I’m not really sure if this is the correct place to post this. But…
Since I joined the game back in Season Eight, I have always wanted to acquire the Skeleton Curse. (Ghost curse too, of course, but the material undead have always called to me more.) In my nearly… Two years? Of playing this game, I have gone on two hiatuses. I stopped playing in Season Ten, returned in Season Eleven, quit again around Season Twelve, and have now returned in Season Fourteen as of a few days ago. And… I’ve loaded up hourglass a few times- Both solo and with friends. And I am sure you can guess where this is going. I lose every time. And I am now, for the hundredth time, facing the reality that I will most likely not be acquiring the blessing of Flameheart.
This is not a post asking for advice.
Throughout my time playing, I have had many… Surges? Of false hope that I will reach lvl100 in Servants. My friend, of whom I introduced to this game, has taken part in the Ritual of Flame and still assures me that I will get the skeleton curse eventually…
But I’ve tried solo hg.
I’ve tried duo sloop hg with my friend.
I’ve even tried brigantine hg.
Nothing clicks. Nothing.
I have watched countless tip videos, and received so much advice on how I just need to “not care about rewards” to reach lvl 100- But I cant do that. I cant just “chill out” as much as I would like to.
So yeah. The more I type into this post, the more my realization grows that Hourglass is a detriment to my experience in this game.
Once again, this is not a post asking for advice or help on hourglass. Oh, I’m sure I will continue to play it and suffer in one of my favorite games of all time. But this post is simply a documentation of my epiphany about my mindset around hourglass. I hope one day I can quit HG for good and simply enjoy the game. And stop worrying about these stupid cosmetics.
Oh, and no, I will not just improve with practice. I’ve tried.
I’ve had a realization of sorts.
Every season since season 7 I've had to give something up in SoT.
Sometimes big and sometimes small, sometimes over changes, nerfs, direction, and sometimes over performance or frustrations, whatever it may be. Runnin' low on things to give up.
Outside of being fine with literally everything that Rare does, a person is regularly in a situation to either give up content or session route or the game entirely.
My outlook is - never give up on adventure.
This game, other games, other hobbies, different crowds, different communities, or just different sessions, hold on to adventure along the way in whatever direction you go.
Reflecting and acknowledging are a big part of figuring things out. You've done a lot of the tough parts, I hope it gets easier and more enjoyable soon.
@wolfmanbush Wow! Thanks- Wasn’t expecting anyone to reply this quickly, haha
SOT is in my top 3 most beloved games. I don’t think I will ever truly quit it. To he honest- I’m hoping that my yet again resurfaced obsession with it will last the whole year. I will continue to plunder the seas, continue to laugh, continue to loot, continue to get mad at brigantines… I do not wish to break away from any of that. This post was a bit of a rant, but… Really, I just want to stop worrying about a cosmetic in a silly pirate game.@gameglarb said in I’ve had a realization of sorts.:
@wolfmanbush Wow! Thanks- Wasn’t expecting anyone to reply this quickly, haha
SOT is in my top 3 most beloved games. I don’t think I will ever truly quit it. To he honest- I’m hoping that my yet again resurfaced obsession with it will last the whole year. I will continue to plunder the seas, continue to laugh, continue to loot, continue to get mad at brigantines… I do not wish to break away from any of that. This post was a bit of a rant, but… Really, I just want to stop worrying about a cosmetic in a silly pirate game.We all have something going on in our heads that we wish were different.
Crank up the tunes and make the best out of it. You are gonna think about things either way until the focus ends up on something else.
That's what is beautiful about random adventure around others. At any moment it can change. Every session presents an opportunity to find something else to focus on, something that makes more sense and feels a lot healthier.
I think you're on the path to find something awesome for yourself. You aren't alone. We are all trying to find something or get rid of something or trying to change or move on from something.
We also all have days where we feel like we didn't make it as far as we wanted to go. That's just a day in a lot of days, it'll pass and you can get right back at it.
You got this.
@wolfmanbush I’ve found that I really like grinding Athena levels. Mostly because the loot is pretty, lol! So thats something to keep my mind off of hourglass.
I feel like… Theres two different paths I can take, that could go to different outcomes.
I can try to forget about HG, and that will either improve my experience on the seas, or I will be unable to break away from my need to become undead and circle back around to path 2Path 2 is, I keep trying HG. If I get the Skele curse, I think I will feel like I’ve… Completed my goal, I guess? And then I can go on to pure bliss on the seas.
Or, I will continue to fail miserably, go back to the forums feeling angry and distraught… Rinse and repeat.
So yeah, I’m unsure what to do.@gameglarb said in I’ve had a realization of sorts.:
@wolfmanbush I’ve found that I really like grinding Athena levels. Mostly because the loot is pretty, lol! So thats something to keep my mind off of hourglass.
I feel like… Theres two different paths I can take, that could go to different outcomes.
I can try to forget about HG, and that will either improve my experience on the seas, or I will be unable to break away from my need to become undead and circle back around to path 2Path 2 is, I keep trying HG. If I get the Skele curse, I think I will feel like I’ve… Completed my goal, I guess? And then I can go on to pure bliss on the seas.
Or, I will continue to fail miserably, go back to the forums feeling angry and distraught… Rinse and repeat.
So yeah, I’m unsure what to do.It has been said countless times but it really is about the journey.
Life, relationships, gaming, goal chasing
If it's not a rewarding journey then it will be an empty victory, it will be the perception of success without any substance to it.
What good is a trophy or a victory if the journey just creates a bog of eternal resentment and bitterness around it?
It won't make you happy unless you make the time worth it on the way there.
Perspective is the key to that. We are so fortunate to be in the situation we are in. Where we have the time and the opportunity to play a game regularly. We get to choose how we celebrate that and how we show appreciation for it, we get to make the best out of the lucky situation we found ourselves in.
This isn't to send guilt your way or to dismiss the frustration you feel, it's just a way to work through it. It's a way to make the journey worth the obstacles. It's a way to add substance to the trophy.
@wolfmanbush Yeah- I honestly think one of the problems is that I joined during Season Eight.
It sort of ingrained the idea of “Oh, I NEED the skeleton curse!” Into my mind. And it also doesn’t help that there are countless people online telling others whether or not they “deserve” the pvp curses.
I wish the curses were obtainable via PvE. Do I think it would positively affect the game as a whole? No. But I want the shiny, cool cosmetic. Yes, I absolutely agree that the journey is the most important part. But at the end of the day, I still like to have shiny things.You are completely right, though. I would love to have a great journey to lvl100, one that I can look back on in a positive light… But the gamemode literally feels like it is pushing against motivation to continue playing.
I acknowledge that if I do not start having fun with HG, I will not become a skelly. I wish I could force myself to enjoy this gamemode.@gameglarb said in I’ve had a realization of sorts.:
@wolfmanbush Yeah- I honestly think one of the problems is that I joined during Season Eight.
It sort of ingrained the idea of “Oh, I NEED the skeleton curse!” Into my mind. And it also doesn’t help that there are countless people online telling others whether or not they “deserve” the pvp curses.
I wish the curses were obtainable via PvE. Do I think it would positively affect the game as a whole? No. But I want the shiny, cool cosmetic. Yes, I absolutely agree that the journey is the most important part. But at the end of the day, I still like to have shiny things.You are completely right, though. I would love to have a great journey to lvl100, one that I can look back on in a positive light… But the gamemode literally feels like it is pushing against motivation to continue playing.
I acknowledge that if I do not start having fun with HG, I will not become a skelly. I wish I could force myself to enjoy this gamemode.I would look at cosmetics in this game like this.
People consider the twitter and discord and twitch cosmetics the sweat cosmetics and people dismiss things like the pvp curses and even arena cosmetics.
That's what kind of game this is, it's all just made up status stuff and none of it really says anything about anyone.
That doesn't mean that people shouldn't pursue what they want but it definitely means that the status part of it isn't real and it doesn't say much about skill or even how the player played to get it. It means none of it is worth being miserable over.
People should wear what they like from the collection that they have until they have other things to choose from because that's the only time it means anything.
In random adventure we could go hours every day with barely seeing anyone or not seeing anyone at all. Nobody really focuses on what we have, they are focusing on what they have and what they want.
You want to just enjoy the goofy pirate game so be a goofy pirate. Wear ridiculous outfits and costumes. Get goofy, get silly. Commit to the goofy, it's super easy and fun.
@wolfmanbush Goofy pirates are the best pirates! I love silly interactions. For example, just now I saw a reaper emissary on the map near me, so I put up a flag to go give them some free loot. I cannoned over and found no one on board, and just kinda walked around until I got the notification that my ship sunk :P Apparently they had all gone over to my ship, while I went over to theirs. Funny thing is when they came back to their ship they didnt even attack me on sight :P
@gameglarb said in I’ve had a realization of sorts.:
@wolfmanbush Goofy pirates are the best pirates! I love silly interactions. For example, just now I saw a reaper emissary on the map near me, so I put up a flag to go give them some free loot. I cannoned over and found no one on board, and just kinda walked around until I got the notification that my ship sunk :P Apparently they had all gone over to my ship, while I went over to theirs. Funny thing is when they came back to their ship they didnt even attack me on sight :P
I don't know how attached you are to your pirate design but if it's possible for your to re-roll your pirate through the pirate potion thing in the emporium it might be something to consider.
You mentioned joining in season 8 so it's not like you've had them very long term.
It might help you by re-rolling to the goofiest pirate you can find in a reasonable amount of time and then dress them up accordingly.
Use the silly emotes, take funny screenshots, play how you enjoy playing with a character that makes you wholesomely laugh.
One of my favorite things in this game is seeing people's goofball pirates running around. It can just be a thing that creates joy and laughs.
I lose every time. And I am now, for the hundredth time, facing the reality that I will most likely not be acquiring the blessing of Flameheart.
HG started in 2023. Only 1 year so far and myself am only lvl 25 in both sides. Will I acquire both curses? In time and sometime in the future.
What I dont understand is the thought of players wanting the curses "Right away" they expect to earn them off the bat with very little to do. Losing you earn Exp, not as much as Winning but you still earn some and that still counts toward getting the curses.My friend, of whom I introduced to this game, has taken part in the Ritual of Flame and still assures me that I will get the skeleton curse eventually…
Your friend is by far the wisest one among the community. "Eventually" you will earn them. Eventually the game will offer a secondary option to unlocking.
Oh, and no, I will not just improve with practice. I’ve tried.
People thought the same thing when they ride a bike first time, drive a car, being a parent, play chess, play any video game.
@burnbacon said in I’ve had a realization of sorts.:
People thought the same thing when they ride a bike first time, drive a car, being a parent, play chess, play any video game.
As I said in the post, I’ve been trying to improve for a LONG time. And yet i dont feel like im getting any better.
A negative mindset and feelings of hopelessness will affect your ability to perform. If you are defeated your brain will automatically conserve energy and not bother to look for solutions. Basically anything that sets your fight/flight will negatively impact your cognitive ability so if you want to improve you'll have to work on the attitude first.
If you have ADHD you're more likely to be affected by this. Like me!
Good luck and fair winds!
