General News

According to the official confirmed timeline, Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5.0 will be released in about two weeks. While this update doesn't bring a new class, Monk introduces a very cool ascendancy called Martial Artist. To help you have a smoother experience during your progression, let's explore Martial Artist's skills and mechanics together!

Martial Artist is Monk's third ascendancy. Players had long speculated that it would be some kind of hand-to-hand combat style, but the official announcement reveals that it's not purely hand-to-hand combat, but more like the attack-building, charging, and detonation combat loop style from Diablo 2.

Core Ascendancy Skills

Hollow Focus Technique

This skill periodically summons a ghostly bell near you. Your attacks instantly shatter the bell, releasing a shockwave that damages nearby enemies and powerfully stuns enemies already in a stun preparation state.

The bell itself remains in a stun preparation state and can be executed. This is essentially a significant upgrade to Monk's original bell skill, making it automatically triggered and requiring no manual placement.

Hollow Form Technique

After channeling Hollow Form, illusions will be summoned near your target location. These illusions will disappear after using one of the melee attack skills in your inventory once.

This means that skills with smaller ranges can now be used efficiently to clear mobs, especially when combined with the ghostly bell attack generated by Hollow Focus Technique for maximum map clearing efficiency.

Hollow Resonance Technique

A spectral bell is attached to the bell. When your other skills crit, the spectral bell emits a resonant wave that damages nearby enemies.

This is a huge boost to the critical strike Monk build, as the previous weakness of Monks was generating energy orbs; now, critical strikes can trigger resonance. Sustain and burst damage are significantly improved in boss fights.

Runic Meridians

By engraving runes on your body, you gain 5 additional rune sockets, distributed across your helmet (1), body armor (2), gloves (1), and boots (1).

Each piece of equipment can gain additional sockets through corruption. Martial Artist further pushes the limits, giving players more freedom in rune configuration to compensate for weaknesses.

Way of the Mountain

Gain Mountain's Teachings stacks when immobilizing enemies. Each stack increases attack damage and stun threshold.

Additionally, minor damage from enemy attacks (damage not exceeding 30% of your maximum health after armor and resistance reduction) is reduced by 70%. Stacks disappear after 8 seconds without gaining new stacks, and are also consumed when hit or used.

Way of the Stonefist

Way of the Stonefist is the most crucial and anticipated skill in the entire advanced skill tree, though many players may find it absurd.

It transforms your equipped gloves into a new base called Fists of Stone, and the original affixes are converted into more powerful related affixes.

Fists of Stone is a glove base that cannot be obtained through normal means; it can only be created by using Martial Artist's Way of the Stonefist skill. Unequipping the gloves will restore them to their original base.

Fists of Stone provides a base stat of +3 evasion rating per level and +1 maximum energy shield per level.

But what's even more astonishing is the affix conversion mechanism of this skill.

A pair of ordinary gloves that originally only provided physical damage, cold damage, lightning damage, and various resistances, transforms into an extremely powerful piece of gear after being converted into Fists of Stone, providing additional physical damage, additional cold damage, additional lightning damage, percentage-based maximum resistances, and a massive bonus to damage dealt.

This is by no means the expected unchanged state; this skill may be significantly nerfed before Patch 0.5.0 is officially released.

Skill Synergy

Martial Artist has great potential for synergy with Nightfall, a new item dropped in Patch 0.5.0. Nightfall is a Unique Fortress Tower Shield, dropped by Breach pinnacle boss in Patch 0.5.0, and its essence lies in granting players the active skill Soaring Midnight.

Throw your shield as a projectile, and it will return after its flight. During the shield's flight, this skill will be replaced by Embrace the Fall. You can teleport to the shield's location and unleash a powerful downward slam.

This skill has a 4-second cooldown, but the cooldown can be skipped in the following two situations: first, successfully catching the shield upon its return; second, destroying Ice Crystals on the field during Embrace the Fall impact.

While Martial Artist's damage potential with this shield is impressive, from a pure efficiency standpoint, Titan, with its AoE nodes, might be a better fit for this skill.

However, Martial Artist's almost unbalanced Way of Stonefist glove amplification makes it difficult for players to be unwilling to sacrifice some area-of-effect damage for maximum damage.

Leveling Strategy

Nightfall drops from Breach pinnacle boss, a high-difficulty endgame item, making it extremely difficult to obtain.

We can use other strong leveling classes to complete early leveling and map clearing, farm Nightfall while also accumulating PoE2 currency, and then level a new Monk character to build the final build.

Monk ascendancy class Martial Artist in Patch 0.5.0 possesses almost monstrous damage potential. However, the official release is still about two weeks away, and Nightfall isn't easily obtained, so the final playability will depend on the official values ​​released when the new patch goes live on May 29th.

Remember the rumors circulating widely within the community a few days ago that Frozen Trail would be the next update for ARC Raiders? Regardless of how that information was leaked, it turns out that some of those details were indeed accurate!

Just yesterday, ARC Raiders development team finally released a new announcement revealing their update plans for the second half of 2026. This announcement officially confirmed Frozen Trail as the next major update, alongside a host of other significant changes.

If you plan to continue playing ARC Raiders over the coming months, we highly recommend taking a close look at our breakdown and analysis of the new roadmap to help you prepare for the changes and challenges that lie ahead.

Changes to update frequency

Since its launch last October, ARC Raiders has consistently released a new update almost every month. While the scope of each individual update has varied, the release frequency itself has remained remarkably steady.

However, this pattern is set to conclude with Riven Tides update. Moving forward, ARC Raiders will adopt a new strategy: releasing two major updates per year.

One reason for this shift is that the pace of monthly updates placed significant pressure on the development team, making it difficult to consistently guarantee high-quality content.

Furthermore, smaller-scale updates were insufficient to support the kind of deep, comprehensive exploration and expansion the game requires to evolve as a whole.

Of course, to ensure you don't get bored during the intervals between major releases, the team will continue to release patches, new store items, and special events at their current, steady pace.

More importantly, the two major updates released each year going forward will offer significantly greater depth and richness of content. Perhaps in time, you may even have the opportunity to uncover the truth behind ARC invasion of Earth.

Frozen Trail will arrive in October

Due to the shift in update frequency, the next confirmed update, Frozen Trail, will not launch until this coming October, marking a six-month interval since the current Riven Tides update. Subsequent updates are expected to arrive next year.

Interestingly, the title Frozen Trail matches the name found in the previously leaked documents; this suggests that the other information contained within those documents may also be highly credible.

The newly released roadmap indicates that Frozen Trail will introduce a new map, new ARC enemy types, new ways to upgrade your Raiders, various new item categories, and a complete reset of the skill tree.

More specifically, the new map promises to be unprecedented in scale, offering a unique environmental landscape, one unlike anything currently found in any of the game's other maps.

According to leaked information, the new map features a snowy, frozen setting and contains multiple POIs with highly intricate interior layouts, offering significant value for looting.

As for the new ARC content, it involves more than just an update to enemy types; more importantly, these new adversaries will appear with visual designs and behavioral patterns entirely distinct from existing enemies, forcing you to devise brand-new strategies to survive your raids.

Combining these two elements, it is expected that Frozen Trail update will offer you the opportunity to explore the mystery behind the origins of the ARC enemies, knowledge that may prove invaluable in your quest to help all of humanity return to the surface!

Tackling new enemies and exploring a new map will inevitably require new gear; consequently, the introduction of these new items signifies an expansion of the existing blueprint system.

Upon the update's release, you will be able to utilize new character progression methods to more efficiently scavenge for additional ARC Raiders blueprints within the new map, thereby allowing you to craft the new gear needed to counter the new enemies.

Introduction of a new trader

Unlike Frozen Trail, the new trader is scheduled to arrive as early as next week. Although their name has not yet been revealed, it is confirmed that they will become accessible once you reach Level 25.

The vendors currently available in the game offer only relatively standard trading options; however, this new Trader will not only sell more unique gear and cosmetic items but will also offer a weekly rotation of special rewards.

While acquiring these rewards may require you to consume more coins or rare materials, this very requirement serves to provide you with greater motivation to explore the endgame content, rather than simply engaging in the tedious grind of repetitive, low-difficulty combat.

Furthermore, this new trader offers access to two new perks: additional storage space and Expedition Vault feature.

The former is self-explanatory; the latter, however, serves a specific function: it allows you to carry up to five items with you into an expedition, designating them as your starting reserve supplies for the run, meaning you no longer have to start completely from scratch, as was previously the case.

As one of the core mechanics of ARC Raiders, Expedition has historically suffered from lower player engagement, largely because, for casual players, the prospect of having all their hard-earned loot wiped clean in an instant felt like a frustratingly steep penalty.

However, with the introduction of Expedition Vault, you can now preserve high-tier weapons or blueprints acquired during a previous run, thereby enabling you to get off to a much faster start in your next session.

It remains to be seen whether this feature will fundamentally alter the original design philosophy behind Expedition system; nevertheless, implementing changes of this nature was undoubtedly a necessary step.

Further macro-level changes

Overall, ARC Raiders has implemented the aforementioned plans to free up more time in the future to address overarching issues, such as simultaneously deepening existing features and ensuring that both combat and narrative elements are effectively advanced.

Furthermore, the development team will now have the bandwidth to focus on and finally resolve the long-standing and heavily criticized issues regarding frequent bugs and cheating, thereby ensuring a fairer and more stable gaming environment for you in the future.

How do players feel about these changes?

While the new changes and content are certainly exciting, some players feel that the update frequency, limited to just two major releases, is a bit too low. After all, ARC Raiders is a live-service game; surely there is no need to bundle all new content into a single massive update.

However, to be honest, if they were to release the content piecemeal, wouldn't that essentially amount to no change compared to the current status quo?

Therefore, you should place your trust in ARC Raiders, or, at the very least, wait until Frozen Trail is released before passing judgment.

That wraps up everything we have to share with you this time around. If you are interested in Frozen Trail, be sure to check out our previous coverage regarding the leaked content! We wish you the very best in Speranza!

GTA 6 fanbase has descended into absolute frenzy, with every player anticipating the imminent arrival of a third trailer - firmly convinced it will drop any day now. This belief stems from a flurry of hints from both the official team and various distributors, all suggesting that something major is on the horizon.

Rumors had circulated within the community that a trailer for GTA 6 would land on May 12, but alas, that did not come to pass. Still, given the game's launch window, the marketing phase can't be far off, and the long, agonizing silence surrounding GTA 6 is about to end. Let's break down the latest developments one by one.

PlayStation

Not long ago, countless players around the globe received an official email from PlayStation. Its message was strikingly blunt: "Get a PlayStation 5 now and prepare for the launch of GTA 6." On May 13, the platform also kicked off a massive promotion, clearing out a considerable amount of existing inventory in the process.

What makes this noteworthy is that, in the weeks leading up to pre-orders for any blockbuster title, the platform needs to free up enough server capacity to handle a surge in traffic. Once pre-orders for GTA 6 open, the concurrent requests flooding the same page will be unlike anything seen before.

Meanwhile, subtle changes have been detected in the backend of PlayStation Store. Data miners have uncovered content files under GTA 6's product page - files that typically only appear close to a game's release. These signs point to the possibility that pre-orders for GTA 6 may be right around the corner. The official team is very likely to deliver that news in the third trailer.

Rating Finalized

Content rating organizations have also leaked important signals. In the United States, ESRB has already assigned GTA 6 an M rating. By convention, ESRB usually finalizes its rating in the last few months before a game's launch. May fits perfectly with GTA 6's release window.

For European players, this almost certainly means the familiar PEGI 18 rating is a foregone conclusion, consistent with the series' long-standing tradition. This indicates that the game's content is largely complete and entering its final review phase - at the very least, we can assume no further delays are coming.

Hiring a Marketing Team

In recent weeks, the developer has posted a flurry of job openings. The latest is for a graphic designer at the headquarters in downtown Manhattan, requiring on-site work and directly serving the marketing department.

This further suggests that the game's development and polishing are in their final stretch, and the official team's next big focus is bringing the product to the global audience. A tidal wave of marketing will make GTA 6 as universally recognized as Coca-Cola.

Insider Leaks

DetectiveSeeds, a well-known leaker in GTA insider circles, has revealed that he obtained information about pre-orders from a reliable source. However, he has unusually refused to disclose it, insisting that he must wait for two or three independent sources to cross-validate the claim.

This extraordinary caution hints at the weight of the information he holds. Widespread speculation suggests that the temporarily sealed news either points directly to the pre-order launch date or to the simultaneous arrival of the third trailer.

He accurately predicted in 2024 that Sony and Rockstar were negotiating a marketing agreement, and he also successfully foretold that the second trailer would carry the label "Captured on PS5." Therefore, his information carries a certain degree of credibility.

Shareholder Meeting

Another notable leaker, Nate the Hate, has revealed that PlayStation's official plan is to hold a new State of Play event in late May or early June. Sony is very likely to showcase a PS5–GTA 6 bundle in grand fashion, and there is a strong chance that this will be the moment pre-orders officially open.

Back when Grand Theft Auto V launched in 2013, an exclusive PS3 bundle sold millions of units. Now, PlayStation's official team undoubtedly wants to replicate - or even surpass - that success. Given the timing, it is highly probable that PlayStation has asked GTA 6's marketing team to synchronize the release of the third trailer with the State of Play event.

Another date that cannot be ignored is May 21, when the parent company of GTA 6 holds its shareholder conference call. Last year, the second trailer suddenly dropped four days before that meeting. If Rockstar once again chooses to detonate a bombshell just before executives address investors, then every single day from now on is worth staying glued to the screen for.

Additionally, GTA 6 Countdown account has received a confidential tip claiming to come from a source within Rockstar's marketing team: pre-orders will open within this month. The tipster repeatedly stressed that the information has not been verified, but the details mentioned align perfectly with the normal technical preparation process.

GTA 6's online mode will undoubtedly become a major focus for players as well. Want to control your own created character and run wild in Vice City? IGGM GTA 6 Store is ready to offer thoughtful services for your criminal journey. Go kick down the doors of banks and the wealthy, and stuff those dollar bills into your sack!

Typically, non-daily events in Monopoly Go tend to run for longer durations, as their mechanics are often somewhat more complex. However, there are exceptions, such as the current Roll Treasures event!

The reason this event concludes so quickly is likely because it does not offer a new board token; nevertheless, it should not be overlooked, as the dice rewards it provides will prove beneficial for any subsequent events you choose to play!

Below, we will provide a detailed breakdown of how to play Roll Treasures, along with full details regarding the available rewards.

Roll Treasures schedule

This event began on May 12, 2026, at 4:00 PM ET, and will run until 1:00 PM ET on May 13. Lasting a mere 21 hours, it is even shorter than some of the game's flash events!

Fortunately, there are only 15 levels to complete. Therefore, even if you consume the majority of this period resting, you can still unlock all the rewards simply by jumping in after you wake up and applying the right strategy!

How to play this event?

All Monopoly Go treasures digging events are solo endeavors, meaning you do not need to rely on teammates and can jump in whenever you please!

Each level is presented as a large grid on your screen; generally speaking, the higher the level, the larger the grid area becomes.

Initially, these grids are completely covered. Your objective is to use pickaxe tokens, acquired through various other channels, to dig away the covering and uncover the hidden treasures lying beneath.

If you have accumulated enough pickaxes, you could theoretically dig up every single square on the current level's grid; however, doing so would be an unnecessary waste of time.

To prevent this inefficiency, the game system, based on the specific layout of treasures for the current level, determines the minimum number of pickaxes required to successfully complete that stage.

Therefore, to conserve both time and pickaxes, it is highly advisable to formulate a suitable strategy based on this specific requirement before you begin digging.

Roll Treasures reward details

Below is a breakdown of all levels, including their grid layouts, specific rewards, and the minimum number of pickaxe tokens required to unearth all rewards:

Roll Match Trigger is best activated within 6 hours of being obtained; otherwise, it may expire. Once activated, this flash event remains active for a limited duration of 10 minutes.

During these 10 minutes, if you roll a dice combination that matches the specified pattern, you will be granted an extra dice roll.

Lucky Chance Trigger is valid for 15 minutes; it replaces all your standard Chance cards with special Lucky Chance cards.

These special Chance cards trigger unique flash events that provide extra cash or dice for a limited time, and they guarantee a 100% chance of triggering a Mega Heist.

How to earn pickaxe tokens?

To ensure you have enough tokens to make progress in Roll Treasures event, Monopoly Go offers a wide variety of sources for farming them.

Furthermore, there is no need to worry about wasting any excess pickaxes you earn; once Roll Treasures concludes, any remaining tokens will be converted into dice at a 1:3 ratio for you to use.

Daily events

Once Roll Treasures begins, Monopoly Go also launched a new banner event, Carpet Carousel, alongside a tournament. The milestone rewards for these events include 322 and 130 pickaxe tokens, respectively.

Quick Wins tasks

Upon completing the three current Quick Wins tasks, you will be rewarded with 4 pickaxe tokens for each one. While this may not seem like a large amount, these tasks are simple to complete, so there is no reason to miss out!

Playing Roll Treasures itself

As indicated by our rewards list, certain stages within Roll Treasures event itself also offer pickaxes as part of their rewards. So, dig deep and unearth those treasures!

Claiming gifts

Monopoly Go in-game shop refreshes its gifts every 8 hours. Since Roll Treasures is expected to run for a duration that covers at least two gift refreshes, be sure to claim them promptly; otherwise, you risk wasting potential rewards, as unclaimed gifts do not stack.

The above covers the key information you need to know to participate in Roll Treasures event. If you are currently running low on dice, make sure to complete this event before it ends!

Drivers, have you been eagerly anticipating the cars included in Forza Horizon 6 and the chance to race your favorite vehicles on Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway, just like in those classic Japanese movies?

Great news is, The official game announcement recently revealed all the vehicles that will be included in FH6, launching on May 19th, including those appearing in DLC!

However, before introducing the noteworthy new vehicles, let's take a look at the latest details being released as we get closer to the official launch date. You're sure to be very interested in them too.

Changes to Vehicle Acquisition Methods

In FH6, you can no longer simply go to Auto Show in-game, find your favorite vehicles, and easily acquire them as long as you have enough credits.

Vehicle Unlocking

In FH6, the development team has changed the previous simple and uninspired vehicle acquisition method. They've added more specific objectives to keep your Forza Horizon 6 experience fresh and engaging.

For some cars, Auto Show remains a direct way to acquire them. However, for legendary or high-performance vehicles, you may need to prove your skill level by completing missions and winning specific races to unlock them.

These vehicles will only appear in your Auto Show list once you unlock them. You can also find newly added vehicles in your collection journal at Discover Japan.

Points System

In previous Forza Horizon games, points for specific vehicles could be earned through various means.

Wandering aimlessly on the map, engaging in dangerous driving maneuvers, or completing consecutive actions would accumulate points, which could then be redeemed for FH6 credits, cosmetics, or lottery chances.

This system is retained in FH6, but with slight differences.

Each of these new categories offers different rewards for you. For example, completing enough Road Races and reaching level three in that category will earn you Lamborghini Revuelto, and continuing to complete challenges and objectives in Road Races to reach level five will unlock Lotus Exige.

You can see the acquisition methods for different vehicles in Car Collection. It's displayed very clearly.

Unlocking method for vehicles that has not been modified

Aside from these newly added vehicle acquisition methods, you can still find familiar items in FH6.

For example, all vehicles can still be obtained directly through the lottery; everyone loves the thrill of winning a big prize.

Barn Finds are also retained, although many people find them a headache. However, the addition of Treasure Cars might allow you to find some special vehicles, potentially making the time-consuming Barn Finds worthwhile.

And as mentioned earlier, some classic models that are staples of Forza Horizon series can still be obtained directly through Forza Horizon 6 credits, without needing to spend time unlocking them.

Only certain vehicles with special significance or extremely high performance require unlocking using the methods mentioned earlier.

Okay, that concludes the introduction to the new vehicle unlocking methods. Next, let's look at the changes to the vehicle information.

Vehicle Information

Classification Method

The vehicle classification method has changed slightly, with the addition of a new type called Eclectic Domestics. This is something JDM enthusiasts have been eagerly awaiting, featuring unique and cool modifications and a truly authentic JDM flavor.

Standard Vehicle Parameters

The standard vehicle parameters include horsepower, torque, weight, weight percentage, displacement, drive type, and value—basic information that hasn't changed much.

However, if you've noticed, in FH5, when driving an electric vehicle, the displacement was displayed as 0.00L.

In FH6, you'll find that when driving an electric vehicle, the displacement information is not displayed. This subtle change makes the game interface cleaner and clearer.

R-Class Vehicles

A new R-class vehicle category has been added. Many racing cars belong to this category.

This could have a significant impact on the actual online gameplay of Forza Horizon 6. The addition of R-class means more detailed vehicle classifications. This will manifest as more intense competition within the same class in actual races. 

When you participate in races, thanks to the more detailed vehicle class divisions, you'll no longer face situations like in previous Forza Horizon games where you were completely unable to compete due to your opponents' significantly superior vehicles.

The performance gap between you and your opponents will be reduced, and your ranking and results will depend more on your skill. This makes actual racing much more exciting.

New Vehicles

Forza Horizon 6 vehicle lineup includes some highly representative and unique vehicles. These may be witnesses to the rich history of motorsport, representatives of future technological directions, or expressions of their understanding of a particular style.

You can choose according to your preferences, offering diverse driving experiences and more FH6 credits for your collection.

Next, let's take a look at some of the specific new vehicles worth noting.

Ford F-450 Super Duty

Its full name is Ford F-450 Super Duty FX4 DRW Platinum Forza Edition. Yes, that's right, this is a special edition Forza F-450.

The official has equipped it with a crazy lift kit, taking it to an incredibly high level. This is a brand new exploration of vehicle modification by FH series.

Ford F-150

This is also a special Ford model. Based on the older F-150, the production team replaced its outdated internal combustion engine with an electric motor.

You can even see the battery pack inside the cabin while driving it! FH series has always been dedicated to imaginative modifications of older models, and this time it maintains a high standard.

Lotus Evija Forza Edition

Equipped with incredibly fun and cool drift acceleration features, and what's truly special is that it represents Lotus's vision for the electric vehicle industry—Lotus's first electric sports car.

Mazda 787B

Since we're in Japan with the Forza Horizon 6, how can we not mention the classic legendary Japanese cars on the racetrack?

787B features Mazda's unique rotary engine, the result of years of research, producing one of the world's best engine sounds, a technology that still captivates many car enthusiasts. Its name can be heard in classic racing stories.

2012 Nissan GTR Black Edition

This is a car with an astonishing 2700 horsepower, specifically designed for quarter-mile drag racing. To own one, you need a lot of luck. Because it can only be obtained through a lucky draw.

Toyota AE86

Toyota AE86 Forza Edition is a classic model that truly represents JDM culture. You can see it in numerous racing movies and Japanese manga. Its iconic appearance and classic paint job represent the golden age of Japanese automotive culture. No one should miss it.

In short, there are still many noteworthy vehicles to be added to the game. If you are a passionate fan of these legendary models, a seasoned JDM enthusiast, or interested in the history and legendary stories of these vehicles, FH 6 will definitely provide you with a satisfying experience.

You can find your favorite vehicle in the complete FH6 vehicle list. Let's look forward to the upcoming hands-on experience!

WoW TBC Classic Anniversary Phase 2 kicks off on May 14th. Whether warriors, tanks, or healers, players have already returned to the game, warming up their gear and consumables for Serpentshrine Cavern and Tempest Keep raids. These preparations only get you to the minimum threshold for participation - every raider must also learn how to handle boss mechanics.

This is especially crucial for tanks. A single fatal mistake by the tank in a raid can keep the healers working as frantically as a pianist at a concert. So let's briefly go over how tanks should handle each boss encounter in Serpentshrine Cavern.

Hydross the Unstable

The core of Hydross the Unstable fight is resistance gear. At the start, Hydross is in his Frost Phase. In the first week, most guilds will deliberately push him into his Nature Phase. Therefore, depending on which phase you are assigned to tank, you need to prepare either Frost Resistance or Nature Resistance gear.

Highly optimized raid groups might skip resistance gear entirely. However, stacking around 244 resistance is generally recommended for the first week. After that, you can adjust between 244 and 300 based on your group's performance.

Another common strategy is to keep Hydross in his Frost Phase throughout the entire fight, avoiding a phase swap. In this case, you will need about 365 Frost Resistance to cope with the lethal debuff that stacks up and increases his damage by 500%.

Fight Flow

Approach the boss from the side at the start to minimize early threat distance. His initial damage is low, but as the debuff stacks, Frost damage you take will ramp up from 10% all the way to 500%. At the beginning of the encounter, some cinematic adds appear in the middle - they are not a major threat.

Hydross casts a stun called Water Tomb. Melee players should split into two groups and spread out to avoid being crowd-controlled together. Paladins can remove it with Divine Shield.

When the damage bonus reaches 100%, you will typically pull the boss to one of the flags on either side of the room to trigger a phase transition. On transition, Hydross completely resets threat, so an off-tank or Misdirection is needed to pick him up quickly.

At the same time, he summons four water-elemental adds, each dealing about half of Hydross's damage. These can be Banished or stunned. If your raid has four warlocks, they can easily banish all of them.

Note that all of Hydross's attacks count as elemental melee attacks - this means Armor and Block are ineffective, and he cannot land crushing blows, though he can still critical hit.

A common tactic is to kill him in Nature Phase after a single transition. Avoid a second transition, as he will reset threat again and summon new adds, which often leads to a raid wipe.

Fathom-Lord Karathress

Early on, a survival-oriented tank setup is recommended. Fathom-Guards are level 71, so they cannot land crushing blows, but Karathress himself can.

Fathom-Guards

• Fathom-Guard Tidalvess: Deals extremely high burst damage and should be the priority target.
• Fathom-Guard Sharkkis: Activates The Beast Within, increasing his own damage by 30% and his pet's damage by 50%. He also casts Leeching Throw on players with mana - this cannot be dispelled.
• Fathom-Guard Caribdis: Casts a Heal that ignores line of sight. Someone must be assigned to interrupt it.

Fight Flow

It is advisable to pull Karathress away from the rest of the raid to avoid having everyone deal with multiple crowd-control effects at once. The most dangerous moment is the opening phase - you need to quickly kill Tidalvess and Sharkkis. When Karathress drops to 75% health, for each surviving Guard, his attack speed increases by 66% and his damage by 66%.

Therefore, the strategy is to kill two of Guards first. After that, Karathress inherits some of their abilities, but the threat is far lower than at the start.

Leotheras the Blind

Leotheras's fight has two phases: human form and demon form. He appears after you clear Spellbinder adds. Before that, you can pre-place Consecration and activate Divine Shield.

Human Phase

Leotheras has the dual-wield penalty, giving him an inherent 19% chance to miss. He frequently casts Whirlwind, so the actual physical damage dealt to the tank is very low.

Early on, you can gear for uncrit and uncrushable, but later, since his damage isn't high, you can drop some defensive stats.

Every time Whirlwind ends, he resets threat. A protection paladin can precisely throw Avenger's Shield at the exact moment Whirlwind finishes, or use Misdirection, to establish initial threat.

Demon Phase

When Leotheras transforms into a demon, he begins casting Chaos Blast, which deals about 1,700 Fire damage and applies a stacking debuff that increases subsequent Fire damage taken by 1,700.

Chaos Blast is a binary spell (either fully hits or fully resists), so tanks must stack Fire Resistance. Around 300 is recommended for the first week, which can be adjusted later based on your raid's kill speed.

Paladins can remove the debuff with Divine Shield. Chaos Blast also has a splash damage effect, so melee players need to keep their distance.

When Leotheras reaches 15% health, a scripted event triggers - he simultaneously exists in both human and demon form. If he enters this phase while already in demon form, the raid can continue attacking him during the transition. This phase is very dangerous because Chaos Blast debuff from the demon form persists; if it stacks too high, the tank can fall quickly.

The Lurker Below

The Lurker Below has a unique mechanic - you need to fish to summon him.

Opening Phase

The tank should face the boss away from the raid, while the rest of the group spreads across the platforms around the room to handle adds that spawn in the intermission phase.

His Whirlwind has a knockback effect. A simple method is for the tank to take a small step forward - this will knock you back just to the edge of the platform without falling off.

The Lurker Below also has a beam mechanic similar to C'Thun. When you see the warning, the tank must jump into the water to avoid it.

Intermission Phase

The boss submerges. Ranged adds spawn on three surrounding platforms, while two melee murloc adds swim in from the sides. These murlocs cast a very high-damage Cleave. The tank's job is to pick them up and ensure their front faces away from any raid members.

Morogrim Tidewalker

Morogrim Tidewalker deals very high physical damage, so the tank needs a more survival-focused gear setup.

The tank must keep the boss facing away from the raid at all times to avoid his frontal Cleave. After Morogrim casts Earthquake, a large wave of murloc adds spawns.

These murlocs used to be a major wipe cause because they applied a Sunder Armor effect that reduced the tank's armor by 75%. However, after nerfs, the murlocs have 75% less health, deal 30–40% less damage, and no longer have Sunder ability. They are now very fragile and can be quickly cleared with AoE attacks.

When the boss drops to 25% health, he summons Water Globules but stops casting Watery Grave. At this point, the tank should pull Morogrim into a corner, away from the globules, and the raid can burn him down directly.

Lady Vashj

The final encounter is against Lady Vashj, which consists of three phases.

Phase 1 (before 70% Health)

In the first week, an uncrushable setup is recommended, and she can be single-tanked. The tank needs to watch for two abilities: Static Charge and Entangle.

Static Charge stuns the tank - this can be prevented by placing a Grounding Totem in the tank's group. Entangle roots the tank in place, which can be removed with Blessing of Freedom. At the same time, Vashj takes a step backward; the tank must immediately run back into melee range and then reposition her to the original spot.

Phase 2 (below 70% Health)

Vashj becomes immune and gains a shield. Four shield generators spawn around the room. The raid must kill the Tainted Elementals that appear around the area, pick up Tainted Core they drop, and pass it to players next to each generator to activate it. Once all four generators are shut down, Vashj's immunity shield drops, and each shutdown also reduces her health by 5%.

During this phase, two types of elite adds spawn. Striders frequently cast a group-wide fear and are usually handled by ranged tanks. Coilfang Elites cleave - the tank should hold them in the center of the room, facing away from the raid.

Phase 3 (below 30% Health)

In the nerfed version, Mind Control mechanic has been removed from this phase. Phase 3 repeats the abilities from Phase 1 but adds poison puddles on the ground. Spore bats flying overhead drop poison - just avoid standing in it.

These are the key points every tank needs to know for the boss encounters in Serpentshrine Cavern raid. Hopefully, they help you reduce mistakes during the second phase of raiding.

Since Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred completely revamped the gem system, gems have become significantly more functional, and their damage bonus when socketed into weapons has been doubled. Players, now is the perfect time to farm gems! Today, let's take a look at how to quickly farm gems.

Key Farming Area

Currently, there's a dungeon in Lord of Hatred called Seer's Reach, located in the new area Skovos.

The final scorpion boss in this dungeon can be defeated in a very short time. However, achieving this within about one minute depends on your build's high mobility and single-target burst damage. Therefore, if your build doesn't allow for rapid movement, the actual efficiency of this farm will be greatly reduced.

Furthermore, each battle guarantees at least three Royal Gems, with a fairly high chance of dropping Grand Gems directly.

This makes this dungeon currently the most efficient gem farm in the game.

The Correct Reset Loop Process

After defeating the boss and collecting all loot, you should select Leave Dungeon via the emote wheel. This will teleport your character directly to the outside of the dungeon entrance.

Then open the map and select Reset Dungeon from the quest list to immediately refresh the dungeon status. Re-entering will allow you to repeat the boss kill.

This entire loop is simple and fast, resulting in an astonishing amount of materials acquired per hour.

Why are Grand Gems so important?

In Lord of Hatred, the developers changed gems from additive to multiplicative damage multipliers.

For example, in weapon sockets, Horadric Sapphire provides approximately 28% multiplicative cold damage. Armor sockets provide primary stat bonuses. Jewelry sockets stack elemental resistances.

Now, for players, Grand Gems are no longer optional rewards but essential for pushing higher levels of endgame content.

Horadric Gems Crafting and Farming

To craft a Horadric Gem, players need five Grand Gems of the same type. To obtain a Flawless Horadric Gem, five more Horadric Gems are required, for a total of 25 Grand Gems.

Under normal gameplay, this would take an extremely long time. However, thanks to the super-fast farming method in Seer's Reach dungeon, players can quickly accumulate Grand Gems at a very low cost.

Therefore, this gem farm is likely to be considered a bug by the developers and will soon be fixed. Players are advised to farm it as soon as possible. Alternatively, you can directly buy Diablo 4 gems from IGGM.com; the price is very cheap, so you don't have to worry about not getting enough Grand Gems in the game.

Other Valuable Materials Obtained

Besides gems, this dungeon boss also consistently drops a large amount of Neathiron, a legendary crafting material that can be used to upgrade equipment from level 9 to level 12 or reset affixes.

Furthermore, you can obtain a large number of Tuning Prisms from this boss, which can narrow down the range of random attributes in Horadric Cube. For example, Aggressive Tuning Prisms focus on Offensive affixes.

These materials are extremely valuable for a player's endgame progress. The more prisms you accumulate, the more targeted your optimization of each piece of equipment will be in the later stages.

Therefore, Seer's Reach is actually a super farm that simultaneously solves the three major pain points of gems, crafting materials, and targeted refining materials.

Community Feedback and Validation

Many players and content creators have pointed out after actual testing that there is a huge gap between the output efficiency of Seer's Reach and the gem acquisition curve originally designed by the developers.

As we mentioned before, with conventional gameplay, even players specializing in a particular gem type would find it difficult to collect a single Grand Gem in 35 hours of farming, let alone craft a Flawless Horadric Gem.

The introduction of Seer's Reach allows players to farm all Grand Gems needed to craft a Horadric Gem within one or two hours. It's even possible to farm a Flawless Horadric Gem in about ten hours. This efficiency clearly far exceeds the official design.

Therefore, the community generally believes that this dungeon either has a numerical configuration error or the boss drop table has been temporarily doubled. In any case, it's highly likely to be fixed quickly.

Alternative Farming Methods

If you find repeatedly farming Seer's Reach monotonous, there's another alternative dungeon you can try.

Refuge of the Lost is also located in the new area Skovos. Although its route is slightly longer than Seer's Reach, it also leads directly to the final boss, and the boss's drop rate for Royal Gems and Grand Gems is quite considerable. While slightly less efficient than Seer's Reach, it can be a good backup option.

Additionally, some players have discovered that while farming gems using this farm, the boss frequently drops Legendary Seals, each with a base price exceeding ten million gold.

This means that besides gems and materials, you can also accumulate a huge amount of gold to support other aspects of equipment crafting or trading.

In short, Seer's Reach is one of the strongest integrated resource farms in Lord of Hatred. Farm gems there before it's fixed!

Given the three-week gap between the launch of Patch 0.5.0 and the official reveal livestream, Path of Exile 2 has adopted a new strategy for announcing its latest content updates.

Consequently, the comprehensive announcement has been postponed until May 21st; prior to that date, however, a series of short videos will be released to showcase key new features and items.

Among the videos released so far, the one introducing two new unique items has generated the most buzz. Below, we will walk you through these items based on the video's content and analyze their potential value.

New shield overview

The first item featured is a shield named Nightfall Fortress Tower. Visually, it is perfectly circular and predominantly black, featuring a pulsating red eye at its center surrounded by a decorative ring of hand-like motifs.

To equip this shield, your character must be at least Level 84 and possess the strength attribute of 249 points. Upon equipping it, you immediately gain access to two exclusive skills granted by the shield: Raise Shield and Soaring Midnight.

Furthermore, the shield provides a substantial bonus to block chance and offers a respectable amount of armor. More importantly, in addition to granting cold resistance, it converts a portion of incoming fire and lightning damage into cold damage.

Judging by the gameplay demonstration in the video, wielding Nightfall Fortress Tower effectively transforms you into the Captain America of Wraeclast!

You can hurl the shield while on the run; it flies outward, obliterating any enemies standing in its path as it makes its return journey.

If you double-tap the skill key, you can instantly teleport to the shield's current location, unleashing a powerful slam attack that simultaneously triggers an additional aftershock effect.

How does it synergize with other new mechanics?

As you may already know, beyond just new items, Return of the Ancients update introduces a host of brand-new mechanics, such as Ezomyte Runesmithing, which allow you to utilize Kalguuran technology to enhance your gear.

Currently, the best shields obtainable in the game via trading offer approximately 1,300 points of armor. While this figure exceeds the armor provided by Nightfall Fortress Tower, the latter compensates with the exceptional mobility offered by its unique skills.

Furthermore, if you enhance its quality through crafting, its armor value increases by an additional 20%; socketing runes yields a further 36% armor boost, ultimately allowing its value to rival that of existing high-tier shields.

However, it is crucial to note that when you upgrade unique items using Ezomyte Runesmithing, the gear loses its original base attributes.

While the specific impact on Nightfall Fortress Tower remains unclear, if the transformation indeed results in a loss of armor, you would be unable to equip it on a character utilizing a Shield Warrior build.

More unique attribute analysis

The effectiveness of this shield's damage conversion attribute depends primarily on the type of damage dealt by enemies during combat; thus, it proves most useful in specific situational contexts.

The truly impressive feature of Nightfall Fortress Tower is that it grants you an additional physical damage bonus scaled directly to the shield's armor value.

Consequently, if you empower it through crafting or by socketing runes, you can significantly boost its damage output, a mechanism that appears to be a remarkably potent offensive tool.

Additionally, the shield's effect, piercing through all enemies along its path as it flies out and returns, can be further enhanced by Support Gems that increase the number of projectiles.

New grenade launchers overview

This item is named Redemption Trarthon Cannon. Although PoE 2 classifies its gear type as a crossbow, its actual functionality is undeniably that of a cannon.

It boasts a base physical damage range of 53 to 124, an attack speed of 1.4 attacks per second, and requires a minimum character level of 65.

It is important to note that this weapon cannot load or fire standard arrows (ammunition); instead, it functions exclusively as a platform for utilizing grenade-based skills.

Statistically, this cannon possesses endgame-level power. Furthermore, compared to similar crossbows, its damage variance is significantly narrower, resulting in a much more consistent damage output.

Therefore, unless a workaround for this issue is subsequently discovered, the overall utility of Redemption Trarthon Cannon could be severely compromised.

Additionally, the item features a reduced cooldown recovery rate; however, for grenade-based skills, this is actually a beneficial attribute, as it allows you to launch grenades with greater frequency.

Another key feature of this gear piece is that every time you use a grenade skill twice, you gain one stack of Explosive Rhythm buff. This buff can stack up to a maximum of 10 times, at which point you enter Explosive Fervor state.

While in this state, your attack speed is significantly increased. Furthermore, your grenade skills bypass their cooldowns and fire an additional grenade, one that detonates instantly the moment it strikes a target.

This obviously results in excellent screen-clearing capabilities, proving highly beneficial for boosting farming efficiency.

Conclusion

Both of these items are expected to offer exciting new gameplay experiences in Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5.0.

However, whether they are truly worth acquiring and investing in, specifically regarding upgrades, depends largely on your individual needs, as well as the remaining details yet to be revealed.

We hope this overview has helped you gain a deeper understanding of Return of the Ancients. Be sure to stay tuned for more exciting videos to be released over the next two weeks!

To continuously enhance the utility of these new items in Patch 0.5.0, beyond just utilizing the new crafting mechanics, it is highly recommended that you buy PoE 2 currency on IGGM!

This way, you can freely re-roll or add affixes to your gear whenever you wish, or even boost its overall quality! Ensure your gear is fully optimized to help you tackle the game's most challenging endgame content!

In MLB The Show 26, the arrival of May brings more than just the update of Spotlight Drop series program switching to May Spotlight Drop; it also introduces a host of additional daily programs, offering you fresh opportunities to grind for powerful player cards.

Accordingly, yesterday, Tuesday, May 12th, MLB The Show 26 launched the reward path for its extensive Multiplayer 3 Program. While this program is set to run for a considerable duration, you can certainly expect other new events to go live in the interim.

To ensure you don't miss out on Multiplayer 3 rewards, while still keeping up with your progress in other programs, we've put together this comprehensive guide on how to earn them!

Multiplayer 3 schedule

This program went live on May 12th and is scheduled to run until June 9th, giving you nearly a full month to complete it.

In fact, Multiplayer series constitutes a major program category within MLB The Show 26; Multiplayer 2 Program, which originally launched on April 13th, concluded on May 12th.

Based on this pattern, we can anticipate that Multiplayer 4 will launch on June 9th and subsequently conclude sometime during the first or second week of July.

Multiplayer 3 reward path

The program's reward path features a total of 25 milestones, requiring you to earn at least 150,000 XP to unlock them all. The rewards span a variety of categories, including MLB 26 stubs, in-game XP, card packs, and several specific player cards.

One particularly unique reward is Dragon Fire item, located at Milestone 10. This item previously appeared in MLB The Show 22 as an equipable bat skin (or gear item) for players.

We anticipate it will serve the same function in MLB The Show 26. Dragon Fire should provide a boost to the equipped player's power and contact attributes; we recommend assigning it to your offensive-minded players.

Below are all Multiplayer 3 rewards and the amount of Program XP required to unlock them (listed in ascending order by Milestone level):

It is worth noting that Program XP is a cumulative process; you do not need to earn the specific XP amount for each individual reward separately. For example, unlocking Milestones 1 and 2 requires a total of 10,000 XP, not the sum of the two individual requirements (15,000 XP).

How to unlock rewards?

The sources for Multiplayer 3 Program XP are quite focused, consisting solely of completing missions. The combined total of all 23 missions offers over 200,000 Program XP, yet unlocking all available rewards requires only 150,000 XP.

Therefore, you do not need to force yourself to complete every single mission; instead, you can prioritize the ones that are easiest for you or that align best with your strengths. Additionally, IP mission, which requires pitching 9 innings in any multiplayer mode, is repeatable.

Listed below are all the missions and the corresponding Program XP rewards they offer (all missions must be completed in multiplayer mode):

Generally, we recommend that you first focus on a specific mission type you excel at, such as racking up a high number of hits to earn XP efficiently and in a concentrated manner, before moving on to the next mission type.

What is MLB 26 multiplayer mode?

Multiplayer mode is currently an integral part of the core mode Diamond Dynasty experience, operating under a unified seasonal program system.

More specifically, participating in any competitive mode where you face off against human opponents counts as playing in Multiplayer Mode. Furthermore, the game supports both cross-platform play and cross-platform progression sharing.

Common specific game modes include Ranked Seasons, Battle Royale, Weekend Classic, and more.

• Ranked Seasons: Features standard 9-inning games, allowing you to compete using your custom Diamond Dynasty lineup while working to climb the competitive ranks.
• Battle Royale: Select 26 players from a randomized card pool to assemble a team, then complete a limited-time series of three games while adhering to specific thematic rules.
• Weekend Classic: A multiplayer mode available exclusively on weekends, designed primarily to offer special card rewards and help you advance your progress within the current program.

All in all, if you are familiar with MLB The Show 26, completing Multiplayer 3 Program shouldn't be too difficult for you; the key requirement is simply dedicating sufficient time. Therefore, be sure to plan your gaming schedule accordingly.

That wraps up everything we have to share with you today. We hope this information proves helpful for your MLB 26 gaming experience over the coming month!

Raiders, ARC Raiders shop has new skins and emotes again, and update 1.28.0 is quite substantial. In this update, they also addressed the issue of some players losing skill points after completing expeditions. Is there anything that interests you? Let's take a look.

New Skin Set

Castaway skin set has just been released, featuring a new overalls and jacket design, along with a glowing mask. The details are incredibly rich and are sure to be loved by many players.

The set originally cost 2100 tokens, but is currently discounted to 1600 tokens. If you only unlock the skin itself, which includes three color variations, it's only 1300 tokens.

The highlight of Castaway set is its extremely high degree of customization. Players can remove the glowing mask, hat, gloves, jacket, overalls, front net, and ropes one by one. Each layer of removal reveals a more basic design, ultimately leaving only the standard body.

While ARC Raiders doesn't yet support free mixing and matching of different skin parts, this layered design already demonstrates the development team's dedication to skin storytelling and personalization.

Emoticons & Whaler Tools

In addition to Castaway skin, the store has updated with two new sets of content.

The first is an emoticon pack, priced at 800 tokens, including three actions: horns, right on, and flirty greeting. This adds another layer of fun for quirky players. Overall, this emoticon set is decent.

The second is Whaler set, featuring a small whale hanging from the end of the main weapon, along with buoy and anchor decorations, and even a fish basket on the back. The entire set costs 800 tokens.

If you only want the weapon decorations themselves, you can unlock Whaler tools separately, as the extra basket and anchor decorations are not very useful, and you can save the 200 tokens. This design is relatively understated but very cool, with excellent attention to detail.

Skill Point Loss Issue

According to the official announcement, the skill point loss issue has not been fully resolved.

The announcement first confirmed that the third expedition has begun, and the third and final update for Patchwork Raider outfit has been released, available to all players who embarked on the expedition with the caravan.

Hopefully, this will be the last update for this expedition. The game needs to allow new players to participate from scratch, rather than being perpetually left behind.

The announcement then acknowledged that some players experienced missing skill points after the expedition. The official statement said that the issue has been located and resolved, but it will take several days to track all affected accounts and gradually reissue skill points.

Skill points directly affect skill upgrade progress, and one of the main attractions of the expedition mode is obtaining valuable ARC Raiders blueprints, stash space, and skill points. This bug is significantly affecting the player experience.

Praying that the developers can restore normal gameplay for all players who lost skill points as soon as possible.

Other Issues Besides Skill Points

ARC Damage Bug

In addition to the skill point issue, some players have reported online that there is also a bug causing ARC damage to reset. Before the expedition, players' damage dealt to ARC inexplicably dropped to zero. Players wanted to know if this bug was being addressed.

Fortunately, an official representative replied in the comments that it had been forwarded to the technical team for investigation.

While not many people encountered this bug, it's truly bizarre and incredibly frustrating for players. If you experience similar bug issues, remember to leave a comment online, as the development team does read game reviews.

Missing Quest Experience Points

A pressing question in the game is why completing quests doesn't grant experience points. This discourages players from actively pursuing quests in expedition mode; they only do them when they come across them, never intentionally grinding for them.

Because there's no experience reward regardless of whether a quest is completed or not, what's the point of the quest system? Is the current quest system essentially useless?

Especially in Expedition mode, players desperately need extra experience points to progress. We hope ARC Raiders development team can add appropriate experience point rewards to missions as soon as possible, which would also be a good way to incentivize players to complete more missions.

Current Player Experience

Aside from the loss of skill points, player feedback indicates an overall improvement in the game experience.

With the launch of the new expedition, the matchmaking system seems to have improved. While a few disruptive players remain, players are generally more cooperative. One player shared a story of running around the map with eight others, clearing it without encountering any disruptive players – a very enjoyable experience.

Even if not everyone experiences this level of matchmaking, it at least gives players a positive sign and restores their confidence in the current game environment.

Furthermore, ARC Raiders' popularity hasn't waned, consistently ranking in the top ten most popular games, remaining healthy and active. Contrary to widespread online claims, ARC Raiders isn't dying.

That concludes the latest update 1.28.0 for ARC Raiders. We hope you unlock your desired skins and have a successful expedition!