General News

In Helldivers 2, while exceptional individual skill is undeniably important - landing a clean shot on an enemy's weak point can instantly turn the tide of a firefight - your loadout ultimately defines each mission's experience. Even a highly capable player may struggle to achieve meaningful results if they bring a set of equipment geared more toward novelty than efficiency.

Your loadout and your technical ability together shape your performance on the battlefield. Without a well-considered combination of gear, you will find progression arduous. It is not simply a matter of picking the most powerful weapons; instead, you need to build around each piece's shortcomings. Let us examine a few examples to illustrate this approach.

High Damage But Weak Against Swarms

Take R-6 Deadeye as a case in point. This sniper rifle handles beautifully, delivering 300 damage per shot with medium penetration capability, and its stagger force rivals that of many shotguns. That makes it exceptionally effective against larger foes.

However, its drawbacks are equally pronounced: a magazine capacity of only eight rounds, paired with an excruciatingly slow reload. When facing Terminids' relentless swarms of smaller enemies, this limitation can prove fatal.

The core issues with this weapon are its reload speed and the vulnerability window that arises when facing numerous adversaries.

Reload Speed

Reload speed can be addressed through your armor selection. Two options stand out:

• RE-2310 Honorary Guard, whose Reinforced Epaulettes passive boosts primary weapon reload speed by 30%;
• Siege-Ready armor passive, which also provides a 30% reload bonus and adds 20% extra ammunition capacity.

Given that R-6 Deadeye does not typically suffer from ammo shortages, Honorary Guard offers the better trade-off here, allowing you to carry other, more impactful choices in your loadout.

Clearing the Horde

that is the real challenge you must confront. Your sidearm can handle small or medium enemies to some extent, but the core solution ultimately relies on your Stratagems.

For your Backpack slot, consider AX/AR-23 Guard Dog or AX/LAS-5 Rover. Both are excellent tools for sweeping away lesser foes. AX/LAS-5 Rover is particularly outstanding because it requires no ammunition and delivers sustained damage over time.

If you prefer not to bring a Guard Dog, you can opt for a Sentry with a short cooldown, such as A/MG-43 Machine Gun Sentry or A/FLAM-40 Flame Sentry.

Should you choose neither of those, then you will need a Support Weapon dedicated to crowd control - for example, GL-28 Belt-Fed Grenade Launcher, M-1000 Maxigun, MGX-42 Bullet Storm, ARC-3 Arc Thrower, or LAS-98 Laser Cannon.

You have up to four Stratagem slots, so your options are plentiful. By flexibly selecting among these, you can handle most combat scenarios. If you are playing in a squad, you can delegate the task of clearing minor enemies to your teammates; under their cover, you can safely take your sniper shots from a distance.

Strong against Swarms But Lacking in Damage

AR-23 Pacifier presents almost the exact opposite situation to R-6 Deadeye. It features medium armor penetration and a stunning effect, with a rate of fire comparable to that of an assault rifle.

AR-23 Pacifier excels at eliminating smaller targets and can effectively interrupt charging heavy units, yet many players consider it underwhelming because its swarm-clearing potential remains limited, and its high fire rate drains ammunition at an alarming pace.

Ammunition Concerns

While Siege-Ready armor passive was not the optimal choice for R-6 Deadeye, it proves especially suitable for AR-23 Pacifier, increasing your total ammo reserves and easing sustained-combat pressure.

Damage

AR-23 Pacifier can reliably stagger and stun enemies, but its raw damage is somewhat insufficient. It functions more as a support tool, and you will need other weapons to supply the finishing power.

AX/FLAM-75 Hot Dog pairs exceptionally well with AR-23 Pacifier. Because the Pacifier can pin enemies in place, Hot Dog's flames will not accidentally harm you; instead, you can calmly roast the stunned foes at your leisure.

You might also choose LAS-99 Quasar Cannon as your anti-heavy support weapon. For your sidearm, LAS-58 Talon handles medium threats like Alpha Commanders effectively.

G-13 Incendiary Impact grenade synergizes with Pacifier's stun, creating a sea of fire within enemy groups. In combat, you can then rely primarily on AR-23 Pacifier for crowd control while letting your other Stratagems deliver the bulk of the damage.

Balanced Performance But Scarce Ammunition

Consider SMG-203 Gallant. This medium-penetration submachine gun defies the traditional SMG role, which usually restricts you to close-range skirmishing against weak foes; instead, it possesses a genuine capacity to deal with elite targets. Its rate of fire is extremely high, but its greatest flaw is again the rapid depletion of ammunition.

Ammo Issue

SMG-203 Gallant offers excellent damage output, yet its ammunition supply curtails its potential. You can bring a powerful support weapon such as AC-8 Autocannon or LAS-98 Laser Cannon to reduce your dependence on the primary.

For your backpack slot, B-1 Supply Pack completely eliminates Gallant's ammo anxiety. For Stratagems, take 20mm HE Barrage to clear Factory Striders, and add an A/MLS-4X Rocket Sentry to counter dropships from automaton reinforcements.

As your sidearm, P-33 Missile Pistol can destroy bunker turrets and even Factory Striders from a distance; for grenades, G-48 Giga Grenade handles heavily armored units. With these choices, you effectively cover nearly every weakness.

In Helldivers 2, no weapon is truly useless. As long as you thoughtfully consider its shortcomings and build around them - using your sidearm, grenades, armor passives, and Stratagems to compensate - you can often turn any mission into a resounding victory.

Some key pieces of equipment aren't free, and they may be included in Warbonds. You can buy Helldivers 2 Super Credits on IGGM to unlock these weapons and stratagems, so you can optimize your loadout.

Dear Raiders, the fourth Expedition Departure for ARC Raiders officially began yesterday. To be honest, every time Expedition is about to start in the game, players can't help but express in the community their expectations that the development team might create some surprises.

And this isn't just hype; it's purely based on their understanding and experience of the game. They just feel that for such an important milestone as Expedition, the development team should at least include something new, right?

Even if it's not a major update, a new Raider deck, some new ARC Raiders items to pick up, or even a backpack trinket would be great. Many veteran players, though they don't say it out loud, are secretly hoping for even a small update.

However, perhaps because of previous disappointments, some players are saying, "Don't worry, it'll probably just be adding a couple of new colors to our skins and that's it." Or they're saying there will definitely be another round of Trials, but it'll likely be released with bugs.

These jokes are quite disheartening. So, did the recent ARC Raiders Store Update 1.38.0 meet everyone's expectations?

Update Content

The update everyone was waiting for finally went live on July 21st: Store Update 1.38.0. And indeed, as some players predicted, this update added two new colorways to Torpedo set - Camo and Black.

Frankly, this is just a cosmetic change and doesn't significantly affect how you play matches in ARC Raiders. The truly noteworthy change is the optimization of the matchmaking algorithm.

The development team candidly stated in their announcement that they received numerous complaints from players regarding the quality of matchmaking, especially during off-peak hours, in certain regions, or under specific map conditions, where the match experience was indeed subpar.

Therefore, starting July 21st, they will be testing a new matchmaking logic. Simply put, the algorithm might make you wait a little longer, but the goal is to match you with opponents of similar playstyles and team sizes, making matches fairer and more interesting.

This change is actually quite crucial because ARC Raiders is a mix of PvPvE. The quality of matchmaking directly determines whether you encounter equally matched opponents, get crushed by skilled players, or have a very quiet match when you enter the map.

The Gap Between Expectations and Reality

The updated outfit colors and matchmaking algorithm seem fine on their own, but the problem is that Update 1.38.0, comprised of these two elements, completely fails to meet player expectations.

Many players are complaining that after each Expedition, regardless of win or loss, they have to use the materials lost in Topside to upgrade their benches level by level.

This is the fourth Expedition, and the situation has remained almost unchanged in ARC Raiders.

What players truly want is something fresh and innovative that breaks the mold - like a new gun that makes the ubiquitous Bobcat and Vulcano no longer the only viable options.

Or a new map mechanic that forces players to adjust their tactics from ARC Raiders.

In short, only these things can make Expedition feel different and fresher than before.

How can new outfit colors and matchmaking optimizations alone keep players motivated to log in during the long lull from July to October?

The Main Event in October

If we put ourselves in their shoes, we might understand that ARC Raiders development team is not unaware of the desire for a new design, but they have most likely focused their manpower on the major update in October of this year.

The community is naturally placing incredibly high expectations on that October update, with some even jokingly saying it will not only save the game but also solve world peace.

It's clear that most people are pinning their hopes on that moment, but with several months to go, the regular updates in between won't satisfy the players' desires.

Many rational veteran players believe that once this Expedition ends, they should put ARC Raiders aside and play something else first.

Don't mistake this for giving up; it's more like a smarter form of self-management - since there's no new work, I won't waste my time here, lest I burn out my last bit of enthusiasm for the game.

Future Uncertainties

Overall, it's not that ARC Raiders development team isn't working, nor that players are too picky. Rather, the current timing is indeed delicate and awkward, and games that focus on PvPvE inherently need a constant influx of fresh content.

Outfit color updates and matchmaking optimizations are routine game maintenance procedures and have their value, but expecting them to sustain the hype during a months-long hiatus is unrealistic.

Whether the highly anticipated major update in October will deliver the new map, weapon balance improvements, and system overhaul everyone is hoping for remains to be seen.

For veteran players who have already spent hundreds of hours in ARC Raiders, they need to see some noteworthy new changes in the game. Only in this way can Expedition not just be a repetition, but truly the beginning of a new journey.

And only in this way will those who decide to leave ARC Raiders temporarily be willing to download the game again and return to this familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar battlefield when October truly arrives!

Although much of Path of Exile 3.29 content has already been showcased via livestreams and announcements, more new videos have since been released, teasing further changes arriving with the league.

Beyond new unique items, Path of Exile 3.29 introduces a series of quality-of-life (QoL) improvements, most notably optimizations to Verisium mechanic, aimed at ensuring smoother combat flow while enriching gameplay content.

Below, we detail these changes to help you prepare and quickly adapt to the new game environment once Curse of the Allflame begins.

Verisium in PoE 1

If you have also been playing Path of Exile 2 recently, you have likely encountered Verisium quite often. In PoE 2, Verisium is a special currency used at Verisium Anvil to add Runic Ward to your armor.

However, a mechanic by the same name was actually introduced in PoE 1 back during 3.25 league. In Path of Exile 3.25, Verisium exists as an ore that workers can smelt into Verisium Bars; both the bars and the raw ore are then used to upgrade Kingsmarch infrastructure.

To obtain Verisium ore, you must locate Verisium veins while exploring, then click and hold to channel energy into them.

As you channel, Verisium vein's progress bar fills up. This not only increases the final yield of ore but also raises the difficulty of the monsters that spawn upon release.

Once you release the button or the bar fills completely, powerful monsters spawn around the vein, and you must defeat them quickly. If you die or flee during the process, you lose the extra Verisium ore accumulated through channeling.

3.29 Verisium mechanic optimizations

Building on this gameplay, update 3.29 introduces a small but significant change: an added layer of protection while you interact with and channel on Verisium veins, preventing unexpected interruptions to the channeling action.

Although this optimization is a bit late in coming, it is a welcome change, as it effectively boosts your success rate and final yield when farming Verisium ore.

Even if you aren't currently engaging much with other Kingsmarch mechanics in Path of Exile, the ability to sell Verisium ore or bars for significant PoE currency income means these new changes shouldn't be overlooked.

More workbenches added

Workbenches, also known as crafting benches, allow you to add new modifiers to your gear by consuming a certain amount of currency.

Previously, workbenches were typically found in your Hideout. While this was fine for dedicated crafting sessions, it became a hassle if you wanted to upgrade your gear on the fly while progressing through the campaign or mapping.

To address this, Path of Exile 3.29 is adding workbenches to towns in Act 2 and all subsequent acts. Now, whenever you have the currency and want to upgrade your gear to tackle more dangerous content, you can do so immediately.

Increased stack sizes for currency and fragments

One of Path of Exile's defining features is its complex currency system. While collectively referred to as currency, the system comprises various orbs with distinct functions; some even have corresponding fragments that can be combined once you've collected enough.

Consequently, a single play session can yield a wide variety of orbs and fragments, quickly filling up multiple inventory slots. After a major battle, you might find yourself unable to carry away all the loot.

To solve this, Path of Exile has announced that, following the launch of Curse of the Allflame league, the maximum stack size per inventory slot for most currency items and fragments will be doubled. So, feel free to go out and gather as many orbs as you like!

Additionally, 3.29 league kicks off in just about a day, and IGGM PoE Facebook Group will be hosting random giveaways irregularly. To ensure you don't miss out, join the group now and stay tuned for the prize draws!

Optimized Ritual routes

Ritual is a key endgame event in Path of Exile that requires you to defeat enemies spawned by activated altars. Since these altars appear randomly across the map, you might sometimes consume more time searching for them than actually completing the encounters.

3.29 league introduces a special mechanic to address this: if you want to focus on Rituals while mapping, the system will release a swarm of insects after you complete a Ritual; these insects will guide you directly to the next nearby Ritual location.

Animated Guardian improvements

Animated Guardian is a unique spell that imbues a piece of equipped melee weaponry or armor with life, creating an invisible minion.

Once summoned, the minion uses melee skills based on the gear items you provided to aid you in combat; it remains active until it dies or you un-equip Animated Guardian skill gem.

Furthermore, a previously created guardian can be re-summoned directly without needing to consume the gear again.

Note that even if you animate multiple items, their effects stack onto a single guardian, and unidentified items cannot be used for this mechanic. If the guardian dies, you cannot re-summon it within the same area.

Path of Exile 3.29 introduces a QoL improvement for this spell, allowing you to view your guardian's currently equipped items at any time.

While this isn't a direct power buff, it provides greater clarity regarding the spell's effects, enabling you to adjust your strategy based on the combat situation.

These are just some of QoL improvements revealed for Path of Exile 3.29; more changes are expected upon the league's official launch, promising an enhanced experience across the board. All that's left for you to do now is prepare your league-start builds and get ready!

If you're still undecided about which hero to choose for your Torchlight Infinite SS13 Afterlight playthrough, my suggestion is to play Selena 2 directly. She's one of the smoothest heroes to play through the early game - no complicated operation required, she's an auto-bomber who can clear the screen while just walking around.

Next, I'll provide a comprehensive guide to this SS13 Selena 2 starter build for automated attacks.

Selena 2's Core Mechanism: Dance of the Deep

A Brand New Tree-Based Hero Trait System

Selena 2's biggest feature is her brand new tree-based hero trait system, instead of the fixed linear talents of traditional heroes. This means you can freely choose trait nodes according to your build direction, customizing your own gameplay.

Selena 2's trait is called Dance of the Deep, and its effect is very direct: all Core Terra Skills will be cast centered on the player and follow the player's movement. Additionally, Terra Skills gain a 20% increase in range and an additional damage bonus.

Two Main Branches of Trait Tree

Selena 2's trait tree has two main branches. The left branch focuses on sustained damage, while the right branch focuses on burst spell damage with a higher damage ceiling. However, for early game progression, the left branch is more suitable because DoT builds offer natural comfort. They don't require stacking crit chance or considering hit chance, have lower gear requirements, and can easily utilize the blur mechanic for survivability.

Key Node: Silencing Severance

This is the core node for automation in Selena 2. When you select this node, your primary skill will automatically gain Activation Medium: Terra buff. This means that your core ground skill will automatically be cast whenever there is an enemy within 25 meters.

Combined with Dance of the Deep, which makes ground skills follow you, your build is fully automated from the moment you select this node. You don't need to monitor skill cooldowns or position yourself to cast skills; you only need to move to an area with enemies.

Early Game Skill Path

Levels 1-35: Howling Gale 

Before unlocking traits, Howling Gale is recommended. It's an area-of-effect elemental spell, highly efficient at clearing mobs, and doesn't rely heavily on gear. At this stage, simply pick up gear with spell damage, elemental damage, increased mana, and mana regeneration attributes. Prioritize talents that increase damage and mana regeneration to ensure sustainability.

Levels 35-45: Switch to Nether Grasp

Once you reach level 35 and unlock the first tier trait, Dance of the Deep, immediately switch your main skill to Nether Grasp.

TLI SS13 added several active Terra skills, including Bramble Field, Tidal Spring, Falling Star, Thunderstorm Zone, and Nether Grasp.

However, during the early game, Nether Grasp is the preferred choice for DoT path. Its mechanics are: dealing continuous erosion damage to enemies within range every second, and knocking enemies back to the skill's center every 0.5 seconds; it can also instantly kill enemies with less than 10% health. In other words, you only need to activate Nether Grasp, and enemies will be pulled to the center, continuously losing health, and instantly executed when their health is low.

Level 45: Silencing Severance

At level 45, you gain a second trait point, prioritizing Silencing Severance. Combined with Nether Grasp, you no longer need to press any attack keys; they will automatically and continuously control and damage surrounding enemies. This is the most crucial turning point in the entire early game.

Late Game Transition

Time Mark 7

When you approach Time Mark 7 in Torchlight Infinite, you need to consider switching your gear to a pure Energy Shield build.

Because Psychic talent tree has a powerful node that resets your Energy Shield charge with each Reap. Combined with the high-frequency damage from Nether Grasp, you can maintain a near-permanent 20% Energy Shield regeneration per second.

Therefore, once you reach Time Mark 7, several items should be your priority:

• Time of Vow: Restores 10% of missing health and provides an energy shield per second, making it a core item in ES build.
• Chain Behind the Curtain: Automatically builds blur mechanics while moving, converting those levels into a powerful Affliction bonus.
• Eternal Sea Fog: Increases movement speed based on blur effect levels.
• Folklore of Locking Fingers: Increases defensive stats and allows blur effects to apply to your DoT.

Blur itself has a chance to dodge damage. These items will add even more powerful effects to your Blur mechanics - the higher your blur stacks, the stronger these bonuses become, improving both damage output and survivability.

Time Mark 8

Upon reaching Time Mark 8, if you want to further maximize your build's potential, consider allocating some talent points to The Cycle I Resist node. This node converts critical strike chance into a percentage of Core Terra Skill's duration, which is the duration of Nether Grasp.

Therefore, after TM8, you should focus on maximizing your critical strike chance. The common method is to use Flame Elementium to reroll the corresponding affixes onto your gear. However, this process is random. If needed, you can buy Torchlight Infinite Flame Elementium from IGGM.com, and getting the critical strike chance attribute will only be a matter of time.

In short, Selena 2's auto-bombing build allows you to completely free your hands from level 45 onwards, enjoying the smoothest map clearing experience with minimal gear costs. If you're tired of tedious operations, why not follow this guide and start dancing in the deep sea? Your TLI SS13 progression will be surprisingly easy.

Players, many are currently grinding tirelessly in Diablo 4 Season 14 for Amethyst Fragments, but Flawless Horadric Amethyst seems a long way off.

Don't worry, there's a hidden shortcut in Season 14's Escalating Nightmare Dungeons - by mastering a clever affix selection and reset cycle, you can craft this top-tier gem in under an hour.

Preparation

Our sole objective is to craft a Flawless Horadric Amethyst within an hour to socket into equipment for Shadow Resistance.

To achieve this, we need to acquire 25 million Amethyst Fragments in Diablo 4 Season 14 beforehand, as this is essential for obtaining Grand Gems in the crafting path.

In other words, crafting a Flawless Horadric Amethyst starts with 25 million Amethyst Fragments, which are used to obtain 25 Grand Gems. These are then combined to create 25 Horadric Gems, ultimately resulting in the desired Flawless Horadric Amethyst.

Before crafting begins, players must ensure they have unlocked Branching Pathways node in Nightmare Dungeons Tree in War Plans. This node grants the ability to manually select subsequent affix levels in Escalating Nightmare Dungeons and is a crucial prerequisite for the entire process of selectively selecting Amethyst-related affixes.

Affix Selection

It's important to know that not every affix in Escalating Nightmare Dungeons needs to be strictly selected. For example, you can choose the affixes in the first and second layers according to your other needs to ensure a quick pass.

The key is the Level 3 affix selection screen, as we must simultaneously obtain two specific affixes.

Amethyst Reserve

Amethyst Reserve ensures all chests in dungeons drop Amethyst Fragments, and at Torment 12 difficulty, it increases the maximum drop rate per chest to 270,000 fragments, making it one of the affixes we absolutely must farm.

Dark Omen

The second affix we must farm is Dark Omen, as it triggers additional boss ambushes in dungeons (such as Butcher or X'fal). Each boss kill guarantees a drop of approximately 750,000 Amethyst Fragments, a key source for significantly accelerating fragment accumulation.

It's important to note that if the third tier of dungeons doesn't simultaneously display both of these affixes, we must abandon the current escalating sequence, restart a new round of Escalating Nightmare Dungeons, and repeat the first two tiers until both affixes are successfully matched.

While this affix selection process may be time-consuming, even exceeding the actual time spent farming Amethyst Fragments, once successful, it guarantees our subsequent efficiency. 

Core Operation

Once we successfully farm Amethyst Reserve and Dark Omen, we can begin a looping process to infinitely reset this layer of dungeons without losing affixes.

Initial Clearance

First, upon entering the third layer of dungeons, open all the chests (each containing a maximum of 270,000 fragments) and defeat the boss summoned by Dark Omen to obtain 750,000 Amethyst Fragments.

Players must be extremely careful during this step; absolutely do not kill the final boss of this layer, otherwise our escalating sequence will end.

Return to Town

After clearing the third layer of dungeons, teleport back to town and walk into any nearby normal dungeon, such as Seer's Reach.

Reset Trigger

Upon entering the normal dungeon, players need to immediately open the map, switch to Sanctuary global view, and then teleport back to Escalating Nightmare Dungeons.

At this point, the most important chests in dungeons and the boss summoned by Dark Omen have already been refreshed, and the two ideal affixes we painstakingly matched earlier have also been completely retained.

Repeat the Loop

Now you should understand this loop - what we need to do is clear the chests and boss in this level of the dungeons again, then repeat the process of returning to town, entering a normal dungeon, and then teleporting back to Escalating Nightmare Dungeons.

You don't need to clear them when entering a normal dungeon, because the benefits you gain from it are incomparable to those from Escalating Nightmare Dungeons. Therefore, you should only use the normal dungeons as an important transition point in our loop.

We can execute the above loop an infinite number of times. After each reset, Amethyst Fragments we obtain will be the same as at the beginning, and there will be no limit to the number of escalating layers.

Final Efficiency and Crafting

If players follow the above cycle in Diablo 4 Season 14 starting with almost zero Amethyst Fragments, it will take less than 40 minutes to reach 27 million Amethyst Fragments, far exceeding our target of 25 million.

Then, players can consume Forgotten Souls and a large amount of gold to craft Amethyst Fragments into 25 Grand Gems, then into 25 Horadric Gems, ultimately obtaining a Flawless Horadric Amethyst.

It's worth noting that while the above cycle can be completed in less than 40 minutes, the initial selection of suitable affixes may take several tens of minutes.

If the entire selection and cycle process is still too cumbersome, you can simply buy Diablo 4 Flawless Horadric Amethyst from IGGM.com, eliminating the need for further crafting!

Expanding Potential

While this guide focuses on Flawless Horadric Amethyst, this cycle mechanic also applies to other gem types or materials (such as gold, Obducite, etc.). 

For example, if you ultimately want to craft a Flawless Horadric Skull, then in the third-tier dungeons, change the affix to Skull Reserve corresponding to the gem fragment you want to obtain.

Once you successfully match the desired affix, you'll no longer have a headache crafting Flawless Horadric Amethyst in Diablo 4!

With the official launch of CoD Black Ops 7 Season 5 just two days away, dedicated players have likely already consulted the roadmap to get a preview of the new gameplay features coming to various modes.

However, while browsing this new content, you might not have noticed a subtle hint: Endgame mode could be coming to an end this season. This doesn't mean the mode will become unplayable after Season 5, but rather that it is unlikely to receive any further major updates.

So, what leads to this conclusion, and should you invest your time and energy into Endgame mode during Season 5? Let's break it down.

How does Black Ops 7 Endgame Mode work?

As a highly replayable and large-scale PvE mode in Black Ops 7, Endgame features unique mechanics and expands upon the campaign's main storyline.

Specifically, Endgame takes you back to Avalon, a city heavily featured in the campaign, and pits you against The Guild, a hostile AI faction, alongside potential zombie threats.

You can jump in solo or form a squad of up to four players. The game also allows different squads to team up, with final rewards calculated based on the map's difficulty level and split evenly among participants.

Given its roots in the campaign, Black Ops 7 Endgame mode allows for the addition of new storylines via updates, such as Operation King Killer introduced in Season 4.

This storyline involves ten objectives; completing them one by one and ultimately destroying The Guild's central command node finishes the mission and grants rewards.

Why might Endgame Mode be ending?

If you've completed Operation King Killer, you'll realize that, narratively speaking, it marks the conclusion of Endgame mode. After all, The Guild has been defeated, unless, of course, a new hostile faction is introduced.

However, introducing a new faction could conflict with existing combat mechanics designed around Avalon and The Guild. It might also come across as a lack of fresh ideas, potentially causing some players to lose interest in Endgame mode altogether.

Thus, while tying the mode to the main storyline attracts interested players, it also limits the freedom to develop richer, more diverse sub-modes within Endgame experience.

More importantly, it has been announced that free-to-play access to Black Ops 7 Endgame mode will end once Season 05 concludes.

Typically, such moves occur for one of two reasons: either a major update is on the horizon, prompting developers to monetize the content by removing free access, or the mode's core update cycle has reached its limit, signaling a time to wind down and discontinue the free offering.

Based on the above analysis, the first scenario is highly unlikely, further confirming that CoD BO7 Endgame mode will indeed conclude after Season 5.

However, given the wide variety of available modes, the cessation of core content updates for Endgame won't significantly impact the experience for most players.

Whether you prefer team play or solo matches, fast-paced combat or survival gameplay, other BO7 modes have you covered.

That said, if you have been enjoying Endgame mode for free, now is the time to consider unlocking Black Ops 7 so you can continue fighting alongside your teammates in future seasons.

Endgame Mode in Season 05

Regardless of whether updates cease later, Season 05 still brings a few new changes to Endgame mode.

Following the launch of Season 5 on July 23, you can play the new Burn Run assignment in Black Ops 7 Endgame mode.

This mode plays like a parkour-style mini-game. Set on Avalon map, it requires you and your squad to drive a bomb-laden vehicle to the finish line.

You will be guided by thirty flaming arches marking the course; you must reach the finish line before the timer runs out, or the vehicle will explode.

To boost your chances of winning and add to the fun, the track features enemies and obstacles that extend your time when run over, as well as special speed-boost power-ups.

In fact, Burn Run suggests that major overhauls for Endgame mode are unlikely moving forward, especially considering that Season 05 is bringing significant updates, such as new maps and combat mechanics, to other modes.

Additionally, Season 5 introduces new Exotic Ability Boosts to Endgame mode. You can locate these during gameplay and equip them to your Major and Minor Abilities to enhance your combat efficiency.

How to get the best Season 5 Endgame experience?

CoD: Black Ops 7 Season 5 Endgame experience essentially boils down to two parts: the combat gameplay you already know and the newly introduced Burn Run.

To boost your combat efficiency in Season 5 Endgame, start by making full use of the new Exotic Ability Boosts, these typically spawn during the more dangerous Nightmare-level Activities and Assignments.

Additionally, Season 5 introduces several new pieces of gear via Battle Pass and various mission rewards; acquiring and upgrading them, then taking them into Avalon Endgame, yields excellent results.

Take FG42, for instance, which makes its return from CoD World at War. As an assault rifle renowned for its high damage, superb accuracy, and virtually non-existent horizontal recoil, it was highly anticipated even before its release.

Then there is Gremlin, a compact dual-wield SMG that boasts outstanding mobility and firepower, though its effective range is somewhat limited. However, in Endgame, pairing it with Exotic boosts might just unlock some unique playstyles.

That covers everything for now. All in all, even if BO7 sees few Endgame updates after Season 5, you certainly won't run out of things to play!

As Monopoly Go The Simpsons season enters its final week, player excitement has reached a fever pitch. With the season officially ending on July 29, the goal of completing the current sticker album is now a pressing priority.

Fortunately, a new Golden Blitz event is just around the corner, offering a crucial opportunity for all Tycoons to make a final push to complete The Simpsons album. If you want to seize this last chance to trade for gold stickers and fill those missing slots, you won't want to miss this guide!

Gold Sticker Voting Results

If you've been keeping up with the official Discord, you likely already know that the community vote has determined the featured stickers for this event: Monopoly Go Set 17-Shutdown & Set 18-Lenny Leonard.

As usual, the community vote featured four sticker candidates, with the following results:

• Set 17 - Shutdown: 22,331 votes (15%)
• Set 18 - Lenny Leonard: 22,378 votes (15%)
• Set 20 - Hank Scorpio: 14,642 votes (10%)
• Set 21 - Mr. Sparkle: 16,232 votes (11%)

Unlike previous votes that saw tight races, Shutdown and Lenny Leonard pulled far ahead with over 20,000 votes each, securing their spots as the stars of this Golden Blitz event.

Focus Stickers: Shutdown and Lenny Leonard

As every player knows, gold stickers are the biggest hurdle to completing any album during standard gameplay. Since they cannot be traded during normal play, players must rely on luck when opening sticker packs or on the rare Wild Sticker.

However, Golden Blitz event temporarily lifts these restrictions, allowing players to trade up to five times for the two specific featured gold stickers, separate from their standard daily limit of five sticker trades.

As previously mentioned, the trading targets for the upcoming event are confirmed: Shutdown from Set 17 and Lenny Leonard from Set 18. While the exact timing of this Golden Blitz hasn't been confirmed yet, the fact that The Simpsons season ends in eight days suggests this likely won't be the final Golden Blitz event. We anticipate the event will launch around July 23–24, allowing time for a final push to collect gold cards before the season concludes.

For players missing either of these two cards, this Golden Blitz is a game-changer. Instead of relying on luck with the abysmal drop rates of high-star packs, you can coordinate directly with friends or community members to acquire Shutdown and Lenny Leonard through simple trades.

Even if you already own these cards, you can use your duplicates to trade for high-star stickers you are missing, as duplicate gold cards hold immense value in the player trading market. Knowing how to leverage this trading window effectively could be the deciding factor in whether you successfully complete The Simpsons album or miss out on the grand prize of 15,000 dice.

Why should you take advantage of this Golden Blitz?

The strategic benefits of acquiring Monopoly Go gold cards through direct trading go far beyond simply filling two empty slots in your album. One major advantage is the ability to save your precious Wild Stickers.

As the season draws to a close, mini-games like Dig Event or Finale Partners often reward players with Wild Stickers. If you secure Shutdown and Lenny Leonard during the Golden Blitz, you can reserve your Wild Stickers for rare gold cards that are hard to find, untradeable, and not featured in community votes.

Additionally, managing duplicate gold stickers wisely is crucial for unlocking the ultimate Star Vault. In Monopoly Go Vault system, duplicate gold cards are worth double the star value of standard cards. Exchanging duplicates for stars allows you to open the highest-tier Vault before the season ends, maximizing your chances of collecting the remaining missing cards.

Even if you already possess the two featured gold cards, you can use your duplicates to trade - either 1-for-1 or 1-for-many - with community members for the missing standard 5-star cards or other high-tier cards you need, thereby maximizing your album completion progress. 

Win Ultimate Rewards and Gear Up for Farm Fortunes Season

Completing The Simpsons album yields generous in-game rewards, including up to 15,000 dice rolls, an exclusive Homer Simpson token, and a substantial amount of in-game cash. Finishing the main album early also unlocks Prestige sets, giving veteran players the chance to rack up even more rewards.

Looking ahead, these rewards are crucial for setting the stage for success in future seasons. While all remaining stickers will reset when Monopoly Go The Simpsons event ends on July 29, making way for the brand-new Farm Fortunes album, any dice rolls you have accumulated will be fully preserved.

So, seize the opportunity: using Golden Blitz to complete your current album can help you rapidly build a massive stockpile of dice in the final stretch. This gives you a competitive edge in tournaments, banner events, and Quick Wins tasks right from the start of Farm Fortunes season.

Get Ready for Successful Trades!

Preparation is key to making the most of the upcoming Monopoly Go Golden Blitz. Since the event is time-limited (usually lasting 24 hours), you should actively engage with trading communities and arrange your swaps before the event countdown begins.

Securing trading partners for Shutdown and Lenny Leonard stickers early not only ensures a smooth transaction but also leaves plenty of time to handle other sticker trades, maximizing your efficiency!

By acquiring these key cards, saving your Wild Sticker, and redeeming remaining duplicates, you can confidently complete The Simpsons album and enter Farm Fortunes season in peak form, ready to chase victory. Good luck!

With the end of EA SPORTS FC 26's Ultimate Team mode approaching, a new gameplay is on the horizon.

FUTTIES, the grand finale and most rewarding event of UT mode, completely shatters the stat caps for players in FC 26, officially ushering in an era of 99% ROI for all players.

FUTTIES is expected to officially launch on July 24th, simultaneously introducing Team 1. The event will last 5-6 weeks, with a new Team lineup changing every Friday. Players aiming for a perfect player roster shouldn't miss this exciting event.

Release Time

• PT: 10:00 AM
• CT: 12:00 PM
• ET: 1:00 PM
• UT: 5:00 PM

FUTTIES player packs typically sell out quickly upon release, so players wanting to acquire these max-level players early should pay close attention.

Generally, within the first hour after the event goes live, the prices of certain rare player cards will surge dramatically. This is a key moment that determines whether you can save a large amount of FC 26 Coins or seize the opportunity to earn a substantial profit.

Core Mechanism

Player Voting

During FUTTIES event, EA will send players 2-3 Player Pick loan cards daily via in-game purchases or mobile email. Choosing a player is equivalent to casting a vote for that player. The player with the most votes will appear in the following days as a high-stat FUTTIES pink card through SBC or Objectives.

Event Card Returns

If you missed the top player cards from previous TOTS, TOTY, or Festival of Football events, don't worry. During FC 26 FUTTIES, hundreds of previously popular limited-edition cards will be added to exclusive card packs in batches, and the pack drop rate will reach its highest point of the year.

Even if you're unlucky, you don't need to worry about getting bad cards.

FUTTIES Evolutions

In conjunction with FUTTIES event, FC 26 will launch several exclusive evolutions with extremely low restrictions and extremely high bonuses.

These evolutions allow players to directly upgrade their favorite players from their clubs, who are only at a low to mid-level rating, to top-tier player cards with 3 or even 4 PlayStyle+ ratings of 97-99. Therefore, this is an excellent opportunity to deal with low-rated cards and give your squad more options.

Team 1 Leaked Player Roster

The leaked player roster for FC 26 FUTTIES Team 1 is extensive, covering many stars from both men's and women's football. Victor Munoz, Antoine Griezmann, and Thomas Muller require FUTTIES Tokens to unlock; the remaining players can be obtained through Objectives and SBCs, and the rest can be obtained through packs.

Here is the leaked list of the remaining 37 players:

• Claudia Pina
• Pogba
• Collins
• Gabriel Silva
• Luhrben
• Lavogez
• Karamoko Dembele
• Toure
• Robinson
• Gelson Martins
• Arnaut Danjuma
• Lanzini
• Ethan Mbappe
• Jobe Bellingham
• Mayra Ramirez
• Dolan
• Caroline Weir
• Ayoze Perez
• Bellerin
• Gotze
• Van Ewijk
• Gabriel Jesus
• Harry Maguire
• Xerdan Shaqiri
• Sergio Milinkovic-Savic
• Randall Kolo Muani
• Lorenzo Insigne
• Chloe Kelly
• Stanway
• Chawinga
• Ciro Immobile
• Xavi Simons
• Kyle Walker
• Jeremie Frimpong
• Luis Diaz
• Fede Valverde
• Van Dijk

From a purely squad-building perspective, the most noteworthy players on this leaked list are Fede Valverde, Luis Diaz, and Van Dijk. Dijk and Xavi Simons.

• Fede Valverde, the ultimate evolution of the all-around player, boasts speed, defense, and physical strength all approaching a perfect 99. His FUTTIES card is expected to come with four PlayStyles+ attributes, making him a perfect all-around midfielder or right-back.
• Luis Diaz, widely recognized for his excellent defense, is expected to have maxed-out defensive attributes, strength, and speed in his FUTTIES pink card. Paired with the defensive core PlayStyle+, he will become a top-tier center-back in the late stages of FC 26 UT mode.
• Van Dijk, a top-tier left winger. With a dynamic upgrade to 99 speed and perfect dribbling, his inside-cutting shots and wing breakthroughs will reach new heights, making him a highly cost-effective attacking threat in the current game.
• Xavi Simons, possesses exceptional flexibility in the forward, attacking midfielder, and winger positions. His FUTTIES pink card is expected to significantly enhance his five-star skill judgment, maximizing his ball control and passing creativity.

The aforementioned FUTTIES Tokens are completely independent of the regular card pack acquisition method. No luck is required; FUTTIES Tokens directly unlock the corresponding players.

Acquiring FUTTIES pink cards involves a combination of Tokens and FC 26 Coins. Furthermore, since FUTTIES pink card players rotate weekly, coin management is crucial.

Of course, if your budget is limited after the event launches, you can buy FC 26 Coins from IGGM.com. Not only will you enjoy an 8% discount when placing your order using code TY8, but most orders will also arrive within approximately 15 minutes.

Resource Management

1. Card Pack Retention

From now on, if you have any unopened large packs (such as 84+ x10, 85+ x10, 85+ x5, or the highly sought-after Season Pass top-tier packs), do not open them.

Since Summer Stars event in the current card packs is nearing its end, and FUTTIES Team 1 players and over 100 Best Of Batch 1 players will be added to the card packs on July 24th, save your high-scoring packs for Friday night to maximize your drop rate and rewards.

2. Card-to-Card Upgrade

This is the core gameplay of FUTTIES event. After the event starts, the game will feature infinitely repeatable SBCs such as 85+ x10 upgrades or 82+ Player Picks. Your first step is to put all your low-scoring cards into Player Pick SBC to generate a large number of 85-89 score sacrifice cards.

The second step is to put the generated sacrifice cards into the 85+ x10 upgrade SBC. This will usually result in 2-3 FUTTIES or high-scoring return cards among the 10 cards opened. Keep the ones you want, and put the remaining duplicate or unwanted high-scoring cards back into the 85+ x10. This is card-to-card upgrade.

3. Keep High-Rated Cards

Currently, many FC 26 players are carelessly using up their 88, 89, and 90 rated player cards to maximize their SBC for the current season. This is not advisable.

Keep these cards in your club. Once FUTTIES are released, their market value will skyrocket. Using them for your starting SBC at that time can save you millions of coins.

As the final celebration of the season, FC 26 FUTTIES usually directly connects to the pre-season. This means that the rewards for specific club challenges and objectives completed during FUTTIES will be directly carried over to the next-generation game, EA FC 27.

Therefore, completing FUTTIES better means you can gain a head start in FC 27.

Torchlight Infinite SS13 Afterlight has launched, and while the new hero traits and skill reworks are quite substantial, this season does not measure up to the previous one in terms of overall appeal.

A great many players have reported that before reaching TM7, the game drops very little of any real value. Until a character has grown sufficiently, the gameplay experience can fairly be described as torturous.

Season Mechanics

The core of Torchlight Infinite SS13 Afterlight revolves around escorting coffins, but ironically, some players have tested and found that investing resources into this mechanic actually yields 25% less Flame Elementium per hour than simply skipping it. In other words, taking time to engage with the seasonal content proves less efficient than running ordinary maps.

The boss that players labor to escort often drops only 4 FE, a reward that renders the whole process utterly meaningless. Even on later high-difficulty maps such as T8, the season mechanic is frequently regarded as a burden rather than a benefit.

This is very likely a serious bug; as the flagship feature of each season, such a payoff is clearly abnormal, and there may be other underlying issues.

Beyond Afterlight mechanic itself, other activities have been nerfed to the point where their rewards are unstable and far from satisfactory.

In order to highlight the new content, some older player-favorite features such as Dream Talking have been removed. Moreover, because the new mechanic ties into slate-related systems, the upper limit of Cube Talent Constellation was cut in half, which has further hampered players' ability to earn meaningful returns in the early game.

Many complain that the development team has imposed unwarranted nerfs on a wide range of existing builds, simply to force adoption of the new hero and systems, with several once-dominant builds from previous seasons being weakened in succession.

Economy System

The season mechanic has not only affected direct drops but has also had a profound impact on the entire in-game economy.

Players commonly observe that ordinary maps barely drop any valuable equipment or currency, making it impossible to strengthen characters through the loop of farming maps and upgrading gear.

Some key legendary items have been adjusted so that they only drop on maps of tier 8 or above. This change makes it much harder for players in the early progression phase to obtain core equipment, further exacerbating the growth gap.

For those using free-to-play characters, this season will prove exceptionally harsh. Even players with top-tier pets are finding progress difficult, so one can imagine how much harder the situation is for those who have not made any monetary investment.

The general feedback indicates that the early progression difficulty in SS13 has increased notably, and the growth curve has become extremely uneven. The overall drop rate has been broadly reduced, and this is one of the root causes behind the harshness of the early game.

Because baseline drops have decreased, the acquisition speed of gear and currency needed to build characters has slowed dramatically, resulting in a significantly prolonged early progression phase.

Beyond the core drop experience, there are also issues such as poor optimization on mobile devices, overheating, and frequent bugs.

Why Is SS13 Afterlight So Poor?

Slow Pacing

It is evident that the development team has deliberately slowed down the game's progression. This is most likely because they are aware that Path of Exile 3.29 is approaching, and they want to avoid players finishing all content within three days and then leaving.

However, this design philosophy overlooks a central truth: the players of Torchlight Infinite, much like those of Path of Exile, derive their enjoyment from the dopamine rush of loot drops. Protracting the journey to the endgame in such a manner only serves to exhaust players unnecessarily.

Monotonous Gameplay

Looking back at previous seasons, especially Lunaria season, players could readily obtain enough Flame Elementium to continuously upgrade their characters. In Season 13, however, even the most basic daily map outputs are hardly guaranteed.

Ironically, this design has achieved a strange kind of balance: whether you are a free player or a whale player with fully maxed legendary Pactspirits, the actual returns are virtually indistinguishable, because everyone is equally starved of resources.

Once PoE 3.29 launches, a large number of players are very likely to switch over. Normally, when other games in the same genre - such as Path of Exile, Grim Dawn, or Hero Siege - overlap with Torchlight's season, the player count initially drops, and then some players return after about a week.

Yet given the current state of SS13, that rebound may never materialize. The only way to salvage it would be to roll back the nerfs to drops from various activities.

Using nerfs as a blunt instrument to coerce players into trying new mechanics is hardly a sophisticated tactic. Since Torchlight Infinite offers so many systems, the developers should give players more choices and let them decide which activities they prefer.

Overall, Torchlight Infinite SS13 Afterlight is a season with many ideas but poor execution. It makes active attempts at innovating in gameplay and systems, but the severe balance issues and the regression in core experience have greatly undermined players' overall reception.

If you are a player who craves novelty and powerful builds, the new hero and some strong archetypes might offer brief moments of exhilaration. However, if you have higher expectations for game balance, optimization, and a fair environment, then the numerous problems of SS13 are likely to leave you disappointed.

If you are already tired of the drop rate issues this season but still want to complete your character, you can buy Torchlight Infinite Flame Elementium from IGGM. Trading directly with FE is definitely much faster than waiting for items to drop.

When discussing Poison-based playstyles in Diablo 4, you might immediately think of the various Spiritborn builds known for their DoT effects and screen-clearing capabilities. However, in the current Season 14 meta, Poison Rogue Build is also a playstyle well worth trying.

If you are familiar with Rogue class, you likely know that Rain of Arrows build performs well in Season 14. So, why do we recommend Poison Rogue? Below, we explain the reasons and outline the strategy for crafting this build.

What are the advantages of Poison Rogue Build?

This build operates with virtually zero energy consumption issues; with a Lucky Hit chance exceeding 100%, maintaining your energy reserves becomes incredibly easy.

More importantly, the damage output is highly reliable, whether you are pushing the leaderboards or tackling various endgame events, Poison Rogue Build is up to the task.

Compared to Rain of Arrows Rogue, another top-tier Season 14 build, the poison variant may be slightly less powerful, but it avoids long wind-up animations and has lower base gear requirements.

However, this doesn't mean you can neglect your gear setup. Precisely because the base requirements are modest, you should buy Diablo 4 items on IGGM and invest in crafting materials to upgrade your gear and maximize the build's overall effectiveness.

Furthermore, Poison Rogue Build offers a smoother, more enjoyable gameplay experience suitable for most players, even those who aren't deeply familiar with Rogue class.

Essential skills should be unlocked

As a Diablo 4 Poison build, the most essential Rogue skill is Poison Imbuement; you need to activate it and maintain uptime throughout the fight. Penetrating Shot serves as your core source of frequent damage.

The arrows fired by Penetrating Shot can ricochet off terrain, meaning the build deals significantly higher damage in narrow areas where walls are close together.

Blindly firing into open space will rapidly deplete your energy unless you have a way to reduce the skill's cost to zero. Ideally, you should aim to hit targets to avoid wasting resources.

Concealment allows you to enter a state of invisibility, granting you the stealth effect along with additional bonuses, such as increased critical strike chance.

While Poison Rogue Build focused on damage-over-time doesn't strictly require stacking Critical Strike Chance, landing a critical hit with Poison Imbuement grants a damage bonus, so why pass that up?

Next, activate Shadow Clone; it boosts your damage output by mimicking your other skills. Smoke Grenade provides stealth while also helping to fill the boss's Stagger bar. Dash is included to enhance mobility.

For your specialization, Inner Sight is the recommended choice, as it grants a 100% reduction in energy cost. This allows for effectively infinite resource generation during periods when your energy would otherwise be depleted.

Optimal gear setup

This build functions well without any Mythic items, but incorporating Diablo 4 Mythics, such as Harlequin Crest, will certainly elevate its overall performance.

Harlequin Crest offers massive bonuses for Poison Imbuement builds. When combined with skill-level boosts from your rings, you gain a compounding benefit.

Another recommended item is Eaglehorn bow; it allows arrows fired via Penetrating Shot to curve or ricochet off walls to hit targets behind cover, significantly increasing your damage output.

Interestingly, this bow can trigger a beneficial bug where arrows fly straight back to you after piercing a target, even without a wall present.

Once this effect triggers, you can fire continuously as the arrows return to you, a playstyle reminiscent of Dance of Knives.

In summary, when selecting offensive gear for this build, prioritize affixes like Vulnerable Damage, Skill Ranks, and Dexterity. For defensive affixes, focus on stacking Maximum Life, Resistances, and Armor.

Shredded Gift grants you the concealment effect whenever you enter stealth. Additionally, using Dash triggers concealment, providing damage reduction.

Earthstriker's Aspect grants a stack of Overpower whenever you swap weapons; it is best imprinted on your amulet, leaving your boots free for a different aspect.

Ideally, you should always aim for gear with +All Skill Ranks affixes. Additionally, using Aspect of Imitated Imbuement allows your Shadow Clones to benefit from Imbuement effects, thereby boosting non-physical damage.

Crushing Aspect allows you to maintain a Fortified state almost constantly, resulting in a massive damage bonus up to 65x, which is why it outperforms Ring of Starless Skies.

Paragon board setup

If you are aiming for one-shot kills with this build, you can swap Canny for Exploit. Bosses lose very little health before becoming Vulnerable, but once Vulnerability effect triggers, they drop instantly.

A quick reminder: if you are taking on Lair bosses, you must farm Lair Keys beforehand to claim the final loot, simply defeating the boss isn't enough.

Right now, IGGM is hosting Diablo 4 Season 14 giveaways in Facebook Group; participate for a chance to win three types of Lair Keys and Horadric Gems!

Selecting Efficacy boosts Potency and enhances all Rare nodes. Combining Versatility and Cheap Shot increases damage for skills other than basic and core skills.

The crucial Lana's Instinct node not only further boosts damage but also significantly increases uptime while Inner Sight is active, granting you a 100% Dodge Chance.

In short, if you are a Diablo 4 player trying out Rogue class for the first time, or if other Rogue builds have left you underwhelmed, Poison Rogue Build is definitely worth a try! Get crafting today!