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Mikel Skiles
The new Necropolis expansion in the Path of Exile is upcoming! A recent announcement from GGG has disclosed that the majority of its features will not be integrated into the core. So, in this guide, we delve into the Unique items exclusive to Affliction that will now become part of the core drop pool in Path of Exile 3.24.
We have got a large number of information from the GGG Affiction post, for the only part of Affliction which is actually going core in POE 3.24 - the Necropolis League. That’s the Wildwood exclusive Unique items.
In order to prepare for the new journey in Path of Exile, it is also necessary to store some POE Currency in advance.
A lot of players anticipated the inclusion of the That Which Was Taken Crimson Jewel in the core game, but it seems that's not the case. Unless it's introduced in a different manner, like as a drop from a new boss, we might have to wait until the March 21st reveal to confirm. Based solely on this post, it appears That Which Was Taken won't be part of the core game.
However, 6 other Unique items are going core. 3 were exclusively found by enemies in the Wildwood. Those are the Trickster’s Smile Unique helmet, the Nametaker Unique sword, and the Flawed Refuge Unique shield.
The other 3 were exclusive drops from the King in the Mists boss fight. Those are the Pragmatism Unique body armor, the Untouched Soul Unique amulet, and the Burden of Shadows Unique staff.
This addition to the core game is quite intriguing - The Flawed Refuge shield highlighting its potential power in the right setup. Unique items like this one go unnoticed until someone discovers a strong use case, catapulting it into the spotlight.
A notable combo involves pairing the Flawed Refuge shield with Divine Flesh, allowing players to mitigate elemental penetration on 90% of incoming damage. If I happen to find this shield in SSF during the Necropolis league, I might explore building around it since I missed out on obtaining it during the Affliction league.
It will be fascinating to see the rarity tier assigned to this Unique item when it enters the core game. Given its potential usefulness, I anticipate it won't be overly rare, but only time will tell.
The next I want to diacuss is the Pragmatism Unique body armor. This one can be so powerful when it’s used in a smart way. I know that in the Affliction League, there were a bunch of builds using this with the new Bodyswap of Sacrifice gem to explode the Dark Marionette specters.
They were using this body armor to gain a bunch of gem levels for the Raise Spectre gem so that the Dark Marionette had a lot more maximum life. But the Dark Marionette specters will no longer be obtainable in Necropolis.
Another Unique item is the Burden of Shadows staff, purportedly the rarest drop from the King in the Mists encounter. Despite playing through the league, I didn't personally witness this staff drop, nor did I encounter many builds utilizing it.
As a two-handed weapon, the Burden of Shadows staff faces stiff competition from well-crafted weapons and shields. Its utility and effectiveness may be questioned, especially considering its drawbacks. However, once it enters the Unique core drop pool, and assuming it's not excessively rare like Tier 1 or Tier 0, players might delve into experimentation with it.
The potential of the Burden of Shadows staff could increase if Blood Magic receives buffs in upcoming leagues. This could prompt players to reassess its viability and explore new synergies, potentially unlocking hidden strengths that were previously overlooked.
I’m very happy to see the Untouched Soul amulet go core. This is a really fun one that enables a bunch of life stacking builds. And I think in the future, we’ll see a lot more builds making use of this one as well. Perhaps for some mana stacking or even accuracy stacking.
Moving on, let's discuss the Trickster’s Smile. The Trickster’s Smile, in particular, leaves me uncertain. Its functionality seems quite limited and cumbersome, occupying a crucial helmet slot. I anticipate it won't find widespread use due to its niche nature and awkward mechanics.
Regarding the Nametaker, it boasts a formidable 200% critical strike multiplier and 100% instant leech when striking Unique enemies, thanks to their 20 enemy power. While it may not currently rival other options, I anticipate it may find its niche in future builds, showcasing the unpredictable nature of Unique items transitioning into the core game.
The experiences with the Nametaker in the early stages of the Affliction League didn't provide much clarity. Despite attempting various theory crafted setups and experimenting with dual-wielding mechanics, I struggled to discern its effectiveness or potential applications in practical gameplay scenarios.
Indeed, the introduction of Unique items often brings about unforeseen synergies and strategies. These items may initially go unnoticed, lying dormant until new mechanics or interactions arise, suddenly thrusting them into the spotlight.
I'm sure many POE players are eagerly await to see the tier assignments for these Affliction Uniques. Only time will tell how these Affliction Uniques will be classified.
When delving into mutations and seeking thrilling PVE experiences in the New World, my preferred choice is the Rapier Bleed build.
Enhancing its potential further elevates the overall performance, enabling players to push the boundaries and extract maximum efficiency. This optimization particularly caters to those striving for high-scoring runs. Without delay, let's delve into the intricacies of this formidable build.
Rapier: The most important part of this build is the Rapier. Without a doubt, the best Rapier for this is the finisher as it provides a huge amount of damage to bleeding targets for the last perk on it.
Keenly Empowered is the best option as it greatly increases bleed damage and is incomparable to any other perk, the skill tree for Swordsman should be like this, the main ability is still the same.
Ice Gauntlet: To optimize our build, allocate points across the skill tree to bolster both our primary Rapier damage and secondary Ice Gauntlet prowess. When wielding the Ice Gauntlet alongside the Rapier, passive skills synergize to augment our overall damage output.
There exist 2 distinct builds tailored for different purposes. The first emphasizes Pylon Burst in conjunction with Ice Storm, amplifying AOE damage against clustered enemies. The second prioritizes maximizing Gauntlet damage potential, particularly beneficial in high mob density environments such as dungeons. This build necessitates investment in Ice Spikes, Ice Storm, and Pylon Burst.
For the latter build, selecting Keenly Empowered allows for seamless weapon swapping without losing the effect, facilitating optimal damage output with Ice Spikes. Vicious Ice Spike and Keenly Empowered emerge as the optimal choices. As for crowd control, Void Gauntlet users, typically healers, can provide crowd control support, while spear or great axe users employing Vines can also assist.
Musket: The Musket serves as another valuable weapon choice, proving its usefulness in various dungeon scenarios. Its long-range capabilities enable players to pull enemies from a distance, although it's important to note that its scaling parallels that of the Rapier, relying on both Intelligence and Dexterity for damage output.
Given our heavy investment in New World Coins in Intelligence and Dexterity, our Musket can deliver substantial damage. As for its skill tree, a quick reference to the one displayed on your screen suffices. To maximize damage, initiate with a sticky bomb shot followed by a Powder Burn shot, then swiftly dodge to trigger a passive skill for instant reload.
Furthermore, the Musket can serve as a primary damage dealer in certain situations, providing both survivability and added safety. For instance, it proves effective against the final bosses in dungeons like Depths or Dynasty. Since this is an ability, that’s why I recommend going with the Vicious.
Since we took a fast look over the weapons, let’s go over the armor perks and check what is necessary to get the best gear possible.
The Nimble Coat is our best pick from the armor artifacts because of the extra cooldown. There is currently no better option for the Rapier Bleed build. For the last perk on it, I always go with Flurry, as it will give me the necessary life and invulnerability in tough situations. The other perks which we want to have are the 4 refreshing, so we can guarantee the maximum cooldown reduction.
We also want to have as many as possible Enchanted Ward and heal perk, and everything else can be justly considered as a bonus. This is not always possible and not everyone has that much of resources to invest into a PvE build.
For jewelries, after extended testing, I found out that the flurry increases the duration of all previous bleeds and not only on itself. Therefore, you can actually hit the maximum of 20 seconds just by finishing your 3 combo bleed with a Flurry. With that in mind, we can already look to replace the Blood Letting from the ring with something more useful.
The best ring I use in this build is the Soulpollen, which would be a party for the extra stamina Thrust damage so we can gain that extra 7% of Empower and Leeching, so we can make sure that we maintain the full HP. So our diamond on the weapon will be in use.
For amulet, I choose the Waterlogged Amulet. I still consider health and Elemental protection, depending on the type of the mutation, to be the most important 2 perks. For the third one, you can choose from Refreshing, Empower or even Divine, but I personally like to go with refreshing as it will give me another open slot for defensive perk on the armor.
For earring, you can easily go with Endless Thirst and choose for last perk either Refreshing Toast or Refreshing. However, if you are missing this artifact. You can just aim for a normal earring that contains Refreshing, Toast Refreshing, and Empowering Toast Hearthrune.
Going forward into the build, we cannot pass another damage source, and this is our Heartrune. Even after many nerves, I still believe that detonate is one of the best choices for Rapier Bleed players because while charging and using the Heartrune, you can still do damage with your Rapier.
This is not the case with some other runes such as Vines, Fire Storm, Cannon and others, and therefore I always go with the brutal Heartrune of detonate. Keep in mind that with this variation of the rune, you will deal extra percentages of damage, but during the time of charging, you will have your armor values reduced by 50% because of the attributes.
I'd like to delve into another crucial aspect of the build: the attributes we'll be focusing on. My preference is to allocate 25 points to Focus for the additional cooldown reduction, 350 points into Intelligence to benefit from the various passives provided by Intelligence, and the remaining points into Dexterity. This distribution ensures that our secondary weapon also maximizes its damage potential, yielding even better results.
It's worth noting that investing only 5 points into the Constitution carries significant risk. For newcomers to the build or the game, I recommend starting with a higher value, such as 50 or 100. With time and experience, you can gradually reduce the Constitution level to achieve the desired balance.
Are you interested in the concept of having multiple builds but find the process of swapping out your gear and skills too cumbersome? In this guide, I'll demonstrate how to utilize the Alpha Gear addon to seamlessly switch gear, skills, and appearance with just the push of a button. This addon provides greater control over your builds and enhances optimization in the Elder Scrolls Online.
With Alpha Gear, you can effortlessly adjust your gear and skills between encounters, enhancing your performance in various roles such as DPS, healing, tanking, and thieving. Let's grab enough ESO Gold and explore Alpha Gear and its capabilities for managing multiple builds in the Elder Scrolls Online.
As a default feature, Alpha Gear enables users to store gear and skills in various configurations.
Subsequently, users can allocate a gear configuration and two skill configurations to a specific build. Additionally, outfit assignment is possible for each build. Hotkeys can then be designated for each configuration, facilitating the instantaneous application of the associated gear, skills, and outfit upon activation.
Some individuals may inquire about the similarity between Alpha Gear and ESO's Armory system. While there are parallels, the vanilla Armory system permits the preservation and interchange of builds, albeit with some limitations. Access to the Armory station or an Armory assistant is required, and navigating through the dialogue swiftly, especially in group dungeons, can pose challenges.
Notably, Alpha Gear surpasses these restrictions by offering unrestricted build creation, allowing users to generate numerous configurations according to their preferences.
Let's begin by delving into the settings.
Firstly, in the profile and builds section, I opt for a streamlined interface by disabling "Show Build Buttons" and "Show Equipped Build". While we'll configure hotkeys for our builds, if you prefer manual swapping via clicking, ensure "Show Build Buttons" remains enabled. As for the remaining settings, I leave them unchanged.
Moving on to the gear section, I deactivate all three options. I find additional interface icons unnecessary, and since I utilize the Auto Recharge (and repair) addon to mend my gear with repair kits, I prefer not to incur expenses on automatic repairs at stores.
Concerning weapons, I also disable both options. The weapon charge icon isn't essential for me, and my weapons already undergo automatic recharging. However, if you're not utilizing the Auto Recharge (and repair) addon, Alpha Gear can manage this task for you.
Regarding the equipment panel, I maintain the default user interface settings. Personally, I prefer to disable "Show UI Button" as I assign a hotkey for opening the window. Nonetheless, if you prefer using buttons for navigation rather than hotkeys, it's advisable to retain this option enabled. Additionally, the UI button is relatively small and blends well with the default interface, making it inconspicuous in my view.
So, those are the settings, but we need to configure keybindings.
I prefer to set up keybindings, or at least that's what I'd recommend. By default, Alpha Gear doesn't have any keybindings assigned, but I suggest adding some.
Personally, I utilize the "T" key to toggle the interface, and then I assign the numpad keys for each of my builds. If you prefer not to set up keybindings for each build, you can keep the UI button or build buttons enabled and simply click to swap.
Additionally, if you intend to use it, make sure to enable the Style Manager in Alpha Gear 2 Integrations.
Now that Alpha Gear is installed and we've configured the basic settings to our liking, let's begin creating some builds.
For this character, I aim to develop three straightforward builds. One for swift traversal around town and the Overworld, one focused on maximizing AOE DPS for handling trash pulls and dungeons, and another tailored for optimal DPS during boss encounters. In both DPS builds, I intend to utilize five pieces of the Order's Wrath set. However, in the around-town build, I'll make space for the Ring of the Wild Hunt and adjust the sets accordingly. Though this entails carrying extra gear, the flexibility to switch builds seamlessly justifies the minor inconvenience.
To initiate a new build, it's necessary to equip all desired gear and skills. For instance, I'll equip the Order's Wrath set, five pieces of Swamp Raiders, and the two-piece Veiled monster set for the AOE-focused build. Using Alpha Gear, I'll right-click on the Gear bar to save the current gear set and repeat the process for the skill bars.
Alpha Gear facilitates the independent saving of gear sets and skill bars, allowing for effortless customization when creating new builds. After saving a gear set and skill bars, proceed to edit a build slot by selecting the gear set and assigning a name. Additionally, options for outfit or Alpha style customization are available, offering versatility in appearance customization.
Following this, let's adjust gear and skills for the second build. I'll maintain the Order's Wrath set and incorporate Sheer Venom as the second five-piece set, along with Arena weapons in lieu of another monster set. Once adjustments are made, save the updated gear set and skill sets, and create a new build accordingly. With both DPS builds established, switching between them during dungeon runs becomes effortless, optimizing performance for different encounters.
Moving on, let's establish the third build, tailored for enhanced movement speed during urban traversal. This build typically complements Legerdemain focus sets, ideal for thieving activities within towns. Incorporating Night's Silence and Night's Tear sets, along with the Ring of the Wild Hunt, enhances speed while Armor of the Trainee provides additional health and armor. Skills can be tailored for combat or enhanced movement as desired.
Similar to previous steps, save the gear set and skill sets and allocate them to the third build slot. Now, an optimized build is available for daily tasks, pickpocketing endeavors, or swift point-to-point travel.
Initially, Alpha Gear does not include functionality for saving Champion Point loadouts. However, an extension called Champion Point Slots addresses this limitation.
While I've found the Champion Point Slots extension somewhat challenging to navigate, I rarely find the need to switch combat Champion Skills on the fly. Nevertheless, I highly recommend utilizing the Jack of all Trades addon developed by Cyber on ESO.
Jack of all Trades simplifies the process by automatically adjusting your green craft Champion Skills based on your current activity. This eliminates the need to create additional builds or manually swap craft skills.
I mention this addon because it complements Alpha Gear effectively. Particularly, it ensures your character remains optimized outside of combat, especially as you attain higher champion levels and unlock multiple slottable Champion Skills from the craft constellation. Unlike combat skills, I prefer having craft Champion Skills adjusted according to my activities, whether it involves thieving, crafting, gathering, or fishing, given their significant impact.
Now that you're familiar with Alpha Gear, your possibilities are virtually limitless.
I've personally saved 8 builds on my Warden. These include my Falinest Scout solo build, which adeptly combines speed and damage to swiftly defeat overworld mobs and facilitate travel.
There's also my Dark Ranger AOE poison build, optimized for clearing both trash mobs and dungeons.
Additionally, I have a Marksman build centered around the Relicin set, specifically tailored for maximizing single-target damage output.
Another build focuses on solo survivability, finely tuned for conquering Veteran Maelstrom Arenas.
My Battleground Warden PVP build is designed for intense player versus player combat.
Similar to the around-town build we previously discussed, there's also my Turbo Rogue build.
Additionally, there's my Forest Guardian tank build, equipped with 64 points in stamina and suitable tank gear and skills, making even this Bosmer proficient in tanking various content. For quick random normal dungeon runs, I utilize this build with great efficiency.
Lastly, there's my stamina healer build, which boldly combines stamina-based healing with group buffs, enabling effective healing in challenging situations.
Alpha Gear is particularly useful for experimenting with new builds since it allows you to save your work in progress, ensuring you don't lose track of the skills or gear you were using. While this approach may not suit everyone, especially newer players who are still refining their first build, it's only a matter of time before you find yourself considering whether one set might outperform another, or perhaps you're drawn to trying out a more thematic build or simply craving speed at times.
It's worth noting that there are alternative addons offering similar functionality. Although I recently made the switch from Dressing Room to Alpha Gear, Wizard's Wardrobe is another viable option. All three operate in a comparable manner, allowing for exploration of various options. My preference for Alpha Gear over Dressing Room stems from the latter's apparent lack of updates. While Dressing Room functions adequately in its current state, there's uncertainty about its future compatibility, unlike Alpha Gear, which continues to receive regular updates and maintenance, making it a safer recommendation.
Greetings and welcome to our introductory guide on Skull and Bones. Whether you are a newcomer or embarking on your journey in Skull and Bones, you are in the appropriate location.
Within this guide, we will comprehensively explore all the fundamental elements necessary to commence your adventure, ranging from essential ship components to valuable trading strategies.
Before delving further, it's worth noting that some readers may not be familiar with Skull and Bones and may be curious about its premise.
Skull and Bones is an action-adventure pirate game developed by Ubisoft Singapore. In it, players navigate the treacherous waters of piracy, forging their own path to ascend from obscurity to the pinnacle of pirate dominance.
Initially, upon embarking on your pirate journey and assuming command of your humble vessel, the Dauntless, following the game's introductory sequence, you'll gain the freedom to navigate around The Exeter Shipwreck.
This colossal wreck, marooned upon the rocky shores, presents a trove of salvageable materials including broken planks, salvaged metal, and weathered nails. While not particularly remarkable, these resources hold practical value. Upon reaching Sainte Anne, it's advisable to store them in your Warehouse for future utilization.
Now, let's delve into one of the game's focal points: ships.
At the outset of your pirate escapade, you'll find yourself aboard the Dauntless, an exceedingly modest vessel with limited offensive capabilities and customization options. Equipped solely with spears, this vessel lacks versatility. However, it boasts an endless supply of spears—a small consolation.
As you progress through the game's narrative, you'll embark on the journey of crafting a superior vessel. This entails exploring various ship options, such as cannons and furnishings. Take your time familiarizing yourself with shipbuilding, ensuring all available cannons are equipped to enhance your maritime combat prowess. Additionally, don't overlook the significance of furnishing your ship, as it can bolster specific statistics.
Furthermore, prioritize equipping ship armor, which provides a foundational armor statistic along with damage mitigation against specific threats like fire damage.
In addition to combat considerations, managing your ship's cargo is crucial. You can allocate cargo storage between your vessel and the Warehouse, with each ship offering a finite storage capacity. To avoid inventory congestion, carry only essential supplies such as food, repair kits, and cannonballs during voyages.
Reserve the Warehouse for bulkier crafting materials like planks and metal. It's advisable to conduct this inventory management routine upon docking at a den or outpost to prevent missed opportunities due to storage limitations while at sea.
When it comes to acquiring loot, it's important to remember: avoid sinking enemy ships.
I understand the temptation to unleash all your firepower and revel in the spectacle of ships ablaze, but in Skull and Bones, there's a more lucrative approach.
As an alternative, consider boarding enemy vessels once their health reaches a certain threshold. Boarding offers a guaranteed method to secure additional loot without risking any loss to the depths of the sea.
Boarding ships may present some challenges, particularly if your vessel is sailing at high speeds, causing you to bypass your targets. However, perseverance pays off. When you're not engaged in plundering and destroying adversaries, I recommend prioritizing the discovery of fast travel points.
Skull and Bones boasts an expansive map, and unfavorable winds can significantly prolong voyages across its expanse. Unlocking fast travel points streamlines your travels, albeit at the cost of a nominal fee in silver with each use.
In addition to the ship-related aspects we've discussed, it's important to monitor your vessel's stamina bar. Yes, your ship possesses a stamina bar, which is where food becomes crucial.
As you navigate the seas, your stamina depletes gradually. The swifter your journey, the quicker your stamina diminishes. To address this, consuming collected food items becomes necessary. However, there are strategies to optimize food utilization. Take the coconut, for instance. Even in its raw state, it restores a modest 10% of your stamina over 30 minutes.
Yet, grilling the coconut enhances its effectiveness. After grilling, you'll obtain a surprising outcome: a Grilled Coconut, providing a 30% stamina regeneration rate.
As a final food-related tip, I strongly recommend assigning any food items to your quick slot. This facilitates stamina replenishment with a simple click, ideal for moments when you're occupied with sailing or battling at sea.
Now, let's delve into the practice of scouting other vessels. While navigating, you'll notice the availability of a spyglass. This tool allows for closer observation of neighboring ships, enabling a rudimentary assessment of their capabilities and potential threats.
Analyzing factors such as the vessel's size, firepower, and perceived threat level can prove invaluable, preventing hasty engagements that may lead to unfavorable outcomes. Furthermore, this scouting method aids in identifying valuable cargo aboard rival ships, allowing for strategic decision-making regarding which vessels to engage or avoid.
Let's delve deeper into the significance of resources. Understanding their role is paramount as they are integral to crafting, quest fulfillment, and silver acquisition.
Resources serve as the foundation for crafting armor, weapons, and tools. Accumulating these Skull and Bones Items enables the creation of stronger equipment, enhancing your effectiveness at sea.
Moreover, resources are essential for completing quests, which often involve gathering specific materials and delivering them to NPCs. By fulfilling these objectives, you not only earn rewards but also increase your Infamy, bolstering your reputation in the pirate world.
As an additional perk, upon reaching Sainte Anne, proceed directly to the mailbox where you'll find a message from an anonymous Son of Liberty.
Along with a few other items, you'll receive 5 repair kits, which can prove instrumental in ensuring your ship's survival during intense battles. Remember to periodically check the mailbox as you level up for further rewards.
Now, let's explore how to maximize your gaming experience.
Skull and Bones places a strong emphasis on multiplayer gameplay. Based on personal experience, engaging with friends or fellow players in the world significantly enhances the enjoyment of the game.
Beyond the added fun, teaming up can mitigate the challenges of high-level contracts and allows for the sharing of loot among all party members.
When it comes to contracts, they serve as an excellent method for accruing experience, or as termed in Skull and Bones, Infamy. Accumulating Infamy is crucial as it unlocks various items, including weapons, ships, and other valuable resources.
Lastly, prioritize completing the main questline. While it may be tempting to wander and explore the vast seas initially, advancing through the John Scurlock story offers the swiftest route to boosting your Infamy rank and obtaining new ship designs.
In this guide, I want to talk about everything I do to maximize leveling speed, and what you can apply with the new 100% XP bonus. Including how to maximize the world buff Sleeping Bag, how to maximize your enchantments, your gear, and how to take advantage of large open world quest changes.
If you follow this guide, you will be able to easily level up from level 1 to level 40 in 2 hours. So we’ll start by discussing everything you need to do to increase your leveling speed.
Let’s get into an optimal buff strategy. In Season of Discovery Phase 2, buffs are a huge game-changer.
We have three main buffs: Spark of Inspiration, Boon of Blackfathom, and Darkmoon Faire.
Spark of Inspiration and Boon of Blackfathom will actually only drop during peak hours, so you have to make sure to plan accordingly. I think BFD Buff is the most valuable. So I usually put my Hunters in Thunder Bluff to get the buff more often. Darkmoon Faire 10% Buff is also reliable, but can only be obtained once every four hours.
Overall, my goal is to go from level 1 to level 20. Above level 20, I selectively decide when to buff based on the area. For example, I usually use buffs in places like Ashenvale. Also, Thousand Needles is one of my top choices, as I know I tend to be safer in Horde area.
Next, let’s get into optimal rune strategies. This is truly the most important part of the upgrade guide. You must have at least three major runes that you are really sure of to increase your level to 40.
For my Hunter, I chose Master Marksman, Flanking Strike and Beast Mastery. Once you identify the three main runes you want to carry with you, you need to plan when to get them on your route.
After all the runes are sorted, we have to discuss the best gear strategy. The first thing I did with my gear was head to the auction house and I got the full 12 slot bag to store all my quest items in Waylaid Supplies. I also bought the best gear I could find for different levels.
As a Hunter, I just go for maximum agility gear, and I also get new bows every few levels. Overall, I recommend checking Auction House every six to eight levels.
Then, for Enchant, you can get powerful enchants, like +5 Agility Gloves, all the way up to level 40. This feels great on the way to the level cap. Of course, don’t forget some less obvious enchants, such as Scopes on the bow to increase damage.
For consumables, my chief priority is just Elixir of Agility that is a must for my Hunter. But you can go out and get Defensive Potions, Elixir of Ogre’s Strength, and Engineering Dense Dynamite. Everything you get increases your kill time and leveling speed.
The most important consumable you can get is from Sleeping Bag quest line. Student Fodder you get will give you 20% of Rested XP bar, but they do have a 30 minute cooldown.
Most people would recommend saving them until level 38. But honestly, basically every hour between level 35 and 40, you get a huge mental boost. So I’ll pop one in and it really helps me get to the top level all the time.
Don’t forget the agility potions, they can be helpful if you don’t have Aspect of the Cheetah.
Finally, let’s talk about our leveling tips.
I recommend completing the missions with friends to keep things fun and fresh. And you’ll both get a Rested XP bar until level 22, and then split it up from there.
One of the best reasons I level with friends is that I probably won’t be very strong until I get at least three runes. Having a partner to level with me really speeds up leveling. Then, when I became an unstoppable killing machine, I could also get back to solo leveling.
Another early leveling tip I have is to use Rank Sentinel to make sure you don’t mess up skill ranks. I’ve had some wrong ranks of abilities for a long time, but if you have this add-on, you’ll never let that happen.
I definitely recommend completing Sleeping Bag quest line at level 14 when you head to the historic areas. Most servers have someone who can summon you to each Sleeping Bag location for about 15 WOW Classic SOD Gold, which will save you almost an hour of travel time.
Sleeping Bag itself should be used during rest periods. Once you’re exhausted, just jump in for 3 minutes. You can simply jump in for 1 minute to refresh it though, so never let the buff wear off.
Once you reach level 22 or so, you can use Rested XP bar. We have three different options when it comes to applying this XP buff.
Option one is the one I chose. It’s pre-questing. you’ll probably get ganked about 30 times. But starting on Tuesday, completing quests does provide more gold. Also, Waylaid Supplies dropped by mobs are very profitable for me, especially when I start killing mobs at level 34 to 40. I usually get 12 gold boxes, which also gives me 3,400 XP.
The second option is to lock yourself in a dungeon, starting with Shadowfang Keep around level 22, and then either Stockade or Razorfen Kraul, depending on Alliance or Horde.
You will also need to have your BFD removed every 3 days. You originally earn 23,000 XP per clear, but this will be doubled on Tuesday, essentially maxing out every time you raid. The most important thing is that you have a high chance of getting the relevant Pre-BiS Gear.
The third option is to do quests while mixing SM spam at levels 22 to 40. Surprisingly, the gap between open world leveling and questing isn’t as big as I thought. The real benefit of doing this is that you’re a level or two ahead on the quest route and you can get everything done faster. In most cases, you can earn more XP per hour.
So I’m just saying quests and dungeons are not far off in XP. For example, I’ve been hit by Horde a lot more than other areas, mainly Hillsbrad Foothills and Stranglethorn Vale. So next time my quest route sends me to these two areas, I’ll replace them with dungeons.
So now you should have a pretty good idea of how to deal with all the new mission changes coming, and how to maximize your leveling speed and profits.
I’m wondering which upgrade method you prefer after the big changes to Waylaid Supplies and the 100% XP bonus. Do you still prefer dungeon leveling in those mind-numbing dungeons for 20 hours straight, or maybe you’re starting to get a kick out of some open world leveling?
Some players may not have the time to grind or start quests to make gold in WoW Season of Discovery Phase 2. But fear not, there are alternative methods to accumulate gold while semi-AFK. You can even get gold while you’re away from your computer. Next, we’ll explore 4 straightforward ways of AFK gold making.
The first method of semi-AFK gold making requires both Mining and Engineering skills, although they don’t necessarily have to be in the same character. Essentially, the process involves smelting Iron Ore with mining, crafting Heavy Blasting Powder with engineering, and finally, creating and selling Iron Grenades.
Recently, the prices of Iron Ore and Heavy Stone have significantly decreased because of hyperspawns for iron nodes and the availability of multiple layers on servers around the clock. During peak times, Heavy Stone can even be purchased for as low as 2 silver, and Iron Ore for approximately 3 silver. It’s possible that prices may continue to decline.
Understanding the profitability of this method is relatively straightforward. Each grenade craft produces 3 grenades, which vendor for 15 silver. Therefore, the craft cost needs to be under 15 silver to turn a profit. For instance, if Heavy Stone is bought for 3 silver, Iron Ore for 3 silver, and Silk Cloth for 4 silver, the total craft cost is 10 silver, resulting in a 5 silver profit per craft.
Scaling this up, if 400 crafts are completed in close to an hour, depending on factors like smelting time, the potential profit is substantial. It’s advisable to check the auction house for cheaper processed materials. Purchasing during peak times when the market is active can also yield better deals.
This method is currently effective and is likely to remain so in the future. To calculate profit accurately, it’s essential to perform the math yourself. However, as a reference, buying stacks of 20 materials and ensuring that Silk Cloth doesn’t exceed 40 silver, Heavy Stone doesn’t exceed 1.4 gold per stack, and Iron Ore doesn’t surpass 80 silver for 20 units, can lead to substantial profits: 40 silver from 10 crafts, 4 gold from 100 crafts, and 40 gold from 1,000 crafts.
Now, let’s explore the next method, which I believe is currently the most lucrative option available. It involves Alchemy and crafting potions, which many players are leveraging to earn significant amounts of gold daily. Particularly in Phase 2, when no new raids were released, there’s been a surge in demand for consumables to aid in raid clearing.
Moreover, many elixirs are also utilized in the Waylaid Supply crates, with Blizzard announcing plans to introduce new rewards to these crates, likely driving prices up even further.
Elixir of Agility is a commonly crafted item, but since it’s a recipe available to all players, profit margins are slim. However, exploring less common recipes, such as Mighty Troll's Blood Potion, can yield more substantial returns. This potion requires easily obtainable ingredients like Life Root and Bruiseweed, which are relatively inexpensive to acquire. Crafting and selling these potions can effectively double your investment, as seen with the example of Papon, who managed to profit significantly by crafting and selling 7 stacks of 5 potions.
Another lucrative option is the Elixir of Greater Defense, which currently sells for a decent price of 53 silver per unit. Crafting this elixir requires Goldthorn and Wild Steelbloom, when compared to the selling price, result in a profit of 10 silver per craft.
Additionally, potions like the Lesser Elixir, which requires revered reputation with a Waylaid Supply, can fetch even higher profits because of their exclusivity. With a bit of investment in obtaining the necessary reputation, players can secure a steady income stream from selling these potions.
It’s essential to explore various potion recipes and monitor market trends on your specific server, as prices can vary widely. Despite not being utilized frequently, the Alchemy semi-AFK method has proven to be highly profitable for many players, with some earning hundreds of gold daily.
Next method of semi-AFK gold making involves mass crafting with leatherworking, a strategy poised to excel in the future due to anticipated declines in leather prices. Thick Leather is essential for this method, with profitability hinging on purchasing it for under 1.2 gold per stack.
While prices may currently vary, factors like the introduction of Uldaman Hunter solo grind and the presence of multiple layers per server are expected to drive prices down, potentially to as low as 80 silver per stack.
We concentrate on crafting 2 specific items: the Nightscape Headband and the Nightscape Tunic. Crafting the Headband is advantageous if the aim is to disenchant for profit, as it requires fewer materials compared to the tunic, resulting in more disenchanting attempts.
Disenchanting the Headband typically yields 3 materials: 2 to 5 Vision Dust with a 75% chance, 1 to 2 Lesser Nether Essence with a 20% chance, and occasionally a Small Radiant Shard with a 5% chance.
Alternatively, crafting and selling Nightscape Tunics to vendors can also be profitable, particularly when leveraging discounts from city reputations and rank bonuses. Honored status with the city provides a 10% discount on silk and thread purchases, while achieving Sergeant rank 3 grants an additional 10% discount from vendors. This translates to an extra 2 silver profit per craft, equivalent to an additional 1.2 gold per hour.
Depending on the cost of Thick Leather, the potential profits vary significantly. Purchasing Thick Leather at 1.2 gold per stack could yield approximately 5 gold and 82 silver profit per hour, while buying it at 1 gold per stack could result in 10 gold and 2 silver per hour. Remarkably, acquiring Thick Leather at 80 silver per stack could lead to a staggering 14 gold and 22 silver profit per hour.
This method is anticipated to become even more lucrative on larger servers, once the auction house experiences increased activity from both bots and players. So whether you’re working from home, seeking a low-effort SOD Gold making method, or simply prefer to avoid grinding, this strategy presents a promising opportunity.
This last method is very simple. First, head to the auction house and purchase every Silk Cloth priced under 40 silver for a stack. Let’s say you have 957 gold and 78 silver. Buy all the Silk Cloth under that price point. Once you’ve obtained your Silk Cloth, consider crafting them into Heavy Silk Bandages, which can be sold for 80 silver a stack. This effectively doubles the price of the Silk Cloth stack, making it profitable.
After 9 minutes of AFK crafting, you’ve earned 40 silver. Now, you have 958 gold and 18 silver. This process can be completed within 10 minutes, earning you 50 silver every 10 minutes, which translates to 3 golds per hour. AFK can do entirely this, requiring only the time to purchase the cloth.
These prices and availability may vary depending on the time of day and server activity. With consistent effort, you can purchase thousands of stacks over the course of a day or multiple days, enabling you to craft and earn about 3 gold per hour. While it may not seem like much, it’s a profitable endeavor for minimal time investment, especially when you have spare time on your hands.
Today, I'll guide you through every aspect of the Blood Moon event for WoW Season of Discovery Phase 2, including its mechanics, recommended team compositions, boss locations, effective combat tips, and methods to obtain special buffs. You can follow these to enhance coin earnings in enemy encounters.
Whether you’re a seasoned player or new to the game, this guide will help you farm efficiently and achieve your goals during the Blood Moon event. So let's get started!
The Blood Moon event is an exciting open-world PVP event in Stranglethorn Vale that allows you to earn top PVP and PVE gear. Additionally, it offers coveted mounts such as Reins of the Golden Sabercat and Whistle of the Mottled Blood Raptor. These treasures can be acquired with blood coins earned through event participation.
This event happens every 3 hours and lasts only 30 minutes. You can use add-ons like Nova World Buffs to alert you whenever this event is upcoming, to prepare your groups ahead of time. To participate, all you need to do is show up in Stranglethorn Vale and start fighting. During this event, everyone and everything is hostile towards you, including your own faction and NPCs within neutral zones like Booty Bay.
Your teammates are the only non-hostile players, making building a strong group crucial for maximizing coin yields. While there's flexibility in composition, I suggest including at least one dedicated Healer, one ranged damage dealer, and one melee damage dealer.
The rest of the positions can be adjusted, but keep in mind that crowd control is very effective in WoW Classic as there are no diminishing returns, leaving the opponent vulnerable without a counterattack.
Then let's discuss how currency collection and exchanges work. I know it sounds simple, but there are actually a few key details about the system that, when understood, will give you advantages and are critical to this farming strategy.
Whenever you or a group member kills an enemy player, you gain a stacking buff called Blood for the Blood Loa. A single kill from anyone on your team awards the group 5 stacks of blood. This blood buff can stack up to 255 times and can be exchanged for blood coins at any Blood Altar indicated by the red flags on your map by simply walking up and touching one.
Be careful when you have stacks, because if you die, you will lose a percentage of your total stacks, which means the higher the amount of stacks that you have, the more you will lose when you die. However, once you exchange the blood buffs for blood coins at an altar, they are yours forever.
By doing so, not only are you going to have more frequent turn-ins and lose less coins from death, but these areas on the map are typically hotspots for PVP encounters, which means this is where you will have the most opportunities to kill enemies, giving you more chances to farm more blood stacks.
There’s one more thing you need to know about speeding up your collection of coins. Let’s talk about Kha'damu, the big Elite boss that spawns in a variety of areas in Stranglethorn Vale. He is unkillable. However, there is one extremely beneficial thing about this NPC. Kha'damu will grant players 1 of 2 buffs, depending on their proximity to him. He will grant you either the Kill, Maim, Bleed buff when you’re near him or the Feast of Blood buff if you’re very close to him.
These buffs are insanely great for farming coins because they significantly increase the amount of blood you attain for each kill, so it’s highly encouraged to fight around him as much as possible during the event. The best place to farm blood coins is at the Blood Altar that is near Kha'damu.
Then, you get the bonus benefit of the buff granting you more stacks per kill. You get the ability to frequently exchange your blood for WoW SOD Gold so that you do not bleed your earnings, and there will also be a ton of opportunities to slap up some enemies and kill them to collect more blood coins.
Now, let’s talk a little about winning more encounters. There’s so much power in numbers. When your team is scattered or on staggered respawns, your odds of winning encounters are going to go way down, so stay grouped up and regroup often. We typically like to mark each other at the beginning of the event to make it easy to find each other during the chaos. I also call for frequent regrouping if we notice staggered respawns, usually we like to regroup outside of all the chaos so everyone can come together before jumping back into the fight.
The last thing is to make sure you’re not diving deep into encounters that are extremely crowded. Let your reigns deal with that to chip off some free blood and be like vultures circling around and stay on the outside. It’s best to choose encounters that are smaller, making them more manageable, but always be on the lookout for encounters that are advantageous to you in terms of numbers.
When entering an encounter, always focus a Healer and the squishy players first. If you have crowd control, make sure you’re using it constantly and especially when entering the encounter. Make sure you use the crowd control to give you an early advantage and get early kills to increase your odds.
Most players in FC 24 want to learn advanced offensive techniques, which they consider being the most important, but most of them ignore executing the basics. Without mastering these basics, you won’t be able to improve your game.
In this guide, we’ll show you 4 important basic aspects that make an attack incredibly powerful, before moving on to the advanced stuff.
When we talk about a high-performing offense, safety comes first. This means understanding the value of possession and not giving it away easily. If you’re not careful with the ball or passing it forward, you can easily lose possession and the attack will be over before it even begins. This is why you need to safely cover the ball before you start moving.
Your touch on the ball is most important. Always aim to control the ball away from your opponent, especially when you are under pressure. Turning your back briefly to your opponent after each touch of the dribble can be an immense help.
Remember to always watch for defenders coming towards you. Safely dodging them will add another dimension to your attacks. Of course, spending FC 24 Coins to buy a suitable player will make your attack more effective.
Let me show you an example of scoring a goal just by using the safety rule concept I just explained. When I’m attacking my opponent, he’s constantly putting pressure on me, and turning my back to my opponent allows me to stay safely away from him.
When he selects a new defender, I keep possession and quickly understand their intentions so I can keep the ball from continuing the offense.
Just be careful and try not to run too much. Keeping the ball at my feet with the left stick just to keep the ball safely away from my opponent every contact so I can go through it and then I score.
As you saw in the previous example, once you have the ball safely, you need to find available space to pass or dribble.
Whatever your goals are, find the next space and recognize what your underlying goals are. If you have a legitimate passing target in front of you, make sure you turn yourself toward them and pass the ball in their direction.
If you apply the safety concept and control the ball in a way that works in your favor, then you can look for the next target that will keep you going as a chain. Finding the right space can lead you directly to the goal.
However, the term free space is not always available because the opposing defense may cover it. Here, you don’t need to force the pass, but dribble further or make a side pass.
This also helps if you have multiple targets to pass to. Because then we can take a breath and analyze which player is free and has a better chance of moving forward.
Combining the facts about your chances with your opponent’s defensive behavior allows you to act accordingly. So you either go to an available teammate or you dribble into the open space.
Let’s look at an example of how I use the available space in my build. When I receive the ball, I apply safety rules, turn my back on the opponent, and analyze how to move forward as quickly as possible.
The space on the underside seemed good, and I passed her immediately. But the opponent presses up high, so I have to be careful. There’s an open spot in the middle and I’ll immediately make two passes there while avoiding the defender as the ball travels.
I looked at the pitch again and saw freedom again in the second half and passed the ball to my full-back so he could explore there.
Now all my passing targets are covered, but my fullbacks are free. So I decided to take advantage and sprint forward to the available space to one side. The midfielder moves wide to cover me and he leaves a space open. This creates a new free space for me which I have to exploit, control the ball safely away from the opponent and pass it towards the middle.
I then pass the ball to my wing-back again, who is free on the wing, creating a perfect passing angle for my striker.
We arrive at the two-on-one situation by exploring the concept of free space. The opponent may stay somewhere between the forwards to prevent the pass. So this will allow the running forward to open up another free base in space. This time I ran forward, used my speed to get past my opponent and pass the ball inside to score.
In the example, we see players active in attack and receiving the ball in the right spaces, but we still see a lot of players not moving, they are just waiting.
If your players are too obvious on offense, this can cause problems for you because you won’t be able to find anywhere to pass the ball. That’s why you need to create a movement with yourself to create space.
We can accomplish this in a variety of ways. The easiest way to move a player into free space is to use L1/LB button to send them forward, point them with the left analog stick, and tap L1/LB.
If you want your current player to start running, you can use the 1-2 pass. Hold L1/LB button to pass after your player has passed the ball and he will sprint forward into space.
Let me show you how I use this example. When I got the ball back, I saw free space on the wing. To explore there, I need to create a movement from behind. So I’m going to play a perfect pass with Zidane, let him run, and prepare to pass to his side.
I dribble forward and play a through ball so he can get it in behind the defense and score.
However, running forward is not the only way to use space. Sometimes our players are too far apart from each other, in which case the space in between disappears. Point your target with the left analog stick again and tap R1/RB button. This will make the distance shorter and allow you to fill the free space closer to you.
Finally, we need to think outside the box. You can’t always do the same thing to a guy because they’ll start to get defensive. So you need to anticipate their defensive moves, learn their tendencies, and outwit them. Let me give you a few late-game examples.
Because the defender was very aggressive towards me. Therefore, I will move my players forward into open space in a 1-2 pass and analyze the position.
If I cover the ball well enough and watch the defender move, I can potentially break through the defense. Because he moved the wing back, he would cover like crazy with the centre-back and then run towards my winger.
So I turned around and got out of there and observed what was going on. Because of this move, the opponent created more space in the back.
So, with two passes, I explored the space where I had an advantage in an almost one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper. When he’s trying to run back as fast as he can and get the goalie two or three steps forward, he’s definitely going in the same direction as the defender. That’s why I roll the ball calmly and create a clever angle.
Since I knew his next move, I needed something to stop him. I walked right up to the goalie, forced him out, then immediately changed the direction of the ball and passed it to my teammate, who could finish this simple shot.
For the offensive fundamentals we just used, especially those that allow you to change direction quickly, will be a key tool in defeating your opponent. You can perform many tricks with them, and while defeating your opponents, you can mentally destroy them.