Gaming

Nine Trials is an iOS and Android game in the same vein as the Steam Early Access roguelite/bullet hell game Vampire Survivor. The following list is a list of unlockable “final stage weapons” you can get once you’ve maxed out the items and the combinations required. I use it mainly to complete my Gallery and fight in Ancient Battlefield.

Start playing Nine Trials here (link to Android version).

Immortal Artifacts (I.Artifacts):

Feather Duster:
Attack the nearest enemy incessantly
Feather Duster (Max level) + Nether Rock (Any level)

Sinister Dagger:
Throw knives at enemy in the front incessantly
Sinister Dagger (Max level) + Soultracer Blade (Any level)

Duality Ring:
Turn into two large destructive Duality Rings
Duality Ring (Max level) + Darkiron Armor (Any level)

Vajra Amulet:
Vajra Amulet won’t disappear
Vajra Amulet (Max level) + Bamboo Nectar (Any level)

Stove Poker:
Shoot a larger fireball that penetrates all enemies
Stove Poker (Max level) + Scorpion Dart (Any level)

Glazed Locket:
Spin nonstop and attack enemy at four directions
Glazed Locket (Max level) + Hidden Needle (Any level)

Moon Chaser:
Send out a mighty golden sword energy
Moon Chaser (Max level) + Aerial Boots (Any level)

Immortal Slayer:
Form an array within which a rain of swords keeps falling on a random spot
Immortal Slayer (Max level) + Dangkang Tooth (Any level)

Frost Ring:
Shoot small ice bolts to freeze nearby enemy constantly
Frost Ring (Max level) + Purity Spell (Any level)

Dragon Tooth Bow:
Scatter arrows that freeze enemy for second, but no more bouncing
Dragon Tooth Bow (Max level) + Sorcery Ring (Any level)

Jade Flute:
Aura periodically freezes enemy for 2 seconds
Jade Flute (Max level) + Bag of Universe (Any level)

Phoenix Blood:
Gain the Recovery Effect of Array of Qi within Phoenix Blood’s range
Phoenix Blood (Max level) + Peach Wine (Any level)

Kunlun Fan:
Occasionally shoot out 1 Fan of Stars, catch the fan to create the array of stars that increases defense
Kunlun Fan (Max level) + Darkiron Armor (Any level)

Jade Lotus:
Recover 1% of Max HP for every Petal kill
Jade Lotus (Max level) + Old Ginseng (Any level)

Devil Artifacts (D. Artifacts)

Demon Rope: Devil
Penetrate enemy crosswise, recovering 1% of Max HP with every attack
Demon Rope (Max level) + Old Ginseng (Any level)

Kunlun Fan: Devil
Cast penetrating foldable fans at several nearby enemies
Kunlun Fan (Max level) + Zephyr Fan (Any level)

Jade Flute: Devil
Recover 1% of Max HP for every Jade Flute kill
Jade Flute (Max level) + Peach Wine (Any level)

Phoenix BIood: Devil
Enemy dies of Phoenix Blood deals damage to nearby enemies
Phoenix Blood (Max level) + Bag of Universe (Any level)

Thunder Rune:
Falling Thunderbolt causes AOE damage
Thunder Rune (Max level) + Sorcery Ring (Any level)

S. Caltrop: Devil
Every bounce from one enemy to the next causes an explosion
S. Caltrop (Max level) + Plume Umbrella (Any level)

Jade Lotus: Devil
Lotus explodes every 2 seconds
Jade Lotus (Max level) + Bamboo Nectar (Any level)

Vajra Amulet: Devil
Spin and expand to attack enemy
Vajra Amulet (Max level) + Soultracer Blade (Any level)

Glazed Locket:
Four-direction attack upgrades to eight-direction attack
Glazed Locket (Max level) + Purity Spell (Any level)

Duality Ring: Devil
Occasionally shoot out 1 Traveler Ring, catch the ring to gain Traveler Effect to increase movement speed
Duality Ring (Max level) + Aerial Boots (Any level)

Dragon Tooth Bow:
Occasionally shoot out 1 Exorcism Arrow, catch the arrow to create the Array of Exorcism that increases Crit Rate
Dragon Tooth Bow (Max level) + Dangkang Tooth (Any level)

Moon Chaser: Devil
Constantly spin and send out sword energy
Moon Chaser (Max level) + Nether Rock (Any level)

Feather Duster:
Scatter-attack enemy with 1-second Frozen Effect
Feather Duster (Max level) + Scorpion Dart (Any level)

Frost Ring: Devil
Generate nova on a random spot to freeze enemy
Frost Ring (Max level) + Darkiron Armor (Any level)

Nine Trials by YUEYOO Games on Android and iOS is a bullet hell game in the vein of Vampire Survivor where you run around, collect XP and fight monsters till you defeat the big bad of the level. It was recently launched and has several modes available in it.

This guide/collection of tips strictly pertains to the Ancient Battlefield mode of the game. I’ve used the tips here to finish in the top 100 (in some cases, top 50) of the rankings regularly and gain millions of damage while surviving for at least eight minutes each time. Adjust this to your liking.

You can download Nine Trials on Android here.

Tips for Ancient Battlefield in Nine Trials

Preface

This guide assumes that:

• You’ve cleared ALL the story levels (Fallen Immortal Hill 9)
• You’ve unlocked all of the Faith tree
• You’ve unlocked the Avatar of your favourite character

Tips

1. Purity Spell first: When starting, try to pick Purity first. This is the “Gain XP quicker” passive. You’ll want this because the faster you level up, the quicker your damage goes up. This is the only time the following tips do not apply when starting a new session.
2. New over level up: For the first 10 levels or so, always go for Weapons and Passives you don’t have. If you have the option between a weapon or a passive, always choose Weapon first. Increase your damage before you increase the passive skills. Yes, this applies even if you’re torn between Sorcery Ring (All projectiles + 1) and another weapon. Choose the weapon first.
3. Up close and personal: If you’ve completed the requirements in the Preface, you should have no problems facetanking the Immortal/Demon Lord from Phase 1 to Phase 3. Facetank means you can stand in front/next to the boss and keep attacking him without worrying about HP.
4. Switch off Damage Text: When fighting, click on the Gear icon in the upper right and make sure Damage Text is unticked. You should be able to see and avoid most of the traps now.
5. Just restart: If you’ve not reached at least 1.5 million damage by the middle of phase 3, just quit the game and restart. Your attempt will only be counted when you select “Obedience” at the end of the session, so restart as many times as you like.

Chosen weapons

Honestly this one really depends on your playstyle. For me, I’ve unlocked the Avatar of my favourite character, Xiao Ning (Projectile speed +10%, Cooldown Reduction +5%), so I use her most of the time. When using her, I’ll always try to get the following weapons:

• Thunder Rune
  Made with Thunder Rune + Sorcery Ring (any level)
• S.Caltrop: Devil
  Made with Caltrop + Plume Umbrella (any level)
• Demon Rope: Devil
  Made with Demon Rope + Old Ginseng (any level)
• Jade Lotus
  Made with Jade Lotus + Old Ginseng (any level)
• Immortal Slayer
  Made with Immortal Slayer + Dangkang Tooth (any level)
• Dragon Tooth Bow: Devil*
  Made with Dragon Tooth Bow + Dangkang Tooth (any level)

* This one’s pretty annoying. You’re looking for the one that shoots out 1 Exorcism Arrow, not the one that freezes enemies and stops bouncing. However, the game seems to like offering the no-freeze version if you have Sorcery Ring.

And here’s a long video showing one of my better attempts.

Thanks to the kind u/tehlemmings over at the No Man’s Sky bug thread for helping me get through one of the weirdest bugs (or maybe it’s a feature?) for Expedition 6: The Blighted.

This guide is for the Intergalactic Milestone in Phase 5 of the Expedition, aka the one where you have to jump through the Galactic Core. If you can’t select the Galactic Core despite having a hyperdrive at 100% fuel and you’re using a mouse and keyboard, this guide should help.

1. Make sure you’re in the final Rendezvous system. If you’re not playing the expedition but on a regular save game, that means you should be in the system closest to the Galactic Core.
   
2. In the Hyperdrive map, press the Right Arrow Key and make sure that Galactic Core is selected. Otherwise you may not be able to proceed. DO NOT enter the Free Look mode.
   
3. Now comes the confusing part. Press and hold the left and right mouse buttons. Yes, both of them at the same time. This small yellow line should appear.
   
4. While holding down the buttons, move your mouse up and down until this line appears. KEEP HOLDING ON TO THE BUTTONS until the circle is filled.
   
5. Congratulations, you should now be on your way.
   

This guide should also be applicable for regular games as well. Rheario Gaming has an explainer video on possible reasons on why this is happening, if you’re curious:

The world is on fire.

Let’s not kid ourselves. If you are an English speaker and spend any amount of time online, it’s hard not to miss the dumpster fire that is our world right now. A lot of rights are under threat or being co-opted by fascists, trolls and general pieces of shit that delight in making the world that much more miserable for the rest of us, sucking out any possible joy from the day.

It’s hard not to just hunker down and hide yourself from the world, from showing any form of vulnerability to anyone just to protect yourself. If your work involves empathising with other human beings, any form of creative expression and in general just trying to make the world a better place, it’s hard not to wonder what’s the point of it all when you see the pedophiles running the place and the loonies stripping you of whatever dignity you had left.

In times of disaster, art cannot fill the belly. It is powerless in the physical world. It cannot adequately protect from the loss of a home.

But to expect that of art is unfair. Art admits it cannot fill the belly. Art admits it is powerless in the face of physical upheaval and the force of nature.

But that is not art’s purpose. It never was.

One of the most amazing things about Granblue Fantasy’s (GBF) writing is that it never quite answers what art is supposed to mean. Everyone has a different (literally) view of art. In fact, in its current mini event, Thought in Song, GBF sends out a timely reminder to all those who pursue any form of creative endeavours, that they need to take care of themselves.

The entire storyline is an expression of love from the writers and designers to the community. It is a comforting message, and in days where people are being hounded because they dared to try to make others feel better, it steels you.

“We hear you.”

“We know it hurts.”

“We feel the pain, anger, hurt and confusion.”

“We are here for you.”

“We got you.”

“We believe in you.”

Thank you, Granblue Fantasy writers, translators and whoever directed this. I needed to hear that.

Now excuse me while I go and sob ugligy. WHY DID YOU DO THAT TO PRECIOUS CARO WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY???? ;_;

Edited: Another reason why I love this storyline is because they make it an IMPORTANT POINT to show that art is not something you get by on sheer talent. No, you need to master the basics and practise over and over again until you get it right.

One of the key scenes involves a main character reminiscing about the time he first learnt to paint. There’s also numerous other scenes in Thought in Song where characters either practise or demonstrate the importance of practising.

In this case, literally, practise does make perfect!