General News

Diablo 4 Season of Hell's Legacy is the most well-received season since the game's release, but some players are still wondering whether this could be the final hurrah before Diablo V arrives.

We don't know yet whether the development team has shifted its focus elsewhere, but the patch notes for Diablo 4 PTR 3.3.0 are now available. Let's take a look at whether Season 16 has enough new content to keep players engaged.

3.3.0 PTR Date

The Diablo 4 PTR 3.3.0 will run from October 27 to November 3, lasting approximately one week. To participate, launch Battle.net client on PC, select Public Test Realm, download and install the PTR, and then create a test character.

War Plans Trees

Although War Plans have improved Diablo 4's endgame, the system still lacks substantial content. So in season 16, War Plans Trees have received minor expansions and a rework.

War Plans Tactics

War Plans Tactics is an entirely new tree that increases the chances of encountering preferred activities and rewards, allowing players to tailor their War Plans to their personal goals and playstyles.

Previously, War Plans relied heavily on RNG, leaving players with little control over which activities appeared. With War Plans Tactics, you can invest up to 3 points in any activity node to increase the likelihood of that activity appearing in your War Plans.

Investing at least 1 point in a Helltide or Nightmare Dungeon node also unlocks additional options, allowing you to increase the chances of encountering Greater Helltides or upgraded dungeons.

You can also invest up to 3 points to increase the likelihood of obtaining specific types of rewards, such as equipment, upgrade materials, Talisman Items, or general resources.

Marks of Wisdom

War Plans are also introducing a new currency called Marks of Wisdom. Players can earn these marks by submitting completed War Plans and use them to reallocate points in War Plans Tactics tree and the individual skill trees associated with each activity. This eliminates the previous requirement to consume D4 gold when adjusting these nodes.

In the PTR, the maximum number of Marks of Wisdom you can hold is 20. This change effectively limits how freely players can reset their War Plans trees, especially since farming gold is relatively easy.

Tyrael's Boons

Starting with Diablo 4 Season 16, a new season-themed War Plans tree called Tyrael's Boons will become available. All seasonal characters can access it, even without Lord of Hatred expansion.

This tree offers season-specific choices, such as earning additional seasonal reputation or currency, alongside general quality-of-life benefits, including reduced Obol costs for gambling at Occultist.

The tree provides up to 132 points that can be allocated across four paths. Players can reset their Tyrael's Boons allocations by consuming 5 million gold per point.

Horadric Items

Horadric Items are among the most anticipated additions in this PTR. These Legendary items create direct synergies between equipped gear and Talisman set bonuses.

Horadric affixes modify the effects of specific Talisman sets depending on the type of item they appear on. Possible effects include increased Ultimate Skill multipliers and cooldown reduction.

Horadric Cube affixes on armor and weapons also introduce new effects that activate when players have at least two pieces of a specified set equipped. This opens up some potentially powerful build combinations.

The official showcase featured an item with five base affixes. After Transfigure and Tempering, it could reach seven affixes, while Multi-Transfigure could push the total to ten or even more.

These Diablo 4 items may also feature an Abyss Skill Aspect and a bonus similar to Hellfire Torch's +1 to set count. This set-count bonus has a special interaction with Seal of the Diamond Mind, allowing players to gain a two-piece set bonus by equipping just one Talisman.

In other words, players could equip five pieces from five different sets and activate five separate two-piece bonuses. When combined with Seal of the Diamond Mind, it may even be possible to activate two five-piece set bonuses simultaneously.

Horadric Items are not an entirely new equipment category. Instead, they are Legendary items with special Horadric affixes and can appear in familiar equipment slots, including rings, weapons, and armor.

The official team has not yet revealed how these items will be crafted, but one possibility is that players will need to use Horadric Cube alongside season-specific materials to create them.

Corrupted Reaper Returns

Corrupted Reaper boss from Season 14 is returning, this time bringing reinforcements in the form of Fractured Reaper. Rather than functioning as separate Lair Bosses, the two enemies will coordinate their attacks by combining their respective abilities.

The official team has promised high-value loot. Given that Corrupted Reaper offered reasonably good rewards in Season 14, there is reason to be optimistic about what this encounter will provide.

Incidentally, the official team has also announced gameplay adjustments to Infernal Hordes and The Pit, although no detailed information has been revealed yet.

Meanwhile, Helltides are receiving a quality-of-life improvement to their timing mechanics. Aberrant Cinders will no longer be reset when one Helltide ends and another begins, giving players more opportunities to open Hell's Prize chests.

These are the main new mechanics and items coming to Diablo 4 Season 16 PTR. Class balance is another major focus, and the changes are largely nerfs, with Druids receiving the most substantial adjustments. However, the power creep introduced by Horadric Items and the revamped War Plans may help compensate for these reductions, so there is no need to be overly pessimistic.

Tartarus season of Torchlight Infinite introduces a new Hero Trait: The Ultimate One, commonly referred to by the community as Youga 3.

Typically, new Hero Traits require a period of adjustment, so it is usually not recommended to jump into one immediately at the start of a new season. Youga 3, however, is an exception; it feels great to play right from the get-go in Season 14!

In this guide, we will walk you through the process of crafting a starter build for Youga 3, allowing you to experience the fresh content of Torchlight: Infinite with an entirely new playstyle.

Advantages of Youga 3 starter build

For any Torchlight: Infinite season, a good starter build should be accessible: it shouldn't require excessive resources, it shouldn't rely on high-end gear, and it should have a manageable learning curve.

The core crafting strategy for Youga 3 starter build centers on Clockwork Core mechanic as the primary source of damage. You then amplify this output by stacking modifiers such as projectile count, projectile speed, critical strike stats, and damage bonuses triggered by movement skills.

Unlike traditional Torchlight: Infinite starter builds, which often require frequent manual skill casting and careful rhythm management, a Youga 3 build focuses on the synergy between skills.

Once you have set up your key talents and supporting skills, many of your abilities can remain active for extended periods, while Clockwork Core handles the bulk of the damage automatically.

Your main tasks are to stay in motion, use movement skills to trigger damage buffs, and adjust your positioning based on the battlefield to ensure consistent enemy clearance.

Furthermore, this build does not require BiS gear; you can begin by crafting with items obtained during the main campaign. Of course, if you have the budget, you can always buy Torchlight Infinite Flame Elementium to further upgrade your existing equipment.

Keep in mind that your performance will depend on factors like how frequently you use movement skills and whether you can keep your key abilities active.

As such, you will need to strike a balance between offensive output, mobility, and survivability based on the situation at hand.

Talent tree setup

The talent tree for Youga 3 league-start build relies primarily on Goddess of Hunting, God of War, Marksman, and Lich trees.

These provide bonuses to attack and cast speed, convert projectile speed into projectile damage, and offer support through mana compensation and skill effect duration.

Goddess of Hunting

When configuring this talent tree in Torchlight: Infinite, your primary goal is to boost your character's attack/cast speed, mobility, and critical hit frequency.

The Third Time's a Charm node is a high priority; it grants Hasten status, which provides attack and cast speed bonuses and creates synergies with other skills.

God of War

The value of this tree lies in improving mapping efficiency and pack-clearing speed, both of which are crucial during the season-start phase.

Even if your individual attacks deal significant damage, your overall map-clearing speed will suffer if your projectiles lack sufficient coverage or if your skills are inefficient at clearing groups of enemies.

Therefore, once the core damage mechanics of your Youga 3 build are established, it is highly recommended to invest in God of War tree to enhance your clearing experience.

Of course, the exact number of points to invest here should be determined by your current mapping efficiency and the total number of talent points you have available.

If your character currently requires more survivability or longer skill effect durations, there is no need to over-invest in God of War solely for the sake of clearing speed.

Marksman and Lich

Unlocking Gale node within Marksman tree converts 60% of your projectile speed into a projectile damage bonus, which is why we previously emphasized the importance of increasing projectile speed.

As for Lich tree, it is chosen primarily for Mana Compensation, though its most critical benefit is the skill effect duration bonus.

Key mechanic Clockwork Core

Serving as the primary source of damage for this build, Clockwork Core can be summoned to attack automatically based on its own internal mechanics. This spares you from the need for manual casting, allowing you to focus more on positioning and maintaining your skill buffs.

Additionally, if you have invested in Recall related talent nodes, a halo will be generated around enemies, which then follows the movement of Clockwork Core.

You can even have Clockwork Core move alongside you, and its attacks can ricochet off walls. If an attack bounces off a wall and heads back into the play area, it can often clear out many enemies at once.

Furthermore, Youga 3 features 12 exclusive trait nodes. One of these, I Meet the Selves, provides a bonus to skill effect duration, be sure to unlock it.

However, take note: this node replaces the skill in your fourth active skill slot with Selves of All Realms. If you have an essential skill in that slot, make sure to move it elsewhere so it doesn't get overwritten.

Another crucial node is I Am the Measure of All Time. This node changes how cooldown recovery speed bonuses function for Selves of All Realms: instead of reducing its cooldown, these bonuses now extend its duration.

In Torchlight Infinite, duration bonuses apply to Selves of All Realms at 200% effectiveness. This means that the talent points you invest can significantly extend its duration, allowing for near-constant uptime.

Ultimately, these nodes are what enable the automation of your skills. Regardless of the situation, if Selves of All Realms or Clockwork Core is not currently active near you, the skill will be cast automatically.

If you enjoy experimenting with new Hero Traits in Torchlight Infinite, this guide should help you have a fantastic experience in Season 14! Go ahead and put this build to the test to see its true potential!

On December 11th, Path of Exile 2 will end its nearly two-year early access period and launch its 1.0 official version on PC and consoles, becoming entirely free-to-play.

For the developers, this will be the largest user entry point ever; for players, it's a promise of starting from scratch for everyone: new characters, empty inventory, and zero Divine Orb.

However, judging from the trajectory of multiple leagues during PoE 2's early access period, the official version's economy will face a huge problem: before most new players reach the endgame, the market will have already pushed prices to unattainable levels.

The Current Economic State of PoE 2

In the economic system of ARPGs, wealth disparity is inevitable, even part of the game design. There's nothing inherently wrong with top players accumulating wealth first through knowledge, time, and strategy. What's truly concerning is the speed at which the gap widens: as the cost of catching up for newcomers continues to rise, a gap that could have been gradually narrowed can evolve into an insurmountable hurdle.

In PoE 2, taking the exchange rate of Exalted Orb to Divine Orb as an example, the pace of inflation has shown a similar trend across multiple leagues. After the release of 0.3.0 The Third Edict, community records show that the exchange rate of Divine to Exalted Orb rapidly climbed from 55 Exalted Orb at the beginning of the first week to approximately 280 by the end of the second week, and continued to rise thereafter, stabilizing at around 650 Exalted Orb to 1 Divine Orb for a long period.

This increase was not linear, but rather concentrated in the first two to four weeks of the league. For players who could only dedicate two or three hours a day, by the time they finally completed the storyline and entered the maps, core upgrade gear priced in Divine Orb was already several times more expensive than at launch.

What will new players face?

The disadvantage for new players at the beginning of version 1.0 appears to be simply a lack of resources, but it's actually a combination of two problems: a lack of knowledge and limited time.

The knowledge gap can be bridged through learning: which builds are most efficient during the initial exploration phase, which juicing strategies still yield positive returns with low investment, and which base items are worth preserving - all of this can be gradually mastered through videos, community discussions, and personal trial and error.

However, the time gap cannot be compensated for in the same way. While some players dedicate eight to ten hours daily, completing Atlas progression and entering a high-intensity juicing cycle within the first week of launch, others may still be in the middle of the campaign.

Furthermore, the cost structure of juicing amplifies this time disadvantage. High-intensity map strategies require an early investment of PoE2 currency to acquire tablets, scarabs, etc.; players with existing resources can afford this investment and further expand their resources through higher drop rates.

New players mostly use a low-investment, alch-and-go farming approach. While this has a low barrier to entry, the output per unit time is far from enough to keep up with the rising price curve of Divine.

The result is: those with savings get richer by farming, while those without savings are constantly saving money for their first unique item, and their saving speed can't keep up with the price increase of their target item.

What advantages do veteran players have?

Besides the cycle of time and capital, two other factors systematically favor experienced players in the early stages of a league - rarity and information asymmetry in trading.

Rarity

Experienced players know that increasing the rarity attribute on equipment increases drop rewards, so they will preemptively combine equipment affixes to obtain more items and currency. New players are unaware of this mechanism and will miss out on extra benefits. As the game progresses, the resource gap between the two sides will widen.

Information Asymmetry in Trading

The currency conversion prices used by the built-in Currency Exchange in Path of Exile 2 and external trading websites are sometimes inconsistent. For example, the same piece of equipment might be listed for 200 Exalted Orb by one seller and 1 Divine Orb by another.

Trading websites, lacking a unified currency unit, might prioritize items that are actually cheaper. Experienced players know to check the actual value of different currencies, while new players often buy items directly from the top of the list, potentially spending more money on the same equipment.

Both of these issues make it easier for players familiar with the game mechanics and market conditions to accumulate wealth, further widening the economic gap between them.

How can 1.0 improve the new player experience?

A more reasonable approach to these problems is to improve the starting ability for new players while preserving the advantages gained by experienced players through experience and investment. Directly increasing the drop rate of Divine Orb is not the best solution. If the currency becomes too cheap, equipment pricing and economic competition between players will also be affected.

Firstly, a one-time milestone reward could be implemented. A reward of 1-2 Divine Orbs could be given when a character first enters a map or defeats a peak boss. For experienced players, this slight increase in rewards has limited impact, but it can help new players who enter the endgame later purchase their first key piece of equipment. Limiting it to once per account per league also prevents alt accounts from repeatedly claiming rewards.

Secondly, allowing players to use untradeable gold to unlock low-tier Tablets or basic farming resources would allow new players to start farming efficiently without needing to accumulate large amounts of Divine Orb beforehand. High-tier resources would still be market-priced, and the reward cap for experienced players wouldn't be directly affected.

Finally, a Divine Orb pity system could be introduced: if a player fails to obtain a Divine Orb on multiple consecutive maps, a guaranteed drop would be triggered. This wouldn't directly eliminate the reward gap between players, but it would reduce the frustration of casual players investing time without reward, and lower the risk of new players quitting prematurely.

Conclusion

The free launch of Path of Exile 2 1.0 is expected to attract a large number of new players, but the development team may only retain them for one to two weeks. If rapid inflation and soaring equipment prices leave newcomers with no hope of catching up, then subsequent updates and adjustments will hardly be able to salvage the situation.

Let's wait and see how the studio handles this historical dilemma on December 11th.

We are now well into the mid-to-late stages of Diablo 4 Season 15, yet many players are still actively farming for Crux of the False Prophet to unlock further treasures.

If you are currently preparing for high-tier rewards linked to Mephisto, this guide will help clarify your farming process!

What is Crux of the False Prophet?

In Season 15 of D4, Crux of the False Prophet serves as a Lair Boss Key - an item required to unlock Mephisto's Hoard after defeating Echo of Mephisto. Consequently, it is an essential item that players will almost certainly need to obtain.

With Season 15 patch adjustments - which now guarantee a Mythic drop from Echo of Mephisto - the value of this key has increased significantly, making it a highly sought-after drop for players engaged in endgame farming.

In short, Crux of the False Prophet does not provide direct rewards itself; rather, it serves as a gateway to the valuable loot offered by the endgame boss.

Keeping this in mind will help you look beyond the outcome of a single run and focus instead on the broader, cyclical nature of your endgame progression.

Core Farming Strategy

The primary strategy for obtaining Crux of the False Prophet in Diablo 4 Season 15 is to consistently engage in endgame activities at the highest Torment difficulty level where you can still farm efficiently and clear content effectively.

As is well known, higher Torment difficulties offer more rewarding endgame loot - but only if you have the power to clear that content with sufficient speed and efficiency.

Chasing a higher Torment difficulty at the cost of a sluggish farming pace is often counterproductive; you are likely better off playing at a slightly lower difficulty where you can progress more smoothly and steadily.

Therefore, rather than focusing solely on the difficulty level itself, evaluate whether a given Torment tier is right for you based on your completion efficiency, and how much you can accomplish within a set amount of time.

Maintaining a consistent farming rhythm is key to sustaining your endgame activities over the long term, which maximizes your chances of obtaining Crux of the False Prophet.

Boss Farming Loop

When pursuing Crux of the False Prophet in Diablo 4, you can establish a boss farming loop: start by gathering standard keys through basic activities, use those resources to challenge entry-level bosses, and then progressively advance toward higher-tier bosses.

By adopting this cyclical approach, you can transform various endgame content tiers into a sustainable farming route, rather than fixating on the outcome of any single drop.

As you consistently run this loop, your chances of obtaining Crux of the False Prophet - along with other desired materials - will naturally increase.

However, keep in mind that the key to an effective loop is ensuring that the rewards from one tier can be utilized in the next, preventing any resources from sitting idle or going to waste.

After running this cycle a few times, you will find it easier to determine which tier is best for you to focus your time and resources on.

Leveraging War Plans

To boost your efficiency when farming for Crux of the False Prophet in D4 Season 15, you can activate boss-related nodes within War Plans system.

The primary advantage of War Plans is that it helps you prioritize specific boss-related tasks. Instead of wandering the map and engaging in random combat, you can concentrate your time and resources on activities that advance your boss-farming loop, minimizing wasted effort.

As mentioned earlier, the clearer your strategy for farming Crux of the False Prophet, the smoother and easier the process becomes.

Key nodes to look out for include:

• Writhe and Rot (Helltide)
• Lair of Plenty (Lair Bosses)
• Greater Nemesis (Lair Bosses)
• Two by Two (Lair Bosses)

Supplementing Resources with Whisper Caches

In addition to the strategies above, you can also utilize Whisper Caches in Diablo 4 as a supplementary source of resources during your farming runs.

Season 15 patch has improved the rewards found in Whisper Caches - including Diablo 4 gold, gems, and even materials for Horadric Cube. 

The key caches have a slight chance of containing Crux of the False Prophet, making Whispers a great supplementary activity - whether you're looking to stock up on daily resources or farm keys for Mephisto.

You can easily fit these into the gaps in your boss-farming rotation; it won't disrupt your primary farming route, and it even boosts your chances of obtaining keys.

Keep the Right Mindset

Since your best chance of obtaining Crux of the False Prophet lies in higher Torment difficulty levels, try not to view it as a guaranteed drop - just let it come naturally.

After all, consistently farming high-difficulty content in Diablo 4 requires your build, gear, and other resources to be up to par, which is no small feat.

You don't need to aim for a perfect setup right from the start; instead, focus on maintaining a state where you can keep playing consistently, and avoid forcing yourself into high-intensity farming over a short period.

If you don't have the time to commit to a boss-farming loop, you can simply buy Diablo 4 Crux of the False Prophet directly, then claim the rewards granted by Echo of Mephisto after the encounter.

Hopefully, this guide helps you avoid unnecessary detours and saves you time during the late stages of Season 15!

Torchlight Infinite Season 14 has just launched. In the current early-game progression phase, Sage Homing Frost Bolt build stands out as a stable, highly automated option that is also very budget-friendly.

It won't allow for instant, screen-clearing speed right from the start; instead, it focuses on establishing a stable foothold in T8 maps, with damage output scaling up gradually through gear upgrades and passive skill investments.

Build Strength

While the new Yuga - given a similar level of investment - offers significantly higher burst potential in Torchlight Infinite's Tartarus content, Sage Homing Frost Bolt build excels in terms of stability and survivability (tankiness).

Furthermore, you don't need to obsess over achieving perfect resistances, as they aren't the primary bottleneck for survival with this build.

The real threats to watch out for are massive burst damage from stacked map modifiers and Damage over Time (DoT) effects - though these issues become much more manageable once you acquire a proper body armor.

Unless you're being extremely careless with your gameplay in Torchlight Infinite, it's quite difficult to end up dying constantly.

All in all, Sage Homing Frost Bolt build allows you to farm T8 content reliably, while also offering massive potential for further damage scaling.

Core Gear

If you haven't managed to find Hekate's Vision as a drop in Torchlight Infinite Season 14, it can be acquired for around 50 Torchlight Infinite Flame Elementium - a very reasonable price.

You don't necessarily need a corrupted version; since you won't be utilizing a double curse setup, feel free to opt for a version with more useful, non-corrupted affixes.

Martyr's Staff is currently very affordable and provides a substantial boost to the survivability of Sage Homing Frost Bolt build, making it a high-priority item to acquire.

For your belt, look for items with T2-tier affixes. For boots, prioritize stats like Cold Skill Level, resistances, movement speed, damage, and life.

As for rings, focus on resistances, life, and a bit of critical strike chance. If the price of Restless Glacier fits your budget, it's a great item to aim for.

For Sage Homing Frost Bolt build, Headless Cleric Wand is the key item. You specifically need a base that comes with +2 to Cold Skill Levels; other modifiers - such as Spell Damage - can be added via manual crafting, keeping costs manageable.

Automated Mapping

As previously mentioned, this Sage Homing Frost Bolt build features a high degree of automation. Let's look at how this is achieved in Torchlight Infinite.

The secret lies in Activation Medium: Start support skill (which costs approximately 10–15 Flame Elementium).

By using this, you can trigger Thirst Dew and two curses simply by moving, eliminating the need for manual key presses.

Note that the dual-curse setup is not strictly mandatory for this build; you could opt to use a movement skill instead.

When you first reach Tier 8 (T8) maps, it is better to prioritize damage. Since your clear speed may not yet be optimal, investing in movement speed too early will yield limited returns.

Once your damage output reaches 6 billion, you can then shift your resources toward increasing movement speed to accelerate your mapping pace.

For mapping, focusing on Cube mechanics is a solid choice - while perhaps not the absolute fastest method, the loot yield per T8 map is nearly triple that of a T7 map, making the slightly slower pace well worth it.

Skill Setup

Offensive Skills

As the name suggests, this Sage Homing Frost Bolt build centers on Homing Frost Bolt as the primary offensive skill, supported by the following linked skills:

• Spell Tangle
• Manifold Entanglement
• Grudge
• Wind Projectiles
• Multiple Projectiles

Recovery Skills

To handle survivability, this build utilizes Life Tonic as a core skill, linked with three support skills to ensure sustained combat capability and emergency recovery:

• Residues
• Emergency Restoration
• Hyper Metabolism

Survival Skills

If you wish to further enhance your survivability and sustain, you can use Thirst Dew as an active skill, linked with the following support skills:

• Activation Medium: Start
• Hyper Metabolism
• Extended Duration

Together, these support skills create a fully automated potion-consumption mechanism for your Sage Homing Frost Bolt build.

As mentioned earlier, Activation Medium: Start is the key to automatically triggering Thirst Dew, while Hyper Metabolism accelerates the recharge cycle of Thirst Dew.

Extended Duration serves to prolong the effect of Thirst Dew.

This specific setup significantly improves the fault tolerance of Sage Homing Frost Bolt build in Torchlight Infinite SS14.

Curses

For curses, you can opt for Biting Cold and Timid (utilizing Hekate's Vision to enable the use of two curses simultaneously).

There is no need to add a third curse; Biting Cold and Timid are more than sufficient for this build.

Passive Skill Tree

In Passive Skill Tree, the character focuses primarily on Marksman region. You should select Insight to gain Spell Damage and choose Tailored Remedy to substantially boost the benefits derived from Elixir Skills.

Additionally, beyond your primary damage setup, you can incorporate a Summon Fire Magus passive - linked with Friend of Spirit Magi and Restrain - to provide supplementary buffs.

If you are looking for a reliable way to progress through the early game in Torchlight Infinite SS14 and eventually farm T8 content, this Sage Homing Frost Bolt build is definitely worth a try!

Aion 2 released a major update on October 21, finally introducing Hard Mode Expeditions alongside new items that could change gameplay, an updated Wind Breeze Merchant Shop, and a hidden class bug fix that may affect the current meta.

This update does not simply follow the same schedule as Taiwanese and Korean servers. Instead, it includes several adjustments tailored to the global server. Regardless of what type of player you are, let's take a closer look at everything this update has to offer.

Hard Mode Expeditions

October 21 update introduced Hard Mode for the latest Expedition dungeons, Krao Cave and Draupnir. These two dungeons were originally considered lower-tier Expedition content, but the new difficulty aims to push them toward mid-to-late-game and even endgame progression.

Hard Mode requires an item level of 2,600 to enter. Player progression currently varies considerably. Some characters have already reached item levels of 2,800 to 3,000, while others are still working on their main characters and continuing to level up.

For players who have completed the main Conquest and Main Story Quests and started progressing into endgame content, Hard Mode is where these two dungeons become truly worthwhile.

In Hard Mode, Boss Frenzy Timer is reduced to 4 minutes instead of the usual 5 minutes, making DPS check more demanding. In addition, each player is limited to 3 Revives.

Hard Mode also offers new rewards, including a chance to obtain Philosopher's Stone.

Philosopher's Stone

Philosopher's Stone is primarily used in the Soul Fuse system, allowing players to add an extra random Soul Fusion stat to their equipment.

When you use a Philosopher's Stone for the first time, the resulting stat is random, but its value is guaranteed to be 100%. If the stat is not the one you want, you will need to reroll it. After rerolling, its percentage becomes random, meaning you will need to use a Soul Codex again to improve the result.

Therefore, when adding a Philosopher's Stone to armor, it is best to choose a passive stat. The stat granted by Philosopher's Stone always starts at 100%, so you won't need to use a Soul Codex to improve another stat instead.

Philosopher's Stone stat line does not transfer to new equipment and is not retained when Upcrafting. Basically, you should avoid using it on equipment below level 86.

You can also select Philosopher's Stone as a guaranteed reward from a Pity Box.

Ariel Fragment (Bound)

Hard Mode rewards include Ariel Fragments. At Substance Morph, you can exchange 100 Ariel Fragments for one Daevanion Crystal: Ariel, with a maximum of 30 exchanges per character.

Ariel Fragments correspond to a new panel on Daevanion Board, which provides a total of 232 points and an additional 232 Gear Score. This is particularly helpful for reaching 2,800 Gear Score required to access Abyssal Forge: Ludra.

Since these fragments are bound on the global server and each character can complete only 30 exchanges, finishing this panel is expected to take approximately 8 weeks.

Once you have completed the panel, you can exchange one Ariel Fragment for five Enhancement Stones through Substance Morph. Any surplus fragments can be converted into Enhancement Stones, with all these transactions handled through Substance Morph tab.

Ariel panel provides PvE-related stats and Boss Damage bonuses. You can prioritize completing all PvE Damage nodes first, followed by Boss Damage nodes, and then fill in the defensive nodes.

Hard Mode Rewards

In Hard Mode, you have a chance to obtain Expedition Hero Artwork, along with more Kina. Three-Star Conquest in Normal Mode currently rewards 400,000 Kinah, so Hard Mode should offer at least 500,000 Aion 2 Kinah or more.

All unique crafting materials can drop from Krao Cave in Hard Mode, including Wrathful Mind, Wrathful Will, and Wrathful Ego. The drop rates for these materials should be higher than in Normal Mode, which could lead to a decline in the value of Wrathful Mind.

A new Expedition Hero Artwork Collection achievement will also be added, presumably triggered when you obtain the artwork as a drop. An additional Hard Mode Expedition achievement is being introduced as well. Completing the hard mode expedition achievements rewards players with unique skins.

System Improvements

On the server side, the maximum number of players allowed to enter Abyss will be adjusted to accommodate more players.

As players' item levels and CP continue to increase, HP of Dimensional Cores in Low Abyss will be increased. Boss HP will also be raised.

The collision hitboxes of Abyss Bosses Kaira and Argo will be slightly enlarged to prevent players from stacking too closely together on one side.

Rise to the Challenge Event

Rise to the Challenge is a limited-time event that provides resurrection items to support players tackling high-difficulty dungeons. The event runs from October 21 through December 15.

You can purchase Resurrection Spiritstone (Season 1) from Wind Breeze Merchants. The items are sold in stages, and you must complete the previous stage before unlocking the next one.

Resurrection Spiritstones in Step 1 cost 25,000 gold, while those in Step 2 cost 50,000 Kinah. Both are bound and cannot be traded. They will all be deleted at 00:00 Pacific Time on December 16, 2026, so make sure to use them before then.

October 21 Aion 2 patch is not a game-changing expansion, but it is a meaningful update focused on character progression. Many players on the global server have already built fairly strong characters, and this update gives them more goals to pursue.

Outpost is a significant addition introduced in Frozen Trail update for ARC Raiders. Beyond expanding your base, it allows for the construction of a Research Station, which is essential for upgrading your gear to Amplified tier.

In this guide, however, we'll focus on a less-discussed but vital feature: Outpost's storage capabilities. As you progress and accumulate more resources, simply piling them haphazardly around your Outpost is a waste of space!

Read on as we reveal the secrets to maximizing your storage capacity in ARC Raiders, covering everything from furniture mechanics to specialized storage techniques for specific materials.

Expanding storage with furniture

If you've played management or base-building games before, you'll know that certain pieces of furniture serve a dual purpose: they act as decor while also providing extra storage space.

If you haven't started customizing your ARC Raiders Outpost yet, a great first step is to acquire a Polished Weapon Rack and mount it on a wall.

It features four attached slots, allowing you to display up to four weapons, even those that have been fully modified. This keeps your weapons accessible whenever you need them, without taking up precious space in your personal inventory.

To set this up, you'll need an available area in your Outpost, the design for Polished Weapon Rack, and the necessary crafting materials.

Unlike gear blueprints, furniture designs don't have fixed drop locations. If you're looking to acquire specific designs quickly, consider choosing ARC Raiders items for sale.

Advanced furniture storage tips

Beyond their visible utility, ARC Raiders furniture items have a hidden advantage: if you move a piece of furniture, already containing items, back into your system storage, those items remain inside the furniture rather than being removed or stored separately.

For example, if you fill a Diner Cupboard (which features 16 individual storage slots) with items and then move the cupboard back into your storage, it will only occupy a single slot in your system storage, while effectively retaining all 16 slots' worth of items inside.

Given this characteristic, to maximize storage space, we recommend choosing containers with a higher number of internal slots when placing furniture in your Outpost, such as the aforementioned Diner Cupboard.

However, keep in mind that such furniture items often have a larger footprint, so you should plan your Outpost layout accordingly. In tighter spaces, a Warehouse Dresser, which offers 5 slots, can be a great alternative.

Note that these furniture storage units are primarily intended for trinkets and certain recyclable items found in ARC Raiders.

Interaction with Scrappy

Some furniture placed in your ARC Raiders Outpost can do more than just store items; they can also interact directly with other game systems, such as Scrappy, the rooster that follows you around.

Scrappy generates various resources for you based on the time you consumed in the game. By feeding him specific food items, you can increase the likelihood of him producing particular resources.

Previously, you had to carry most of this feed in your personal backpack. Now, you can store it in your Outpost furniture and even trigger the feeding action directly from there, no need to move the items back into your inventory first!

This not only saves backpack space but also eliminates the time consumed constantly transferring items and manually feeding Scrappy. Do note, however, that some food items, such as olives and mushrooms, cannot currently be stored in furniture.

Furthermore, this feature can serve as a storage space for seeds. Fruits can be stacked in groups of 10, with each stack effectively representing 30 seeds, a great way to free up space in your backpack.

You can also retrieve these fruits from your furniture at any time: simply select clear all attached items, and they will be moved back to your personal stash. From there, you can break them down into seeds whenever you need them.

Stockpiling specific recyclable items

As you progress in the game, crafting high-tier gear will require you to collect and consume vast quantities of basic components.

Storing these raw materials directly in your personal stash will quickly fill it to capacity, this is where your Outpost comes in handy. More importantly, you should focus on stockpiling specific recyclable items that can be efficiently dismantled into composite materials.

UI optimization tips

When you first enter your Outpost, the interface can be quite confusing, especially since the layout for switching between various facilities often feels disorganized.

While ARC Raiders allows you to move these facilities, dragging and dropping them directly can sometimes cause display glitches.

To keep things organized, we recommend using one of the red pillars in your Outpost as a fixed reference point. Start by placing your workbench there and designating it as Station 1.

From there, you can systematically adjust the positions of your other facilities relative to this anchor point, which will make the layout much easier to manage.

For example, if you want to move your refiner right next to the workbench, you can follow a clear workflow: locate the refiner, then swap its position with whatever facility is currently occupying the station 2 location.

Keep in mind that, due to screen space limitations, you might not always be able to see two specific facilities on the same interface screen. In such cases, you will need to move both items into your storage first, and then place them back down in their desired locations.

A quick word of caution: try not to move too many facilities into storage at once, and avoid relying solely on manual drag-and-drop to reposition them, as this can easily trigger bugs.

Take it one step at a time, making adjustments as you go, until everything is neatly arranged. While the process can be a bit tedious, you only need to set it up once, after that, you won't have to worry about it again!

We hope these tips help you make the most of your ARC Raiders Outpost. And remember: while expanding your storage capacity is important, don't forget to keep things looking good, too!

In RuneScape: Dragonwilds gear system, rarity doesn't always equate to practical value. Some visually stunning and extremely difficult-to-obtain gear may only be suitable for specific builds; while certain gear from early areas can still play a significant role even in the late game.

Rather than blindly pursuing high power levels, it's more important to understand the actual effects, applicable scenarios, slot limitations, and associated costs of equipment.

This article will combine acquisition order and functional positioning to identify gear worth prioritizing in the current game, introducing their core advantages, unlocking methods, and practical applicability boundaries, helping you more efficiently plan your RS Dragonwilds items collection route.

Leggings of Lightness: The Top Choice for Exploration and Carrying Weight

Find the vestige in the chest atop the windmill in Temple Woods Brinmore to unlock the crafting recipe for Leggings of Lightness. Then, use 6 Coarse Animal Fur and 6 Rune Essence to craft Leggings of Lightness.

Its core advantage is an increase of 50 carry weight and allows the wearer to cast Windstep without consuming runes. Windstep unlocks at Agility level 5 and helps players leap to higher places and slows descent; eliminating rune consumption makes exploration, gathering, and terrain traversal much easier.

However, this equipment only has a Power Level of 1 and its defensive attributes are not outstanding, making it unsuitable as a direct replacement for high-level combat armor. A more sensible approach is to wear it for exploration and resource gathering, switching back to combat gear before engaging in high-difficulty combat.

Even in the late game, Leggings of Lightness remains a worthwhile item to keep, serving as a practical piece of equipment to switch between during daily exploration.

Dragonblight Shield and Dragonfire Shield: Two Paths from Defense to Offense

Dragonblight Shield is suitable for sustained pressure through poison. After defeating Velgar, give Velgar's Head to Wise Old Man to obtain Noxious Draconic Visage. Combined with the Anti-Dragon Shield, 12 Vault Shards, and 1 Vault Core, this power level 4 shield can be crafted at Blacksmith's Bench.

It retains the ability to block Dragon Breath and releases a poison mist upon successful parry, inflicting poison buildup on nearby enemies. This effect has a 20-second cooldown and does not interrupt stagger caused by parrying, making it suitable for players skilled at parrying who want to balance control of the pace and sustained damage.

Dragonfire Shield, on the other hand, leans more towards burst damage. After defeating Fuzan, you can craft the following materials:

• Smouldering Draconic Visage
• Anti-Dragon Shield
• 12 Vault Shards
• Vault Core

This is a power level 7 shield. A successful parry unleashes a lava attack forward, dealing damage and applying burning, with no internal cooldown.

This shield synergizes somewhat with Fire Cape: melee kills on burning enemies restore stamina. However, if your weapon or other skills can reliably apply burning, the additional benefits of Dragonfire Shield may be reduced.

In this case, you can choose Dragonblight Shield to supplement the poison effect, or consider the direct damage and pulling ability of Dragoncurse Shield, depending on the combat situation.

Salve Amulet and Unholy Symbol: Targeted Damage Increase and General Output

In Fellhollow, Salve Amulet is a practical choice against Undead. After completing the side quest Seeking Salvation and exploring Skekven Kara vault, you'll unlock the crafting recipe and obtain the key material, Salve Crystal, which can then be crafted at Jeweler's Bench.

This amulet increases damage dealt to Undead by 17%, but each hit against Undead consumes an additional 3 points of durability.

Upon entering Dowdun Reach, you can further acquire Unholy Symbol. Complete Wanted! quest given by Vannaka to unlock its crafting recipe.

Unlike Salve Amulet, Unholy Symbol is not restricted by enemy type, uniformly increasing melee, ranged, and magic damage by 15%, at the cost of reducing maximum health by 15 points.

Choice Recommendation: When focusing on Undead in RuneScape: Dragonwilds, prioritize Salve Amulet; against various enemies or when frequently switching combat styles, th Unholy Symbol is more versatile.

Ring of Life: A Survival Option for High-Risk Explorations

The crafting recipe for Ring of Life can be unlocked after exchanging 800 Soul Fragments for a Sigil of a Phoenix vestige at Death's Exchange. Crafting requires:

• 2 Gold Bars
• 2 Diamonds
• 3 Vault Shards
• 1 Clay Mould

When health drops to approximately 10%, Ring of Life automatically teleports the player back to their bound bed. However, the ring will break after one trigger, and repairing it requires Vault Cores.

Therefore, it is more suitable for exploration trips where the cost of death is high. Ring of Life occupies a trinket slot and cannot be equipped simultaneously with Unholy Symbol or Amulet of Glory. For daily monster hunting and resource gathering, damage-boosting trinkets are generally more useful; however, when players venture into dangerous areas carrying large amounts of rare materials, the evacuation opportunity provided by Ring of Life may be more valuable.

It is important to note that it does not guarantee the player's survival. If a single instance of damage is enough to instantly kill the character, the ring may not have a chance to trigger.

In short, in RuneScape: Dragonwilds, a well-chosen equipment setup can make exploration and combat much smoother. Adjusting your equipment configuration according to your current challenge, and fully utilizing the advantages of different equipment, will also help you use resources more efficiently and steadily advance your game progress.

Recently, IGGM.com implemented a major upgrade to the search functionality on our in-game item pages. Customers can now find the items they need with greater ease—no need to type out full item names or manually scroll through long, exhaustive lists.

The optimized search feature supports partial keyword matching and real-time results, designed to provide a more convenient shopping experience for both PC and mobile users.

What's New with IGGM Item Search Feature?

The upgraded search feature allows customers to locate relevant items by entering only a portion of the item's name.

Previously, finding a specific item often required manual browsing or entering the exact, full name—with a zero margin for error—which frequently made it difficult for users to locate the items they wanted.

That's no longer an issue! With this optimization, you simply need to enter three or more consecutive characters from an item's name into the search box, and a dropdown menu containing matching items will automatically appear.

For example, if you want to search for and buy Diablo 4 Resplendent Sparks in IGGM, you can simply open the D4 items page and enter any three consecutive characters from the name Resplendent Sparks in the search box, such as "spa" or "spark".

The search function will immediately display items that contain those characters, allowing you to quickly find what you're looking for without needing to type the full name.

The more specific your search keywords, the more precise the filtered results will be, helping customers find exactly what they need with ease.

How to Use the Upgraded Search Feature on PC and Mobile

While the search feature is available on both PC and mobile devices, the way you view the full list of matching items differs slightly.

For PC Users

When shopping on IGGM via a desktop browser:

1. Navigate to the relevant in-game item page (for example, Diablo 4 items page).
2. Enter three or more consecutive characters of the item's name into the search box.
3. Browse the automatically generated dropdown menu to find the item you want.
4. Alternatively, you can press the Enter key or click the magnifying glass icon to the right of the search box to view all items that match your input. 

This allows customers to either select an item directly from the search suggestions or view a complete list of relevant search results.

For Mobile Users

Customers accessing IGGM via mobile devices can follow these similar steps:

1. Navigate to the relevant game item page on IGGM.
2. Enter three or more consecutive characters from the item's name.
3. Browse the items recommended by the system in the drop-down list.
4. To view all matching items, tap the magnifying glass icon next to the search bar.

A More Convenient Way to Find Items on IGGM

This update is part of IGGM's ongoing efforts to improve website usability and customer shopping experiences.

By supporting partial name searches, automatically displaying matching items, and providing an easy way to view full search results, this feature eliminates unnecessary browsing steps—making it more intuitive and efficient to find the items you need.

Whether you're looking for materials, gear, or other in-game items in Diablo 4, you can now find what you need more efficiently on both PC and mobile.

The new item search feature is now live on IGGM's product pages. Visit IGGM.com today to experience this upgraded search functionality and complete your purchase!

Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5.5 League is now in its late stages, and players who are still participating have accumulated large amounts of currency in their stashes.

Many players are looking for something to do, while others are preparing to take a break until the official release of PoE 2. At this point, gambling is a way to try new things while quickly using up accumulated resources.

Corruption and Double Corruption

Many players are familiar with corruption and double corruption. They hope to obtain better enchants through corruption, such as a damage-taken effect that converts incoming damage into life recovery on Tabula Rasa. Some items may also gain additional sockets.

However, corruption can also reduce an item's affixes. It may completely change the modifiers on a rare item, do nothing at all, or leave the item permanently locked against further crafting.

Double corruption carries similar risks and is performed using an Architect's Orb, which currently costs around 9 Divine Orbs. Using one on an already corrupted item puts it into a double-corrupted state. The biggest risk is that the item may be destroyed entirely, although it can also gain further improvements, such as a second socket on a helmet.

Popular items are generally the best candidates for corruption, including Mageblood, Ingenuity, and Astramentis.

Corrupting Runeseeker's Call

If you want to take a bigger gamble, try corrupting Runeseeker's Call. It is extremely powerful and is currently used by almost every spellcaster build.

You need to find an uncorrupted version, which costs around 1,400 Divine Orbs. Alternatively, you can buy PoE2 currency or obtain one through a quest. This Quest will take a lot of time and still requires a considerable investment in currency.

Your goal is to use Vaal corruption to add a sixth socket. Even if its corrupted modifiers are not ideal, a 6-socket Runeseeker's Call is worth far more than a standard five-socket version. It can bring you a return of around 4,000 Divine Orbs.

If you are willing to attempt double corruption and successfully obtain Cast Speed, its value can reach two to three Mirrors of Kalandra. Other desirable outcomes include Spell Damage and Spell Critical Hit Chance. However, double corruption can also destroy the item outright, so you must be prepared to accept the risk.

Loreweave

Crafting Loreweave is a time-consuming gamble. The result can make you incredibly wealthy, potentially yielding thousands of Divine Orbs, or leave you with an item worth almost nothing.

You need to complete a hidden Expedition questline to obtain the quest item Journey to the East. Then, find NPC Dannig in Kingsmarch in Act Four to unlock the crafting interface called A Garment of Rings.

Place 60 unique rings into the interface, and Dannig will transform them into a Loreweave. You can use duplicate rings, so there is no need to collect 60 different unique rings.

However, the three unique ring modifiers on the resulting body armour are completely random. The key is that the types of rings you put into the recipe influence the weighting of the possible outcomes.

To avoid wasting your resources, the most efficient approach is to research currently popular builds and select specific rings that are more likely to produce modifiers useful to those builds.

You can try using 30 Ventor's Gambles and 20 Snakepits to gamble for the most desirable modifiers.

Snakepit's Fork for Spell Projectiles and +1 to Spell Chains are core mechanics for many spell projectile builds and can dramatically improve their performance. However, Snakepit can also roll a detrimental modifier such as Cannot Pierce, which can effectively brick the item for your intended build.

Ventor's Gamble can allow Loreweave's modifiers to exceed their usual limits. Therefore, if you want to pursue a Loreweave with extreme stats, you should include Ventor's Gamble in the recipe from the beginning. However, this can also introduce other irrelevant modifiers.

Vaal Cultivation Orb

A Vaal Cultivation Orb lets you gamble again on an already corrupted Vaal unique item by randomly replacing one or two of its modifiers. When used on an uncorrupted item, it transforms the item into a random corrupted unique of the same item type.

Vaal Cultivation Orb can be used on items such as Snakepit. Start with an uncorrupted version that has desirable modifiers, such as high Spell Damage, which costs around 20 Divine Orbs.

Both Snakepit's native modifiers and Cultivation Orb modifier pool contain extreme modifiers that offer a mix of rewards and risks for projectile builds. If you can use a Vaal Cultivation Orb to remove the undesirable ones, the item's value can increase significantly.

You can start with an uncorrupted version that has desirable modifiers, such as high Spell Damage, which costs around 20 Divine Orbs.

However, you should first use a Sibilant Catalyst to raise the item's quality to 20%, as it improves both Spell Damage and Cast Speed. Remember to corrupt the item with a Vaal Orb afterward. If you use a Cultivation Orb before corruption, it may transform the ring into a different unique ring.

Combining Catalysts

Catalysts can be combined in threes at Reforging Bench, with different catalyst types having different weighting. Jewel Catalysts currently exchange at a rate of approximately three for one Divine Orb.

Each purchase and reforging attempt consumes gold. Processing several thousand catalysts can cost millions of gold, so this method is best suited to players with plenty of gold who can process items in bulk.

Purchase large quantities of low-value catalysts from the market, where they typically sell for around 1 Exalted Orb. Then, place three catalysts into Reforging Bench to create one random catalyst.

If you get a low-value catalyst, combine it with two others and try again. If you obtain a valuable catalyst, such as a Sibilant Catalyst, Necrotic Catalyst, or Reaver Catalyst, keep it and sell it.

Prism of Belief

Prism of Belief is a unique Diamond Jewel that takes effect when socketed into a Jewel Socket on the passive skill tree. It raises the level of a specific random skill by 1 to 3.

You can obtain unidentified versions from the market and identify them yourself. Item level is the key factor: an item-level 76 version can grant up to +2, while an item-level 84 version can grant up to +3. The +3 outcome is the jackpot.

Take Companion Skills as an example. A +2 roll on an item-level 76 Prism of Belief is worth around 800 PoE 2 Divine Orbs, while a +3 roll on an item-level 84 version can be worth a Mirror of Kalandra. The difference is approximately 5,000 Divine Orbs, so make sure you get an item-level 84 version.

Omen of Bartering

Omen of Bartering is worth around 1 to 20 Exalted Orbs. Once activated, it causes the merchant to recalculate the gold value of the next item you sell to an NPC using a completely random multiplier.

You can sell unwanted Waystones or other items to a merchant, then retrieve any Waystones that sold for a low amount and sell them again with a new Omen. Repeat the process as needed.

The entire cycle must take place within the same merchant interface session. If you close the merchant dialogue, the items in the repurchase tab will disappear.

If you have plenty of currency to spare, consider trying the gambling methods above. A successful attempt can yield substantial amounts of PoE 2 Divine Orbs or result in a dramatic improvement to your build's power.