Wow, an Actual Blog Post

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As was likely obvious due to the lack of posting lately, I haven’t been playing much PAD. Since this directly affects this blog, I felt I should address what this means going forward.

Well, it’s pretty simple. The blog will be on indefinite hiatus. I’ll still likely make the weekly aggregate leader list posts, but if it becomes too annoying to maintain I might drop that, too. Commentary will almost certainly cease as my knowledge of the meta expires.

Some might be curious why this is the case. I started writing a post listing out the major reasons, but it quickly became long-winded which I felt would be too easily construed as negativity. I don’t want my criticisms to be taken as if I think PAD is a bad game. I see it more as what I want from the game and what it’s providing as diverging. This past month of minimal play has served to confirm this notion.

I think this is normal for any game with the age of PAD’s; it has to constantly evolve to keep player interest. However, each major shift a game takes is also a potential exit point and it just so happens that there are some good alternatives to jump ship for.

I don’t want to close the door to coming back. PAD has the benefit of having a rock-solid foundation in its puzzling game play that will always be attractive. The last time I declared an indefinite break it only lasted for a week, so who knows what the future may hold.

But, for now, it’s time to play some games I enjoy. There’s only so much time in the day.

 

96 thoughts on “Wow, an Actual Blog Post”

  1. I’m sorry to hear that but as a fellow long term PAD player, I understand the strength of dry spells and the desire to quit for a while. PAD admittedly takes a huge commitment and the game has been changing in many ways that I also find … not as entertaining. I will miss your thoughtful posts and hope that one day you will return. Till then happy other gaming!!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks for the kind words. I have a hard time seeing myself playing this game hardcore again, but I’ve played enough games for long enough to know ruling out a return would be foolish. I’m curious to see what GungHo comes up with in the future.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. I feel the same, which is sad because I have made poor heat of the moment whale rolls at the sacrifice of eating or sleeping. The desperation of PAD making newer and stronger leads so quickly has diminished the gameplay. Don’t have enough skill, don’t worry. Wait a few weeks and you now have a killer lead! Two weeks later, nope. You’ll be back either due to money/time investment or curiousity. I’ve done the same. I will miss your insight. Have fun and take the time you need. The PAD players and supporters will be desperately waiting. Ps. I’m glad I only spent $160 to get both Sakura and Melidonas from this magazine collab bull crap. I find it hard to save money and play both NA and JP PAD. Angry birds is my next go to but that’s a monotonous time killer. Keep us updated and us dedicated fans will be waiting. Dale from Columbia, SC, I’m out!

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    • Yes, I do believe the current leader situation is a factor in my current dissatisfaction with the game. I guess when you spend too much time at the forefront of endgame teams, the lack of variety is stifling because anything less than the best feels like a waste of time. In a way I wish I could go back to my first year of PAD when I was overwhelmed by the team possibilities. That’s something a long break might be able to “fix”. However, what won’t be fixed is, like you said, how the new best teams have become so easy to use. Much of the allure of PAD is the near limitless skill cap. While these mindless teams are technically great for players like me, it does diminish some of what separates this game from other mindless mobile games.

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    • I’m currently going through my biannual single-player/console binge. I just platinumed Horizon (I almost never platinum games, if that means anything) and will start work on Breath of the Wild tomorrow. This will continue with Persona 5 and if I still feel like continuing the train, maybe Nier or whatever comes out in the mean time.

      As for mobile games, I’m currently infatuated with Fire Emblem Heroes. The game still has a long ways to go, but I’ve been a fan of all the updates so far and I’m excited to see where they take the game. I once dismissed the game as too simple due to the watered down mechanics compared to the original games and totally understand the people that felt that way, but there’s a surprising amount of depth. While there’s no skill cap like in PAD, I’ve always been more of a teambuilding guy anyways and FEH arena is definitely rewarding in that regard.

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        • I’ve considered it, but it’d be pretty casual, at least to start with. Serious blogging takes a lot of effort that I’m not sure I want to put forth again.

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          • I don’t have much power for anyone but I suggest not to do blogs regarding the tier list for FEH. The more you realize that units have a degree of investment, the more extreme tier lists will be, and I highly recommend to avoid the lists in the current state of FEH.

            What would be glorious to hear (when you master the art of FEH) is something of a unit’s spotlight, whether it could be a favorite or a powerful one. Thank you so much for your dedication to PAD blogging, I anticipated your blogs everyday to check the silly meta and all the good stuff that PAD offers, and I can’t wait what you’ll do next after a hiatus.

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      • Breath of the wild and horizon are amazing. I highly highly recommend a psvr and resident evil 7. It definitely does something you’ve never experienced in a game before and you’ll look back on at as a big stepping stones

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      • Have you considered FFRK? I am barely playing PAD anymore, but I’ve picked up FE:H and FFRECORDKEEPER. FE:H has potential, but lacks content and the gacha rates are terrible. Plus, it is an easy game to hack, which makes the multiplayer questionable. FFRECORDKEEPER on the other hand, is extremely deep, has pretty good gacha rates, and great reddit community. All it needs are great bloggers such as yourself!

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  7. I completely understand. Like you said, there are only so many hours in a day. I recently also quit, despite being quite a respectable rank for a Niap player, and decided to focus on school. Whatever the future holds in terms of PAD, I have no idea, but I will miss seeing the blog posts. Wish you the best of luck.

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  8. I don’t mind you leaving, I will of course miss the insightful posts your wisdom provides but I feel as a fan of your blog your happiness comes first. What’s the point in running a blog for a game you don’t enjoy as much as you used to?
    Happy gaming!!

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  9. I’ve been following your blog for a long time now and I really understand how you feel. Some ideas Gung-ho had in the past were downright awful and easily one of the reasons why many players (including myself) feel turned off by this game. But there’ll be better times! Who knows, maybe they’ll surprise us with a new fun playstyle that isn’t as terrible as the jammer meta!

    I don’t really know how to end this so I just wanted to let you know that I recently hypermaxed my NY Spica. I hope your proud of me! 😀

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    • Foremost, I just need a break. Hopefully in that span GungHo will come out with some cool new features. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out.

      And yes, I’m proud of anyone that hypers any Spica ❤

      Liked by 2 people

      • I have Spica and was very excited when I rolled her as she has some of my favorite art in the game. I’ve seen you use her to clear several challenge dungeons, but this surprised me as I never saw her as a very strong leader.
        Do you use her because of personal preference, or rather for the challenge or just sheer practicality due to the damage reduction?

        This is my first time commenting on one of your posts, and I just wanted to say that your blog really helped propel me as a PAD player. I had been digging around guides that were years old, and being able to see someone who’s top tier talk and think through the game encouraged me. I’ll miss you, and I hope you find the enjoyment you seek!

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        • Spica’s my favorite PAD card, Kaede being a close second. That’s really the only reason I make videos for her. She’s a pretty terrible lead, sadly, but near-infinite stalling paired with SI means she can get through almost everything. There’s a decent chance I’ll keep doing C10 Spica clear videos in the future; not sure about this current one, though.

          Glad I was able to help you out. Thanks!

          Liked by 1 person

  10. Damn. Here’s hoping you find your way back eventually. You are the main source of guidance for a group of six of us irl, especially with collab reviews and power rankings. Thank you for your efforts!

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  11. Thanks for all you’ve done for the community. Your push-button posts in particular helped me farm effortlessly and take me from mid-game to end-game. What other games will be playing?

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  12. I’m pretty bummed out. While there are other PAD blogs out there, the quality of your writing is leaps and bounds ahead of them. I greatly enjoyed your detailed analysis of new monsters, and will totally miss you. I’m still keeping you as a BF in game (I’m two stepSA), because I am willing to bet you will be back in a couple months at most. Please keep logging in every day, I want that Yamamoto BF!

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Really appreciate everything you’ve contributed. I actually started this game about 4 years ago and went on hiatus for a long time, and your blog brought me back into it. Your writing style is what really kept me coming back, so it would be awesome to see some random thoughts and input on other games you’re binging. Possibly another Twitter? S E T S U G A M E S W H E N

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Setsu, as someone who regularly visits this sight for your insight and knowledge of pad, you will be missed. What would pad need to do to keep the interest of someone who has a full box of 297 and has beaten all the dungeons in the game? I find continued interest in playing the hardest content solo. If not even for the killer latents and orph parts I just find it fun to be challenged in such a way. I do think that this problem arises because they are releasing new cards way more than new content. If they were popping out new content as much as pantheons collabs and GFEs I am pretty sure the only way to lose interest in the game would be to stop like puzzling. Anyways, hope to see you back at some point!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Unfortunately, I don’t think my problem with PAD can be solved just by addressing a couple issues. What I’d much rather see is a PAD 2, but we all know that isn’t going to happen as long as the current game is raking in money.

      While there are many reasons to enjoy the game, what really captivated me was the process of advancing an account which could take a matter of years before I was satisfied with it. Basically, I loved the grind. I just don’t think the game has that anymore. They’ve made everything so easy to access, especially on JP, that the challenge is no longer there. It’s like you’ve been steadily climbing a mounting only to find they’ve installed elevators to the top. They’ve been pushing rank EXP a lot lately which I can’t say I’m interested in at all. Killers and Orph parts are also pretty meh.

      I agree with you that they’re releasing new cards more than new content. This problem is magnified on NA where “Challenge Dungeons” are months behind the evo schedule. I remember when Lv10s used to be difficult. You used to be rewarded with having very narrow cards that filled niches. Now I can clear them with janky Spica teams since SI is that powerful. Sad.

      So I think there’s just a fundamental shift in the game that I don’t find agreeable. Yes, puzzling will always be fun, and I’ll likely continue to pick up the game once in a while to do so (and make Spica vids). But my hardcore play is pretty much done unless GungHo does something big. We’ll see, though, as I could see getting tired of other options, leaving PAD as the best and a default to return to.

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      • If there was a PAD 2, could you really justify leaving your account with all the money and time put into it?

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        • What’s there to justify? I’m not so naive to fall into the sunken cost trap. If that were the case, I wouldn’t have invested the time and money in the first place.

          Not that we’ll ever get PAD 2 anyways.

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  15. At the risk of sounding a bit melodramatic, I will say this because it’s true: your blog has been a major source of joy in my gaming life. THANK YOU, for the incredible service you have provided to the PAD community. For me, the game simply will not be the same without you. I wish you would be more publicly recognized for your outstanding and longstanding contribution.

    Which games have captured your interest, currently?

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  16. Been following your blog for quite awhile now, but never made any comments. I’ve enjoyed reading your posts and the wisdom and advice you put into them–here’s hoping that you do make a return to PAD.
    Been playing Botw myself a lot recently and I know that you’ll love it!

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  18. I took off for the past couple of years myself, coming back briefly during the XM heyday, buying 3x XM after nuking most of my box and regretting it shortly after, at which point I quit again pretty quickly. I’ve been back for the past month and really enjoying it again, though it has changed significantly. When I last seriously played, my Verdandi and Yomidra teams were hot stuff!

    But yeah, I’ve definitely been having fun again, and I’m sure you will eventually too. I took a year or so and played a lot of Wonder Tactics, but burnt out hard on that game. PAD was there to welcome me back, and it’s been good to see all the changes to the game. I tried Fire Emblem heroes and couldn’t get into it, but may give it a try again soon.

    Thanks for what you do here, and your contributions to the community as a whole!

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  19. Setsu, thanks for all your lovely posts. They have been a pleasure to read. I also remember my enjoyable early days grinding with PAD, where stamina points were at a premium, and I consistently played everyday to ensure I never lost a single point to the cap. Your blog made reaching an optimizing for end content so much more enjoyable.

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  20. I dabbled aimlessly in this game until I discovered your blog, it not only made me better informed, it’s what catalyzed my drive to set end game goals and catapulted PAD onto the short list of games I have enjoyed obsessively over the years (StarCraft, Monster Hunter, Souls games etc – all of which combined an easy to pick up hook with online engagement to uncover layers of depth and mechanics, diversity in builds/solutions and a high skill ceiling to mastery – there’s others that hit most but not all of these notes the way those mentioned do). I’ve really appreciated and benefited from the advice you’ve given generally in your reviews and personally in your help posts – guiding me towards a transitional Thoria team that could tackle descends, managing stones properly for value rolls and taking the dive into investing in coop with ALB made all the difference (I’ve since beaten Arena 1 with my fully hypered Anaphon team, am experimenting with combo leads, and am poised to jump on the Dark Athena train). I know where you ‘re coming from in walking away because I’ve been there with other games, most recently Hearthstone. Sometimes it’s run its course through your system – still other times that hook proves enduring over time and that urge to come back and make one more shoryuken, or perhaps solve one more board, never leaves you. I’ve still got a ways to go on my PAD journey (in all areas of skill, team building and content goals), and I’m sorry your blog won’t carry on alongside that, but I’ll keep an eye out for any future updates and content you produce. So long, and thanks for all the fish, Setsu. PS – you’re in for some pretty great exploration adventures in Breath of the Wild.I hope you find the change of pace refreshing. Cheers!

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          • It was bound to happen, glad to hear the collection was at least complete. Random draw games do seem to have a less than random habit of getting stuck on certain cards for periods of time – I’ve wondered whether that’s a difficulty in programming or how a process runs, or if it’s simply an observational bias projecting a pattern onto truly random outcomes. All the best!

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  21. Running off to FE Heroes or something? ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ

    Jokes (I feel the same way). But I’ll be sorry to see you go, do enjoy your break. Chances are, a good number of us will still be around to welcome you back if/when you return

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks, it’s a good time to take a break from PAD. Now I get to experience seasonal REM pain in FEH, too. Trading one devil for another.

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  22. But where will I get my PAD-related snorts and chuckles every morning?

    In all seriousness, I can honestly emphasize with the decision. PAD feels like that game that I have to check every day to collect my login bonus and then not think about until the next morning. I really wish you luck in your gaming and hope to see you back here or on another blog sometime soon. Your posts have always been both informative and amusing, and I really enjoy that.

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  24. Nooooooo…. bunny Xander has finally pushed NA Reco over the edge 😦

    Thanks for all the posts! Maybe join us on the dark side with waifustone? :3

    Liked by 1 person

  27. Well, I can’t say I’m not sad, but new chapters can be exciting, so I’m happy for you. I too have cut way back on PAD in the last 6 or so months, but I still play for about 30 minutes per day. Thanks for all of your valuable research & tools that you provided on this blog. It’s obvious from all the comments on this post that you have made a significant impact. Gungho has benefited from the retention in players due to your blog. On a personal note, thank you for being my BF for so long! I just hit my 1,000 day login yesterday. I never knew this game would have been in my life for so long; I’m sure you feel the same. God speed my friend.

    Like

    • Thanks, proud to have you as one of my oldest BFFs!

      Yep, never would’ve thought I’d play this game for so long. Regardless of how I felt about the game, it was time for a break.

      Liked by 1 person

  28. Hey Setsu. I’m absolutely saddened by you stepping out although it’s been somewhat noticeable across the end-game PAD community that most of us are suffering from content fatigue. I’m also both happy for you that you’re crushing on your other gaming endeavors and I’ll always hope to hear more from you on whatever you decide to pursue.

    For a long time I’ve always looked to your posts and opinions as gospel because so much of it directly correlated to my own feelings on PAD. The research and willingness to invest in your passion was admirable and gave me a sort of kindred spirit to follow. I found it amazing that as I learned so much more about the game and found so many in the community with nearly identical skill and passion for games and anime. As an ‘adult’ gamer it’s been surprising to find such a great gaming community through PAD with outstanding members like you. As someone who works on games and looks to master them, you have been an essential part of my education and part of improving my craft.

    Thank you for all your hard work. Please if possible stay in contact via the blog or twitter. I’d love to get your thoughts on things in the future.

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  29. Sorry to see you go Setsu, see you on FEH! I feel the same way about PAD, it’s not as fun as it used to be.

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      • FEH is awesome. Its definitely turned my head from PAD. I look forward to the special gatchas and terrible rates, I find the strategic unpredictability satisfying upon victory and damaging upon defeat, and the time I have spent doing other things only to return to FEH first and eventually log into PAD as a sort of obligation has convinced me that a break from PAD is due.

        Maybe I’ll see your recorded team in Arena

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  30. Definitely disappointing but I appreciate your attitude about remaining open to come back. Unlike one of your comments I think I am fully absorbed into the sunk cost fallacy. I am at the point where I wonder sometimes if I am playing because I enjoy it or because I have sunk so much money into it (almost 10K over 18 months) that I play because I feel obligated to make sure I don’t feel like what I’ve spent has been a waste.

    I also agree the value of progression has lost a lot of meaning and I thought this started with the introduction of the rogue rushes and multiplayer bonuses specifically. I remember when having a 297 was a huge investment and planned out carefully because it would take weeks possibly to get one. Now they pop out like candy. In some ways this is good but at the same time it also devalues progress.

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    • Yeah, when you look at the total amount spent it’s hard not to feel bad, but at least for me, everything was within my budget so I can’t say I regret it much.

      I do agree with you about the progression bit and of all the people that’ve commented with reasons to leave the game, you’re probably most in line with how I see things. I’d argue the game took a turn for the worst with the whole Juggler fiasco, initiating the game of accelerated leap frog with endgame teams, but co-op’s impact is definitely huge, basically taking over the entire game. I certainly do miss when a hypermax meant something. Way more proud of my first page than the 570+ that came after them.

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  31. Hey Setsu,

    Just wanted to say thanks for your time and effort to make this blog what it is/was. I can definitely understand your need for a break and quite honestly, I’m surprised it didn’t come sooner. Being a true end game player and having multiple accounts on both JP and NA servers, I can’t imagine there being much to look forward to when your box is pretty much complete. Anyway, I’m grateful for what you’ve done here and hope to see you around in the future.

    Also thanks so much for the GF help threads! Those have always been a tremendous help!

    Take care.

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  32. Hi Setsu,

    I’ll really miss your posts. Your blog is one of my most visited websites and for good reason too. Do you think that if you do decide to discontinue your weekly JP leader tier aggregation that you could release your algorithm so someone else can pick up where you leave off? Just curious, since I always look forward to your tier list updates.

    Thanks for all the effort you put into this blog! Take care.

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  33. Hey Setsu,

    Sad to see you go, but I’ve always felt that you have had the best PAD blog out there. Have fun with FEH, I definitely enjoy playing that game, and wings of liberty Hector is quite hilarious 😉

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  34. I think the game has a lot more longevity if you don’t play it hardcore and aren’t so concerned with farming, stamina usage, and doing the most difficult content with the best teams. I’ve logged in and used some stamina at least once a day for nearly 1200 days now and I have yet to lose interest and I don’t see that changing. If you REALLY need to use your stamina, it’s very easy now because of the daily metal dragons.

    If you do come back, try doing things this way if it’s possible. I know not everyone can force themselves to play a game casually like that, though, and since you’ve probably done pretty much everything there is to do already, you’d need to let content build up for a bit.

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    • I think you’re misunderstanding why I’m leaving the game or are just making assumptions. The direction the game is going simply doesn’t agree with me. It’s not about the amount of things to do or lack thereof. If that was the case, the JP whale population would’ve died off years ago.

      Also, why would I forcefully limit my play in any number of games when there are so many other games I can play hardcore? The beauty of being a modern gamer is that there’s no shortage of choices. Instead of experiencing many games halfway, I’d rather experience a few to the fullest. I have the means and it’s how I prefer to play, so why not?

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  36. See you soon Setsu. your blog posts were well thoughts.
    Have you tried Shadowverse (hearthstone of waifu) and Granblue Fantasy (hyper grindy gacha based game) ? 🙂

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  37. Thank you Setsu! You’ve been a huge help and boom to this community you will be missed.

    While I don’t expect an answer cause yer done I’ve been fiddling with the leader issue in my head as well. I was wondering if you think “revos” might be Gung-ho’s plan to “reset” the current meta and create new base level evos. doesmt change anything ofc but just wondering. ❤ you

    Liked by 1 person

  38. Well, it’s been a good run Setsu! Funny enough, I just got my 3 year WordPress anniversary, which was originally made to comment on your blog, lol. Time flies.

    I’ve hardly been playing recently as well, I’ve completed everything I hoped to complete, and all that remains is farming MP for whatever the next wave of MP powercreep will be, which is meh at best. I’ll keep logging in daily, but as far as actually playing… If it weren’t for the sunken cost fallacy and the hope that eventually GH does something that interests me again, I’d be gone already lol.

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  39. Even though I mostly stopped playing PAD about a year ago (besides cursory daily logins), I’ve always enjoyed dropping by your blog about once a week to continue checking out the aggregate tier list.

    If it’s truly the end, thanks for all the work you put into maintaining the aggregate tier list, giving Godfest advice, and making all the other insightful posts. Big props for keeping this up for over two years!

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  40. This makes me very sad to read, but not entirely unexpected given your infrequent updates lately. I found your blog shortly after I started playing, back when Verdandi was the new hotness thanks to 3TPA Liu Bei, and you’ve always provided well-written and entertaining insight into the game (along with some truly lucky roll videos, and plenty of Spica propaganda :P).

    Enjoy your break (hopefully you decide to come back at some point!), and thanks for all of your hard work and contributions to the PAD community!

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  41. Hope your break is enjoyable! I put pad in the back burner for heroes, but this has seemed to exponentially boost my luck o.o

    (Hope this post isn’t to old that I’m necroing)

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    • I’m enjoying it quite a bit. Regardless of my feelings about PAD, it’s refreshing just to do some different things for a change.

      Also, I believe there’s some interval after which comments are locked for a given post (which I can’t remember atm). So any comment before then doesn’t count as necroing in my eyes.

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