Hey folks, selling a few records, shipping is $5. If you're buying more than 1 deals can easily be made I'm pretty flexible, ships from Texas. Grade: (record/ sleeve).
[SOLD]Breakwater- Splashdown.VG+/VG+. Original press, excellent copy of an amazing album, I think this might be my recommended pick of the post. Beautiful blend of soul and funk here. Super hard to find clean and if you do it's not at this price. $29.[SOLD]
[SOLD]Ohio players- Pain. VG+/VG+. Original press on westbound. The Ohio players westbound releases are getting real hard to find clean these days, here's a great copy. $18.[SOLD]
Cameo- Cardiac Arrest. VG+/VG+. Original press, killer funk album in all around fantastic shape. $20
[SOLD]100 Proof- Aged in Soul. VG/VG-. Original press on the hot wax label. I being conservative calling the wax VG, it really has very minimal light non feelable lines. The front cover has ring wear, jacket has hole punch top right corner, no splitting. Super hard to find this soul record. $19[SOLD]
[SOLD]Bob Marley & the Wailers- Exodus. Sealed/Mint. Original US press. Exodus is embossed on front, lions embossed in back. No bar code, on island. 7720 sunset boulevard Los Angeles address. So I've had two copies of this album sealed for over 10 years. Sold one earlier this year here on reddit this is the second and last copy. Absolute rarity to find an original sealed. VG copies of this are going for around 50 bucks y'all I think is a pretty fair price. I'm sure some moron would list for much more on discogs. $100[SOLD]
[SOLD]Sam Cooke- Live at the Harlem Square Club. VG+/VG. Original release. Record plays great, very few faint scuffs. Jacket in great shape with light wear. Great copy of one the greatest live albums of all time. $35[SOLD]
[SOLD]Roy Ayers Ubiquity- A tear to a smile. VG+/VG+. Original press. Vinyl is super clean, jacket in shrink. One of my favorite Roy albums, killer jazz funk. $30[SOLD]
Prince- Controversy. VG/VG. Original '81 pressing. The wax is really clean with a few light marks. There's a small pen mark scribble on side 1 label which is the main reason a graded vg. Jacket has some wear to the spine. This is a nice copy. $19
[SOLD]LTD- Love to the World. VG+/VG+. Vinyl is super clean in original pictures sleeve. Jacket in excellent shape. $14[SOLD]
[SOLD]Eugene Record- The Eugene Record. VG+/VG. Record is super clean, jacket in great shape, legible spine and no tears. Great copy of a nice soul album I don't see a lot. $18[SOLD]
[SOLD]The Modulations- It's Rough out here. VG+/VG-. Original press, the vinyl is clean, light hairline towards the end of very last track that causes a few ticks. Cover has wear on edges, light ring wear and 2" splitting top right corner at opening. Super hard to find soul record that is pretty clean. $28[SOLD]
[SOLD]Grace Jones- Nightclubbing. VG+/VG+. Original press on blue island label. Super clean wax. Bottom of front jacket has light ring wear. Such a well produced, fun album and man does it sound amazing on wax. Excellent copy. $18[SOLD]
Mutiny- Funk Plus the One. VG+/VG+. Original white label promo. Clean vinyl free of scratches, nice jacket. $15
[SOLD]Eddie Kendricks- Boogie Down. VG+/VG. Clean vinyl, jacket has edge wear. $3[SOLD]
Sounds of blackness- evolution of gospel. VG/VG+. Original us press. There's groove wear 30 seconds into the intro song" chains" that causes a a very quick jump. Rest of the album plays fantastic. Hype sticker on cover. I currently don't see any copies of this in the states for a reasonable price. $21
[SOLD]Anderson.Paak- Malibu. Mint/sealed. This is the original 2016 Europe 180 gram press with turquoise hype sticker. "SW234223" on the spine. My personal copy of this sounds great. Jacket has light corner creasing the top left corner. Note: my personal copy also initially had a corner crease and I imagine most will, two heavy 180 housed in a single pocket jacket will do that. There should be a poster in there when you open the shrink. I will bubble wrap this so the mailer is tight and the record is not moving around. $24[SOLD]
Donny Hathaway- The Best of Donny Hathaway. VG+/VG+. $12
Common- Be. VG+/VG+. Original 2005 pressing with STERLING in the dead wax. This is not the 2023 reissue from Canada. Both discs are in fantastic shape, jacket in great shape. $60
[SOLD]Clarence Smith- Whatever Happened to Love.VG+/VG. Original promo. Vinyl is clean, jacket has edge wear no seanl splits. For as long as Ive known this record it ha always been hard to find. Really nice funk, soul, gospel album. $30[SOLD]
Charles Lloyd- Moonman. VG+/VG+. This is the 1970 repress that came out the same year as original release with the red kapp label. Plays nicely. This is just a different album but different in a good way in my opinion. Just check it out, if you like buy it lol. 7 bucks.
Robert palmer- Pressure Drop. VG/VG. $5
Pat Lundy- Loving You-The funkiest feeling. VG+/G+. Record is clean. Jacket has splitting at the top and slight ring wear. This one is kinda rare. $8
James Brown- Live at home with his bad self. VG+/VG+. I played this one once. $15
Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack. VG+/VG. Discs are a Vg+ cover is a strong VG. $7
David T Walker- On Love. VG+/VG+. Original Us press. $26
Harvey Mason- Funk in the Mason Jar. VG+/VG. Original white label promo, vinyl iscl super clean. Play tested and sounds fantastic. The jacket has a promo cut top right corner. Just a real nice jazz funk album man. 7$
Houston person- Harmony VG+/VG. Record is pristine, jacket has very light staining due to age. $5
Thanks a bunch!

Super Earth High Command, ATTN: General Brasch
This transmission comes from the SES Keeper of Midnight; may it find you free and well.
After numerous deployments on both Bot and Bug fronts, this Destroyer and its crew respectfully request review and revision of Super Earth Arsenal training material and field tactics. A number of soldiers have questioned the efficacy of Democratically potent weapons; whether this is a lack of training or a lack of imagination, we diplomatically decline to speculate. The field instructions proposed, below, are the result of numerous Dives and uncountable Diver lives; please consider their dutiful sacrifice when reviewing for implementation and publication.
Primary Service Weapons:
Many Divers swear by the tried-and-true AR-23 Liberator, even with advancements in certification and generously-approved requisition orders. While this workhorse has certainly earned its place on the battlefield, new Divers should be advised that "a ricocheted shot harms only Democracy." To these ends, this Destroyer's crew recommends usage of the field-customized AR-23P Liberator Penetrator, JAR-5 Dominator, R-63CS Diligence Counter Sniper, and (for those Divers suffering near-sightedness or combat-induced vision complications) the SG-8S Slugger. While the R&D team has provided a plethora of punishing projectiles and propellants, these four have proven the most reliable and surefire solutions for all but the most specialized applications. While these weapons may not have the sheer ammunition or spraying-power of other options, our EAGLE-1 pilots have a number of near-instantaneous swarm solutions on standby; simply activate your Stratagem Beacon and put your trust in our Ladies of Liberty.
Standard-Issue Sidearms:
This Destroyer has not sufficiently field-tested the newly deployed P-113 Verdict pistol; as such, we will not yet deliver our Verdict findings at this time. However, our crew has seen extensive use of the P-4 Senator, GP-31 Grenade Pistol and, in an unlikely turn, even the ill-reputed LAS-7 Dagger - the latter of which is surprisingly effective at ending the threat of grunt-ranked Automaton forces provided you aim the precision beam into their finely-tuned optical sensors. For reasons unknown, it puts them out of commission faster than a Hellpod makes a hamburger.
Special-Requisition Support Armaments:
While the specific implementation for these highly-specialized weapons depends largely on the specialty training and field experience of the Diver in question, the Keeper of Midnight crew has found delightfully Democratic deployments for some of Super Earth's least-requested weaponry. As our Gunnery Marshal Obediah "O.B." Wong once said: "Take the high ground. Then their limbs. Then their lives." This plays-out particularly true of the RL-77 Airburst Rocket and FAF-14 Spear; our crew has seen incredible success in having the gunner-to-be carry the weaponry to unmolested ground via Jump Pack. If employing these tactics, you will require a trusted Battle Buddy to carry your munitions pack, and return to them between shots for rapid reload. When so deployed, the RL-77 can be aimed squarely at the center of approaching swarms/cohorts and its proximity sensor remains un-triggered until the payload reaches the most Democratically-correct location for maximum Freedom enforcement. The notably-finicky Spear, meanwhile, seems to suffer fewer lock-vector recalculations when fewer stray targets cross the FOV to your Patriotic Problem.
Additionally, the under-utilized LAS-98 Laser Cannon has seen incredible success in an unintuitive application: the high-powered beam appears to instantly coagulate the innards of unarmored Terminids, making "sweep-and-reap" left-to-right passes of this high-powered weapon a surprisingly effective means of thinning swarms of bugs.
In Closing:
We here upon the SES Keeper of Midnight humbly request that you honor the lives of countless Divers dutifully sacrificed upon the soil of socialist sycophant systems by incorporating their hard-honed tactics in the next edition of Brasch Tactics.
For the glory of Super Earth!

Super Earth High Command, ATTN: General Brasch
This transmission comes from the SES Keeper of Midnight; may it find you free and well.
After numerous deployments on both Bot and Bug fronts, this Destroyer and its crew respectfully request review and revision of Super Earth Arsenal training material and field tactics. A number of soldiers have questioned the efficacy of Democratically potent weapons; whether this is a lack of training or a lack of imagination, we diplomatically decline to speculate. The field instructions proposed, below, are the result of numerous Dives and uncountable Diver lives; please consider their dutiful sacrifice when reviewing for implementation and publication.
Primary Service Weapons:
Many Divers swear by the tried-and-true AR-23 Liberator, even with advancements in certification and generously-approved requisition orders. While this workhorse has certainly earned its place on the battlefield, new Divers should be advised that "a ricocheted shot harms only Democracy." To these ends, this Destroyer's crew recommends usage of the field-customized AR-23P Liberator Penetrator, JAR-5 Dominator, R-63CS Diligence Counter Sniper, and (for those Divers suffering near-sightedness or combat-induced vision complications) the SG-8S Slugger. While the R&D team has provided a plethora of punishing projectiles and propellants, these four have proven the most reliable and surefire solutions for all but the most specialized applications. While these weapons may not have the sheer ammunition or spraying-power of other options, our EAGLE-1 pilots have a number of near-instantaneous swarm solutions on standby; simply activate your Stratagem Beacon and put your trust in our Ladies of Liberty.
Standard-Issue Sidearms:
This Destroyer has not sufficiently field-tested the newly deployed P-113 Verdict pistol; as such, we will not yet deliver our Verdict findings at this time. However, our crew has seen extensive use of the P-4 Senator, GP-31 Grenade Pistol and, in an unlikely turn, even the ill-reputed LAS-7 Dagger - the latter of which is surprisingly effective at ending the threat of grunt-ranked Automaton forces provided you aim the precision beam into their finely-tuned optical sensors. For reasons unknown, it puts them out of commission faster than a Hellpod makes a hamburger.
Special-Requisition Support Armaments:
While the specific implementation for these highly-specialized weapons depends largely on the specialty training and field experience of the Diver in question, the Keeper of Midnight crew has found delightfully Democratic deployments for some of Super Earth's least-requested weaponry. As our Gunnery Marshal Obediah "O.B." Wong once said: "Take the high ground. Then their limbs. Then their lives." This plays-out particularly true of the RL-77 Airburst Rocket and FAF-14 Spear; our crew has seen incredible success in having the gunner-to-be carry the weaponry to unmolested ground via Jump Pack. If employing these tactics, you will require a trusted Battle Buddy to carry your munitions pack, and return to them between shots for rapid reload. When so deployed, the RL-77 can be aimed squarely at the center of approaching swarms/cohorts and its proximity sensor remains un-triggered until the payload reaches the most Democratically-correct location for maximum Freedom enforcement. The notably-finicky Spear, meanwhile, seems to suffer fewer lock-vector recalculations when fewer stray targets cross the FOV to your Patriotic Problem.
Additionally, the under-utilized LAS-98 Laser Cannon has seen incredible success in an unintuitive application: the high-powered beam appears to instantly coagulate the innards of unarmored Terminids, making "sweep-and-reap" left-to-right passes of this high-powered weapon a surprisingly effective means of thinning swarms of bugs.
In Closing:
We here upon the SES Keeper of Midnight humbly request that you honor the lives of countless Divers dutifully sacrificed upon the soil of socialist sycophant systems by incorporating their hard-honed tactics in the next edition of Brasch Tactics.
For the glory of Super Earth!

Beat the game for the third time the other day and got my platinum Elden Ring achievement getting ready for the DLC. Decided I want to do a challenge run, decided on bow only run, well really a ranged only run, but I'm having a blast so far.
Rules I've set for myself:

1. Must use bow and arrows or crossbow and bolts only on every enemy, bosses, scarabs, everything I kill must be killed with a bow or crossbow.
   
2. No melee weapons, sorceries, incantations, and dragon breaths and powers that cause damage, these are not allowed whatsoever.
   
3. I will make an exception for the use of throwing knives and pots, I can use these items but 99% of the time I will be using bows.
   
4. I haven't decided whether or not I will allow myself to use Loretta's Greatbow, as this is technically a sorcery, but it is also technically a bow, I don't think I will use it as that would require me to raise my INT to 26 and that would take much needed points out of DEX and STR for a sorcery that probably wouldn't be that powerful anyway, like I said I'm probably gonna try it out but I'm leaning towards not using it.
   
5. I can use summons, both spirit summons and online player summons
   

That's pretty much it, I named my character Legolas. I started with the samurai so I could get that long bow with power shot, started with 30 arrows I think and I took those starting arrows to kill some enemies to get enough runes to buy the cookbook form Kale. Took the remainder of the arrows and started killing goats to get thin beast bones and eagles to get feathers so I could start making my own bone arrows. Rode around to grab a couple other cookbooks, I can now make fire, bleed, and poison bone arrows. Farmed a bunch of flame butterflies, blood roses and a few poisonbloom and continued to kill about 500 sheep and stocked up on a lot of bows, also went to the merchant in Caelid that sells fire arrows and bought some from him.
Ran over to the tower in Caelid and got the arrow talisman, ran over to Alexander and killed him (sorry) to get the warrior jar shard, went and picked up flame grant me strength, and my next move is to get the golden vow and the serpent bow. Oh and I went to the warriors shack and killed the bell bearing hunter so I can now buy thin beast bones.
Beat Margit already, used a couple player summons to help me because I'm so low leveled, to get that extra pouch. Now I'm on making my way through the castle to fight Godrick. Overall I'm having a lot of fun! I thought the farming would be a pain but it's kind of fun being careful with every arrow I shoot knowing that each arrow costs me and I really have to choose my shots carefully. Some enemies are actually easier, some enemies are way harder. I will keep you guys updated, wish me luck!

Yeah, fine, Valve doesn't count to three, because they typically nail it at 2. But at the dawn of Back 4 Blood being quite shit in many aspect that was surprising because L4D2 actually nailed it already, so that ended up as a step back. That is not to say that B4B did not do things well, and In fact those is what I want on L4D3. And if L4D3 was to be done, like ever, this is just my list.

Basically Remastered L4D2 - Oh come on, that is just what everyone wants. L4D2 is almost perfection, it is simply not up to date with what we are expecting. It just L4D in Source-2.
Mantling - L4D2 like old shooters is about mobility. Having the ability to betters scale objects means there's worth in making maps more verticality.
Rarity System - Did not like the Tier system in L4D, because that means just using the low-tier weapons are pointless. Why go back to a pump-shotgun when an Auto-Shotgun has more ammo, and faster rate of fire? While this borders on Looter-Shooter, this at least ensures that players will cycle through guns.
Attachment System - It's actually something I liked from Back 4 Blood, as it makes guns a lot more diverse than what they already are. it's basically just other attachments BESIDES laser sight. This also ties to the Special Attack System.

• Red-Dot Sight - Allows ADS
  
• Telescopic Sights - Allows ADS with high zoom
  
• Grenade Launcher - Allows shooting grenades
  
• Extended Magazine - Increases Magazine Size
  
• Suppressor - Silences Gunshot
  
• Bayonet - Overrides Shove into a melee-attack.
  
• Laser-Sight - Tightens Hip-Fire spread.
  

Alt-Fire/Special Attack - While modern tactical shooters just puts ADS on everything because that's what guns have -- an Iron Sight, but in this case ADS just comes in the form of having Optics. If you have either a Red-Dot, ACOG, or Zoom-Scope then you can ADS. Alternatively, like Half-Life, you can also have a grenade-launcher in place instead. With melee, you could have an active block with a Riot-Shield, or a charge-attack for a fire-axe -- this means that there is legit melee-centric builds. You can also have a Bayonet that overrides shoving. This also necessarily means that you can't have multiple special attack at once -- so that if you have a Grenade Launcher, then you can't have a scope, and vise versa.
Quick-Grenade - Basically just throw your grenade on the spot, no need to switch.
Mobility and Map-Access Tools - Remember when you could either choose either Special-Ammo, Health-Kit, or Defibrillator? You know what else would be neat? Grappling Hooks that set up a ladder, Blowtorches that unlock doors -- this allows players to take different routes with different maps. Some are shortcuts, others are filled with goodies.
Grenades are combined with Pain-Pills as "Consumables" -- Pain-Pills, Adrenalines, now share slot with Bile-Jars, Pipe-Bombs and Molotovs. But now you can bring one of each, or two of one. Additional consumable known as "Bandage" works as half-powered First-Aid Kit but you can move while healing. Tasers momentarily stuns special infected.
New Weapons - Basically what I want for L4D3, just L4D2 with new Guns.

• AA12 - Auto Shotgun with 8 round magazine that is instantly reloaded. Weaker per shot.
  
• M1216 - Basically a 4-round Burst-Fire Shotgun
  
• Kriss-Vector - 4-Round Burst SMG
  
• Negev - 200-round capacity rifle.
  

Revamped Secondaries:

• M1911 as new 10-round 45-cal pistol that can be dual-wielded.
  
• Berretta M9 replacing the 15-round 9mm pistol that can be dual-wielded.
  
• Double-Barrel Shotgun - Basically an auto-shotgun secondary but only 2 rounds per mag. Special attack shoots both barrels.
  
• R8 Revolver - 8-Round pistol that has built-in scope, but is reloaded shell by shell. This is contrasted by the Desert-Eagle that reloads all rounds at once.
  
• Desert Eagle - 8-Round Pistol, cannot be dual-wielded. Contrasts the R8 Revolver with instant reload, but without ADS.
  
• Glock 18 - Full-Auto 20-round pistol, cannot be dual-wielded.
  

Dual-Wielding Melee - Single-Hand melee can either be used with another single-hand melee, or a single-hand pistol.
New and Revamped Power-Weapons.

• Compound Bow - Basically Huntsman from TF2. Useful for stealth sections in Ready 2 Die. Has retrievable arrows.
  
• Flame-Thrower - Short-Ranged weapon that creates small pools of fire. Ammo replenishable by propane-tanks.
  
• Chainsaw - super-powered melee that has limited use. Replenishable by Gas-Tanks. Is now primary weapon.
  
• M60 - Machine-Gun with 150 round capacity. Ammo is replenishable, but not reloadable.
  

New Zombie: Sleepers - Infected that plays dead, and only wake up around survivors. They disarm the survivor by making them drop the primary weapon. It can be retrieved.
New Zombie: Shambler - Early variant of infected. Slow and is bullet sponge saved for headshots. Multiple Shamblers can pin a survivor like a Hunter does. Beware.
New Zombie: Widow - Version of Witch that is even more sensitive to flashlight, but instead attack from the darkness. Unlike witches, Flashlight is needed to drive them away or stun them to allow for a kill. Inspired by Metro Last-Light Spiders. This is meant to be polar opposite of Witch, to set the tension in dark places.
New Zombie: Hellhound - Infected Dogs that are more dangerous when lit on fire. Typically flanks survivor, but will become faster and go straight to survivors when lit on fire. This is to make players more careful in using molotov.
New Tank Move: Jump Slam - Tank jumps up high to slam towards the survivor.
"Ready 2 Die" - Duo Coop Game-Mode - It's basically just a harder campaign because there's only two of you. A different approach from the Run-And-Gun nature into Stealth Survival. Makes use of Shambler, Widow, Sleepers, and Hellhounds extensively.

• Will have Ammo as Resource Management - Ammo is made into resource scattered and found. No longer ammo-pool replenishes all ammo at once, it will become an economy as it did other games.

For me I like

• heavy armor with explosive resistance and better crouched aiming, which pairs well with the
• autocannon, which I tend to think is overrated in general, but very slot-efficient for these restricted strategem missions
• stun grenades for free hulk kills (just stun, run behind, and empty your mag on their heatsinks), which you complement with the
• grenade pistol, which very useful for clearing the chaf after a bot drop, although the redeemer is obviously viable as well
• orbital laser feels almost mandatory for clearing heavy outposts, as does the
• eagle rocket pods, which are the cleanest and easiest way to kill turret towers, although if i see at least two teammates have this already i often bring the 500kg for striders
• for primary i really like the jar-5 dominator for staggering the berzerkers and penetrating striders while still having huge dps for tanks and hulks, but its VERY annoying killing fliers with this so you need to coordinate with your team against them.
• scorcher is also good in the primary slot but i really value the stagger against the chainsaw guys

what about y'all?

I have a family member(uncle) that works at Arrowhead. Just like everyone else I've been absolutely livid about balance lately. I've been telling him to please, please, please buff weapons or to at least let me know if any buffs are coming. After 3 months of pestering he finally gave in and sent me a work in progress draft of patch notes. While the patch notes aren't finalized, I have it on good authority that most, if not all, of these changes are coming in the near future:
General

• Armor no longer has weight categories. Armor rating can now be lowered for increased speed/stamina regen and vice versa.
• NPCs on Destroyers now respond to player emotes.
• There are now multiple Personal Orders per day, but players can only progress one at a time.
• Added setting in the options menu gameplay section to disable misaligned scopes.
• Added setting in the options menu gameplay section to disable self damage from ricochet.
• Added "Flag of Super Earth" as a mission stratagem for Helldivers who truly believe in Liberty and Democracy.
• Added a communal shower on Destroyers to wash off blood from your armor.
• Civilians are now equipped with Shield Generator Packs.

Primary, Secondary, & Support Weapons

• AR-23 Liberator
  • The Liberator is every Helldiver's starting weapon and we want to ensure that it is always an option and not immediately replaced.
  • Damage permanently increased by 1 every time a Major Order is completed.
• AR-23P Liberator Penetrator
  • Increased magazine capacity from 30 to 50.
  • Now has a bayonet affixed. Melee attacks with this weapon have increased damage and medium penetration.
• AR-23C Liberator Concussive
  • Now properly gives enemies a concussion.
  • Concussed enemies stop fighting and wander the map aimlessly.
  • If a concussed enemy goes to sleep there's a strong chance they end up in a coma.
• BR-14 Adjudicator
  • Increased damage from 80 to 100.
  • Increased magazine capacity from 25 to 30.
  • Semi auto is now the default fire mode.
  • Now placed amongst marksman rifles.
• AR-61 Tenderizer
  • Increased damage from 60 to 80.
  • Enemies killed with the Tenderizer can now be eaten. However, only bugs can restore health.
• R-63 Diligence
  • Now has a burst fire mode.
  • Increased magazine capacity from 20 to 25.
• R-63CS Diligence Counter Sniper
  • Increased damage from 140 to 175.
  • Increased stagger.
  • Deals 50% more damage to other Helldivers that are using marksman rifles or Anti-Material Rifles. Deals 100% more damage if they have both.
• SMG-37 Defender
  • Is now both a Primary and Secondary weapon.
• SMG-73 Pummeler
  • Now makes comical punching noises on impact.
• MP-98 Knight
  • Can now be purchased by non-Super Citizens for 500 super credits.
  • Non-Super Citizens are now aware of this weapon.
• SG-8 Punisher
  • Increased shots per minute from 80 to 100.
  • Nearby Helldivers can now buddy pump the Punisher for you for an even higher fire rate.
• SG-8S Slugger
  • Now has a scope that can be ranged at 25m, 50m, and 75m.
  • Increased stagger.
  • Also can be buddy pumped.
• SG-225 Breaker
  • Increased magazine capacity from 13 to 16
  • Reduced recoil from from 55 to 30.
• SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary
  • Reloading with rounds still in the magazine now has Helldivers throw the magazine, functioning as an incendiary grenade.
  • Now has a full auto mode.
• SG-225SP Breaker Spray & Pray
  • Increased magazine capacity from 26 to 60.
• CB-9 Exploding Crossbow
  • Slightly bigger explosion.
  • Added shrapnel.
  • Increased number of maximum magazines from 8 to 12.
  • Slight increase in ergonomics.
  • Muzzle velocity decreased.
  • Bolts now have interchangeable payloads(Explosive, Gas, Smoke, and Incendiary).
  • Explosive bolts can now destroy the things you'd expect it to be able to destroy.
• R-36 Eruptor
  • Increased explosive damage by 40. Again.
  • Added shrapnel.
  • Projectile now lodges itself into targets/surfaces(assuming it can penetrate) and explodes after 1 second.
• JAR-5 Dominator
  • Increased damage from 275 to 299.
  • Added shrapnel.
• LAS-5 Scythe
  • Can now be fired for 60 seconds before overheating.
  • Decreased recoil from 1 to 0.
  • Laser will now infinitely bounce on any and all surfaces.
• ARC-12 Blitzer
  • No longer requires recharging.
  • Power! Unlimited POWER!
• SG-8P Punisher Plasma
  • Now fires multiple arcs of plasma in a spread.
  • Now placed amongst both shotguns and energy weapons.
  • Added plasma shrapnel.
• LAS-16 Sickle
  • Is now One Handed. As sickles are known to be.
• PLAS-1 Scorcher
  • Changed color of plasma from blue to red for increased projectile speed.
  • Now sets targets on fire on direct hits.
  • Added plasma shrapnel.
• PLAS-101 Purifier
  • Increased damage from 250 to 300.
  • The longer the charge is held, the larger the explosion.
  • Added plasma shrapnel.
• P-2 Peacemaker
  • Can now be held at 90 degree angle.
  • This fire mode increases damage from 75 to 100.
  • Now has a burst fire mode.
• P-19 Redeemer
  • Slight decrease in recoil.
  • Now has a burst fire mode.
• P-4 Senator
  • Increased ammo capacity from 40 to 60.
  • Shots that ricochet will automatically aim for nearby enemies.
• LAS-7 Dagger
  • Replaced with an actual dagger.
  • Now capable of lethal damage.
• GP-31 Grenade Pistol
  • Increased magazine capacity to 2.
  • Now a double barreled grenade pistol.
  • Add shrapnel.
• P-113 Verdict
  • Now has medium penetration.
  • Increased stagger.
• M-105 Stalwart
  • Now has two more fire rate modes: 1400RPM and 2000RPM.
• MG-43 Machine Gun
  • Has a random chance to appear in Hellpods that have space for it.
  • Stratagem doesn't need to be equipped for this to occur.
• MG-206 Heavy Machine Gun
  • Increased magazine capacity from 75 to 500.
• APW-1 Anti-Material Rifle
  • Can now shoot through terrain.
  • Scope now has an Xray toggle to see enemies through terrain.
• RS-422 Railgun
  • Safe mode removed.
  • Unsafe mode is now default.
  • No longer explodes in hands if overcharged.
  • The longer the charge is held the more damage and penetration. Damage and penetration scales infinitely.
• EAT-17 Expendable Anti-Tank
  • Added shrapnel.
• GR-8 Recoilless Rifle
  • The spirits of fallen Helldivers who have died while manually reloading their Recoilless Rifle will now appear to buddy reload.
  • Added shrapnel.
• FAF-14 Spear
  • Not only is the lock on improved, but can now lock on to multiple targets.
  • No longer requires reload. Shots are taken immediately from backpack.
  • Added shrapnel.
• LAS-99 Quasar Cannon
  • Renamed to Laser Cannon.
  • Recharge time now randomly takes anywhere from 5-15 seconds.
  • Added laser shrapnel.
• RL-77 Airburst Rocket Launcher
  • Removed rocket launcher.
  • Rockets are now fired directly from backpack. Mandalorian style.
  • Added shrapnel to each cluster bomb.
• GL-21 Grenade Launcher
  • Launched grenades are the same type of grenade as the one you have equipped.
• FLAM-40 Flamethrower
  • Now benefits from Servo-Assist.
• ARC-3 Arc Thrower
  • Now benefits from Servo-Assist.
• LAS-98 Laser Cannon
  • Renamed to Annihilation Beam.
  • Damage increases the longer the laser is held.
  • Can now be fired for 60 seconds before overheating.
• Frag Grenade
  • More shrapnel.
• High Explosive Grenade
  • Added shrapnel.
• Impact Grenade
  • Added shrapnel.
• Smoke grenade
  • Added shrapnel.
• Incendiary Grenades
  • Added super heated shrapnel.
• Impact Incendiary Grenade
  • Added super heated shrapnel.
• Stun Grenade
  • Added shrapnel.
• Thermite Grenade
  • Added shrapnel.
  • Expels shrapnel every second before detonation.

Stratagems

• Eagle Stratagems
  • While Eagle-1 is rearming, Eagle-2 will take over. She's sounds hotter than Eagle-1.
  • Added shrapnel to all Eagle stratagems except for Eagle Strafing Run.
• Orbital Stratagems
  • All cooldowns are reduced by 25%
  • Orbital Laser now has increased charges from 3 to 5.
  • Added shrapnel to all Orbital Stratagems except Orbital Laser, Gatling Barrage, and Gas Strike.
• Guard Dog/Guard Dog Rover
  • You can now pet the dog.
• Supply Pack
  • Replenishes half as much as before.
  • Increased supply charges from 4 to 16(model as been updated to reflect this change).
• Ballistic Shield
  • Can now be used if backpack slot is already taken.
  • Shield will be dropped instead of being placed on back if no longer using a One Handed weapon.
• Jump Pack
  • Can now be used while diving.
• Shield Generator Pack
  • Shield size is now smaller while equipped.
  • If dropped, shield will still be active and larger in size.
• Patriot Exosuit
  • Now has it's own jump pack.
  • Can now be set to follow the Helldiver and fights on auto pilot.
• Tesla Tower
  • Now has legs to chase after friend or foe indiscriminately.
  • Will also attempt to jump over Chargers.
• Mortar Sentry
  • Is now invulnerable from damage for maximum uptime!
  • Added shrapnel.
• EMS Mortar Sentry
  • Now makes friendly sounding beeps and boops.
• Machine Gun Sentry
  • Can be picked up and relocated if Helldivers are unhappy with it's location.
• Gatling Sentry
  • Now fires counter-clockwise. Or properly clockwise? We forget. Trust us this is an important change.
• Anti-Personnel Minefield/Incendiary Mines
  • Each mine now has three charges, allowing them to be triggered multiple times.
• Shield Generator Relay
  • Has an uptime of 3 minutes.
  • Shield now slowly expands over time.
  • After 1 and 2 minutes, another shield starts to expand from the relay.
• HMG Emplacement
  • Increased total ammo from 300 to 1000.
  • Can now be equipped as a backpack.
  • While equipped as a backpack, fellow Helldivers can ride your shoulders and use the HMG while you ignore objectives and search for super samples.
• Autocannon Sentry
  • Is now significantly taller. Like really tall.
  • Added shrapnel.
  • Like whatever you're picturing, way taller.
  • It's. Huge.
• Rocket Sentry
  • Added shrapnel.

Enemies

• All enemies are now 110% louder. This ignores your current audio settings.
• Stunned Hulks now properly turn back into Bruce Banner.
• Stalkers now have a chance to drop blueprints for Dread, Despair, and Hate.
• Factory Striders now only spawn enemies every 9 months.
• Chargers now ask for permission to trample you.
• Hunters no long slow Helldivers with acid. Instead, they have been given bats and always aim for the knees.
• 1/50 Bile Titans spawn with wings and are capable of flight.
• Heavy Devastators no longer have guns. To compensate, they are now a melee enemy that dual wield shields. No the shield hasn't changed. Stop asking.
• Helldivers can now go inside Gunship spawners and undergo transformation to become a gunship. What you choose to do with this body is up to you.
• Enemies now wear name tags so you know what they're called. This helps with call outs.

Bug Fixes

• Bug fixes? Oh fuck bug fixes.

The skype call with my uncle suddenly ended there. I think we lost connection. But personally I'm not looking forward to these changes. The fact that there wasn't a single mention of transmog is infuriating. If Arrowhead keeps putting out shitty patches like this then Helldivers 2 is gonna be dead within a month.

AthFest Outdoor Stage and Club Crawl Lineup

AthFest Educates announces its full lineup for the 26^th annual AthFest Music & Arts Festival, presented by Wicked Weed Brewing. The annual fundraising festival in downtown Athens takes place June 21^st – 23^rd and includes performances on three outdoor stages, plus AthFest Club Crawl Shows at 12 local music venues. All proceeds from the festival benefit AthFest Educates, a local nonprofit that supports high-quality music and arts education for K-12 youth in Athens.
The free outdoor stages will have performances from 5pm Friday until 11pm, from noon Saturday until 10:15pm, and from 12:30pm Sunday until 8:30pm. Club Crawl shows take place on Friday and Saturday nights. Club Crawl Passes get attendees into all Club Crawl shows both nights (capacity and age restrictions apply) and are for sale at AthFest.com. A limited number of VIP Weekend Passes are also available. VIP passes include access to all Club Crawl Shows, access to the VIP-only Mainstage viewing area, festival t-shirt, commemorative mug, and limited complimentary beverages.
In addition to live music all weekend long, the festival area includes beer trucks, vendors, food trucks, and a juried Artist Market. AthFest’s KidsFest is a mini-festival within a festival with its own KidsFest stage, sponsored by Clarke County School District, with performances by and for young people. There will also be a free KidsFest dance party at the Georgia Theatre on Saturday, June 22^nd from 1-3pm with DJ Mahogany. The popular KidsFest also includes free activities for young people as well as ticketed rides and inflatables.
The festival kicks off Friday, June 21^st on the Wicked Weed Mainstage with performances by: Organically Programmed, Cardynal + the Flock, Nicholas Mallis and the Borealis, The Asymptomatics, and Heffner. The Hospitality South Hull Street Stage will host Neat Freak, Goodhost, Forrest Isn’t Dead, Triplicate, and a Silent Disco with Booty Boyz.
On Saturday June 22^nd the Wicked Weed Mainstage kicks off at noon with Swing Theory, The Original Screw Tops, Peach Ice Cream Bluegrass, Empress Mokah, Freeman Leverett, Ansley Stewart Band, Farin, Sajaad, Wonderland Rangers, Jameson Tank, and Hotel Fiction. Over on the Hospitality South Hull Street Stage you’ll find the Nuci’s Space Athens Business Rocks Winners - JOMAnimals, Pickled Holler, Andrew Brantley, El ChupaSKAbra, T.W.I.N., Frank the Eagle, Lung, Father Werewolf, Feather Trade, and the Kilkenny Cats.
Sunday June 23^rd, the Wicked Weed Mainstage will host IAMTIKICA & The TLC Band, The Royal Velvet, Avery Deakins Band, The Ain’t Sisters, Boulevards, Bloodkin, and Reverend Tribble & The Deacons. The Hospitality South Hull Street Stage will have Julie Nyunt, Infinite Favors, Brendan Abernathy, Ant Da Ripper, Tony B, Scott Low & the Blue Bouillon, and Heart of Pine.
The lineup for the Georgia Theatre Friday night is Gabriella Delliponti, hallpass, and Wim Tapley & The Cannons. Saturday night at the Georgia Theatre is Maps & Atlases, Maserati, and Pylon Reenactment Society.
The iconic 40 Watt Club will host sets by Cannon Rogers, Cicada Rhythm, and Susto on Friday night, and Here Be Monsters, Left Front Tire, Burns Like Fire, and Phantom Dan with both a band and DJ set on Saturday night.
At Live Wire Athens on Friday night the lineup includes Cam & His Dam Jam Band, Bird Dog Jubilee, and Alien Funk Academy. On Saturday, ATHFactor & Volumes present DJ ChiefRocka, Loyalty is Timeless, Slugga2X, Chiki Flow & Domino, Sho, Tyl3r Davis, and Lil Darius on the inside stage, while outdoors will host the Nightshade Family DJs, featuring ONIT, KNOW, Karezza, & a special Silent Disco at midnight with the Nightshade Family Residents.
Hendershot’s hosts Anni Leeth and Kenosha Kid Friday night and sets by Little Mae, Women in STEM, Option Paralysis, and Evergreen Saturday night.
Friday night at Flicker Theatre will feature Little Gold, All Gods, and Lo Talker and Saturday night sees sets from Dim Watts, Buice, Schmuk, and Commune.
The lineup at Ciné on Friday night kicks off with Shehehe, followed by NAW, 69 Dudes!!!, Hunger Anthem, and The Bunnies. Saturday night, Shadebeast presents Lungburner, Dead Vibes Ensemble, Husk, and Nihilus.
At The Foundry Friday night, we’ll have Betsy Franck, Josh Joplin, and Kyshona. Saturday, Volume.com presents The Shut-Ups, David Barbe Plus, Armistead’s Armi, and Sneakers (featuring members of Let’s Active & The dB’s).
At The Globe Friday night Classic City Rotary + Vic Chesnutt Awards Present Woody Garrison, William Tonks, Clay Leverett with John Neff, and 2024 Vic Chesnutt Songwriter of the Year Awards Finalist Mannequin Party; on Saturday night it’s The Bones of St. Michael and The New Orleans Jazz Stompers.
Paloma Park will host Smokey Jones and The 3 Dollar Pistols and Kobanova Friday night, and Florence Cardigan, The Ocho, and Recess Party Saturday night in their outdoor Beer Garden.
At Nowhere Bar, Indecent Artistry presents Hiding Places, Honeypuppy, Coma Therapy, and Wieuca on Friday night. Saturday Night, presented by Normaltown and Strolling Bones Records, features Rose Hotel, Elijah Johnston, and The Pink Stones.
New to the Club Crawl this year, The Roadhouse will host Oxystar, Ancient Infant, and Everyday Dogs on Friday Night, and Saturday sets include Couch Cult, Swear Jar, and Fishbug.
Also new to the Club Crawl, Clarke’s Collective will feature DJ Kountry Boy, Nony1, DJ Sublime, and Motorhead 2x Friday and, on Saturday night, The Downstairs, Handholder, and Sleeper Cell.
The full schedule is coming soon to the festival’s website AthFest.com.

When I see videos from Helldivers 2 I see most people use light and medium armour. I there for thought I would give my experience as a heavy armour user that use Heavy armour 90% of the time on difficulty 7+.
Lets start with the gear:

ARMOUR:

The Heavy armours I rotate between (Helmets not included);
B-27 Fortified Commando I like the look of this armour and its extra armour gives protection against bugs damage. And since no passive bonus is extra useful against bugs, the extra armour is nice to have.
CM-17 Butcher The Med-Kit bonus is really nice to have when on both frontlines. When getting harassed by enemies its nice to have extra stims. Though with the recent increase in interuptions of Stim use vs Bugs I dont use this armour as much.
SA-32 Dynamo The only warbond armour on the list. First off I LOVE the look with its mechanical arm, especially when it fits with the passive armour bonus. Both 30% throw range and extra limb health are useful.
FS-11 Executioner This is my go to Bot armour. Extra stability and explosion resistance are both very useful on that front.
CE-64 - Grenadier *NEW\* Finally a new passive for Heavy armour! I love the look of the armour. Extra grenades are VERY useful for my playstyle of Flamethrower and stun grenades. This will most likley be my new armour unless I need other passives for specific missions.
When it comes to armour, the warbonds are not the place where I found my favourites. There are several heavy armours with the Servo-assisted passive so I didnt need the Dynamo one to get that buff, but it looks is what makes it better than the others. The downs side of being in heavy armour is your stamina but with the Stamina booster its not a problem. Getting slowed by bile is the most annoying thing when you already are slow so I welcome the new Booster that lets me recover from it faster.
Downside: The bug that prevent you from getting up if enemies are near. This is the biggest reason I die nowdays since that dive is how I can get out of melee in a crisis.

Primary Weapon:

Im not gonna list them all, instead Im listing the ones I use often or atleast played with a lot.
JAR-5 Dominator If I could only pick one primary it would be this one. Its accurate, works both at a distance and up close. It has stagger wich is very useful against Bots and Bugs. I have used this long before the recent buff and have liked it ever since I unlocked it. Its almost perfect.
SG-225 Breaker My novice gun. Great as a panic button when bugs get close. Once I got better at the game and unlocked alternatives, I stoped useing it.
SG-8 Punisher This is my favourite shotgun after its buff. Good stagger and damage. Slower fire rate but no wasted ammo since you can reload at any time. No need to empty a clip.
CB-9 Exploding Crossbow I tested this for a while and I liked that its a different way to shoot compared to other weapons. But its not near as useful as other weapons both in range and utility.
ARC-12 Blitzer When this was released I tested it in one mission and then disregarded it. Way too slow fire rate. With the recent buff its now really good. But I wish it had a slightly faster fire rate, its close.
LAS-16 Sickle A really good gun but after a while I went back to other stuff. Not because its bad but because other guns got better. Plus I use my primary when enemies get up close and having a small delay until it fires is not benifitial to that situation but no matter when at a distance.
SMG-37 Defender I use this mostly against bots in combo with the Ballistic shield. Its accurate and have good damage vs weakspots. If I want to put enemies down fast this fills the role.
SMG-72 Pummeler *NEW\* I really like this one vs Bots. The stun effect is really nice. Not as accurate as the Defender but its value lies in its abillity to stop those pesky bots from fireing back at you.
When it comes to Primary weapons I tend to go with weapons that I can use up close and if possible at a distance. I dont like primarys that can kill me if Im too close to the enemy. As a heavy armour user I cant put that distance between me and melee fast enough to use AoE guns. When Im fighting Bugs I usually bring my flamethrower wich means Im close to the enemy and need a gun for those distances. Against Bots range is better but their heavy armour makes less guns as viable as the Dominator.

Secondary weapon:

P-19 Redeemer The gun I used until I unlocked the revolver. I liked its high rate of fire for enemies that got too close when primary was out. But dont use it anymore.
P-4 Senator I was sceptical at first so I didnt use it a lot when I unlocked it. But over time it has grown on me. I really like its accuracy at a distance and its ability to one shot weaker enemies. Its my primary secondary now.
GP-31 Grenade Pistol When I saw this in the warbond trailer I knew I wanted it. Its perfect for my current loadout against bugs. Flamethrower and stun grenades can kill everything exept Bile Titans so I need something to destroy bug holes with. This is that tool. Only downside is that you get so few new grenades from resupplies. Could benefit from slightly higher resupply rate.
Not much to say here. Its the Senetor or the Grenade pistol depending on what tools I bring and mission type.

Grenades:

G-10 Incendiary This was my primary grenade after I unlocked it. It lasted until I unlocked the Grenade Pistol. Wich opened for the use of:
G-23 Stun This is now my standard grenade on the Bug front. Its especially good now that I have a heavy armour with extra grenades. Stun charger and then burn it with flamethrower.
As with the primarys I dont like things that can blow up in my face so the contact grenades are not for me. The grenades with extra timer was useful when learning the game and not having much else but the two above are the ones I use the most now.

Boosters:

Stamina Enhancement Gives faster stamina regen, In heavy armour this is so good. Helps with keeping up with teammates and running marathons with Bile titans and chargers.
Muscle Enhancement On planets with terrain that slows you down this is really nice. If on a snowy planet and someone already has taken Stamina, this is gold.
Motivational shocks When in heavy armour you dont want to become even slower. This shortens that period and prevents Bile titans from slow locking you.

Stratagems:

Flam-40 Flamethrower Oh how I LOVE this weapon against bugs! The feeling of it is awesome. It can kill all bugs exept Bile titans and with the help of stun grenades chargers arnt a problem. I use the primary weapon to deal with flyers.
AC-8 Autocannon This is the gun vs bots for me. I only switch when fighting heavy armour. A 500kg bomb compliments this well.
GR-8 Recoiless Rifle My go to when it comes to anti armor guns. Useful against both bugs and bots. Kills dropships in one shot.
M-105 Stalwart I rarely use the machine guns but when I do I prefere to stay mobile. I think I would use the heavier MGs if they came with more mags. But the problem with all MGs are that there are only four stratagem slots and better guns for the role I tend to fill. But its nice to be able to switch guns sometimes.
Orbital Walking Barrage Great for clearing bigger bases or when you are chased by a bigg mob.
Orbital Airburst Strike I love this one vs Bugs. Throw it on a breach or when you are chased by light mobs. Great at destroying eggs aswell.
Orbital 380mm HE barrage You see that big bot base? Not anymore! Great at clearing bigger bases and objectives that dont require a Hellbomb.
Eagle Airstrike I only use this against bugs and mostly on Blitz runs. Great at destroying Bug holes. Sadly it competes with the 500kg bomb for its slot.
Eagle 500kg Bomb VERY useful against tanks. Good in a pinch against both heavy targets and mobs.
Eagle Smoke Strike Very useful vs bots. Makes moving around the map and escaping mobs a lot easier. Using smoke on extraction makes it a lot easier to get to the ship alive. Orbital Smoke is even better for extraction.
Anti-personnel Mines/Incendiary Mines Great in defense but a high risk of self and team harm. That said I have started useing these two on defense missions with a turret and it has been very succesful. When a whole team brings these its a walk in the park. Bring explosion resistant armour and EAT for the heavies.
Autocannon Sentry Sentrys are one of the best tools in my arsenal. This one is in 98% of my loadouts. Shreds everything exept flyers. Best placed far away or in flanking position.
Shield Generator pack Useful when I want to be extra tanky. Its this or the ammo supply pack when I use my flamethrower. Against bots I rarely use it as so many guns use a ammo backpack. Quasar cannon and EAT works with it but I use them rarely.
Shield Generator Relay Im so happy that more players are starting to use this. Good for helping turrets survive or when extracting/defending.
When fighting bugs I need my flamethrower and the autocannon turret. With those two I can kill any bug threat. That leaves two slots to play with.
When fighting Bots I need the autocannon and the 500kg bomb. That leaves two slots to play with.
I use my primary for weaker mobs and try to pick stratagems that compliment my other picks or help the team.
These are what I use when I play Helldivers 2. They are what are the best for my playstyle. They are not the only tools I use but the ones I use the most. If you have more suggestions for heavy armour play then share them in the comments below. If you disagree and can be constructive then comment below. What do you use?

SOURCE
I'm going to do something a bit different and take a close look at two major works from the DC Universe: Darwyn Cooke's The New Frontier, and James Robinson and Paul Smith's The Golden Age. If you're playing along at home, the texts I'm using are The Absolute New Frontier from 2006 and The Golden Age trade paperback from 1995.
First a bit of personal context: I didn't enjoy The New Frontier when it first came out, serialized in six quite expensive installments. I loved Cooke's art, I loved the use of some of the more obscure DC war characters, and I loved the characterization of the Martian Manhunter, but the narrative didn't work for me when read in small monthly doses back in 2004. I had read all of the full-length work Cooke had done up until 2004, and none of it had disappointed me at all. But The New Frontier seemed to read more like a tour through the 1950s and 1960s than an actual story. It wasn't until the final issue that I really understood what Cooke was leading up to, but then it was over, and I didn't have the time or the inclination to dig out the back issues and read the whole thing in one sitting. Even when I got the two-volume trade paperback collection a couple of years ago (in an eBay lot of trade paperbacks I bought off of none other than comic book scholar George Khoury), I still didn't bother to read it. To paraphrase Hemingway's Frederic Henry, we don't do the things we want to do.
So I never actually read the entire text of The New Frontier until this past winter, when I was able to sit down with the luxurious Absolute edition and dive into Cooke's illustrated world. I enjoyed it immensely, enough that I wanted to reread it again this summer, which is what I have just done, and now I want to talk about it. But I don't want to talk about it in isolation, and I'm interested in the connection between texts, so I'll also talk about its logical precursor: The Golden Age.
Like The New Frontier, Robinson and Smith's The Golden Age deals with the era between the 1940s and the 1960s. The era in which the comic book Golden Age grew into the comic book Silver Age. The era in which America was undergoing its own transformation, moving from threats abroad to suspicion at home. And just as I had difficulty enjoying The New Frontier as a serialized comic, I couldn't appreciate The Golden Age in that manner either. I only bought the first two issues, actually, back in the early 1990s, and then I lost interest, vaguely thinking that I might buy it as a collected edition some day (even though collections were not guaranteed the way they are today). I did buy it when the trade paperback was released, and because I had never finished it originally, I read the collection immediately. And I liked it. But I thought it was deeply flawed.
I reread The Golden Age yesterday, after thinking about it in regards to The New Frontier. It's not a surprising connection, after all. Cooke himself claims The Golden Age as an inspiration for his own work. But my memory of The Golden Age was a bit hazy, and I recalled it being a much more cynical view of the territory than what Cooke achieved in The New Frontier. My recall was pretty accurate--Robinson and Smith present a quite cynical view of the late Golden Age America.
Now that I've read both works back-to-back, I'm interested in exploring what each says about super-heroes, what each says about America, and how each achieves its (very different) effects. These are the kinds of things I'll be looking at over the next few days.
James Robinson's use of History in The Golden Age
One of the things that strikes me about both The New Frontier and The Golden Age is the way the creators weave American history into their stories. On the surface, such a technique might not be surprising, especially considering that both tales take place in the past. And while it may be true that a so-called "historical novel" or "period film" would be amiss to neglect the details of history which fit its setting, the same isn't always true for comics.
In comics, stories set in the past tend to take place in some vague memory of the past, without any apparent intent in locking the stories into a particular date or era. Take the typical origin stories, or "Year One" stories which DC Comics' creators have retold again and again. In such a story, whether it be Miller and Mazzuchelli's take on Batman, or Waid, Augustyn, and Kitson's take on the Justice League, the setting lacks a distinct time stamp. The characters are younger, true, but the setting lacks specific period detail. The reason for this isn't at all surprising, because locking the characters' past into a specific date would require some major explanations about their ages in the present. Had Miller time-stamped the date on Batman: Year One, and included captions saying "May 3rd, 1980," or whatever, then that might have worked for a few years, but even if we assume that Batman was only 23 when he took inspiration from that window-smashing flying rodent, according to that temporal continuity, he'd be 50 years old in the current stories. And he's clearly not.
So we expect stories set in the past to avoid any kind of specific references to contemporary history, at least in comics. A recent jarring exception to that can be found in Diggle and Jock's newly released Green Arrow: Year One, in which a young Oliver Queen references the "Kevin Costner" Robin Hood. That means Queen must have become Green Arrow sometime in the mid-1990s, which might explain his age today (if he was 22 in 1992, he'd be 37 today, which might be right), but it also implies that his son Connor must only be a teenager today, and he's clearly older than that. Perhaps the reference will work better 10 years from now when the Kevin Costner reference will become part of the vague historical past, but right now it seems too current to make sense.
Anyway, the other MAJOR exception to the rule of not using historical references in comics is the case of stories set during World War II. Even comic books written at the time of WWII regularly included time-stamp references in a way that later comics tended to avoid. Yes, since then, Superman has met Kennedy, and you might see analogues of Bill Clinton or George W. in a story or two, but in the 1940s heroes came face to face with major historical figures (contemporaries to them) on an almost daily basis. Here's FDR! Here's Superman grabbing Hitler on a cover! Here's Tojo! Here's Hawkman enlisting in the army to fight overseas! Etc. Such close ties between "comic book reality" and real-life events never matched the heights of the WWII comics.
And that's why later writers, Roy Thomas MOST prominently among them (he practically invented the whole idea of historical nostalgia super-hero comics), felt compelled to weave actual historical events into the retelling of stories from the WWII era. Thomas's Invaders for Marvel and his All-Star Squadron for DC playfully fit the timeline of actual US history into the fictional timeline of the past super-heroes. In his letter columns, Thomas would often explain (or justify, for the more contentious fans) how the chronology worked.
But, other than WWII era-stories, most comic book stories that take place in the past (unless they are time travel stories, which have their own rules) DO NOT USE SPECIFIC HISTORICAL REFERENCES. It's weird to imagine novels or films avoiding such references—they would surely be criticized for it—but in comics, it's commonplace.
So, in the case of both The New Frontier and The Golden Age, you have two rather significant violations of that standard "rule." And both of which seem deeply indebted to the type of approach Roy Thomas favored so much.
Let's take The Golden Age first, since it was published a decade before Cooke's work. The Golden Age seems like a logical off-shoot of Thomas's All-Star Squadron. It features many of the same characters, and Johnny Quick, a relatively obscure DC character from the past, would certainly not have been a suitable narrator for the story without the characterization Thomas provided in years of All-Star Squadron stories. James Robinson is clearly building on the foundation Thomas created. So, it's not surprising that he would, like Thomas, blend US history into his story. Yet Robinson's approach differs in two distinct ways: (1) He doesn't seem interested in the exact historical details and how they fit into his timeline—he seems more interested in the general sense of historical forces of the time, and (2) Unlike Thomas, who was writing out of a Golden and Silver Age optimism and a belief in the American Dream, Robinson was writing from a post-Watchmen perspective, as a foreign-born writer, who could play with the cynical expectations of the time.
Thus, Robinson gives us coke-sniffing "super-heroes," corruption, brutality, and sex in a tale which features the "pure" heroes of the DC Golden Age of comics. Robinson's approach is not to use specific elements of McCarthyism or the Red Scare (even though those ideas are referenced at least once), but to use the general sense of paranoia and panic, the cynical manipulation of the public for personal gain, and the looming threat of the bomb.
Ultimately, however, Robinson uses all of this as a backdrop for a traditional super-hero romp. The coke-sniffing "super-hero" turns out to be Hitler in disguise!!! (Well, actually the brain of Hitler in the body of a former kid sidekick—talk about a symbol of corruption!) And the hero-turned-power-hungry-politician in the form of the patriotic Mr. America turns out to be old JSA villain the Ultra-Humanite, who knows a thing or two about brain transplants. So, in the end, it's just a classic Golden Age story about punching Hitler and defeating an evil genius.
But it's Robinson's historical subtext which makes the story resonate. It's his use of those undercurrents of paranoia and despair which make these formerly perfect heroes of the past seem flawed and human. His story starts dark and becomes darker but, by the end, Robinson's veil of cynicism falls away, and he reveals himself to be a humanist, if not an optimist. His reverence for these Golden Age characters would not let them be truly corrupted—it had to be evil masterminds and Hitler all along.
And that, perhaps, is one of the failures of The Golden Age. The shock of the initial chapters is just a ruse, and as low as these characters seem to sink, everything can be explained by pseudo-science and comic book logic.
It's just another Justice Society of America story, ultimately, but it's a good one. And Robinson's use of the undercurrents from that era of history make it work, even if it never transcends its roots.
The New Frontier and Camelot
While The Golden Age used the historical subtext to evoke currents of paranoia and doom in a super-hero story, The New Frontier approaches history with a different agenda. As Ultimate Matt pointed out in response to yesterday's post, The Golden Age is labeled an "Elseworlds" title, which not only grants it an exemption from DC continuity, but it allows more freedom for the creators to take the characters and setting in a fresh direction.
The New Frontier, however, is not labeled as an "Elseworlds." And yet, it strays far more from the currently accepted version of continuity than The Golden Age does. The key word there is "accepted." Darwyn Cooke, in his annotations, states that he approached The New Frontier with a set of rules:

1. The timeline is real and covers 1945 to 1960. Silver Age characters appear at the time DC started publishing them.
   
2. Retcons haven't happened yet.
   
3. No New Frontier retcons could contradict original continuity—they had to complement existing continuity or show a fresh point of view.
   
4. When the story ended, everything had to be as it was when the JLA debuted in Brave and the Bold #28.
   
5. Snapper Carr does not exist.
   

In other words, you should be able to pull out your original comics from that era (or the Archive editions) and read them concurrently with The New Frontier and nothing Cooke does should contradict what happens in those old comics.
The problem with the continuity is that the comics from that era didn't have any continuity. It was never explained how a character could be on the moon in one issue of his own comic, and under the ocean in the same month in his Justice League adventure. All Golden and Silver Age DC continuity is a retcon. So what Cooke did was create his own continuity—he made his own sense out of the various adventures as they were originally published, although the bulk of the book deals with the time between major events. Just like The Golden Age, The New Frontier is about filling in the gaps.
While James Robinson filled the pre-Silver Age gap with an almost allegorical tale of Cold War paranoia and corruption, Darwyn Cooke fills the gap with a sense of wonder and idealism, and he uses his attitude toward history to solidify that tone.
Cooke's approach takes three strands: (1) The Right Stuff-inspired history of that era, embodied by the test pilots and early astronauts, (2) The early promise of the Kennedy administration, and (3) The strange DC comics history as seen in the stories published during that time. Cooke uses the first two strands to illuminate the latter. He puts the Silver Age ascension into perspective as part of a generation of hope and achievement. He shows that the formation of the Justice League was not a random incident, but part of a larger historical movement which led (in our reality) to things like the Peace Corps and Apollo 11.
Cooke ties together such disparate elements as The War that Time Forgot, The Challengers of the Unknown, Dr. Seuss, and all of the characters who would join the initial incarnation of the JLA into a single narrative. And although it takes quite a while before the villain emerges and the heroes band together, the narrative is structured around the real historical forces that would have shaped the creation of these characters. John Broome doesn't wax poetically about the symbolism of Hal Jordan's career as a test pilot in the original Green Lantern run from the Silver Age, but Cooke takes the fact that he was a test pilot and places him in the actual context of such a man. He even includes a scene where the young Jordan meets Chuck Yeager.
That's quite a different approach to history than we saw in The Golden Age, which covers a very similar time frame.
Although Cooke didn't intend (according to his "rules") to change any of the original stories, his interpretation of "fresh point of view" allows him to add things which would have been more historically true even if they weren't addressed in the comics of the time. For example, he not only changes Wonder Woman into an almost plump, hawkish, zestful character (to signify her Greek origins and Amazon heritage), but he creates an entirely new character to illuminate the civil rights struggle of the time. Since he had no black DC characters to draw upon, he created a Silver Age analogue to Steel, the black Superman ally. The Silver Age Steel, unlike his modern equivalent, isn't a technological marvel. Instead, this earlier incarnation of John Henry suffers at the hands of the KKK before taking vengeance, and ultimately dying when he's betrayed by an uncaring white America (symbolized by a blonde little girl, who points out his location to his pursuers). John Henry never meets the Justice League or teams up with any heroes. His death doesn't affect them at all, really, since they didn't know him. But Cooke includes a scene where Edward R. Murrow mourns the fallen hero and laments the state of the country, bringing an actual historical personage into the DC story.
The civil rights subplot, although powerful, is overwhelmed by the exceeding optimism of the other plot threads. Cooke's America, as full of conflict as it might have been, is one of scientific progress and movement toward a brighter future. His villain, ultimately revealed to be Dinosaur Island itself (a sentient being who has unleashed monster after monster), is even more absurd than the Hitler-brain-transplant nemesis in The Golden Age, but because Cooke accentuates the fun and spectacle of the super-heroes (and, to be clear, his emphasis is on the men and women in the costumes, and the risks they take for their heroism), the absurdity of the villain doesn't detract from the story.
Both The Golden Age and The New Frontier end with similar images (the first appearance of the Justice League banded together) and similar sentiments (hope for the future), but where James Robinson built that hope out of the wreckage of the 1940s, Darwyn Cooke builds it out of the dreams of the men and women who sacrificed for the promise of tomorrow.
Both books end with optimism for comic books and optimism for our country, but they took starkly different approaches to get there.
The Unstoppable Force of Progress: Characterization in The New Frontier
Since both The New Frontier and The Golden Age re imagine comic book chronology through one part actual US history, one part comic book history, and one part imagination, it's not surprising to find both Cooke and Robinson taking liberties with the characterization of these pre-Silver Age heroes. Both creators ask the question asked by any creator attempting to retell stories from the past: Okay, this is how they were portrayed, but what were the characters who did these things REALLY like?
I'll start by looking at The New Frontier. Cooke doesn't focus his story on one dominant point of view the way Robinson does (with Johnny Quick), but he tells his story through a few central characters:
Rick Flagg: Leader of the WWII-era Suicide Squad (and presumably the father, or grandfather, of the Ostrander-penned incarnation). Cooke presents him as a tough guy cliché. He's a Hemingway hero—he does what needs to be done and doesn't whine about it or waver in his determination. In Act III of the narrative, his position in the story is replaced by the similarly-characterized King Faraday, who also does what needs to be done, although he seems to have more internal conflict than Flagg. Faraday is a spy, after all, not a soldier. But both characters represent a government which has the best interests of the country in mind. If they hurt a few individuals along the way, that's a necessary sacrifice for the good of the many.
Hal Jordan: The man who would be Green Lantern is NOT portrayed as a cocky rocket jock, as he usually is in contemporary interpretations. Cooke turns his lack of fear into a self-destructive streak stemming from his face-to-face act of self-defense in Korea. In Cooke's universe, Jordan doesn't immediately become a hero just because an alien handed him a ring. It takes time for Jordan to learn that he deserves to be a hero, and that's a large part of what The New Frontier is about. He doesn't reveal himself in Green Lantern costume until AFTER he risks his life to save the world working as a pilot. The two-page "hero shot" of the characters walking towards camera (a la The Right Stuff) shows some costumed heroes, but Jordan is wearing a flight suit. Cooke seems to be showing that he needed to prove himself TO himself before he could accept his new identity, but his reluctance to use the power of the ring leads to Nathaniel Adam's death. (Adam is later reborn as Captain Atom in the comics, but that doesn't happen in this story, and as far as Jordan should be concerned, Adam is dead.) Cooke doesn't provide Jordan with any time for remorse, though, since he needs to use his ring to kick alien butt. The ring, by the way, is also shown as a symbol of destructive energy. When Jordan first uses it, he cannot control it, and it causes great damage. Cooke, then, seems to indicate that the ring might symbolize nuclear energy, and the subtext would be that Jordan's hesitance to use it led to another hero's death. Ultimately, Jordan is Cooke's symbol of the Kennedy era: conflicted, yet determined to bring forth a positive future—harnessing great powers for the good of the nation (and the world).
John Jones, the Manhunter from Mars: Jones says, "...this is a world where good and evil struggle in all levels of existence. I want to be a force for good." That's a simplistic view of humanity, but it's one seemingly shared by Cooke throughout this work. Good and evil may not be easily discernible on the surface, and Cooke gives us the threatening-looking John Henry (with a hangman's hood) as a hero and a little blonde girl as a villain, but the line between good and evil is absolute (and, in fact, John Jones assumes the role of a film-noirish detective so he can find the evil beneath the surface appearance of the world). Jones defines this ethical stance for the reader, and it represents the code of Golden and Silver Age comic books, which lacked anything but absolutes. Even though Cooke might try to provide some not-so-subtle shades of gray (Jordan as a murderer, Wonder Woman as feminist avenger, an undercurrent of xenophobia), his view of history seems to echo the simplicity of the comic book stories of the era. Individuals may not have always done the right things at all times, but it was an era of progress, and good triumphed over evil. The subtext could also indicate that governmental order triumphed over chaotic nature, with the unified heroes, under the leadership of the US government, destroying a threat that wasn't so much malicious as it was animalistic.
Even though Cooke's characterization of some of these characters, Hal Jordan in particular, might not match traditional representations of these individuals, I think it works in the context of the story. The characters serve the story and add a few layers to the text, but it's primarily a historical action spectacle, a celebration of progress over stagnation, and Cooke's characterization unifies the text. I don't think his characters have many hidden depths, but I think their lack of depth matches a story which is primarily about the grand force of history.
As one final observation: Cooke is actually better at small character moments with the minor characters than he is at developing convincing lead characters. The death of Johnny Cloud, Jimmy Olsen's eagerness, the sassiness of Carol Ferris, and several other character bits show Cooke's facility on the small scale, even if his epic narrative doesn't provide the opportunity for subtle nuances with the major characters.
Characterization in The Golden Age: Dragging Heroes to Earth
While Cooke ignores anyone else's retroactive continuity to graft archetypal personalities onto the early Silver Age heroes in The New Frontier, Robinson takes characters straight out of Roy Thomas's All-Star Squadron (like Johnny Quick on the left here) and Young All-Stars and sends them on a dark journey into the 1950s. Robinson does not re imagine these characters drastically, although he seems to do so with Mr. America (but that's part of his narrative ruse). Instead, he takes their established characterization and expands upon it by adding seeds of self-doubt, paranoia, and despair as the characters face a world in which the villains are not as easily identified as they once were. Robinson misdirects the reader at first by pretending to adopt a simplified Watchmen approach, pretending that he's showing what these characters would have been like without costumed villains to fight or gangsters to punch, when, in truth, he's simply changed the nature of the evil to something more covert and less easy to spot. (Which might seem Watchmen-esque as well, except Alan Moore showed us that the heroes were the villains in that story, and here, Robinson ultimately reveals that secret villains with brain-transplant powers were behind the whole thing from the beginning.)
Here's a quick rundown of the central characters in The Golden Age:
Johnny Chambers, a.k.a Johnny Quick: Johnny not only provides the book-ends to the story but, as a documentary filmmaker, he provides the exposition which sets up the story context. One of the things Robinson does NOT do well here, by the way, is clearly distinguish between narrative voice (provided through white, rectangular caption boxes), and newsreel voice over (also provided by white, rectangular caption boxes), although perhaps the colorist was supposed to use different color cues for each and didn't. The CHARACTERS who narrate, like Johnny Chambers, each have their own style of caption—Johnny's are rounded and blue, as you can see in the image. Actually, it's not that it's so difficult to identify the narrative voice, it's just that there is an omniscient narrator who pops up every once in a while for no good reason, and tells us things about the story sometimes, while other times he sounds like he's trying to give us character thoughts but not really: the highly subjective "fingers...fumbling...focusing...trying to..." immediately follows the objective "a photographer lurks among the rubble." The photographer is the one who's fingers are supposedly fumbling as he tries to snap the photo, so why does the caption sound like a bad Batman internal monologue? This really has nothing to do with Johnny Chambers, but I just wanted to point out this major flaw in the narration throughout. With so many characters (Johnny being one) actually providing narration through captions, why does Robinson add an omniscient narrator also? It's jarring and ineffective. It's like he took the strategies of Watchmen with the multiple points of view, and then spliced the conventional narrator on top of it. It just doesn't work.
But a few more things about Johnny: He smokes, and he wears glasses. He still has his powers, but even though they would help him in his day job, he doesn't use them. And he's incredibly suspicious, which is the characteristic that makes him the character the reader most identifies with. He's also lost the woman he loves because he works too hard, although he gets her back in the end. In short, he's a slightly older (although he actually seems to get younger as the story progresses, perhaps symbolizing his return to heroic stature), slightly more sullen, slightly more flawed version of the character we saw in the comics produced in the 1980s (even though those stories were set in the 1940s). He refers to his costumed self as "That Jerk!" at the beginning of the story, but ends on a hopeful note as he describes a "new age...fresh and clear and bright...as sterling silver!" He's never really a cynic, but his pessimism and self-loathing turns to optimism in the end (even quickly dismissing the threat of McCarthyism to look ahead to the glowing future of super-heroics).
Paul Kirk, a.k.a Manhunter: If we play out the James-Robinson-is-trying-to-do-Watchmen-but-not-as-well game a bit more, we could say that if Johnny Chambers is the Dan Dreiberg analogue (the low-self-esteem voice of reason and calm) then Paul Kirk is clearly the Rorschach character. He's the crazy one who will surely upset the apple cart, yet isn't that what has to happen in order to get to the truth? That's his role, anyway. Unlike Rorschach (in his insane way), Kirk doesn't have a methodical approach to uncovering the truth. In fact, he's tormented by the truth, which lies buried beneath mind implants, exploding into awareness only through a series of horrible dreams. He seems deeply disturbed because of the War, but he's actually deeply disturbed because of the secrets he knows. He's another character, like Johnny, who seems to become more youthful and vibrant in the final Act, when he is able to unleash his demons through old-fashioned fisticuffs. Unlike Johnny, though, he visibly suffers for a long time before he reaches the point of action. Here's a sample of his internal monologue from one of his many tortured dreams: "Save the eagle. Save it. Save—n...no...nooooohhhh!!" Then he wakes up and thinks, "Still afraid." That's about the extent of his characterization. He's tormented, fearful, and knows he should be better than that. And, "save the eagle?" Geez, I wonder what in the world that could possibly mean in a book about corruption within the American government. Clearly, even though this book is directed at an older audience than the original Golden Age tales, Robinson keeps his symbolism quite simplistic.
Tex Thompson, a.k.a. Mr. America, and Daniel Dunbar, a.k.a. Dan the Dyna-Mite: These are the two characters most radically changed from their Golden Age counterparts. Mr. America was a whip-wielding patriotic hero and Dan was a kid sidekick who later, under Roy Thomas's writerly guidance, became one of the lead characters in Young All-Stars. In Robinson's story, Mr. America becomes a corrupt politician who seeks power by any means necessary, and Dan the Dyna-Mite becomes America's beloved Dynaman, the only active costumed crime fighter of the time. And he snorts coke. And he's evil.
Neither of these two characters have internal monologues via captions for the reader, because that would give away the twist. Tex Thompson is not really who he seems, for he has the brain of the evil Ultra-Humanite (who has in previous stories adopted the forms of a gigantic white gorilla and a hot ex-starlet, among others). And Daniel Dunbar, who has fallen so far from grace in our eyes (a former teen sidekick with a drug problem whoring around) actually has the BRAIN OF ADOLF HITLER!
So there's not much to say about the characterization here, since these are two evil characters in the most simplistic way. What is interesting, though, is that (a) Robinson chooses one character, Thompson, who seems vaguely sleazy to modern readers anyway, what with that whip and the mustache, and when he's shown to be corrupt, we can buy into it, falling into Robinson's trap of thinking that it's just a regular dude becoming corrupted by power; and (b) Robinson's use of the pure and innocent Dunbar is also a good choice, because it is not only shocking to see him corrupted so extremely (before the truth of the brain-swap is revealed), but it's a nod to cultural expectations about former child stars, who, by the 1990s, were expected to grow up and become criminals or drug addicts or worse, at least by our tabloid-fascinated society.
Like a director who makes his film better through excellent casting, Robinson uses the right two ex-heroes in the apparent role of the villains. His bait-and-switch works, although I was personally disappointed that the threat turned out to be external (evil villains) and not the corruption of these characters from within.
Robinson uses other characters to show the corruption of innocence and loss of the heroic dream. Robotman, so noble in Roy Thomas's All-Star Squadron, has lost any humanity by the time of this story—he's pure machine, while Alan Scott, Green Lantern is conflicted about his duty as a business leader and law-abiding citizen and his passion for ring-slinging and butt-kicking. Hourman is shown to be addicted to his Miraclo pills, while the man once known as the Tarantula is an egoist with writer's block. Ted Knight, Starman, who Robinson would go on to write with great depth and sensitivity in the ongoing series about Jack Knight, is a mad genius who is trying to put the pieces of this shattered world together through science.
I should add here that Robinson, unlike Cooke, isn't drawing from the original sources as the basis for his story. He's adapting his characterizations from the work done during contemporary comics, as Roy Thomas provided retroactive characterization (and explanations) for the WWII-era heroes. Robinson is building on the layers which Roy Thomas built upon the layers which Gardner Fox (among others) built.
Overall, Robinson does provide a sense of disillusionment in his characterizations in this story, even if his narrative technique is sometimes sloppy or inconsistent. Cooke tried to add a bit of humanity to iconic characters in his work, but he was mostly interested in the icons of the era. Robinson drags his characters down into the muck and then builds them back up again, hoping to show how their inner humanity wins out (with all of its flaws) in the face of systematic adversity. Cooke's characters inhabit the skies, the stars. Robinson's characters live on the ground.
So, the final verdict, after looking at The Golden Age and The New Frontier for a week: Not much different than my initial assessment after reading them both last weekend. The Golden Age is flawed because of its inconsistent narrative point of view and it's cheap, brain-swapping revelations. Robinson and Smith capture the disillusionment and paranoia of the time quite well, but it all amounts to nothing except a superhero slug fest in the end. It's 80% of a great work, and 20% of stuff that doesn't quite fit (including the optimistic ending, which seems unearned). As part of a larger, genre-wide trend to make super-heroes more "realistic," violent, and depressing, I'm not a huge fan of its influence.
The New Frontier is flawed, but it's a flawed masterpiece, and I can imagine revisiting the story many times in the future (and I can't say the same about The Golden Age). Cooke tries to include too much in the narrative, and the main threat of Monster Island isn't presented as well as it needs to be, but the book contains dozens of amazing sequences, and it features sharp, engaging characters who flash in and out of the story. The speed of the narrative demands that the book be read quickly, and it works best when read this way, not because it allows the reader to gloss over the weak parts of the story, but because The New Frontier is an overture, and can be best appreciated when all of its notes are heard in rapid sequence. I didn't love it when it first came out, in the completely inappropriate floppy installments, but I loved it after reading the Absolute version a week ago, and I love it just as much after studying it closely all week.
As one final thought: Both The Golden Age and The New Frontier tap so deeply into comic book lore, and I am so deeply embedded in it myself, that I wonder if either of these works has any merit for a "civilian" reader. And I wonder if, perhaps, the darker, more "realistic" tone would be appealing to a non-comics fan, more so, perhaps, than the wide-eyed optimism (tinged with bits of darkness) seen in Cooke's work. Or would the non-comics fan find both stories completely useless and without merit? Are both works examples of the snake swallowing its own tail? I've already been swallowed by the snake of comic book geekery, so I can't answer that one.

Introduction

To start with, I want to clarify that this is coming from a place of passion, and I’m really trying to argue in good faith here. This is my attempt at giving thorough, honest feedback instead of hot takes and vitriol. Not everyone will agree with me here, but I’m hoping that spirit can continue. Just as a little background, I’m a data person and I’ve played a number of games casually and competitively across genres include MTG, WoW, various war-games, and I also coach a high school esports team in the spring. None of those things make my opinion any more or less valid, but I’m familiar with ideas like game theory, balance, and design, and ultimately I think most concepts in this space translate across genre well. As a side note, I’ll primarily be talking bugs because I know them better and don’t want to say anything incorrect about the bot side of things.
One of the big reasons I’m writing this is not just to make my own points, but to also suggest that there are a handful of distinct arguments happening over the eruptor right now and that they aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. Namely, there’s an argument about the balancing of the gun relative to other primaries, and there’s also an argument about the design/mechanics of the gun and the change from shrapnel to just the AOE. I intend to make points on both arguments, but most important is I want to drive home that “I prefer the old design of the eruptor” and “the eruptor is viable as is” are not mutually exclusive arguments.
I think it’s important to step back and ask - what makes a game fun? What makes a game “well designed”? Where does “balance” fit into that? I bring this up because if we can’t agree on these terms, everything else is pointless(or at least we’ll be talking past each other a lot). I think that “fun” and “well designed” means a game where there are tense exciting moments, that I have the ability to make decisions and have critical moments as a player, and that my decisions on a moment to moment basis will affect my chance of success. The core gameplay loop should be interesting, there should be some variety to keep it fresh with different strategies, and I should be consistently rewarded for knowledge and skill and punished for mistakes. The game balance should provide an environment where trivially easy and impossibly hard situations are rare and not the norm. It’s not fun if you’re just going through the motions for a reward, and it’s also not fun to be in a failure spiral where you die 3 times in a row without the opportunity to make meaningful decisions.
Another important aspect of fun is player expression and tactical flexibility. People enjoy cosmetics because they like to stand out and be unique. People also enjoy being able to choose their play style and express themselves via their role. In the same way I might prefer to play a wizard in Pathfinder or main ranged DPS in WoW(fire mage/destro warlock for life), I might prefer to play Helldivers with a more stealthy approach, or where my kit excels at heavy weaponry, or where my kit excels at horde clearing. I might want to enjoy the game in a totally different way than another player in my party. If the game is designed well, both me and that person will have the ability to do that in a way that synergies and improves both of our experiences. These choices need to be meaningful and functionally different, both so that I can change the gameplay loop when things get stale and so that two people can have truly different roles instead of just different qualities at the same role.
In my opinion, in a game like Helldivers with no competition, the function of balance is primarily to create fun. It’s not that every gun needs to be balanced across every other gun, just that every gun needs to be balanced enough so that players can choose the mechanics that appeal to them and participate. Balance is an issue when a player option is so good or so bad as to remove the number of viable options from the pool. Balance is not an issue when a gun is simply a little better than another option in its class. There will always be a best gun, and some players will pick it and others will pick what they prefer to play. This goal of “no meta” is simply not how balancing a game works. Instead, the goal should be to have a broad meta.
I also think it’s worthwhile to bring up the context here and why so many people are frustrated. If this was just a regular nerf it might not sting so bad, but the saga so far is that: The self-ricochet changes go live and the eruptor starts to kill the user more often. As a result, the devs decide(within a day) to do a full rework on the eruptor. The CMs assure us this will result in an overall buff. Patch day arrives and it’s actually a massive nerf. Then a CM assures us this was unintended. A few hours later the lead balance dev steps in and says no, actually, this is intentional and everyone has just been “exploiting” the gun the whole time. And then, one day later, the CEO is on twitter saying they should stop nerfing all the fun things in the game. This communication whiplash is not helping.

The Balance Issue

I figured I would start off with the balance issue. For this section, I am exclusively considering the power level of the gun and not how it gets there. Hypothetically, there are two versions of the eruptor that do the same fundamental job and can both be balanced. The first with shrapnel and the second with just AOE.
To start off with, I just want to say that I don’t think the eruptor was unbalanced last week. Some will disagree with and that’s fine, but I was not noticing a disproportionate amount of players using it, I did not feel like my eruptor play was taking away from anyone else’s niche, and there were some significant downsides that come with the power. For full disclosure, I was not aware of the charger one-shot and did not use it. I’ll come back to that. The damage level of the eruptor has been discussed ad naseum. I want to highlight how it pays for those: First, the time between each shot is more than two seconds and your magazine only has a handful of shots with an even longer reload. Every miss is incredibly punishing, and you really can’t afford to use multiple shots in a row sub optimally. The second is that the horde clearing was pretty subpar. On launch this gun had great AOE, but that was brought down with the last patch that also halved the ammo carrying capacity. After the first adjustment, it was easy to end up in a position where you had missed a shot or two or just approached like an idiot, got surrounded by some hunters and a couple medium bugs, and just needed to book it or die.
Balancing and design should be considered on a full kit level. Comparing the eruptor(or any other primary) to other primary weapons doesn’t tell the full story, instead we need to be comparing what each primary allows a full toolkit to do(and not do).
Let’s travel back to a few weeks ago, with the quasar nerf. Arrowhead sees that a massive amount of the player base is only playing quasar, EAT, and autocannon/recoilless. Obviously these guns must be too strong if everyone is playing them. Well… why is everyone playing them? As the community pointed out, the reason every load out includes a quasar or autocannon is because every primary does the same job and the anti-tank has to come from somewhere. Past difficulty 7 or so, you are simply expected and required to kill more chargers and bile titans than your stratagems can handle. There are not enough 500kg bombs to take out every bile titan, and finding 2 chargers a minute means I need a way to deal with them. There’s a longer reddit post about this and I don’t want to rehash every bit about it. In my opinion, the problem arises with the balancing team’s narrow definition of what a primary is and can be. This position, in my opinion, is why we keep coming back to this issue and why both the individual experience and the team play feel lacking.
Because most primaries are balanced around not killing medium or large bugs, each person inherently starts with a primary weapon that kills scavengers, hunters, kinda stalkers, and does very very little against bile spewers, chargers, and bile titans. Many of the weapons that break this mold and are too effective against medium-large enemies are nerfed. Because the first part of the kit has been locked to one role, the choices for the rest of your toolkit become obvious. If I’m already taking a liberator, or a sickle, or a breaker, or the breaker incendiary, or any number of the other weapons that clear hordes well, there’s little reason to double down and bring a stalwart. I don’t need two guns that do the same thing, I can only use one at a time. Instead, I want a support weapon that covers my current weakness. If every player has the weakness of chargers and bile titans, every player will bring a support weapon that deals with them. This is how you get a parties with a liberator, two breakers, and a sickle as primaries and AC + EAT + Quasar in some combination as supports. These load outs are nominally different but fundamentally interact with the game in the same way. As a result, it doesn’t matter which of my team members goes to interact with the terminal, which stands further back to provide cover, and which sneaks off for samples. All players do each job about the same because their load outs are about the same.
In fact, the only time I’ve ever wanted to bring a stalwart was when I started running the eruptor. Why? Because the eruptor flipped the script upside down. Instead of being a primary that horde cleared and struggled against mid sized bugs, it was changed in the last balancing patch to reduce the AOE and it became a medium-large bug killer that really struggled against a horde. As a result, I either wanted to bring the stalwart to patch up that weakness and give me game against every non-bile titan bug, or I could bring the quasar and kill chargers/titans easily while having to be careful about hordes. No matter which of those options I landed on, I was still giving up some important part of my kit. With the stalwart I could solo an objective while my team did something together, but I just had to avoid large bugs and didn’t have the firepower to handle some situations. Alternatively, taking the quasar meant I needed to keep bugs away from me. Unlike with the liberator, sickle, or many shotguns, killing 10 small bugs at 5 meters wasn’t a freebie.
After this patch though, the gun doesn’t fill that role anymore. I played a game last night where a brood commander and 3 scavengers started approaching. It took 4 direct hits to kill the brood commander(about 7 seconds between first shot and last shot, with another reload) and the AOE failed to pick up any of the scavengers. That performance just isn’t good enough for a high difficulty mission. Why would I take that when a shotgun would kill all 4 bugs in shorter time? Or a sickle that can shred the scavengers and then focus the soft spots on the commander? I’m not actually sure what role this gun still does fill. I could take it with the stalwart and use it to clear bugholes like an auto cannon, but sickle/liberator+autocannon does that job so much better now that the eruptor doesn’t kill medium bugs well.
As a result, if I want to play the game I’m back to the same meta build that the community is tired of seeing full squads of and that the developers keep trying to balance away from. Nerfing the eruptor and forcing primaries into a horde clearing role is what creates the strict meta the devs have stated they don’t want to exist. This change directly nerfs the already underutilized non-anti-tank support weapons. This nerf goes against the stated design goals. Being more mindful about how the balance of each gun exists within the ecosystem and within a full load out will open up the design so that four players can actually do four different jobs. It also means that the design and development teams' hard work will be more utilized by the players instead of half or more of options going largely unused.
As a side note, I said I’d come back to chargers. I personally think that the anti-tank issue on the bug front is largely driven by the charger. If Arrowhead really wants people to take support weapons that aren’t anti-tank, perhaps the charger should be more vulnerable to primary and anti-chaff support weapons. I agree that in the current game’s balance, the eruptor should 100% not be one-shoting a charger. I’m just not quite convinced that it’s actually best for the game that chargers be so demanding on anti-tank given that the devs want stratagems to be the primary method of dealing with big threats. I could give up my Quasar if I didn’t need it to kill chargers. If I could kill bile titans with 500kg and chargers with other stuff, I would bring more fun support weapons. That’s not really the point of this post, but in my opinion chargers have been at the center of every one of these balancing discussions even when not brought up by name. If I could (actually) kill chargers by playing the movement mini game, dodging them or running them into a wall, and shooting the giant fleshy tail then I wouldn’t want a quasar shot every 12 seconds. I’m not even sure why that design exists when it’s more of a red herring than anything. The best direction to kill a charger from is the front and it has nothing to do with the unarmored bits.

The Mechanics

Truthfully, I started with balance to get it out of the way. I think the balance issue is worth discussing, and I would prefer a balanced shrapnel-less eruptor over the currently awful shrapnel-less eruptor we have now. That being said, I think the mechanics and feel are actually a lot more important here. I also think they’re at the greatest risk of being lost to some nebulous balance needs that don’t actually exist.
Earlier I said that a fun game is one where player choices change the core gameplay loop. Part of this is because a game gets stale after so many hours, so being able to totally change it up can make things fresh enough to continue. The other reason is that everyone just has different preferences, so the more ways there are to play the game the more people it will appeal to. And, like I said earlier, in a cooperative team game there’s another bonus where being in a team with people using different strategies that actually change how that player behaves and performs, you also improves the other players’ enjoyment. Even if I don’t want to play the flamethrower, I like when my friend does and it handles parts of the mission that I can’t.
My major complaint with the rework is that the eruptor lost the majority of the unique gameplay loop. The shrapnel wasn’t just some incidental damage. It sort of sounds like the dev team thought of it that way(? Which brings up its own set of questions ?), but once you played a few games with the eruptor it became clear that you didn’t shoot what you wanted to hit, you shot where you wanted the shrapnel to come from. Essentially, your shot was actually about positioning the blast. The eruptor handled similar to the counter sniper, but instead of going for headshots every time you could shoot:

• underneath a bug to maximize shrapnel damage and avoid armor
• one side of a commander to send shrapnel into specific bugs
• a rock or wall and bounce shrapnel at a new angle
• in front of a few enemies and let the shrapnel spread into them

Learning how to handle the gun was rewarding and the gameplay loop was different than other guns. It was truly everything you wanted from a gun shooting explosive shrapnel and rewarded creativity and quick thinking. Removing the shrapnel wholesale and saying “it’s fine, we’ll just rebalance with AOE damage” is missing the entire point of why I played this gun. Sure, the niche it held in balancing was nice and I enjoyed using other support weapons for once, but primarily I liked the gun because it was fun, unique, and got me to think about the game differently. Loading up game with the eruptor was an entirely different mini game inside of Helldivers. Well, no longer.
To be entirely frank, I’m not sure why any gun is getting a full rework from concept to launch in a single week. This wasn’t a rebalancing, it’s just a different gun that isn’t unique anymore. Every skill I learned for using the eruptor is gone and it’s just another flavor of “hit the head” with the occasional mixup of "shoot the joint". There are already guns that do this task, and they do it better than the new eruptor. If I wanted to play the dominator I already would have been. I want the eruptor back that I specifically bought in a warbond and learned how to use. Why did the balancing team decide to throw out the entire design concept to address a different poorly received change within the span of a week? Designing a primary weapon should be more than a week-long process. If you need to rework a weapon that’s fine, it happens, but that should include a real design process that creates depth in the gameplay.
Further, why was the eruptor singled out for self and team kills in the first place? Actually using it, most of my self kills were from being an idiot. The shrapnel directly backwards thing happened to me once or twice, despite what the viral reddit post would have you think. If I killed a teammate, again, the vast majority of the time it’s because I was an idiot and shot too close to them. That’s why the description has in bold not to use it in close range. I’ve died to nearly every breaker incendiary I’ve gotten close to. I’ve died to countless eagle cluster bombs. I’ve died to arc throwers, EATs, Quasars, grenades, and even just the base liberator in the hands of a moron. The game has been intentionally designed so that team kills happen with regularity. Was it really an issue that the eruptor would sometimes kill people? If it really bothered me I would just stop equipping it and play a gun that appeals to me and is safer. Instead I just learned not to do that.
The crossbow is another great example of a gun with an unexpected rework. Most of the community isn’t just upset because the crossbow got worse. It seems like, similar to the eruptor, people are upset because the actual mechanics and core gameplay loop were changed without notice and for the worse. The movement conservation gimmicks, lobbed projectile, and weird damage profile made playing the game with the crossbow really different from other guns. If you hated it, well okay there are 20+ other guns to try instead. If you loved it, nothing else approximates it. Maybe the momentum preservation wasn’t intended in the first place. Who cares? Emergent gameplay is not the same thing as a bug.
Mechanic diversity in primary weapons should be a main design goal. If the game is at a point where every primary legitimately plays differently and has different decisions to make, you have succeeded at game design. If the game is balanced in such a way that each gun can contribute to success at level 9, even better. Every balancing decision should be made with those things in mind. Why would I buy the 10th warbond if the primary guns will all inevitably become “liberator variant”, “breaker variant”, “DMR variant”? Does the game benefit from having so many guns that are slightly different but feel the same? Paid war bonds are the perfect place for weird designs like this. In 6 months when a new player has to choose where to start, they shouldn’t be choosing which similar automatic rifle does the best DPS, they should say “wow that’s a sick electric primary” or “Shrapnel gun? Sign me up.” The balancing decisions should not be removing unique mechanical designs in a PVE co-op game. This is entirely backwards. Nerfs should target efficacy, breakpoints, ammo, rate of fire, etc. Nerfs should not be removing design and homogenizing options.

Communication

I would be remise if I didn’t mention Arrowhead’s communication in this post. It’s very jarring to log in expecting a sidegrade or even a buff and find my gun nonfunctional. It’s even more jarring to see back and forth responses about it from Arrowhead employees. It goes from confusing to infuriating when the lead balancing developer comes out and says everything is working as intended and accuses me of using an “exploit” because I picked up the gun, experimented, and learned how to use it effectively. Emergent gameplay is not the same thing as an exploit. I really don’t appreciate being defensively accused of misconduct because the devs didn’t understand a mechanic in the first place. It’s insulting. Why were there so many different statements yesterday that contradicted the previous statement? Why is the dev team making serious accusations because their rework didn’t go as expected? As much as I appreciate the CEO’s latest statements, I have to ask: Why is the CEO going on twitter to say the balance team is making the game less fun and saying they will talk to the team about it? I know I wouldn’t appreciate my boss publicly saying I’m making our product worse without having a strategy meeting first.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, I hope that Arrowhead seriously considers reverting the changes to the Eruptor. If we need to have a conversation about balance, fine. If the gun needs to have an extra shot to kill on the bile spewer and less power against chargers, fine. What I miss isn’t the power, it’s the gameplay loop created by its unique mechanic that has been stripped out of the game. This game has an incredible core. It’s fun, beautiful, cinematic, and the gunplay really has that satisfying weight to it that a lot of shooters fail to capture. Unfortunately, the way the team has handled balance with either wild knee-jerk number changes or fundamentally stripping mechanics has made it really hard to want to come back and keep logging in. Part of what makes a game like this fun for me is actually becoming good at it and learning the ins and outs of a load out and how to handle different situations. I do not enjoy have my stuff changed every two weeks because the balance team nerfed my favorite primary or support, taking away the gameplay I specifically chose and the time I spent learning how to use it

I inherited a bunch of embossed leather belts from a company named Cowtown out of Fort Worth, Texas. All of them have a blank space on the back for stamping names/initials. I'm told they were purchased in the 70s and have been sitting in an attic for the last 20 years. Despite that they are in very good condition. No cracking or scuffs or loose stitches.
So what can I do with these? Should I try to sell them myself online or should I go to a vendor and sell them wholesale? How much do I even ask for these? I'll post a link to an album when I am able to get photos up.
Edit: First album was missing pictures, new album link Link to Album: https://imgur.com/SUy8dK3
Table of what sizes in which styles I have, * means it is missing a keeper

Sizes	18	20	22	24	26	28	30	32	34	36	38	40	42	44	46	Total	Buckles
Horses	2	2	1	X	2	2	X	2	2	2	X	1	3	2	1	22	2
Eagles	X	1	X	1	2	X	1	1	X	X	X	X	X	X	2	8	X
Eagles Buck	X	X	X	X	X	3	1	X	X	4	X	X	X	X	X	8	1
Acorns	1	X	1	3	2	3	1	3	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	14	X
Acorns Buck	X	X	X	X	1	1	1	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	3	X
Acorns Rope Insert	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	2	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	2	X
Roses	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	1	X	X	X	X	X	X	1	2	X
Roses Painted	X	X	X	X	X	X	1	X	X	X	X	1	X	X	X	2	X
Floral	1	2	1	1	X	2	1	2	1	X	X	2*	X	1	2	14	X
Stamped	X	X	X	1	X	1	1	X	1	X	X	X	X	2*	1	5	X
Stamped Painted	X	X	X	X	X	1	X	1*	X	X	X	1	1	X	X	3	2
Stamped Black	X	X	X	1	1	1	1	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	4	X
Stamped Black Painted	X	X	X	X	X	1	X	1	1	X	1	X	X	X	X	4	X
Plain Black	X	X	X	X	X	X	1	2	X	X	X	1	1	2	X	7	X
Blanket Insert	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	1	1	X	X	X	X	X	X	2	1
Blanket Insert Black	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	1	1	1	1	X	1	1	X	6	X
Blanket Black Conchos	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	1	X	X	X	X	X	X	1	X
Total	4	5	3	7	8	15	9	16	8	7	2	4	6	6	7	107	6

Earth's orbit experiences an “Orbital Eccentricity”, 100,000 year cycle orbit and inclination variation, going from circular to elliptical, the hemispheres experience more or less sun or exposure to the sun for extended periods, causing ice ages. Scientists estimate we are near the minimum, a 6% change in solar energy. At peak, the earth experiences a change of 30%.
Modern Day Primates, in the wild and captivity, are able to communicate, near and far, using verbal and gesture components, even to other species. Have been observed using wood as tools, and in using medicinal plants to treat wounds.
44 million y a - Hominid ancestors acquire Herpes virus.
10 million y a - Primate ancestors develop genes to digest alcohol.
6 million years ago - Primate ancestors split from Chimpanzee/Bonobo line (15 million DNA mutations have occurred since then; each person born today has 100 mutations distinct to them, most don’t survive.)
5.3 m y a - Mediterranean Sea experiences the Messinian Salinity Crisis, for 600,000 years the Straight of Gibraltar closed off, causing the Mediterranean to shrink down to two inland seas with Italy and Greece separating them. Ends in the Zanclean Flood, a river of Atlantic sea water flows thru Gibraltar and fills the Mediterranean in 2 years.
5 m y a - Arabian-African continent reconnects with Asia. Land based Turtle species start going extinct.
4 - 3 m y a - Hominid ancestors acquire pubic lice from Gorillas (genetic evidence).
3.6 - 2.58 m y a - Considered the Neogene Period.
3.3 m y a - Stone tools found in Kenya and Ethiopia.
2.6 m y a - Mode One Stone Tools found in Ethiopia, would subsequently spread. Flourished to 1.7 million y a in southern and eastern Africa. Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) Era (2.6 m y a till end of last Ice Age, 11,000 y a). Subdivided into the Early- or Lower Paleolithic (c. 2,6 million years ago - c. 250,000 years ago); the Middle Paleolithic (c. 250,000 years ago - c. 30,000 years ago); and the Late- or Upper Paleolithic (c. 50,000/40,000 - c. 10,000 years ago)
2.58 million - 11,700 years ago - Considered the start of the Quaternary Period, and covers the Pleistocene.
2.4 – 1.4 m y a – Homo Habilis (4.5-3.5 feet tall).
2 m years ago - Earliest Hominids start eating meat.
1.9 – 1.8 m y a – Homo Rudolfensis.
1.89 m y a to 110,000 y a - Homo Erectus (first to leave Africa and spread across Asia).
1.8 m years ago - Mode One Stone Tools found on Java.
1.7 m years ago - Mode Two Stone Tools (slicing, hand-axe/butchering, evidence of drilling tools) appear in Kenya and southern Africa.
1.6 m years ago - Mode One Stone Tools found in northern China.
1.6 - 1.5 m y a - Africa, Turkana Boy dies, likely from a tooth cavity infection. He was either 8 or 11-12 years old and 61 inches tall. Brain 880 ccm.
1.5 m y a - Kenya, possible start of Hominids using fire to cook food. (increase in caloric intake, which would lead to evolution; however, Paranthropus Boisei is the local species, brain 500-550 ccm, 54 inches tall)
1 million years ago - Likely split between ancestor of Homo Sapiens and proto-Neanderthal-Denisovan species. (Mitochondrial DNA evidence.) South Africa, evidence of fire use for cooking.
1 m - 700,000 y a - Java, Java Man dies, brain 900 ccm. 5' 8" tall.
900,000 y a – Possible earliest use of boats.
820,000 - 580,000 y a - Durum Wheat develops out of natural hybridization with Einkorn Wheat (genetic analysis).
800,000? y a - Low world temperatures recorded. Height of Ice Age?
790,000 y a - Levant, oldest Fire hearths found. (Homo Heidelbergensis, 1,250 ccm brain, 69 in tall)
740,000? y a - Height of Ice Age?
7-200,000 y a – Homo Heidelbergensis (East Africa and Europe, likely first to hunt large animals with spears)
640,000? y a - Height of Ice Age.
550,000? y a - Height of Ice Age?
540,000 - 430,000 y a - Art: Sea shell formed into decoration by Homo Erectus. (Could indicate when sea shells began to be used as whistles and horns.)
530,000? y a - Interglacial Peak (between Ice Ages, high CO2 content in the atmosphere, 524-474,000).
500,000 y a - South Africa, evidence of Spears. Genetic evidence of Neanderthal spread from Europe to Caspian Sea, Denisovans occupied land from Caspian to the east.
450,000 y a - Earliest physical evidence of Neanderthal.
450,000 y a - Global temperatures had dropped, stayed that way for thousands of years.
430,000 - 230,000 y a - Durum Wheat cross-breeds with wild Goat Grass (genetic analysis).
400,000 y a - Interglacial Peak (between Ice Ages, 424-374,000).
400,000 y a - Germany, oldest Spears found. France (Terra Amata), possible evidence of manmade shelter using prepared wood.
360,000? y a - Height of Ice Age.
335-236,000 y a – Homo Naledi (South Africa, 4’9”)
310,000 y a - Interglacial Peak (between Ice Ages, 337-300,000).
300,000 y a – Mode Three Stone Tools (smaller knife-like, scrapers, developed in Europe by Neanderthals)
300,000-200,000 y a – Africa, Origin of Male Y-Chromosome that all current males are descended from. (40% of males do not reproduce.)
270,000? y a - Height of Ice Age.
240,000 y a - Interglacial Peak (between Ice Ages, 242–230,000).
200,000 y a - France, evidence of Neanderthals fishing. Africa, "Mitochondrial Eve," source of all Human Haplo-groups that everyone is descended from, existed at this time.
194,000-135,000 y a - Penultimate Glacial Period.
190,000 y a - Early physical evidence of Denisovans. (At least three interbreeding events would occur with Homo Sapiens. EPAS1 gene, hemoglobin concentration, Tibetan plateau.)
190,000-50,000 y a - Flores Island, evidence of tool use by the Human Hobbit.
170,000 - 80,000 y a - Body Lice evolve (genetic evidence, feed on human skin, live in clothing; evidence of clothing)
164,000 y a – South Africa, heat treating Silcrete Stone to enhance stone tool production.
140,000 y a - Homo Sapiens found in Europe.
130,000 y a - Evidence of humans in North America. Crete, earliest human settlements found on the island. Art: Neanderthal necklace made of eagle talons. Croatia: Neanderthal teeth show possible dental work.
125,000 y a - Interglacial Peak (between Ice Ages, 130-115,000). Sea levels 4-6 meters (18 feet) higher then today.
110,000-15,000 y a - Last Glacial Period. Grey Wolves would migrate from North America back to Asia prior to the maximum.
100,000-60,000 y a - Flores Island, bone fossil evidence of the Human Hobbit.
100,000 y a - Oldest example of proper human burial. South Africa, Pigment (paint) Creation Kit found. (would cover bodies in mud/clay and then spray the paint over the bodies, sun screen-protection from insects)
90,000 y a – Harpoons.
86,000-37,000 y a – Neanderthal and Homo Sapiens begin interbreeding, based on genetic evidence found so far.
75,000 years ago - Likely rise of Hunter Genotype in Homo Sapiens.
75,000 y a - Art: Drilled snail shells found in South African cave.
73,000 y a - South Africa (Blombos Cave), evidence of Red Ochre art on pieces of stone, stone with deliberate lines cut into it possibly representing count marks.
72,000 y a - South Africa, Beads found in cave.
70,000 y a - Mitochondrial DNA suggests this is when the Haplo-group of early humans migrated out of Africa to populate the rest of the world.
70-60,000 y a - Earliest evidence of bone and stone arrowheads (for Spear Throwers), found in South Africa. 64,000?
70,000 - 35,000 BCE - Neanderthal burials in Europe and Middle East.
68-16,000 y a – Smallpox evolves from an African Rodent Virus.
67,000 BCE - France, burial shows skulls with Trepanation (cutting holes to relieve brain pressure), earliest example of surgery.
65,000 y a - First humans settle Australia.
64,000 y a - Spain, oldest evidence found of Cave Art (Neanderthal hand).
61,000 y a - South Africa, possible evidence of a Sewing Needle.
60,000? y a - Height of Ice Age?
60,000 y a - Evidence of man/Neanderthal using herbal medicine.
55,000 - 40,000 y a - Italy, evidence of Neanderthal using Pine Tree Resin and Beeswax for hafting tools, in cave. (Beeswax can be used in making Candles.)
52,000 y a - Last evidence of Denisovans.
52,000 – 41,000 y a – Archaeological find of “Bast” tree fiber twisted into primitive cordage, possibly as handle for a Stone Tool. (meaning they had access to Clothing, Nets, Cord for Fishing or Hafting tools, rope; thinking processes of Counting, Sets, Patterns, and possibly abstract thinking)
50,000 - 10,000 y a - Mode Four Stone Tools (long blades).
50,000 y a - Australia, last evidence of megafauna. Siberia, needle made from bone found in Denisovan cave. Genetic evidence of Neanderthal spreading to western edge of China.
50,000 years ago - End point of development of Gatherer Genotype (can survive famine), Teacher Genotype (can handle new and different environments, analytical).
45,000 y a - Evidence of Neanderthal and Homo Sapien interbreeding. (Fossil found, DNA tested.) (France, to create stone tools required precision, “Soft Hammers” were likely used.)
44,000 y a - Evidence of art found in Indonesia.
44,000-40,000 y a - Europe experiences cold and dry weather, displacing populations.
43-42,000 y a - Germany, oldest musical instruments (flutes) found.
42,000 y a - Australia, skeleton of man suggests Atlatl use, pre-dating earliest evidence; earliest example of cremation found. Spain, small amounts of Natural Gold found in a cave.
40,000 y a - (Mankind is at the “Forager” level.) Last evidence of Neanderthal. (Inheritance of "STAT2" gene, immune response. HYAL2 gene, helps skin recover from sunburns.) China, test on body found that ate a lot of fresh water fish. Possible example of oldest petroglyphs. Beads found in Lebanon.
40,000 - 26,000 y a - Studying toe bones, showed they became smaller and weaker, indicating shoes were worn. Prior to this, shoes were likely bags wrapped around feet to protect from cold.
38,000 BC - First appearance of Mode Five Ground Stone tools on Japan. (rock was quarried; thin slivers of flint stone, attached to hafts, man is learning the use of a "handle" for tools and "leverage", create Adzes, Celts, and Axes; grinding helps to penetrate trees and was likely discovered when grinding plant matter; found buried with owners; were traded) Lasted till 14,000 BC. (Would not become popular elsewhere until 10,000 BC?) Germany: Clay Figurine featuring human with lion like appearance, thought to be earliest representation of a Deity.
35,000 BCE - Europe, earliest examples of "Venus figurines" found buried in graves (some showing they were deliberately broken or stabbed repeatedly); would later spread to rest of Eurasia. Early examples of skulls and long bones showing red ochre, indicating possible relic worship.
35,000 y a - Germany, flute made from a vulture bone found.
30,000 BCE – Solomon Islands, first humans settle (60 km sea voyage).
31,000 - 27,000 y a - Evidence of Pit Fire (Earthernware) Pottery developing.
30,000-20,000 years ago - Explorer genotype (Ice Age refugees, idiosyncratic, asymmetrical, contrarian mentality)
30,000 y a - Evidence of starch residue on rocks, indicating where plant matter was pounded and ground. (Would likely be the pre-cursor of developing bread from roots of cattails and ferns. Quern Grinding Stones would spread and gain popularity.) Georgia, Flax used as a textile (harvested, dyed, and knotted) found in Dzudzuana Cave. Fertile Crescent, Einkorn wheat harvested in it's wild form. Evidence of man using the Atlatl. Poland: Boomerang carved from mammoth tusk found. France, Lunar Calendar. Likely when Bolas (stone weight(s) and length of cord) began to be used.
28,000 y a - Europe, oldest evidence of rope.
25,000 - 15,000 BCE - Blood Type A develops in the Fertile Crescent. (able to survive Plague, Cholera, Smallpox)
27,000 y a - Australia, oldest example of petroglyphs found. Czech Republic, earliest example of "Weaving" of material together to create baskets and basic cloth. (Leads to counting and simple math, organizing.)
26,000-13,300 y a - Considered "Glacial Maximum", ice sheets extend to the 45th parallel north. (26,500 considered to be maximum glacial reach.)
23,000 - 12,000 y a – Europe, Perforated Batons found, made of antler, assumed to be a form of Atlatl that uses a leather strap or string to wrap around the spear and give it a slight spin, arrow or spear thrower (similar to Swiss Arrow). Right and left handed throwers find preference. Most carved with Horses, have one or two holes (one had 8 holes).
23,000 y a - Israel, Ohalo archaeological site, hunter-gatherer society (6 brushwood shelters, 132 stone tools some attached to hafts, stone Sickles, dwellings showed flint tools were made at entrance, cooking at other end, grind stone showed sand and cobbles to place and had U-shape of seeds around it) that grew/harvested Barley, Millet, Bromus (grass in same tax tribe as wheat/barley/rye, can be used for fermenting beverages, can be eaten by humans and animals), Rubus (same family as Rose plants, similar to blackberries), and various fruits (seeds from 13 different species), earliest evidence for “Bedding” material.
22,000 – 17,000 y a – France, Solutrean inhabitants make use of Antler.
21,000-17,000 y a - France, Atlatl's found in caves.
20,000 y a - Height of the Ice Age, sea levels 120 meters (360 feet) lower. Mode Five Stone Tools (microliths glued to handles, Fertile Crescent). Earliest example of a building/house found. Ukraine, Bullroarer (wood on rope that is swung around to create sound over long distance) found. Iraq-Iran, Zarzian Culture, had domesticated Dogs.
19,050? - 13,050 y a - Oldest Dryas Period, stadial, abrupt cooling period. Sea levels rose 10-15 m in 500 years.
17,000 BCE - Mesopotamia, Wild Emmer Wheat harvested.
18,000 - 17,500 y a - Siberia, earliest example of a domesticated dog found frozen. Germany, Bow and Arrows found. Early evidence of Darts used.
18,000 y a - Japan, oldest pottery discovered.
15,100 - 14,000 y a - Morocco, earliest example of a cemetery.
15,000 y a – Mode Five Stone Tools reach Europe. Southern France, cave art depicting possible Musical Bow, Nose Flute; "The Sorcerer," a figure showing human and many animal qualities (bison), made out of Clay.
15,000 – 10,000 y a – France, Stone Oil Lamps.
14,500 y a - Oldest example of bread making, Jordan desert.
14,160 - 13,820 y a - Archaeological find: infected tooth partially cleaned out with flint tools.
14,600 - 13,600 y a - "Melt Water Pulse," sea levels rose 16-24 m.
14,000? y a - Older Dryas Period, around 200 year cooling period.
13,500 - 8,200 y a - China, wild Rice domestication event occurs.
15-10,000 BCE - Himalayas, development of Blood Type B.
11,050 BCE - Syria, attempts at domesticating Rye.
13,000 y a - Greece, evidence of lentils found. Earliest evidence of Amber used in jewelry. Israel, archaeological evidence of beer like gruel for ceremonial purposes found at Haifa. Likely beginning of Slavery.
13,000 - 12,700 y a - Fertile Crescent, archaeological evidence of man corralling and using pigs.
12,900 - 11,700 y a - The Younger Dryas Period, when temperatures went cold instead of warming from the Last Glacial Maximum.
10,000 BCE - Jericho, considered mankind's first town, is established. Buildings of clay and straw, dead buried under homes. (Would reach 70 dwellings by 94,000 BCE.) Chickpeas domesticated. Earliest evidence of the Bottle Gourd being domesticated and used (Africa and Asia variety). Azerbaijan (Caspian Sea), petroglyphs of reed boats. Starting point of Ocarina type flutes. Cyprus, humans arrive. Germany, Jet artifact (Botfly larvae, which can be eaten). Curved Stone Oil Lamps.
11,700 y a - Considered the beginning of the Holocene.
9600 BCE - Southern Levant, earliest use of wild Emmer Wheat.
11,500 - 11,000 y a - "Melt Water Pulse," sea levels rose 28 m.
11,400 y a - Cypress, archaeological evidence of pigs (indicating they had been domesticated and brought from the mainland).
9400 - 9200 BCE - Jordan Valley, Fig trees found, indicating earliest agriculture since these trees could not reproduce.
9130 - 7370 BCE - SE Turkey, Gobekli Tepe, oldest known worship location.
9000 BCE - Syria, oldest (Saddle) Quern found. Mesopotamia, Copper first used. Bartering of Cattle and agricultural products likely occurring at this time.
9000 - 3300 BCE - Neolithic Era, roughly. Time period of when man has begun herding, before using bronze.
11,000 - 9,000 y a - Mesopotamia, domestication of Sheep; Rammed Earth construction technique developed. Iran, Domestication of Goat (focused on management of the animal, varieties would come later).
11,000-4,000 years ago - Warrior genotype (farmers, soldiers, inventors); Nomad genotype (life upon a horse, can handle different environments, good immune system)
11 or 10,000 y a - Last Ice Age ends.
8800 BCE - Emmer Wheat spreads beyond the Levant.
8700 BCE - Iraq, Copper pendant.
8500 BCE - Domestication of Barley. Domestication of peas occurs around this time. Turkey, Beer production found at Gobekli Tepe. Domestication of Cattle from the Aurochs (two separate populations, one in Mesopotamia [pop. 80], the other Pakistan). (Rendering cattle bones into Tallow allows for the creation of Candles. Beeswax also used.) Oregon, oldest pair of shoes found made from bark twine. Oats possibly start to be harvested, crop mirrors wheat (is like a weed).
8400 BCE – Cyprus, earliest dug Water Well (26 ft).
10,300 - 8,700 y a - China, Millet harvested.
10,200 - 9,500 y a - Emmer Wheat domesticated(?).
10,000 - 7,000 y a - Archaeological evidence of boats.
8000 BCE (10,000 years ago) – Genetic evidence of breeding Pigeons. Palestine, archaeological evidence of pastoralism. Pre-Pottery Neolithic people in the Fertile Crescent form perfectly smooth stone vases. Iran, Goat domestication. Believed to be when primitive dairy-cheese making began. Flax cultivation. China, Quern Grinding Stones. England, Antler used in headdress costume.
9,500 y a - Cyprus, earliest evidence of cat domestication. SE Anatolia, cold-working, annealing, smelting, lost wax casting of Copper.
7570 BCE – Indus Valley, Lapis Lazuli artifacts.
7500 - 5700 BCE - Anatolia, Catal Hoyuk develops as a spiritual center, found many clay figurines and impressions (feminine, phallic, hunting).
7400 BCE - A monolith ends up submerged in the Straight of Sicily.
7176 B.C. – Earth hit by one of the most massive Solar Storms from the sun ever recorded (visible at night with the magnetic field interaction).
7000 BCE - Archaeological evidence for pastoralism in Africa. China: evidence of mead (honey, rice, water fermented) in pottery; evidence of musical instruments. India, first archaeological evidence of Dance (cave art); evidence of dentistry. Armenian Highlands, art depictions of Cymbals. Durum Wheat made thru artificial selection in Europe and Near East. Greece, earliest evidence of grain silos. Turkey, Catal Hoyuk, art depiction of a Slinger. Afghanistan, Lapis Lazuli mined and traded to Indus and Mesopotamia societies. Europe, Cave Wall art of Honey Collecting.
7000 - 6600 BCE - China, domestication of Soy beans.
7000 - 6000 BCE - Turkey, domestication of Bitter Vetch. (Too bitter for human consumption without being boiled several times, has been found to be great for cattle feed.)
6500-3800 BCE - Ubaid Period (Mesopotamian citystates rise, evidence of specialized workers, evidence of taxation)
6500 BCE - Turkey, evidence of lead smelting at Catal Hoyuk. (Wrapping the dead in textiles, too.) China, archaeological evidence of Silk. Kosovo, oldest Ocarina found in Europe.
8,200 - 7,600 y a - Sea levels rise rapidly. Linked to North American great fresh water lake (Agassiz, Ojibway) sudden draining into Atlantic Ocean. 8,400 y a?
6050 BCE - Moldova, evidence of man extracting salt from a natural spring.
8,000 y a - Western Europe, white skin first appears. Iran: earliest evidence of irrigation; man starts choosing sheep for their wooliness, not just meat and skin (2-3,000 years later, would start wearing wool). Georgia, earliest evidence of wine. Spain, cave painting shows people collecting honey from a wild hive, using a container to hold. China, Buckwheat cultivated (near Tibetan plateau), possible first example of Influenza. Earliest evidence of the Ard Plow used (castrating bulls to train 4 years to become Draft Oxen, also means they can be used to haul logs thru and from forests). Mediterranean, Broad (Fava) Beans, Broccoli. Portugal: Almendres Cromlech, begins, aligned to equinox and solstice, occupied for 2,000 years, would become largest complex in Iberian peninsula, equal to other large complexes in Europe. Anatolia: Obsidian polished into mirrors. Spelt Wheat appears. First Stone hafted Axes. Earliest evidence of “Cock Fighting” game fowl. (Iraq, Kiln.)
6000 - 3500 BC - Mesopotamia (Sumer), Poppy domesticated.
7,8-5,000 y a - SE Turkey, Einkorn Wheat grown and domesticated.
5600 BCE - Evidence of The Black Sea Flood, turning the fresh water lake into a salt water sea, rose shorelines and displaced populations (source of flood myths in religions).
7500 y a - Earth experiences a cold climate period? Lasts for 500 or more years.
7500 y a - Earliest example of chickpeas being used. Poland, archaeological evidence of cheese making. Ukraine, Romania, earliest examples of traps used for hunting. Pakistan, evidence of Cotton found in copper beads. Egypt, earliest Combs found (placing a leaf in the teeth can create a primitive sound instrument).
5500-5000 BCE - Serbia, Copper Smelting.
5200 - 4700 BCE - Iran, earliest evidence of a wheel, for pottery, made of stone or clay.
7,000 y a - Earliest example of Dolmen, single chamber tomb, consists of two stones supporting another on top (table design), found in western Europe, would spread and be common 4000 - 3000 BCE in Europe. Iranian plateau, evidence of Bronze made with naturally occurring arsenic. Tin would replace as the major ingredient (and releasing non-toxic vapors) in the late 3000 BCE period. Iran, evidence of wine found, using sealed containers. China, Hemp domestication (smoking was likely cause for spread, Iron Age would use for production); Rammed Earth construction technique, Silkworm domestication begins. Egypt, Badarian culture starts farming, used boomerangs. Roundels, circular enclosure often with entrances aligned to solstice, would be constructed in Central Europe (Germany, 120-150 altogether). Siberia, oldest carpet found (likely a funeral gift, from Armenia, featured griffons). Mesopotamia: first use of Stamp Seals for government purposes; Rotary Quern milling stones are introduced. Armenia: possible origin of Apricots. Lake Zurich, cultivation of Pear. Indus Valley Civilization, using Bitumen aka Asphalt for waterproofing (a basket), adhesive. Bulgaria, Turquoise beads.
6950 - 6440 y a - Papua New Guinea, cultivation of Taro and Yam.
4800 BCE - Egypt, early evidence of peas being grown. Cairn of Barnenez, Brittany, England, begins (burial monument and later bronze age use, considered one of the oldest and largest man made structures).
4700 - 4200 BCE - The town of Solnitstata, considered the oldest known settlement in Europe. Built around a salt deposit.
6,500 y a - Croatia, earliest example of an oven found. Slovenia, dental filling made with beeswax. Indus Valley, irrigation. Wine production reaches Greece. Carnac Stones, Brittany, France; would become large complex of standing stones, menhirs, domens, tumuli (burial mounds, with passage tombs), large rectangle formed by stone. Americas: various tribes domesticated “chili peppers.” Bulgaria, Carnelian beads. Manufactured Red Pottery Oil Lamps.
4500-4000 BCE - China, Investment Casting develops.
4200 - 4000 BCE - Mesopotamia develops true, easy to spin pottery wheels.
6,000 y a - Earth experiences a cold climate period? (Starting maybe 500 years earlier and ending 500 years later.)
4000 BCE - (Mankind has achieved “Farmer status.”) (Thought to be when Cattle were turned into Oxen for Draft Animal purposes.) Egyptians start building big Brick structures; manufacturing Papyrus; Gold artifacts; (domesticated Donkeys?). Earliest examples of Kilns. NE Italy, archaeological find of Appleseeds. Sicily, evidence of wine found. Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Horse domestication begins (they became small and varied in size as compared to their wild ancestors). “Pontic Language Explosion”. [People from north of the Caspian and Black Seas migrated around Eurasia, ancestor of western languages. (shared origins with: milk, horses, sheep, cattle, pigs, goats, grain, copper, carts, yoke, weaving, mead; patrilineal clans)]. Earliest examples of Viticulture (wine making). Levant, earliest examples of harvesting Olives; start using grain Silos. Art: Earliest depiction of Shoes, Sandals. China: example of a Loom for Silk production; Ramie (similar to flax, requires chemical processing, not as popular, believed to be used for Egyptian mummy wraps). Persia (Iran), Mung Bean domestication?, Chang (precursor to Harp) found on artwork, made with sheep guts. Mesopotamia: Stamp Seals come into use; Mirrors made of Copper; 30-40% of animal bones in settlements were pork (understood to be a way of removing trash from community, easy to feed and raise many); Uruk clay tablet describes two temples owning a herd of 95 pigs to be rendered into soap to clean linen; clay pipes for sewage. Europe, farming reaches northern regions. Anatolia, Silver production.
4000 - 1000 BCE - Ethiopia, Teff is discovered (can feed people and livestock, building material).
3800 - 3500 BCE - Czech Republic, possible evidence of earliest plowed fields.
5,700 y a - Lolland Island, a blue eyed, dark haired, dark skin woman spits out some Birch Bark gum; oldest complete human genome extracted; had Mononucleosis ("kissing disease"). Possible archeological evidence of pit traps used for migrating animal hunting.
3630 BCE - Oldest example of silk fabric found.
3600 BCE – Pork bones in settlements (Levant, Mesopotamia) dropped to 16-30% of total livestock.
5,500 - 4,700 y a - Georgia, tomb found had honey remains on pottery. (This culture could identify Linden, Berry, and Meadow-Flower varieties.)
3500 BCE - City of Uruk: (Mesopotamia) begins outward expansion and influence, later first example of organized warfare (would influence Egyptians to start building pyramids); "Cylinder Seals," a type of noble seal, that can be rolled unto wet clay (would be popular until 1000 BCE). Iraq, Kish Tablet, considered to represent the early transition from pictographic to cuneiform. Mesopotamia, earliest Harps and Lyres found; Gold artifacts. Modern humans settle the western coast of Europe, hunter-gatherers. Egyptians show Cat domestication; Gold Smelting; used a vertical Gnomon as a primitive Sundial? Iran, Beer made from Barley. Armenia, earliest Leather Shoe found. China, Pottery in shape of silkworm indicates earliest example of Sericulture (silk worm production).
3500 - 3350 BCE – Mesopotamia, earliest evidence of wheeled vehicles. Indus Valley civilization uses Stamp Seals with a type of script.
3400 BCE (5,400 years ago) - First metal casting. France, Cow skull showing Trepanation found.
5,400 -5,100 y a - Itzi the Iceman dies in the mountains of Northern Italy. Had a copper axe. Earliest evidence of tattoos. Shoes made from two types of animal skin (bear and deer). Arsenic residue in his hair.
3300 BCE - Egypt, tomb paintings show people Dancing. Indus Valley, develop Sanitation.
3200 BCE - Examples of using symbols to represent real life objects (would go to form written language). Ireland, construction begins on Newgrange, largest passage tomb in Europe, aligned to winter solstice. Egypt, Bead made of Meteoric Iron found.
3100 - 2900 BCE - Jemdet Nasr period (following fall of Uruk) would be known as establishing Cuneiform as a proper language.
3100 BCE - Upper and Lower Egypt unified. Mesopotamia, likely evidence of the earliest Lute type device.
3000 BCE - Onset of Bronze. Mesopotamia, Irrigation; Glass Beads appear (possible side effect of making metal); possible earliest Iron working (required higher temperatures), cuneiform mention of Pigeons. Sumer, Medical text found on tablet, believed oldest ever found. Egypt, Hieroglyphs of Pigeons and use of Homing Pigeons for message delivery, first record of a Doctor named, Imhotep; Antimony harvested from rock and made into eye makeup; earliest evidence of domestic Donkeys in the south. Egyptian Mummies show evidence of Smallpox (deathrate 30% especially among babies, can leave people blind). Dromedary Camels likely domesticated in Somalia at this time. (Camel hair can be harvested for shelter and clothing, outer guard hairs make for water proof coats. Camel milk readily turns into yogurt. To turn into butter requires a clarifying agent and extended process.) Chicken reaches Europe from Asia. England, earliest Stone Circles found. Slovakia, Romania, earliest chainmail found. Sheep chosen for wooly coat, not long hair. China, Clay Bells found. India, River Buffalo domesticated (water buffalo); Jute grown for fiber (burlap). Northern Iran, earliest examples of Trumpets. SE Asia, earliest records of Radish. Pakistan, Terracota female figurines.
2800 BCE - Solid evidence of plowed fields. China, Copper smelting discovered. Babylon, evidence of manufacture of soap like substance.
2700 BCE - Chinese treatise on health. 40 kinds identified.
2650 BCE - Egypt, dental work found.
2630-10 BCE - Egypt, Pyramid of Djoser constructed by Imhotep, considered first.
2600 BCE – Egypt, domestication of Honey Bee complete.
2600 - 1900 BCE - Indus Valley, Stoneware Pottery (meaning fired at 1000 degrees Celsius), would become a major industry; (Ivory?).
2580-50 BCE – Egypt, creates first true Ocean Dock for sea trading vessels (with Indus Valley).
2560 BCE - Great Pyramid of Giza completed.
2500 BCE - Evidence of The Amber Road, trade route from the Baltic Sea to Mediterranean Sea. E Iran, Bactrian Camels domesticated. Iraq, "Lyres of Ur," considered world's oldest stringed instruments. Peru, oldest Sling ever found. Egypt, earliest depiction of a Khopesh (sword). Sumerian Clay Tablet with instructions for manufacturing soap (heating mixture of oil and wood ash, earliest record chemical reaction, used for washing woolen clothing). China, axes with Corundum (precious stone). Harappan Culture of Indus Valley, chicken used for Cock Fighting, not food.
2500 - 2000 BCE - Mali, domestication of Pearl Millet. Turkey, Meteoric Iron dagger.
2400 BCE - Sumer, description of Prostitution and a Brothel-Temple to Fertility Goddess.
2300 BCE - Mesopotamia, Urukagina of Lagash, considered the earliest Law Code. (Widows and orphans exempt from taxes, state pays for funeral expenses, the rich must pay in silver and cannot force the poor against will, checked power of priests, protect from usury, abolished polyandry). Iran, Quince (fruit). China, oldest Gnomon (painted stick that casts a shadow for sundial purpose).
2200 BCE - China, first known tax, using salt. Iraq, tablet reads “22 jars of Pig Fat” (each jar 18 liters of Lard, 396 liters total, require 45 adult pigs; likely used to make soap to clean wool of sheep before turning them into textiles)
2200-2000 BCE - Turkey, Iron Smelting.
2100 - 2050 BCE - City of Ur: Earliest written Code of Law discovered. References Butter. (Fines for bodily harm, references murder, robbery, adultery, rape. Two classes of people: free and slave.)
4000 - 3000 y a - Mesopotamia, earliest Scissors (shear, spring type). India, Mung Bean domesticated.
2000 BCE - Murals show horses pulling chariots. Horses become common in western Europe. England, Great Orme Mine started, would become largest copper mine in region (most productive between 1700 - 1400 BCE), used bone and stone tools. China, Bells made out of metal (Bellfounding); domestication of the Swamp Buffalo (water buffalo). Ghana, earliest evidence of Cowpea (black eyed pea). India, Canola/Rapeseed; Diamonds being used to drill beads. Egypt, Lupin Beans. Greece, Kale grown.
1900 BCE – Homing Pigeons used for warfare.
1800 BCE - Egypt, medical text on gynecological issues; Safflower for pigment. India, Iron working.
1754 BCE - Code of Hammurabi (recognized Prostitution and gave women protection and inheritance; theorized that a fertility goddess had a temple that offered sex workers).
1700 - 1200 BCE - (Late Bronze Age) 8 societies in Middle East: Aegean, Egyptian, Hittite, Canaanite, Cypriot, Mitanni, Assyrian, Babylonian. Considered a "globalized world system." Next time this would occur is today.
1700 BCE – Mesopotamia: The "Mari Letters" reference Minoan society, King Hammurabi; clay tablets list Trigonometry Tables and Applied Geometry (for land ownership, speculated to aid in construction).
1628 BCE - Island of Thera/Santorini experiences huge volcanic eruption, possibly causing a tsunami thru eastern Mediterranean.
1600-1500 BCE - Greece, Helmet formed of boar tusks found.
1600 BCE – Levant, Mesopotamia, Pork bones rarely found in settlements (banned from temples in Anatolia, Mesopotamia, Egypt). (Found amongst the poor classes, difficult to tax since it did not produce wool or milk or could plow a field.)
1550 BCE – Papyrus Ebers, Egyptian medical text, mentions Chlamydia.
1500 BCE - Modern Trumpet design found in eastern Mediterranean. India, Pigeon Pea domesticated. Egypt, Mercury found in tombs; archaeologists find earliest Sundials; Emerald mines. China, Water Clocks.
1400 BCE - Syria, Hurrian Songs, cuneiform music tablet in Ugarit. Greece, oldest body armor found, made of bronze, Dendra Panoply (not actually worn, more of a showpiece, but clear representation of body armor for battle). China, Meteoric Iron axeheads. Art representation of Scale Mail in Egypt. Art: representation of Shields.
1350 BCE - Turkey, Hittites chronicle Egyptian prisoners of war bringing "the plague.”
1300 BCE - Uluburun Shipwreck, off coast of Turkey, had 300 sixty pound copper ingots (10 tons), 1 ton of tin, and tin objects and ingots of colored glass (blue, rose, brown). From Cypress/Minoa.
1300? - 900? BCE - Eastern Mediterranean experiences a 300? year drought. (Could also be: Cypress 1200- 850. Syria 1250-1187. Galilee 1250-1100)
1279 BCE - Battle of Qadesh (Egypt vs Hittites).
1200 BCE (3,200 years ago) - Onset of Iron smelting. Earliest Camel saddles appear. Last appearance of Megaliths. India, earliest evidence of Firewalking.
1200 BCE - Eastern Mediterranean civilization collapse. Drought in Greece. Earthquake series.
1188-1177 BCE - Egypt suffers invasions from "The Sea People."
1185 BCE - Syria, Ugarit Letter, Famine.
1140? BCE - Ramses 6th, mummy found to have Smallpox. No record of people dying from Smallpox.
1100 BCE - Phoenicians establish nation. Europe, Iron Age.
1100? BCE - Earth experiences a cold temperature period?
1100-750 BCE - Egypt, Iron Smelting.
1070 BCE - Egyptian mummy found with Silk in hair, earliest evidence of Silk Road.
1000 BCE - Early Cuneiform script (late stages, still pictograph in nature). Bactria, Barbat (primitive lute). Egypt, Kenaf is grown for fibers, leaves can be eaten by animals and humans (similar to Jute and Hemp; rope, rough fabric, sails). Mediterranean, Cabbage domesticated. China, Iron Age. Sport: racing Homing Pigeons.
930 BCE - Camel bones found in Arabian peninsula. Jordan, earliest Bloomery for Iron working found.
800 - 600 BCE - Ethiopia, Sorghum Wheat begins to be harvested.
800 BCE - Considered the beginning of Ancient Greece, after the Mycenae Civilization. China, Bloomeries used.
700-500 BCE - The Illiad orally composed. India, Diamond mining starts.
708 BCE – Greece, Olympics, Discus Throw.
700 BCE - Turkey, first Coins in Lydia. Assyria, first equipment recognized as a Saddle for a Horse.
660 BCE – Massive Solar Storm hits Earth.
600 BCE - Earliest example of a Steel Sword.
600-400 BCE - Ancient Greece rise of scientific inquiry and philosophy
550 BCE - The Illiad written down.
540 BCE – Sri Lanka, earliest record of Pearls.
500 BCE - Camels used in warfare. Persians use kettle drums for military maneuvers, frighten enemies. Greece, Grape Syrup, early form of sweetener and preservative; earliest written mention of what could be Influenza. Blackberries consumed around Europe. Spain, Disk Quern developed. India, Cholera described in Sanskrit. Romans manufacture dipped Candles.
430 BCE – Athens, Typhoid Fever outbreak during siege by Sparta.
400 BCE - The "Celts/Gaeil" settle Ireland. Greece, the “Hippocratic Corpus” seventy collected medical texts, mentions Pneumonia, Meningitis, Valerian Root.
396 BCE - Olympics, horn blowing competitions.
314 BCE - China, first mention of Sweet Orange.
298 BCE - Foot powered Loom.
200 BCE - China starts making paper.

I'm writing this with over 350 hours played, and I play relaxed on 7, and mostly enjoy Helldiving on 9 with my group.
I'm going to pass some information on to you to help you understand how to Helldive effectively against bugs of different varieties, and what to do when you encounter overwhelming odds like multiple elite spawns or hunter swarms, shriekers, stalkers and spewers all ganging up on you.
First up, loadouts.
Very little is not viable in this game. You can run pretty much any primary you want (save yourselves the arguments that some guns aren't viable, you can literally run any of them and do just fine on Helldive - I do this all the time just for variety,) so I'm going to categorize them into 4 broad groups for ease of understanding, and I'll explain what they're for so you don't waste time pumping 2 mags from an AR into a bile spewer and then complaining that it isn't fair.
Armour
Mobility is key. Light armour is preferred, medium armour at most. Heavy armour is a death sentence against bugs unless you have a very capable team already. Your main defence against the bugs is simply running. A lot. Heavy Armour is slow and stamina draining. This means death.
Weapons

• Bullets - Anything that fires bullets is for dealing with small enemies. This means hunters and shriekers on Helldive. AR's, Snipers, Submachine Guns, Shotguns.
• Lasers - For cutting down enemy mobility. You don't need to kill a spewer, just cut its leg off and carry on with your life. Same with brood commanders and hive guards.
• Explosive - This is for punching mid enemies like Hive Guards, Brood Commanders and Spewers. If you're running the Jar-5, Crossbow, Eruptor, or Shocker, Explosive rounds are great for popping the armoured targets. The Plasma Punisher is also good for medium enemies, and not good for Chargers.
• Arc - Blitzer shotgun is an extremely good all purpose weapon. It will kill anything less than a Charger. I recommend using this as your primary while you learn how to position properly on Helldive, then start toying with the other options.

Your secondary is for backup, take what you like. I prefer the Senator because it can plug medium armour foes, however it usually takes the entire clip so it's on par with the Redeemer that way.
Grenades
I recommend only 2 grenades for helldiving. Impact and Stun at your preference. I typically run impact, and I'll explain why below, but Stun has a similar effect for a lesser cost, plus it helps you learn to position.
Strategems
You need the ability to bust heavies on Helldive on demand. To this end I recommend taking the 500kg bomb strikes, Orbital Precision, and Orbital Railgun. For your last strategem slot, something like Quasar, Recoilless Rifle, Spear or EATS. I prefer the RR personally, because in a pinch you can drop the backpack for multi-heavies and have a teammate quick load you to drop them in rapid succession. We'll get to this.
Positioning
This is your most important skill to master. Chargers and Bile Titans are an asset to a Helldiver. Chargers don't give a shit what's in their way, and Bile Titans will automatically try to spit on you when they get within 20 meters. That bile will melt ANYTHING, including other bile titans. Learning to use these to your advantage will help with clearing the swarms.
When you run into a pack or breach that has multiple elites like 4 to 6 Chargers and 2 Biles, you will undoubtedly be tempted to start popping them. Wait a moment and assess. What is the position of the Titans in relation to the Chargers? More importantly, where can you move so that you can get them to cross each others paths? Bile Titans are reckless, so running between their legs while Chargers chase you invariably results in Chargers getting crushed to death. Even better, if there's a 2nd bile and you hear or see it rearing for it's spit, diving to the side will spare you while letting it paint the chargers and other titan, doing a lot of the heavy lifting for you.
When there's multiple elites, they tend to get tangled up in each other. Chargers smash into each other relentlessly, and are VERY poor at turning circles. If you've got 4 or 5 chargers all chasing you, start running circles until they're smashing into each other. Then drop the 500 kg in the mess and watch one bomb delete 4 of them simultaneously.
But Reaper, while I try to do this, Hunters are all over my shit. I can't move!
That's what your primary is actually for. Dispensing with the garbage mobs. The elites are where you control your movement, and you save your ammo for the little guys because you do not focus the tanks. Tanks are meant to take damage so the dps can wreck you. Nuke the DPS, kite the tanks.
But Reaper, they brought supports, and the spewers are screwing with me too! Like the bile titans, the spewers can also be coaxed into spitting all over their friendlies. Unlike the bile titan, the Chargers don't give a shit that spewers exist and will happily pop them for you. So long as you're moving at least 45 degrees at a run, the spewers won't hit you, so keep using those Chargers to delete the big pimples. And if you're getting too crowded, grenades are your friend here too. One impact for nurses, two for bile (usually, sometimes you luck out with one.)
And hey, if you're just truly overwhelmed and the numbers are insane, I can't stress this enough: Run away. Pick a direction that isn't filled with the enemies and just GO THAT WAY. Don't stop. Keep running until you run out of stamina, then take a look behind you. If there's a small amount chasing, clean them up. If there's still a horde, keep running. They won't keep coming. You will get clear.
How to use grenades effectively
There are 3 situations in which you should be using your grenades on bugs. Big clumps, spewers, and stalkers. If you've got stalkers, don't hesitate. Nade them immediately. This is why I prefer impact. Higher risk with those, but they explode on contact. Totally worth it. Big clumps of enemies are easy to clear for obvious reasons. And spewers are simple to pop with nades. On top of all this, the Impact grenade can kill Chargers effectively with some good tosses right under it. I tend to do this after dodging a charge. I'll plant one or two right under it's ass and watch it struggle to limp towards me. I don't recommend wasting grenades on Chargers, but if you've just got the one, it's better than burning a strategem.
Stun grenades: These are absolutely fantastic for setting up your strategems. Drop an Eagle, then toss a stun at your targets. Watch them just stand there as the 500kg impales their skull and detonates their dreams. Works equally well on bots.
But I really like the Auto-cannon, grenade launcher, AMR, Laser Cannon, etc
Great! Just understand that your role will not be busting heavies with those weapons. You'll have to rely entirely on your strategems and positioning to do that work for you instead. Those weapons clear crowds quickly. Use the proper tool for the job and you'll find things get easier. If you're manning a grenade launcher, focus the mediums and below. If you're running the Auto-cannon don't waste ammo on Chargers and Bile Titans. If you've got an AMR, delete those brood commanders so they don't keep popping warriors.
Stay mobile
Treat it like you would Doom. Stay mobile. Bugs biggest weakness is your mobility. Repositioning, making sure not to get caught in the open with no rocks to impede Chargers and Titans, and strategically positioning are the keys to success. With practice, you'll be solo clearing heavy nests while 6 bug breaches are spawning all around you.
And don't worry if you die. Practice makes perfect. Break the habit of trying to always get back to your stuff. You just died there. It's hot. Deal with something closer to where you got called down, then circle back to get your gear and finish up that hole. Repositioning and being flexible in your tactics will stop you from going on full tilt as you rush in head first into the same swarm that's already killed you 4 times. Stop doing that.
Specific enemy types and their weaknesses

• Swarmers/Hunters/Shriekers - Weak to everything, just shoot them. Shriekers are especially susceptible to Incendiary Breaker
• Both Spewers - vulnerable to having legs cut, and they explode when hit by explosive weapons (I mean, right?)
• Hive Guards and Brood Commanders - Cut off the legs, really easy to do with bullets or lasers. Both are very weak to Arc as well, either Blitzer or Thrower.
• Chargers - Weak to bile and other chargers. Positioning will get them killed more than anything. They traverse terrain pretty well now, but it takes them extra time to move around it. Orbital Rail Cannon will usually one shot them. Headshots with any rockets will kill them.
• Bile Titan - Weak to weirdly enough, bile. Get a bile titan to spew towards another bile titan and it will melt it immediately. And if they're close enough, the front ones legs might ninja kick the other one to death in its death throes. Otherwise, this is where your heavy busting stuff comes into play.
• Stalkers - The deadliest of enemies. Tough and fast, two impacts grenades takes them out immediately. A mag dump from a shotgun will also usually do it. One shot from an Eruptor deletes them. Explosive weapons are extremely effective against Stalkers, and Arc staggers them so you can keep them stunlocked while you kill them. The problem with explosives is that Stalkers will usually close before you have the chance to use it, so it's a double edged sword. These are your highest priority target at all times.

Good hunting Helldivers.
If you're interested in some hands on training, send me a DM and I'll invite you to our discord. I play almost every day, so I'm happy to help people out.