanguard playlists grant additional progress.	20 [Rocket Launcher] Rocket Launcher	XP+
In Their Face	Defeat combatants with Special ammo. Shotgun final blows in Vanguard playlists grant additional progress.	20 [Shotgun] Shotgun	XP+
Finish Them	Defeat combatants with your finisher in Vanguard playlists.	5 Finisher	XP+

Lord Shaxx, Crucible

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Sparring Grounds	Complete matches in any Crucible playlist.	2 Crucible matches	XP+
Standard Fare	Defeat opponents with any Kinetic weapon.	5 Kinetic weapon	XP+
Knockout Round	Defeat opponents with melee.	1 [Melee] Melee	XP+
Push the Advantage	In Control, defeat opponents while holding Zone Advantage.	3 Zone Advantage	XP+

Saint-14, Trials of Osiris

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Orbs of Lit	As a fireteam, defeat opponents using grenade final blows in Trials of Osiris.	5 [Grenade] Grenade	XP+
Lane Plinker	As a fireteam, defeat opponents using Scout Rifle final blows in Trials of Osiris.	20 [Scout Rifle] Scout Rifle	XP+
Katake's Retribution	As a fireteam, defeat opponents using Fusion Rifle final blows in Trials of Osiris.	15 [Fusion Rifle] Fusion Rifle	XP+
Voidswept Precipice	As a fireteam, defeat opponents with Void weapon final blows in Trials of Osiris.	20 [Void] Void weapon	XP+

The Drifter, Gambit

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Big-Game Hunter	Eliminate a high-value target in Gambit.	1 Targets	XP+
Fistful of Motes	As a fireteam, bank Motes in Gambit matches.	100 Motes banked	XP+
Sun Charred	Use Solar abilities to defeat enemies in Gambit. Defeated Guardians are worth extra points.	15 [Solar] Solar ability	XP+
Not Your Mama's Combat Drill	Defeat enemies in Gambit.	50 Targets	XP+

Banshee-44, Gunsmith

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Bow Calibration	Calibrate Bows against any target. Earn bonus progress with precision final blows and against opposing Guardians.	100 [Bow] Bow	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Sidearm Calibration	Calibrate Sidearms against any target. Earn bonus progress against targets at close range and opposing Guardians.	100 [Sidearm] Sidearm	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Machine Gun Calibration	Calibrate Machine Guns against any target. Earn bonus progress against opposing Guardians and for additional targets defeated without reloading.	100 [Machine Gun] Machine Gun	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Solar Calibration	Calibrate Solar weapons against any target. Earn bonus progress using Power weapons and against opposing Guardians.	100 [Solar] Solar weapon	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress

Nimbus, Neomuna

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Snipers of Myth	In Neomuna, defeat combatants with precision final blows. Vex combatants grant additional progress.	60 [Headshot] Precision	XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Vexing Void	In Neomuna, defeat combatants with Void damage. Vex combatants grant additional progress.	60 [Void] Void	XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Combustive Purpose	In Neomuna, defeat combatants with Solar damage.	25 [Solar] Solar weapon	XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Terminal Rewards	Open chests after completing Terminal Overload.	3 Chests opened	1 Terminal Overload Key & 50 Neomuna Rank & XP+

Lord Shaxx, Hall of Champions

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Onslaught Defender	Deploy and upgrade defenses in Onslaught.	30 Defenses completed	1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Defiant Looter	Open a bonus chest at the end of Defiant Battlegrounds using a Defiant Key.	1 Bonus rewards	1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Bombastic	Defeat targets with grenade abilities. Combatants in Onslaught and Guardians are worth more.	100 [Grenade] Grenade	1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Clearing the Nest	Defeat Hive. Those defeated in Onslaught are worth more.	100 Hive	1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation

Spirit of Riven, H.E.L.M.

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Will of the People	Complete public events in the Dreaming City. Heroic completions are worth more.	6 Public events	XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Lair Defense: Kinetic Weapons	Defeat targets with weapons in the Kinetic slot. Combatants in Riven's Lair or The Coil and Guardians are worth more progress.	30 Kinetic weapon	XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Dragon's Maw	Defeat targets with Fusion Rifles or Shotguns. Combatants in Riven's Lair or The Coil and Guardians are worth more.	30 [Fusion Rifle] or [Shotgun] defeats	XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Dragonflame	Defeat targets with Solar or Stasis damage. Combatants in Riven's Lair or The Coil and Guardians are worth more.	30 [Solar] or [Stasis] defeats	XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation

^{Never forget what has been lost. While the API protests have concluded, Reddit remains hostile to its users as their IPO looms in the horizon. More information can be found here.}

Disclaimer: I do not speak Korean. This is purely translated by machine with a lot of cleanup afterward. With that in mind, I am open to criticism to improve these translations. Enjoy!
​
Chapter 415
​
The battle commenced with alarming rapidity.
​
As a thick fog cascaded across the wilderness like a tidal wave, tens of thousands of monsters amassed before him. Hovering above the ground, the dark-skinned Grand Mage, Magic Johnson, declared the start of the conflict with a single, potent command:
​
「Fire Cannon.」
​
Swoosh.
​
Mana surged around him, conjuring five flames from the ether. They swelled, taking on the form and fury of cannonballs, before hurtling forward.
​
Whoosh, Boom!
​
The black tide of monsters was cleaved in two. The searing heat charred flesh and bone, liquefying the very earth beneath them.
​
This devastating spell incinerated a thousand creatures in an instant.
​
Yet the relentless tide of monsters pressed on, undeterred, as did Magic Johnson.
​
「Water Blaster.」
​
The air, once dry as sand from the Fire Cannon, now held a damp moisture.
​
Spreading his arms, Magic Johnson summoned a colossal wave that towered behind him.
​
It was a defiance of the laws of nature.
​
It was pure magic, a display of unparalleled might from the preeminent War Mage among his peers.
​
「Cover them.」
​
Gone was the jovial, smiling visage of Magic Johnson. In its place was a look of deep, intense determination.
​
With a sweeping gesture, he cast a vast, dark shadow over the advancing monsters.
​
Crash!
​
Powered by mana, the wave crashed down, its immense pressure exploding the bodies of the monsters.
​
As the flames dwindled and the ground soaked, Magic Johnson was already prepared for his next maneuver.
​
「Strike down. Lightning Rain.」
​
In an instant, dark clouds swarmed above the monsters, unleashing a barrage of lightning bolts.
​
Crack! Fizz!
​
- Roar!
​
- Aaaargh!
​
Lightning ravaged the sky and earth alike.
​
Blackened gargoyles and griffins toppled from the sky, while the wet earth conducted electricity.
​
Living monsters cringed and keeled over, screaming in agony, as the undead disintegrated into ash.
​
Amidst this awe-inspiring chaos, a groan of disbelief was heard.
​
「This is the power of a Grand Mage...」
​
The impact of merely three spells was staggering.
​
Countless monsters lay dead or incapacitated, a significant portion of their legion shattered.
​
Yet, even the Grand Mage, the sole architect of this devastation, could not escape the overwhelming exhaustion that followed.
​
「Fuck. If I'd known this would happen, I would've saved a few more spells.」
​
Magic is a complex art, and for Magic Johnson, a master of wide-area spells, the toll is as profound on his mind and mana as the devastation he wreaks.
​
Considering the mana he had already expended at the front lines before this, he had reached his limit.
​
「Mrs. Chen. I guess I'm getting old too.」
​
「Step back. We old folks need to stick together and help each other out. And...」
​
Fei Chen, discarding her whiskey bottle, quickly snatched the bow at her side.
​
An arrow made of mana materialized on the empty bowstring.
​
「It's Ms. Chen, not Mrs. Who decided I was married?」
​
With a huff, Fei Chen released the string. The arrow, blazing with light, tore through the air and the dense fog with a sharp twang. Then:
​
Boom!
​
A colossal explosion ensued.
​
Fei Chen observed as a Death Knight, hidden among the throng, was annihilated without a chance to utter its final cries. She drew her bowstring once more.
​
Twang, twang, twang!
​
Arrows transformed into beams of light streaking across the wilderness, each one obliterating scores of monsters.
​
If Magic Johnson ranks among the top three Grand Mages and is the foremost War Mage globally, then Fei Chen is the unrivaled archer of her time.
​
But...
​
- Roar!
​
- Screech!
​
The legion, numbering in the tens of thousands, surged forward, undeterred.
​
For every ten monsters felled, another ten emerged. For every hundred slain, another hundred rose.
​
These beasts, veiled in thick fog, were more formidable and ferocious than ordinary monsters. Now, only a direct confrontation remained.
​
As the monstrous legion advanced, both veterans stepped forward to meet them.
​
"Ares Guild. Formation B. Break through them."
​
Click-clack!
​
Under the composed direction of Lee Jeong-Ryong, the elite guild members, who had remained unscathed thus far, moved in unison.
​
Jin Tae-Kyung, having observed them from a distance, turned to the suicide squad he had assembled from the western front.
​
"Everyone, Formation J."
​
「Yes!」
​
「Formation J! Assume the formation!」
​
With resolute voices echoing in unison, the suicide squad sprang into action.
​
Behind Jin Tae-Kyung, Wu Hei-Xing, who had been rallying a small contingent of Red Guard Gang Hunters, grabbed a member of the suicide squad and asked,
​
「Hey, kid. What exactly is Formation J?」
​
Recognizing Wu Hei-Xing, Shao Shen frowned and replied,
​
「It's a combat formation decided by my Hyung.」
​
「So, what does it mean?」
​
「Jonna. He said it means to fight with everything we have.」 [Note: "Jonna" is a Korean slang for "fuck it".]
​
「…!」
​
Momentarily speechless, Wu Hei-Xing watched as Lee Jeong-Ryong and Jin Tae-Kyung charged forward.
​
Prince Felix and an army of ten thousand Hunters were not far behind.
​
「Aaaaaaah!」
​
- Roaaar!
​
Humans clashed with monsters.
​
Monsters clashed with humans.
​
The battlefield erupted into a cacophony of roars and murderous intent, as both sides hurtled across the wilderness, weapons and claws in deadly encounter.
​
Squeal, crack!
​
The brutal battle had commenced.
​
​
​
* * *
​
​
​
I leaned back, tensing my shoulders. With a swift motion, I hurled my arms forward, channeling all my strength.
​
Swoosh, flub-flub-flub!
​
White Flames shot from my hand, carving a path through dozens of monsters.
​
Seizing the fleeting opening, I plunged into the melee, my limbs a blur as I struck at any foe within reach.
​
Smack!
​
My fist connected with the skull of an onrushing Lycanthrope, smashing it like a grape.
​
Before the beast’s cranial fluid could splatter the earth, I was already airborne.
​
Click, whoosh!
​
I landed, locking eyes with a towering undead troll, its dim gaze meeting mine at four meters high.
​
Before the undead troll could wield its club, my palm slammed into its chest with crushing force.
​
Thump!
​
Intense heat burst forth, sending smoke billowing from the creature’s seven facial orifices. Struck by this lethal blow, the troll was obliterated instantly, its regenerative abilities rendered useless.
​
- Wicked human, behind you!
​
I know, I know. Who asked you anyway?
​
I muttered under my breath, whirling around just in time. A lance, dark with malevolent magic, whistled perilously close to my neck before soaring off into the distance.
​
The lance had been aimed to catch me mid-leap — a clever attempt, but they had underestimated me.
​
"Damn it. Why are there so many Death Knights? This isn't a chicken restaurant." [Note: I'm not sure what this is referencing. The best guess I can offer is that he's commenting on how crowded the battlefield was, similar to how crowded a chicken restaurant can get in Korea.]
​
Dodging the lance, I landed smoothly and immediately found myself facing a Death Knight barreling toward me on a skeletal steed.
​
- This is the end!
​
Whoosh!
​
The Knight shouted as he swung his sword, which glowed with a dark magic. Though his power didn't match an S-rank Hunter, it was certainly comparable to a top A-rank.
​
Maybe...
​
'This Death Knight was once a Hunter too.'
​
That thought crossed my mind as the specter of Lei Fei flashed before me, instilling a sudden pang of bitterness. Meanwhile, the Skeleton Warlord issued a shrill cry.
​
- Avoid it, human!
​
Pfft!
​
As if dissolved by an unseen force, the magic on the sword faded into nothing.
​
The Death Knight, looking dully at the mystical spear blade protruding through its chest, gasped feebly.
​
- How...
​
"This is the end."
​
Echoing the Knight’s earlier proclamation, I drove my spear downward.
​
"Whoever you were, you fought hard."
​
Screech, thud!
​
The skeletal horse and its rider split apart, vanishing into the ether. As before, I conjured White Flames to carve through the encroaching monsters, then asked aloud.
​
"Why aren't you begging for food now?"
​
- Ahem. What do you take this commander for?
​
Sizzle!
​
"Lazy bum. You say you don't want to fight but you drool over situations like this."
​
- What!
​
"Why, aren't I exactly right?"
​
- You agreed, you cunning human, that I wouldn't participate in the battle! And when was it that you said we mustn't let other humans find out that I exist?
​
"Excuses. So, do you want to eat this magic or not?"
​
- ...
​
Crack!
​
"Hey. Can't you hear?"
​
- Hmm. I don't really want to eat.
​
"...What?"
​
Swoosh!
​
Caught off guard, I narrowly dodged an incoming attack.
​
After dispatching about ten monsters with a sweeping strike of my spear, I posed a serious question,
​
"Why's that? Do you want to wither away to nothing?"
​
- Umm... I don't know. I just have a feeling.
​
"A feeling?"
​
- Yes. I'm undead, but sometimes even undead get moody. Just let me be.
​
"...Since when do the undead get moody?"
​
Normally, this one would have pounced like a starving dog. Why the sudden change?
​
'Do undead go through puberty?'
​
As much as the Skeleton Warlord is an odd monster, this was nonsensical.
​
I stopped pondering over it and resumed slicing through monsters when suddenly,
​
Kaboom!
​
An area about ten meters in diameter was engulfed by an aura, or rather, Sword Qi.
​
In an instant, the frontline was cleared, and a figure gently descended.
​
"There are too many monsters. It's impossible for the entire suicide squad to break out."
​
I understood exactly what Lee Jeong-Ryong meant.
​
"You mean, we should go with a select few elites?"
​
"That's right. Get ready."
​
As Lee Jeong-Ryong spoke, I ducked as a crescent of Sword Qi whistled past, slicing through several large monsters as if they were mere cheesecake.
​
What if that Sword Qi had been aimed at me? If Lee Jeong-Ryong and I were to face off...
​
"You, me, and Wu Hei-Xing. The three of us should be enough."
​
Licking my parched lips, I responded,
​
"That's quite strange."
​
"What is?"
​
"You never know until you fight. We won't know how strong the Arch Lich is until we face it."
​
"There are three of us who are S-rank Hunters. No matter how strong the Arch Lich might be, it's no match for us."
​
Us...
​
It's a comforting word, yet why does it leave such a sour taste?
​
Perhaps it's due to the individuals included in this 'us.'
​
Nevertheless, I had committed to the suicide squad tactic since I had proposed it. From that perspective, Lee Jeong-Ryong's proposal was optimal.
​
"Let's do that. Where is Wu Hei-Xing?"
​
Crack!
​
No sooner had I spoken than Wu Hei-Xing burst through the horde, slashing his way through.
​
In stark contrast to the pristine Lee Jeong-Ryong, Wu Hei-Xing appeared battered, yet his eyes sparkled with unabated vigor.
​
"Luckily, you arrived in time."
​
「Hmph. As if monsters like these could stop me.」
​
Hadn’t he nearly succumbed to these very 'monsters like these' just an hour ago?
​
I was internally chiding Wu Hei-Xing's unimproved mental state when it occurred.
​
"Mr. Jin Tae-Kyung!"
​
The call came from Mr. Choi, sounding across the battlefield.
​
Between the swarms of monsters, I caught a fleeting glimpse of Mr. Choi’s face before it vanished.
​
Then, something gleaming arced through the air and embedded itself in the earth near me.
​
'This is...'
​
It was unmistakable — the [Hero's Soul]. From his obscured position, Mr. Choi called out,
​
"I won’t join you, but take this sword. And... be careful!"
​
His words were heavy with implication. Without a word, I grasped the [Hero's Soul].
​
Beyond the throng of monsters, the darkened cityscape loomed.
​
"Let's go."
​
Lee Jeong-Ryong offered a gentle smile.
​
Previous Table of Contents

I’m going to start by saying, I don’t do archery or anything of the sorts. This is a question out of curiosity.
Basically, are you supposed to hold your bow string for a prolonged period of time when aiming a shot? I don’t remember where, but I swear I’ve heard before that’s not good. In game/movies/stories you see characters hold the string back for what seems like ages, but I always thought archery was about a quick pull and release?

I finished another Radiant Dawn run on the hardest difficulty and felt the bug to talk about tier listing again. Thanks for indulging me. My list:
https://i.imgur.com/8d4aPNg.png
Some commentary, from worst to best.
F Tier:
Lyre - This character has literally nothing going for her. Lyre has terrible bases, the worst class in the game, bad growths, and no endgame potential beyond being a mediocre filler unit. I can't imagine a worse character in Fire Emblem. Maybe Sophia. Even if you wanted to do an all-Laguz run, she can't crack the top 10. She isn't even force deployed on any maps. I cannot think of a single positive thing to say about Lyre.
Fiona - With even worse bases than Lyre and a baffling availability schedule, Fiona should be the worst unit in the game, but at least her class is solid. Female Silver Knight has bad caps overall, but good weapon types, speed, and a top-tier mastery talent. If you can endure the grind, you can make a unit with real contributions in the endgame. I feel like the game designers hate this unit, though; they make her arrive in a map themed around rescuing, but don't even let you recruit her to do any rescuing. The very next map is indoors. After that, we go to a swamp which is once again themed around rescuing, but Fiona isn't even available! After that? Another indoor map! Then another swamp! Then more cliffs! 3-13 is considered an indoor map and penalizes horse units! Literally the first map with wide open spaces to take advantage of cavalry classes that allows you to deploy Fiona is in Part 4. Her class level and bases are even bugged (allegedly). I can't believe how this game is engineered to ruin Fiona, and it's a miracle that she isn't the worst unit in the entire game.
Kyza - While he can be crafted into a tolerable lategame unit (better than many on this list who rank higher), there just isn't any reason to do so. He's got a terrible class (only cat laguz are worse), bad bases, and joins in a big pile of units that are a hundred times better at everything he can do. Need a tank? You've already got Brom and Gatrie on the team, and they don't untransform halfway through enemy phase. Kyza has the crown for most forgettable, pointless unit, but at least if you do train him for the experience, you get a unit that can kind of do something late game.
Makalov - Easily the worst of all cav units, any chance Makalov has to be good late game is betrayed by his poor class caps. He nearly escaped F tier by having a few useful turns in Part 2, but after some consideration, I honestly think he's more of a liability than helpful. The only units he can reliably hurt in Geoffrey's Charge are the ones that give you bexp if you spare them. I don't even like putting out fires with him; let the yellow units do it, so they don't run off and get themselves killed. Makalov is just a trainwreck of a character. At least he gets Sol.
Pelleas - As a secret character with a completely unique weapon type, you'd think unlocking him gets you access to some outstanding lategame growth unit with a big payoff for all your hard work. Nope. You get the worst mage in the game instead. While I give him a glimmer of usefulness for the potential to learn staves, you have to invest heavily in him to get there and it's just pointless when even Tormod can do the same thing for cheaper. I can't imagine a run where I'm relying on Pelleas as my 12th string healer for the tower. If you haven't really looked into the numbers, and you decide one day "I'm doing a Pelleas run!" you're going to find his bases shocking. What were they thinking here?
D Tier:
Sephiran - Kind of an easter egg at the end of the game, I considered not rating him at all (like the Burger King), but eh, he contributes something against Ashera I guess. Can't say much more here. Maybe, in an ironman, if you've lost all your non-Micaiah staffbots, you'll be glad when he joins? For barely squeezing out a microniche he escapes F tier.
Sanaki - Maybe I'm underrating her, but I just don't see the point. She needs heavy investment (particularly in seraph robes) to be able to survive the bosses of the tower. When she joins, she's just another subpar mage who doesn't even have the decency to learn staves. Her one saving grace is that she doesn't count against your 10 tower selections, so if you slap a paragon on her and get her battle ready, she can bless Meteor or something and make some contributions. The resources (including combat xp) you pour into her are better used on your real tower units.
Astrid - I considered dumping her in F tier. What the heck happened to the star paragon unit of Path of Radiance? Somehow, she's turned into a turd of a growth unit with atrocious bases, mediocre growths, and wacky availability. I only pulled her out of the gutter because of her class, and even with really awful strength and defense caps, she can turn into a solid tower unit. I've used her before and found she was legitimately not a waste of space as early as 4-1, where she was popping falco knights. I could see her be a good bird sniper in the Izuka map. Still, like all bad growth units, she's just not worth the effort.
Kurthnaga - While he can be fun to train, again, why? He provides the least useful of all dragon auras and just takes XP from your many units who still need it. Maybe make a Kurth juggernaut once for the experience, and then never again. If he joined at the start of Part 4, I can imagine him getting boosted a couple tiers, but nah, you can't be picking up new projects this late in the game.
Meg - Often times called the worst unit in the game, she is...somewhat underrated... as a midgame tank. A project unit for sure, and not worth it, but Meg does grow into a strong unit around 1-E and for all of Part 3. She can solo Ragnell Ike and the field of laguz in 3-13 pretty easily. You've got better options for that, but I do recommend experiencing a Meg run once just to see that it can be done. Ultimately, though, Meg can't escape D tier because her awful class caps betray her in the end, and her best attribute (speed) gets cut off at the knees.
Vika - The Tormod Squad all suffer from the availability curse, but Vika has it worst, since she desperately needs training to be viable at all. As if laguz weren't bad enough already, they can't take Discipline or upgrade weapons by any means other than the long, dark strike rank grind, and Vika has no time at all to do it. That leaves only her joining maps to recommend her, and she can do things like poke-canto or rescue villagers in the swamp, so that's something. If you force yourself to train her, she does gain incredible speed, but hitting twice for 0 isn't impressive. Her class also has cat-like gauge drain, and she can't gain any experience in part 1 due to bizarre laguz xp math, leaving Vika no angles to improve.
Stefan - Thrown in at the end like an afterthought, Stefan is (I would argue) the worst of all the Tower Gotohs, that is, the units that just join at the very end to make sure you have high level units for the tower. With bad luck and a fairly bad class, the only reason I can recommend bringing Stefan is if you want an Alondite unit and you don't like Renning for some reason. He just doesn't serve any purpose. He even joins in a map that locks down his movement. Take his sword and bench him.
Ena/Gareth - I put them together because they fill the same role: buffing your units to fight Ashera. While Gareth is legendary for getting wrecked by magic, Ena is arguably worse, as Ashera's physical attack can kill her too. While that's not nothing, I can't justify taking someone out of D tier when their entire purpose is to help a faster clear in one map, and you don't even really need them.
C tier:
Tauroneo - I had a hard time rating Big T. He pops in to dominate just a couple of chapters before disappearing until part 4. He's the worst Marshall, but gets boosted a tier over Meg because of his efforts in part 1. Marshall is a pretty bad class, but if you want one anyway, you've got two much better options that have tons of availability, so don't bother.
Heather - In a game that doesn't care much about thiefy stuff, Heather just doesn't have a key role to fill. She gets you a couple of stat boosters, which you can promptly feed to your units that cap everything anyway. I'll give her a leg up out of the worst tiers because she can rescue you in Oliver's Mansion if you ran out of chest keys, and the Fortify Staff is really, really good.
Muarim - Unlike Vika, he dominates his few part 1 maps, and he's still viable in Part 4 with his bases. Not bad! Unfortunately, with so little time to train him, you really have to invest heavily to get him tower-ready, and why bother? He's got an awful class and competes with much better units. I suppose he gets a slot in an all-laguz run.
Tormod - He kills that obnoxious wyvern rider on the swamp map. I give him a whole tier for that, because man, that thing is annoying. Beyond that, he's helpful for several part 1 maps, and he can be trained up to use staves for the tower.
Leonardo - The worst member of a great class, Leonardo will absolutely wreck with Double Bow, but the road to get there is harrowing. Only his prf bow's speed boost gets him out of D tier. Maybe even F. He's just such a liability for so long that I can't recommend him.
Ilyana - Strange that in a game where availability is so restricted, the number one most available character is so bad! She was great in PoR, too, but thunder magic has been substantially nerfed. I give her a lot of credit for her join map, which is arguably the hardest map in the game, and if you really work hard to level her, she gets staves with an excellent magic score. As with most units this far down, though, she's just outclassed by all the better options who do the same thing, and you don't need that many backup staff units.
Ranulf - Force deployed for what feels like a dozen chapters, Ranulf mostly hangs around to shove people and occasionally do some damage. He's got the worst class in the game, but unlike Lyre, has great bases that give him a nice little midgame role and then not much else. If you manage to feed him experience in Part 4, he's somewhat endgame viable, as long as you don't have much competition for the laguz gem.
Nealuchi - Like Ranulf, the old bird has a bright spot in the middle of the game where he's got some utility, but is best ditched when his time is up. I find him essential for 2-P and 2-1, a good contributor for 2-E, and then...well, that's a C tier unit.
Kieran - Bummer that he's so reduced here versus PoR, but at least his class gets better caps than most cavs, and he's viable as Geoffrey's sidekick for those odd chapters in Part 2/3. I can't hate him. He's easy to train and turns into a viable, if underwhelming, tower unit, but joining Ike's crew so late in Part 3 hurts him, as he is immediately outclassed by like two dozen people that you've been training for ages.
Lucia - She gets a big boost for being essential for 2-1 and viable in Part 4. If I was going to train a bad trueblade, I'm picking her over Stefan at least, but her lack of availability and bad class push her to the middle tiers.
Renning - An unfairly hated tower gotoh, Renning is your best freebie Alondite user, and has tolerable enough bases to hang out and contribute with your actual good units. He's just mediocre compared to anyone you've actually built up yourself, and he's clearly worse than Giffca and the royals. Many people do their ironmans with all royals banned for the challenge, and if that's you, Renning suddenly becomes a valuable backup unit that I would maybe bump another tier. As-is, he's just mid.
Volke - Ditto what I said for Renning, except he uses the Baselard instead, doubles auras without help, and can instakill people. I usually take Stillness off and give it to Micaiah, though, so his durability is a problem. Volke is like a super-trueblade and worth considering if you are low on viable tower units.
Giffca/Mufasa - The lion king and his shadow are virtually the same unit, except that Giffca has to use a laguz gem to transform for some reason (Guess he was borrowing his boss's formshift scroll last game?). I usually refuse to use them on principle, but I can't count that against them. They absolutely wreck the Tower but serve no other purpose. As the best of the Tower Gotohs, I can't justify higher than C.
Nasir - The best of the dragon auras, Nasir enables some aura one-rounding strategies that make a big difference. Still, we're talking about one dang map. When I made this I struggled with whether or not he should be down with Gareth and Ena, but I'm giving him a lot of credit for his special aura and his invincibility versus magic.
Sigrun/Tanith - The lesser two of the three Seraph Knights, they have one of the best classes in the game, but mediocre bases and growths. There's only one Wishblade, unfortunately, and while Seraph Knight is the best class to use it, that just means there's no reason to bring multiple of them unless you want to goof off with triangle attack. If Marcia turned out poor or you didn't use her, I recommend grabbing Sigrun (higher base level) for the Wishblade and training her up in Part 4. If you aren't training these units, they still get credit for flying utility in the desert.
Ulki/Janaff - Can't decide which of the twins are better here. With insane bases and no xp gain at all, these guys show up in part 3 to help shove people and generally help out when someone is in trouble. While they stay viable to the end (to the delight of the zero percent growth community), I don't get too excited by their lategame contributions. The laguz gauge is their Achilles Heel in part 3; I just can't justify relying on them.
Bastian/Oliver - My hottest take of this tier list, I have argued for a long time that Oliver is underrated as your Renault/Yoder character; that is, your staffbot gotoh who fills in to rescue ironmans. Bastian serves the same role, but slightly better. If your Micaiah is bad or untrained and you haven't leveled any of the project mages, these guys are your strongest staff users.
Devdan - Just as forgettable here as in Path of Radiance, Devdan suffers from bad bases and availability, and as the worst member of a meh class, there's just no reason to invest in him. I give him a lot of credit for major contributions in two key chapters without being a liability, and if you do train him, his superior caps make him arguably better than Kieran in lategame. Oh, and in part 3, he can climb that one ledge to keep it open. That's...something.
Calill - Helping out on a couple more midgame maps than Devdan, Calill is never good, but she can chip a bit here or there and usually isn't a liability. Anyone who can do anything in Elincia's Gambit gets a push in my book. If you do wind up making good use of her and slap on a crown, she's another backup staff unit with okay stats.
Lethe/Murderkaiser - The cat and tiger duo once again shows up midgame with good stats, bad growths, and a spot waiting for them on the bench. I find that they make a great contribution in part 2, remain viable in part 3, and...well, they exist in part 4 I guess. Mordecai can be built into a viable tank thanks to having vastly more time to grow compared to Muarim, and better everything compared to Kyza. Lethe has dramatically better strength than her idiot sister. Too bad the bad classes keep them out of the good tiers.
B tier:
Edward - We're getting out of the riffraff and into some viable units. While Edward is one of the weaker Dawn Brigade growth options, he is super helpful in numerous key early chapters where you desperately need it, and he can grow into a complete powerhouse. Just watch his growths as he naturally levels throughout part 1, and if he fails to pop off, bench him. If he crushes those strength and defense growths, though, he's an excellent choice for a Part 3 carry, as he's on the shortlist of units who can solo 3-13 - not the best one, but much easier to level than Meg, for example. His luck sword is I guess the worst of the DB prf weapons, but it's still decent for a long time, before you toss it for Alondite. If he didn't fall off in late part 1, he'd be A tier. Also, he's got a bad class and competes with at least one or two better units for that precious Alondite.
Soren - With magic nerfed in this game, Soren has no chance of breaking into the highest tiers, but he sure tries. I'd argue he is the best mage in the game. He's not too difficult to train, hits high magic numbers, and turns into the game's best staffbot (arguably) by endgame. While I'd rather bring a free Bastian than a high effort Soren to the tower, Ike's BFF gets a big boost from his super high availability. I never feel like he's a drag on the party.
Rhys - Like Soren, but you don't need to wait for staves, alright, Rhys probably snatches the prize of lategame staffbot from Soren, but not by much. He's hurt by awful physicals, which can make him seem like a liability, but your list of part 3 staff units is sparse, so he's going to contribute a lot every run, no matter what you have planned for him.
Mist - She's much weaker than Rhys in every way, but when she promotes, she gets Canto, which is wonderful for a frail unit. While Florete is bugged (or sucks by design, depending on who you ask) and there is no Sonic Sword, Mist is still viable as a mobile healer who won't let you down through the entire game. I know I keep saying different people are the "best lategame staffbot" but I swear this is the last one, it's really Mist.
Zihark/Volug - I paired them for nearly identical availability and the legendary earth/earth affinity, which gives them a niche in certain difficult part 3 maps where their contributions are invaluable. Neither character scales well into endgame (there are better options for trueblade) and they aren't invincible like Big T, but at least they show up for work. Use them as Jeigans in part 1 and tanks in part 3, then say goodbye.
Micaiah - Often called the worst lord in the game, she...probably deserves it. Oh no, I'm about to call her the actual best staffbot, aren't I? No, she's difficult to raise up due to being such a frail liability all game and having forced promotions. She gets big credit for a couple key Thani nukes early game, and she's a force deployed physics bot from 3-13 onward. Have I overrated her? Maybe, but I like healers.
Geoffrey - With a couple chapters designed to make him look good, Geoffrey is essential to clear the game, but his class caps keep him from getting into the elite levels. I find that he levels quickly in part 4 (without paragon, even) and holds his own. I really wish he joined with Kieran and the others. By endgame, he's a viable filler unit.
Nolan - A godsend in the early chapters, the Dawn Brigade would have died in the cradle without Nolan. He gets an amazing prf weapon and is easily viable as a part 3 carry, but I find him inadequate to solo 3-13 or reliably fight Ike. His strength and defense growth is just too poor, and he lacks the avoid to make up for it. Still, he has the best beorc class caps in the game, and after being reliable and useful for so long, you can reward him with careful bexp abuse to make sure he can slam the tower bosses with 62 attack power. There's something satisfying about seeing a human inflict lion-like damage to gods.
Laura - I always see her at the bottom of tier lists, but your only healer in part 1 (Micaiah doesn't count) deserves some love. She's a huge liability on the field, but think about how much harder Part 1 gets if she dies. She stays viable in part 3 (I usually savior backpack her with somebody) and is, yes, another top tier lategame staffbot. For being an essential unit for so long, and for having endgame potential, I can't see lower than B tier.
Simba - The lion prince needs paragon and some effort to get rolling, but boy does he! As an acceptable alternative to those cheating royal laguz, Skrimir is just an unstoppable powerhouse who can solo entire maps in part 4 if you let him. Until the white dragons show up, Skrimir is never in danger from anything other than his own stupid laguz gauge, which is why he's not in A tier. If you haven't tried slapping paragon and adept on Skrimir and letting him eat all of 4-P, try it once, it's hilarious.
Royal Trio - I put Nailah ahead of the bird brains for her availability, but they all have the same role: hold your hand through part 4. Tibarn can actually die to the crossbow guy in 4-2, which makes me laugh, and Naesala is downright mortal by comparison. I like to leave Pass on Nailah from part 1 and give her chest keys for Oliver's Mansion. All of these units are insanely strong and help trivialize the tower, which is why I don't bring them.
Singing Siblings - I know, putting Rafiel lower on the list than the others is blasphemy, but he's barely around through the whole game. He's widely accepted as the best tower bird (though I prefer Reyson), but other than Oliver's Mansion, what hard missions does he help out on? Rafiels' role is to help fight dragons and gods, which is a pretty good resume, so he's up this high. Leanne wins my heart for Elincia's Gambit alone, but she also helps make the bridge and desert maps more tolerable.
Marcia - A hot take here, but Marcia has a lot of availability and a positive, if underwhelming, contribution through most of it. By lategame, she turns into an excellent flier (Seraph Knights are truly amazing) and is, in my opinion, the single best Wishblade candidate in the entire game. Marcia never crushes this game like she does Path of Radiance, but I'm here for her.
Boyd - Notoriously tough to get rolling, Boyd has those insane Reaver caps and a lot of time to reach them. While he's just a project unit in part 3, he does crest that hill eventually and turn into a complete wrecking ball who trivializes the rest of the game. He easily hits 40 strength and isn't that tough to train up to 35 speed with bexp. He's the game's best Urvan user (as his caps are easier to hit than Nolan) and I only don't put him higher because it's a bit of a struggle to get him going.
A tier:
Rolf - People are going to lose their minds over this one. I'm always astonished how many people don't know that Rolf has 75% strength growth! Snipers are easy to level and have a great payoff, meaning that even if Shinon wins your double bow, you'll never regret bringing a second killer deadeye through the whole game. Imagine if Leonardo had Rolf's growths. Little bro is like Dmitri, but in the Wii era. Don't sleep on Rolf. He's amazing.
Nephenee - Sometimes overrated, sometimes underrated, Nephenee has top notch availability and is an essential unit for several chapters, and while she can get lost in the Greil Mercs spam, she quickly turns into a stellar well-rounded infantry unit who can carry the game. She's never bad and turns into another excellent Wishblade user, who I only put below Marcia for the tower due to lack of flying/canto. Due to high availability and never needing particular training attention, though, Nephenee skirts into the top tiers.
Mia - Unlike Path of Radiance, Mia starts viable and quickly takes off like a rocket, turning into your best Trueblade. Lacking only one strength in her final caps versus Edward, she's easier to level and, imo, your best overall Alondite unit. Because she is around so long and always helpful, she gets a bump.
Brom/Gatrie - Brom almost gets the nod for being an essential unit for so Part 2, but his falloff is noticeable, and his endgame potential as a Marshall is worse than, say, Nephenee. Gatrie picks up that slack and remains as one of your best Greil Mercs for the rest of the game. I could see someone valuing Brom's early contributions more and swapping this order. Both units suffer from the usual Marshall problems: bad caps, bad movement, competing with far better units for the best items.
Titania - The stalwart ride-or-die arch-paladin of Tellius, Titania doesn't carry hard like she does in the previous game, but she's immediately dominant and stays that way virtually forever. She has reasonable class caps (compared to other cavs, anyway) and is fine to bring to the tower, but you will notice a dropoff. Regardless of tower viability, she's so damn strong for so long that I can't rank her any lower.
Oscar - While he starts weak and is imprisoned by truly awful tier 2 caps, Oscar is still solid and provides that lovely earth affinity through a ton of chapters. Once he breaks into tier 3, he's immediately one of your best units, and stays that way for a long time. I almost rated Titania higher, but I think Oscar surpasses her and is a candidate for an early crown. If not for those tier 2 caps, he'd be S tier.
Shinon - Embarrassed by the "9 strength incident" in Path of Radiance, Shinon hit the gym and turned into a powerhouse from the moment he joins until the end of the game. He's never not great, and he only gets better as he gets his outstanding third tier caps and SS rank weapon. While he usually needs bexp to hit str and def caps, that's more a function of the highish caps than any weaknesses in growths. Shinon is almost breaking into S tier. If he was a flying archer, he'd be the next Haar.
Aran - The wrongest opinion in all of Fire Emblem is that Aran is bad. Just wrong, wrong, wrong. Aran starts as a weak unit among numerous other weak units, is easily trainable, and quickly pops off - 75% strength growth, again! - to turn into a juggernaut that surpasses everyone except the royals. By Part 3, Aran has made the rest of the Dawn Brigade redundant, and by 3-13, he's a walking god. I always laugh when I hear commentators talk about how difficult part 3 is, then minutes later, mention how bad Aran is. Well, of course it's hard if you don't use the best unit! I only keep Aran out of S tier because of DB availability and because his class caps keep him from stomping as hard in the tower, where he rarely doubles.
S tier:
Jill - Flying utility gives her the bump into the upper echelons. Slightly harder to train than Aran, she benefits immensely from the str and def items (which are useless to Aran, who caps immediately) and turns into another juggernaut. While she stays weaker than Aran throughout most of the game, the mobility is a factor, and she grows into one of your best endgame units. If you had to average the two games together, Jill is probably the best character in Tellius. Or Titania, it's hard to say, but it's definitely a canto redhead.
Sothe - Play this game: a trickster god deletes one character from your rom, permanently. Seize squares and game over conditions get reassigned, but you now have to play the rest of the game without that unit, forever. What's the absolute worst unit to lose? I cannot think of a worse unit to lose than Sothe. Is the Dawn Brigade even possible without him? I'm sure someone has done it. After making the game playable, Sothe falls off hard, but he can be trained into a sub-par Volke if you want. I contend that Tellius literally could not be saved without him. So why isn't he the absolute top tier? Well, I guess I'm weighing the rest of the game higher, but I'm not 100% convinced that's right.
Elincia - What a glow-up from PoR! The devs nerf her in 2-P to keep it difficult, but as soon as she gets her weapon, she turns into a flying healer who also wrecks things. I think she's a lock for the tower, even if you are dedicating six tower slots to royals and lions. While a weaker staffbot than some others I mentioned, she's good enough. And she flies! Elincia is just awesome.
Reyson - Speedrunners and LTCers prefer Rafiel for a better Turn 1 against Ashera, but I like Reyson's high movement and canto, and you have laguz gems by that point. As for the rest of the game, Reyson has by far the best availability of all herons - which isn't saying much, I know. I just wish this game wasn't so weird with dancers.
Ike vs Haar for the championship - People have debated between Ike and Haar since the game came out. I put Ike 2nd because, while he carries harder with Ragnell, he's still a normal (albeit stronk) infantry swordlocked unit for a long time before then. Haar saves your bacon in Part 2 (twice) and then carries Part 3 just for fun afterwards. He also has the best boss convos in 2-P and 4-E-2. Ike gets the boss convo award in 4-P, so this most critical of category tips the scales toward Haar. The real answer is availability + domination = top of the top tier. As if Haar wasn't stupid OP enough, he gets the best beorc defense cap in the entire game, because why not? He even beats out the Marshalls on Strength! And his mastery skill is better! Honestly, what were they thinking here? While Ragnell Ike is the strongest unit in the game, Totality Ike is only the second strongest.

So I set my brace height to the minimum height after I THOUGHT my string was thoroughly stretched. I used minimum so that there is maximum string travel and my thought was that an extra inch or so of push would give me a higher arrow speed, goal being hunting I want the highest arrow speed possible.
I was getting string slap on almost every shot despite never ever getting it with my other bows, compound and recurve.
Turns out my fast flight string stretched way more than I expected. The brace height was over an inch below minimum spec. This time I adjusted to the MAXIMUM brace height instead of minimum, and now I’m back to zero string slap. I was hitting the lower part of my forearm and having the brace height at maximum gives me an extra inch up my forearm if that makes sense.
Just wanted to post an update and a thank you to the people who suggested this. Hopefully it helps other people who have the same issue. My other bows were so broken in that it just didn’t occur to me initially I guess.

So I just recently picked up a studio gig. 10 days out from a 5 song EP gig that we have 3 days to record (3 days! Dude has an angel). I got a couple hours of one on one time with the songwriter (who has a great ear and natural talent but can't speak music to save his life). He also really likes my fretless tone.
Great gig. Really interesting songs. I love the opportunity.
But there is one song of the five that I honestly think doesn't need bass guitar. It's a great song about letting a brother down. Lots of orchestration, bells, strings... It needs a cello or even an upright played with a bow.
I've never done this before, but I told the songwriter, "hey man, I love this song. And I appreciate that you want my sound on your EP, but I think this song needs a bowed upright, or a cello. Neither of which I can do."
He was super receptive and hired a lady who can give him what the song needs.
Here's to growing old and being true to the craft. In my younger days I'm pretty sure I would have forced the square peg into the round hole for my ego's sake.
Anyone else have a similar story?

So with the reveal of the Still Hunt, the Hunter Golden Gun Sniper, I think it'd be fun to think about other supers as weapons, since that's dope as fuck. Unfortunately Titans do not have anything particularly interesting to work with due to being punchy punchy. They don't have much weapon wise aside from their Hammers which is unable to become anything like the weapons we have Destiny. Surprisingly the Sentinel Shield and Ward of Dawn exist as their Class Glaive. A few are a big stretch due to the class I play being so boring...

• Fist of Havoc: Knuckleduster, a name for a melee weapon around your knuckles. A bit of a stretch but its a short-barrelled shotgun that creates a Blinding shockwave around the user when firing the gun, dealing damage generates melee energy.
• Thundercrash: Back Blaster, something that happens after firing a rocket. Thundercrash by nature is already weird to become a gun but it can't be anything besides an uber powerful Rocket Launcher that creates a powerful shockwave.
• Hammer of Sol: Rivet Primer, a bit of a stretch but its a combination of a rivet hammer pneumatic tool and an actual firing pin hammer. It could be a revolver Hand Cannon that creates a ball of fire on kills that, when you shoot it, it builds up a charge and then creates a scattering explosion.
• Sentinel Shield / Unbreakable Aspect: Glowing Mantlet, a gun shield, probably an Auto Rifle that quickly charges up the Throwing Shield when dealing damage and dealing damage with the shield can automatically reload the gun and empower it?
• Glacial Strike: Armed to the Teeth, a Fusion Rifle that acts simialr to an arm gun, with the gauntlet fusing around the user's arm. Shoots Diamond Lances and increases melee damage, maybe even having a special melee attack similar to Monte Carlo.

Hunters have all the weapons, so we'll do a list that disregards Golden Gun.

• Blade Barrage: Knife Block, a holder of kitchen knives. It could be a Machine Gun that unleashes super weak damage shots that deal damage over time, almost like bleeding.
• Shadowshot: Fistmele, a term in archery for the distance between the bow and string. It could be a slow fire rate bow that builds up a meter when inflicting subclass terms, attacking while invisible, etc. And when maxed out it fires a single quickly decaying weakening orb. Or you can attack while invisible.
• Arc Staff: Stepped Leader, a term for a lightning flash, almost like a lightning rod. Probably the best bet would be a Linear Fusion Rifle capable of piercing through targets. Technically this is the Arc Class Glaive if you think about it.
• Storm's Edge: Displacement Trowel, the new super, the teleporting dagger. Basically a Sidearm with a bayonet, which is kinda considered useless. Maybe the gun could be a giant dagger that allows the user to teleport with an alt fire or sliding melee.

Warlocks have a few that could be interesting, another list.

• Nova Bomb: Collapsing Giant, based on gravitational collapsing we could have either a Special or Heavy Grenade Launcher that fires a Void ball that sucks in enemies before violently exploding and creating a wild Chain Reaction that leaves Void Breaches.
• Stormtrance: Teleforce / The Oscillator, basically a high fire rate gun that is a tesla coil, having an insanely large spread pattern, bigger than a hip-fire Sniper. Unsure how it could function.
• Chaos Reach: Mile Long Sea, chaos is often referred to as a primordial sea, it has to be a Trace Rifle, can't really deviate it that much. It could start out super large for a laser before focusing with sustained fire and thus increase the damage.
• Winter's Wrath: Kheimon's Rod, technically this could be a Glaive but also a Pulse Rifle similar to the super's primary fire. Hits could build up a meter that when maxed out, switched to alternative fire, could shoot out a small grenade that creates a shock wave that shatters all targets and crystals in the vicinity.
• Needlestorm: Pin Poppet, a type of needle case, a Submachine Gun that shoots the Warlock's super or melee where sustained fire slowly forms Threadlings around the user that perch and begin tracking any nearby targets or act as a melee ring that damages anything around it.

This might sound strange but there's actually enough Supers in the game that could create three unique class Swords that only specific Classes can use, just like in Destiny 1, or everyone if we wanna get rid of that.

• Titans: Flashing Rage, its Bladefury, aka the Melee which is a blade of thick strand. This could be a Caster archetype sword to reference Flechette Storm which could accelerate Banner of War if they hit.
• Hunters: Wild Haze, Spectral Blade could fuse the two void blades into one to create something like Darth Maul, allowing the user to go invisible but to make it more distinct compared to Shadowheart, it could allow other allies to go Invisible with the haze it produces.
• Warlock: Crack of Dawn, obviously is the Daybreak sword, how could it not. It could potentially provide Cure on kills and be another Caster sword for its heavy.

Those are my ideas and names but I'd like to hear what you guys think!