Category Archives: My Hobbies

Ultimate Escalation – How Long More?

Leave a reply

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.

To help you visualize the estimated time needed to complete the objective based on your current progress, you may refer to the table below. To use this table, first, use a stopwatch to estimate how long you take to get enough escalation points to generate a seasonal mission. Second, check the seasonal progress to see how many seasonal bosses you have down. E.g. if you have down 5 unique seasonal bosses and your average time to generate a seasonal mission is 45 min, you would need another 116 hours to complete this seasonal objective.

While the Ultimate Escalation seasonal objective probably takes the longest time to complete, the good news is that you can work on this objective in parallel with other activities such as leveling, gearing up your Inquisitor, completing the entire season 6 journey, and more.

Good luck with your season journey. The Emperor protects!

A table to look up the estimated time to complete Ultimate Escalation seasonal objective based on your current progress and average time in generating a seasonal mission.
To check your progress, refer to the seasonal score UI.

Assumptions / Disclaimer / The Maths Behind

  • The number of hours presented in the table above is for illustration only based on the probability assuming that all seasonal bosses have an equal chance to spawn.
  • You may complete the objective much faster or slower. Do not pray to the RNG god or goddess. That is heresy. Have faith in the Emperor instead.
  • The probability of an event – in this case, progressing through the 10 unique seasonal bosses – is the outcome of interest divided by the total number of events in the sample space. For example, if we were to generate 1,000 seasonal missions, we know that 150 of them may have a random seasonal boss (out of 10 different types). As you can imagine, the first seasonal boss count is the easiest. The last seasonal boss count is the hardest. And in our example, out of 150 seasonal bosses, only 15 are of your interest if you are hunting for the last one.

Photo Comparison: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max versus Nikon Z6 – Tiong Bahru

Leave a reply

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.

A few highlight comparisons:

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
Nikon Z6
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
Nikon Z6
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
Nikon 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.

World of Warcraft’s Upcoming Expansion Dragonflight Got My Attention

Leave a reply

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.

For the Horde!

Warhammer 40K Inquisitor Martyr Season Guide

Leave a reply

Note: Updated for Season 6 (December 2022)

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

#ObjectiveDescriptionsDifficultyTips
1Sacred Duty IReach Level 20TrivialPlay story mode.
2Article of SanctityEquipe a Relic ItemTrivialRelic items are brown.
3Laudable CommitmentComplete a Random or DLC Assignment at the AstropathMediumAstropath is actually a person next to the Starmap. You may request a random assignment from him. You must complete the entire chain of missions.
4Empyrean DiscernmentFind Uther’s Tarot & Complete 5 Tarot MissionsHardUther’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).
5Homage to OmnissiahLearn Your First BlueprintEasyBlueprints 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.
6Tribute to OmnissiahCraft an Add-on from any BlueprintMediumVisit Omicron at your ship (unlocked through story). Under the Crafting tab, use the filter “Add-on”. Craft any item.
7Faith in OmnissiahEnhance an ItemEasyVisit Omicron at your ship. Under Modify tab, place an item, go to the 3rd tab and add 5 crafting capacity.
8Studies in AdaptationUse the “Reroll All Enhancements” crafting function on an itemEasyVisit Omicron at your ship. Under the Tech Tree tab, unlock Optimisation. Under Modify tab, place an item and reroll all enhancements.
9Informal AffiliationVisit the Keeper of the Forge (Custodian Rebus)HardCustodian 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.
10Ambitious ProsecutionComplete an Intel MissionEasyIntel is a random world drop. Right-click on your inventory to start an intel mission.
11Full GearEquipe Artificer or better quality items in all Your equipment Slots (Set I & Set II too)TrivialArtificer is a purple item. Do it for both sets.
12Curio CollectorCollect 100 Cortex FragmentsTrivialWorld drop mainly through chests and elites.
13(Season 6) Fully ImbuedAchieve a full Enhancement stakeTrivialKeep killing, stay alive.
14(Season 6) Harbinger EliminatedEliminate a Harbinger of EscalationTrivialMarked as a green icon on the mini-map, take out the hordes first to remove Harbinger’s health buff.
15(Season 6) Battle PrayerActivate a Seasonal ShrineTrivialYou just can’t miss it.
16(Season 6) Escalation Cache IOpen a Seasonal ChestTrivialSeasonal 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.
17Augmented MeansUse a Consumable Buff itemTrivialRandom world drop to buff XP or DPS. Alternatively, you can buy a Mind Reset from the Store to reset the passive skill tree.
18Benediction of ReprocessingSalvage 100 itemsTrivialIn 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.
19Display of AuthorityModify your Inquisitor’s AppearanceEasyAt Omicron, under the Appearance tab, have fun with the feature!
20Formula of DedicationModify your Inquisitor’s InoculatorEasyVisit Matrodora at your ship (unlocked via story). Modify your equipped Inoculator.

Tier II Interrogator Guide

#ObjectiveDescriptionsDifficultyTips
1Sacred Duty IIReach level 40TrivialPlay story mode.
2Asset ReclamationHunt down a Wandering Servoskull in any Void CrusadeEasyServoskull 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.
3Crusade MinorisComplete a Void CrusadeMediumAt 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.
4Shaper of FateCollect 500 FateTrivialKeep playing, don’t lose momentum!
5Small FavoursCollect & Exchange 200 Cortex Fragments for Favours with Custodian RebusEasyVisit Custodian Rebus to exchange 200 Cortex Fragment for 2 Favours.
6Confiscation ProtocolsDiscover, Protect & Open Up 5 “Spoils of War” ChestsEasyThese 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.
7Venerate the OmnissahLearn 10 BlueprintsTrivialOnce you start playing Void Crusade, you will have plenty of Blueprints.
8Aegis of the OmnissahCraft a Relic item from a BlueprintTrivialVisit Omicron in your ship and craft a Relic item (brown).
9Studies in FabricationUnlock the Rerolling Feature and Reroll an EnhancementEasyVisit Omicron in your ship, unlock the appropriate Tech Tree and reroll an item affix to a different one.
10(Season 6) Circle of HarbingersEliminate 5 Harbingers of Escalation from different fractionsTrivialKeep playing, don’t lose momentum!
11(Season 6) Fixed EnhancementUse an Enchantment ClampTrivial 3 types of clamps can be obtained from loot or purchased from Ragna Van Wynter.
12(Season 6) Blessed MandateGenerate a Seasonal MissionTrivial 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 EscalationUse a Void Key of Escalation at a Void CrusadeEasyFrom 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 ChestsTrivialKeep playing, don’t lose momentum!
15(Season 6)
Loop of Enchantment		Have Enchantments in the Enchantment stake rerolled 50 timesTrivialKeep playing, don’t lose momentum!
16Extended DutyComplete 20 Random MissionsMediumJust 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”).
17Study in AugmentationReroll a Base Attribute on an itemTrivialVisit Omicron in your ship, unlock the appropriate Tech Tree, and reroll a Base Attribute.
18Tactical AlertnessDefuse 10 Skull Traps (by destroying them before they activate)HardYou 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).
19Empyrean JourneyComplete 15 Tarot MissionsEasyApply 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.
20Refined CompetenceHave 3 Active PerksTrivialYou gain perk slots as you level. Just pick an active perk once you have it unlocked.

Tier III Master Guide

#ObjectiveDescriptionsDifficultyTips
1Binharic ScriptureApply a Psalm-Code DoctrineHardThis 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.
2Archeotech CompositionCombine one type of Archeotech Shards to reach Level 3EasyMove all the Shards from your stash into your inventory. Visit Omicron, forging, shard crafting tab.
3Radiant GloryCollect 10 Spark of GloryTrivialWorld drop. Or salvage Archeotech Relic (red) / Ancient Relic items.
4Archeotech BulwarkWear an Archeotech Relic ArmorTrivialRed item.
5Archeotech ArmamentEquip an Archeotech Relic Weapon TrivialRed item.
6Machine EnlightenmentMax Out the Tech TreeEasyCollect credits (play missions, sell purple and below at Store) and collect Fate (play missions). Unlock at Omicron.
7(Season 6) Escalation AcquisitionPurchase an Escalation StashTrivialPurchased from Ragna Van Wynter using the badges collected from loot.
8(Season 6)
Cycle of Enchantment		Have Enchantments in the Enchantment stack rerolled 200 timesTrivialKeep killing, don’t lose momentum!
9(Season 6)
Righteous Sentence		Kill a Seasonal BossEasySeasonal Boss spawn chance is 15%. Average requires 7 Seasonal Missions.
10(Season 6) Escalation Cache IIIOpen 20 Seasonal ChestsEasyKeep playing, don’t lose momentum!
11(Season 6) Harbinger PrioritizedEliminate a Harbinger of Escalation without killing the minions firstHardNeed 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.
12Expropriated RepositoryOpen Up 20 Void ChestsMediumKeep playing Void Crusade, don’t lose momentum!
13Archeo-EnhancementSocket a Shard into Your GearEasyVisit Omicron, forging tab.
14Thorough CrusadeComplete a Void Crusade wtih all Info-fragments within 75 minutes (On-mission Timer)HardYou 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.
15Prognosticated OffensiveComplete 10 Intel Missions Combined with at least One Tarot CardMediumIntel missions are harder than random ones during leveling. Use a minor Tarot Card if you are not ready to deal with challenging content.
16Comprehensive ProficiencyMax Out 3 Passive Skill TreesEasyYour 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.
17Accouterment of AuthorityUse a Unique Avatar Frame (of any color)EasyVisit 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

#ObjectiveDescriptionsDifficultyTips
1Sacred Duty IIIReach Level 70MediumBy the time you finish the story, you should be around level 70. If not, keep playing Void Crusade, don’t lose momentum!
2High-risk OffensiveComplete a Void Crusade in “Hardcore Mode” (One Life Only)MediumThis 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
3Archeotech MasterpieceCombine one type of Archeotech Shards to reach Level 5EasyVisit Omicron, forging, shard crafting.
4Impeccable CrusadeMaster a Void Crusade (complete all missions plus one Supreme Mission) with all Keys and Info-fragmentHardAgain, 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
5Supreme RequisitionPick up 1,000,000 CreditsTrivialSell all items up to purple at the Store. Keep playing, don’t lose momentum!
6(Season 6) Wheel of EnchantmentHave Enchantments in the Enchantment stack reroll 500 timesEasyYou’d get there before knowing it.
7(Season 6) Harbinger PurgationEliminate all types of Harbingers of EscalationEasyTakes 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 IVOpen 50 Seasonal ChestsEasyKeep playing, don’t lose momentum!
9Binharic BinaryCollect at least one of Each Type of Psalm-CodesMediumIt does take some time to collect all. You could accelerate by crafting the higher tier ones through Omicron, forging, code crafting.
10Venerable AegisFully unlock an Ancient Relic ArmourMediumFirst, 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.
11Venerable ArmamentFully unlock an Ancient Relic WeaponMediumAs above.
12Inquisitorial AuxiliaryBuy a Summon from Custodian RebusEasyYou 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.
13Exalted EquipmentGear up with “Archeotech Relic” Items of any Level (Minimum “5” pieces)EasyEquip 5 red items.
14Brink of PerfectionMax Out an Attribute Bar (Tier V)EasyBy now you should have enough points to max out one attribute. There is no cost to adjust between the attributes.
15Interpreter of FateCollect 2000 FateTrivialKeep playing missions, don’t lose momentum!
16Adept AuguryLevel up a Tarot Card to Level 3Very HardHow 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

#ObjectiveDescriptionsDifficultyTips
1Duty EternalReach Level 100Very HardAfter 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!
2Sweeping CrusadeComplete all 9 Void CrusadesEasyKeep playing Void Crusades. You don’t have to master all.
3Legendary CrusadeMaster a Void Crusade in “Hardcore Mode” (One Life Only)HardEasy 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.
4Expert AuguryLevel a Tarot Card to the Max (Level 5)HardA 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.
5Transcendent ArmamentGear with Fully Unlocked “Ancient Relic” Level 90 Items (Minimum “5” Pieces)MediumStart 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.
6Protector MagnaReach 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 EscalationKill all Seasonal BossesInsanely HardTo 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 EnchantmentHave Enchantments in the Enchantment stack reroll 1000 timesEasyIf 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 EscalationUse a Void Key of Escalation in all 9 Void CrusadesMediumMake sure to have a Key of Escalation (check the inventory currency tab) before completing the Supreme Mission.
10(Season 6) Escalation Cache VOpen 100 Seasonal ChestsMediumKeep playing, you know the drill.
11Ultimate PenanceComplete 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.
12Binharic ChoirWear 3 Different Psalm-Code Doctrines at the same timeEasyAdd sockets to the max for those items that you can. Apply three different Doctrines as per the official compendium.
13Empyrean OdysseyComplete 20 Full Deck Tarot Missions at level 85 or aboveEasyIf 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).
14Contempt for PerilComplete 5 Missions on Difficulty Level 110 without DeathHardYou 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.

Take Destruction Amplification consumable.

Bailey the Pomsky Diary #3 – Super Active Puppy

Leave a reply

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.

Because they don’t need to wear masks.