NBA 2K27 Player Backlash Explained: Is 2K's Business Model Finally Too Much?
Diablo 4 Season 15 PTR Class Balance Breakdown: Blizzard Nerfed the Strong, But Forgot the Weak
If you've been following Diablo 4 community since Season 15 PTR announcement, you've probably sensed the players' panic. In short, the situation is mixed; while some class changes are indeed worrying, the overall situation is far more complex than just player anger.
This article will analyze the class balance adjustments in Diablo 4 Season 15 3.2.0 PTR to help you understand the future landscape.
Biggest Winners RogueRogue is undoubtedly the safest choice in Season 15. Most popular Rogue builds have avoided significant nerfs, and the improved combo points make the game smoother for this class.
We believe Rogue will likely continue to hold a top-tier position, with many players even considering them the only true S-tier class. However, considering Rogue's previous significant nerfs, this stability feels like a deliberate adjustment by the developers.
WarlockWarlock is the biggest beneficiary of the overall buffs. Many skills can now be cast while moving, greatly improving mobility, while improvements to resource acquisition and gameplay are also numerous.
Compared to other classes, Warlock's damage multiplier increase is astonishing, rising from 6x to 11x, meaning Warlock's endgame pushing capabilities may undergo a qualitative change. If you're looking for a truly significantly buffed class, look no further than Warlock.
You can start preparing some $1 suitable for Warlock. Different builds may vary considerably, so it's recommended to consider your desired build in advance.
Major Nerfs BarbarianBarbarian received the most significant overall nerf in Diablo 4 Season 15 PTR, and it was ruthless. Strength damage bonuses were reduced, the sustained damage output of Fury build was weakened, and the interactive effects of several legendary items were directly nerfed.
The specific numbers speak for themselves: the core attribute coefficient dropped from 1.1 to 0.8, Rallying Cry damage was halved from 200% to 100%, and the same applies to Call of the Ancients. In addition, the values of many glyphs and legendary items have also been comprehensively reduced.
However, Barbarian in Season 15 wasn't actually nerfed to the point of being useless; rather, Blizzard weakened its previously overpowered damage output, which relied on high multipliers, infinite rage, and Overpower bursts, bringing it back to a more normal level. In any case, this can be seen as a response to some players who felt Barbarian was overpowered in Season 14.
DruidIn Diablo 4 Season 15 PTR, several mainstream Druid builds were significantly nerfed. Storm-centric build lost its significant scaling potential, but some underperforming skills only received minor buffs.
The increase in core attribute coefficients from 1.25 to 1.625 is certainly good, but it's offset by some brutal nerfs. For example, Ursine Strength has plummeted from 10-13% to 2-4%, and now only applies to Werebear skills. Unless additional adjustments are made before Season 15 goes live, Druid will likely remain at a disadvantage compared to other classes.
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Forgotten Classes NecromancerNecromancer's situation is perhaps the most frustrating. While the core attribute coefficient has also increased to 1.625, the actual skill changes are negligible.
Player feedback has been very strong. In Season 14, Barbarians cleared Abyss level 150 in a short time, while Necromancers could only reach level 138. Doesn't that speak volumes? This class's damage is already so low, and there's still no indication of improvement in the new season.
For example, with Sever, Blizzard merely fixed the skill's location; there were no damage increases, no new glyphs, no new items, and no new stats. Even though players pointed out the skill's fundamental design flaw - the excessively long animation limiting continuous casting and rendering attack speed almost useless - Blizzard showed no intention of addressing this issue.
SorcererIn contrast, Sorcerer received some welcome improvements, including smoother Ball Lightning and enhancements to elemental builds. However, many underperforming builds remained largely unchanged, so the class's overall strength may still lag behind Rogue and Warlock.
Deeper IssuesPlayer dissatisfaction with Blizzard's class balance adjustments stems not only from the numbers but also from the design philosophy. Blizzard's class nerfs are always swift and aggressive, while buffs are always cautious, forcing players to stick to only one or two fixed builds and abandoning some weaker classes.
When a particular class makes up nearly 80% of the total characters in a season (reportedly, Barbarians recently reached this point), Blizzard's focus isn't on buffing other classes but rather on nerfing the leading class, creating a vicious cycle.
This is currently only on 3.2.0 PTR test server, not the final version. Hopefully, a more balanced approach to classes will yield better results.
Future SituationIf you're playing Rogue or Warlock, you'll be fine in Diablo 4 Season 15, as they are likely to be top-tier classes.
If you're playing Barbarian, while it might be tough, the class itself is strong enough that you'll probably be able to handle it. These nerfs are more about bringing Barbarians back to a normal level than completely destroying them.
If you're playing Druid or Sorcerer, you're in a precarious position. While some builds have been buffed, the overall strength may still feel insufficient.
If you're playing Necromancer, you have every reason to be frustrated. This class has some systemic issues that minor numerical buffs and adjustments to skill placement won't solve.
The above is an analysis of the class balance adjustments in Diablo 4 Season 15 PTR. This is the general situation at present, but the announcement at Blizzard may completely change everything before the new season officially goes live. We can look forward to it.
EA FC 27 Kills the Meta? All PlayStyles Rebalanced | Here's What Works Now
In FC 26, Roles and Playstyles almost determine everything you do on the field, because you basically revolve around these two metrics when you play the game. So, many people's first reaction to news of EA FC 27 was, "Here we go again."
But FC 27 has kept us in suspense for so long, and based on the leaked information, it's safe to say that this time it will only be better than its predecessor, not worse or similar.
AI No Longer Controls EverythingThis time, the development team has made significant changes to the defensive system in FIFA 27, especially the AI defenders in online matches. Previously, the AI often did the work for you, but now the game emphasizes player intervention.
Specifically, while AI defenders will still attempt to intercept you when you dribble, their tackle frequency and the range of interference they can cover are much smaller than when manually controlled by the player.
In FC 27, AI defenders will at most play a supporting role; they won't directly intercept the ball or steal the spotlight. Ultimately, how you defend depends on your own efforts.
Encouraging Active ControlSince we need to manually defend in the game, the controls must feel responsive.
Therefore, in FUT 27, to improve the efficiency of manual control, player Jockey speed has been increased, and manually triggered stand tackles have a wider effective range.
Additionally, an avoidance option is added when taking corner kicks. This means you can choose not to rush the pass, but rather wait and observe before initiating an attack, avoiding prolonged back-and-forth tackling.
On the offensive end, FC 27 will penalize mistakes if you make a hasty attack. Manually controlled running distances will be limited, requiring more careful route planning. Cross success rate will depend on both aiming accuracy and power.
There are also new triggered curve runs that allow you to bypass defenders, but the movement itself takes longer and requires advance judgment.
Changes in Control DetailsBesides these changes in offensive and defensive strategies, ground passes and the subtle dinked passes in EA Sports FC 27 will demand even greater precision from your controls. Most notably, if your player's stats are good enough, even if they're knocked off balance during physical duels, they might still be able to keep the ball. This is the newly added off-balance dribbling.
However, this mechanism is prone to being a double-edged sword - if you can consistently protect the ball after being knocked down, it makes the game feel less realistic; but if you manage to withstand the impact and still lose possession, it makes the player feel like they've wasted their effort.
PlayStyles Balance AdjustmentsIt's worth mentioning that almost all PlayStyles, such as Technical Dribbling, Finesse Shot, Interception, Pinged Pass, Jockey, Precision Header, etc., have undergone balance adjustments in FC 27.
It's not a simple nerf, but rather making their effects more dependent on the player's base attributes, while narrowing the gap between PlayStyles and PlayStyle Plus.
This way, you won't just focus on using the one or two strongest ones; other PlayStyles will also have a chance to appear in the game.
For example, Rapid PlayStyle feature used to significantly speed up dribbling animations, but this acceleration effect will be removed in FC 27 to prevent it from being too overpowered.
Expectations and ConcernsWhile the above changes are encouraging, the ultimate success of EA FC 27 will depend on the refinement of the game's fundamental experience.
If the development team wants the mechanics that emphasize manual operation to truly demonstrate their value in FC 27, and to provide clear feedback on both the good and the bad, then they will inevitably have to work on the game's responsiveness, smoothness, and collision effects.
Off-balance dribbling mechanism deserves particular attention because its balance is extremely difficult to achieve: too much force makes it unrealistic, while too little force results in a poor effect.
Furthermore, internal testing may not be able to detect all the problems with FC 27; extensive player testing is necessary for gradual adjustments.
Game Release ScheduleOn the other hand, while FC 27 is scheduled for release on September 25th, its expensive Ultimate Edition and the newly added limited-time Ultimate Plus Edition offer players the privilege of playing seven days early - clearly designed to create anxiety among players, making them feel they're missing out if they don't unlock these versions.
Furthermore, key new features like off-balance dribbling continue the tradition of only being available for next-generation consoles, leaving players on older platforms envious.
As for Ultimate Team mode, there are widespread concerns that it will continue to find ways to pressure players into investing large sums of money and encouraging excessive spending, a recurring point of contention for this football game every year.
And as the most basic hard currency in Ultimate Team mode, the reward and spending channels for $1, if not designed to be balanced, could easily make it difficult for ordinary players to progress, which is one of the triggers for controversy over the years.
In summary, it's clear that FC 27's changes aim to revitalize skill, strategy, and manual control, making it less reliant on systems and AI.
However, given the series' long history of glitches, whether these visions can be translated into a stable and enjoyable experience remains to be seen.
GTA 6 Leaks Reveal Rockstar's Biggest Cuts: From Extreme Weather to Abandoned Map Ideas
GTA 6 is set to launch on November 19, 2026, and players are eagerly anticipating it. If you frequently browse GTA 6 forums, you'll have noticed a lot of leaks lately. Frankly, I see almost the same things every day, some of which sound absurd, but there's nothing we can do; the official release of new content is delayed. Players are getting impatient.
Today, I'll bring you some new information, revealing the truth behind GTA 6's release. Reportedly, Rockstar Games made some difficult decisions behind the scenes, resulting in the cancellation of many ambitious features.
Overall, the studio is more inclined to create a stable, focused, and meticulously crafted gaming experience, rather than an all-encompassing, unconventional sandbox game. Let's discuss this further.
Weather SystemIt's said that in the early stages of GTA 6's development, Rockstar experimented with a physics-based dynamic weather system, including destructive hurricanes, tornadoes, and tropical storms. Their goal was to bring life to the world of Leonidas through unpredictable, chaotic forces.
However, these extreme weather elements may ultimately not appear in GTA 6 because their hardware requirements are simply too high. On PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, GTA 6 already targets a frame rate of 30 frames per second, so pursuing such complex, physics-driven visual spectacles would affect the game's stability.
Therefore, Rockstar seems to have opted for a smooth and stable gameplay experience rather than breathtaking but unstable weather effects.
Story ConceptWe all know that GTA 6's story revolves around Jason and Lucia, but have you ever considered that it might not have originally been like that? Leaked information suggests that Rockstar Games conceived a story draft several years ago with a roster of protagonists vastly different from the current one.
These early concept characters included a police officer, his rebellious son, and a Colombian drug lord. They also considered characters like a female agent and a soldier, ultimately settling on the pairing we see today after extensive research.
This shift towards a more emotionally resonant criminal partnership model was a crucial narrative turning point in the game's long development process.
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Combat ExperiencePlayers have long anticipated the ability to prone during combat or stealth. Reportedly, Rockstar considered this feature, but testing revealed that while it had the potential to add tactical depth, it slowed down the game's pace, making it feel clunky and inconsistent with Rockstar's final design for a fluid combat system. Therefore, it may not ultimately appear in GTA 6.
Furthermore, while some promotional images and leaks seem to suggest Jason and Lucia can dual-wield weapons, I believe this feature will not be included in the final game. Those images hinting at dual-wielding are likely related to specific cutscenes rather than free exploration of the game.
Similarly, the ability to listen to the car radio from outside the vehicle was tested, but apparently removed for technical and realism reasons.
A more advanced and dynamic cover system, inspired by modern third-person action games, was reportedly under development. However, early testers considered it terrible and out of place in GTA 6's open-world pace, but now it seems likely to return.
Leonida MapWe know that GTA 6's map is currently set in the fictional state of Leonidas. Early plans reportedly considered Florida Panhandle and even a large theme park similar to Disney World.
However, these novel areas were ultimately abandoned, replaced by a denser, more dynamic environment where every corner of the world serves its purpose. After continuous optimization, the final version we see today was achieved.
In addition, even some environmental details have been adjusted; a recent comparison between the trailer and previously leaked screenshots shows that vegetation density has been reduced, likely an optimization choice made to maintain stable performance on console platforms.
Handcrafted PhilosophyCEO of Take-Two Interactive has publicly stated that generative AI played no role in the development of GTA 6; every building, every street, and every block in the game should have been handcrafted by human developers. While this method is time-consuming, it is crucial to Rockstar game world.
Therefore, following this philosophy, rather than sacrificing the quality and integrity of the game world, it's better to cut ambitious ideas that won't work. The developers stated that they have a constant stream of ideas, are rarely limited by creativity during the game's development, and believe that unless a concept is truly outstanding, there's no need to salvage it.
This game has consumed enormous human and material resources and carries the expectations of countless players. I believe that when this game is finally released, it will definitely give players a satisfactory answer.
Pre-orders are currently underway, and players who like this game can pre-order now. After the game launches, if you find yourself lacking in-game funds or items, check out $1. There you'll find what you need, giving you a head start.
That concludes this article about the development process of GTA 6. In short, the studio is consciously creating a focused and refined gaming experience, rather than trying to cram in every ambitious idea that pops into development. I think this is excellent, and the final result will certainly be great. Let's look forward to the release of GTA 6 in November.
Helldivers 2 Super Credits Cheat Detection Explained: Why Are Players Questioning New Anti-Cheat System?
Helldivers 2 has recently become a hot topic in the player community again, but this time the focus isn't on new content updates or the progression of Galactic Wars storyline, but on the developer's new detection measures against Super Credits cheating.
The official team hopes to reduce the use of exploits, cheats, and automated tools to acquire large amounts of resources by strengthening monitoring, but this decision has unexpectedly sparked heated debate among players. The core of the controversy isn't whether anti-cheat measures should be implemented, but why Helldivers 2 chose to prioritize addressing Super Credits issue.
Some players support Helldivers 2 development team in maintaining a healthy game environment, while others believe that instead of investing resources in detecting abnormal Super Credits acquisition, it would be better to first improve the resource acquisition experience, optimize game stability, and resolve long-standing gameplay issues.
Cheat DetectionAccording to information released by the official Helldivers 2 team, the development team has noted community feedback regarding Super Credits cheating. The official statement indicates that cheaters and those exploiting vulnerabilities are ruining the game experience. It feels unfair when someone unfairly gains $1 while other players are still working hard to earn their resources.
Therefore, Helldivers 2 has begun deploying a new detection mechanism. This new system will stop cheaters at the source, preventing them from disrupting the game's economy. The system will identify anomalies if a player gains significantly more Super Credits at the end of a mission than a normal player could achieve.
Helldivers 2 development team emphasizes that this adjustment will not affect normal players. If players are simply completing missions normally, exploring the map, clearing Points of Interest, finding hidden resources, or opening supply crates, the gameplay experience will remain unchanged.
Furthermore, a healthier economy means that Super Credits earned through honest service to Super Earth will still be worth earning.
This system targets those who exploit loopholes to quickly farm Super Credits. Besides Super Credits, Helldivers 2 has also stated that similar detection mechanisms may cover other resources in the future, including Medals, Samples, and Requisitions.
Following the announcement, many players' biggest concern was: if I've ever teamed up with a cheater, will I be punished? Helldivers 2 team responded that players will not be directly banned for this reason, stating that they currently can not directly ban players.
Because there was no mandatory requirement to link a PlayStation Network account previously, Helldivers 2 development team does not yet have a complete banning system. If players believe their accounts have been unfairly affected, they can contact Helldivers 2 officials.
Player Controversy Acquisition MechanismWhile most Helldivers 2 players are not opposed to combat cheating, controversy quickly arose. Some players believe that preventing Super Credits cheating is reasonable, but the development team should first improve Super Credits acquisition experience.
For example, increasing Super Credits rewards in high-difficulty Helldivers 2 missions, increasing exploration rewards, or allowing regular players to obtain better Super Credits rewards when tackling higher difficulty content.
This is because for many regular players, Super Credits acquisition process is already very slow. If a player chooses to exploit a bug, it's not necessary to disrupt Helldivers 2 game economy; it could also be because the normal acquisition methods are too tiring for them.
Priority of ImplementationPlayers aren't against Helldivers 2 fixing the bug, but they don't understand why this issue is a current priority. Unlike traditional MMOs, Helldivers 2 doesn't have a true player-traded economy.
It's not a game like World of Warcraft with an auction house and player trading market, nor is it a ranked environment like in competitive games. Super Credits are primarily used to redeem Warbonds and Helldivers 2 store content, and this content doesn't expire.
Therefore, some players believe that Super Credit cheating doesn't significantly affect the game environment, as Helldivers 2 claims. Even if a cheater has millions or tens of millions of Super Credits, it won't directly affect their own gaming experience.
What Helldivers 2 is saying is just company rhetoric; they don't care about the players. The real impact is likely on the game company's business model because Super Credits are linked to the obtain of paid content.
Many players believe that Helldivers 2 currently has a host of more pressing issues to address, such as game balance, server performance, and even the long-standing player complaints about Hellpod manipulation.
Compared to these problems, Super Credits cheat detection isn't the most pressing need for most players. For the average player, this change will probably have little impact. Those truly affected will most likely be those exploiting Helldivers 2 vulnerabilities to farm resources, sell enhanced accounts, or acquire large amounts of Super Credits through automated tools.
Arrowhead isn't being criticized for cracking down on cheating. The issue lies in the priority of bug fixes. If Helldivers 2 development team simultaneously announced improvements to Super Credit acquisition mechanism, increased rewards for challenging missions, and optimized the game experience, then this anti-cheat measure might receive more support.
For Helldivers 2, what players truly desire isn't a stricter detection system, but a more comfortable and worthwhile gaming environment for normal gameplay.
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Diablo 4 Feb 21, 2024An Easy-To-Build Double Swing Twisters Barbarian You Can't Miss In Diablo 4 Season 3
I'm excited to present to you a Double Swing Twister Barbarian build. This iteration brings a fresh perspective for this Diablo 4 Season 3 - super fast and incredibly powerful. While there's a reduction in cooldown upon killing enemies, it doesn't significantly impact the build's effectiveness since we primarily rely on Double Swing with minimal skill casting.
How It WorksIn this build, there are absolutely no Uber Uniques included. If consider adding one, my choice would probably be a Shako. While a Ring of Starless Skies may seem appealing, Shako is the only option I would consider for this setup. Besides, we need the Tibault's Will. The reason being, it’s a lot harder this season to sustain unstoppable. So before we had Metamorphosis power, which would allow you to just continuously proc Tibault's Will.
One nice thing about this build is that it’s movement speed capped while Berserking, which is absolutely insane. Another little cool thing that you can do with this build as well is just swing at thin air to keep your Berserk buff up. So every time I swing, I get 2 extra seconds, so I can just maintain it. I can keep my damage boost from wrath, and I can also maintain my movement speed as well.
GearSo let’s quickly go over our Diablo 4 Items. First, I really recommend the Tuskhelm of Joritz the Mighty, this is not necessary but definitely nice to have. I just kind of wanted to illustrate like Fortifiy damage reduction doesn’t actually do anything while you’re using a barrier. For the ring, I choose the Bold Chieftain's Circle, Ring of Unrelenting Fury and Windlasher Chain. They’re all really low item power, and the roles on some of these are excellent.
There’s a lot that can be improved, but the key component is urity. Your main DPS boost is Ramaladni's Magnum Opus, so this is really important. But check carefully as to the stat requirements because you know these are not the best representation for that, you want crit chance where you can get it, and damage while Berserking, and resource regen, and Maximum Fury.
Skill TreeThen as for skills again, you want to go for Furious Double Swing . This is what gives us our basically infinite Fury. We are using Strategic Rallying Cry. Now I know I said like fortified damage reduction doesn’t really apply from behind barrier and it doesn’t. However, we want the damage boost from counteroffensive. So just having this alone, one Rallying Cry will get you to the fortifier requirement in order to allow you to get this damage boost which we want. 1 point again in Charge, this is just for breaking CC. You can use it if you want to move faster.
Healing is very important to this build. And then of course we need Invegrating Fury, more healing but this is just passive. You know this you have to wait for Shouts. This every 4 Double Swing s, and we have insane attack speed, will just be a fat heal, which will keep you sustained forever. Unconstrained, this is a Berserk build.
Seneschal ConstructsAs for the pet, I didn’t use any of unique stones either. However, if you wanted to use some, you would definitely want to play Genesis on Flash of Adrenaline, and then you’d want to play Evernight on Tempest. It is up to you. And we can get a lot of resource from this, which is quite important for us, and then just damage and DR, which is very nice to have.
Paragon BoardThen the last part I just want to talk about is the paragon board. I have to compensate for my lack of resistances on those really low item power rings. There’s some sort of fundamentals that will remain. We’re going to have Blood Rage, lots of damage while Berserking. Then the glyphs we will get is still the Wrath. this is for Fury regen. Ambidextrous powers up all the blue nodes, also increases our damage of dual-wield weapons.
Exploit is our main, if not our only source of vulnerability, but nothing really ever flips over 3 seconds, that’s not a problem. A because it’s a Berserk build and Twister, which is just a really fun thing to use. So we get a nice little 133% multiplicative damage bonus after creating a Tornado or some others, but also it’s just a really cool like gimmick almost. It’s cool to see the Tornadoes go around and kill stuff. They do quite a bit of damage when you max this out, and I really like how it plays.
So other than that, Carnage, lots of attack speed with stacking that Decimator just for Flat Damage. We don’t have Warbringer in the build that you see will quite likely going to have Flawless Technique in it as well because that’s the one thing I would, take these points that are in resistances and I’d go get that legendary node.
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Other Games Feb 19, 2024These 8 3-Star Weapons In Genshin Impact Are Worth Saving!
Besides Artifacts, weapons are the most important part of good character building in Genshin Impact. Playable characters can fight using Catalyst, Bow, Sword, Polearm, or Claymore, but not all weapons are created equal. Weapon levels range from 1 star to 5 star. The 5 star weapons are the best and of course the rarest.
Getting good 4-star or 5-star weapons in Genshin Impact can be difficult, especially for new players. Luckily, there are plenty of great 3-star weapons available in the meantime.
In this guide, we’ll showcase 8 three-star weapons worth saving for every player. They are extremely useful and have great potential, especially once players upgrade, improve, and refine them.
1. Thrilling Tales Of Dragon SlayersThe first weapon is pretty obvious and most of us know why. It’s Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers.
This weapon is one of the best secondary weapons in the game, providing a massive 48% attack power boost to the next character you switch to. While it does make your spin a little stiff, the huge attack boost is worth it.
In a team with a damage dealer with scalable attacks, 90% of the time this weapon will be the best choice of catalyst support.
You also don’t need to upgrade the weapon unless you need HP sub-stat. Just bring it to R5. I’ve saved 3 R5 copies of this weapon, 2 for each Spiral Abyss team, and one as an extra.
2. Harbinger Of DawnIf passive uptime is maintained, the next weapon will damage most 4-star weapons and sometimes even 5-star weapon options. It’s Harbinger of Dawn.
It provides a large amount of critical damage and an additional 28% critical chance if your health is above 90%. It does have lower base attack power, but its critical hit stats make up for that. For characters, like Albedo and Alhaitham, low base attack has little impact.
Although the passive may seem difficult to maintain, it’s an amazing weapon choice if you have a Shielder or a character on your team who can dodge enemy attacks.
This is great for low DPS characters since they spend most of their time on the sidelines, giving you 100% uptime on the passive side.
Corrosion and Furina are the weaknesses of this weapon. But you should save at least 1 R5 Harbinger of Dawn. I saved 2 just to be safe.
3. Black TasselThe next weapon we have is Black Tassel. This Polearm provides the highest HP in the game. The passive is useless, but the raw stats make it a splendid choice of characters like Zhongli, Thoma, who only need HP.
4. White TasselNext is Black Tassel’s brother, White Tassel. The critical hit rate of this weapon is astonishing.
Although its base attack power is lower since it is a 3-star weapon, the passive skill provides a 48% increase in basic attack damage at R5. This makes it a brilliant choice for carriers like Cyno who use normal attacks.
It’s even comparable to 5-star Polearms if you use its passive skill. So I recommend you keep at least 1 R5 copy of this weapon.
5. SlingshotNext we have R5 Slingshot. This weapon provides critical strike chance. It increases basic and charged attack damage by 60% if you’re close to an enemy.
Tighnari is the best candidate for this weapon because he relies on charged attacks, and low base attacks don’t affect him much.
6. Sharpshooter’s OathNext we have Sharpshooter’s Oath. This weapon doesn’t have much use so far, as its passive is situational and craftable bow-based. And Prototype Crescent is better suited to enemies like Ganyu, who are weak to ATK% DPS characters.
However, this weapon provides critical damage that the 4-star bow does not. This could make it a superb choice for future character stats. So I suggest you better save 1 copy of this weapon at R5.
7. Recurve BowThen we have Recurve Bow, which is the only bow that provides HP%. While the passive is useless, the raw stats may be useful in the future. Even now, if you don’t have Favonius Warbow, this weapon is great for Yelan.
8. Dark Iron SwordNext we have Dark Iron Sword. Although this weapon doesn’t have much use, it is a very rare sword. It can only be found in 2 places. The first one requires talking to Chen the Sharp, and the next one is in the chest in Wangshan Hall in Chenyu Vale. Even though it’s not that useful now, who knows you might need it in the future.
Other Weapons Worth SavingBesides these weapons, I recommend you keep a copy of the 3-star weapons. These weapons provide critical hit stats and stats rarely seen in 4-star weapon options like Def%, Hp%, or Elemental Mastery.
For example, Traveler’s Handy Sword provides Def%, while the only sword that provides defense is Cinnabar Spindle, which is an activity-limited weapon. So, being on the safe side, you should keep the sword.
Anyway, I hope this 3 star weapon guide is helpful to you. Be sure to share this guide with your friends so they don’t waste those valuable 3-star weapons.
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WoW Series Feb 19, 2024How To Obtain The 6 Newly Introduced Rogue Runes In WOW Classic SOD Phase 2?
In Phase 2 of WoW Classic Season of Discovery, several new Rogue runes have been introduced, including Shadowstep, Master of Subtlety, Rolling with Punches, Shuriken Toss, Poisoned Knife and Waylay. Next is a comprehensive guide aims to provide you with information on where to locate these 6 runes.
Rolling With PunchesTo obtain this rune, you need to journey to Thousand Needles to Camp E’thok. Inside the big tent, you'll find a chest that needs to be looted. Inside the chest, you'll find a smaller lockbox that requires multiple lockpicking attempts. A lockpicking skill of 125 is sufficient. Upon opening the final chest, you'll receive a debuff that prevents you from stealth for 5 minutes. Additionally, you'll obtain the rune.
The rune significantly increases your durability, providing tankiness in challenging situations. When the rune expires, your health percentage remains the same, which can be inconvenient for healing. To mitigate this, manually right-click the buff to remove it or create a macro for quicker removal. Removing the buff before healing reduces the amount of health you need to restore. Alternatively, using a macro ensures prompt removal of the buff, preventing health percentage discrepancies upon expiration.
Master Of SubtletyStart by heading to Kurzen's Compound in Stranglethorn Vale. Inside the Compound's broken tower, you'll find a captive who needs to be freed. He informs you that high-ranking cursion mobs hold the key to his cage. Enter the nearby cave where the elite mob is located. Pickpocket Kurzen Elite to obtain the key. Inside the cave, you'll also find a supply crate, which contains Kurzen Fighter's Uniform.
If you're unable to defeat the mobs guarding the supply crate, you can wait for other players to clear them out so you can loot it. Exit the cave and return to the tower to give the key to the prisoner. Then, provide him with the Kurzen's Fighter's Uniform as a disguise, allowing him to escape.
Once the prisoner escapes, he instructs you to speak with Captain Aransas in Booty Bay. The captain can be found under the Inn near the fisherman. She expresses gratitude for saving her crewman and rewards you with the rune and Jani's Charm. If you don't see the prisoner in the cage, it means someone else has already freed him. You'll need to wait for a short respawn period before attempting again.
Shuriken TossPossess the Disarm Trap ability or wait for someone else to deactivate the trap. Travel to the Swamp of Sorrows. Find a chest which is trapped with a poison dart. You must disarm the trap to loot the chest. Remove the trap and then loot the chest to acquire the ability. The ability allows you to throw Shurikens and costs 30 energy to use. Despite the ability's cool factor, its damage output is relatively low. Unfortunately, the ability does not proc with Blade Flurry, which would have been a desirable feature.
ShadowstepThe first thing is that you need to be at least Level 30 to start the quest. Upon entering any major city, you receive mail from a person named C, who offers you a new job. He instructs you to go to a hut next to Shadowfang Keep. At the hut, you find instructions for the next stealth mission. You're tasked with finding a disguise on the monastery grounds and entering the Scarlet Monastery to retrieve an artifact. Locate the stables west of the monastery and loot a disguise from the chest. You may need Lockpicking skills.
Enter the Scarlet Monastery and head to the leftmost dungeon, which is the Graveyard. Pickpocket the Scarlet Scryer in the Chamber of Atonement for a key. Proceed to the Library and put on a disguise of a human Mage. Navigate the dungeon without attacking anyone until you reach a personal letterbox. Use the key to loot the chest, obtaining confidential messages. Exit the library and enter the Graveyard. Follow instructions to reach the Forlorn Cloister and interact with benches to trigger flavor text. Loot the stone cipher from the north crypt.
Return to the Library, and then head to the Gallery of Treasures. You will find the final quest item in the first small room on the left. Back to Shadowfang Keep to turn in the quest, but you won't receive rune rewards yet. Return to your Capital town and wait for a message from C directing you back to the hut for your reward.
Finally, return to Shadowfang Keep once more to loot your rune of Shadowstep. This rune allows you to blink and gain a 70% movement speed boost for 3 seconds, even while rooted. It's especially useful against Druids and Mages, as using Shadowstep does not provoke combat.
Poisoned KnifeYou can begin in Desolace and pick up the quest from the Extinguished Campfire. Investigate the camp murder by visiting Kormek’s Hut where a goblin directs you to Booty Bay. In Booty Bay, find Tokal inside the Inn. Buy her a drink to obtain information about the assassin's whereabouts. Travel to Arathi Highlands. Take a boat from Thandol Sspan to the east coast of the Arathi Highlands. Proceed where a Night Elf will spawn after a few minutes. Engage her in combat to obtain a key.
Use the key to unlock a nearby chest, obtaining the Poisoned Knife rune. The ability costs 25 energy (20 with Improved Sinister Strike), deals full offhand weapon damage, and procs poisons on your offhand. The ability has a minimum range of 8 and a maximum of 25. It generates a combo point and is effective for solo content, allowing kiting and stunning tactics.
WaylayStart in Deadwind Pass and speak with the Dalaran Agent at the small camp. Equip the trinket she gives you to locate the Dark Riders. There are 7 Dark Riders spread across the world. The first is in Deadwind Pass. Defeat him to obtain The Dalaran Relic. Proceed to Raven Hill in Duskwood, Swamp of Sorrows, and Badlands to summon and defeat the Dark Riders. Encounter the Highlands Dark Rider, but be aware of competition from other players.
Head to the Barrens and Desolace to summon the Dark Riders. With all relics gathered, return to Deadwind Pass to turn them in. You will earn 11 gold and 60 silver from the quest, but the reward, the Waylay rune, is considered underwhelming. Suggestions for improving the Waylay rune include providing a backstab damage boost while using the rune, making it more useful and relevant.
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WoW Series Feb 18, 2024The 10 Things You Must Do After Reaching The Level Cap In WOW Classic SOD Phase 2!
Welcome back adventurers! WOW Classic SOD Phase 2 has been out for over a week, and you may have already reached level 40 in Phase 2. So, what do we do next?
In this guide, we’ll reveal the ultimate secrets of everything the best players do at level 40, and share the 10 things you need to do at level 40 to get that extra edge.
We’ll break this guide into three parts. This first part we’ll focus on PVE, discussing everything you need to do to get ahead and dominate Season of Discovery, some of which will ensure your success in the rest of the game.
Second, we’ll cover the best gold makers available right now. We all know this phase is very expensive, but I can still produce over 200 WOW Classic SOD Gold per day to offset the enormous expense. So I’ll tell you how to do it.
Finally, we’re going to talk about my favorite topic: PVP. Without further ado, let’s get started!
PVELet’s start with PVE now. Your focus should be on making Epic helmets. They are the first choice for PVE and PVP.
Helmet MakingStart with Grime-Encrusted Salvage, which you’ll find in Salvagematic 9000. My helmet cost over 400 WoW SoD gold to craft, but when the 3 day lockout comes the price really plummets. Therefore, my advice is to wait until the end of February before making the helmet.
Also, keep in mind that unlocked vendors sell new recipes like Retrocution or Enchants as well as the easy-to-throw Radiation Bomb. Even if you don’t get the helmet right away, you should still do the questline to get these recipes.
Get Cozy Sleeping BagHelmet crafting may be one you’ve already completed, but Cozy Sleeping Bag questline is a must-do.
Depending on whether you are Alliance or Horde, you will embark on a journey to Camp Taurajo or Westfall. You will then head to Stonetalon Mountains and Loch Modan, and finally to Arathi Highlands or Hillsbrad Foothills.
If you haven’t reached level 40 yet, a 3% XP bonus is insane. You also get eight Student Fodders, each of which will provide four Rested XP bars, which I plan to keep until Phase 3.
More RunesWe also want to get all the runes you may already have, or three new key runes you may be researching.
Now for my part, I’ll rush out and get Empowered Renew and Dispersion Rune. But the best players have acquired all 18 runes, allowing you to switch to new ones as soon as they cool down.
For example, I can instantly swap Dispersion for Pain Suppression. Then when it cools down, I can instantly switch to Spirit of the Redeemer and it’s like having three super powers all the time.
Furbolg Medicine PouchAnother PVE thing to do is farm Furbolg Medicine Pouch. Just one hunter and one healer are enough to farm Furbolg, or you can form a full raiding party.
What’s more, this Pouch has been recently patched and is now actually usable. This makes it pretty crazy for any 1V1 or flag running, and you save time going to Exalted grind in the next phase.
Gold MakersNow that we’ve discussed PVE, let’s talk about our top gold makers in Phase 2.
Complete QuestsThis is an expensive phase. We need to make a lot of Classic SoD gold, and the first thing we need to do is complete quests. Because as long as the quests are within five levels, you will get the maximum gold reward.
There’s usually about two gold rewards per quest, which isn’t that crazy, but there are still over 100 quests you can do. Among them, many will also receive green rewards. But be careful, because if you plan on doing quests in Phase 3, you have a lot of big quests to avoid.
EnchantingIn fact, all professions have enchanting, even at level one. You can break down the blues and greens in the world and get materials like Nether Essence. They’re worth over three gold each on my server and take things to the next level.
I can usually spend double the money on enchanting materials. You can also use items like Icy Cloak to generate a Large Glowing Shard.
I’ve also made over 400 gold so far by checking out every BiS Tailoring recipe and stocking up on Auction House. Even now, items like Red Mageweave Pants usually make me over 5 gold per craft.
Waylaid Supplies For SaleAnother big gold maker I’m working on right now is selling Waylaid Supplies.
So now we need to completely fill a box before we can turn it in. This means that even low-level box items are still amazing gold makers.
My personal favorites are the cooking boxes like Spider Sausage. Practically every profession can make you money now, but the most important thing is to sell all the stacks in a box that fits.
Transmute AltsAnother profession gold maker is Transmute alts. Since several crafting recipes require Silver Bars, they cannot be smelted even with Advanced Mining Gloves.
Therefore, the best way to get bars is to convert Mithril Bars directly into Silver Bars every 48 hours. This way, you’ll earn three to four gold coins per character.
Run UldamanAnother gold maker I’m working on is running Uldaman. Running Uldaman can get you some decent BiS Gear, and it may even drop extremely expensive items like Pendulum of Doom.
There is currently mixed information on who drops pendulum, but it seems to be mainly elites at level 44 to 45. Even if you’re not lucky enough to get a pendulum, other items may fetch a few hundred gold coins.
PVPFinally, you’ll definitely want to do some PVP as well. Here are the tips you need to pay attention to when completing PVP activities.
STV Blood Moon EventThe big PVP related thing I’m doing is STV Blood Moon Event, which happens every 3 hours. We know the event is a free-for-all, meaning you can kill players from both factions. You can also get tons of PVP rewards.
It seems that once the event starts, Fight Master becomes hostile and doesn’t allow you to leave Stranglethorn Vale easily. This looks like a very interesting mechanic, especially for hardcore PVP fans who want to fully experience the thrill of bloodshed.
Arena Grand Master GrindAnother thing I’m doing is grinding Arena Grand Master, which is the ultimate PVP Trinket, second only to Tidal Charm.
Whenever Blood Moon starts, treasure chests will spawn, and if you get 12 of them, you’ll get a crazy PVP Trinket. We usually summon in groups, then we split into groups of five to compete for Trinket, and then a final PVP match.
I’m really curious what you plan to spend the most time on in Phase 2. No matter what, plan a simple goal. It will really save you more time.
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Diablo 4 Feb 17, 2024Is This Death Blow Overkill Barbarian Build Worth Trying In Diablo 4 Season 3?
Welcome to my guide for Diablo 4 Season 3, where I present an incredible Barbarian Build known as the Death Blow Overkill Barbarian.
To kick things off, it’s crucial to equip the Overkill - an Ancestral unique 2-handed mace for Barbarians. With its perfect stats including all stat strength, overpower damage, and berserking, the damage to berserking is particularly noteworthy. Whether you possess an Overkill and seek a build to maximize its potential or simply have a penchant for the Death Blow skill, this build is worth exploring.
Gear & AspectsStarting with the Primal Bascinet of Might, prioritize Death Blow ranks and essential stats like total armor, maximum life, cooldown reduction, and employ basic skills for an Arsenal build.
Optimize the Juggernaut's Sovereign Mail chest for maximum health, resistances, and damage reduction.
Utilize Earthstriker Doom Gauntlets for their strength, attack speed, Critical Strike Chance, and Rend ranks, adaptable for core skills like Rend or Double Swing.
Choose Iron Blood Primal Chausses pants for Rend synergy or Protector for barrier utility, adjusting stats for defensive emphasis.
Equip Weapon Master's Doom Treads boots for movement speed and resistances.
Utilize Overkill 2-handed mace with rubies for overpower damage, complemented by Royal Boneblade of Inner Calm for stationary bonuses during key actions. Prioritize all-stat, strength, and relevant damage bonuses on weapons like Edgemaster's Skull and Steel and Demonblade of Encroaching Wrath.
Customize rings for Critical Strike Chance, overpower damage, and resource generation, considering options like Circle of Elements, or Ring of the Relentless Armsmaster based on individual preferences and synergy with companions. Then we have the Ring of Red Furor. This ring is amazing, and we spend 100 Fury by hitting Rend 3 times, which will proc our Encroaching Wrath, and then it will also proc this ring, and we’re guaranteed to have a Critical Strike.
Skill TreeDue to the Critical Strike damage boost from this ring, prioritizing damage amplification seems logical. However, maintaining overpower bonuses via gems for Earthstriker remains essential, especially with the inclusion of Bone Breaker.
In the amulet slot, the Iron Warrior is indispensable for Iron Skin users, boasting exceptional attributes such as strength, damage reduction, cooldown reduction, and 2 ranks to Heavy Handed. While this amulet is nearly perfectly rolled, prioritizing 3 ranks to all Weapon Mastery skills over Heavy Handed would further enhance the effectiveness of Death Blow. So try to get the Weapon Mastery skills and Weapon Expertise. With our Weapon Expertise, we do 2-handed axe, because everything will be vulnerable all the time.
For skill allocation, prioritize placing dual wield on Lunging Strike with 2 points for enhancement. Maximize points in Rend for enhanced effectiveness, then choose between Violent for increased damage or Furious for maintaining Edge Master bonus uptime. Allocate 3 points each in Imposing Presence and Iron Skin for enhancement and tactical use respectively. Include Swiftness for mobility and Aggressive Resistance for defense.
Consider omitting Prolific Fury due to companion effectiveness. Maximize points in Pit Fighter and Death Blow, potentially reaching 18 points with appropriate gear. Enhance Death Blow for boosted boss damage and include Warrior's Death Blow for berserking synergy. Utilize enhanced Steel Grasp for vulnerability and Fighter's for additional berserking. Allocate points in Thick Skin for counter offensive.
Opt for the Trifecta setup, emphasizing Heavy Handed, Brute Force, and Wallop for mace usage and vulnerability exploitation. Maintain Furious Impulse for weapon swapping Fury gain, adaptable depending on companion utility. Lastly, incorporate Wrath of the Berserker, progressing from Prime to Supreme for enhanced performance.
For our key passive, you could take Unconstrained, or you could take Walking Arsenal. The choice is yours. But if you don’t want to worry about weapon swapping, then Unconstrained would also be amazing as well. And with the skills, make sure that your Rend is on your slashing weapon, make sure your Lunging Strike is on dual wield, and make sure your Death Blow is on your Overkill mace.
Paragon Board & GlyphIn the Paragon board, prioritize Exploit glyph on the starting board to ensure constant vulnerability, and consider Bone Breaker for Wrath, maximizing dexterity for critical strike synergy with Ring of Red Furor. Alternatively, opt for Territorial for consistent damage without reliance on crits.
Emphasize Might in the Carnage board to enhance damage during berserking and bolster damage reduction.
In the Decimator board, focus on acquiring strength nodes for increased damage output.
Utilize the Weapon Master glyph in the Weapon Master board or the starter board to optimize physical damage bonuses, ensuring its effectiveness in tandem with frequent Death Blows.
Finally, prioritize Crusher in the Blood Rage board for overpower damage synergy with the main mace damage, emphasizing strength or Willpower allocation.
Seneschal ConstructThen with our construct, I recommend to use the Flash of Adrenaline, Duration Support, Tactical Support with Initiative Support, and then you put Tempest with Resource Support, Safeguard Support, and Fortify Support. The fortifies are up all the time. All these are my favorite for this construct.
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Path of Exile Feb 08, 2024Check Out The 3 Most Cost-Effective Builds In Path Of Exile 3.23
Hi, Builders! I extend a warm welcome to explore my curated list featuring the top 3 budget builds for the Path of Exile 3.23 Affliction League. If you're interested in delving deeper into affordable and powerful builds, then come with me on this journey. Let's dive right in!
1. Arc Totems HierophantTo start this topic, we have the most beginner-friendly of all, the Arc Totems Hierophant with the Templar class. On this build, we use many totems that cast the Arc skill for a fast and safe clear speed.
Budget: As for budget, you can get it by destroying early endgame maps with only around 35 chaos to comfortably advance to Yellow Maps, you need to invest around 90 chaos, and for easily completing your Atlas, I recommend investing around 3 divines. But you can totally do it. This build needs 3 mandatory unique items, but they are normally very cheap and easy to get.
Pros: The pros of this build is that this build is cheap and easy to complete. Using this build with almost no investment, you have a powerful, safe, and fast character that will be the perfect POE Currency farmer for this and future builds.
Cons: To all the cons, this build doesn’t have access to Evasion or Spell Suppression, but totem builds are very safe to play. Another issue is that some players might find this gameplay to be a little tedious.
Clear Speed: For clear speed, this build gets 9 out of 10. Arc is a good skill that chains to many enemies and easily clears big packs. This build counts with 4 totems casting this amazing skill.
Boss Damage: The boss damage deserves 9 out of 10. With the right debuffs and all 4 totems summoned, this build can take even big bosses down without any issue.
Survivability: For survivability, I’ll also give it 9 out of 10. As a totem build, you’ll always be far from the action while your totems do all the work. So if you know how to mind your position, you can easily complete high-tier maps with low-grade gear. Above all, this build still comes with high armor and high block chance.
2. Boneshatter JuggernautNext, we have this incredibly tanky Melee build, the Boneshatter Juggernaut with the Marauder class. This build is perfect for the Melee enthusiasts out there. Boneshatter hits enemies so hard that it hurts your own character, accumulating Trauma stacks. For each Trauma, you’re going to deal and take more damage. That’s why it’s important to gear both attack speed and armor to stack many Traumas and sustain their damage.
Budget: As for budget, this build is cheap. You can get it destroying early endgame maps with only around 60 chaos. To comfortably advance to Yellow Maps, I recommend investing around 120 chaos. And for easily completing your Atlas, I recommend investing around 4 Divine Orbs.
Pros: To reach the pros of this build, I would start off with its survivability. Even though you do damage to yourself, this build has so much armor that you won’t feel a thing. However, this build don't need to sacrifice speed or boss damage. It’s still super fast and can kill Guardians in just a few seconds.
Cons: To all the cons, the first thing that comes to mind is that you need to keep an eye on your Accuracy. This is because the keystone Precise Technique grants 40% more damage if your Accuracy is bigger than your Life.
Clear Speed: For clear speed, I’ll give it 9 out of 10. Boneshatter also creates a big pulse of damage when stunning enemies, meaning that a single blow can kill an entire pack of monsters. Other than that, you stack a lot of attack speed that causes your Leap Slam land to almost teleport you through the map.
Boss Damage: The boss damage is also great and deserves 9 out of 10. Using Boneshatter on bosses causes you to accumulate a lot of Trauma stacks and do huge amounts of damage.
Survivability: For survivability, this build is surely 10 out of 10, and I would even like to say 20 out of 10 if I could. This build achieves almost 200,000 armor and over 83% of all Elemental Resistances. All of that combined with the Juggernaut Ascendancy grants his character over 300,000 effective HP. It’s really crazy.
3. Summon Raging Spirits GuardianThe last build of our budget selection is the amazing Summon Raging Spirits Guardian also with the Templar class. As we all know, minion builds are among the best out there, and this one has the best cost-benefit. It’s a very simple and safe build for you to complete all content with little investment or effort. It's also a good choice for beginners.
Budget: As for budget, you can get it destroying by the early endgame maps with only around 60 chaos to comfortably advance to Yellow Maps. I recommend investing around 100 Chaos Orbs. And for easily completing RAS, I recommend investing around 4 divines.
Pros: When it comes to the pros of this build, it is accessibility, super cheap and easy to play, doesn’t need any mandatory unique POE Item. This build is for everyone. It also comes with great boss damage and survivability. Above all, it has 3 damage auras totally for free and a minion that takes 20% of the damage for you.
Cons: To let the cons start, saying the Raging Spirits have a short duration, and you need to keep resummoning them, which might reduce your speed a little. Other than that, this build also doesn’t have access to Evasion or Life.
Clear Speed: This build gets 8 out of 10 because you have to keep resummoning Raging Spirits. Even though the clear speed isn’t super fast, it’s perfectly fine for you to play.
Boss Damage: The boss damage is great, it’s a 9 out of 10. If you apply all the buffs and maintain the Summon Spirit, you will easily reach over 15 million DPS, more than enough to decimate all end-game bosses in seconds.
Survivability: For survivability, I’ll give it 10 out of 10. This is because we’re talking about a minion build where you just need to summon them and wait behind while they destroy and tank everything for you. You just need to mind your position, but with this build, even if they manage to reach you, you still have high armor and block chance, resting on an effective HP of over 14,000.
