General News

Recently, players seem to have been discussing whether Loot Council system should be applied to raids in WoW TBC Classic Anniversary. This stems from a guild with relatively weak strength, struggling to assemble five to seven temporary members each week just to form a raid group. After two consecutive loot distribution mishaps, they were forced to adopt the controversial Loot Council system.

This has prompted reflection. Under Soft Reserve system, guilds cannot prevent temporarily assembled members from taking the most crucial upgrades, while core members who consistently attend and contribute the most repeatedly go empty-handed and are even poached by other guilds.

Faced with this deadlock, perhaps a hybrid solution could be proposed: reserving only five or six top-tier items, while allowing temporary members to compete for the remaining items, thus striking a balance between retaining core members and continuing recruitment.

The Flaws of Soft Reserve System

Currently, Soft Reserve is a common loot distribution method used by many PUGs and semi-fixed raid groups in BCC.

Before entering a raid, each member can pre-designate one or two pieces of equipment they most desire. When that equipment drops, only those who also designated it are eligible to participate in the dice roll or competition; others, even if they have the equipment, cannot claim it.

Therefore, incidents of temporary members taking top-tier equipment and core members leaving the raid in disillusionment are not isolated cases, but a recurring problem under Soft Reserve system.

Because anyone can compete fairly through Soft Reserve system, the guild cannot prevent temporary members from taking the most crucial upgrade equipment, while core members who consistently contribute and attend raids often return empty-handed.

More seriously, this system results in no member truly being bound to the guild, with excellent members being poached by other guilds daily. Guild members, aside from their desire for the final loot, have no interest in the long progression and frequent wipes.

In reality, most people's primary motivation for participating in raids is to obtain loot, and these incidents have proven that Soft Reserve cannot retain members through rewards.

The Logic of Loot Council

Loot Council differs completely from Soft Reserve mentioned earlier. It's a system where a small group of trusted members subjectively decide who gets loot each time it drops, based on factors such as attendance, performance, team contribution, the potential gear upgrade, and the likelihood of staying with the team.

In this dilemma, perhaps only this method can ensure that gear prioritizes those who will truly stay and continue contributing to the team.

While Loot Councils are also susceptible to corruption, if the council consists of the main tanks, top DPS, and core healers - those who contribute the most - even if they prioritize loot allocation for themselves, it's still reasonable and efficient.

However, implementing a fully fledged Loot Council could face severe recruitment difficulties. If temporary members are told that all good gear will be reserved by the guild, how can anyone be expected to join? This would likely lead to longer raid times and a lack of replacements when the team is short-handed.

Improvement Plan

If simply implementing Loot Council leads to recruitment difficulties, guilds could adopt a modified Loot Council system: reserve only five to six of the most critical, top-tier items (such as Belt of One-Hundred Deaths), while allowing temporary members to participate in the distribution of the remaining items through the conventional method.

This hybrid gear distribution scheme has real benefits in TBC.

Lowering the Recruitment Barrier

One benefit is that temporary members still have ample gear to compete for, preventing them from completely lacking motivation to join. Simultaneously, the team can publicly display the gear reservation list, allowing those willing to accept the conditions to decide whether to join.

Maintaining Core Members

Secondly, for the truly crucial gear that determines the team's potential, the council should ensure that it prioritizes key members with a long-term, stable, and dedicated attitude, preventing temporary members from taking it all and causing core members to leave the raid.

Reducing Council Workload

Furthermore, this approach eliminates the need for council meetings to discuss every piece of gear. The focus shifts to artifacts that might only drop once a month, reducing decision-making pressure and lowering sensitivity to corruption.

However, this approach has inherent limitations. If the team is weak and can't even muster a stable 25-person squad, even reserving top-tier gear might not be feasible because of slow progress and low drop rates.

If you haven't played TBC yet, there's a WoW Game Time 60 Days Giveaway on IGGM Discord, so you can participate and get a free trial. This allows you to join in raids and personally experience whether these loot distribution methods are reasonable.

The Impact of Loot Distribution on Teams

Choosing a loot distribution system in TBC Classic Anniversary essentially answers two questions: First, do you prioritize retaining core members or recruiting temporary ones? Second, can your team maintain a sense of contractual obligation under a subjective loot distribution method?

Soft Reserve is actually very suitable for groups with high turnover, so it is not without its advantages.

The trade-off is the difficulty in developing a core team; any exceptional piece of gear can be the final straw that breaks the trust of veteran members.

Loot Council, on the other hand, is suitable for teams with a core group sharing the same goals and willing to work together long term, where council members themselves possess credibility and a willingness to sacrifice.

The cost of using Loot Council is that newcomers or outsiders are extremely difficult to integrate, and a single instance of favoritism can instantly erode the council's credibility.

Hybrid loot distribution attempts to strike a balance between these two approaches. It's suitable for mid-level raids with 10 to 15 stable veteran members who still need to supplement with temporary members weekly.

However, managers need strong communication skills to ensure core members feel protected while avoiding treating temporary members as mere tools; otherwise, the recruitment pool will shrink drastically.

In short, players must choose a loot distribution system that suits their group in TBC Classic Anniversary, as this will greatly enhance the experience for team members.

All MLB The Show 26 players eagerly await the launch of each Legends and Flashbacks Collection event, as it's a chance to acquire powerful player cards.

According to reliable sources, a brand new Legends and Flashbacks Collection event will launch this Friday (June 12th). Players predict the ultimate reward will be a 99 Overall player card.

So, what exactly will this event include? How should we prepare? We'll explain in detail below.

Mechanism Prediction

In MLB 26's Collection events, players collect player cards from specific series to complete sub-collections, ultimately exchanging the earned vouchers for the ultimate prize.

While we don't have more information about this new event yet, we can make predictions based on April Legends & Flashbacks Collection.

The top prize in that event was a Milestone Series Miguel Cabrera, 99 OVR, third baseman.

To obtain this card, players needed to collect cards from 21 different series. It's worth noting that the system allows players to "skip" one of the 21 series. This means that even if you can't collect all the cards from a particular series, you still have a chance to get the final reward.

In the past two months, MLB 26 has released many new player cards. Therefore, it's reasonable to predict that the difficulty of the upcoming event will likely only increase. Not only will the required number of vouchers increase, but the number of cards required for each sub-collection will also rise.

According to player predictions, the ultimate reward for this event might be a legendary superstar player card with exceptional hitting ability and historically high on-base performance - 99 OVR Joe Mauer.

Preparation Guide

In MLB 26's Diamond Dynasty mode, the card collection system is extremely complex, and it's impossible for ordinary players to collect everything.

Therefore, instead of blindly following trends and collecting popular cards, it's better to prioritize collecting high-value cards or cards that you might need in the future. Below are some particularly important card sets.

Mexico City and Jolt Sets

These two sets are relatively easy to obtain in the current game, but are highly likely to become mandatory requirements for new events.

Mexico City set was released alongside April Collection event and can be obtained by playing Events and Conquests.

Jolt set is deeply tied to Team Affinity; you need to complete missions for each team to acquire these cards.

Since Team Affinity is a long-term mission that runs throughout the game, you can easily collect all the cards if you play regularly.

Egg Hunt and St. Patrick's Day Sets

Some players consider these two sets to be the most expensive cards in MLB 26 right now.

This is because both Egg Hunt and St. Patrick's Day sets are limited-time event cards. After the events ended, the game didn't provide a stable way to obtain them, causing their prices to skyrocket in the player community market.

Even if you're hoping to gamble with Choice Pack, data shows the probability of getting a rare card from a specific Candy Basket Pack is only 0.833%.

Therefore, if June Collection event really requires you to collect cards from one of the sets, it's wiser to take advantage of the "skip one series" rule and skip it.

Signature and Milestone Series

These two series represent the highest tier of cards in MLB 26, but also mean the highest cost.

Signature Series typically features cards for all-time greats, while Milestone Series commemorates significant moments in a player's career.

Based on past experience, the prices of player cards in these two series tend to gradually decrease as new cards are released. Therefore, it's a good idea to wait until the prices drop before using MLB The Show 26 Stubs to acquire the cards.

Tips

In addition to these tips, you'll also need to pay attention to a few tricks to help you complete your collection tasks more effectively.

Tip 1

If you have a lot of Stubs, you can confidently use them to exchange for the player cards you're missing.

However, if you have relatively few Stubs, you should prioritize playing Mini Seasons - this offers a large number of card packs and Stub rewards.

Players with a certain number of Stubs need to allocate them wisely. Use them on hard-to-obtain or time-consuming cards, and don't waste them on card pack draws.

If you need more Stubs, you can also participate in IGGM MLB 26 Stubs Free Giveaways on Discord. We will draw 10 lucky players to share 3 million Stubs, and you will have a chance to win this huge sum.

Tip 2

This is a point that all veteran MLB 26 players will repeatedly emphasize. When you see a new event launch, don't expect to win the ultimate prize on the same day; it's almost impossible.

In conjunction with Legends and Flashback Collection event, the system will continuously deliver new inning programs and missions. Completing these will reward you with new cards.

By continuously completing missions, you might unknowingly collect all the necessary cards.

This concludes our prediction and preparation guide for Legends and Flashback Collection event at MLB The Show 26. If you want to win the best prizes, start preparing now!

In Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5.0, 2 Lineage Support gems have become highly sought after by many players due to their exceptional value: Garukhan's Resolve and Rakiata's Flow.

Not only do these 2 support gems serve as one of the primary sources of damage amplification for most builds, but they themselves are also extremely valuable - each can easily be exchanged for hundreds of Divine Orbs. By setting up your Atlas properly, selecting the right Tablets, and allocating Master passives wisely, you can maximize the drop rate of these support gems.

The Effects of Garukhan's Resolve and Rakiata's Flow

Rakiata's Flow has a core effect that treats all elemental resistances of the target as their inverted values for damage calculation. In Path of Exile 2, the damage reduction provided by a monster with 75% resistance is massive; flipping that resistance to a negative value (for example, -75%) results in an astonishing damage increase. For elemental builds, this gem is essentially a mandatory endgame duplication target.

Most ordinary monsters do not have high resistances, but endgame bosses often possess extremely high ones. Rakiata's Flow truly shines in boss encounters, so its effectiveness during regular farming is somewhat limited.

Garukhan's Resolve causes the supported skill to perform 2 critical strike checks. If either of the 2 succeeds, the attack is considered a critical hit. Many builds that suffer from inconsistent critical strike chance rely on this gem to function properly.

How to Get Garukhan's Resolve and Rakiata's Flow?

Anomaly Maps

The 2 map types you need to focus on are Temporal Sanctum and Eye of the Storm. After you reveal their true names on Atlas, they appear as Sacred Reservoir and The Jade Isles, respectively.

• Sacred Reservoir: Before being revealed, this node is surrounded by a dust storm and typically spawns in desert areas. It drops Garukhan's Resolve.
• The Jade Isles: This node is surrounded by storm clouds, usually appearing near coastlines. It drops Rakiata's Flow.

How to Reveal These Maps?

In unexplored areas of Atlas, you will see map nodes covered by dust storms, tsunamis, or hurricane effects. Simply keep exploring the regular maps in one direction; after completing a certain number of them, these special maps will gradually reveal themselves and display their true names. Based on player experience, Sacred Reservoir appears much less frequently than The Jade Isles, which is why Garukhan's Resolve commands a slightly higher value.

Tablets and Waystones

In previous leagues, no modifiers affected the drop rate of these gems. However, during Runes of Aldur League, player testing revealed that the modifier "Waystone Drop Chance" significantly influences the drop rate of both support gems.

Waystone Selection

You should aim to use 6-modifier Waystones, especially those of Tier 15. By applying Chaos Orbs, Exalted Orbs, and Corruption, stack Waystone drop chance as high as possible. Anything above 120% is a good baseline, while reaching 135% is even more ideal.

Tablet Selection

The type of Tablet itself does not matter. However, when inserting Tablets into Towers surrounding your target map, look for Tablets with the modifier "Increased Quantity of Waystones Found in the Map." You should try to insert three such Tablets into Towers around the target map to maximize the stacking effect.

Additionally, there is a Boss Tablet that may carry the modifier "Increased number of Waystones dropped by Map Bosses." Since the target gems are dropped by Map Bosses, this modifier is likely beneficial as well. Although the bonus is lower, you can attempt to find a Tablet that has both "Waystones Found" and "Waystones dropped by Map Bosses" modifiers.

Visions of Paradise Irradiated Tablet

The effect of Visions of Paradise allows you to run the same map twice in succession. In other words, if you find a Sacred Reservoir or a Jade Isles, using this Tablet gives you double the chance for a drop. Visions of Paradise is a highly valuable item, and the drop rates for PoE 2 Garukhan's Resolve and Rakiata's Flow are not high, so using it is a risky gamble.

The Grand Project Irradiated Tablet

The Grand Project allows you to leap directly to a distant map node without having to complete adjacent maps. This greatly accelerates your search for target maps. Although it is less costly than Visions of Paradise, it is still worth 2–3 Divine Orbs.

Masters of the Atlas

Master passive nodes have a massive impact on drop rates. You need to complete Jado's entire questline to unlock Untol Histories node. This node provides a 35% chance to find Lineage Support gems - Garukhan's Resolve and Rakiata's Flow both belong to this category - so this bonus is critical. Although it cannot be 100% confirmed to affect boss drops, it is stiil advisable to take it.

Partial Translations node gives a 20% chance to double the effect of explicit modifiers on your Tablets. This means it can double "Waystone Drop Chance" modifier on your Tablets, greatly improving your drop rate. You should allocate both of these nodes; the rest of Master passives are irrelevant to this strategy.

If you wish to search for target maps more quickly, you can choose Doryani as your Master. His node, Hidden Patterns, provides a 10% chance upon map completion to make a nearby unconnected map accessible. This lets you explore Atlas in a leapfrog fashion, moving straight forward - similar to the effect of The Grand Project.

Atlas Passive Tree

Among Atlas passives, Memories of the Maraketh and Memories of the Karui are mandatory unlocks. It is strongly recommended that you unlock them before farming your target maps.

Each of these 2 nodes provides an additional 15% chance for Map Bosses to drop Anomaly Map Lineage Support gems, for a total of 30% extra chance. For such valuable support gems, this is a tremendous benefit.

The drop rates for Garukhan's Resolve and Rakiata's Flow are both very low, so it is not advisable to make them your primary farming goal. Instead, a better approach is to casually obtain the 2 Anomaly Maps first, and then adjust your Tablet setup accordingly.

Since the introduction of the new ARC Raiders vendor, Nomadic Envoy, you can visit his shop every week to trade your surplus materials for genuinely valuable items, adding meaningful depth to the in-game economy.

The items on offer rotate weekly, as do the specific materials or special currencies (excluding standard coins) required to acquire them. Requirements range from low-tier items to high-tier drops.

This week, ARC Raiders Nomadic Envoy Ermal's shop features eight items: seven require specific high-tier ARC parts for the trade, while one requires you to locate the special rubber ducks.

We'll introduce these items to help you decide which ones you really need and provide a farming guide for the required trade materials.

This week's Nomadic Envoy shop inventory

Items available for trade this week include:

• Eye Band (Face Style)
• Right Here (Emote)
• Gardening Shears (Backpack Charm)
• Complex Gun Parts Blueprint
• Ion Sputter
• Snap Hook
• Hullcracker III
• 25x Raider Tokens

The first three items are purely cosmetic, serving only to customize your character or for social flair. Unless you are an avid collector of cosmetics and have the time to farm the necessary trade materials, we don't recommend prioritizing these.

Complex Gun Parts Blueprint allows you to craft Complex Gun Parts at a Refiner 3 station using 2 Light Gun Parts, 2 Medium Gun Parts, and 2 Heavy Gun Parts. This epic-tier material is essential for crafting even higher-level gear.

You're likely already familiar with Snap Hook, it's a handy tool for scaling buildings and cliffs. Ion Sputter is primarily valuable as a material to be submitted for Expeditions; this is particularly useful given that the next Expedition window is opening soon.

If you're lacking a high-damage weapon, ARC Raiders Hullcracker III is worth considering. Raider Tokens are a special high-tier currency used to unlock various cosmetics or unlock premium Raider Decks.

Note that the items listed above are part of this week's rotating inventory. If you are looking to unlock specific features like Expedition Vault slots, ARC Raiders Nomadic Envoy services for sale on IGGM might be a more convenient option!

How to acquire this week's items via trade?

Of the eight items available, only Ion Sputter requires a specific Rubber Duck for the trade; the other seven items require you to submit ten types of high-tier ARC parts with a specific total value:

• Eye Band: 300,000
• Right Here: 100,000
• Gardening Shears: 100,000
• Complex Gun Parts Blueprint: 250,000
• Snap Hook: 100,000
• Hullcracker III: 100,000
• 25x Raider Tokens: 150,000

These ARC parts include:

• Any Guns
• Queen Reactor
• Matriarch Reactor
• Bombardier Cell
• Assessor Matrix
• Turbine Compressor
• Leaper Pulse Unit
• Bastion Cell
• Vaporizer Regulator
• Rocketeer Driver

Most of these materials drop only after defeating specific ARC enemies. While some can be obtained through trades with other vendors, that is not a sustainable farming method.

Any Guns

You can obtain guns of varying rarities by fighting any enemy or scavenging across the maps; save any duplicates or guns you don't need to trade with Ermal.

Queen Reactor

This item has a chance to drop after killing ARC Raiders Queen. Combat strategy involves dodging the mortar shells and laser beams she fires while focusing your attacks on her legs and core.

Matriarch Reactor

This item is used to craft Aphelion and primarily drops from Matriarch. As one of the most dangerous ARC enemies, Matriarch possesses multiple abilities and can summon smaller ARC units.

Bombardier Cell

This item drops from Bombardier. These ARC enemies usually appear alongside two Spotters, which help Bombardier pinpoint your location more accurately.

It is generally recommended to kill Spotters first, then target the kneecaps on Bombardier's leg joints and the yellow cylinders on its back. Doing so reduces its mobility and forces it to expose its core.

Assessor Matrix

This item has a chance to drop after destroying ARC Assessors. This enemy does not attack you directly; however, once you breach its interior, it triggers an alarm that draws other ARCs to your location. You must destroy all of them to secure the loot.

Turbine Compressor

This item drops from two types of ARCs: Courier and Turbine. Courier is a transport-class ARC; you do not need to fight it, as you can simply scavenge its wreckage after it crashes.

Turbine moves slowly through the air and descends at the end of the raid. It attacks using mines and lightning strikes. Its weak point is the yellow fuel tank located in the gap of its landing gear.

Leaper Pulse Unit

Leaper, the enemy associated with this item, appears more frequently in high-risk zones. It deals damage by leaping rapidly toward you and crushing you. Its weak points are its eyes and leg joints.

Bastion Cell

Bastion is a large, slow-moving ground ARC that deals damage primarily through heavy Gatling gun fire. The best way to take it down is to destroy its legs, or the component hidden beneath its rear armor.

Vaporizer Regulator

You can obtain this item by scavenging ARC Raiders Couriers or defeating Vaporizers. Since Vaporizer is a flying enemy, you must constantly seek cover during combat to avoid its attacks. Additionally, shooting off the panel on its underside exposes its core components.

Rocketeer Driver

The strategy for dealing with Rocketeer is similar to that for Vaporizer. However, Rocketeer's weak point is its thruster; the best approach is to leap onto the unit to attack, as there is no armor protecting the area near the thruster.

Duck items

To unlock Ion Sputter, you must wait for Bird City map condition to rotate in, enter Buried City map, locate the following three ducks, and submit one of each to Ermal:

• Tropical Duck
• Gentle Duck
• Alien Duck

That covers everything in this guide. If there is an item you like in Nomadic Envoy shop this week, be sure to start farming the necessary trading materials for it right away!

In Diablo 4, only Necromancer and Warlock can summon a large army of minions, yet builds that rely heavily on these summons have always underperformed. Even Warlock setups that do lean on minions tend to use a swarm of demons mainly for support.

However, in Diablo 4 Season 14, while Warlock received some nerfs, several playstyles were also buffed. These changes allow Warlock's demons to deal massive direct damage to enemies. Below are the skills and gear you need for Minion Warlock build.

Season 14 Adjustments

Since the developers applied nerfs to almost every class, builds in Season 14 generally fall behind those from Season 13 in both damage and survivability. However, in the endgame, you can swap most of your gear for Mythic items, which partially offsets the impact of these nerfs. The only downside is that this extends the time needed to fully gear up your character.

Most Warlock builds remain largely unaffected in Season 14, but certain unique items - such as Ae'grom's Schism - received significant buffs. This unique armor now allows you to have 2 Ae'groms at once, double the activation rate, and double the generation speed of lesser demons. Moreover, its damage multiplier has been increased from 30–50% to 120–150%. If you upgrade it to its Mythic Unique version, the total multiplier jumps to an astonishing 2.95x, nearly tripling your overall damage. That is the main reason why Minion Warlock build is viable in Season 14.

Furthermore, the greatly enhanced Eye of Baal not only doubles the damage of Soul Shard skills but also provides an extra 50% damage multiplier (active while using a Soul Shard skill). All these mechanics come together perfectly, allowing you to watch idly as Ae'grom slaughters your enemies.

Minion Warlock Gear

• Unique Helm: Crown of Lucion
• Unique Chest Armor: Ae'grom's Schism
• Legendary Gloves: Remorseless
• Legendary Pants: Diabolical Armor
• Legendary Boots: Sadistic
• Unique Amulet: Seed of Horazon
• Legendary Ring: Demonic
• Legendary Ring: Crushing
• Legendary Sword: Malicious
• Unique Focus: Eye of Baal

Talisman:

• Legendary Horadric Seal
• Berú of Horazon's Chains
• Mlor of Horazon's Chains
• Phoba of Horazon's Chains
• Linta of Horazon's Chains
• Fer of Horazon's Chains
• Wyrdskin

Core Items

The following Diablo 4 items form the core of Minion Warlock build's damage output:

• Ae'grom's Schism: The cornerstone of the build, offering nearly triple damage.
• Eye of Baal: Doubles the damage of Soul Shard skills and adds a 50% damage multiplier (1.5x) when using those skills.
• Horazon's Chains Set: While Ae'grom is active, provides increased damage based on the number of Greater Demons you have summoned.

Even though Horazon's Chains Set was nerfed, its benefits remain outstanding. For each Greater Demon you control, Ae'grom grants you 15% increased damage (down from 30%). With two Ae'groms and three other Greater Demons, you get a 75% damage multiplier.

Moreover, each Tortured Wretch counts as a Greater Demon, and you can summon a surprising number of them. The 2-piece set bonus alone can nearly triple your damage output. Horazon's Chains Set also boosts movement speed, attack speed, enemy execution, extra advantage generation, and damage reduction from each Soul Shard demon - ultimately tripling your damage again.

Minion Warlock Skills

• Command Fallen (15/15): Mega Lunatic / Dominance / Wrath
• Bombardment (15/15): Endless Barrage / Telekinesis / Additional Demon
• Tortured Wretch (15/15): Punching Bag / Cost Reduction / Duration
• Dark Prison (1/15): Calamity Cage / Weaken / Fortify
• Sigil of Summons (15/15): Summon Hellwyrm / Damage / Cooldown
• Metamorphosis (4/15): Destruction Demon / Damage Scaling / Dominance
• Soul Shards: Legin Shards (Spawn Fragment)

How the Build Works?

Most of Minion Warlock build's damage comes from Command Ae'grom, which is granted by Legion Shards rather than the skill tree. By stacking large amounts of attack speed, Ae'grom attacks nearly twice per second. With 2 Ae'groms active, both demons deal their full damage.

At the same time, they continuously generate Lesser Demons, each dealing about 10% of Ae'grom's total damage. You can have up to 10 Lesser Demons on the field at once, and because they attack twice as fast as Ae'grom, this effectively adds the equivalent of an entire extra Ae'grom's worth of damage.

Even if you blow up all your Lesser Demons, they are immediately respawned. It takes only about three seconds after an explosion for every Lesser Demon to return. As a result, you almost never lose their damage output.

Tortured Wretch

Tortured Wretch is vital to the build's survivability. By further reducing skill costs, you can cast it more frequently and keep it on the battlefield longer.

After choosing Punching Bag variant, each Tortured Wretch directly absorbs damage equal to 30% of your maximum health, taking hits before you do. When a Tortured Wretch dies, it grants you Fortify and, more importantly, triggers an explosion that deals nearly 3000% weapon damage. That explosion is itself a significant source of damage.

Testing shows that with a Tortured Wretch on the field, you can simply tank all incoming attacks and remain incredibly hard to kill. This not only boosts your survivability but also removes the need to waste time dodging or repositioning.

Rotation

To maximise the efficiency of the damage engine, you need to obtain free Greater Demons through multiple methods. Your Soul Shard mechanic ensures that every time you cast a Greater Demon skill, you get extra cast speed for your Lesser Demon skills. Additionally, for every 200 demons that die, you gain a free cast of a Greater Demon skill.

Therefore, use Hellfire version of Bombardment to continuously kill demons around you. Use Command Fallen with Mega Lunatic enhancement: it not only detonates a large demon but also spawns four smaller demons. These methods quickly rack up demon deaths, granting you extra free casts of Greater Demon skills. This lets you use Tortured Wretch without consuming your Dominance resource.

Furthermore, each activation of Command Ae'grom kills all Lesser Demons on the field, which translates to an extra ten demon deaths per activation (with a cooldown of about 5s). Combined with the sustained casting of Bombardment and Command Fallen, you never have to worry about maintaining buffs or resources - they replenish themselves automatically.

Although this build may seem like a meme, it can still clear at least Tier 115 in The Pit, so you can easily handle Torment 12 content. If you upgrade your gear to Mythic items, it becomes even stronger. Overall, its power level probably ranks just below Apocalypse Warlock.

The past week was a carnival for gamers. Across online showcases like State of Play, Summer Game Fest Live, Xbox Games Showcase, and Nintendo Direct, plenty of exciting game announcements arrived.

Yet one thing left many players confused or even disappointed: no new trailer for GTA 6 appeared at any of these events. Even so, looking at the release schedule for this year, no studio dared to challenge GTA 6. Most titles are clustered between September and October, leaving November through December nearly a vacuum.

Why was GTA 6 absent?

Its absence from Summer Game Fest was certainly a major letdown. Many fans expected at least the third trailer to drop at State of Play, especially since the game is believed to be a PlayStation exclusive for one year. But nothing happened.

A fairly simple explanation for GTA 6 skipping the event is that it simply does not need a platform like Summer Game Fest to capture players' attention. The studio clearly has no intention of stealing the spotlight from other games, which is good news for other publishers as well.

Moreover, the developers behind GTA 6 almost never attend major gaming showcases to promote their work. The last time they participated in such an event was when they announced the port of GTA 5 to the then-new generation of consoles (PlayStation 4). When re-releasing GTA 5 for PlayStation 5, the game did appear at an event, but fans were hoping for news about the next title, only to see GTA 5 logo again, which triggered considerable disappointment.

Therefore, players should not expect to see any GTA 6 news at large gaming showcases. The studio prefers to control its own marketing rhythm. The third trailer for GTA 6 is likely to drop at some point within the next month or two, because the full-scale marketing campaign will not begin until summer, which officially starts on June 21. Gamers will not have to wait too long.

September is packed with games

Although the official PlayStation team has a marketing agreement with GTA 6, which benefits PlayStation's long-term prospects, all game studios are terrified of November window. Almost everyone is actively avoiding that period, while September is seen as the safest month. Hence you see many blockbusters crammed into September:

• September 3, 2026: Blood of the Dawn Walker
• September 15, 2026: Marvel‘s Wolverine (PS5 exclusive)
• September 17, 2026: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4
• September 17, 2026: The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 2nd
• September 17, 2026: Fire Emblem: Countless Threads (Switch 2 exclusive)
• September 22, 2026: Dune: Awakening (PS5/XSX|S)
• September 24, 2026: Silent Hill: Townfall
• September 24, 2026: Control: Resonance
• September 25, 2026: Onimusha: Way of the Sword

Fewer great games in October

The number of titles scheduled for October has been somewhat affected. Even so, there are still some promising releases to look forward to:

• October 1, 2026: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Switch 2 edition)
• October 9, 2026: Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen DLC
• October 22, 2026: Final Fantasy RESONANCE
• October 23, 2026: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4
• October 29, 2026: Phantom Blade Zero

Even for October, these studios feel the pressure. For example, Phantom Blade Zero will launch just over ten days before GTA 6, which is very unfavorable for its promotion.

Games delayed to 2027

Fable, already postponed from 2025 to 2026, has now been pushed back again to February 2027. The development team clearly stated that this is to avoid GTA 6's impact. Also rescheduled to February 2027 is Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis.

Furthermore, Songs of the Past expansion for The Witcher 3 was originally planned for this year but has also been delayed to 2027. While this may be due to development and polishing, it is undeniable that for equally great works, avoiding each other can lead to better results.

No one wants to be near GTA 6

Why are developers so afraid to release their games close to Grand Theft Auto 6? There are two main reasons.

Limited time and attention from players

An average player has only a limited budget and energy for acquiring and playing games over a given period. If a game launches at the same time or near GTA 6, many players will choose to focus on GTA 6 first. Even players who are not particularly interested in GTA 6 know that this title will completely dominate online discussions.

Overwhelming marketing dominance

The influence of GTA 6 extends beyond players and seeps into content creators and media. When the game releases, the vast majority of streamers, video makers, and gaming websites will shift all their attention to GTA 6. This means other titles launching in the same window will struggle to gain any exposure. Creators who might have made videos for those games will almost certainly prioritize GTA 6 content instead.

Rather than being overshadowed by GTA 6 and fading into silence, developers prefer to schedule their games for September or October, squeezing together with many other titles. In their view, competing for attention among several ordinary games is far wiser than facing a phenomenon like GTA 6 head-on.

Although GTA 6 looms like a thundercloud over November, the anticipation from players is real. It is rare to encounter a year with such an explosion of great games. Enjoy them.

Countless players have already taken time off work to prepare for GTA 6's release on November 19th. IGGM GTA 6 store can provide money and resources you need for your Vice City crime adventure, if you want the best online experience with your friends.

In ARC Raiders Week 7 Trials (June 8-14), players will face five challenges of varying difficulty. These Trials don't require top-tier skills or extreme scores, but test your understanding of map mechanics and enemy spawn patterns.

This ARC Raiders Trials cover five mission types: Damage Snitches, Deal as much damage as possible using a Heavy Fuze Grenade, Open ARC Probes, Damage Bastions, and Damage ground-based ARC enemies on Stella Montis.

The three-star requirements vary significantly across missions, but most challenges can be improved by choosing the right map, prioritizing targets, and understanding enemy spawn patterns. The following will break down the specific completion methods for each mission type.

Damage Snitches

Compared to other kill-based missions, Snitches rely more on map vision and spawn point knowledge than on firepower intensity.

Quantity Requirements and Point Distribution

Destroying a Snitche earns approximately 300 points. To reach 3,000 points required for three stars, you need to destroy around ten. While collecting ten Snitches in a single ARC Raiders match isn't consistent, utilizing high vantage points can significantly improve efficiency.

The top of Buried City Town Hall offers almost full map visibility, allowing you to observe multiple Snitches spawn points simultaneously. Dam Battlegrounds and Spaceport also have similar high vantage points.

Key Practical Tips

Snitches move quickly but don't attack proactively. It's recommended to use high-accuracy weapons to eliminate them at mid-range, avoiding entering the detection range of other ARC enemies.

If you notice another player attacking a Snitche, don't give up entirely; participating in the final hit will still earn you full points.

Deal as much damage as possible using a Heavy Fuze Grenade

This is one of the fastest challenges to complete this week; usually, a single grenade is enough to finish the mission if you find the right target.

Ideal Goal and Score Threshold

Deal damage to Bombardier with Heavy Fuze Grenade. A single correct throw will earn you over 3,800 points, instantly achieving three stars.

This mission is the fastest to complete among all Trials in ARC Raiders Week 7, provided you find a Bombardier. Bombardiers usually appear in open areas and do not actively move away from projectiles.

How to Improve Efficiency

A single Bombardier is usually enough to achieve three stars. To increase your margin for error, try gathering multiple ARC enemies together. First, throw a Lure grenade to attract Bombardier, Leaper, or Shredder together, then throw Heavy Fuze Grenade.

Each additional enemy hit will add approximately 300 to 400 points. However, be aware that Heavy Fuze Grenade has a short explosion delay; retreat immediately after throwing to avoid self-inflicted damage.

Open ARC Probes

Unlike combat-based Trials, this mission tests map traversal efficiency and the utilization of special weather mechanics.

Scoring Mechanism and Optimal Maps

Each ARC Probe searched earns 667 points, requiring only five for three stars. Dam Battlegrounds map during Electromagnetic Storm has the highest ARC Probe density, often featuring more than eight in a single match.

Gameplay

After you enter an Electromagnetic Storm match in ARC Raiders, prioritize finding ARC Probes marked with blue beams on the map. Each ARC Probe has a search time of approximately three seconds, during which movement is impossible; it's recommended to clear nearby smaller enemies first.

Spaceport map is also a good choice, but ARC Probes are more scattered. If other missions have already been completed, you can dedicate the remaining time to collecting five, usually taking only three to four minutes.

Even if an ARC Probe has already been activated by another player, you will still receive full points as long as you interact with it once. In other words, rushing to be the first opener is unnecessary - you can calmly collect them after the storm clears.

If you're still short on consumables or key gear for faster Probe collection, free ARC Raiders giveaways on IGGM Discord can help you stock up without wasting time in-game.

Damage Bastions

Although Bastions give the highest points, their spawns are rare, making them a frequent point of contention among players.

Score Requirements and Spawn Areas

Completely destroying a Bastion grants many points, so usually two are needed to reliably achieve three stars. It's recommended to prepare two for a complete kill.

Bastion spawn points are typically in fixed areas within ARC Raiders. Two may spawn on Spaceport map, and there's a higher probability in Hidden Bunker and Locked Gate areas.

Coping with Competition and Time Management

Since Bastions are the highest-scoring targets among all ARC enemies, multiple players often contest them.

If you can't monopolize a Bastion, you can use a "finishing blow" strategy: attack Bastion's core until it's low on health, then wait for another player to deliver the final blow. As long as you deal enough damage, you can still get most of the points.

Another method is to use ARC Raiders Wolfpack grenades for rapid damage output, destroying Bastion before it deploys its shield.

Damage Ground-Based ARC Enemies in Stella Montis

This challenge covers a variety of enemy types, but the score efficiency varies greatly depending on the target.

Enemy Classification and Score Efficiency

Ground ARC enemies on Stella Montis in ARC Raiders are divided into three categories: Pops (20 points each), Shredders (approximately 385 points each), and Bastions (over 2,000 points). Clearly, focusing on killing Shredders is the most efficient option. Eight Shredders are enough to achieve three stars, while one hundred Pops are needed to reach the same score.

Recommended Equipment and Spawn Routes

Using Bettina weapon allows for quick takedowns of Shredders, whose weak point is in the abdomen. The open areas in the east and south of the map have a higher Shredder spawn rate.

If you're lucky enough to encounter a Bastion spawn, prioritize dealing with it, as a single Bastion can replace the score of four Shredders. It's not recommended to waste time on Pops unless other targets have been cleared.

The five trials in ARC Raiders Week 7 are of moderate difficulty overall. Prioritize completing Heavy Fuze Grenades and Open ARC Probes, then use map selection to tackle the remaining challenges. You can usually get the full three-star rewards in two runs.

Avoid wasting time on low-scoring enemies and fully utilize the resource density advantage provided by Electromagnetic Storm to reliably obtain all rewards.

The new MLB The Show 26 Multiplayer 4 Program has launched slightly earlier than expected; if you haven't finished Program 3 yet, you might have been caught off guard and missed out on some high-tier rewards.

Don't worry, though, Multiplayer 4 brings fresh goals to strive for, with a wide variety of rewards waiting to be unlocked. Here is a detailed guide to Multiplayer 4 Program.

Multiplayer 4 duration

The program launched on June 9 and is expected to conclude around July 14. Notably, Multiplayer 2 and 3 launched on April 14 and May 12, respectively, making this release 3–5 days earlier than previous ones.

Although there is a tentative end date for Multiplayer 4, we recommend earning enough points to unlock all rewards before July begins to avoid the risk of the program ending unexpectedly.

How to complete Multiplayer 4?

As this is a long-term program running for at least a month, the reward path consists of 25 tiers requiring a cumulative total of 150,000 XP to fully unlock.

To help you achieve this, Multiplayer 4 offers 23 missions; completing all of them yields a total of 275,000 XP, far exceeding the amount actually needed to finish the entire program. Here are all the missions and the total XP earned upon completion:

Each mission has its own progress bar; you earn a certain amount of XP for completing each segment, so you don't need to finish the entire mission at once to get all XP.

This means that even if you leave the final objective of two or three missions incomplete, or only partially finish them, you can still earn enough XP to unlock all Multiplayer 4 rewards.

Therefore, you can create a personalized plan based on your available playtime and your strengths to farm Multiplayer 4 Program rewards more efficiently.

Blindly completing every mission in order is not only a waste of time but could actually cause you to miss out on rewards.

All Multiplayer 4 Program rewards

This program offers a comprehensive range of rewards, including themed card packs, specific brand-new player cards, stubs (in-game currency) for redeeming additional items, seasonal XP to boost your season progress, and a special Kaboom! bat item.

Below are all the rewards and Program XP required to unlock them (listed in ascending order):

Besides participating in this program, there's also a chance to win tons of stubs for free: participate in IGGM MLB 26 Stubs Free Giveaways on Discord! We'll be drawing 10 players to share 3000K stubs, and you might be one lucky winner!

Best strategy for completing missions

We recommend prioritizing the missions in Battle Royale mode, as they are less difficult and can be completed relatively quickly. You will also notice that most Multiplayer 4 missions simply require playing in any multiplayer mode, without further specific restrictions.

This allows you to combine different mission types, such as working on Battle Royale missions alongside others, to advance multiple objectives in a single match, thereby maximizing your efficiency.

Additionally, to complete the bases and home runs missions more quickly, it is best to avoid frequently changing your lineup; sticking with the powerful hitters on your team will yield better results.

Furthermore, on June 9, another Legends & Flashbacks Event Program was launched. Although the rewards are fewer, the event runs for a shorter period, so be sure to manage your playtime effectively to avoid missing out.

That covers the key information you need to complete Multiplayer 4 Program. Don't delay, get started right away!

In Diablo 2 Resurrected Ladder Season 14, countless builds can serve you well when starting fresh. They may perform similarly early on, but the differences become clear by the endgame, where some builds will struggle significantly.

If you're looking for a low-cost and easy-to-use build for Season 14 ladder, then Smite Paladin might be your best choice. It is exceptionally effective against Uber Bosses with their enormous health pools.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Smite Paladin build is not an all-rounder. It is inefficient at clearing areas and mobs, but its single-target damage is second to none. That is why it is mainly used for hunting bosses. If you intend to farm the game's toughest bosses and acquire Hellfire Torch Large Charm and Annihilus, then with a Smite Paladin you will need almost no investment.

The advantage of Paladin's Smite skill lies in its fixed 95% chance to hit, as well as its ability to trigger Crushing Blow and Open Wounds from your equipment, which rapidly shaves down a boss's health.

Stat Allocation

• Strength: Add enough to wear all your gear. With bonuses from equipment, roughly 150 points is typical.
• Dexterity: After casting Holy Shield, raise this until your block chance reaches 75%. This is crucial for melee survival.
• Vitality: Put every remaining point here to maximize your life.
• Energy: Do not add any points. Rely on gear and potions for mana recovery.

Once Holy Shield is active, it provides a massive defense bonus. This is key to your survival, so keep it up at all times.

Skills

Below is the core skill allocation. Some skills only need a single point.

Support Skills (1 point each)

• Cleansing: Reduces poison and curse duration.
• Vigor: Increases movement speed for faster travel.
• Salvation: Greatly boosts all resistances; use it against specific bosses.
• Charge: A mobility skill that helps you move around maps more quickly.

Main Attack Skills (max them in order)

• Holy Shield: Significantly raises defense and block chance.
• Fanaticism: Increases attack speed, damage, and attack rating.
• Smite: Your primary damage skill.
• Resist Lightning: Passively raises your maximum lightning resistance, which is critical against Uber Mephisto.
• Zeal: Optional. Used for clearing weaker monsters.

If you plan to use this character only for Uber Mephisto event or Diablo Clone, you may skip Zeal and instead put skill points into Conviction, reaching level 21. Uber Mephisto comes with a level 20 Conviction aura. By having Conviction at level 21 or higher, you override his aura and protect yourself from its resistance-lowering effect.

Smite Paladin Gear

The following setup is the theoretical best for a Smite Paladin. If you lack some of these items, you can make reasonable adjustments.

Alternative Choices

Cannot Be Frozen effect from Raven Frost is very important. If you do not have that ring, you can use another piece of gear that provides the same effect, such as the Runeword Hearth (helm), which has Cannot Be Frozen built in. If you go with that option, replace your shield with a four-socket Paladin-only shield and fill it with four Perfect Diamonds for all resistances.

For weapons, you can also use the Runeword Black, which gives you the crucial Crushing Blow. Diablo 2 Resurrected runes needed for it are common, and the base can be shopped from Fara in Act 2 of Normal difficulty.

Heaven's Light is also an option. It has two sockets, which you can fill with Shael runes for attack speed. It also provides 33% Crushing Blow and is very affordable as well.

Before fighting a boss, you can swap Enigma armor for Treachery. Standing in fire will trigger Fade, granting all resistances and faster hit recovery. You can trigger it next to a campfire and then begin the boss fight.

Consumables

If your gear is not optimal, the number of Full Rejuvenation Potions you carry will directly determine success or failure. Stock up 50 to 100 bottles. Drink one as soon as your life drops in combat, and also drink immediately when your mana gets burned. This is not optional; it is a core survival strategy.

Never challenge the endgame bosses on higher player counts. Whether in online multiplayer or single-player with Players X set above 1, the bosses gain a huge amount of extra life and will drain your consumables very quickly. Always make sure the difficulty is set to Players 1.

Fight Sequence

Mephisto is the fastest. Try to pull him away from the group alone. Cast Life Tap, then start smiting. His Conviction aura will greatly reduce your resistances, so you will need to drink potions frequently. If you die, do not leave a pile of monsters near the portal. Go back to town, fill up on potions again, then return to retrieve your corpse.

After you defeat Mephisto, Baal usually teleports close to you. Lead him away from Diablo, cast Life Tap, and smite him down. Baal burns mana often, so keep drinking potions.

Deal with Diablo last. Demon Lords he summons can put pressure on you, but as long as you keep Life Tap active and drink potions, you can steadily beat him.

Smite skill is strong enough on its own to defeat Uber Bosses. You can adjust your gear flexibly, but remember to raise your defense first before chasing more damage.

In a racing-focused game like Forza Horizon 6, your default mindset is usually to acquire higher-performance cars and further enhance them through tuning.

While that approach is certainly valid, games differ from real-world racing. In Forza Horizon 6, you might want to downgrade certain cars, perhaps to diversify your collection or to lower a car's performance index (PI) for specific race requirements.

Of course, not every car is a good candidate for downgrading, and a poor choice could be a waste of resources. Don't worry, though; we've selected a few cars that are perfect for downgrading, so you can quickly find the best options when the need arises!

1. Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205

This is one of the game's starter cars. If you're new to Forza Horizon 6 and want to try your hand at downgrading, this Toyota is an excellent starting point.

After acquiring the car, first reset it to its default upgrade configuration to remove useless aero kits and unsightly rims, returning it to its factory-stock appearance.

To complete the downgrade, you'll want to simplify its look further. Try swapping the front bumper and removing the rear wing.

The rear bumper cannot be modified, so that massive exhaust pipe will remain at the back. You can also cover up the large hood vent to give the car a more understated, low-key look.

As for the color, silver gives it that entry-level model vibe, though you can choose any color you prefer. Just keep in mind that the base Celica model doesn't allow for a full color change.

2. Audi RS 5

This car is technically A5 S-line version, but you can downgrade it to resemble the standard A5 model. To do this, start by swapping the front bumper for the standard Audi A5 bumper.

At the rear, replace the oval exhaust tips with a dual-exit setup (one pipe on each side) to mimic a stock, unmodified vehicle. While the side skirts cannot be changed, this is a minor detail that usually goes unnoticed.

The wheels are already factory-standard, specifically the ones found on Audi A5 S-Line, so there's no need to change them.

As for the body color: while other colors would make Audi RS 5 instantly recognizable, red tends to blend the badges into the background, making it look more like a modified Audi A5.

3. 2011 Ford Transit SuperSportVan

This is an interesting van; features like body-colored bumpers and LED fog lights give it a somewhat odd appearance. Plus, its tall profile means it shouldn't be too fast, or it would easily tip over in corners.

So, the goal here is to downgrade it to a standard 2011 Ford Transit Van. To do this, swap out the front and rear bumpers, keep the spoiler as is, and change the exhaust tips to the standard style.

Next, switch the wheels to a design that closely resembles the standard Transit van wheels. As for the paint, you can choose any color, but white remains the most iconic choice for a Transit van.

Also, don't forget to remove the decals; if you can't get rid of them completely, use a standard windshield decal to cover up any overly flashy livery.

4. 1991 Peugeot 205 Rallye

This car doesn't look particularly flashy in its stock form, but if you want to make it look more like an entry-level trim, the first step is to paint the body white.

Then, change the steel wheels and the front and rear bumpers to black (any shade you like) and set the decal finish to matte, and just like that, you've got a base-model Peugeot 205.

It's worth noting that this car can also be converted into a van! If you want to give it a try, enter the decal editor, select the window option, place a white square, and mirror it to the other side. Then, make a few tweaks to the rear end, and you're all set!

5. 2003 Toyota Celica SS-I

As another variant of Toyota Celica, this model looks a bit over-modified, making it a perfect candidate for a downgrade experiment.

Swap the front bumper for the base model version, then remove the rear spoiler, side skirts, and rear bumper, or install the factory-standard spoiler.

As for the hood and wheels, they are standard factory parts, so feel free to leave them as is. Regarding the paint job: since you already chose silver for Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205, let's go with blue for this one.

6. 2011 Audi RS 3 Sportback

Much like RS 5, this Audi model has a very bold, aggressive look. It features a massive silver grille and large wheels.

So, how do we make it look more like a base-model Audi A3 S-line? While the front and rear bumpers are technically the base A3 versions, they bear RS 3 badges, which cannot be removed.

Additionally, the rear spoiler cannot be completely taken off; it can only be swapped for a different style.

Installing different side skirts makes the bodywork appear more compact, and fitting rally suspension raises the ride height slightly, giving it more of a base-model A3 look.

For the paintwork, you can create a custom silver finish to cover up the silver trim elements that identify it as an RS 3.

Also, the wheels feature an overly flashy diamond-cut style finish; change them to white with a metallic paint texture to eliminate that effect.

That covers Forza Horizon cars suitable for downgrading that we wanted to introduce today, feel free to give these a try if you're interested. Just remember, the goal of all these modifications is simply to enhance your gaming experience!