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Azarian, the Forsaken Son is the final boss of The City of Seven Waters quest in Path Of Exile 2. He is tall and uses flaming flails and scythe as weapons. Azarian is the son of Halani, the Water Goddess, who guards Essence of Water. After defeating Azarian, you will find Water Goddess’ corpse.
Although this boss looks intimidating, don’t worry, his attacks are not unpredictable. Here are some tips for you. You will learn how to defeat Azarian in POE 2 from this article.
First you need to find Azarian. It is located in Keth Sanctum. In Act 2: Buried Shrines, go to the lowest level Halani Shrine below Keth, the Lost City, where you will see an enormous monster. That is Azarian, The Forsaken Son, who guards the tomb of Water Goddess.
After defeating Azarian, you will view the tomb of Water Goddess and obtain Essence of Water, a Path Of Exile 2 Item that can help you complete The City of Seven Waters quest. However, defeating this boss is not that easy.
When fighting Azarian, there is a Fire lamp in each of the four corners of the battlefield. If the fire lamps are broken, it will ignite a quarter of the ground. You need to avoid Azarian hitting them as much as possible, otherwise you will be at a disadvantage in the battle.
Azarian holds a different weapon in each hand, and it has a wide range of attacks. The combination of flaming flails and scythe makes Azarian very tricky, and you may be attacked by it whether you are close to it or not. If you don’t prepare in advance, it may be difficult to defeat it.
Being well prepared before starting the boss battle is a must for players, which will help you win more POE2 Currency in the campaign.
Equipment is of course essential. Azarian attacks always carry fire, and broken fire lamps will also cause damage to you, so you need to improve your fire resistance.
Equipment with fire resistance can help you better deal with Azarian, and they will greatly improve your defense in this battle. If you have a Regal Orb, you can use it to upgrade your equipment. In addition, a Ruby Charm can also play a big role in the battle.
Choosing ranged builds to deal with Azarian will be more advantageous. If you choose melee builds, you need to stay away from Azarian as much as possible during the battle, otherwise it will use skills to drag you to its side and cause you multiple damage.
See More: Path Of Exile 2: How To Beat Mighty Silverfist And Draven, The Eternal Praetor?
Once the fire lamps start burning, you will be greatly restricted in the battle. Azarian will frequently move to your side to attack you, and if you want to avoid it, you have to step into the fire.
The more fire lamps are destroyed, the larger the burning area of the ground will be, and your dodge range will also be reduced. Therefore, you need to avoid Azarian destroying fire lamps as much as possible during the battle to leave more room for yourself.
You can try to pull Azarian in the battle, try to keep Azarian away from the location of fire lamps, and try to keep Azarian moving back and forth in a straight line. In this way, when it attacks, it will avoid fire lamps.
Azarian in POE 2 has 4 skills. If you are not prepared, you will be easily hit by him and hurt. Fortunately, Azarian attacks have some rules, and we can avoid them by observing and predicting his actions in advance. The following are all the skill descriptions and countermeasures of Azarian.
Azarian will quickly swing his flaming flails in a straight line. The flaming flails will cause heavy damage to you. This move has a wide range, so you need to be careful to avoid it.
Notice that Azarian will start to spin before launching the attack. Since this attack will only move in a straight line, just dodge to the sides of Azarian when he starts to spin to avoid damage.
Azarian will raise his scythe to attack. There will be a brief delay between Azarian raising his weapon and the attack being launched, so you need to seize this opportunity. Once you see Azarian start to swing the scythe, immediately dodge to the sides of Azarian.
Azarian will swing his scythe and release a fireball, which will form a wall of flames along the rolling path. This wall of flames will last for a while and block your path. If you are trapped by the flame wall, you will become passive.
When Azarian swings the scythe and prepares to cast a wall of fire, pay attention to its direction to determine where the wall of fire will be generated, and avoid the place where the barrier will be generated in time.
Azarian will throw flaming flails forward and then generate a heat wave with a beam. This heat wave will move forward quickly, and you need to retreat in time when you see the beam to buy yourself time to dodge.
In general, although Azarian’s attack is terrible, it is not impossible to counter. Throughout the battle, you need to adjust your position constantly, try to avoid fire damage flexibly and seize the opportunity to attack Azarian. Azarian’s attack range is very wide, and if you stand there stupidly, it is easy to be located by it.
In fact, many players think that fire lamps are more troublesome than Azarian, the Forsaken Son itself. You need to always pay attention to Azarian’s direction to avoid it hitting fire lamps.
The above is the complete guide for defeating Azarian, the Forsaken Son in Path Of Exile 2. I believe you can win this battle. I wish you good luck!
The Rust King is a powerful enemy you will encounter in Act 1 of Path of Exile 2. As its name suggests, this boss is covered in rusty armor. Defeating The Rust King you will get Rune Skull Cap, a POE 2 Item required to complete Secrets in the Dark quest. If you want to unlock all Runes of Power in the game, you must face this enemy.
Some friends may not know about The Rust King yet. It doesn’t matter. If you need to challenge it, you can take a look at this guide. You will learn about The Rust King’s location, attribute characteristics, attack methods, and tips for defeating it from this article.
In POE 2, The Rust King is located in Red Vale area of Act 1. You will encounter it during the main quest: Secrets in the Dark. It guards Rune Skull Cap, and you must defeat it to complete the quest.
You will see three Obelisks of Rust in Red Vale, which are strange structures that attract dark creatures in the area. You need to interact with these three Obelisks to activate them. Once all Obelisks are activated, you will find The Rust King nearby.
Now you are about to fight The Rust King. In order to better defeat him, let’s learn about the basic characteristics of this boss!
You will see that The Rust King is wearing heavy armor (even though they are rusty). As you can imagine, this boss has good resistances. The Rust King can resist physical damage and light fire damage.
The Rust King can also summon various weapons (even though they are also rusty) to attack you. The damage caused by these weapons is physical damage. You need to take this into account when preparing defensive equipment.
The Rust King has good mobility. It can quickly close the distance between you and it and continue to chase you during the battle. In order to avoid attacks from The Rust King, flexible movement is important.
The Rust King is weak from lightning, so you can try to use this to defeat it.
When preparing your gear, you need to consider the above points comprehensively. Choosing the right equipment before the battle will get you twice the result with half the effort. If you can’t find the right equipment, you can try to use Chaos Orbs to modify your equipment randomly.
Caster like Sorceress may be more advantageous in this kind of battle, and you can use skills such as Spark to attack The Rust King from a distance. In addition, carrying equipment with stun effects can also help you take more initiative in the battle.
The Rust King has four skills, namely Swipe, Lightning Barrage, Multiple Sword Summon and Ancient Ezomyte Summon. The following will introduce you to these skills and tell you how to deal with them. This will help you get more POE2 Currency in the game.
This is the most common action of The Rust King, where it will swing its arms to attack you. This action has a small damage range, so you can avoid this damage if you are far away from it.
Before launching this attack, The Rust King will raise his arms to his chest. Watch carefully, and when you see him do this, quickly back away to avoid damage.
The Rust King will raise his arms to release flashes of lightning that will damage you.
Although these lightning bolts look powerful, the signal for this skill is very obvious. The Rust King will stop moving before releasing the lightning barrage. When you see him stop, immediately dodge to a farther place.
The Rust King will summon multiple weapons above his head and have them shoot at you from all directions. This looks scary, but you won’t take much damage from being hit by a single weapon.
You need to pay attention to your position, seize the opportunity to stand between the swords, or make accurate blocks and dodges to avoid being hit by too many weapons.
The Rust King will summon an army of Ancient Ezomytes to attack you.
This is a bit troublesome. These Ancient Ezomytes do not cause much damage and are slow, but they are in large numbers. They will continue to interfere with you, and you have to fight The Rust King while avoiding these summons.
Therefore, please try to deal with these smaller enemies quickly and don’t let them disrupt your combat rhythm. While dealing with these Ancient Ezomytes, you also need to pay attention to the position of The Rust King.
Pay attention to dodge and try to avoid standing in front of The Rust King. This will help you minimize damage from the boss.
After defeating The Rust King, besides Runed Skull Cap, which is a must-have item for completing Secrets in the Dark quest, you can also get uncut gems and a random gear.
Now you have a more comprehensive understanding of The Rust King in Path of Exile 2. As long as you master the attack characteristics of this boss, it is not difficult to defeat it. So, take your weapons and enter Red Vale to start your adventure! Good luck.
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.
Hi, players! Today, let me present to you a mobs farming guide that will yield a substantial amount of gold in WoW Season of Discovery Phase 2, even more than Uldaman! I'm sure you won't want to miss this!
If you like ships, pirates, and treasure maps, stay tuned as I’m about to show you how to clear most pirates at Lost Rigger Cove in 3 pulls, how to open the captain’s chest if you don’t have it on your ship, and how to find Lost Treasure quest by following multiple treasure maps.
For talents, any of the Beast Mastery, Marksmanship, or Survival builds work fine. In this farming, you can put around 7 or 8 points invested in Beast Mastery and the rest in Survival. As for the rune, you can choose Lone Wolf, which seems to be at least 30 seconds to 1 minute faster than Heart of Lion.
First, we need to head to the Lost Rigger Cove in Tanaris, at the workshop boat. We’re going to pull pirates with levels 44 and 45, using our serpent pet. The reason why we’re using the wind serpent is because it has a ranged attack. So you want to body pull the first mobs and then use the WeakAura with 5.5 seconds until the next mobs will aggro. We’re also trying to use the range attack to pull all the mobs that we can.
Make sure if you have Southsea Freebooter in the first pull, try not to pull more than 2 Southsea Freebooters because they are ranged mobs and they’re going to kill you. You can just body pull those 2 mobs and put a free Frost Trap in the middle. Try to practice this jump. Basically, the jump is you press jump and once you reach the highest point of the jump. Press forward and then you slightly move on the ledge.
For our pets, the serpent has dive rank 1, which is 40% speed, while a wolf or a cat can have dash rank 2, which is 60% speed. You can actually use any pet you want. Once all the mobs are dispatched, they'll attempt to flee. Focus on the remaining Level 45 mobs, applying Serpent Sting and Multi-Shot for maximum damage.
For the second pull, we're using the Eye of the Beast. Starting from the back of the ship, we aim to avoid aggroing extra mobs from the front and risking getting dazed too soon. If the pet gets dazed, it complicates the pull significantly. So, we opt for approaching from behind the ship.
Our target is to pull the mobs known as the Southsea Swashbuckler. Once we aggro the first pack, you'll notice my WeakAuras displaying a bar with a 5.5-second duration. We proceed to engage the second pack, attempting to cast a Lightning Bolt on both mobs and avoiding getting dazed. Despite getting dazed at one point, you can maneuver by strafing backwards to evade it.
As you gain experience, you'll become adept at pulling more mobs behind you. Setting down the Frost Trap, we jump back up and commence with Explosive Shot and Explosive Trap. Occasionally, the mobs may respawn in such cases, simply add them to the rotation. They'll run into the Frost Trap, making it easy to handle.
For the third pull, we'll back off a bit because the mobs will respawn. We use Eye of the Beast again, and this time, we can go in front. We're going to go all the way up into the boat. Try to walk, strafe, jump backward. Once you get undazed, just move ahead all the way on top of the ship. Then get the one furthest away and use a Lightning Bolt.
Now, you can jump in the ship and press escape, and the mob will get automatically teleported to you. You can try to pull more mobs, especially if you have pirates, not the Freebooters because the Freebooters are kind of dangerous. We're not going to interfere with our first pull. We're just going to pull the mobs on the left and the right.
Let's delve into the contents of the Captain's Footlocker, which holds several valuable items. Firstly, it may contain a quest item along with the item required to start the quest, typically available for 4 WoW SOD Gold. It may house a Captain's Key, a unique item used to unlock a Captain's Chest located on the third boat, where we engage the mobs. Inside, you may find a guaranteed green item or the elusive Southsea Lamp.
It could contain Journeyman's Backpack, 14 Slaughters, and other valuable items. If you obtain a captain's key, it's unique, but you can store the extras in the pet footlocker without opening them, allowing you to open them later as needed. It's advisable to accumulate several keys before opening the chest since it respawns every 20 to 30 seconds.
In addition to the Captain's Footlocker, you may discover the Upper Map Fragment, Middle Map Fragment, and Lower Map Fragment, which, when combined, form one treasure map. Completing the quest initiated by these maps grants you Cuergo's Treasure Map. However, one drawback is if you die the Corpse Run is quite long and it's going to take a while to get back.
Complete the quest Cuergo's Gold and accept the reward from the quest - Cuergo's Hidden Treasure. First, you'll need a key. It is quite a complicated quest because of the mobs that spawn out of 5 on the map. You need to kill one of the 5 mobs so you can loot the key. Then you have to reset the mobs to loot the treasure chest.
Kite one mob far away until it dies, and then you Feign Death and loot the key. When you go back to the initial chest, you put the pet far away, like 100 yards away from the chest. You attack with the pet, and then you put the pet on passive, and you go and loot the chest. The mobs will follow the pet, you will loot the chest, rinse and repeat.
After dedicating 100 hours to playing Enshrouded, I’ve compiled 15 advanced tips to optimize your gaming experience.
To begin with, unlocking everything and discovering new Enshrouded Items in the game will also unlock the recipes associated with them.
During my initial gameplay, I encountered difficulty finding Goo because I hadn’t crafted Bug Dust, despite having it unlocked as a recipe. I failed to make the connection between the two, so I highly recommend thoroughly exploring all craftsmen and crafting one of each item as a precaution.
While many enjoy leaping off an Arcane Tower, it can lead to unfortunate outcomes, such as carelessly tumbling off a mountainside into lava or plummeting to one’s demise.
To mitigate such mishaps, you can cancel various actions, like mid-air movement, by right-clicking just before reaching the ground. This technique can be incredibly beneficial in preventing accidents.
Some players relish navigating through intricate traps, but at times, it’s more practical to bypass them entirely. Whether by leaping onto a nearby ledge, circumventing obstacles, or devising alternative routes around a base, leveraging the environment’s features can simplify traversal.
Utilize terrain advantages and remember, you have multiple options for overcoming obstacles — whether by digging, flying, or dismantling structures — rather than solely relying on conventional methods like finding switches.
During the initial 20 hours of gameplay, I relied solely on wooden arrows as a Ranger due to their affordability and ease of resource acquisition. However, I reserved rarer arrows for encounters with bosses.
Yet, resources are plentiful in this game, making it a prudent choice to opt for arrows that deal 21 damage over those inflicting only eight, even if it requires slightly more resources. The significant increase in damage output justifies the additional preparation time, resulting in a smoother gaming experience.
Did you know that crafting a Lockpick on the go consumes double the resources? Hence, thorough preparation is essential.
Although metal scraps are relatively abundant, certain items prove more resource-efficient to craft. For instance, utilizing a spinning wheel instead of a hand spinner doubles the resource output, making it worthwhile to explore alternative crafting methods for frequently used resources or recipes.
While this method may be addressed in future updates, my experience with games like Skyrim has taught me a valuable lesson: with the right approach, you can ascend any mountain.
Whether through strategic jumping and rolling or utilizing double jumps, this technique can significantly reduce the time spent navigating mountainous terrain and expedite exploration efforts.
Certain skills are indispensable in this game and warrant careful consideration. I highly recommend acquiring the Double Jump skill, which not only aids in evading danger but also facilitates exploration.
Additionally, the Desert Stomach skill provides an extra food slot, significantly enhancing character buffs. Another valuable skill is Updraft, simplifying exploration and granting access to elevated areas with ease.
For solo players, investing in resource gathering skills proves highly advantageous, particularly for those inclined towards construction. On dedicated servers, it’s beneficial for each player to assume a specific role. I strongly advocate for tanks to select the Earth Aura skill, reducing damage by 10% for all players. It would be intriguing to explore potential synergies if this effect could be stacked among multiple players.
In cooperative gameplay, the Water Aura skill offers team members free healing, further augmented by pairing it with Waters of Life.
When embarking on exploration endeavors, it’s prudent to carry altars or the necessary resources for their construction. In later levels, certain biomes lack stone, crucial for building altars. Hence, if you intend to utilize teleportation points or return to base as needed, it’s essential to have these resources on hand.
For extended journeys where altars may not suffice, consider bringing a campfire along. Placing it in a sheltered area grants a short rested bonus, enhancing your travel experience.
Optimize your comfort level at your main base to capitalize on the rested bonus it offers. This bonus significantly boosts stamina and stamina regeneration.
With sufficient investment, you can enjoy an hour-long rested bonus, provided you avoid perishing during your travels, as death resets the bonus.
While swords and staves excel at striking multiple enemies simultaneously, arrows wielded by Rangers possess similar capabilities.
When ammunition is scarce, precise timing allows a single arrow to damage multiple adversaries. Positioning enemies closely before releasing the bow maximizes the efficacy of each shot.
To enhance your damage output, prioritize consuming meals tailored to your objectives rather than relying on basic foods, especially in later stages of the game.
Crafting hearty meals with significant buffs can substantially boost attributes.
For future base or farm development involving dirt roads, ensure efficient resource allocation by placing a few resource blocks and using a rake to spread them out. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the extent of coverage, saving considerable resource-gathering efforts.
Regarding the rake, there’s a current bug preventing its crafting for players above level five who haven’t done so already. In such cases, creating a new character, obtaining the necessary resources (likely spring twigs and stone), crafting a rake, and transferring it to the primary server temporarily is the workaround.
While resources replenish regularly, the absence of an option to disable respawning hampers gameplay difficulty.
To aid resource management, meticulously mark resource locations on your map for future reference, facilitating efficient retrieval.
To refresh resources and items swiftly, exit and relaunch the game or, if on a server, stop and restart it.
Although regarded as an exploit, this method enables players to exploit item acquisition by repeatedly entering and exiting the game. While not recommended, placing a Flame Altar near a gold chest or Flame Sanctum allows for resource farming or continual item rolling.
Given the game’s recent release to Early Access, its optimization remains incomplete, resulting in suboptimal enemy pathfinding.
However, this flaw presents strategic opportunities for players seeking to exploit enemy weaknesses. Whether confronting isolated soldiers or formidable bosses, evading their attacks using the Double Jump ability and engaging them from a distance can offer a tactical advantage.
You can swiftly equip a weapon by right-clicking it and selecting “Equip,” enabling seamless weapon transitions using the Q key. This eliminates the need for manual weapon swapping, allowing for rapid weapon changes during combat scenarios.
This method proves particularly advantageous for Rangers, facilitating quick bow shots followed by a swift transition to a sword and shield setup for close-range defense, potentially preserving one’s life by promptly raising the shield.
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.
One of the most consistent sports simulation games, MLB The Show, is finally back with another home run. Although Diamond Dynasty feature introduced in MLB The Show last year was disappointing, the developers said they heard the feedback and will make corrections for MLB The Show 24.
After taking a look at the recent Feature Premiere for Diamond Dynasty, it’s easy to see that they’ve generally done just that. The developers have made changes based on player feedback, with some highlights including Power Creep, Team Affinity programs, and power of Captains.
In this guide, we’ll talk about the new features and changes coming to Diamond Dynasty to help you get a head start once you get into the game.
First, let’s explain the quality of life changes, which are also the biggest changes in Diamond Dynasty because they cover various areas.
The developers mentioned Power Creep early on because people were getting tired of all the 99 ratings it was getting right away. This time, Season 1 will start with high 80 ratings and low 90 ratings, and we won’t start getting into 99 ratings until the end of Season 1. The same cycle begins again after each 3-month season.
It’s unclear whether there will be a higher floor for terms of ratings at the start of Season 2, but regardless, it should be a delightful change.
Also new is the three-month seasonal change, which ties into the general idea of XP being more easily earned, but also focuses more on trying to limit XP payouts in the game. This way, people aren’t getting ahead of others on XP reward path by taking advantage of various games.
The developers want everyone to reach 99 ratings by the end of the season, rather than a few people reaching 99 ratings in the first few weeks.
Parallel System will also be changing in MLB The Show 24, and Parallel players will need a lower threshold to reach higher parallels.
It’s worth noting that Season 2 starts with 4 wild cards in your lineup, which is an increase from last year. While you’ll need to invest more MLB The Show 24 Stubs in wild cards, this should help diversify your lineup more as the season goes on.
For Team Affinity, if you missed the 99 OVR that will come into play in TA Phase 3, don’t worry because you can get him after Season 1 as well. You only need 10 wins to earn Events and Battle Royale rewards, including Flawless, in a single run.
This also makes Team Affinity programs easier to complete, while adding more programs each season. Team Affinity is arguably the biggest change this year in terms of how it works.
There will be three batches of Team Affinity programs every season, which basically means we’ll have one every month.
These TA programs will include 30 players at a time and are much more flexible in how you earn these rewards.
If you want to acquire these players, you don’t have to do activities such as Conquest or Showdown. Because their XP requirements are generally low, the developers want us to play the game the way we want while still getting those rewards. This means that whether you prefer co-op, solo, or multiplayer, you should be able to earn these rewards.
When the third TA program drops in the third month of the cycle, there will be 99 OVR in this program. What’s more, this will be a program that you can complete at any time throughout the year, and it won’t be time-limited like the first two parts of the program.
The developers enhanced Captains and introduced Cornerstone Cards in the hope of making team-building more important and making the lineup more diverse.
Cornerstone players will appear at the start of each season, and there appear to be four players at each release, and you can swap one player for another at any time during the season.
For Captains, there will be 60 captains at launch, 2 per team, and you'll be able to earn them throughout the year.
Captains are set up to make them more important in making squads for specific teams more viable. With this in mind, your captain will give better boosts if you have fewer high-rated options. This way, you don’t feel you can’t compete with your current team’s specific squads. On top of that, each captain will improve his hitter and pitching ability this year.
Besides Live Series and more, MLB The Show will feature 250 player items this year, including Flashbacks, Legends and all that good stuff. Season 1’s bosses are Andy Pettitte, Jimmy Rollins, and Larry Walker.
Also, some of the card series coming this year include:
In terms of programs, we know at launch there will be the usual Season 1 Program, a Spring Breakout Program, and a Starter Program, which is on top of the usual Battle Royale and Ranked programs.
Sadly, we haven’t gotten a ton of news about single-player updates, as there are more single-player missions planned in various plans, other than easier access to XP and rewards. That said, it seems like playing any mode in Diamond Dynasty will feel more rewarding this year, which is the bigger overall deal.
In short, this looks to be the year for developers to correct many of the changes they made last year. Regardless, hopefully all the new content added this season will make people even more excited about the upcoming MLB The Show 24!
Danger abounds in Skull and Bones, and whether you’re sailing or hunting, there’s always a variety of enemies or hostile wildlife to test your mettle. There are many types of wildlife in the game, including Sharks, Crocodiles, and Hippos, and they come in different variations.
While they present a considerable challenge to players, hunting these hostile wildlife also provides valuable resources, including animal hides, meats, and skins for cooking, crafting, or character customization. Looting these resources is even more crucial if you want to become a top pirate.
In this guide, we’ll introduce the 10 hostile wildlife in Skull and Bones and explain their locations to help you harvest these valuable resources faster and become the overlord of the ocean.
Before jumping in, I must remind you that although hostile wildlife is map marked, some species are rarer and harder to find than others with specific locations. Therefore, I recommend that players better equip their Dhow ship and be ready to capture larger prey in a small area.
In addition, it is also very necessary to purchase some food, tools and other Skull and Bones Items in advance. Without further ado, let’s start this large-scale hunting activity!
Nile Crocodile is the most common type of crocodile in the game, and they tend to lurk in the rivers on the west coast of Africa and parts of Red Isle.
Killing a Nile Crocodile rewards the player with Crocodile Tooth, a necessary loot in Thrill of the Hunt Contract. Nile Crocodile can also drop Crocodile Meat or Crocodile Hide, which can be cooked by the player to restore 30% of stamina.
Madcap Crocodile is a more ferocious variation of Nile Crocodile. Although Madcap Crocodile can be found in East Indies, Red Isle, and Coast of Africa, they are rarer than other species.
When killed, they drop Thick Crocodile Hide and Prime Crocodile Meat. They also share the same map markers with other crocodile species, so players must check whether each one is specifically hunting Madcap Crocodile.
Saltwater Crocodile are only found in East Indies region of the map, such as near Spice Islands, but are more common than other crocodile species in the area. Players can shoot high-powered cannon fire and end battles quickly to earn loot like Crocodile Meat and Ruined Animal Skin.
Siren Crocodile is a rare crocodile found in some parts of East Indies. To increase your chances of a successful kill, aim your spear at its head to make it pause and back off.
The player can then repeat this strategy and increase health as needed to defeat the creature and take its hits. Therefore, when you drive a Dhow ship against it, it is recommended that you carry a lot of repair kits.
Siren Crocodile will drop a large amount of loot when killed, usually three Thick Crocodile Hides and four Prime Crocodile Meat.
Apex Crocodile is the rarest crocodile in Skull and Bones, and it only has about one spawn point, located in Ring of Fire area in East Indies. Players can find a small area of enclosed water south of this area that only Dhow can reach.
Obviously, Apex Crocodile is a challenging creature to level up to level 20, but it rewards players with the rare Apex Crocodile Hide and Prime Crocodile Meat.
Players can find Great White Shark almost all over the map, and they are also one of the most common hostile wildlife in the game. Typically, players can find them near the high seas and coastlines rather than along inland rivers.
Defeating Great White Shark will provide the player with Shark Skin or Shark Meat as loot. Players can cook Shark Meat to make Grilled Shark, which increases stamina by 40% after consumption. Players can also refine Shark Skin through Refinery in the game to create Shark Leather.
Hammerhead Shark is another shark that players can find in the world map, but it may be less common. They tend to live in specific areas, such as near Lanitra Outpost in northern Red Isle, along Coast of Africa and near various islands in East Indies.
Hammerhead Shark can be killed with just a few hits from the spear, just don’t let them get too close to the player’s Dhow ship. This makes them one of the most challenging hostile wild animals to fight. Likewise, once defeated, they drop Shark Skin or Shark Meat.
In addition, Hippopotamus are also a dangerous hostile wildlife in the game, and they are usually harder to defeat than any shark. Players can only find them in the southern Red Isle area and in rivers and lakes along Coast of Africa.
This variant is probably the easiest to fight of all the wild Hippos in the game, but they still require a lot of shooting to take down. Players can cook Grilled Hippo using Hippo Hide and Prime Meat they drop to restore 50% of their stamina.
Bull Hippo is very aggressive. It will attack the player’s Dhow ship like a battering ram, so here you need to use more powerful ships and better weapons, such as Bombardier Padewakang ship.
Bull Hippo is the rarest species of Hippo, with only about one or two spawn points on the map. Players can find them in rivers on the northwest Coast of Africa region and in Sultani Island region. When killed, they will drop approximately three Apex Hippo Hides and three Prime Hippo Meat.
Alpha Hippo is a dangerous enemy that attacks Dhow ship with devastating force. It is also one of the rarest Hippo breeds, with only about one species found in a small enclosed lake in Rover Zone in northern Red Isle, accessible only by Dhow ship.
Like Bull Hippo, it drops Apex Hippo Hides and Apex Hippo Meat, which are used for cooking and crafting. That said, it’s one of the hostile wild animals in the game with the best access to resources for those players who can avoid its deadly attacks.
Those are all 10 hostile wildlife in Skull and Bones, defeating them will help you get one step closer to becoming a top pirate!
