Connect with us
In the Path of Exile 3.24 Necropolis League, a 6-link refers to a weapon or body armor with 6 linked sockets, allowing you to support a skill gem with 5 support gems. The damage potential from this setup is multiplicative, meaning each additional support gem significantly amplifies the damage output, sometimes by over 50%. So how can we get them in SSF? Let's explore these approaches together!
First, let's talk about divination cards. Divination cards are rewards from either random or specific monsters. The most common ones typically give you some POE Currency, but there are specific divination cards that offer 6-link items as a reward. You can also influence the drop chance of divination cards using scarabs. In particular, the Divination Scarab is very effective for this.
Examples of these divination cards that are quite common include the Porcupine for a 6-linked Short Bow, The Chains that Bind or the Dapper Prodigy for a 6-link armor, The Emperor of Purity for a 6-link Holy Chainmail, or Imperial Legacy for a 6-linked Imperial Bow.
Head over to where the divination cards drop. For example, The Chains that Bind only drops in dungeons like the Cage, Cells, Dungeon, Penance, Shavronne's Tower, the Control Blocks, and the Slave Pens. You can kill monsters in these areas, and they have a chance to drop the Chains that Bind. Collect them, and then you have your 6-link armor.
For the next method, let's break down the process step by step. Firstly, we'll focus on acquiring Tainted Orbs of Fusing, which drop from Beyond Demons and can also be obtained from Tainted Currency applied to maps in the Necropolis League.
While these orbs are rare, they become more accessible with increased focus on the Beyond content within the Map Device and Atlas tree. It can either add or remove a link on the corrupted item. This mechanic is crucial for the strategy, as we'll use it in conjunction with bench crafting to create a 6-link corrupted item.
In the Solo Self-Found (SSF), you may come across a valuable but relatively common unique item, such as a Heretic's Veil, which is frequently utilized in various bow builds. To acquire this item, run an Alva Temple to double corrupt it, or simply use a Vaal Orb to corrupt it and hope for a favorable implicit modifier. Assuming you succeed in obtaining a decently corrupted unique item, the next goal is to 6-link it.
The next method I'm going to talk about is quite straightforward. In your hideout, you'll have access to a crafting bench. Once you've found the 6-link recipe, which can drop somewhere in Act 8, you can turn 6 sockets into 6-link sockets.
If you don't have the recipe for all crafts you're missing, you can simply scroll down on the crafting bench, and it will tell you where that craft is. The recipe for 6-linking an item costs about 1,500 Orbs of Fusing, but at least it's a certain method.
There's a technique that allows you to guarantee a 6-link result using just one Orb of Fusing with the Omen of Connections. The Omen of Connections is quite rare, and it seems to drop from monsters, making it an exclusive reward obtained from engaging in the Ritual mechanic. During Rituals, you may occasionally receive the Omen of Connections as a reward.
Place it in your inventory and travel to a fresh zone to ensure that no other Omens have been triggered, as they can only activate once per zone. With this Omen in your inventory, use an Orb of Fusing on the desired item to guarantee the maximum number of links. It's crucial to ensure that the item in question either already has 6 sockets or has the potential to reach 6 links.
In the Path of Exile 3.24, you can capture beasts, go to the Menagerie, offer beasts at the Blood Altar, and craft all sorts of gear and fixes. This batch introduced a new Beast to the game: the Black Morgan, who was previously a boss in other leagues. The Black Morrigan doesn't normally spawn, but only appears in the map if you use a specific Scarab, the Bestiary Scarab of the Shadowed Crow.
This Scarab is fairly rare, but you can use the Atlas strategy to get more scarabs and block the ones that you don't want. What you need to do is run a map with Einhar, make sure that he's actually in the map with the Bestiary Scarab of the Shadowed Crow, and also with the Bestiary Scarab of Duplicating so that when you capture the Black Morrigan, you can get 2 copies for crafting.
Then you head to the Menagerie, and the Blood Altar is giving you a recipe to craft a 6-link item. Any item with 6 sockets can be 6-linked using this, as long as the item isn't corrupted. This is a truly amazing way to 6-link armor and weapons, including unique ones in Solo Self-Found (SSF).
In this guide, we’ll cover 5 rune farming tips in Elden Ring. These tips can help beginners master the basics of rune farming and make them more familiar with the rune farming methods of the land.
Since there isn’t a rune farming tutorial in the game, hopefully, this will give you an idea of some simple rune farming strategies to get you started by giving you some handy information to help you farm runes more easily. This way, your character will quickly become powerful and ready for Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, which launches on June 21st this year.
I want to preface this section by saying that some players consider rune farming or exploiting glitches or exploits to get runes quickly to be cheating, and you shouldn’t do it.
However, I think anyone who plays the game has the right to decide how they enjoy it. This includes rune farming strategies, using exploits in the game, and even purchasing Elden Ring Runes from third-party sellers. No one has the right to tell you how to have fun.
One of the easiest places to farm runes in Elden Ring is Gatefront Ruins. Gatefront Ruins is located in Limgrave, just north of Church of Elleh. It’s filled with relatively easy-to-kill enemies, and with a little more strategy and caution, you can make a tidy profit here.
I’ll show you the route I took on the outside to get you the most bang for your buck. While I’m at it, I’d like to point out that there are a few things to pick up here, the first of which is Limgrave West Map. You can find it in a large stone steel in the center of Gatefront Ruins, which is guarded by several Godrick Soldiers.
Another item you can pick up is Whetstone Knife, which allows you to equip and change Ash of War on your weapon. It’s in a chest south of Ruins. You can also get Ash of War Storm Stomp from here.
You can also pick up two weapons, Lordsworn’s Greatsword and Flail. However, you can find other options from the enemies there.
The primary goal here is to kill as many enemies as quickly as possible and then reset them by resting at Sites of Grace. As long as you want to get ahead on some of your attributes, you can do that as often as you want.
I will mention that before thinking about increasing damage stats like Strength or Dexterity, I always recommend increasing your Vigor stat to 20 or 25 for increased survivability.
Another decent rune farming area is located in Caelid. To get there, you’ll need torrents, and you’ll need to start at Sites of Grace, just north of Agheel Lake. You then need to head south across the bridge and then northeast to Mistwood Outskirts Sites of Grace.
You can open the map and view Glintstone on the map. You can pick up the map if you want, but be aware that there are 3 giant Runebears nearby, and they may kill you if provoked.
You can also go around them, pick up the map, and go east to Third Church of Marika. Activate Sites of Grace, grab Flask of Wondrous Physick, Sacred Tear, and Crimson Crystal Tear, go through the hole in the wall on the northwest side of the church, and head to the back of the church.
You will then be transported to a distant place in Caelid, known as Bestial Sanctum. Be careful to avoid the huge Black Blade Kindred Creature here and continue heading south. Next, cross the bridge to Lenne’s Rise and capture Sites of Grace.
Our major goal is to farm the enemy here, Silver Sphere. There are two spawning sites just west of Lenne’s Rise, one close to it and the other a little further on the road to the west.
Each Silver Sphere will grant you 1,952 runes. You then continue to Sites of Grace and rest to reset enemies and rinse and repeat.
The third rune farming strategy I want to talk about is Dragon. This strategy is suitable for novice to intermediate players.
First, you need a weapon that causes blood loss. The most accessible and available to any class without stat investment is Morning Star. It can be found in a chest inside a broken carriage a little south of Limgrave.
Next, you’ll reach Lenne’s Rise using the strategy I mentioned above. Then head to the back of Lenne’s Rise via torrent. Go to Spiritspring and collect Golden Runes near the coffin.
Then head southwest down the hill and directly south to Fort Faroth to activate Sites of Grace. The target you want to kill is a dragon named Greyoll. If you get in the right spot, not only will nothing attack you, but you’ll also be able to kill the dragon.
If you are a Scholar or a class with a Strength below 12, you will need to use Morning Star with two hands. Get on the torrent and run towards the dragon, attack with Morning Star to trigger the blood and repeat until there is only a little health left.
Next, this is where you make your decision. Either you can kill the dragon and get about 50,000 runes in one go. Or you can use a glitch to farm the dragon repeatedly, essentially giving you infinite runes.
If you want to exploit this, get on Torrent while it has a little health left, but aim Torrent next to Greyoll so you can still hit her. If you do it correctly, you’ll gain 50,000 runes, and Greyoll will still be alive. If you do it wrong, then she disappears. You get the rune, and you get 5 Dragon Hearts.
The fourth rune farming strategy I want to talk about is Albunaurics and Birds. This rune farming strategy is suitable for intermediate to advanced players.
Albunaurics and Bird I’m talking about are both located in Mohgwyn Palace. The nearest Sites of Grace is Palace Approach Ledge Road. You need to either reach Consecrated Snowfield or complete Varre questline to reach Mohgwyn Palace.
Next choose Albunaurics or Bird. If you choose Albunaurics on the slopes, then you can attack them all at once or in large groups using your maximum range weapons or magic. Sacred Relic Sword excels in this regard. On your first playthrough, you can get around 70,00 runes per run, or 150,000 runes if you use Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot.
If you choose Bird, face the edge of the cliff, equip a bow, switch to first-person mode and shoot him to attract him and lure him off the cliff. On your first playthrough, you’ll get around 11,000 runes per run, or 26,896 runes if you use Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot. This is also by far the most efficient and fastest way to farm runes in Elden Ring.
Which brings me to the last strategy for farming runes, which is collecting Golden Runes. This strategy is suitable for beginners to experienced players. It depends on which Golden Runes you get from which coffins.
Golden Runes can be found in several locations across the land, but the most important way to find them is to look for cemeteries with coffins or sarcophagi inside. Every place with these will have Golden Runes, so keep your eyes open when exploring. There are quite a few of them, and the best part is that you can collect them as you go through torrents.
That’s it for today’s guide. I hope these tips help you farm as many runes as possible to get your character ready for the expansion coming in June!
Welcome to this new build guide for the swift Ghostflame Lich in Last Epoch 1.0. The primary objective of this build is to swiftly navigate through the Monolith to target farm various echo rewards efficiently such as the Uniques and Exalted Items, as well as to farm Exile Mages for experimental mods.
The main skill we’re using is Ghostflame, and it deals with fire and chronic damage to us while also draining our mana when we are channeling. For this setup, we’re looking to scale the initial hit of the Ghostflame, not the ailments from it, to one-shot enemies as we go.
To deal damage and be fast, we need a lot of points for the Ghostflame skill to grab all the damage multipliers. The great thing is that the skill has so many tags on it, scaling from a lot of different sources like fire, Necrotic damage over time, spell channeling, and movement.
With this build,we can get over 200% movement speed, and we can basically stay in Ghostflame all the time without having to worry that much about getting our mana drained.
With mana, finish with Ghostflame, and this will lower the overall cost of the skill. By also using Wandering Spirits and picking up the Infuse Soul passive, provide a 15% chance to gain 12 mana whenever a spirit expires. Then, we’re also using Transplant with a Pale Blood passive, which will give us 30 flat mana when we use Transplant.
Telf'un's Mirage is a small source as it also provides us 2 mana gains when we dodge while channeling potions is a huge part of this build as well. By using Divine Girdle with the experimental mod 'mana gained on potion use', we can grant us up to 40 flat mana whenever we use a potion. While on the subject of potions, it sits very well with all the other things we’re using for this build.
One of them is a Grimoire of Necrotic Elixirs, which will give us up to 40 Necrotic damage to melee attacks and spells. It also takes up to 4% less void, Necrotic, and poison damage for 4 seconds on potion use. Exsanguinous is another item which also will grant us up to 30% attack speed, cast speed, and movement speed if we have used a potion in the past 4 seconds. Some other gear you can choose depends on your amount of Last Epoch Gold.
Ghostflame: Wraith Form grants additional dodge rating per intelligence while channeling Ghostflame. Spectral Menace reduces the channel cost by up to 70%. Spirit Of Dread provides extra movement speed while channeling Ghostflame and converts it into a movement skill.
Doom Surge adds further movement speed. Fiery Desecration allows Ghostflame to deal damage in a full circle, albeit with an increased channel cost. It's beneficial if mana can be sustained. Domain Of Torment increases the damage multiplier. Disdain reduces damage taken while channeling the Ghostflame skill.
Atrocity provides an extra damage multiplier. The Decrepit Mortals release a curse on enemies for a short duration, causing them to take an additional 15% more damage over time. When triggers Banshee, enemies will also fear, and Ghostflame will deal more direct damage to them, up to 75%.
Reaper Form: Soul Shroud gives us armor per point of intelligence. Vile Shroud provides Necrotic resistance and poison resistance per point of intelligence. Soul for a Soul increases damage. Reaper's Curse adds additional increased damage. Death Comes Quickly grants the Swiftness buff upon killing an enemy.
These buffs will increase movement speed by 1% and can stack up to 10 times. With the Haunting, we have a chance to apply Mark for Death on enemies on hit. This is triggered by using Death Seal as it counts as a hit.
Transplant: Pale Blood gives us 30 mana when using Transplant. When hitting an enemy with Transplant, we gain mana per hit. Acolyte's Fervor grants the Haste and Frenzy buff upon using Transplant.
Squeamish applies fear on departure, while the other option applies fear on arrival. Fleeting Form provides extra cooldown recovery. Bone Armor grants the Bone Armor buff, providing extra armor, less damage taken, and increasing the duration of the Bone Armor.
Death Seal: This is another skill that we're using. This will seal our health, preventing us from going above the current value and deal damage to us. Moratorium increases the duration of Death Seal. Soul Stability prevents health loss from effects draining a percentage of current health.
The Quick and the Dead grants the Haste Buff upon releasing Death Seal. Doomcall amplifies the damage of Death Seal waves for each stack of Damned on us. Mortal Pulse triggers death waves every second while sealed. Tachycardia increases the frequency of death waves.
Desperate Shroud provides additional armor and stun avoidance per 10 missing health. Deadlock makes it so if our health is above 33% of your maximum health when we activate Death Seal, this will reduce it to 33% of our maximum health, making us able to stay on low life.
Wandering Spirits: Infusing Soul allows us to gain mana. We get a 15% chance to gain 12 mana per Spirit when they expire. Sheltering Spirit provides extra Ward and medium just for increased mana efficiency for the skill. Thin Veil ensures we get more spirits. Terrifying Presence ensures enemies near Spirits are also feared.
Drained Will makes Wandering Spirit also Shred resistance of nearby enemies. This helps with half of our damage from Ghostflame, as the skill is both fire and Necrotic-based. Sins of the Forgotten makes Wandering Spirit now also inflict enemies around them with the Damned ailment.
For the idols, you want to pick up mana efficiency with the Ghostflame. For the suffix, you could go with either resist, health, or Ward retention. The chance to apply fear is amazing, as we also get a 75% damage multiplier from the Ghostflame passive to feared enemies, and this will help to sustain that debuff when Death Seal is hitting enemies.
We also have 2 Grand Bone Idols with Ward per second when channeling Ghostflame and also with increased spell damage while on low life.
Next, for blessings, I recommend using Grand Echo of Solarum, Grand Light of the Moon, Grand Survival of Might, Grand Defiance of Yulia and Grand Patience of Herkir.
I’ve been playing Last Epoch consistently since its release and have spent hundreds of hours in the game. Therefore, I have also put together some tips and tricks to make our gaming experience better.
Even experienced players can make some mistakes, so check out this guide before you start to make your adventure a smoother one! Without any further delay, let’s get straight into the action.
Auto cast is especially useful for builds that have skills on cooldown that you want to recast as soon as they become available. An example here is Void Knight’s Devouring Orb ability. If your character is strong enough, you can also use this feature to a semi-AFK farm in the arena.
To activate auto-cast, you must assign the ability button you want to auto-cast to one of the numeric keys on your keyboard.
For example, here I’ve assigned a secondary button to number pad three to keep my usual button mapping intact. Next, press and hold the ability button on the number pad. Then click Num Lock to disable it.
If you want to disable auto-cast, you can simply turn on Num Lock and press the ability button again.
You can put points into multiple Mastery Trees so that you are not forced into Passive Tree of your own mastery. Therefore, you can actually unlock and use almost all active skills from other masteries as well.
The exceptions here are unique mastery skills, such as Storm Totem for Shaman or Werebear Form for Druid. These unique skills are locked to specific masteries, but everything else is fair game.
If you want to teleport to another location, you usually need to hold down the left mouse button and click the “travel” icon at the bottom of the screen, which wastes not only Last Epoch Gold but also time.
Instead, you simply right-click on a node and your character will instantly teleport to the selected location. This works both in the world map and in Monolith.
This tip is related to the crafting system in Last Epoch.
Sometimes you remove dropped items from an existing configuration that are of no use to you. The item will have some unwanted stats or not be the type of item you are looking for. But you may need to add it in the future. This is where these two runes come in: Rune of Removal and Rune of Shattering!
By the way, affixes are the stats on the lower part of the item. For example, high-level skill affixes are not that common drops and are very important for endgame builds. So you might want to extract them from items.
Most players will use Rune of Shattering to destroy items and obtain shards, which is the easiest way. But the problem is that this process does not guarantee that you will get all the shards.
As the rune’s description states: Shattering creates a random number of shards. This means you may not get the affix shards you really want.
To avoid losing potential shards, you can use Rune of Removal on the item. This rune removes one random affix at a time. So you may actually need up to four attempts to get the affix shards you want. You’re better off using Rune of Removal when you really want a specific affix or there are fewer than four affixes on the item.
Of course, the best thing about this process are the two affixes items that give you a 50% chance of getting the shards you crave.
Do you often skip nodes in Monolith because they only bring you a measly amount of XP? Note, however, that the effects of Tomes of Experience increase as you get higher in level.
At around level 75, my character gets about 1% level XP from each tome, so I get 3% from all three tomes. This is not cause for concern.
But when I run node, my Warlock is level 94 on Empowered Monolith, has 140 corruptions, and I’m getting about 7% more XP from all three Tomes. That’s a huge amount of XP for this level!
Also, have you ever really looked at XP and favor rewards you gain in a faction? Each Tome will give you about 500 favor, which means you can get 1500 favor for each Quest Echo.
Anyway, plus everything you get from running the map. This may not seem like much, but it will quickly earn you a lot of favor! Also, you can use Tomes of Experience to quickly level up your skills after respec.
Besides, Arena nodes are also an excellent source of XP for you to level up for the endgame.
I’ve done some testing and on average Arena gives a better XP percentage than the usual Monolith Echoes. Monster density is also a big factor here. You don’t have to hunt around for mobs.
Of course, some arena maps are better than others, but on average, all maps are very good for your XP gain. So if you need to level up quickly to meet the requirements for certain items, be sure to clear the arena to get to your goal faster.
During Early Access, you can test your damage on dummies in End of Time Zone. But after patch 1.0, the dummy here no longer exists.
So if you’re like me, you’re probably confused as to where this dummy went. You can actually find dummies in Champion’s Gate settlement. The gate is in exactly the same location as the entrance to the arena.
We used to have to manually find the entrance to each dungeon, so finding the dungeon you’re looking for can take some time and effort. But there is actually an easier way.
You can right-click on a Dungeon or Arena Key to open the map and focus on the entrance to that specific area. This tip can make your life easier.
You can avoid arena nodes in Monolith. There are two ways to check if a node is an arena. First, you can left-click on a node to see the name of the map. If it were, it would say Arena. Alternatively, you can hover over a node to see if it offers normal or less stability.
This assumes you’ve cleared Echo objective and summoned the portal, but maybe you saw a chest or shrine and want to continue exploring the map. But you might worry that backtracking to that portal will waste a lot of time.
This is where the “T” button comes into play. Once the portal is open, you can press the “T” key to re-summon it at your location at any time, saving yourself a lot of trouble.
These are my top 10 tips to make your life easier in Last Epoch. What do you think of these tips? Do you know of any other exciting tips? Please share it! See you next time!
Welcome to this new build guide of Last Epoch 1.0. Today, I’m excited to introduce a new Mage Spellblade known as the king of Shatter Strike. This build can successfully progress from Level 1 to Level 92, aiming for 300 corruption. It now boasts the capability to face tank bosses and Shades of Orobyss with ease. So let's just dive in!
Enchant Weapon: Upon activation, your character becomes stronger, attacks faster, and experiences a significant increase in damage output. To optimize its use, start by acquiring Frostbrand and Overloaded. Frostbrand enhances Mana management by providing a free attack with Enchant Weapon.
Next, prioritize longer duration, melee elemental damage, attack speed, and cleanse ailments. Obtain Frozen Sparks for additional damage boost and allocate the remaining points into Efficacy.
Flame Rush: Flame Rush provides damage reduction, enhancing survivability, while also granting frenzy for increased attack speed and ward generation. Its versatility allows conversion to cold damage, ensuring synergy with other skills. When utilizing Flame Rush, prioritize damage reduction first, followed by acquiring frenzy, speed, and range. Consider converting it to a cold skill for added utility, despite its primary role not being damage-focused.
Flame Ward: Flame Ward serves as one of your defensive abilities, functioning in its standard form. Begin by prioritizing the Astonish node, allowing automatic triggering when stunned. This makes it basically an automatic skill.
Ensuring Flame ward triggers automatically upon impact, signaled by an audible ding. Proceed to invest in Barrier and Prismatic Buffer for damage reduction. Conclude by allocating the remaining points into Dilation for extended duration.
Firebrand: Firebrand serves as the foundational skill for this build, essentially spammed in rotation with Shatter Strike. The sequence involves alternating between Firebrand and Shatter Strike while maneuvering. Enchant Weapon is reserved for moments requiring additional damage output.
To optimize Firebrand, prioritize acquiring the Illuminating Fire node for enhanced Shatter Strike potency. This ensures either a guaranteed crit or close to a guaranteed speed crit, significantly boosting damage. Invest in nodes that grant extra stacks per hit, reducing the number of required Firebrand attacks. Focus on maximizing attack speed. Any remaining points can be allocated towards bolstering survivability.
Shatter Strike: Begin by prioritizing the acquisition of area, Cold Penetration and critical multiplier nodes. These enhancements ensure nearly guaranteed critical strikes when paired with Firebrand, significantly amplifying damage output. Next, focus on obtaining damage and multiplicative damage nodes to facilitate swift clears, particularly noticeable against high health enemies.
Proceed to secure global cold damage and freeze rate multiplier, alongside additional multiplicative damage nodes, further augmenting damage potential. Finally, configure Shatter Strike to auto-cast with each use, resulting in double clicks and seamless execution. These skill optimizations are key components of the build's effectiveness.
Let's dive into the passive tree. In the base Mage tree, we start with 33 points. We allocate 6 into Scholar and 8 into Arcanist. While prioritizing increased attack speed, you can adjust points to prioritize Mana and life if needed. To enhance our ward generation, we invest in Reactive Ward, Warden, and Silver Rune, crucial for sustaining survivability with 8 to 10,000 ward generation.
Sorcerer remains untouched. However, if Mana becomes an issue, consider investing in Mana Shell and Wisdom for support. Transitioning to Runemaster, we invest 8 points into Sphere of Protection, significantly boosting life and damage reduction, pivotal in fortifying our defenses.
Turning to Spellblade, we distribute 6 points into Elemental, focusing on amplifying damage with Frozen Steel and Infused Weapons, while also bolstering survivability through Arcane Shielding. You want to take as much attack speed and ward as possible. Integrating Mana Reaver aids in maintaining Mana sustain.
As Dual Wielding is the chosen approach, we focus on maximizing our potential with Prismic Blade and Blade Weaver. Blade Weaver synergizes seamlessly with Enchant Weapon and Firebrand, culminating in devastating Shatter Strike hits, evident in the staggering damage output. To round it off, we allocate the remaining 10 points into Mental Fortitude, augmenting intelligence and the ward for additional resilience.
One notable aspect of this build is its low life configuration, a first since the Last Epoch 1.0. To achieve this, we incorporate Exsanguinous, Last Steps of the Living, and Eternal Gauntlets for health. It's worth noting that the Eternal Gauntlets gloves are exclusive to Exiled Mages.
We also incorporate the Shard of the Shattered Lance into our setup. This unique item provides a 20% multiplicative damage boost along with a 20% increase in movement speed. Its exceptional cold-related stats make it a highly desirable choice, and its availability makes it easily obtainable.
The build's current performance is optimized with low life mechanics. Since this setup isn't mandatory, you can decide which items you need based on your Last Epoch Gold reserves. The other gear choices are as follows:
Now, let's discuss blessings. We prioritize survivability by focusing on void resistance, Mana, crit avoidance, armor, and physical resistance. While these blessings provide a solid foundation, adjustments can be made based on the affixes present on your gear. However, this is the current setup that I really recommend:
As for idols, we choose 1 Grand Glass Idol, 3 Ornate Glass Idols, 2 Stout Lagonian Idols and 2 Small Lagonian Idols. Our selection now includes idols providing Mana, cold damage, Elemental melee cold damage, as well as life and Mana. While this setup may seem basic, its aesthetic appeal is undeniable.
The Jester’s Festival, an annual ESO celebration of the unpredictable and amusing, invites participants to engage in a variety of quests involving pranks and jokes across Tamriel.
This guide will explore the latest updates for 2024, along with insights on event participation and strategies to optimize your experience.
Similar to other annual events held in tents, the 100% XP buff that used to require consuming pie every 2 hours is now passive. This eliminates the need to constantly refresh for bonus XP.
During this year’s event quests, you can earn joke outfit style pages, specifically the Jester Seeker suit.
Additionally, the Impressario will offer all three fragments for the Molag Bal Illusion Imp Pet and the Planemeld’s Master Markings. This event marks your last chance of the quarter to acquire these fragments. While we anticipate their return for the New Life Festival, it hasn’t been officially confirmed yet.
To start, obtain the event starter either from the Crown Store for free or by visiting any of the Jester Festival tents situated in Daggerfall (in Glenumbra), Vulkhel Guard (in Auridon), or Ebonheart (in Stonefalls).
At each festival tent, you’ll receive a quest from the Jester Royals, engaging you in pranks and mischief. Jester Queen Ayrenn tasks you with completing “Springtime Flare,” where you sprinkle flowers on stuffy academics in designated locations.
Jester King Emeric assigns “Royal Rivalry,” allowing your pyrotechnic skills to shine as you gather ingredients for fireworks and set them off within the city.
For “A Noble Guest” from Jester King Jorunn, you must rescue the poor king’s lost betrothed. Borrow apples and lure the princess back to her love in the Argonian District of Ebonheart.
Additionally, near any Jester’s tent, you’ll find two extra quests. “Getting the Band Together,” given by Samuel Gourone, has you recruiting a ragtag band of dry for a concert. Visit three locations to collect wine and recruit them. In Mephala’s Nest Delve, recruit either a Scamp or a Wing Twilight, while in An’Old Delve, choose between an Ogrim or a Harvester. The danger that appears on your stage upon completion depends on your choice.
The second bonus quest, “A Foe Most Porcine,” involves fighting King Boar in Stormhaven. During the fight, "the King’s Spoils” quest offers additional rewards of Mudcrab Cider based on the number of apples collected. Before entering the arena, don’t forget to pick up the quest from Rozette the Rapscallion.
Lastly, visit Soars in Laughter near any festival tent for “Prankster’s Carnival.” Use her prank kit to play fun tricks on her friends in the spirit of the season.
However, we have some helpful tips and tricks to enhance your efficiency during the event.
Firstly, to maximize loot, consider completing the entire series of quests daily on all characters. However, be mindful as it may lead to burnout, especially if you have multiple characters. Take it easy on yourself and pace accordingly.
Regarding the “A Noble Guest” quest, if you aim to achieve the Princess Rescuer accolade, guide Princess the Pig back to Jester King Jorunn at the Jester Camp south of Ebonheart without getting caught by her owner.
If you have incurred a bounty from stealing apples, ensure you clear it first to make the pig thieving process a bit easier. Opting for the simplest route, head to the stairs on the east side of Ebonheart. Skirt along the inner walls behind the Ebony Flask to reach the gate, or alternatively, maneuver behind the two southern houses.
Another option from the eastern stairs is to cut behind the Fighters Guild Pavilion, then head southwest to the plaza, avoiding both the Ebony Flask and the Town Hall to reach the gate. If spotted by the butcher, completing the achievement becomes impossible. To retry, abandon the quest, clear your bounty, and start anew, or wait until the following day.
If you're still encountering difficulties, ensure your riding speed is maximized and utilize skills such as the Nightblade's Shadow Cloak or a potion of invisibility to evade detection. Additionally, consider equipping different gear sets like Adept Rider and Jailbreaker to enhance your overall speed.
For the "Royal Rivalry" quest, note that harpies and the Leyawiin Tower are less likely to drop dust compared to bandits. Hence, focus your efforts on eliminating bandits while searching for dust. These shards, sacks, and bone piles are not shared, even in grouped situations. Thus, if you pick up a Dragonfire Crystal, another player must wait for it to respawn to loot it.
To embark on the "A Foe most Porcine" quest, obtain it by reading the flyers titled "A Foe most Porcine" found on posts near the Jester Festival tents in Auridon, Glenumbra, Stonefalls, or at the Hammerdeath Arena. If struggling to defeat the king, consider teaming up with friends to prevent him from consuming apples, which regenerate his health and enrage him.
Regarding the "The King's Spoils" quest, it can be completed simultaneously with "A Foe most Porcine" by collecting apples while battling the king. The more apples gathered, the greater the reward of sparkling Mudcrab Apple Cider, with up to four bottles available. Although not particularly extraordinary, it serves as a pleasant refreshment if lacking other food or drink buffs.
As mentioned, group efforts significantly ease these tasks, so monitor zone chat or the group finder tool for potential assistance. Don't forget to check your guild, as fellow members may also be seeking aid.
In addition to that, here are a few general event reminders:
Ensure to check your tickets each day before proceeding with any activities. You can only hold a maximum of 12 tickets, and exceeding this limit will result in loss. While you'll receive a warning when attempting to turn in a quest with exceeded ticket count, it can still be bothersome to have to spend the tickets and return.
Furthermore, before making any purchases from the Impressario, it's advisable to test the drop rate of event items. Since tickets hold value, it's wise to reserve them for items that aren't easily obtained through drops.
Keep in mind that some individuals may have extra tickets they're willing to share. It's recommended to explore all available options before making purchases. Lastly, items acquired from the Impressario are bound, whereas those obtained from coffer drops are tradable and can be sold on Guild Traders. If you intend to trade festival loot for ESO Gold or share it with friends, remember that items purchased from the Impressario cannot be traded.
Ever since the announcement of Elden Ring getting a DLC, there’s been rampant speculation online regarding the DLC’s exact release date. However, now it’s time for everyone to cease making blind guesses. FromSoftware has at last unveiled the inaugural gameplay trailer for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, and it’s absolutely mind-blowing.
In a span of over 3 minutes, viewers are treated to a plethora of new environments, bosses, enemies, weapons, and more. Yet, perhaps the most exciting aspect is the imminent availability. The expansion is set to launch on June 21st for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, and PC.
Accompanying the trailer are numerous previews and interviews featuring director Hidetaka Miyazaki. What can players anticipate, and what elements make Shadow of the Erdtree so captivating? Explore 10 compelling reasons here.
FromSoftware’s biggest expansion to date is Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.
Take into account Bloodborne: The Old Hunters, which offers between 10 to 25 hours of playtime, and Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City, which added roughly 11 to 20 hours of gameplay, according to HowLongToBeat.
Years of fun and replay value have been offered by both expansions, and Shadow of the Erdtree appears to be much larger in scope.
While the Lands Between served as the backdrop for the original game, Shadow of the Erdtree unfolds in a fresh realm known as the Land of Shadow.
It’s not merely a new territory tacked onto the existing world map. It’s an entirely new world. Within this realm, players will uncover its hidden mysteries and seamlessly traverse between its diverse locales.
As showcased in the trailer, these locations span from lava-filled caverns and ruins adorned with hanging pots to expansive grasslands, all beneath the looming presence of the enigmatic Erdtree casting a foreboding shadow.
Speaking with Eurogamer, Miyazaki affirmed that the new map adheres to the structural framework of the base game. However, in terms of scale or sheer surface area, it dwarfs even Limgrave from the original game.
Considering Limgrave’s inclusion of three sub-regions and a Legacy Dungeon, this expansion’s scope is undeniably substantial.
It’s not just about size, though. With the expansion, FromSoftware is also redefining field design.
In contrast to the standard game, where the line between outdoor regions and dungeons is rather apparent, Miyazaki said the team aimed to delve deeper and create a denser, richer level design that blends both kinds of layouts together a little more smoothly. In order to provide a more varied gaming experience, the team has also experimented with something a little more in between the standard open spaces to ride around in agony and dungeons to explore.
To put it briefly, new regions that are distinct from the original game are to be expected. If you want to take on the challenge more easily, be sure to accumulate enough Elden Ring Runes to level up your character!
New weaponry and armor are standard features in any expansion developed by FromSoftware, and Shadow of the Erdtree is certainly no different.
The trailer exhibits a Gladiator-inspired ensemble complete with a striking fur cape, alongside a sleek red dress tailored for those with a keen eye for fashion. However, the allure lies primarily in the assortment of weapons. Although the exact count remains undisclosed, Miyazaki has verified the introduction of eight novel weapon classifications.
These encompass a hefty Japanese sword, a versatile dueling shield described by Miyazaki to Famitsu as blending offense and defense, and throwing daggers engineered for hurling in combat. Additionally, glimpses are offered of innovative selections, such as a fully automatic crossbow equipped with incendiary bolts and a fresh Twinblade paired with a shield.
“I believe even veterans who have extensively utilized existing weapon types in the main storyline will find these additions invigorating and gratifying,” Miyazaki remarks.
The adversaries depicted in the trailer, including the leech-like creature, appear vexing enough, but it’s the bosses that are anticipated to present the greatest challenges.
Miyazaki has confirmed the presence of over 10 new bosses, comprising a horned beast adorned with human body parts that unleash devastating lightning strikes, a porcupine-esque creature boasting a formidable bite, a peculiar skeleton mounted on horseback wielding a boomerang-like weapon, and a towering inferno fueled by burning bodies. Additionally, players can confront Mesmer the Impaler, a formidable adversary utilizing fiery assaults and occupying a pivotal role.
Furthermore, Miyazaki hints at a challenge comparable to that posed by Millennia in the base game, though the identity remains unconfirmed. As always, anticipation builds as we await further revelations, albeit at the cost of numerous defeats.
Lastly, the expansion introduces an array of new spells and abilities, with some showcasing truly remarkable capabilities.
Certainly, the expansion also introduces an array of fresh skills and weaponry, some of which are truly astounding. Among these are:
However, what has been revealed merely scratches the surface, leaving us eagerly anticipating what other marvels await.
During an interview with Eurogamer, Miyazaki affirmed the existence of numerous dungeons, including multiple Legacy Dungeons.
Several of these dungeons are showcased in the trailer, notably a grand, fortress-like structure reminiscent of Stormveil, albeit with the summit appearing dilapidated. Additionally, the arena belonging to Mesmer piques interest as it potentially occupies a distinct dungeon setting.
In summary, the full breadth of available dungeons is yet to be revealed. However, indications suggest a diverse selection awaits, catering to enthusiasts of the original game.
Exploring the Land of Shadow introduces players to fresh faces, some harboring “ulterior motives.”
The addition of these characters implies the potential for new side quests, the possibility of embarking on uncharted quest chains, or the chance to engage with additional vendors. Notably, the official website teases the introduction of fresh plotlines, promising to “enhance players’ RPG freedom.”
These narrative threads might lead to diverse outcomes, dependent on the paths players opt to pursue.
Nevertheless, it’s certain that the decisions made in the expansion won’t alter the outcome of the main storyline.
Moreover, Miyazaki clarified to Famitsu that the “progression of events in the main story will remain unaffected by the DLC’s content,” indicating that no new conclusions for the base game should be anticipated if players opt to embark on the Shadow of the Erdtree adventure first.
Players should anticipate a self-contained narrative within the realm of Shadow of the Erdtree, with resolutions confined to its confines. However, it wouldn’t be unexpected if this tale unveils a couple of earth-shattering revelations along the way.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is priced at $39.99, in contrast to The Ringed City at $14.99 and The Old Hunters at $19.99.
While various factors come into play when comparing the prices of DLCs from previous years with the current one, it’s notable that this expansion is only $20 less than the base price of Elden Ring.
Additionally, there are multiple editions available:
Moreover, players have the option to acquire a limited quantity of physical replicas of Messmer’s helm.
With the WoW Classic Season of Discovery Phase 2 having been available for nearly 2 months now, it’s likely that Phase 3 will come out next month in April. We have access to some leaked information that helps us make reasonable guesses.
As recent leaks about new raid content have suggested, the upcoming raid is likely to be the Sunken Temple. Datamining from the PTR reveals notable changes, such as a shift in Sunken Temple’s lockout to a 3-day duration and its instant ID being assigned the number 23.
Notably, Sunken Temple already accommodated up to 10 players, consistent with many vanilla dungeons. Blizzard has confirmed that the next raid will support 20 players. Taking these factors into account, it seems unlikely that the next phase will see 2 raids. Expect us to see a 20-man Sunken Temple raid.
The Sunken Temple could be the next raid following Stranglethorn Vale. Blizzard claims to highlight underrated instances, and Stranglethorn Vale falls squarely into that category. Sunken Temple aligns well with the ongoing Stranglethorn Vale PvP event. This connection could be attributed to our actions empowering the Blood God, Hakkar, through encounters like the world boss Lord Kazzak, thus potentially increasing Sunken Temple’s significance in the game world.
Sunken Temple’s intricate design includes some hidden bosses, which may have been overlooked by many players. Coordinating a team for these encounters could be challenging. Summoning Atal’hakkar, for instance, required players to manipulate snake statues on balconies in a specific sequence. Atal’hakkar boasted a formidable health pool and could unleash a devastating knockback.
Sunken Temple housed another hidden boss, the Avatar of Hakkar, accessible through a questline. Defeating this boss was no simple feat, as players had to withstand the relentless waves of Hakkari Bloodkeeper. In Phase 3, there are hints suggesting a revamp of heroic PvE content, possibly introducing heroic plus dungeons or similar challenges.
Blizzard’s recent email survey included a question about the importance of Heroic Plus or Titan Rune dungeons in the Season of Discovery. Blizzard hinted at adding more difficult modes, indicates a potential expansion of challenging content. Such additions would align with player expectations and keep the game engaging across each phase release.
There have also been a number of interesting datamined class runes in the latest PTR build. Some seem reasonable and obviously seem a little wacky and far-fetched.
Mage: The Balefire Bolt is similar to Arcane Blast, but you lose Spirit on every stack rather than being increased mana consumption, and then when you reach zero Spirit, you actually die. Deep Freeze and Molten Armor might be getting added.
Warlock: There are Summon Felguard, Pandemic, Backdraft, Unstable Affliction and Immolation Aura, but these were determined to be in the Phase 2 PTR, so I’m not sure whether we’re going to get these.
Priest: The Despair that hints that we might be getting crit on dots. There’s also this ability called the V-zone. It’s basically a bit similar to a Death Knight’s Death and Decay.
Rogue: may be getting Honor Amongst Thieves along with some new runes to increase their energy regen.
Druid: Get a solid AOE ability as Gale Winds that increases the Hurricane damage and removes the cooldown.
Hunter: Get something new called Focus Fire, where they can consume a pet’s Frenzy Stacks to increase their own ranged attack speed or you might be getting Taste for Blood. This is a proc that allows your overpower to be usable in rats.
Paladin: There’s purifying power allowing you to use Fanaticism and Holy Wrath on any target, and this should be a huge buff to them. They may also get their raft cooldown.
It appears that there is a new trend emerging as a gold bot epidemic among Horde gold farmers, as they are unable to farm stockades. Instead, they have turned to fishing squid. This strategy makes sense, as one only needs to reach Level 5 to get started, and it can yield a decent amount of WoW SOD Gold, especially with people buying these in anticipation of Phase 3.
Setting up fishing bots is much simpler compared to full-scale farming bots. Although the Grilled Squid recipe for the 10 agility food buff is not yet learnable, people are profiting from stockpiling it for the Phase 3 release, when it is expected to become the most sought-after food buff in the game. There's a possibility that they are transferring their stock of squid to unused bot accounts to avoid losing it.
Taking a closer look at the top 3 speedruns for Gnomeregan reveals some intriguing insights. Despite variations in team compositions, one consistent factor stands out: a Warlock Tank. This choice is logical, as Warlocks not only inflict substantial damage but also excel at handling the bombs on the final boss.
What's particularly interesting is the inclusion of 2 Shadow Priests in the world record run, despite their reputation as underperformers. This suggests that factors beyond boss DPS play a crucial role. Shadow Priests shine in managing trash mobs, a vital aspect of speedruns.
The composition heavily favors casters, which can pose challenges because of mana regeneration issues. However, the addition of 2 Shamans providing Shamanistic Rage, a potent mana regeneration tool, mitigates this concern. This setup underscores the dominance of Horde in the current speedruns.
Notably, DPS characters are significantly contributing to healing, signaling a shift in the meta strategy. Stacking Shamans for Shamanistic Rage to support a caster-heavy group appears to be the preferred approach. This allows casters to excel in dealing AOE damage to trash mobs, further optimizing speedrun performance.
