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[Hoho for breakfast]

I personally wouldn't consider this cheating but I guess some might. I'm just wondering if others regularly do the same thing.

Examples could be from pretty much any game but ones that come to mind for me are Destiny 2 or Bloodborne or Elden Ring where I'll always look up the best weapons to get. In Dead Island 2 or Remnant 2 I'll look up the best classes to be. Same thing with Diablo IV. In Gacha Games I'll always look at character tier lists because I only care about/want to spend money on the best characters.

As an aside I guess the other question would be do you even consider this cheating or is it just something you normally do?

 

[Miles708]

No, never. I'll just equip biggest number i come across.
Effects, stats, sets, lore, i ignore 100% of that shit. I'm not a warehouse manager and sure as hell i don't want to become one.

Just give me some cool animations and get out of my way

 

[TrebleShot]

Never, Got no time for it and dont care.
As long as the numbers are higher ill equip it.

All that shit is for nerds man.

 

[kubricks]

I used to when I was young, but not anymore.
For difficult games (like Souls) I might check what kind of build is a complete waste of time, aviod that then just go with the flow. Quite often I can't even bother to get the "ultimate weapon" or equipment anymore before the final boss, that part of me has long gone.

Life is a bit of a struggle and always, ALWAYS suboptimal. I guess I come to terms with that in life, and it applies to the game I play as well.

 

[Calverz]

The only time I do it is when I get roped into playing warzone and will look up the meta. Much of that is so I can provide my friends weapons that are competitive because they don’t have stuff unlocked.

 

[od-chan]

This is a question that imo needs differentiating beteween SP, and MP. Destiny 2 is a whole different beast than Bloodborne.

For Bloodborne (or most single player games, really) I go in as blind as possible, at least if I care about/look forward to the game. I basically knew nothing going into Metaphor or Elden RIng. I can look up stuff if I absolutely need to (WHERE THE HELL WENT MILLICENT), but usually this isn't too often the case and I try not to.

Destiny 2, Final Fantasy XIV, Or Genshin, Nikke and other live-service stuff: I abolustely do check stuff to a certain extent. Sure I pull for Waifus over any theoycrafting stat salad, but it's good to know whether shit is actually "viable" befor spending highly limited ressources, or locking yourself into a choice that would screw you later on.

 

[Big Baller]

I do tend to look up a good build suited to my play style

 

[Danjin44]

In my first playthrough, absolutely not.

 

[jufonuk]

Do I enable cheats? Fuck yes if I want. I’m pushing past my mid forties. I play games as a hobby and if I get stuck etc. I ain’t got time to get good I got other responsibilities. I can’t dedicate hours upon hours to a game. Plus I’ll admit the old reflexes might be going.

Fuck you salty ass bitches. I bought the damn game.

 

[Hoho for breakfast]

I'm surprised I'm the only one thats said Yes always/almost always so far lol.

The way I look at it is I don't want to waste my time when playing a game I just want the best stuff as soon as possible. I guess it gives me the most enjoyment in game and gives me the thrill of the hunt.

 

[Bloody Crow of Cainhurst]

Yeah, always. I'm autistic as fuck!!!

 

[March Climber]

Usually yes, because even good devs can suck at balancing.

JRPGs are the slight exception because most of them don’t involve huge skill trees where you can waste points on useless talents.

 

[Hoho for breakfast]

Yeah, always. I'm autistic as fuck!!!

Best response yet and I'm right there with you.

 

[The Cockatrice]

 

[nowhat]

Take something like multiclassing in BG3. It does take some knowledge of the D&D ruleset and understanding of various stats, and also how progression works (like with the feats, which appear at specific levels). So without researching it beforehand, it's quite easy to make builds that are very ineffective. Incidentally, that's probably why multiclassing is not available if you're playing on easy. In such an instance, I don't feel bad reading a bit beforehand at all. Not trying to make the ultimate build, I still prefer my role-playing target (whatever that may be at the time), just to make sure I don't shoot myself too badly in the foot.

 

[Neolombax]

Only for MMO-ish types of games that expect me to sink tons of hours in them. But I normally look them up to see if they would fit my playstyle, rather than for besting the game.

 

[Bert Big Balls]

If the number is bigger than what I've got, cool. I never look into all the sub stats of weapons or things like cooldown / timings etc. I see people discussing builds and stats about games and it just looks like gibberish to me. I couldn't give a flying fuck if my weapon did half a cunt hair more anal prolapse damage.

 

[pudel]

Yup...i love min-maxing!

 

[Mr Hyde]

I don't look up anything in games until I've beaten it at least two times.

 

[Little Mac]

Sometimes. I love to theory craft builds and sometimes games aren't very clear with gameplay mechanics requiring me to search online to find information.

 

[hinch7]

Yep, I like to be OP. Especially if it breaks the game.

Particulary RPGs and online games. Go meta.. then a few months later, the devs joykill and patch and nerf the class/weapon. Rinse/repeat lol.

 

[Cakeboxer]

Only fotm scum does.

 

[Lupin3]

If the game is too complex to understand on my own, I do it. If the online guidance is too complex too understand as well, the game can fuck right off.

 

[Griffon]

When the game lets you screw yourself too hard and too early, yes. Not because I want the best choice, but because I want to avoid the wrong ones that would make my experience miserable.

 

[Cyborg]

I dont have time to finish a game multiple times so I make the first one count! I always look whats the best/fun

 

[IAmRei]

anything to abuse the system legally, but sometimes I rebel internet suggestion and doing my self. sometimes depend to the feels, like some style which can break immersive in lore. but well, i like doing some OP to punish enemies which punish me before : ))

 

[Esparadrapo]

Always.

I'm not wasting my time untangling the convoluted piece of shit of a system some developer with an overinflated ego thinks is "the ultimate" and yet they have to tweak again and again.

 

[STARSBarry]

It depends. I tend to "finish" a game if that makes sense with my own choices and then watch some videos about the builds ither people recommend. If they look stupid fun to play sometimes I switch over and sometimes I don't.

One example of this is Monster Hunter, I have a mate who's always talking about meta builds and what mixed sets to create. I don't do that, I wear full monster sets only. The thing about Monster Hunter is the sets are themed around the Monster. That means when you have a full set 75% of the time the play style the set gives you is themed around playing around that monsters strengths and avoiding its weaknesses. So I like taking that challange on and playing the sets as they where intended.

I remember in world I just used full Lunastra for so long because I found that sets play style to be my favorite, yeah there where of course so many better builds, but I cleared all the content using it and was having fun.

 

[Hrk69]

Never.

Maybe I'll check out a 'tricks and tips' video after I played a decent amount.

But they rarely have new (or useful..) information

 

[Paasei]

No, I'd rather conclude it myself. Just copying whatever build doesn't make you better at the game. Unless you question yourself why the best is the best, and I don't believe people do that.
In online games however, people will tell you regardless if you want to know it. Like in WoW, which I have played for years (apparently a little less than 20) and still do on and off.

Guess I've been around for so long in that game that I don't even need to look it up and just know it from my own knowledge. Wouldn't look it up myself. I just expirement with the talents and see what works.

 

[digdug2]

After I've been flailing a bit, because I always manage to level up the wrong stats and upgrade the wrong weapons.

 

[Punished Miku]

Almost never. Discovering that on my own is most of the best part of the game. If a stat is unclear I might look up what it does or something, but I pick what I want to pick. This is even more true for fighting games. It's a joke playing online and just seeing people play that looked up what 3 combos they should do and repeat that. I wouldn't even bother with the game if I played like that. Might as well just use cheat codes. You're not expressing yourself or your creativity in any way.

 

[TintoConCasera]

Hell no, that's like cheating and takes away a lot from the game. Let me find that stuff out on my own.

 

[Fbh]

In most games I try to do my first playthrough blind.

Then if I replay it I'll check out stuff like build guides, weapon tier lists and stuff like that

 

[vaibhavpisal]

It takes away fun in the games.

One of my friends is a pro in most games we play, he looks up and makes best builds. Makes game overly easy.

I grind and figure out what I can make. Then create something thats not very powerful. But suits my playstyle so I have fun.

 

[RoboFu]

No never. What's the point of even playing if you run straight to a guide ? I've never really understood that mentality.

 

[ReyBrujo]

That's something we discussed with some friends recently. I absolutely never read information, I prefer stumbling upon everything, if the game is well designed you should come up with the answers by yourself. It happened with Darkest Dungeon 2 some months ago, someone was like "Oh, yes, it's a really good game, just check a video about the best classes and skills you need to use" I mean, wtf, and the joy of discovering? I understand if you don't have time and can play the game only once but then, what if actually the game is really good and you ruin your experience by taking the happiest path ever? And if you are that short of time just play something else. Personally it's cheating, it's like being able to find the answers to the questions for an exam prior to it.

However, I admit that if I get really stuck I will check whether I'm the only one or not, like in Labyrinth of Galleria, I just couldn't beat the final boss no matter how hard I tried or how much I ground (!) so I checked if I was missing something and heck, I was missing a bunch of stuff indeed. So, I collected everything and tried again and with the right items it dang took a lot of time still but finally beat it. In my defense the game is so dang long that I had forgotten some of the clues and characters I had to visit prior to the final fight.

 

[Lunarorbit]

Not usually. For all the time i played Skyrim i rarely looked up stats or builds. I even bought that massive Skyrim Bible but then ended up giving it away cause I wasn't using it.

I don't consider it cheating per say but I'd rather mess around and discover stuff for the majority of the game before looking up stuff

 

[DaciaJC]

No, I always pick what I use based on its aesthetics or how it feels. I don't care about what's objectively the best or meta choice.

 

[Topher]

Sure. For me, that is part of the fun

 

[Dacvak]

Bro I spent like 20 minutes today looking up strats for how to grind coins and dominate the Mario Kart ride at Super Nintendo World.

So yeah, usually I do.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

I don't even watch trailers, you think I'm going to read guides?

 

[Bumblebeetuna]

PvP games, yes. For things like MOBA's or hero shooters I will look up builds and shit.

For single player games, nah.

 

[DeVeAn]

It really depends on the game. Demons souls taught me you need to have a weapon in mind to build your character towards or it’s a bad time .

 

[_Idea_of_Evil_]

During my first run, never. After I've beaten a game once or twice and want to explore different setups, sure.

 

[R6Rider]

No, I play with what I find fun.

 

[nikos]

All the time.

I look up the current meta in competitive games, best party setup for RPGs, best build for MMOs, etc. Don't want to waste time or start off on the wrong foot.

 

[laynelane]

I use what appeals to me, always. For example, in Souls games there's always a meta build and weapons that just outclass all others. After I've completed an initial playthrough, I'll look up what those are (although coop and invasions have often already shown that info. lol) just out of interest. However, I still stick with my Greatswords and Ultra Greatswords 'cause that's what I like.

I don't consider it cheating for those that do that kind of min-maxing, though. People should play in whatever way they enjoy.

 

[MujkicHaris]

Never. That's cheating.

Exploration, discovering stuff and learning about the world on my own is part of why I find games so appealing.

 

[april6e]

Yes, I only play games once. I'm an adult with limited time and it annoys me when people online are like, "just use whatever you like" or "why look up a guide when you can just replay the game to get things you missed?"

I want to experience all the content in the game the first time I play it and I want my build progression to be satisfying instead of flailing around with a terrible build such as my first times with Path of Exile or Fallout 3. Any game with missable content, complicated questlines where you can miss deadlines or detailed character building, I'm immediately looking up a guide before I even start the game.