Update: Due to feedback from the players, the developer has substantially increased the boss spawn rate. So it should be a lot easier now. The Emperor protects!
If you are playing Warhammer Inquisitor as I do, you probably would wonder how long it would take to complete season 6. To answer that question, I would look at probably the lengthiest objective to complete, which is Ultimate Escalation.
Ultimate Escalation requires us to take down all 10 unique seasonal bosses. Each seasonal mission requires escalation points to generate and escalation points culminate as we take down Harbingers. Each seasonal mission we generate has a 15% chance to spawn a seasonal boss of a random type. Depending on how fast you can fill up the escalation bar – which in my case is somewhere between 30 mins to 1 hour including the actual gameplay, inventory management, screen loading time, etc., you can work out an estimation on how long more to go.
These days, I have read more and more reports on how premium smartphones could replace some DSLR or mirrorless cameras. So I have taken my brand new iPhone for a test against my Nikon mirrorless camera today in my neighborhood of Tiong Bahru.
Before we start, this is not a lens contest. But instead, I focus on the results. It is the ease of shooting with a smartphone versus the traditional photo processing of a DSLR or mirrorless camera. In this test, with my iPhone, I shoot in HEIC format and edit the photos directly on the phone. I don’t have an application that can edit Apple’s ProRAW format so I leave it to the phone to do its magic.
As for my Nikon Z6, I am using a 35mm lens. I shoot in raw format and edit the photos using DxO Photolab 2.4. It is my usual editing style using only digital filters. The Nikon’s JPG export photos are compressed (80% quality) to keep the size comparable to Apple’s HEIC photos. The results are as follows.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro MaxNikon Z6Apple iPhone 14 Pro MaxNikon Z6Apple iPhone 14 Pro MaxNikon Z6
After thoughts:
Because iPhone 14 Pro Max’s main camera has a wider lens than my Nikon’s – 24mm versus 35mm – photo composition is going to be different. The results from iPhone are of course heavily processed with the benefit of HDR among other Apple proprietary algorithms. This may make some of the photos ‘pop’ more compared to a traditional camera. My Nikon prime lens obviously has better sharpness, which you can only tell the difference when you zoom in. I still prefer the processed photos from my Nikon Z6. But with the convenience of a smartphone, both in photo shooting and editing, the results from my iPhone are decent.
In short, if I am going for a nice holiday, I would certainly bring my Nikon Z6. As for my day-to-day needs, my iPhone should suffice.
More than 6,000 hours and US$1,000 I have spent playing World of Warcraft, I quit playing the game 10 years ago. It was 18 years ago when I dived into this MMORPG with my buddy Mark. Holland Village I recalled when Mark passed me a physical copy of the game, one that was extremely hard to get our hands on given the popularity of the game back then. Countless memorable encounters in-game, fond memories of real life, and painful memories as well. Time lost that cannot be recovered, money aside. Regrets. No regret. Songs of my youth. Of real-life stupidity. Of virtual heroism. Those who were concerned were sad when I was at it, relieved when I was out of it. Others, we banded together in-game and into the fantasy. And to what purpose? You either get it or you don’t.
Cataclysm
The fourth expansion of the game is titled Cataclysm. It was a controversial title. I love it. Many don’t. I adore the stories of dragons or the lore, period. I was thankful that as a casual player (who spent a lot of time playing nonetheless), I was able to raid (through the then-new feature looking for raid). I had a lot of fun playing Deathwing raids week after week, toons after toons. I had a closed circle of companions, all with common goals, daily quests, weekly quests, we helped each other, we counted on each other, and we made history together.
The Decline
The fifth expansion Mist of Pandaria introduced a new race – a panda that is kind of cute – and a new Monk class that I didn’t quite get it. The seventh expansion introduced a new hero class Demon Hunter. Frankly speaking, I just wasn’t able to get into it.
It was the story. To the point whereby, I didn’t really care. Cataclysm was heading in the right direction. Thrall was the hero who brought together Horde and Alliance alike for a common goal, to align with the dragon Aspects in defeating Deathwing. But Thrall being a Horde, the storyline displeased the Alliance fans. Thereafter, the Horde and Alliance are back to war with Horde heroes being eliminated one after another. Blizzard was trying too hard to make everyone happy.
That pisses me off.
Here Comes Dragonflight
The new expansion comes with a new race and a new class.
The upcoming tenth expansion Dragonflight got my attention. It is back to my favorite story arc – the dragons. I would get to play as a Dracthyr, a new race. On top of that, exclusive to Dracthyr race is a new class called Evoker, a caster.
To be honest, hearing just that may be what I need to be back in the World of Warcraft.
Warhammer 40K Inquisitor Martyr is a great action role-playing game (aRPG). You as an inquisitor may find yourself constantly shuttling across the planets dealing with ongoing conflicts and heresies against the Emporer. This game offers many game modes and features. One of the more holistic and rewarding features is the season journey. This guide aims to help the new players in completing the season. If I can do it, so can you!
This is a text-based guide. I also have a video guide for you on YouTube. Should you wish to play together, my Cabal is 2038RedRidingHood.
An upcoming new DLC called Sisters of Battle. I just can’t wait!
Expectation on Season Journey
I am a big fan of aRPG genre, and I am a big fan of season gameplay. Like Diablo 3 and Path of Exile, this game introduces new season mechanics for each season. The season journey provides an excellent tutorial on the various aspects of the game that you may otherwise miss out on. There are also cosmetic rewards that can be earned. To summarize what to expect on Warhammer 40K Inquisitor Martyr season journey:
Solo vs Group Play: The entire season journey can be done solo. You do not need a group at all to complete it.
Duration: The journey can be longer than other games such as Diablo 3. Around 100 hours.
Difficulty: This journey has more depth than say Diablo 3. The difficulty level is reasonable and is perhaps easier than say Path of Exile.
Reward: Minor cosmetic rewards for ship decoration. Portrait frames like Diablo 3. Loot boxes and in-game buffs. In-game currency Favour is awarded for more cosmetic item redemption at the vendor (such as footprints, more ship decoration, avatar frame, etc.)
Leaderboard: Unlike Diablo 3 that mainly tracks greater rift clear time by class and set, this game tracks “glory” weekly – an in-game currency that is rewarded when completing missions.
Notes on Difficulty Level by Objective
Some objectives below are marked as trivial because you may complete them without even knowing that they exist. Harder objective doesn’t necessarily mean that they are difficult to complete. The game mechanic may not be obvious or intuitive and may require a bit of Internet research to understand how to complete the objective. Or it could take time, especially when you are not aware of the requirements upfront. Last but not the least, the difficulty level is relative to the tiers the objectives belong.
Tier I Agent Guide
#
Objective
Descriptions
Difficulty
Tips
1
Sacred Duty I
Reach Level 20
Trivial
Play story mode.
2
Article of Sanctity
Equipe a Relic Item
Trivial
Relic items are brown.
3
Laudable Commitment
Complete a Random or DLC Assignment at the Astropath
Medium
Astropath is actually a person next to the Starmap. You may request a random assignment from him. You must complete the entire chain of missions.
4
Empyrean Discernment
Find Uther’s Tarot & Complete 5 Tarot Missions
Hard
Uther’s Tarot Card is a random world drop that is likely to be found in chests and from commanders/ villains/ elites. Using a Venom Tarot card in a mission may also increase the drop rate. You can convert Uther’s Tarot Card into any unlocked Tarot Card via the Inventory tab (with the gem sign).
To complete a Tarot Mission, equip at least one card through random missions or void crusade (not story).
5
Homage to Omnissiah
Learn Your First Blueprint
Easy
Blueprints are world drop. Right-click on your inventory to learn them.
The Store also may sell but it costs Flavour, which you may need to unlock DLC.
6
Tribute to Omnissiah
Craft an Add-on from any Blueprint
Medium
Visit Omicron at your ship (unlocked through story). Under the Crafting tab, use the filter “Add-on”. Craft any item.
7
Faith in Omnissiah
Enhance an Item
Easy
Visit Omicron at your ship. Under Modify tab, place an item, go to the 3rd tab and add 5 crafting capacity.
8
Studies in Adaptation
Use the “Reroll All Enhancements” crafting function on an item
Easy
Visit Omicron at your ship. Under the Tech Tree tab, unlock Optimisation. Under Modify tab, place an item and reroll all enhancements.
9
Informal Affiliation
Visit the Keeper of the Forge (Custodian Rebus)
Hard
Custodian Rebus is a vendor that visits during weekends. The easiest way to find him is through the game interface at your ship. Click through the tabs on the right and if he is there, there is a message and within the message, a link to click onto him.
10
Ambitious Prosecution
Complete an Intel Mission
Easy
Intel is a random world drop. Right-click on your inventory to start an intel mission.
11
Full Gear
Equipe Artificer or better quality items in all Your equipment Slots (Set I & Set II too)
Trivial
Artificer is a purple item. Do it for both sets.
12
Curio Collector
Collect 100 Cortex Fragments
Trivial
World drop mainly through chests and elites.
13
(Season 6) Fully Imbued
Achieve a full Enhancement stake
Trivial
Keep killing, stay alive.
14
(Season 6) Harbinger Eliminated
Eliminate a Harbinger of Escalation
Trivial
Marked as a green icon on the mini-map, take out the hordes first to remove Harbinger’s health buff.
15
(Season 6) Battle Prayer
Activate a Seasonal Shrine
Trivial
You just can’t miss it.
16
(Season 6) Escalation Cache I
Open a Seasonal Chest
Trivial
Seasonal chest golden in color is marked as a yellow icon on the mini-map. Need a key to open it. Harbinger enemies has a chance to drop a key.
17
Augmented Means
Use a Consumable Buff item
Trivial
Random world drop to buff XP or DPS. Alternatively, you can buy a Mind Reset from the Store to reset the passive skill tree.
18
Benediction of Reprocessing
Salvage 100 items
Trivial
In general, salvage all the relics (brown) and above at Omicron. (And sell the lower tiers at the Store).
But for this objective, you may wish to salvage all.
19
Display of Authority
Modify your Inquisitor’s Appearance
Easy
At Omicron, under the Appearance tab, have fun with the feature!
20
Formula of Dedication
Modify your Inquisitor’s Inoculator
Easy
Visit Matrodora at your ship (unlocked via story). Modify your equipped Inoculator.
Tier II Interrogator Guide
#
Objective
Descriptions
Difficulty
Tips
1
Sacred Duty II
Reach level 40
Trivial
Play story mode.
2
Asset Reclamation
Hunt down a Wandering Servoskull in any Void Crusade
Easy
Servoskull spawns randomly in one of the Void Crusade missions. You can see a special additional icon at the Void Crusade Map. You must destroy it within 30 seconds. Pay attention to a special icon on the mini-map as you encounter Wandering Servoskull. There is an audio cue too.
3
Crusade Minoris
Complete a Void Crusade
Medium
At level 50, you have access to the Void Crusade (the game will prompt you). You may take the shortest route to one of the Supreme Missions (golden icon) to complete this objective.
4
Shaper of Fate
Collect 500 Fate
Trivial
Keep playing, don’t lose momentum!
5
Small Favours
Collect & Exchange 200 Cortex Fragments for Favours with Custodian Rebus
Easy
Visit Custodian Rebus to exchange 200 Cortex Fragment for 2 Favours.
6
Confiscation Protocols
Discover, Protect & Open Up 5 “Spoils of War” Chests
Easy
These chests do not appear on the mini-map. Follow any Void Crusade guide in Steam (that has the maps) that reveals the treasure location. There are plenty of “Spoils of War” chests. Just stand next to it and kill the Daemon within 30 seconds.
7
Venerate the Omnissah
Learn 10 Blueprints
Trivial
Once you start playing Void Crusade, you will have plenty of Blueprints.
8
Aegis of the Omnissah
Craft a Relic item from a Blueprint
Trivial
Visit Omicron in your ship and craft a Relic item (brown).
9
Studies in Fabrication
Unlock the Rerolling Feature and Reroll an Enhancement
Easy
Visit Omicron in your ship, unlock the appropriate Tech Tree and reroll an item affix to a different one.
10
(Season 6) Circle of Harbingers
Eliminate 5 Harbingers of Escalation from different fractions
Trivial
Keep playing, don’t lose momentum!
11
(Season 6) Fixed Enhancement
Use an Enchantment Clamp
Trivial
3 types of clamps can be obtained from loot or purchased from Ragna Van Wynter.
12
(Season 6) Blessed Mandate
Generate a Seasonal Mission
Trivial
Once the green bar above the health bar is full, at the ship, start a seasonal mission through UI (top right). Advise having 2 keys prior to the mission as 2 chests are guaranteed.
13
(Season 6) Rewards of Escalation
Use a Void Key of Escalation at a Void Crusade
Easy
From level 35 onwards and once having a Void Key of Escalation (check inventory currency tab), start a Void Crusade (follow the in-game tutorial). Upon finishing a Void Crusade Supreme Mission, use all the keys to open the chests.
14
(Season 6) Escalation Cache II
Open 5 Seasonal Chests
Trivial
Keep playing, don’t lose momentum!
15
(Season 6) Loop of Enchantment
Have Enchantments in the Enchantment stake rerolled 50 times
Trivial
Keep playing, don’t lose momentum!
16
Extended Duty
Complete 20 Random Missions
Medium
Just take time. Suggest completing this objective alongside other objectives in this tier or next. Suggest looking for maps with Influence less than 800 (above 800 there are no more rewards as it is considered as “max”).
17
Study in Augmentation
Reroll a Base Attribute on an item
Trivial
Visit Omicron in your ship, unlock the appropriate Tech Tree, and reroll a Base Attribute.
18
Tactical Alertness
Defuse 10 Skull Traps (by destroying them before they activate)
Hard
You know you have triggered a Skull Trap when all of a sudden, you see a red line and then some bad things happen (such as turrets or mobs are spawned to attack you). See screenshot here.
To spot these traps – two tiny skulls hiding in a map – requires a high level of alertness (hence the objective title). It is especially hard if you are a melee character speed farming mission. These traps are common in ship-type of maps. Use a ranged weapon to take down both skulls before triggering them. You could also let it naturally be completed (e.g. barrel explosions etc. do destroy them before you know it).
If you are desperate, do missions that are inside a ship. Or once you have accidentally triggered one in a story or void crusade, press Alt-F4 to kill the game and restart again (which is too extreme for me, but is an option).
19
Empyrean Journey
Complete 15 Tarot Missions
Easy
Apply at least 1 Tarot Card for any Random Mission, Intel, or Void Crusade. Try to apply all 3 if you can (pick the least harmless ones if you have a problem with the debuffs) so that you can complete another objective down the line.
20
Refined Competence
Have 3 Active Perks
Trivial
You gain perk slots as you level. Just pick an active perk once you have it unlocked.
Tier III Master Guide
#
Objective
Descriptions
Difficulty
Tips
1
Binharic Scripture
Apply a Psalm-Code Doctrine
Hard
This mechanic is not at all obvious. Basically, when slotting a predefined combination of Psalm-Code into your gear (which share the same slot as Shards), you get a specific buff on that gear. That buff appears ont your gear as additional text.
Refer to official compendium and pick Psalm-Code Doctrines that work for your build. You may need to farm for a particular Psalm-Code (use Tarot Card to help). You any also craft a higher tier one using the lower tier ones through Omicron.
2
Archeotech Composition
Combine one type of Archeotech Shards to reach Level 3
Easy
Move all the Shards from your stash into your inventory. Visit Omicron, forging, shard crafting tab.
3
Radiant Glory
Collect 10 Spark of Glory
Trivial
World drop. Or salvage Archeotech Relic (red) / Ancient Relic items.
4
Archeotech Bulwark
Wear an Archeotech Relic Armor
Trivial
Red item.
5
Archeotech Armament
Equip an Archeotech Relic Weapon
Trivial
Red item.
6
Machine Enlightenment
Max Out the Tech Tree
Easy
Collect credits (play missions, sell purple and below at Store) and collect Fate (play missions). Unlock at Omicron.
7
(Season 6) Escalation Acquisition
Purchase an Escalation Stash
Trivial
Purchased from Ragna Van Wynter using the badges collected from loot.
8
(Season 6) Cycle of Enchantment
Have Enchantments in the Enchantment stack rerolled 200 times
Trivial
Keep killing, don’t lose momentum!
9
(Season 6) Righteous Sentence
Kill a Seasonal Boss
Easy
Seasonal Boss spawn chance is 15%. Average requires 7 Seasonal Missions.
10
(Season 6) Escalation Cache III
Open 20 Seasonal Chests
Easy
Keep playing, don’t lose momentum!
11
(Season 6) Harbinger Prioritized
Eliminate a Harbinger of Escalation without killing the minions first
Hard
Need a Harbinger such as Alpha Legion to chase after you faster than the minions (e.g. won’t do with Tyranid Harbinger). Kite the Harbinger very far away from the minions and kill it.
12
Expropriated Repository
Open Up 20 Void Chests
Medium
Keep playing Void Crusade, don’t lose momentum!
13
Archeo-Enhancement
Socket a Shard into Your Gear
Easy
Visit Omicron, forging tab.
14
Thorough Crusade
Complete a Void Crusade wtih all Info-fragments within 75 minutes (On-mission Timer)
Hard
You need to have a reasonably good build (and gear) during leveling. I have a speed run guide. I would recommend Viridian Void Crusade. You may need to skip treasures in order to save time. Be very careful not to miss Info-fragment. You can’t go back once a mission is completed.
15
Prognosticated Offensive
Complete 10 Intel Missions Combined with at least One Tarot Card
Medium
Intel missions are harder than random ones during leveling. Use a minor Tarot Card if you are not ready to deal with challenging content.
16
Comprehensive Proficiency
Max Out 3 Passive Skill Trees
Easy
Your build may not need to max out any given Passive Skill Tree. Having said that, if you must for this objective, you can easily reset the Passive Skill Tree using Mind Reset consumable. You can buy that from the Store for 14k credit each.
17
Accouterment of Authority
Use a Unique Avatar Frame (of any color)
Easy
Visit the machine behind Void Crusade in your ship. Cosmetic tab, Avatar Frames tab. Pick the one you earned from the last tier.
Tier IV Grandmaster Guide
#
Objective
Descriptions
Difficulty
Tips
1
Sacred Duty III
Reach Level 70
Medium
By the time you finish the story, you should be around level 70. If not, keep playing Void Crusade, don’t lose momentum!
2
High-risk Offensive
Complete a Void Crusade in “Hardcore Mode” (One Life Only)
Medium
This could be easy or hard depending on your build and gear. In general, invest passive points onto Health and Defensive. Invest in defensive attributes. Build up resistance. If you are not confident, pick the shortest route to Supreme Mission. If you must, ALT-F4 when get defeated by mistake before clicking “Quit”.
Suggest to “master” one instead (all keys, all info-fragments) if you have a strong character and hence complete the next tier’s “Legendary Crusade” at the same time
3
Archeotech Masterpiece
Combine one type of Archeotech Shards to reach Level 5
Easy
Visit Omicron, forging, shard crafting.
4
Impeccable Crusade
Master a Void Crusade (complete all missions plus one Supreme Mission) with all Keys and Info-fragment
Hard
Again, this could be easy or hard depending on your build and gear.
Pick an easier Void Crusade such as Ebony, Viridian, or Amber. Avoid Azure (end boss has tons of armor) or Zircon (higher level maps towards the end). Read up on how Void Crusade’s difficulty works. Follow guides on Steam.
Suggest to go “hardcore” if you have a strong character and hence complete the next tier’s “Legendary Crusade” at the same time
5
Supreme Requisition
Pick up 1,000,000 Credits
Trivial
Sell all items up to purple at the Store. Keep playing, don’t lose momentum!
6
(Season 6) Wheel of Enchantment
Have Enchantments in the Enchantment stack reroll 500 times
Easy
You’d get there before knowing it.
7
(Season 6) Harbinger Purgation
Eliminate all types of Harbingers of Escalation
Easy
Takes a bit of time. No extra effort is required. Just keep playing against different enemy types. A total of 10.
8
(Season 6) Escalation Cache IV
Open 50 Seasonal Chests
Easy
Keep playing, don’t lose momentum!
9
Binharic Binary
Collect at least one of Each Type of Psalm-Codes
Medium
It does take some time to collect all. You could accelerate by crafting the higher tier ones through Omicron, forging, code crafting.
10
Venerable Aegis
Fully unlock an Ancient Relic Armour
Medium
First, you need to collect an Ancient Relic preferably from Void Crusade. Second, you need to complete the mini-missions as per the item to unlock the affixes.
11
Venerable Armament
Fully unlock an Ancient Relic Weapon
Medium
As above.
12
Inquisitorial Auxiliary
Buy a Summon from Custodian Rebus
Easy
You can spend Favour at the vendor to buy a Summon to help you for 5 missions. Don’t think too hard on which of the 3 to get. They die fast.
13
Exalted Equipment
Gear up with “Archeotech Relic” Items of any Level (Minimum “5” pieces)
Easy
Equip 5 red items.
14
Brink of Perfection
Max Out an Attribute Bar (Tier V)
Easy
By now you should have enough points to max out one attribute. There is no cost to adjust between the attributes.
15
Interpreter of Fate
Collect 2000 Fate
Trivial
Keep playing missions, don’t lose momentum!
16
Adept Augury
Level up a Tarot Card to Level 3
Very Hard
How hard this is, depends on how soon you realize that you should not level up more than 1 Tarot Card at a time for this objective and the next tier’s one (level 5). The cost of leveling a Tarot Card escalates. You may realize that you need to keep grinding Void Crusades just to farm Uther’s Tarot Card.
Level up Venom Tarot Card, which gets you more Uther’s Tarot Card as you play missions. Always use Venom Tarot Card when you can. Convert Uther’s Tarot Card into any unlocked Tarot Card that is not at the max level through the Inventory tab (with the gem sign). You can level up a Tarot Card once it is at max progress using Credits. You can only do so through the Mission game interface.
Tier V Heroic Guide
#
Objective
Descriptions
Difficulty
Tips
1
Duty Eternal
Reach Level 100
Very Hard
After level 70, it is harder and harder to gain XP. Do lots of Void Crusade. Use Murder Tarot Card. Use Meme Virus consumable (through Void Crusade chest).
Keep on playing, don’t lose momentum!
2
Sweeping Crusade
Complete all 9 Void Crusades
Easy
Keep playing Void Crusades. You don’t have to master all.
3
Legendary Crusade
Master a Void Crusade in “Hardcore Mode” (One Life Only)
Hard
Easy or hard depends on your build and gear. Suggest completing this one and the previous tier’s ones (“Impeccable Crusade” and “High-risk Offensive”) at the same time.
As mentioned, Ebony, Viridian, and Amber should be the easier ones to master.
4
Expert Augury
Level a Tarot Card to the Max (Level 5)
Hard
A common mistake is that people may level one too many Tarot Cards at the same time. If so, this may take a very long time. Stop leveling more than one Tarot Card as soon as you know of this objective.
Start collecting Ancient Relic items as you complete Void Crusade. Ideally should unlock those that you may need (as it takes effort to fully unlock one). You just need 5 items to complete this objective. You don’t need to go on any mission with all these 5 that may or may not be useful to you.
6
Protector Magna
Reach maximum influence in a whole Subsector (All solar systems within the subsector)
Hard (and Very Hard for Tech-Priest)
Ideally, you should use pen-and-paper to keep track of your Influence progress for each of the solar systems against the four subsectors (via Starmap).
As you level to 100, try to avoid doing random missions for solar systems that have already exceeded 800 points (that’s the “max”).
If you are too lazy to track progress manually, keep doing random assignments on solar systems with less than 800 Influence points (last column).
If you track your progress manually, suggesting to target 2 to 3 subsectors. Abandon unwanted random missions if need to. Eventually, the ones you want will be spawned.
7
(Season 6) Ultimate Escalation
Kill all Seasonal Bosses
Insanely Hard
To spawn the last Seasonal Boss is a 1.5% chance (15% chance a Season Boss will spawn and there are 10 different bosses). Luck is required. Pray to the Emperor. Average requires 201 Seasonal Missions.
Note: I will create a video guide on this.
8
(Season 6) Carousel of Enchantment
Have Enchantments in the Enchantment stack reroll 1000 times
Easy
If you are committed to the objective above, I don’t see why you won’t get this done way before the one above.
9
(Season 6) Spoils of Escalation
Use a Void Key of Escalation in all 9 Void Crusades
Medium
Make sure to have a Key of Escalation (check the inventory currency tab) before completing the Supreme Mission.
10
(Season 6) Escalation Cache V
Open 100 Seasonal Chests
Medium
Keep playing, you know the drill.
11
Ultimate Penance
Complete a level 100 (or higher) Intel mission while only wearing Mastercrafted items (Set I & II too)
Very Hard (but Fun)
Mastercrafted Items are the blue ones. It only comes with 2 to 3 affixes without the special ones.
Start collecting decent blue items that are relevant to your build as you play high-level missions. Use all the crafting experience you have to make a set of the best Mastercrafted item you can have, complete with the same set of Psalm-Codes / Doctrines / Shards. Reroll to the desired enchants and reroll the numbers to near max. Avoid Rescue or VIP missions as the NPC’s may perish before mission completion.
Take Destruction Amplification consumable.
12
Binharic Choir
Wear 3 Different Psalm-Code Doctrines at the same time
Easy
Add sockets to the max for those items that you can. Apply three different Doctrines as per the official compendium.
13
Empyrean Odyssey
Complete 20 Full Deck Tarot Missions at level 85 or above
Easy
If you are serious to get to level 100, you should by now apply a full deck to most of your missions (1 major and 2 minors).
14
Contempt for Peril
Complete 5 Missions on Difficulty Level 110 without Death
Hard
You could try to gear up for it. The reality is that once you have decided on a build that can take you to level 100, getting an upgrade could be harder and harder.
Ranged build is perhaps easier than melee at 110. It just takes time.
Purge is perhaps the most doable one among others.
Soon to be eight months old, Bailey is one super active puppy. Outside of the home, he terrorizes dogs and humans alike. With harness and leash, he likes to stand on his two feet capable of hopping forward and backward depending on the situation. He enjoys playing with dogs that are of a similar energy level. He ignores dogs that are too passive. He enjoys taking on dogs that are bigger than him, at times much bigger than him. He enjoys chewing onto furry dogs. Baily, why can’t you be as chill as your friend Elvis the Dachshund?
This stretch of street is his favorite place to do his business. It is a sure win. Don’t judge.
Or Dylan the Singapore Special?
These days, there is no need to set an alarm in the morning. At seven, Bailey would start barking. He would need his morning walk. Then his first meal of the day at home. Afterward, he would need some nap time after the meal. Before noon, he would be super active wanting to play. That is a good time to play puzzles with Bailey. And then pee time.
He has his eyes onto Otis the Singapore Special, a rescue dog, from across the street.
At noon, he would prefer a second nap. And he would be super active again, thereafter. Time to play fetch to burn his energy down! And then pee time.
The afternoon is a tricky time to keep him entertained. On a good day, I could reserve the stuffed Kong toy (with food inside) for the evening. On a bad day when he is restless, I would just give him a stuffed Kong toy in order to keep himself occupied … for 90 minutes initially. Now he is getting better at it … 60 minutes … 30 minutes …
Stop barking Bailey …
Dogs don’t see colors as well as human do. But they have very good nose sense. These days, he likes to eat tall grass and chew on branches.
Late afternoon early evening is time to walk the dog again. After his walk, it is Bailey’s second meal of the day. Then he would toggle in between being super active and having his nap time. A stuff Kong toy would help him to pass time.
At time I ponder, what exactly is going on inside Bailey’s head.
I read that dogs don’t prefer variety. Variety is for humans because we get bored making the same dog snack day after day. Fortunately, I can do boring. For the stuffed Kong toy, it is 70% mashed sweet potatoes and 30% mixed vegetables with a dozen or so pieces of kibbles and one teaspoon of dog-friendly peanut butter.
The same recipe … every … day.
Bailey the Pomsky can be rather adorable … when he is not super active.
Near bedtime, I prefer to play with him for a while and get him excited, so that Bailey would do his peeing business before his sleep.
Now, imagine repeating this routine for the next ten to fifteen years. Because dogs love routine.
At times I wonder why Cynthia would want to sign up for this.
For more Bailey’s pictures, I have set up a Google photo album for sharing. During this pandemic, it is the best time to take pictures of the pets.
These days I am into making sourdough. For those who are not familiar with the process, the concept is surprisingly simple though the execution is more like an art than science. Whenever I feed my sourdough starter at night, I would imagine myself being Thanos. Hang in there. I will explain.
Today’s breakfast was omelet and sourdough with butter.
Sourdough Starter, What?!
Unlike making bread that uses industrial yeast, sourdough uses wild yeast. You can read more on the benefits of sourdough and the difference between yeast and mold through a Google search. Meanwhile, just take my words for now. Sourdough is a healthier option than bread. And yeast is not the same as mold.
To create wild yeast, you can ferment flour by adding an equal amount of water (by weight). Yeast and bacteria that occur naturally in flour (again, take my words and hence, don’t eat raw flour) and the environment around us. That mixture is called sourdough starter. There is an excellent article written on how to create one.
Every day, the sourdough starter that you cultivate would consume the flour and water you feed it with, grow in size, and fall back to the original size once it becomes hungry again. Each day, you feed your sourdough starter with more flour and water.
The rubber band shows the original size of sourdough starter before it grows as I feed it with flour and water.
Unless you bake every day, your sourdough starter would grow exponentially. Because as you add more flour and water each day, the population of wild yeast and bacteria will explode requiring double of what you feed the day before.
Unless …
… unless you do a Thanos on your sourdough starter. You discard half of them, into the bin or into the toilet. The portion that left behind, you feed them with the same amount of flour and water as yesterday.
In short, during each feeding interval, you wipe off half of the wild yeast and bacteria population randomly. The remaining part gets to live for another day. The part that doesn’t, vanishes from the kitchen and into oblivion.
Just like Thanos in the Avenger movie.
I made this sourdough with my own hands! Imagine, say, the first batch of viable wild yeast appeared on day 2. Since I baked this on day 12, only 0.1% of the original wild yeast survived as I discard half of the sourdough starter every day!
Baking Sourdough
I was so excited about my first sourdough so much so that I have stayed next to the oven throughout the entire one hour of baking. Making sourdough is a labor of love, for sure.
Mixing the ingredients is straightforward. No kneading is required. I followed a recipe that uses a sourdough starter (my creation muhahaha), warm water, olive oil, bread flour, and salt. Because wild yeast works so much slower than industrial yeast, the mixture took six hours to rise to a point that I could bake it. Each hour, I folded the mixture and left it alone for another hour. Each hour I observed its size and made a decision if I shall bake it or leave it alone for another hour.
How long does the whole process take?
It takes 12 hours after feeding the sourdough starter for it to attain its most active state. It takes 1 hour for autolyze to take place before rolling the mixture into a ball and another 5 hours to rise with folding to be done in an hourly interval. It takes 1 hour to bake and another hour to cool down.
Morale of the story? Do plan ahead when making sourdough.
I have been feeding you for 10 days. Thanks for making my sourdough rises. Time to go to the oven!
Was It A Success?
When I shared my sourdough making adventure with my friends and family, the first question would be, how does it taste?
Consider the fact that this is the first time I have done any baking, I would say the result is pretty decent. The texture seems right. It has this unique tangy sourdough taste. It isn’t too dry even though I have left it overnight covered with clothes. I am not a sourdough expert. But I am happy with the result.
In retrospect, I wish the sourdough starter could double in size every day instead of just expands for 20% in volume. I wish the sourdough could double in size during rising, although I must say, it was pretty close. I could make the top cut a bit deeper and perhaps, the sourdough may look prettier after baked. I may bake it a little bit longer and crack open the oven door toward the last 10 minutes of baking.
So, the sourdough starter is indeed active. It is just that for some reasons unknown to me, it doesn’t double its volume when it becomes most active in between the daily feed.
To that, I have decided to change the flour origin and give it another shot.
Stay tuned.
Look at the bubbles. My sourdough starter is indeed active!
Towards the end of 2020, I have explored a different art direction. My interpretation of cubism, which requires precision. Hence, I have switched to papers for marker pens.
Somehow, I still miss the fine-grain heavyweight paper that I used to draw with. Sure, that consumes more ink and the paper is harsh to the marker pens. It costs more in the long run. It is harder to draw because of the ink feathers. But I prefer fine grain heavyweight paper.
Titled as “Take You To The Moon”
In a way, it is like when people tell me that I should use an acoustic guitar to play music instead of strumming using a classical guitar. It is probably ‘wrong’. But I have made it my own, going against the norm.
In another word, I create art for my own consumption. It doesn’t make sense, I know (Jason my guitarist used to remind me that songs have to be written for general consumption, just stick with the general expectation and we would be fine).
I think I am a rebel.
Take You To The Moon is my latest work that inspired me to write a song that I have recently published on YouTube. The objects I use are very recognizable when you examine my previous work. That is a deliberate effort as I intend to form my signatures on my drawings. That is to say, by looking at the drawings, one would relate to the style of an artist. The cat, the couple, the half-moon, and the thorns. The difference for this drawing is that instead of roses, I drew stars to better suit the theme.
Titled “Wild Passion”, which is the predecessor of “Take You To The Moon”
On New Year Day, I stayed up late having this urge to return to the previous paper type (as mentioned above). I wanted to draw something abstract, free form, and to inject a sense of freedom and urgency. Personally, I enjoyed drawing Wild Passion a lot. The end result may not be as refined as other drawings of mine. It was liberating. I suspect those who are into interpreting art may find Wild Passion more interesting.
And yes, Wild Passion is also the predecessor of Take You To The Moon. I may do more abstract art. Perhaps in a more controlled manner.
Recently, I have read a short story from Folklore written by Italo Calvino. It is called The Tale of Cats. Long story short, a girl has discovered a cauliflower once lifted, there was a ladder leading to a world of cats. She went down, helped the cats, and was rewarded with a delicious dinner, a nice dress, and a ring.
When the stepmother heard of the girl’s story, she sent her daughter to the world of cats. Instead of working as the girl did, the daughter did nothing and didn’t get the same reward at all.
The ending was rather abrupt. Both the stepmother and her daughter died and the girl has found a nice man, a happily ever after.
Titled as “The Tale of Cats”
That story has inspired me to draw. There is cauliflower, the ladder, the cats, and the couple. I am thinking of using a Japanese theme. Hence, the Sake, inari sushi with prawn and avocado, salmon dumplings, and saba fish.
Looking at this drawing makes me happy. It brings back fond memories. It is good to be with someone you want to be with. I am happy for the girl.
Modern-day photography and videography capture a snippet of life. The reality in its entirety often leaves little for our imagination. Call me old school. I still prefer words and drawings. Such artwork too captures a snippet of life yet leaves much for the imagination. An alternative reality within the realm of actuality. A private interpretation of the hidden messages forever imprints onto the likeminded ones. Book clubs. Painting appreciation. Call me old school. I have my preference.
A cubism doodle titled “Home-cooked food”
Covid-19 has changed the way we live and the way we socialize. Many friends of mine now cook at home. We were used to catching up during lunch. Now, during dinner. As for me, I prefer healthy home-cooked food to outside food. I know what goes into the cooking. I know how the food is being handled.
Onto this particular drawing, I further explore the construct of cubism, or rather my interpretation of cubism. My third attempt and it took me a lot longer to draw than most of my previous ones. I love Coste di Moro – Montepulciano d’Abruzzo – an Italian red wine. And I would imagine, that bottle of wine would have been moved around. From the kitchen counter to the dining table. To various positions as it is poured onto the glasses.
I love salad these days. I think of avocado. Capsicum. Quinoa. Chicken breast. Salmon. Potato. Lettuce. Pickled onion.
An alternative reality. A parallel universe. A drawing that is no less than a photograph or a video clip.
I remember Freddy. He was a fellow Hongkonger whom I have met back in my university days. It was his first year in the UK, still imbued with Hong Kong culture. While for me, I had been soaked in Western culture for two years ahead of him. Hanging out with him was an interesting experience. He reminded me of myself when I first arrived in the UK and faced a foreign culture. Though I must say, I embraced Western culture more readily than he did.
It is hard to say if I was really into Freddy. We got along well, in the sense that I was and still am an adaptable person. He was a scholar and I wasn’t (though after four years, we both graduated as first-class honor). Very smart. Those who didn’t know him may find him arrogant. I just recognized the fact that he saw this world in a very different way compared to the rest of us. We had common hobbies and interests. Or rather, I have learned to develop common hobbies and interests with new friends. That is what I do.
Titled “Escargots & Snails”
Freddy introduced me to Pink Floyd, for which I am eternally grateful. Pink Floyd has inspired my music creation journey. We would talk about Shine On You Crazy Diamond night after night and would listen to it non-stop. Pink Floyd was our thing. I would head to the gigantic Blackmores bookstore in Oxford to read their biography. I would browse the magazines at WH Smiths to read their latest news. In fact, I have attended Pink Floyd‘s live concert PLUSE in the UK. That could well be their last gig in a ‘full band’ setting.
Freddy has also introduced me to escargots. I vividly remembered the expression he gave when he described the dish … it was so delicious, so out of the world. Eyes rolled back, all white. Fingers near his mouth, breathing in deep.
Initially, I found the idea rather repulsive. I could not imagine myself eating snails, no matter how starved I am. Then, I have done some research. These are not regular snails. These are farmed snails. Very much like frogs, I guess. I ate frogs when I was in Hong Kong. Frogs taste like chicken, in case you are curious. They really do.
I cannot recall when was the first time I have eaten escargots or whom I was with. What I do recall though is that when I was in a business trip working in Paris, one of my favorite starter dishes would be escargots. Either that or the live oysters.
If I am asked to describe escargots, I would not have done that Freddy impression. What I would say is that with the melted butter, the herbs, and the unique chewy texture, escargots really go well with bread.
One French friend told me that the escargot meat doesn’t belong to the shell it comes from. The farms supply the meat without shells. And the restaurants reuse the shells. I do not know how true it is. He or she might have pulled my legs.
Fast forward to yesterday, Y had dinner. Instead of oysters, she had escargots the first time (both are my favorites). I don’t think she was thrilled. But, that has triggered all sorts of memories, Freddy and my Paris business trip. At the National Gallery of Singapore and in one of the exhibitions, there were framed photos of snails placed on top of sand and dirt on the floor. That also triggered my recent memory, when I walked back home and in my condo and especially on a rainy day, I often saw snails crossing the path. I would carefully pick them up and put them onto the grassland knowing very well that they are in fact pests. I hardly see snails in my condo these days. The management office must have done a good job of exterminating them.
