No Nanophoenix for Ps4 this week. Watched a couple of shows, The Bureau and The Expanse season two's first two episodes. Just don't feel like running more bounties in Destiny. Attacked Ark instead.
So.. I just found out that Ark has a gator. Or rather the bigger Sacro gator has a smaller much assholier cousin, which I only ever had an issue with the first time I played the game but soon left the swamp and never bothered with them again.
It isn't my first day back in the High Desert of the Scorched Earth DLC for the game.. but I guess I could say it is my first weekend back in after figuring out most of the technical BS that was making the game misbehave and crash.
Feels like I've figured out all kinds of new things.. like using tents (never bothered), using filters to clear useless berries and junk from tames (also never bothered while on PC, on Xbox that would have been a pain).. that are making the experience much the same as it was on Xbox after I started pushing out of the south islands towards the eastern edge of The Maw.
I've tames a few more very useful creatures and have found that the Thorny Dragon and Morellatops are great friends. The Camel can mount most small creatures and normally I'd just finish them off by stomping them flat... however with an eager Thorny Dradon buddy.. I don't have to do anything. The Dragon will just muscle in, make the kill and then dispose of the body. Clean and efficient.
So.. if everything ever seems easy and efficient.. though I haven't died yet, I have come very close. Mostly due to having to stay close to tames during the taming process. you tend to get bored or while clearing the immediate area of carnivores, you tend to get ambushed.
I'd finally hit level 45, on the way to 55 to make a saddle for my Argentavis flying mount when I finally decided to find the last few resources I'd need. I know there's crystals on the nearby peak (which was like the adventures on the Island on Xbox because that's the only reason I had to leave the south islands.. I needed crystal and obsidian. Having an abundance of Gasoline, and about to build a wind turbine.. I need pearls. The various wikis claim there's pears everywhere but I haven't seen any. The key was actually looking for them :/ d'uh.
I've been walking over them this whole time. With a few hundred in my pack I was heading back to base when I spotted something near the water. Survival instincts kicked in and said KILL IT WITH FIRE! but it was smaller than most predators so wtv.. m'uhfkn thing dragged my survivor off her mount and started trying to shred her. Thankfully I'd just put her in tin armor leggings and vest and she has a sword. I pulled the Alt+F4 anyway.. which irritatingly does nothing on PC. Once I loaded it back up and started tapping 5 to make sure she had her sword out.. She put it away because it was already out. Fuck. Whipping it back out I tried to find the shitling baby gator and take a couple or SUPER careful swipes at it. If I wasn't careful I could kill the highly valuable Morellatops or Dragon.
Managed to kill the baby gator without damaging either tame.. and was reminded of so many harsh lessons that have taken me so far on the island and no matter how many times they tell me to be cautious and to understand the risk and what I'd have to gain, it's always wtv. It'll take longer being cautious. But I should be tapping print screen so I can get a starting point for searching for my body bag if I need to go looking for it again. It was way too close that time and I'm very aware that the baby gator is the least of my worries.