A gazillion thanks to Gazillion (not to mention as well my little nation of Singapore)

For the first time in my personal history as a gamer, I actually forgot to do my daily invocation for Neverwinter. More specifically last Saturday. The reason why being that I was too busy doing two things.

1. Finishing the story mode for Stormy Susan.
2. Having a go at trying Wonka Wilson and Remy LeBlanc.

This post will be very brief as I'll need to do a Total Recall on my sleeping habits so as to speak.

Something learnt against MODOK

If there's anything worthy to know when it comes to quest progression, it'd be doing the quests in accordance. Supposedly you're to kill the boss last, doing so before the other requirements were met means you'd be stuck in a limbo. In other words, you won't be able to complete the quest. To make things even worse, there's no quest abandon option. Worst of all, you'll need to finish the relevant quests in the relevant order to progress. However, there's a trick to the whole thing.

Because instances for the story quests are meant to stay active only on a fixed timing basis, the instance would always automatically reset at a certain time. Once the instance resets, you can just go on and finish it. Basically, that's how my Stormy Susan did when MODOK went belly up (interestingly enough, the Brits have a colourful way of saying this. I'm not going to tell you what that slang is even though the Lees are not the only ones who know the British language).

Now that all my three characters have finished their first run of the story mode, it's now progressing to round 2.

Something learnt against Sauron

Welcome to the Savage Land where dinos, insects, and aliens exist. Not to mention as well hunky cavemen and sexy cavewomen. Just now, I ran through Sauron's cave. Apparently, that place is where you'll get your third artefact so as to speak. To be honest, that pendant was "meh" unless your character is someone like Nightcrawler. And... well, that's it.

Actually, come to think of it, I need to start running Dino Land on heroic mode. I swear that thing will be damn useful for Nightcrawler. That is unless the artefacts you get in the story mode doesn't come back in heroic difficulty.

New system, new way of doing things

My beloved Middlesbrough isn't the only thing to herald a clean slate. Despite being defeated by Wolves in our opener, I've seen enough to suggest that Gary "the Welsh" Monk didn't come up with his best XI until the last 25 minutes or so. Given that we're able to give Nuno "El Spirito" Espírito Santo a decent run for his GBP/Euro despite fielding our second best XI (read: Apparently, our Welsh Monk didn't know exactly his best XI until Adam "not the boyfriend of Eve Hewson" Forshaw came off the bench. No, I'm not telling a lie. I'm very good in spotting the seemingly minor details which proved to be worth so much more.

Onto Gazillion. They also did the same thing. In a weird twist of events, they managed to rope in Cryptic to help them do the game developing. This was especially evident in the sense that the gameplay was totally overhauled so as to speak. You no longer have to dump skill points. Levelling up merely unlocks the so-called passive skills listed at the right side of the power table if we're talking about the other aspect of ARPG apart from the stats. This calls for planning and knowing which powers to cut adrift (read: some, if not most, passive skills tend to involve more than one power).

The infinity system is quite dodgy. For me, at least and for now. Personally, I'd just focus on the stats. The ones involving bonus alternate damage (e.g. you're a physical dps, your damage has a chance of dealing energy damage), these I left them out. Either way, it's better for you to focus on two, if not three, gems. For me, I left out everything on the list apart from the ones enhancing the stats. A dumb decision mayhaps?

Funnily enough, it seems that the people at Gazillion might actually be Democrats/liberals after all. Last time I checked, none of the Purifiers actually croaked "humanity first" when any of them... well, croaked. This time, that croaking statement is there. Not that I really care about Clinton and Trump anyway. Yes, I have my damning opinions on politics (note that I never mention politicians for a reason). But that's it.

A big thank you to Singapore (and why we're like the southern Yanks)

My relationship with my nation is a bit weird, to say the least. On one hand, I never got anything from the education system apart from being that closet Jew. On the other hand, however, I know there are good things in my nation which I've learnt to appreciate. Things which cannot be found anywhere else. If I had been born in other countries, I might have jumped off the building. Don't laugh. I still remember what happened to Amanda Todd. That could have been me. At the same time, recent events (okay, not so recent since it's been going on for years) actually suggested that as a Christian, I'm blessed to live in Singapore where Christians don't have to be worried about getting sued till their pants drop. For those who have a problem with Singapore's legal system, I can never start a debate due to my conscience. But it's also because of this conscience of mine that I must point out the positive obvious.

So why is it that we're like the southern Americans? After all, they're called rednecks (ironically, one doesn't simply call Jennifer "the most famous hot Jen now" Lawrence a redneck despite her hometown being from the U.S south). Of course, we really need to look at ourselves in the mirror before laughing at these uneducated angmohs.

The thing is this: In terms of keeping faith with a moralistic society deemed too rustic, we're no different from the American South. In terms of being more comfortable in a closely knitted community, we're much more of a southern American. Not unto their extent, but you get the drift. Like them, we're always running the risk of being called stupid despite having a much better public education system. After all, there's a reason why the BFF duo of Bill "there's always more than one Mr Bill" Gates and the now deceased Steve "doubt he chugged Steveweisers with Mr Bill" Jobs didn't hail from Singapore.

So why am I making this off-the-cuff statement?

WL: Tell me one thing your Gambit can do that my Colossus can't.

LH: Left click Royal Flush.

Not every Marvel character is known for being a southerner just like not every famous person is known for being a Singaporean. Two of the most notable names in the southerner list would be Gambit and Rogue (incidentally, the two are most likely the only couple every fan would hate to see it end). While it'd be good to experiment with Rogue, the latest addition to my character roster is Le Diable Blanc himself.

Replay value added?

One of the greatest strength of Marvel Heroes since release is a high level of replayability. This has got nothing to do with the gameplay content, but rather the fact that it's relatively easy to get any hero of your choice (although Deadpool would cost you 600 eternal splinters instead of the standard 400). My personal suggestion would be to get one team mate (apart from the default S.H.I.E.L.D agent) for like 400 eternal splinters (200 for at least Groot and Dr Strange if I remember correctly). Beyond that, you can just try to get the hero of your choice or rng. The thing about farming eternal splinters for new heroes lies in the active hero synergy. This is quite obviously an indicator of which hero/heroes you'd end up maining. My suggestion is to main no more than 2 heroes, 3 at the most. This is due to the way hero synergy works. Not every hero has the correct synergy option for your main. Period. Which is also why I may end up maining Gambit and Nightcrawler instead of Black Panther and Invisible Woman (to set the record straight, I'm gonna stick my guns on Kurt sending Thanos running with this). Since this game doesn't require you to master any character of your choice like some, if not most, of the MMO in the industry, it should be relatively easy for you to hit the minimum quota of 10 active heroes in your roster.

For now, I'll need to finish Chapter 10 for Black Panther and Invisible Woman. I've done so for Kurt Bavaria and Remy Le Diable Blanc. Suffice to say, using med kits in the first part has never been more fun. Quite literally.

There's something about Remy

Not to be confused with the movie which made Cameron Diaz famous (if not more famous), there are indeed certain things about Remy Le Diable Blanc.

Unlike most, if not the rest, of the X-Men, Remy wasn't so much of a character seeking a refuge as we all define it. The focal theme about X-Men (and to a major extent, the Avengers if we're referring to Civil War) lies in conflict. Conflict not between two types of people, but rather the fact that conflict is part and parcel of the homo sapiens DNA. It doesn't matter whether it's homo sapiens superior or homo sapiens inferior. Thing is, conflict brings out either the best or worst in every one of us. It brings out the worst in people like William Stryker and Magneto. At the same time, it brings out the best in others like Nightcrawler and a playable Max Eisenhardt. In Magik's own words, Magneto is now one of the good guys together with Cain Marko. Just don't ask me whether the prospect of Kurt being Magneto's potential son-in-law was the reason why despite that lengthy preaching.

So what is Gambit after all the while, if not a refuge alone? He's a man on a mission, the very mission of redemption. Whenever we do something stupid, sorry is the first word coming out from us. When we end up doing something catastrophic, chances are that we'd attempt a jailbreak than to confront our sins/mistakes. Gambit, despite being more of a side character compared to others like Wolverine and Cyclops, is quite unique in this sense. He sought redemption after making a horrible mistake in siding with the Marauders in their fight against the Morlocks. As a result, a young girl named Marrow would become one of his only two shots at redemption (the other being Rogue herself after the events caused by Apocalypse himself). Just don't ask me whether anybody involved in the K-drama Doctor Crush is actually a closet fanboy/girl of the ragin' Cajun himself. I won't be surprised, however, if redemption for Gambit would also involve killing a sinister old man named... well, Mr Sinister.

Secondly, Gambit is a tragic character. Abandoned since birth, the song below might have accidentally summed up what he's supposed to be had Jean-Luc LeBeau not interfered.

Seriously, is it my fault that I tend to identify myself with characters like Gambit and Guts instead of any character in the Ah Boys To Men movies?

Long story short, he got screwed by an accident of his own (DNA) making. Of course, this also meant that had Julien Boudreaux not acted like some elite moron, none of this would have happened. Ironically, Remy LeBeau as the Gambit whom we have all grown to admire wouldn't be born as well. In fact, I won't be surprised if the stigma of his past also means a rift between him and the rest of the X-Men including Rogue. Like Gambit, I have to live with my own stigma as well.

Thirdly, Gambit is a ladies' man in every sense of the word. If there's any notable chink in his armour so as to speak, it'd be ladies like Park "why always Park?" Shin-hye, Emilia "it makes romance absolutely IMPOSSIBRU!!!!" Clarke, and random lasses in that workplace known as SGH. In this sense, I do identify myself with Remy. However, being a ladies' man also means being a gentleman. Despite the incessant flirting which he's always capable (and guilty) of, his decisions made concerning Bella Donna Boudreaux means that he can also be a man responsible for his own actions and decisions. In fact, by refusing her plea to follow him into exile, Remy effectively prevented her from leading a life that might only pile more misery on her. At the same time, there are moments where he's also emotionally fragile. After all, Gambit is meant to be a tragic character with elements of fatalism in his life. In this sense, I'm like him. I mean the part about being emotionally fragile, not the latter part. Come to think of it, it seems that his relationship with Rogue was also a product of emotional frailty. Albeit on a mutual basis.

So why am I doing this half-baked intro? The reason is very simple. Initially, I intended to save up 600 eternal splinters to get this guy below.

But because Gambit is more of a challenge than Deadpool, I decided to spend 400 eternal splinters on him first.

Left click Royal Flush

Remember the skit between LH and WL? This is something which I made up by myself (never mind the question of whether there are girls with the respective initials). One of the major challenges I have in using Gambit is managing the dps. In other words, the best defensive measure is always about using the best offensive measure.

Firstly and foremost, have a decent health recovery per hit game. Either that or health recovery per kill. Plenty of Gambit's gear is defensive in nature, but tbh I don't have much faith in him surviving a fight of attrition. What this means is very simple: Either you focus on ranged dps or switching between ranged and melee attacks. The former is the easiest way out, but it won't bring out the best in Gambit. The latter is the best way out, but definitely not the easiest.

Because I tend to be a tactical gamer more than the technical type, I ended up trying left click Royal Flush. Suffice to say, something I did in the name of tinkering ended up becoming something so much more. Despite the skit between LH and WL being 100% fictional, LH recommending a left click Royal Flush game is anything but fictional. Because left click tends to cater to the human instinct to spam, it also means a non-basic move with zero cooldown can be deceptively deadly. At the same time, it's also fast to come out. Compared to Bo Strike and Wild Card (which are basic powers), Royal Flush is meant for mob wiping. Dueling wise, Bo Strike or Wild Card is a better option (something which works insanely well against Dr Doom). Of course, I can easily use the left click Royal Flush approach against Doom. Just that it won't be that effective. Which now comes to the question of your second move set. By default, you'll have two of those. After dooming Dr Doom to defeat, I'm convinced that it's actually better to create one skill set for general play and one skill set for duelling rather than one skill set for open PvE and the other for instances involving one whole party.

Also, after accessing to some of Gambit's unique gear, I realised that unlike my other 3 characters, Gambit tends to work best with the character-specific ones. This is due to his unique gear catering to his general gameplay more than anything else. Basically, that means I won't be unbinding Nate Grey's Psionic Armour from Kurt. Out of my current four active characters, Gambit is that one fellow who can maximise every hero synergy available so far due to an effective range dps and his insanely high damage. Again, left click Royal Flush.

Which medallion to use?

Living Laser is the most straightforward option. Problem is, binding Royal Flush to left click means making this option 100% unusable. Kirigi medallion can be a deceptively good choice for Gambit as it adds some much-needed attack speed and melee damage. If you can get an Elektra medallion either on a higher item level basis alone or on a cosmic rank plus higher item level, then just go for it. It synergises absurdly well with Sleight of Hand (the dps version, not the one at the top) and there are also plenty of good stuff Gambit can benefit from compared to most of the medallions available. You might want to experiment around, but for me personally, it's Elektra Natchios ( the last name is not to be confused with nachos, which is a type of cheese). As for Kirigi, I think I'll save it for Deadpool once I reach 600 eternal splinters. Either that or Taskmaster medallion. I got plenty of useful junk stashed in my Starktech Armory and Supply Hoard (i.e. S.T.A.S.H).

After Royal Flush, what's next?

Trick Card is absurdly good to use even without that passive skill granting it 3 charges and 25% damage bonus per hit. Upon hit, it gives an auto stunner. With kinetic energy bonus, it can blow up an entire lab. One of the most notable changes to the AI mob lies in their ability to curse Because comics are not G.R.R "the trolling Tolkien" Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire in terms of content, Gazillion has to play according to the rules as well. Why I mentioned the swearing is very simple. Imagine angmohs from Hydra and A.I.M using symbols instead of words after Gambit blew up canisters of volatile substances. Imagine aliens and demons using some sort of gibberish instead of proper English after Gambit sticks a super charged Trick Card into their leader. Imagine Asian ninjas from the Hand and Admiral Nodope (seriously, a Japanese named no dope?) screaming "このやろう!!!!!" after Gambit dealt them the best hand ever. Why is it that I'm cursed with a warped sense of humour?

For melee, it's officially a staple one-two of Bo Vault and Grand Slam. The main reason being one of the passive skills grant an auto execution of House of Cards. This is for the former. As for the latter, it resets the cooldown for Bo Vault to zero. This combo would always be wasted against low-level mobs, but insanely effective in high-level mob clearing. The equation is very simple: Bo Vault>Grand Slam>dodge>what LH said about left click (note that Gambit's dodge automatically hit any enemy within range with stun plus damage). In fact, there's this passive skill giving your melee attacks more damage upon your kinetic gauge emptied by ranged attacks and vice versa. See where this is going so long you can alternate effectively between range and melee on a one-two basis?

Calling a spade a... spade?

Ace of Spades, that move which you'll need to make certain decisions. The most straightforward call would be Ace of Clubs since it will auto brutal hit (not to mention 3 charges available upon proc). However, that'd involve one more slot for my power tray. I may really opt for it, though. For now, it's Ace of Hearts. For Ace of Diamonds, I won't recommend it unless you're out to create a melee Gambit. For some funny reason, the execution speed was quite dodgy, something which I noticed about Batter Up as well. Ah well, maybe I'm really someone more comfortable with quick-firing hits like how the current German national football/soccer team is playing its counteroffensive approach under Joachim "Der Löwe" Löw.

One thing about Ace of Hearts lies in whether it will hit the same target should 52 Pickup be used in a duel. My guess is that... well, it would still strike at the target's very heart.

52 Pickup

Despite Gambit being a Romeo (not to be confused with the Original Sanders done by William Shakespeare or the Asian ones) in every sense of the word, 52 Pickup has got nothing to do with picking up 52 local Singaporean girls. This is an effective move when it comes to duelling, but basically as tricky as Loki when it comes to dealing with any target with high mobility since it's 100% possible for any target to move beyond the screen (visually speaking ofc since only Deadpool has the right to break the fourth wall). Equally tricky like the trickster god himself would be the scenario where various visual effects overlap. That's my main complaint if there's any about this game. The overlapping makes aiming difficult, even nigh impossible at times. Beyond my pet peeve, my pet tactic in pulling this off involves only one single move: Trick Card. The moment I can stun the target, it's au revoir, mon' ami.

A better love story than Twilight?

Above two-panel has got nothing to do with Gambit and Rogue. More specifically, this is me having my own Deadpool moment. Now onto Cherie. Suffice to say, the resultant destruction was quite high-end given Gambit's insane crit rate. Visuals wise, the tooltip can be quite misleading. Going by the tooltip alone, it's only natural to assume the power looks really lame. Once I pulled it off, what greeted me was an impressive show of 5th November. Or at least it's a better look than I otherwise expected.

Choice of gear

Unless you manage to get a pure set of Gambit specific unique gear, my suggestion is to focus on 3 things. Namely, crit hit, brutal hit, and brutal damage. However, crit damage can be used as a viable alternative to brutal damage (something extremely effective if you opted for Gungnir as your Legendary choice). Because Gambit's gear does have a high chance of getting defensive stats, half of the time at least it's all about deflection and max health. If you're out to create a melee build (something doable, but not necessarily recommended), try opting for defence and health recovery per hit with the offensive focus being on crit hit and brutal hit. If you're out to create a range build or a range-melee hybrid, then go with my suggestion. If I say so myself, that is.

Immediate goals: 600 eternal splinters for #respawnlol remains the top of my priority. However, I may have a go at test-driving the Cable guy before that.

Not this Cable guy...


"Sometimes the ends justify the means, no matter the cost to your soul."
-Nathan Summers aka the correct Cable guy-

P.S: What's with Asians and dope? Apart from a Japanese Nodope, there's Dopinder Singh.

Add P.S: Apparently, something might have gone wrong with a name that sounds like "no dope" unless he's intended to be a Japanese Nodope. The racially correct version should go like Notobe. Now that sounds much more Japanese. Not to mention authentically Japanese as well.

Wonder how the portrayal of Dopinder Singh would compare to what happened previously.