u/JarOfNightmares

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the game, and somewhat new to Souls-likes and Souls-lights. I've recently hit level 24 and I've noticed a very steep dropoff in the DPS / efficacy of my build since around 20. I want to stay dex, but I'm considering switching to a different weapon type.

Do you see any other areas in my build where I can improve my dps?

Weapon: Brother's Keepers (level 4, having been upgraded twice)

Weapon runes: Dual-breaker + Throw Axe (I haven't found any other runes that appeal to me. One NPC sells a bunch of runes that do various kicks, which I haven't tried)

I find myself having to constantly use Blade Oil for the 20% dmg increase just to contend with some mobs / bosses.

Utility runes: Self-heal, Channeled heal, Illuminate, and Channel. I want to swap Channel with Repair, which I've got in my bag, but I don't know how to swap it. The rune lady's menu doesn't help much.

I use a combination of leather and mesh armor with mostly +dmg, crit, stam recovery, and lifesteal. Everything is enchanted + infused.

I swap to new armor pieces when I can, but I've never upgraded an armor piece the way I've upgraded my weapon at the smith. Not sure if they can be upgraded.

My rings are kind of bad. They're mostly just +resistance and +armor, stamina, etc. I haven't found DPS rings.

Stats:

Health: 19

Stam: 22

Str: 10

Dex: 25

Int: 10

Faith: 10

Focus: 16 (for a bit bigger mana pool)

Equip: 37 (to allow for the use of mesh, since my dodge / parry timing isn't fantastic)

I have read that one-handed weapons hit harder and have bigger stagger. Would you recommend I swap out of dual-wield and into one-handers? If so, which type should I use (curved sword, straight sword, wakizashi, etc)? I've heard Pig Sticker works pretty well.

Thank you!

I'm not very good with Facebook so I don't know if I'm using the right language here. Apologies.

I have a public page with thousands of followers.

In the past year, I've noticed that a ton of comment responses to my posts come through to my Messenger as DMs. My followers and I are both confused about this. Basically, whenever I make a new post, if a follower clicks on the post, it opens up Messenger (or, when they leave a comment, it just gets sent to me as a DM where I can chat with them).

I know this is some setting I need to switch off, but I have no idea how. Can anyone advise?

I only use desktop, not mobile, if that helps.

Hey folks, I just started NRFTW. I'm loving it so far. It's my top game of the year, at least, and has become a contender for one of my favorite games of all time. I'm just wondering if I chose the wrong difficulty.

I'm new to Souls-likes, and have only played Elden Ring and The Lords of the Fallen.

For NRFTW, I built an assassin-type character. His equip load is Fast, he wears Mesh, and he uses the Brothers Keepers daggers. I'm investing most of my points in Dex, Stam, Health, and a little bit in Focus.

I chose Path of the Chosen, which is the middle difficulty, described by the game as "the intended experience." I'm using a controller on PC.

I defeated Warrick the Torn on first attempt at level 8 or 10 (can't remember). I did not come close to dying.

I then defeated Darak (Black Trench encounter) on first attempt at level 15. This was a good fight and I almost died several times.

I have been killed by a few mini-bosses multiple times, like the two big dudes in Orban Glades that you have to fight together for a Bounty quest. I also get smoked pretty easily in the Crucible. I find the non-boss enemies a decent challenge.

Are the bosses of this game just not that difficult? Did you guys struggle with the first 2 bosses at all? Should I increase the game difficulty, or is it going to ramp up as I progress? I'm just now getting through the Nameless Pass, but I haven't found a boss yet.

I've read the devs recommend using a controller on PC, but I don't have one, and I wouldn't buy one unless I fell in love with NRFTW.

Have any of you played the game with keyboard + mouse? Is it a pain in the ass?

Hi yall,

I've come to ask how you feel about a specific trope in fantasy fiction. I'd like to hear which version you like more, or whether it matters to you at all.

I'm now working on my second fantasy novel after having come over from a different genre, where I published seven books. I feel like I have a lot more freedom in fantasy, but I'm also trying not to make too many rookie mistakes in my plot structuring.

I have a specific place in my world where the main story unfolds. For the sake of this conversation, pretend this place is an island.

My character and his comrades are from the mainland, and they need to end up on the island to interact with a different culture and get sucked into that culture's imminent civilizational problem.

I could have the MC et al end up on the island by accident (shipwrecked, cursed map, magic-shrouded island, etc),

Or

I could have the MC consciously choose to go there.

I have tried both of these options in my plot sketches and they both have their benefits and pitfalls. I understand that modern writing advice tends to prefer characters make conscious decisions and utilize agency in moving the plot forward, but I'm not sure if actual readers give much of a crap HOW an MC comes to the inflection point or inciting incident of a story.

Having my MC intend to go to this place, and then encountering a bunch of unexpected twists and turns in his primary objective, feels like the "smart" choice to me. I like a character with agency and goals right off the bat. But I also like the whimsy and surprise of him just ending up at the place because he was being chased, or because he got turned around on the fog, or because he was tricked, etc.

What do you prefer? Are there any arguments for either of these options that I'm not even considering?

My wife and I are both salaried W2 employees but I also run a side business that consists of several 1099s.

This year, I wrote a check to the government for about $75,000 in taxes due. I paid $1500 in penalties because I was unaware I needed to make estimated tax payments quarterly.

I then received a CP30A notice in the mail informing me that I had overpaid and my "refund has been increased because your penalty for failing to pay estimated tax payments was reduced."

Around the same time, I also received a notice informing me that I needed to update my banking information on the IRS site in order to receive my refund. I did so (ensuring it was not a scam).

Do I need to do anything else to enable the government to reimburse me?

How long should I expect to wait to receive this payment? The notice said 4-6 weeks, but it's been 6 weeks and I've received nothing. I've checked the refund status page at IRS.gov and it says my filing is still in process.