I'm back, & this time I'd like to make an observation & not a critique... though, I see how it could be taken as a critique. Before I get to that observation, I'd just like to thank everyone for your advice & suggestions. Some of them were very helpful, others we're kinda amusing & I loved all of it.
That being the case, I'll update you all on my progress & then follow-up with my observation of Calamity Mod.
I took the advice to explore the underground Desert & it was kinda fun, very 1.3.5ish; gotta admit that I love the 1.4. Underground Desert
much better but, this version is still pretty obnoxious too! I make my way down-town & because I have Grenades, it's
not very hard to do here. I must say as well, that Crushing Debuff is pretty crazy with Minions, acting almost like if
Cursed Flames & Ichor had a kid.
So anyhow, I died... I guess I was progressing a lil'
too fast & got knocked off my platform by a Walter Bolt...
I mean, I'm not even upset at this point. This is the second time I've been "surprise eradicated" by some weird, twisted monstrosity; it's to be expecting by now...
I'm guessing
this enemy is the one who drops the Stormjaw Minion? I couldn't really tell, because once I returned, I bombed the h*ll outta that place like I was a
GD exterminator! I appreciate the recommendation to go here, but I think the synergy I have with the Desert Minion, Wolfram Saucer & Crushing Debuff is pretty effective. If I could just get my hands on a Summoning Potion, I'm likely gonna huff-it to Queen Bee & finally climb outta this progression deficit I'm in.
Don't get me wrong, the Stormjaw Staff is cool & everything, but I think I might've found my rhythm...
Okay, so now for my own, personal observation. I don't think Calamity Mod is very inclusive.
This isn't something I really though about much until my character started to feel a lil' too cool... like, too-cool-for-school-cool, & that's not Terraria... at all. Where are the Giant, Pretty Bows, Glitter & Rainbows? I almost feel like every new item I get,
from here on out, is gonna seem like it came from some edgy, Saturday morning cartoon show, or dark anime.
One of my best experiences with co-op in Terraria was with my friend Cassi, her idea of strength & power was greatly different from my own. For her, it wasn't about looking-cool, but being fabulous & kicking a** while doing it. I guess what I'm saying is, some parts of Terraria's charm are hidden from you if you're not looking for them; here... I was looking for it, because I asked myself if Cassi would like Calamity Mod... she wouldn't.
One personal note I wanna make, not totally related, is that I don't really like how many options there are for accessories so early, with no visible manner of expanding it that I've encountered so far, kinda like how Master Mode provides one extra slot in 1.4.
You're playing in Death Mode, which I seriously do not recommend until you're familiar with the mod. My first (and current) playthrough is on Revengeance Mode, and from my knowledge is a lot more bearable then Death Mode. You can toggle off Death Mode with the 'Death' item, obtained by crafting nothing (yes, no ingredients are required) at a Demon/Crimson Altar.
When you can actually fight back, this Mod feels really good to play, I think it's the
player-to-power-pacing I don't like, not the difficulty of the enemies. Swarming enemies can be fun, but... what's the countermeasure? Tanky enemies are cool & all, but where's the Armor Piercing? I know all of these answers
now, but the execution to those answers is still pretty sloppy.
This Mod is feeling more like a puzzle game & less like a sandbox. If that's what it actually is, I feel like it's the Mods responsibility to say that. You can't just drop a puzzle game into a sandbox & expect every person who wants to try solving it, to understand that you've change the rules. Now that I understand what I'm playing, I want to try & solve the actual puzzle now, in my own way at that.
In fact, you should probably start on plain old' Expert until you have more experience (unless you're like me and have more knowledge of the mod via ChippyGaming and the Calamity Wiki).
Thank me later.
At this point, I'm pretty numb to the punishment.
This is about bragging rights now & possibly creating a new meta. I'm already invested & have come up with my own ways to enjoy the Mod, regardless of the "fun police". We're in-too-deep now, there's no turning back!