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!
Recently, the developer has officially announced an exciting news: New World: Aeternum Season 7 is coming soon, this is a brand new season, called Season of Conquerors.
It is revealed that the upcoming new season brings many new content and features, including PvP-focused Seasonal Worlds and some important upgrades to Expeditions.
At the same time, bugs that may occur during the game are also fixed to improve the player’s gaming experience.
New World was launched about 3 years ago. After its release, it achieved excellent results, but then the number of players showed a downward trend.
Despite this, the developer has not given up on upgrading and improving New World, and continues to provide New World players with many content updates and quality improvements. A series of services. Among them is the expansion titled Rise of Angry Earth.
The expansion allows players to expand the basic game content of New World, including rideable mounts, new weapons, new quests, etc., to enrich the player’s gaming experience.
October 15th is a milestone day for New World. The developers released a new season - New World Aeternum. It re-enters the players’ field of vision with a brand new identity and many improvements.
Driven by this good news, the developers recently issued another exciting message to new and old players, that is, New World Aeternum Season 7 is coming soon, which is a good start for the new year.
New World: Aeternum Season 7 will be launched on January 21, 2025. The new season will bring a series of exciting new features and new experiences to PC and console players.
In order to keep the game vibrant and attractive, the developers have enriched a lot of new content. One of the highlights worth noting is the introduction of Seasonal Worlds, which provides players with a brand new experience with unique themes, game rules, and mechanisms.
This Seasonal World focuses on PvP. You can only join PvP and flag for PvP when you are level 15. In addition, the ability to obtain powerful equipment and additional compensation will be dropped after your unfortunate death is introduced.
So, if you want to quickly upgrade to this standard to open the new feature experience, it is recommended that you can keep enough New World Aeternum Coins in advance to help you complete tasks faster in the game to achieve the upgrade goal.
The most exciting thing is that after this season, although these worlds will be closed, the characters you choose in this world will be able to be transferred to the permanent world of your choice!
It has been revealed that players can also look forward to some seasonal events, including Legacy of Crassus, Rabbit’s Revenge, and Siege of Sulfur event.
Legacy of Crassus is aptly named. You, as an adventurer need to challenge Roman general and his cyclopean allies to seize top loot and obtain upgrade rewards, including up to 700 Gear Score.
Rabbit’s Revenge is one of the fan favorites, and it’s back with new gameplay, including special rewards for hunting mischievously corrupted rabbits.
The new season also adds Siege of Sulfur, which requires you to team up with at least 10 max-level players to protect sandworm eggs from sulfurous enemies.
In addition, the developers have added a preview weekend section to Outpost Rush map for the new season, which gives you a sneak peek at the layout changes and new gameplay content after the game is updated.
In addition, for players with Season Pass, you can also unlock exclusive rewards, including free and premium tracks. You can not only have Hercyne-themed tool skins, mask skins, and tent skins, but also get Transmog Tokens, dyes, and consumables and New artifacts: Otzi and Heceta.
For players who prefer multiplayer combat, the new season also updates M3 Expeditions, including the introduction of unified equipment loadouts and an integrated matchmaking system for mutated expeditions to help you more easily and easily form a team to start your game journey.
If you are very interested in New World: Aeternum Season 7, which the developer has worked hard to launch, then set the alarm and look forward to its launch!
The latest addition to the 4-star lineup in Genshin Impact 4.4 Update, Gaming, has the potential to be a formidable damage dealer, but there are several crucial aspects to understand about him.
Therefore, in this guide, I will demonstrate his capabilities at C0 and recommend optimal teams, weapons, and artifacts for him. Additionally, I will clarify the disparities between C0 and C6 Gaming and disclose some distinctive details about his character.
First, let’s examine Gaming’s potential for dealing damage.
I’ve outfitted him with the Mailed Flower claymore, although there are other viable free-to-play options. His artifact set consists of Hunter’s with ATK, Pyro DMG, and Crit Rate as the main stats.
Regarding his talents, all of them are at level 9. Now, let’s begin with his skill: by tapping it, he launches into the air, enabling a special plunge attack that inflicts 16,663 DMG in a small area of effect and generates 2 particles for him. Despite consuming 15% of his HP, his first passive skill replenishes a small amount of HP up to 4 times, sufficiently activating the Hunter’s 4-piece set bonus.
Essentially, to spam the skill, you need to activate his burst, initially dealing 23,530 DMG and restoring 30% HP to him. Subsequently, the adorable Suanni companion appears, and upon collision, the skill’s cooldown resets, allowing for its repeated use. Personally, I managed to execute 6 skill plunges over the 12-second duration of this burst.
In summary, this effectively transforms him into a 4-star Pyro Xiao, enabling the continuous use of his skill. Similar to Xiao, he also adopts a sleek new appearance that somewhat reminds me of the TRON movies.
An important point to highlight: if Gaming’s HP is not above 50% after executing the skill plunge, Suanni will not be resummoned. Nonetheless, despite being able to spam the skill, the generation of additional particles only occurs every other skill usage. Consequently, I typically end up accumulating 6 particles in total, which, honestly, isn’t a substantial amount, especially considering the burst’s cost of 60 energy.
But enough dwelling on those lackluster damage figures. Gaming truly shines when his damage is amplified through Melt or Vaporize reactions. With this Melt setup, he begins to hit significantly harder – reaching a critical hit of 175k from the burst, while several skill plunges deliver almost 150k damage. Even as the buffs start to diminish, he can still unleash potent plunges.
It’s worth noting that Mailed Flower finally activates its passive thanks to Gaming causing a reaction. Otherwise, his skill’s damage is classified as a Plunge Attack, thus not activating the passive during the initial part of the description.
Transitioning to a Vaporize setup, Xianyun, Fischl, and Bennett enables Gaming to land substantial critical hits. Although this team requires more effort to buff him, it’s satisfying to observe that even with a free-to-play claymore and a C0 build, Gaming can deliver significant damage.
You may also observe how he alternates between using skill plunges and regular plunges. This serves as an effective method to consistently deal Vaporize damage without having to wait for Suanni to return. However, this is only achievable with C6 Bennett, so it’s essential to bear this in mind.
In essence, he may initially seem underwhelming by himself, but with the appropriate buffs and teammates, you can achieve remarkable damage output. Additionally, his second passive grants a 20% increase in plunging skill damage. However, if his HP falls below 50%, he only receives a 20% bonus to incoming healing.
Nevertheless, I’ve noticed that he barely replenishes half of his energy after using the burst, even with the particles collected from skill spamming. While Mailed Flower is commendable, with this current setup, he only has 110% Energy Recharge. For the Abyss, I am considering switching to Energy Recharge Sands or an Energy Recharge weapon instead, as he must carry the team, heavily relying on his burst. However, perhaps his teammates can assist with this?
Upon conducting some testing, I've determined that Gaming's optimal team compositions currently revolve around 2 variations – Melt and Vaporize.
Starting with Vaporize teams – Bennett, alongside an Anemo and Hydro unit, serves as the core for Gaming. Additionally, ensuring the presence of a few Favonius weapons in the team is advisable, while Gaming should possess at least 140% Energy Recharge. However, this figure may vary depending on the enemies and the composition of the entire team.
Not surprisingly, my preferred Vaporize team thus far consists of C6 Bennett, Xianyun, and Fischl – this trio effectively empowers any unit, particularly a Claymore wielder, to deliver formidable plunging attacks. While one might assume that Xianyun could be redundant with Gaming, her second passive actually enhances his skill plunge attacks.
As demonstrated earlier, with a C6 Bennett, you can alternate between regular and skill plunges to capitalize on Vaporize reactions. However, it's also effective to solely utilize the skill plunge for Vaporize if you don't have or wish to activate C6 Bennett.
Moving on, there are also Melt compositions. Once again, Bennett's buff plays a crucial role in achieving significant damage, while an Anemo unit and Rosaria assist in triggering Melts for Gaming. I haven't found another Cryo unit proficient enough to apply Cryo quickly off-field, making Rosaria the top choice. Regarding Anemo units, as long as they can initiate Pyro Swirl, they suffice, although Kazuha and Sucrose are preferable due to their ability to group enemies and enhance the reliability of AoE attacks from the skill plunge.
Additionally, it's essential to monitor the enemy's Cryo aura, as there is a slight delay in how quickly Rosaria can apply it. Therefore, commit to the skill plunge animation only when the enemy is affected by Cryo, which may feel somewhat sluggish. However, once you become accustomed to the timing, it's manageable.
Now, let's explore how Gaming's performance improves with constellations.
Starting with C1, it's quite beneficial – upon reuniting with Suanni during his burst, he now restores 15% of his HP, aiding in maintaining critical stacks from the Hunter 4-set bonus, expediting Furina’s Fanfare point generation, and potentially triggering passives like Tidal Shadow if you're using it.
Moving on, C2 proves useful in teams where he receives continuous healing or can self-overheal. For instance, if he benefits from ongoing healing from characters like Xianyun or Kokomi, he gains a 20% ATK buff for 5 seconds.
C3 enhances his skill's plunge damage, providing a notable boost.
However, C4 stands out as the most significant constellation, particularly for addressing his energy issues. It restores 2 energy with each skill plunge attack upon hitting an opponent, despite the 0.2-second cooldown. This can potentially yield 10 to 12 extra energy per sequence, significantly alleviating his energy demands.
C5 amplifies his burst damage, yielding respectable results, although it doesn't match the impact of C3.
Finally, C6 marks his most substantial upgrade, granting his skill's plunge a 20% Critical Rate and 40% Critical Damage boost. Additionally, the skill's plunge attack radius is expanded, facilitating easier multi-enemy hits. Undoubtedly, this constellation offers a significant spike in Gaming's personal damage output, showcasing a stark contrast between C0 and C6.
Regrettably, miHoYo has maintained this approach toward new 4-star characters for quite some time. Considering additional constellations, C4 emerges as a solid stopping point, albeit acquiring it demands considerable Primogems unless luck favors you or you continue pulling for the featured 5-star.
Putting constellation considerations aside, let's proceed to discuss his optimal build.
Let's discuss his weapon choices. Serpent Spine stands out as one of the best options, particularly if refined, while Redhorn serves well as a stat stick. Verdict and Beacon, both excellent 5-star stat sticks, are viable alternatives, but R5 Serpent Spine often proves equally effective. Its damage output shines when Gaming can avoid enemy damage, as his skill's HP drain does not deplete the stacks, allowing him to unleash formidable damage with this claymore. However, given that it's a battle pass weapon, exercise caution before acquiring it solely for Gaming.
Wolf’s Gravestone pairs well with ER Sands, presenting another solid option. For vape teams, Rainslasher excels, thanks to its bonus damage from the passive and substantial Elemental Mastery boost from the substat. However, if you're struggling to keep his burst ready off-cooldown, Favonius Claymore becomes pivotal. Personally, I'll be equipping my C0 Gaming on my main account with this weapon until I acquire top-tier ER Sands or obtain ER substats, as seen with Serpent Spine.
Moreover, numerous F2P options are worth considering. Mailed Flower ranks among the top choices, followed by the Ultimate Overlord claymore, recently obtainable from an event. In the worst-case scenario, crafting Tidal Shadow also proves effective.
Moving on to artifact sets, the Hunter set unequivocally stands out as his best in slot. However, if unavailable, the Vermillion 4-set is a viable alternative, though its ATK buffing may not synergize optimally with Xianyun, as she prioritizes Critical DMG, EM, and Elemental DMG when boosting plunge attacks. Alternatively, the Crimson Witch 4-set can be utilized. Nevertheless, the Hunter 4-set remains the most versatile and optimal artifact loadout.
Finally, regarding stats, the substat priority is evident, with ATK Sands, Pyro Goblet, and Critical Rate or DMG Circlet being primary considerations. If facing challenges with burst readiness, Energy Recharge sands offer a solution. Conversely, swapping ATK sands for Elemental Mastery enhances Melt and Vape damage.
In my assessment, Gaming proves to be an enjoyable unit capable of delivering significant damage, albeit contingent upon robust support from teammates.
Undoubtedly, he assumes the role of primary damage dealer within teams, thus necessitating favorable stats and gear configurations. However, the considerable value unlocked by reaching C6 cannot be overstated. Additionally, C4 partially mitigates his energy concerns, resulting in a substantially different performance compared to C0. Therefore, it's imperative to consider these factors when evaluating other showcases.
Today we’re going to talk about Whitestrake’s Mayhem Event in Elder Scrolls Online.
Whitestrake’s Mayhem is a PVP-focused campaign that takes place in Cyrodiil, Battlegrounds and Imperial City. The event was formerly known as Midyear Mayhem Event and will officially be renamed Whitestrake’s Mayhem Event in 2022.
In order to participate in this event, you need to be at least level 10 to enter PVP area. Typically, Whitestrake’s Mayhem Event is active twice a year. The first time was in the spring and the second time in the summer.
This year, the event will be held for the first time in February and will be held again in summer 2024. The event is open to everyone. You can pick up Imperial City DLC for free in Crown Store. Both Cyrodiil and Battlegrounds are part of the base game.
Starting in 2024, 100% of Alliance Points and Experience gain will automatically activate during Whitestrake’s Mayhem Event. This means you’ll earn double XP in all Cyrodiil, Battlegrounds and Imperial City, and double Alliance Points while the event is active.
Before this change, we had to use Scroll of Pelinal’s Ferocity every two hours, which you could get from Predicant Maera.
To participate in the event, pick up the free event quest starter in Crown Store, or speak to Predicant Maera directly.
You can find Predicant Maera in any Battlegrounds tent in Tamriel, or at the main entrance to Alliance War faction in Cyrodiil. Talk to Predicant Maera to complete the quest and receive Pelinal’s Boon Box.
Additionally, players can earn 100% Tel Var Stones during the event. This buff automatically activates during Whitestrake’s Mayhem Event. But you won’t get double Tel Var Stones by defeating other players.
During the event, you can earn special rewards and collectibles.
You can get the new Mayhem Victor’s Laurel Wreath here. To obtain this headdress, you must unlock Star-Made Knight Achievement by completing seven Achievement:
During Whitestrake’s Mayhem Event, you’ll also receive regular rewards of Pelinal’s Boon Boxes, as well as valuable supply crates.
Additionally, you can earn Boon Boxes from Cyrodiil’s repeatable Town, Battle, Bounty, Conquest, Scouting, Warfront Quests. You can also complete Imperial City district and Battlegrounds repeatable quests to earn Boon Boxes.
Items in Pelinal’s Boon Boxes include:
In addition, you can also get Sancre Tor Sentry Armor Style Pages and Gloamsedge Style Pages during the event. These pages may also be dropped from bosses in Imperial City and Imperial City Sewers.
During Whitestrake’s Mayhem Event, all nodes in Cyrodiil and Imperial City will drop double the regular resources. In addition, special legendary quality necklaces and rings will also be sold by the special Golden Vendor, Adhazabi Aba-daro during the event.
You can complete a variety of daily repeatable tasks in Cyrodiil. Besides PVP related quests, there are also PVE daily repeatable quests available in Cyrodiil. You can complete Settlement Quests in Bruma, Cheydinhal, Chorrol, Cropsford and Vlastarus.
In Imperial City, you can complete up to 6 Imperial City daily repeatable area quests.
In your Alliance base, you’ll find a room with a lot of ladders. Climb each ladder to find the daily quest giver for a specific Imperial City district.
You can talk to Battlemaster Rivyn in any Gladiator’s Quarters to accept Battlegrounds daily repeatable quests. To complete the game’s start mission, you must participate in 5 Battleground matches.
You can also earn 3 Event Tickets per account per day during the event period. Earn two Event Tickets by completing any Cyrodiil or Battlegrounds daily repeatable mission. And earn the third Event Ticket by completing any Imperial City district daily repeatable mission.
Of course, Impresario Event Merchant will also open her shop during the event. She offers a variety of unique items for each event, including:
Some rewards from previous Whitestrake’s Mayhem Events can no longer be found in Pelinal’s Boon Boxes. But you can now find them in Bag of Veteran’s Glory. You can purchase this bag from Impresario for 2 Event Tickets.
In Bag of Veteran’s Glory you’ll also find:
Indrik Vendor will open her store during the event, where she offers in the first quarter of 2024:
Impresario’s Assistant Philius Dormier, will also be opening his shop during the event. He offers in Q1 2024:
The above is all the information you need to know about this Whitestrake’s Mayhem Event, come join us now!
Here, we are showcasing 7 FC 24 football clubs in no particular order, all of whom are currently experiencing a challenging football season and are in need of a rebuilding phase as they aim to elevate their performance to a higher level.
Let's start with Spain. At the time of recording, Sevilla is just one point above the relegation zone, performing significantly below expectations.
Known as the kings of the Europa League, this season has been a struggle despite a strong squad, including veteran Sergio Ramos.
What's a rebuild without goals? Achieve the following objectives to consider the rebuild a success:
To make it challenging, we suggest the following rules during this Sevilla rebuild:
Sevilla is in dire need of a rebuild and hungry for new European success. Can you lead them there?
Now, let's head to the capital of Germany, Berlin. There are 2 clubs here, and no more in need of a rebuild, but for this guide, we'll focus on Union Berlin.
After 2 sensational seasons, they now find themselves in the lower regions of the Bundesliga. Achieve the following goals with Union Berlin to complete the rebuild:
Union Berlin's journey is remarkable, considering they were nearly bankrupt 20 years ago and were kept afloat by their supporters.
This inspires our sole unique rule for this rebuild: Never spend more FC 24 Coins than what is earned.
Additionally, we'll stick to the 2 standard rules: Choose a challenging difficulty level and repeat the same yearly goal if not achieved.
Union Berlin is a beautiful club on the quest for upward mobility, a truly great challenge.
Our next destination: 2019 Shadow.
In 2019, Ajax captured the hearts of football fans by impressively defeating Real Madrid and Juventus in the Champions League before being dramatically eliminated by Tottenham.
Following 10 Hag's departure to Manchester United, the club is a shadow of its 2019 self. This year, they can already forget about winning the Eredivisie title, which leads us to the objectives for Ajax:
Ajax fans, known for not resting on past laurels, mean 2 rules must be considered:
With these 2 rules, winning the Champions League in Year 5 becomes a significant challenge, especially when choosing a challenging difficulty level.
Bring Ajax back to the promised land, as they did in 1995 and were so close to in 2019.
For our final 4 clubs, we turn our attention to various levels in England, the mecca of football. We start in Stoke City, the least glamorous of the four.
Six years ago, their run as a mid-table Premier League team for a decade ended, and now they're languishing at the bottom of the Championship, England's second tier.
Stoke was always known for playing hard with the well-known kick and rush approach. We'll incorporate this into our rebuild:
As I said, Stoke City was known for playing hard with the well-known kick and rush football.
For this rebuild, maintain this as a rule: for transfers, we're looking for strong, fast, and tall players who imprint their aggression on the game.
Leave the beautiful, elegant football behind and dive in with the Stoke City rebuild.
Now, let's move up a level to the Premier League, where Everton is fighting relegation and facing penalties due to financial issues.
Everton has long been a solid mid-table team but has fallen so far that they are seriously fearing relegation. Additionally, there's a new stadium in the pipeline, which might not materialize if they're relegated. Everton could certainly use some renewed vigor.
We've also devised some rules for Everton to make it extra challenging due to financial troubles. Everton faces penalties such as points deductions.
Therefore, don't spend more than what is earned. Save Everton from the brink and restore them to their rightful place and beyond.
In our discussion of the final two clubs, we shift our focus to the upper echelons of the Premier League, or more accurately, its erstwhile summit. These two teams now exist as faint reflections of their former greatness, earnestly pursuing a resurgence.
Even with just a modest interest in the Premier League, the mention of these 2 clubs—Manchester United and Chelsea—undoubtedly rings familiar.
Both teams have invested heavily yet seem further from success than ever. These powerhouses are yearning for success and ready for a new rebuild.
Manchester United and Chelsea have both been trying for years to regain their form and win another Premier League title, but to no avail.
To keep it realistic, we've set the following rules:
These clubs are closer to the ultimate goal, but the journey will be a significant challenge.
In today’s guide, we’ll be focusing on the upcoming Season of Discovery Phase 2 and giving you some Rogue leveling tips. Learn how to prepare for the next phase and stay ahead of the competition with this guide!
We’ll start with profession. Ideally, it would be very convenient if you want to choose Skinning for leveling. It earns you extra WOW Classic SOD Gold and gives you something to do during the downtime before the next mob arrives. You’ll regain some health and energy while making a profit.
Personally, I would give up Skinning at the highest level and pursue Engineering. I have prepared all the materials for a quick upgrade for the second profession. I recommend you not to upgrade immediately after choosing Engineering because it will take some time to master these professions.
If you want to get ahead of other players and level up in a less competitive way, the profession you can take is First Aid. Since we don’t have a cure, First Aid is ideal for a quick cure while on the run. This way, you can maximize the time you spend killing mobs.
Cooking is also a suitable profession, but I would wait until the highest level to upgrade it.
For leveling, there are two viable builds, Combat build and Hemo build. I prefer Combat build because it’s easy to get started. And I prefer faster monster kill times to being a PVP winner.
Honestly, if you level up a little slower, Hemo build will do better. Because you will have more utility to protect yourself in PVP.
Let’s start with Combat Rogue, since that’s how most players will approach it.
First, we need to talk about the current runes, and we’ll start with Shadowstrike. It’s a great rune and one of the best ways to mark creatures in the game. Therefore, you need to get this rune quickly.
When you get Saber Slash, higher-level mobs will have a huge health scaling if you can kill them quickly. So eventually Saber Slash will get better around level 20 once we get Cheap Shot.
I think Saber Slash would be better for the leg slot, but the best is still Between the Eyes. And you have an optional Chest Rune, Blade Dance. I like using Rune of Quick Draw. It has a decent AoE damage output and, despite being slow, is especially useful in PVP.
And Rune of Deadly Brew will eventually give you more raw DPS. You don’t need to worry about that, and your poison will clear some of your back space. So if you don’t have any competing factions when leveling, I would go with Between the Eyes and Saber Slash, and Deadly Brew once you complete the runes.
Let’s review talents. First, you could invest two points in Improved Sinister Strike. You can then also invest two points into Remorseless Attacks for an additional 40% critical chance. Just remember that you need to land a critical hit on the target to trigger this talent.
Since I prefer to focus only on Combat Talent Tree, usually we’ll take Improved Gouge. Since we have Bleed and Deadly Poison, I recommend you only take the 3% extra dodge. This will make you better here and take less damage.
The next talent points will depend on the weapon you use. Besides a lot of swords, there are also some Maces that are easy to get. So you can choose Dual Wield Specialization or choose a specific Weapon Specialization based on your weapon. I would choose Aggression, and finally Weapon Expertise and Adrenaline Rush.
For Hemo builds, Rogue leveling requires more skill. Because you will have Weapon-swap Macro to use Ambush on the dagger and Stealth on the slow main hand weapon.
If you get two good daggers, as well as Mutilate, you can choose Saber Slash or even Mutilate, so you will need less weapon swapping. For the leg slot, Between the Eyes is still your best rune. For the chest, I would actually choose Quick Draw over Deadly Brew.
The talents here are all optional. You can choose any talent you like, but I recommend you choose some utility talents at the beginning so that your Stealth will be better.
When choosing a weapon, you’ll usually choose a slower weapon. This is because your skills, like Backstab, Sinister Strike, Saber Slash, Mutilate and more, all deal damage based on weapon damage, and your weapon damage is obtained by multiplying your DPS by your attack speed.
So more DPS on a weapon does not mean more weapon damage, which is the most important stat in these types. A good main hand dagger will have an attack speed of 1.8 and a good non main hand dagger will have an attack speed of 2.6.
When it comes to dealing with elites, there are going to be some problems if you can’t deal with them face to face. If Elite is dealing with too much damage, you can swap your runes for Just a Flesh Wound and Blade Dance.
All you have to do is kite the elite. You’ll reengage as it slows and bleeds, then your stun cools down and your energy regenerates. You will slowly eliminate dangerous monsters.
But if you plan to level mainly through dungeons, then I recommend you to use Backstab build. Because the normal build dies too quickly here, and you can’t increase the damage with Saber Slash and Poisons. If you want to focus on dungeon farming while leveling. I recommend balancing these abilities.
If I have good gear, I rarely use Slice and Dice because I usually kill the monster in three Sinister Strikes. But if my gear is a little low or the mob’s health is too high, I will definitely use my Slice and Dice at the beginning. It all depends on the mobs and how fast I kill them.
Overall, Melee Haste will significantly increase your damage whenever the fight lasts longer than a few seconds.
Another tip is that if you’re fighting mobs in Stealth and don’t use Shadowstrike, always use Pickpocketing. You’ll get some extra coins and an Iron Lockbox. These Lockboxes are cool because they contain the potions and powders required for Blind and Vanish, and disappear at level 26.
In the end, your rotation should look like this. The first step is to approach the mob. Step two, distract it if necessary. Make sure you are at 100 energy and have your dagger equipped, then approach the next tick. The third step is to pickpocket the poor NPC. You can use your Sinister Strikes to deal a little extra damage, and the monster will die at any time.
Experience the Lunar Awakening, a time-limited event amplifying Shrines in Diablo 4 Season 3.
Running from February 6th to the 20th, Lunar Shrines grant 50% XP per monster kill, a 30% movement speed boost, and an extra modifier beyond their usual effects. For instance, Lethal Shrines, in their Lunar New Year variant, provide a chance for instant enemy execution alongside critical strikes. Lunar-variant Shrines feature distinctive dragon skins for easy identification.
This guide delves into all Lunar additions and more.
Once the event is active, fast-travel to Ked Bardu and head to the northern section of town. There you'll meet Ying-Yue, who runs the Lunar Night Market, your main event hub for Lunar Awakening.
You can ask her about some interesting lore, check your Ancestral Favor reputation, and claim some sick rewards. There are 10 reputation levels to earn and 6 different Lunar-themed rewards to unlock.
The weapon skins for the event are the Lunar Scepter Wand, the Dragon's Courage Two-Handed Axe and the Moonshot Bow. If you're a fan of markings, there is a Dragon's Tapestry marking to unlock, as well as a Moon's Bounty mount trophy and the Moonborn Stallion mount.
Lunar Shrines are spread throughout Sanctuary, so just play as you normally would. You can find them in the overworld Vaults, Whisper bounties, and dungeons.
Speaking of dungeons, during the event, Nightmare Sigils have a chance to roll an Ancestor's Favor Dungeon Affix. This guarantees extra Shrines can spawn for that dungeon, and you will receive 10% bonus Glyph XP once complete.
Remember, you can only earn Ancestral Favor reputation while the Lunar Shrine effect is active, so make sure to rack up as many kills as you can before the time runs out.
Lunar Awakening Shrines are enhanced versions of regular Shrines, offering bonus XP, increased movement speed, and all the familiar powers along with an additional ability. Here are some examples.
For the Lunar Awakening Event in Diablo 4 Season 3, you must master these 2 tips.
Engage in the Lunar Celebrant local event for a classic monster-defense experience. Completing the Mastery objective triggers a bonus frenzy wave, making it more efficient than regular Shrines.
Earn bonus Glyph XP with Lunar Affix Nightmare Dungeon Sigils. Guaranteed Lunar Affix Nightmare Sigils in reputation reward tiers make the reputation grind self-reinforcing. Optimize efficiency by completing Whisper bounties parallel to events.
In summary, play Diablo 4 Season as you wish, reinforcing your preferred gameplay loop. Efficiently tackle Lunar events and dabble with Shrines for a rewarding experience.
There are some interesting lesser-known nuances with the Shrines in Diablo 4 Season 3.
Explore these lesser-known nuances with Shrines for an enhanced and strategic gameplay experience in Diablo 4 Season 3.
Here are some tips on how you can optimize Shrines and get more rewards.
Slay demons swiftly to align with the pace of conversation.
Personally wait for a good monster density before popping a Shrine for optimal impact.
Miserly Spirits contribute as a bonus to the local event Mastery objective.
The focus is on maximizing player enjoyment through rapid monster shredding.
Stockpiling Nightmare Sigils with Ancestor's Favor Affix is viable for post-event use.
Bonus Glyph XP remains on crafted Nightmare Dungeon Sigils even after the event concludes.
Inspired by the popularity of Gileon's Brew from Midwinter Blight, rewards are designed to persist.
This encourages players to stockpile for future use, ensuring rewards endure beyond the event.
Go ahead and stockpile for doomsday.
Occultist, as an Ascendancy class, is mainly related to Explode construction in Path of Exile. The monster actually explodes and does considerable damage to nearby enemies. In POE 3.23, however, Occultist reaches new heights, thanks to the new Transfigured Gem: Penance Brand of Dissipation!
Here I’m going to share our build guide for Penance Brand of Dissipation Occultist! If you’re interested in creating this character, don’t miss this build guide!
Our skill choice is Penance Brand of Dissipation. You create a brand, which will connect to an enemy and start collecting energy, dealing more and more damage per energy. When the maximum energy is 20, the brand will deal maximum damage until the end or the target dies and jumps to another target.
But to be honest, I don’t think the build will ever reach max stack because in Sanctum, most people will die after the first damage. Even the supreme boss will die after 2 seconds. But we can use the new Specters added to the game in this patch.
So why am I not using any Specters in Affliction League? Since I always try out some Uber Boss content, and Specters die easily on the map, it’s annoying to buy new ones every time. What’s more, if they weren’t in Sanctum, they were zero threat.
However, in Sanctum, the effect of Specters is completely different. So we use Specter, Perfect Spirit of Fortune. It will bring us Wrath Aura.
Another Specter is Perfect Hulking Miscreation. This gives us 20% of physical damage as bonus lightning damage. This is a big damage buff for this build.
To further increase our damage, we will use Animate Guardian in a basic setup, with Dying Breath as a weapon, which will give us more damage and also increase the aura effect used by Guardian.
Because we use Guardian’s Blessing, and select Haste Aura, we will move faster and cast spells faster.
We also use Leer Cast as a helmet, which also gives us more damage. Gruthkul’s Pelt acts as body armor, which will give him health regeneration. Southbound Gloves will also increase his maximum health.
To keep Specter and Animate Guardian at their best, we’ll use Convocation on left-click. This way they will transfer to us every few seconds and gain life regeneration.
Because this build is focused on critical hit damage, we’ll be using a lot of unique items that will give us more and more damage.
But I want to talk more about body armor, Dialla’s Malefaction. We need 2 red sockets because red sockets increase the gem level by 2. We insert Penance Brand and Empower here.
Other sockets need to be green. In green slots, they will gain +30% quality. This is the biggest damage increase and is much better than gem levels.
With all this, our gemstones will have 50% quality and Penance Brand will also reach level 27.
We’re going to convert all damage to lightning, and then convert it to cold with Call of the Brotherhood. This is because we can deal with cold damage better than lightning damage. And we can also freeze enemies so we can reduce the risk of getting hit in Sanctum.
Since this build has such high cold damage, we can also use Heatshiver. Based on cold damage, we take additional fire damage. We also take more damage if we hit a frozen target.
Malachai’s Loop deals with more spell damage and also grants 2 additional Power Charges. We can also use Badge of the Brotherhood to increase our maximum Frenzy Charges to 10.
Also, we cannot ignore Ralakesh’s Impatience, which will give our character Power Charges. So all 10 Power and Frenzy Charges will be activated and it will also give us Endurance Charges.
In this build we also use some unique items which will give us extra damage.
Next, let’s take a look at some of the important flasks you’ll need in this build.
Then I would like to highlight some key points from Penance Brand of Dissipation Occultist on Passive Tree, as well as some of the unique jewelry used.
Each Frenzy Charge deals with damage at 2% movement speed and penetrates elemental and all elemental resistances.
Watcher’s Eye takes additional physical damage as lightning damage while affected by Wrath. We get Wrath Aura from Specters, so it’s always active. And its movement skills have a good cooldown recovery rate when affected by Haste. This will give our Flame Dash a very short cooldown.
Militant Faith Timeless Jewel with carved to glorify a new faithful converted by high Templar Dominus. Note that we assign Inner Conviction here because it may convert the node you are using into a bad node.
Green Dream Viridian Jewel will give us extra cold damage.
We use Occultist as Ascendancy.
There is no doubt that Penance Brand of Dissipation Occultist is one of the best builds in Path of Exile 3.23 in terms of bosses and maps. While this build feels clunky at first, it gets better later on, especially if you’re already equipped with everything mentioned in this build guide!