Nasty reactions are so annoying

[Dorok]

It's ok for the humor aspect of Nasty being totally mad, but she is constantly reacting negatively, I even quoted dialog where all choices was triggering a negative reaction, but the worse is when stupid details trigger a reaction.

With Nasty you should not pick any single quest or mostly because most quests are logically to help people, and she won't like it. That's ridiculous and just weirdly annoying.

But what triggered my post is have nasty reacting negatively just because I give a beer, seriously, ok she can have a brain totally exploded, but I don't care, it's stupid design to trigger such reaction in such case.

And it's worse in case you made her quest first parts, you'll end not be able bring her anywhere otherwise leaders will complain she is around and if you bother with the boredom you'll have bring her far enough and out of sight to not stop NPC speaking you.

All in all play with Nasty is an insane boredom, sure you can let her rot somewhere, but when in a replay you try change very logically, even attempt be brutal and mad, this will trigger anyway many negative reaction at least too often. It's certainly the companion with the worst design.

[D'amarr from Darshiva]

Uhm, it is about the 'R' in ARPG, and Nasty covers some of the role-playing options.

[Dorok]

Originally posted by D'amarr from Darshiva:

Uhm, it is about the 'R' in ARPG, and Nasty covers some of the role-playing options.

The design TRIES covers some RP options, but it's bad RP the problem.

Moreover like I explains in OP is that you can only end in Nasty hating you or give up pick quests or do some boredom metaplay (that is no RP) to pick her only when you know you won't make her hate you.

But ok it's not always, for sure the choices and Nasty reactions make sense in many cases, but too often not, and the gameplay isn't coherent or with tedious metaplay.

[D'amarr from Darshiva]

Originally posted by Dorok:

tedious metaplay.

What's tedious about role-playing a down-and-dirty Jax? A ruthless, merciless and even egocentric main character, who relies on intimidation, brute-force actions, possible theft.

Sure, that may have worked better in the first ELEX because of the background of being a former Alb Commander. But the sequel lays the groundwork, too, with Jax leaving his family and preferring the life of a self-proclaimed berserker exile as a hermit. His disease gives even more reason to act selfishly, (ab)using potential allies as his tools again.

Edit: The "Cold" level is gone, but the "Destruction" level opens up opportunities. The Morkons, too.

[Dorok]

Originally posted by D'amarr from Darshiva:

Originally posted by Dorok:

tedious metaplay.

What's tedious about role-playing a down-and-dirty Jax?

It won't work, in many cases you'll get a negative reaction of Nasty.

In many cases, there's no real aggressive choice.

In many case you'll have to refuse pick a quest because it's helping someone.

Can't you see the gameplay incoherence? And I only repeat the arguing.

[Dorok]

Here a typical example:
- Lasse: Give me a beer
- Give one
- Nasty reacts negatively, facepalm.

Second case:
- Lasse: Give me a beer
- Pretend you have none
- Lasse: Go buy one.
- Lie, pretend you bought one, give a beer.
- No NAsty reaction.

It's saying a lot on how badly is managed Nasty, and it's no isolated example.

[Dorok]

I have a running quest, ask Brambart help guarding a Mana Heart so Thailg could take lead of forces at Bastion.

Ask Brambart, he accepts.
Nasty reacts negatively, facepalm.

What's this total BS design? you really think it's just good/ok RP design? I don't.

[coldcrow]

Nasty: if result = + creation then loyalty = HATE YOU ; if result = + MURDER! DEATH! KILL! then loyalty = SWOON I LOVE HARDASS BASTARDS
Yea it's way over the top and lazy.

[D'amarr from Darshiva]

Cannot follow you yet.

You expect Nasty to show no reaction when being generous without a second thought or helping someone? Her reaction to such behavior is feedback about her personality. If that makes you nervous, possibly because you fear that she will leave in disgust eventually, then why not adjust your role-playing? Take a different companion with you. Or take the opportunities to impress Nasty.

[Borkentroll]

Nasty is filled to the brim with self-loathing. Because of that you can not do anything right in most cases. Even if you think you picked the right choices to "please" her, she often reacts negatively because she hates herself for liking Jax to some degree. I found she only likes total destruction without ulterior motive the most, everything else just triggers her self-loathing - because she has no goals, in her damaged psyche is no room for that.

There are people like this IRL too, usually with severe (and sadly) untreated traumata in their past. Though they usually do not have access to swords and guns like Nasty does - fortunately for the rest of humankind, one should think.

[Dorok]

Fine, you can have a different opinion, I see no arguing showing it's not crap RP gameplay design about Nasty, but ok it's related to opinion, some other players seems find this fine, ok I don't, not at all.

About Nasty, as the game bores me too much to replay, a question:
=> What' the logic with Nasty insulting all leaders in her first quest part?

One example, Baxter, no matter how she won't like you are aggressive with him, or gentle, or anything. And in her quest she just insults him. And later she doesn't care kill him obviously.

So what's the explanation?

[coldcrow]

There is none, as she is written as a one-dimensional ♥♥♥♥♥.

[Borkentroll]

She wanted to check out some old enemies of or people who wronged her, the whole Morkon-Diplomacy stuff was just cover. And because her ruses are not well thought out and her diplomatic skills are nil, she can only do so much when speaking to someone she does not really care about to impress or sway to her side. She just needed Jax to get to the camps and look around, because she either did not know how to get there at all or get in without beeing seized right away. Also she says, she needs the combat training for the battles against her real targets (beeing the only thing she has, since she does have no real goals in life) and needs to know if Jax is up for it, too.

She is kinda one-dimensional and could be better written. But she has motive and her actions have roots, instead of her beeing just plain crazy. Anyways, she was my least favourite companion in the first game, and that did not change in the second one. So I did not care too much about her.

[Dorok]

So to scout locations and because she can't do anything else than insult the leaders. Meh.

In ELEX 1 she was already a weirdos but she wasn't so boring to play because of side effects.

[Dorok]

So I tried harder, firstly some cases are well done because of the humor aspect, you make your Nasty or brute or antisocial psychotic, and still get the quest or do the goal, plus the relationship increase, and some humor as an extra.

But it lacks of consistencies a lot too often. The result is even if you endure the weird cases leading to Nasty negative reactions there will be be a lot too many negative cases, and your brutal play will only end in Nasty hating you, that's a design screw up.

A perfect example is the Claws introduction, no matter how, despite Claws are deeply linked to Outlaws, choices will all lead with major hit on relationship with Nasty, with one intermediate dialog chooice allowing lower a bit the hit, but at end in all cases it will be a serious hit to relationship with Nasty.

I quickly check a short short guide on it, it mentions Nasty "like" Outlaws and Morkons. But it only ends into confusions and inconcistencies. In cases two outlaws are involved, it's weird, it's not the brutal choice that wins but the don't help choice.

Moreover there's cases just improperly setup like if Nasty don't understand the dialog, but it means the designer didn't understood the dialog for which he defined a Nasty reaction, sigh.

There's good stuff, but overall it's an awful job or it was the intent that no matter the RP the players would end with negative relationship with Nasrty or will need use a lot of boredom metaplaying and reload to achieve good relationship.

[Morbius]

I love Nasty. Especially from Elex II.

If there's ever an HBO Max series, I want Nasty to be portrayed by Brianna Hildebrand.