Here's what the PC Gamer forum got up to this week

This week in the PC Gamer forums, we're asking about the best Hearthstone decks, there's a video spotlighting Valorant's disability accessibility, the community shows off their new purchases, some of the best NPCs in gaming, and the friendliest gaming communities.

Our Zotac Gaming giveaway is still on-going until next week. If you want the chance to win a GPU which has 8GB GDDR6 RAM and 1170 MHz boost clock then head on over to the thread and comment with how you're keeping busy at home. All the details about entering can be found at the top of the thread. 

The forums are a great way to chat with others about everything related to PC gaming. You can either sign in and comment away, or just have a look around without creating an account. There are threads covering different genres, industry news, hardware builds, and more.

Here's what the PCG forum has gotten up to this week:

What's the best Hearthstone deck you use?

Harry and Emma from our guides team have posted in the forums asking what the community's best Hearthstone deck is. If you're a Hearthstone player and have a favourite deck you can help out by heading over to the tread and leaving a comment saying why you think your deck is the best, your win rate, counters to your deck, and if it's suited to beginners or veterans.

I play primarily in Standard mode, so my decks have varied quite a lot according to the meta. I've found most success with aggro hunters, but recently I've been doing well with a variant of the new Demon Hunter class (deck code at the bottom, if anyone fancies a shot).—Biggly

Here's the thread.

Highlighting Valorant's disability accessibility

Riot's new FPS Valorant has been tailored for a hardcore shooter fanbase, but just how accessible is the 5v5 character-based shooter for those with disabilities? Community member AlyxTrace has made an informative video addressing this exact topic and has kindly shared it on our forums. In their eight-minute video, they dive into Valorant's accessibility options giving their opinion on what they think makes it great (like the training area) and what could be improved.

Question: Great angle on the game from a valued perspective - thank you for posting this! What are your thoughts on the accessibility options from the menu end of things for the game?—jpishgar

Answer: If I had one complaint it'd be there's no Accessibility Section on the Options Menu, its relegated to the General Section and is rather sparse as it stands at the moment.—AlyxTrace

Here's the thread with the full video.

Show off your new purchases

In recent weeks, I have definitely fallen into a 'treat yourself' mindset and loosened my wallet for buying some new PC swag. Even Stardew Valley's dev Eric Barone has finally gotten a new desk recently. It seems that much of our community has done the same, and to celebrate our purchases Kaamos_Llama has started a thread about their recent acquisitions. If you've bought some new tech recently, pop on over to the thread or just have a peek if you want to feel better about your recent expensive purchases. 

Just received a new Antlion Modmic Uni. I don't really play online games where I have to use a mic, but a friend has been bugging me to play something with him. The old Zalman clip on mic I had before barely worked for me, and I mainly listen to music through my headphones so I didn't want to pay out for a gaming headset.—Kaamos_Llama

Check out the thread here.

What game has the best NPCs?

Chris' question this week asks the forums, which game has the best NPCs? They don't have to be a fully-fledged character, just generic AI-controlled ones. To kick things off, Chris mentions GTA's random citizens, Bannerlord's creepy dead-eyed NPCs, and Half-Life's nerdy scientists. 

I'll put in an early bid for Witcher 3's generic NPCs, especially for the impact in Novigrad - literally fleshing out the city. The choice to use generic NPCs lets CD Projekt Red build and populate a huge, huge city - and make it feel alive. Think of Novigrad without them or their cohorts. It would just be empty, soulless stone - as PCG has previously noted I think.—Oussebon

I've often been happy with the NPCs in various BioWare titles, from the Mass Effect trilogy to Dragon Age (yes, even DA2), but even long before that, with Knights Of The Old Republic and Neverwinter Nights. In terms of NPC's I really cared about, I was surprised at how much I cared about some of the NPCs in Life Is Strange. (Also the prequel, Before The Storm.)—Krud

Here's the thread to have a look at what others wrote.

Which game has the friendliest community?

For the weekend question, Jody asks which game community is the friendliest? It's the best feeling when you're welcomed in by a friendly community and we want to shed a spotlight on those special places. Have you found a community that is happy to help new players, or a fanbase that gives great feedback on each other's creations, let us know!

The Kerbal Space Program community. Even players who have poured hundreds of hours into the game still remember the challenge of landing on the Mun for the first time, and the sense of accomplishment they felt afterwards. Players who have been to every corner of the Kerbol system still welcome newcomers who are trying to make it into orbit for the first time, and offer sincere congratulations when they succeed.—Zoid

The Stardew Valley community is very friendly as well. I suppose it comes with the genre. It doesn't seem particularly well suited for mean-spirited people.—Pifanjr

Here's the thread.

Top trending threads

Here's a quick list of the forum's top threads:

What was the first video game you remember playing?
Can real-time strategy come back from the brink of death?
Help, I can't finish RPGs anymore
Weekend Question: Which RTS series deserves a comeback?
What was the specs of your very first gaming PC?
What's your favourite cRPG?