General News

Guys, MLB The Show 26 Weekend Classic 2 is underway, featuring two brand-new Weekend Classic Choice Pack rewards. However, to earn these rewards, you'll need to perform at your best in the game, ideally by first securing the best possible roster. Today, we're bringing you pitcher rankings to help you determine if they're worth using in Weekend Classic 2:

• Tier S: Randy Johnson, Felix Hernandez, Kenley Jansen
• Tier A: Ryan Helsley, Clayton Kershaw, Noah Schultz, John Franco
• Tier B: Paul Skenes, Aroldis Chapman, Jacob deGrom, Mason Miller
• Tier C: Tyler Rogers, J.R. Richard, Satchel Paige, Parker Messick 
• Tier D: Justin Verlander, Craig Kimbrel, Ryan Weathers, Mark Davis

Note that these rankings are based on a combination of actual pitching ability and the challenging environment, not just overall rating or rarity.

Tier S

Players in Tier S are practically invincible; if you have them, you're truly lucky.

Randy Johnson

Starting pitcher. Huge speed difference, with a Fastball and Splitter speed difference of over 15 mph. Surprisingly excellent control, even better than in previous years. Still one of the top left-handed starting pitchers in the game.

Felix Hernandez

Felix Hernandez possesses an Outlier, slider, and circle change, almost an upgraded version of Ryan Helsley. His control is a bit floaty, but his ball-handling skills are too strong, making his pressure output top-tier.

Kenley Jansen

One of the strongest right-handed bullpen players. His cutter is extremely accurate, and he possesses a Sinker and Circle Change. His Sweeper can be used for chase pitches. Better control than Felix Hernandez, a consistent closer.

Tier A

While Tier A players may not be as outstanding as Tier S players, they are still the mainstream first-choice players.

Ryan Helsley

As the only bullpen pitcher to possess outliers, fastballs, and cutters simultaneously, Ryan Helsley's release point is unpredictable, and his dominance is consistently strong, making him one of the most unique right-handed pitching options currently available.

Clayton Kershaw

Starting pitcher. Clayton Kershaw is very strong on Hall of Fame and higher difficulty levels, but lacks speed on All-Star difficulty levels, making him vulnerable to being hit. However, many top players still favor him.

Noah Schultz

Also, a starting pitcher. His release point is extremely unpredictable, and his control is inconsistent. On All-Star difficulty levels, he is surprisingly effective against lower-to-mid-level players, easily causing swings and misses.

John Franco

A bullpen player. A consistent left-handed long reliever, suitable for winning two innings when leading by 3-4 runs. He tends to explode against skilled opponents, but overall remains consistent.

Tier B

You can certainly use the players here, but they are not best considered your first choice, as they all have noticeable weaknesses.

Paul Skenes

His ball combinations are poor. Although there's been a slight improvement, he's still not highly recommended overall.

Aroldis Chapman

He lacks an Outlier and four-seam fastballs, and isn't currently very strong.

Jacob deGrom

Jacob deGrom is a relatively easy player to play against. Not recommended for active use.

Mason Miller

He has an Outlier and powerful ability to drop the ball. However, his ball control is extremely poor; even a perfect release might land on the edge of the strike zone, making him very reliant on luck and inconsistent.

Tier C

Tier C players generally have significant weaknesses, so players should choose carefully.

Tyler Rogers

Somewhat more effective against those who cheat by reading pitch trajectories. Tyler Rogers must be paired with white shorts to make the ball harder to spot. His effectiveness against normal players is average.

J.R. Richard

Far left-handed pitchers, J.R. Richard can currently only throw sliders; skilled players can simply ignore him.

Satchel Paige

Not only does he lack an Outlier, but his ball combinations don't complement each other.

Parker Messick

His maximum pitch speed is only 95 mph, suitable only for players with extremely limited MLB 26 stubs as a transitional option.

Tier D

So, for the final Tier D players, try to avoid them.

Justin Verlander

Justin Verlander not only lacks speed, but his overall rating is also very low. There's little reason to choose him.

Craig Kimbrel

This is a completely unreliable player; playing him might have terrible consequences. Anyone else is better.

Ryan Weathers

A free, high-rated trap card, but actually really bad; you'll know once you use it.

Mark Davis

His pitches don't complement each other, he doesn't have a Sinker, and every pitch he throws is decent but not threatening.

Key Combinations

The Only Cheat Countermeasure: Tyler Rogers + White Shorts

If you encounter an opponent who is obviously cheating and can read the ball's trajectory, remember to switch to Tyler Rogers and make your shorts pure white.

Because of the white shorts, combined with Tyler Rogers' low release point and unpredictable shooting motion, it will make it extremely difficult for the opponent to see the ball's spin, significantly weakening their ability to read the ball. Although this will make your jersey look worse, it's worth it for winning.

The Most Powerful Bullpen Combinations

• Right-handed pitchers: Kenley Jansen (controller) + Felix Hernandez (pure pressure)
• Left-handed pitchers: Ryan Helsley (with Outlier and Cutter) + John Franco

If you can only remember one name, it has to be Randy Johnson. He will definitely make your Weekend Classic 2 a success.

WoW Midnight team issued a lengthy announcement detailing a set of tank specialization adjustments that will go live after the server reset on May 12. These changes, long awaited by the tank community, are all positive enhancements, with no nerfs to Brewmaster Monk or the recently adjusted Guardian Druid.

The goal of these buffs is to bolster the passive damage mitigation of tank specializations that have been underperforming in high-level Mythic+ dungeons, while also extending the duration and improving the effectiveness of some of their cooldowns, allowing them to better handle heavy damage phases. Let's take a closer look at the specific changes for each specialization.

Blood Death Knight

Blood Death Knight changes focus primarily on its more random mechanics. Dancing Rune Weapon's parry chance has been increased from 20% to 25%. While this is an improvement, it remains a defensive stat that relies on random triggers, making it an inherently unreliable form of mitigation.

Rune Weapon empowerment triggered by Dance of Midnight talent now lasts up to 8 seconds, and its proc chance has been increased. This means you'll trigger the effect more often, with a longer duration and more parry mitigation.

Since Rune Weapon empowerment also acts as an offensive cooldown, the extended duration and higher frequency will boost your damage output as well. However, this still layers random mitigation on top of a random proc, and for a tank spec, such unreliable defensive gameplay doesn't feel ideal.

Beyond the mechanical adjustments, Blood Death Knight also receives a small increase to stamina and healing. These changes will definitely make the spec feel smoother in Mythic+ dungeons, but they won't suddenly propel it into a dominant position. Therefore, Blood Death Knight players can hold onto their WoW Midnight gold for now and don't need to rush to make specialization adjustments.

Vengeance Demon Hunter

Vengeance Demon Hunter gets several passive survivability increases, a relatively steady set of changes.

Demonic Wards' base damage reduction has been increased from 8% to 12% (a 4% hike), and Thick Skin now boosts stamina by 5%.

Mastery: Fel Blood's armor bonus has been increased. Since Vengeance Demon Hunter does not actively stack Mastery in the current meta - only picking up incidental amounts from gear - this buff's practical impact is limited.

Void Reaver now increases the damage reduction provided by Frailty to 5%. In a standard Frailty build, with two stacks, mitigation rises from 8% to 10%.

Overall, these changes give Vengeance Demon Hunter slightly less than 6% passive, all-type damage reduction, along with some extra stamina. It's definitely a survivability boost that makes you feel a bit sturdier, but again, it won't spark a massive reroll frenzy or push Vengeance Demon Hunter into the mainstream spotlight.

Protection Paladin

Protection Paladin is without a doubt the biggest winner of this round. The changes comprehensively boost its baseline durability and on-demand survivability by strengthening passive effects and cooldowns.

Passive Skills

• Blessing of Dusk now reduces damage taken by up to 20% (was 10%), scaling with lower health.
• Sanctified Plates provides an additional 5% stamina bonus.

Active Skills

• Ardent Defender's duration has been extended from 8 to 12 seconds, and its damage reduction increased from 20% to 30%. This greatly addresses Protection Paladin's gaps in defensive coverage.
• Sentinel's duration has been restored from 16 seconds to 20 seconds, matching Avenging Wrath's duration.

This isn't just a simple 4-second extension. Because you can continuously refresh Sentinel's duration with damaging abilities while it's active, that 4-second base increase actually translates into at least 8 extra seconds of coverage after extensions. The benefit is even more pronounced during high-haste scenarios such as Bloodlust.

Previously, Sentinel couldn't quite compete because of its shorter duration. Now that it shares the same base duration as Avenging Wrath, its damage reduction, damage, and healing effects can fully shine.

Combined with Ardent Defender changes, Protection Paladin's defensive cooldown uptime sees a substantial increase. Although opting for Sentinel may result in slightly lower AoE damage compared to before, its damage output remains strong.

More importantly, Protection Paladin brings unmatched group utility, which has already made it quite popular in Mythic+ dungeons. It's safe to expect that after these changes go live, its representation in high keys will climb significantly.

Protection Warrior

Protection Warrior already excels at physical mitigation, so the adjustments aim to shore up its weakness against magic and sustained damage.

Fight Through Flames now provides 6% damage reduction. The issue is that in Mythic+ settings, this talent competes with options that grant flat armor bonuses or the group interrupt Disrupting Shout, so Fight Through Flames isn't picked very often.

Phalanx talent now offers 8% damage reduction, up from 5%. This adjustment ties into hero talent tree choices. The current popular approach typically invests only one point in that branch to favor resource generation and maximum health, whereas this improvement encourages spending four points to reach Apex.

Additionally, Ignore Pain has been buffed by 8%. If you continue using the popular single-point Apex setup, this boost won't be transformative. That said, Protection Warrior's power level is already second only to Brewmaster and Guardian Druid, so it doesn't need massive buffs.

Overall, Protection Paladin is the standout highlight of these adjustments, and its competitiveness in high-level Mythic+ will noticeably rise. These changes successfully bring tank specs that were previously somewhat weaker up to a level where they can contend with Brewmaster and Guardian Druid, especially in Mythic+ dungeons.

After months of silence, Dune: Awakening is finally gearing up for a major move as its one-year anniversary approaches: the simultaneous launch of the new DLC, The Water Wars, and Update 1.4!

Last summer, this survival game, adapted from Dune sci-fi novel series, certainly sparked a frenzy of exploration across the sands of Arrakis.

Now, with this new content, can Dune: Awakening reclaim its peak? We'll analyze its prospects through a breakdown of the new content.

New DLC and Update 1.4 release date

Both of these content drops are scheduled to launch simultaneously on May 19, 2026. Update 1.4 is part of the game's regular update cycle, while the new DLC, The Water Wars, was already featured in 2026 roadmap released last year.

Looking ahead, Dune Awakening is also expected to release its first major expansion toward the end of the year, coinciding with the official launch of the console versions. Additional DLCs and updates may also be released in the interim.

How to unlock The Water Wars?

This DLC requires ownership of Dune Awakening base game to unlock. If you already own the base game and have unlocked Season Pass, you can access it completely free of charge!

In addition to The Water Wars, the game's Season Pass also includes the previously released DLCs: Lost Harvest and Raiders of the Broken Lands.

However, if you haven't played Dune Awakening before, your best option is to get the game's Deluxe or Ultimate Editions directly; this will instantly unlock Season Pass for you, requiring no additional steps.

Details on The Water Wars

This DLC does not introduce new playable content; instead, it focuses on releasing cosmetic items themed around Water Shippers faction, covering various categories such as architecture, weaponry, and apparel. Specifically, the package includes:

• Water Shippers Building Set (52 pieces)
• Water Shippers Decoration Set (18 pieces)
• Water Shippers Stillsuit Set Variant
• Water Shippers Light Armor Set Variant
• Water Shippers Heavy Armor Set Variant
• Water Shippers Weapon Variants (1x Melee and 1x Ranged)
• Water Shippers Scout Ornithopter Variant
• Water Shippers Swatch
• Water Shippers 2x Emotes

As for Water Shippers themselves, they are actually a new cartel introduced to the game via this DLC.

In the context of the game, a cartel refers to a player-controlled faction that possesses NPC-like attributes; different cartels control different types of resources across Arrakis. Water Shippers, naturally, hold dominion over water.

Update 1.4 details

As part of Dune: Awakening's regular update schedule, Update 1.4 will be available free of charge to all players who own the base game.

The update is expected to introduce two new Overland map locations and a Self-hosting Servers feature, alongside various bug fixes.

The first of these new locations, Wind Pass, is tied to the game's DLC content; it was formerly under the control of House Harkonnen but was subsequently seized by Water Shippers, thereby becoming a critical hub along the water trade routes.

The second location is Old Quarry Testing Station. Here, Dr. Jalanta has established a laboratory where he conducts highly dubious experiments. Based on textual lore already present in the game, his moral compass appears to be deeply compromised.

Naturally, the introduction of these new locations entails the addition of new Landsraad missions. By completing these missions, you can earn Dune Awakening Solari while simultaneously advancing the related story.

Although the development team has stated that these specific storylines are not directly integral to the main narrative, they nonetheless serve to shed light on the secrets surrounding Arrakis and its various factions.

As for Self-hosting Servers feature, it allows you to host a Dune Awakening server directly on your own local device and join it immediately to play.

This means you can manually edit configuration files to tweak server parameters, adjusting rules and settings to your personal taste, thereby crafting a Dune Awakening world entirely of your own design.

A key focus of the bug fixes addresses a specific issue: previously, if a player chose to betray their original faction and join a new one, the system would force them to replay the entirety of the new faction's storyline content from scratch.

Additionally, Update 1.4 will resolve numerous other minor bugs and technical glitches.

How has the player reception been?

Overall, players have responded positively to the new DLC and the contents of Update 1.4; however, some have expressed that, rather than new cosmetic items or locations, they are more eager for new story-driven content.

It is also worth noting that, according to 2026 roadmap, Dune Awakening is slated to launch on consoles later this year. Consequently, players may be eager to see a firm release date announced soon.

For the game itself, a console launch would help significantly in expanding its player base. Furthermore, opening up to additional platforms suggests the potential for future cross-play functionality, making it even easier for you and your friends to play together.

Delay of Polar Cap map

Originally, Dune: Awakening planned to introduce a new free map, Polar Cap, as part of The Water Wars DLC.

However, because this map is tasked with the crucial role of expanding the game's endgame content, its scope and scale have proven to be quite substantial.

In light of this, and to ensure the quality of the map without delaying the release of new cosmetic items, the developers have postponed the launch of Polar Cap map until the end of this year.

This map is characterized by an extremely cold climate; upon its release, you will be able to gather resources using a distinct set of survival mechanics and experience a brand-new, standalone storyline.

There are just ten days remaining until the launch of The Water Wars and Update 1.4. If you're interested, start getting ready now!

Of all the locations currently revealed for Grand Theft Auto VI, Mount Kalaga remains the one we know the least about; yet, it may well harbor a wealth of new game content and gameplay opportunities.

The canyon landscape of Mount Kalaga is actually modeled after Providence Canyon State Park, located in southwestern Georgia. Grand Theft Auto VI is constructing a biome that fuses characteristics from multiple real-world locations; by skillfully stitching these disparate elements together, they have created a cohesive, unified region that feels entirely organic.

Mount Kalaga boasts prime spots for hunting, fishing, and off-road exploration, offering players the chance to discover the scenic beauty of Leonida while engaging in a variety of activities. IGGM takes you on a preview of the new activities, NPCs, and immersive environments that feel realistic enough to be plucked straight from the real world.

NPCs

The official Grand Theft Auto VI narrative describes the inhabitants of Mount Kalaga's remote woodlands as hillbilly mystics and paranoid radicals - individuals living a secluded existence, far removed from government surveillance and interference.

In reality, such communities do indeed exist in northern Florida and along the mountainous border regions of Georgia. Heavily armed and self-sufficient, these groups harbor deep skepticism toward the government and remain in a constant state of readiness for societal collapse.

GTA 6 has made a concerted effort to faithfully recreate this specific type of environment within Mount Kalaga. So, what manner of diverse NPCs can you expect to encounter across this vast northern hinterland? IGGM's analysis suggests that several distinct groups are likely active in this area.

First, there are Licensed Hunters - individuals equipped with expensive, high-end gear, yet often lacking practical wilderness survival skills. Next, you may cross paths with Wildlife Rangers or Poachers. Additionally, there are Wilderness Survivalists who live deep within the mountains, as well as residents who have established their own homesteads within secluded camps or the heart of the forest.

You will also encounter well-equipped Outfitters and Hikers - individuals traversing mountain trails on foot or by bike, or paddling kayaks downstream to explore the waterways. As seen in GTA 6 screenshots, the area is also teeming with enthusiasts of motorized off-road sports, including those tearing across the terrain on dirt bikes and ATVs. 

Finally, regarding the two groups specifically singled out on the official GTA 6 website - hillybilly mystics and paranoid radicals - I believe the former hints at some sort of secretive religious community, or perhaps even suggests encounters with occult or supernatural phenomena deep within the forests. We have, after all, experienced similar content in both Red Dead Redemption 2 and GTA 5.

The paranoid radicals group corresponds perfectly with the debug code labeled Far-Right Militia encounter found within the list of leaked world events. They lie low in the dense, remote wilderness, engaging in clandestine illegal activities to evade the reach of the law.

Activities and Lore

Synthesizing all the available GTA 6 screenshots, leaks, and trailers, IGGM now has a fairly clear estimate of the activities likely to be available in the secluded and secretive locale of Mount Kalaga.

Water System

We have seen numerous GTA 6 screenshots featuring kayaks; however, it remains difficult to determine at this stage whether kayaking is an activity you can personally engage in, or merely a routine NPC behavior serving as background scenery. That said, the most striking detail in this particular screenshot is arguably the water level gauge.

This screenshot may imply that GTA 6's water system is highly dynamic - so much so that during stormy weather or sudden events like flooding, the actual water level will visibly fluctuate. Of course, this could also hold no deeper significance whatsoever, serving merely to make the scene appear more realistic and true-to-life.

Off-Road Gameplay

Off-road gameplay has been officially confirmed; in fact, Rockstar Games has already released screenshots showcasing dirt bike and ATV racing. You can clearly see riders speeding through what appears to be an abandoned industrial zone: graffiti-covered concrete silos loom in the background, mud flies everywhere, and in the distance, an ATV is captured mid-air, having launched off a ramp or natural hillock.

Cement Manufacturing Plant

These silos are actually quite significant, as the hilly terrain of Northern Georgia and Appalachian Mountains is rich in limestone deposits - the primary raw material required for cement production. In Georgia, there is actually a small town named - quite literally - Cement; the town owes its name to a cement plant that once operated there.

Consequently, the clusters of cylindrical silos lined up in this manner represent the typical storage setup for bulk cement - the state in which the material is kept before being packaged and shipped out. Thus, what we are likely seeing here is an abandoned cement manufacturing plant. 

Given the distinctly Georgian-style terrain of Mount Kalaga region, the presence of such a factory is both historically grounded and entirely logical. If you examine the screenshot of the canyon road closely, you will notice a flatbed semi-truck traveling through the canyon, hauling sections of precast concrete drainage pipe.

These are precisely the kind of industrial goods that a cement plant would produce. This demonstrates that Rockstar is making a concerted effort to imbue this region with a heightened sense of realism and credibility by weaving together multiple layers of contextual detail.

Final Chapter MC

We also observe a group of motorcyclists weaving through two-way traffic, nimbly threading their way through the gaps. To bypass slower-moving vehicles, they even cut into the oncoming lane to overtake against the flow of traffic, moving as a single, tightly coordinated unit.

It appears that the pathfinding patterns employed by these motorcyclists are driven by the underlying system responsible for controlling how NPCs dynamically evade obstacles in real-time. It has been officially confirmed that this group consists of members of Final Chapter MC, a biker gang whose headquarters are located in Ambrosia, to the south. The canyon road running through this region is likely a primary thoroughfare frequently utilized by members of Final Chapter MC.

Thrillbilly Mud Club

Additionally, the trailer gives us a glimpse of the notorious Thrillbilly Mud Club. The scene appears to depict an event currently being broadcast live on television: the site is packed with a massive crowd, and every participant is caked in mud from head to toe. You will likely stumble upon events of this nature in various regions throughout GTA 6 - and you may even have the opportunity to jump in and participate yourself. 

Yet, amidst all these details, perhaps the most striking aspect is the immense effort GTA 6 has poured into its mud physics engine - a system first introduced in Red Dead Redemption 2. We will get to observe exactly how various vehicles behave dynamically within muddy environments; furthermore, I am eager to see just how far the developers of GTA 6 are willing to push the boundaries in crafting a truly immersive driving simulation experience.

If you find yourself in need of Money to unlock additional content while exploring Grand Theft Auto VI, IGGM GTA 6 Store stands as your reliable choice.

Grand Theft Auto VI: Mount Kalaga is far more than a mere static map; it is not simply a faithful recreation of Georgian culture, but rather a highly anticipated, immersive simulation - one that awaits you to personally uncover all its secrets.

While the delay of GTA 6 is frustrating, there's a well-crafted alternative to dive into as you wait: Neverness to Everness. From fishing and playing Tetris to carjacking and pushing the boundaries of the law, there's plenty to do.

As an anime-style open-world game, NTE shares some DNA with GTA series, but its wealth of activities can leave you unsure where to begin. What follows will help you hit the ground running.

Hunter Level

Upon entering the game, you'll find yourself in Hethereau City. You can wander around, but you may quickly realize you can barely do anything. That's because you need to immediately focus on the game's two core progression systems: Hunter Level and Appraisal Level.

If you've played other gacha games, think of Hunter Level as your account level, and Appraisal Level as the world level. Hunter Level determines your overall game progress and what content is unlocked. Without a high enough level, you'll be seriously restricted.

The most direct and enjoyable way to raise your Hunter Level is by progressing through the main story quests and a large number of side quests. When quests are locked behind level requirements, open Exploration Guide and complete its various challenges. This not only provides a hefty amount of Hunter XP, but also rewards you with currency, materials for character growth, and all sorts of useful items.

While working through Exploration Guide, you can also tackle Anomaly Commissions along the way. These are essentially mini-boss encounters scattered across the map. The higher the difficulty, the better the rewards and XP.

Your Appraisal Level is directly tied to your Hunter Level. Every time you reach Hunter Level 10, 20, 30, and 40, your Appraisal Level increases by one. As your Appraisal Level rises, the world becomes more difficult, but once you reach Appraisal Level 3, you can freely switch the world difficulty, letting you effortlessly one-shot those biker gangs that once pushed you around.

Exploration & Movement

What makes exploration in Neverness to Everness unique is that it's a city you can freely drive through. So, once you've earned your first chunk of cash, it's highly recommended that you obtain a car immediately - it dramatically boosts your exploration efficiency.

After you get a vehicle, your top priority should be unlocking all Wertheimer Towers on the map. Much like viewpoints in traditional open-world games, approaching these towers clears the fog of war and reveals more points of interest.

At the same time, make sure you unlock every Phone Booth along the way. They serve as fast travel points, letting you move around the city quickly and efficiently.

City Tycoon

What truly sets NTE apart from other gacha games is its City Tycoon system. This part of the game has its own City Stamina, which is used to experience the game's core casual activities.

You can deliver food, play mahjong, or drive a flashy sports car you stole from some poor soul who just finished paying off their auto loan. Completing these activities earns you Fons, which are mainly used for non-character development purposes.

Cafe Management System lets you own your own café. Your café runs automatically in the background around the clock, generating passive income for you. Those funds can be used to obtain important items later on, or reinvested to upgrade your café and rake in even more profit.

You don't need to rush to stock up for a full 24 hours all at once. Since new menu items unlock quickly, it's a more efficient strategy to only restock materials for 4 hours at a time early on, and come back to adjust things once you've unlocked higher-level dishes.

Additionally, City Tycoon panel allows you to acquire property and cars. Real estate doesn't just fulfill your dream of being a business tycoon; more importantly, you can place furniture in your properties, and some of these furniture provides powerful buffs.

Crime & Punishment

Just like in GTA series, you can do whatever you want in the city - attacking innocent civilians - but you'll also have to face pursuit from the caps. When your wanted level gets too high, you'll be hunted across the city. Ways to clear your wanted level include evading the police for a long time, or using the effect of a special piece of furniture to instantly wipe your record clean. If both methods fail and you get caught, you'll be sent to prison.

Going to prison is actually quite an amusing part of the game. You can choose to serve your sentence, settle the fine, or attempt a jailbreak. The punishment for a failed jailbreak is being forced to watch a 15-minute unskippable boat ride cutscene. But if you successfully break out, the rewards include a magazine, some currency, and a unique prison uniform.

Gacha System (Scarboro Fair)

The game's gacha system is called Scarboro Fair, and its interface is designed like a Monopoly-style board. Each pull is like rolling the dice; your piece moves and you get the item on the space where it lands. It's a rather charming presentation, and you can exchange Neverness to Everness Riftcrystal for dice.

When it comes to pulling, Neverness to Everness's system is more reliable than other gacha games, because once you hit the grand prize, S-rank character or weapon you get is 100% the designated rate-up target - no off-banner surprises.

What's more, the pity progress on the character banner carries over to the next one. Hard pity is at 90 pulls, with soft pity kicking in around 70 pulls. Pity for skins does not carry over to other characters, but it is retained for that character's rerun banner.

Also, Gold Warp Pieces and Silver Lost Pieces you earn from pulling can be exchanged at Mall each month for 5 limited gacha tickets and 20 Arc gacha tickets.

Character Building

As a gacha game, character building is naturally a core part of the experience. Combat uses a four-person squad, with each character having a normal attack, a skill, and an ultimate. The core gameplay revolves around watching for Quick Time Event (QTE) light prompts around character portraits. You can then swap characters and unleash combo attacks.

The next layer of combat complexity comes from elemental attributes and Cycle Reactions (if you've played Genshin Impact, this will be easy to understand). Simply put, you need to build your team around elements that can trigger Cycle Reactions with each other. In the character details page, you can check how each skill interacts with elements.

Character building is divided into the following systems:

Console

Console is the gear system in NTE. You slot various Tetris-shaped modules into it, and by arranging them cleverly, you can activate set bonuses.

Arc

Arc serves as a character's weapon. It comes in rarities like B, A, and S, and is divided into the following attributes:

• Gas
• Liquid
• Plasma
• Solid
• Synthesis

Each character can only equip a weapon that matches their own attribute - you can't just use any weapon you pick up.

Esper Cycle and Awakening

Esper Cycle is used to upgrade a character's combat skills. Awakening system is a major highlight: when you pull a duplicate character, you can freely choose which talent enhancement to unlock, and you can switch between your choices at any time.

NTE launched not too long ago, so if you join now, you're barely missing out on anything. Whether you're a combat-driven meta player or a casual player who loves cruising around a sprawling city and running businesses, you'll find your own slice of fun in this beautiful and crazy city.

Based on live streams and other teaser information, it is now confirmed that Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5.0 is an incredibly substantial update. It not only delivers the long-awaited endgame and Atlas Tree rework but also introduces a wealth of brand-new content.

Since Patch 0.4.0 introduced the new main class, Druid, PoE 2 has now shifted its focus to Ascendancy Classes.

By adding two new options, the update ensures that players of Monk and Huntress main classes can also enjoy a full selection of three distinct Ascendancy specializations.

With this in mind, this article will focus specifically on introducing Huntress's third Ascendancy: Spirit Walker.

Huntress and related Ascendancy Classes

While the design of some main classes in Path of Exile 2 draws inspiration from the first game, Huntress, who debuted last April in Patch 0.2.0, Dawn of the Hunt, is an entirely original creation. Upon her initial release, she proved to be an exceptionally powerful class.

Although Huntress's player base has naturally shifted somewhat following subsequent balance adjustments and the introduction of new classes, she remains, on the whole, a highly viable and worthwhile main class choice.

At launch, Huntress featured two Ascendancy classes: Amazon and Ritualist. The former specializes in dealing ranged critical damage using spears and projectiles, while the latter focuses on a dark caster playstyle.

Building upon this foundation, Patch 0.5.0 introduces the third Ascendancy for Huntress: Spirit Walker.

Spirit Walker Overview

If you choose to unlock this Ascendancy, you will gain access to the power of Azmerian Animal Spirits, allowing you to harness the unique abilities of three distinct animal spirits: the stag, the owl, and the bear.

Furthermore, Spirit Walker features a suite of unique skills. Based on their thematic effects, these skills are categorized into three types: Primal, Vivid, and Wild. Each corresponding directly to one of the three animal spirits. These skills include:

• Vivid Stampede
• Primal Bounty
• Wild Protector
• The Morrigan's Guidance
• The Mhacha's Gift
• The Catha's Balance
• Sacred Unity
• The Natural Order
• Idolatry

Overall, the primary strength of this Ascendancy lies in its ability to adapt to a wide variety of combat situations by utilizing different types of skills.

However, precisely because this versatility allows for a multitude of complex build combinations, Spirit Walker can be a challenging class to fully master.

Azmerian Animal Spirits in-depth guide

As the core mechanic of Spirit Walker, Azmerian Animal Spirits feature three distinct animal forms, each with its own unique characteristics.

First, the stag form allows you to gain a stack of Vivid Wisp for every 20 meters you move. Upon consuming these stacks, you summon a herd of stags that leap up to four times; furthermore, these stags convert 60% of their physical damage into lightning damage.

In practical terms, this means that if you are wielding a weapon with high physical damage, you can achieve a massive conversion of damage types, thereby unleashing astonishing damage output.

The owl form grants you beneficial effects as feather blessings: not only do these increase the number of projectiles you fire, but they also significantly boost the flight speed of the projectiles from your next skill usage.

The function of the bear form is quite straightforward: it directly summons a massive bear companion to fight alongside you.

Additionally, all three forms are fully compatible with standard skill gem setups, allowing you to build entire character builds centered around these specific mechanics.

While each of the three spirits offers its own advantages, the bear form is generally the recommended choice during the early stages of the game, as it grants your minions an additional 20% damage boost and an extra 20% to their maximum life.

Furthermore, the bear spirit will leap toward enemies to inflict the maim status effect upon them. It simultaneously leeches life while mauling its targets and periodically lets out a roar to intimidate its foes.

The first two effects directly boost your damage output, while Intimidate effectively reduces the damage you take.

It is worth noting that the bear spirit does not count toward your standard minion limit. This means you can still have this great bear by your side even while you have other standard minions summoned.

The detailed breakdown of Idolatry

Among Spirit Walker's nine unique abilities, Idolatry stands out as particularly distinct, as it is heavily tied to Idols you have socketed.

The effect of this ability is that for every Idol socketed in your gear slots, the damage dealt by your animal companions increases by 10%. Additionally, for every Idol socketed, your skill reservation efficiency increases by 2%.

This allows you to summon more companions simultaneously while dealing increased damage. However, for the sake of balance, for every Non-Idol Augment socketed in your gear slots, all of your elemental resistances are reduced by 4%.

In short, this ability is designed to encourage you to socket as many Idols as possible to mitigate the negative effects, while fully capitalizing on the various positive buffs, such as increased companion damage, that they provide.

As for the issue of losing some elemental resistance, this can be easily compensated for using the various new enchantments and crafting systems introduced in Patch 0.5.0.

How to unlock Spirit Walker?

In terms of unlock requirements, there is essentially no difference between the various Ascendancy Classes.

First, you must ensure that your character's main class is Huntress. Then, upon reaching Act 2, complete Trial of the Sekhemas to unlock your chosen Ascendancy Class and receive two initial Ascendancy points.

However, before you can do that, you must first defeat the boss Balbala, the Traitor, to obtain either Djinn Barya or Balbala's Barya coin, which serves as the key to unlock the trial.

Afterward, you can complete additional trials in Act 3 to earn more Ascendancy points. While your choice of Ascendancy Class is permanent and cannot be changed, you can reset your allocation of Ascendancy nodes.

That concludes this preliminary introduction to Spirit Walker, one of the new Ascendancy Classes introduced in Return of the Ancients. We hope it delivers a truly spectacular performance in your actual gameplay!

To enhance your Spirit Walker experience and smoothly craft your desired builds, you can buy PoE 2 currency on IGGM once Patch 0.5.0 goes live!

Because if you have extensive and abundant currency inventory, you can acquire or upgrade your gear at any time, so that boosting the strength of your builds and maximizing your gains as a Spirit Walker player!

The anti-cheat team at the studio behind Arc Raiders released a detailed breakdown of the game's cheating issues on May 7, Ensuring Fair Play. Plenty of players, including several well-known streamers, have run into blatant cheaters during the recent Riven Tides update.

This has led not only to an awful match experience, but because of ban delays, some players have been unable to recover the kits they lost after being taken down by cheaters. In response to these frustrations, the developers have now openly shared their current anti-cheat setup, the difficulties they face, and the improvements they're working on.

Anti-Cheat System

The new anti-cheat system is built on a combination of kernel-level protection and machine learning models. The team makes it clear that the kernel-level defense comes from Easy Anti-Cheat's kernel-level safeguards, supplemented by machine learning detection trained on an ongoing stream of player telemetry data. On top of that, they have several additional, undisclosed layers of protection to keep operations secure.

When it comes to why a kernel-level approach is necessary, the explanation is blunt: the vast majority of commercial cheats operate at the kernel level. Without access at that layer, developers are practically blind to the most damaging cheat tools. The development team is currently testing a new kernel-level solution that is expected to improve detection accuracy in map areas like Speranza and Rustbelt.

On the machine learning side, input telemetry analysis has become one of the most effective tools. Since the very beginning of the project, the team has been working with AI anti-cheat company, deploying a dedicated cluster of models specifically designed to identify anomalies in player input behavior.

You can think of this system as a driver AI—constantly analyzing vast amounts of data, drawing conclusions, and then taking action. Still, the biggest doubt shared by streamers and the community right now is whether this system is actually running at full efficiency. After all, judging by live streams and firsthand encounters, players who are obviously using aimbots or wallhacks still aren't getting banned in time.

Accessibility Devices

One of the trickiest problems in anti-cheat work is how to handle Accessibility Devices that players rely on. The developers stress that those who depend on these devices to play the game must be protected. Because officially certified accessibility devices are often quite costly, many players turn to lesser-known alternatives in order to keep playing.

Additionally, many players use foot pedals and other peripherals for physical needs, but the driver software for these devices can sometimes trigger false positives in the anti-cheat system. This isn't unique to Arc Raiders; it has repeatedly happened in games like CoD as well. The key to solving this challenge lies in determining a player's Intent.

The anti-cheat system analyzes telemetry data and input communication patterns to distinguish legitimate assistive use from malicious abuse. The goal is to let players who genuinely need these devices continue playing without disruption, while precisely targeting cheaters who try to hide behind them. This process is being refined all the time, with the system continuously building knowledge of various assistive hardware to extend its detection range in a smarter and more reliable way.

Manual Review and Bans

Unlike the automated handling seen in many games, the developers state that every single ban appeal is reviewed by an actual human. They see the appeal process as an area that needs constant investment, not a static system that's finished. Even though people filing an appeal still have to wait and will receive a standardized template response to keep handling consistent, the team genuinely reviews each case one by one to ensure fairness and uses the findings to repeatedly calibrate their existing detection models.

The team openly admits that after submitting an appeal, a player may get a formal reply that looks like an automated message, but this is just staff using a template to maintain consistency. Behind every appeal, a real person is investigating and verifying the facts to keep the game environment fair, while testing and refining the current anti-cheat systems and models.

For players, however, it's still unclear exactly how long the appeal process takes. For those watching a streamer get killed over and over by an obvious cheater, unable to even reclaim their gear kits, this kind of delay can drive them to quit the game entirely. The community's patience is wearing thin.

Community

Faced with persistent cheating, the player community hopes the developers will assemble a small team of fewer than ten people whose sole task is to watch live streams featuring popular streamers during peak hours.

Once cheaters using aimbots or wallhacks are detected, they can be manually banned immediately. Even in the event of a misjudgment, a robust manual appeal mechanism can ultimately exonerate the innocent.

From a business perspective, when a streamer's broadcast attracts, repeated cheating could directly lead to the streamer switching games, resulting in a significant loss of fans for the game.

The positive public relations benefits of real-time manual intervention far outweigh the manpower costs. Considering the official team's size of approximately one hundred people, this small investment is easily manageable for them.

All in all, this Arc Raiders anti-cheat update from the developers is also a response to the increasingly rampant cheating inside the game. As time goes on, the multi-layered protection system will be gradually tuned to be more precise. Even though the current real-world results may not satisfy everyone, the fact that the developers are willing to openly talk about the difficulties and their roadmap is already an important step toward rebuilding player trust.

You probably don't want to be associated with cheaters. If you want to improve your skills in a fair and safe way, besides accumulating experience through raids, you can also choose to buy cheap Arc Raiders blueprints and items from IGGM to quickly equip yourself.

After all, acquiring items through trading to improve your strength is a very normal part of the game experience. Ultimately, the outcome of the game depends on your skill, not better equipment.

Although the initial hype surrounding TBC Classic Anniversary has subsided somewhat recently, we believe that Phase 2, launching on the 14th, will help revitalize the game and reverse some of this decline. If you intend to continue playing, you should start preparing for the new content immediately.

The most significant feature of Phase 2 is undoubtedly the introduction of two new raids. Not only can you earn gold by clearing them, but certain bosses within these raids also drop crucial Tier 5 Tokens.

In this guide, we will provide an overview of the boss fight mechanics within Tempest Keep raid, alongside a specialized guide for tank players. If this sounds like what you're looking for, read on!

Tempest Keep Raid Overview

This is a 25-player raid featuring four bosses. To unlock access to the raid, you must first complete a specific Attunement quests to obtain the key item: The Tempest Key.

The raid is located in the eastern region of Netherstorm. To successfully reach the raid entrance, situated on a central floating island, you will need to utilize flying mounts or rely on a Warlock teammate to summon you.

Boss Fight Overview

The four bosses within Tempest Keep are Al'ar, Void Reaver, High Astromancer Solarian, and Kael'thas Sunstrider. Of these four, only Void Reaver and Kael'thas Sunstrider drop Tier 5 Tokens, specifically for the shoulder and chest slots, respectively.

Boss 1: Al'ar

Lore-wise, Al'ar is actually the phoenix pet of another boss in this raid: Kael'thas Sunstrider. As a phoenix, Al'ar possesses fire-based abilities and exhibits typical phoenix behavior, specifically the ability to undergo a rebirth cycle after dying. This characteristic is the reason why this boss encounter is structured into two distinct phases.

Although this is not the most difficult encounter within Tempest Keep raid, it does require a higher-than-usual number of tanks in the raid composition.

If you are MT, you must position yourself on the platform immediately after the phase begins. This ensures that if the boss lands within your melee range, you can instantly establish threat.

It is critical to have a player within melee range when Al'ar lands; otherwise, the boss will trigger an ability called Flame Buffet, which almost invariably results in a complete raid wipe.

Subsequently, the boss will periodically cast Flame Quills and summon Embers of Al'ar. The latter are small adds that will eventually explode; as a tank, you must immediately pick them up and pull them away from the rest of the raid group.

After you and your teammates have successfully defeated Al'ar once, it will respawn and enter Phase 2. During this phase, you must coordinate closely with your fellow tanks; whenever the current tank is afflicted by Melt Armor debuff, you must immediately use Taunt to draw the boss's aggro.

It is worth noting that the boss will occasionally cast its Dive Bomb ability, which spawns adds. When this occurs, one tank must break away to kite the boss; however, while doing so, you must remain vigilant to avoid being affected by the boss's other abilities.

Also Read: Everything You Need to Know Before TBC Classic Anniversary Phase 2 Drops - Don't Get Left Behind

Boss 2: Void Reaver

This boss encounter consists of a single phase; aside from the boss's standard abilities and mechanics, no additional elements are introduced mid-fight. Therefore, once you have mastered the basic strategy, you can defeat this boss with relative ease.

For tanks, it is crucial that, immediately after the fight begins and the ranged DPS players have taken up their positions, you pull the boss to the center of the arena. From there, all tanks should work together to establish aggro; a minimum of three tanks is required for this encounter.

A critical point to remember is that you must strive to generate as much aggro as possible within your capabilities. This is because the boss's Knock Away ability, which targets tanks, will inevitably wipe or drastically reduce your aggro level, and this effect cannot be avoided.

Furthermore, if you are playing a Warrior tank, you must decide whether to dual-wield weapons or equip a shield based on the specific circumstances of the fight. The latter is the preferred choice for the main tank role, while the former serves as a viable option for off-tanks or alternates.

Boss 3: High Astromancer Solarian

The tricky aspect of this boss encounter is that she summons reinforcements and will transform into a Voidwalker once her health drops to 20%.

The fight itself comprises three distinct phases, with the transformation typically marking the beginning of Phase 3.

Phase 1 is relatively straightforward to handle, allowing the raid group to engage in the damage output; it is not until Phase 2 that the boss begins summoning allies, specifically Solarian Agents and Priests, via Solarian Portals.

If you are playing a tank, you do not need to focus on defensive measures or aggro generation during Phase 1, as the boss does not utilize a standard aggro table mechanism at this stage. Instead, your primary objective is to join your teammates in dealing damage to the boss.

In Phase 2, your main priority shifts to containing or tanking Solarian Agents and Priests as effectively as possible.

During the final phase, if you are the main tank, you must focus your efforts on holding aggro on the boss while ensuring that you remain immune to her fear abilities by utilizing Fear Ward or Tremor Totem.

Boss 4: Kael'thas Sunstrider

As the final boss of Tempest Keep raid, Kael'thas Sunstrider is not only an incredibly dangerous adversary but also presents a multi-stage encounter spanning up to five distinct phases, making this a battle that is destined to be a grueling challenge!

In Phase 1, Kael'thas Sunstrider summons four Advisors in succession: Thaladred the Darkener, Lord Sanguinar, Grand Astromancer Capernian, and Master Engineer Telonicus. Later, in Phase 3, they will resurrect one by one in the exact order in which they were defeated.

Phase 2 is quite interesting; the boss summons seven weapons to act as enemies. Once any of these weapons is destroyed, it becomes lootable and remains available for pickup for 60 seconds.

Phase 3 requires you to deal with the resurrected Advisors. For tank players, the primary focus should be on Capernian, Sanguinar, and Telonicus.

If you fail to eliminate the resurrected Advisors quickly, Phases 3 and 4 will effectively overlap, as Kael'thas Sunstrider himself will formally join the battle three minutes after all Advisors have resurrected.

After entering Phase 4, in addition to his standard attacks, the boss summons an additional phoenix, which subsequently lays an egg. If the egg is not destroyed in time and is allowed to hatch, you may find yourselves facing two active phoenixes simultaneously.

In the final phase, Kael'thas Sunstrider unleashes a more concentrated barrage of abilities. As a tank, in addition to reacting to specific ability mechanics, you should ideally equip and continuously activate Phaseshift Bulwark to gain a protective shield capable of absorbing 100,000 points of damage.

If you are a tank player, we are confident that this guide to Tempest Keep raid boss encounters will prove invaluable to you! We wish you the best of luck in Phase 2!

The introduction of a new class in Diablo 4 invariably brings with it a host of new skills, which in turn typically gives rise to new character builds centered around a specific core ability.

Consequently, following the recent launch of Lord of Hatred expansion, players of the new Warlock class have devised numerous such builds, many of which prove highly effective. One prime example is Apocalypse Warlock build, which we will introduce below.

What is Apocalypse?

Apocalypse is one of Warlock's signature skills. Its effect involves creating a massive sigil that detonates after 2 seconds, dealing 666% damage to all surrounding enemies. It has a cooldown of 67 seconds and a Lucky Hit Chance of 50%.

Notably, the skill tree changes introduced in Season 13 allow you to unlock and utilize specific variants for certain skills. These changes are permanent and remain fully applicable within Lord of Hatred expansion.

Based on this system, Apocalypse offers three distinct variant options: Armageddon Ritual, Annihilation, and Minefield. Additionally, Apocalypse features four minor upgrades, arranged in two pairs; you may select only one upgrade from each pair:

• Shared Damage vs. Survivor Damage
• Double Blast vs. Epicenter Damage

Apocalypse Warlock Build skill synergy

As indicated in our introduction to the skill, you can select the most suitable variant for Apocalypse to enhance its effects according to your specific needs. For this particular build, Annihilation variant is the optimal choice.

This variant allows Apocalypse skill itself to unleash Hellfire Blasts that can stack up to a minimum of 20 times, dealing 33% damage to enemies with each hit.

Furthermore, each successful hit from these Hellfire Blasts generates a stack, up to a maximum of 100 stacks. Each accumulated stack subsequently increases both the blast radius and the damage output of the final explosion by 40%.

To accumulate these stacks as rapidly as possible, the most effective method is to cast Umbral Chains. Upon casting, this skill continuously spins in place, striking all enemies within its radius multiple times and thereby allowing you to instantly reach the maximum cap of 100 stacks.

However, Umbral Chains proves slightly less effective when facing bosses. In such scenarios, you can switch to Endless Barrage Bombardment variant instead.

This variant allows you to accumulate up to 5 stacks; once acquired, the skill will automatically and continuously rain down bombardments over the next 10 seconds. This effectively boosts the actual casting frequency of Apocalypse during boss encounters by approximately 50%.

Alternatively, you can opt to swap Umbral Chains for Skull Splitter variant of Blazing Scream; when facing bosses, this provides a much more efficient method for stacking charges, thereby further enhancing your damage output.

Furthermore, if you wish to ensure that Apocalypse provides even greater damage multipliers, you can select Survivor Damage and Double Blast from your four Minor Upgrade slots.

The former allows you to deal double damage to enemies that cannot be instantly killed, while the latter enables you to cast the skill twice consecutively.

Additional skill execution strategies include pairing Dark Prison with Petrify, as this allows for automatic casting. After all, manually casting this particular skill can be quite tedious.

The reason for this approach lies in the severe scarcity of gear affix slots; there simply isn't enough room to dedicate affixes to automatically triggering Barriers.

Consequently, we are compelled to manually cast skills to acquire Fortify status effect, thereby securing damage reduction when engaging enemies.

Although the duration of Dark Prison is shorter than its cooldown, the cooldown is instantly reset whenever Ritual of the Nameless Set effect is triggered. Provided you maintain a high frequency of skill usage, this Set effect can effectively achieve near 100% uptime.

Finally, Nether Step is an essential addition to the build. It serves as both a movement skill and a source of massive damage reduction; moreover, its cooldown is also reset whenever Nameless Set effect is triggered.

Which gear should you equip?

First and foremost, Hands of the Worldbreaker gloves not only grant a massive 400% damage bonus to Apocalypse, the core skill of this build, but also transform it into a Sigil Skill.

This allows you to synergize it with other skills, such as Flesh Rip and Carapace, and fully leverage the complete benefits of Nameless Set.

Subsequently, whenever you cast any Sigil Skill via Nameless Set effect, the system will automatically cast all of your other Sigil Skills simultaneously. This means you can remove your Sigil Skills from your active skill bar, thereby freeing up those keybind slots for other abilities.

Of course, Sigil Skills themselves remain critically important, particularly Sigil of Chaos, which grants you the Volatility buff, boosting your damage output by over 50%. Next, you need to ensure that you imprint Undying Aspect onto your boots; Aspect of Rallying Reversa is also a viable alternative to consider.

This combination is crucial because it helps you maintain the active effect of Scorching Fragment. Although this Ritualist Soul Shard continuously and slowly drains the user's life, the aforementioned Aspects allow you to easily mitigate this drawback.

The Hemat Stone is an indispensable amulet for crafting this build, offering a damage boost of nearly 300%. As for Fleshwrit Carapace, while not strictly mandatory, the damage bonus it provides is indeed substantial.

Regarding Mythics, both Heir of Perdition and Ring of Starless Skies are excellent choices; however, if you can only acquire one, the former takes priority.

As for Talismans, we actually already mentioned during the skill overview that Ritual of the Nameless Set is the optimal choice. You can subsequently add Banished Lord's Talisman to create a perfect synergy with Overpower.

Additionally, Aspect of the Indomitable is an optional alternative; while it significantly boosts your survivability, it also results in a massive loss of damage output, so its overall value is somewhat limited.

That concludes our guide for today. If you haven't yet found a Warlock build that suits you, or simply want to try out a new playstyle, why not give this one a shot?

Players, are you also exploring powerful builds in Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred? Then this guide will take you through the core mechanics, equipment setup, and gameplay of Limitless Rage Barbarian build, letting you experience its high damage!

Core Mechanics

Limitless Rage

Limitless Rage is the core of this build's explosive damage. This aspect has officially returned to the seasonal server, and although there have been adjustments, its damage is still explosive when fully stacked.

With a maximum of 300 stacks, at full fury, each additional point of fury generated increases damage by 3%, and the bonus lasts for 4 seconds. You can easily reach 300 stacks through high resource generation, fury regeneration, and a high stack cap.

Melted Heart of Selig

Melted Heart of Selig is essentially the cornerstone of Limitless Rage Barbarian build's survival. Its damage reduction principle prioritizes resource consumption over health when taking damage, and the damage is significantly reduced during the conversion process.

This build requires extremely low health, as the lower the health, the greater the damage reduction provided by this unique amulet.

You can also choose to socket Rubies, or other gems to stack multiple independent damage amplifications.

Fury and Overpower

By synergizing Blood Boiling with Dominate Glyph, you gain one stack of Overpower every 6 seconds, ensuring you maintain a constant 4 stacks. This is another crucial damage-boosting aspect of this build.

Fury Generation is a key affix for maintaining full fury. Combined with War Cry, it accumulates fury, ensuring a continuous flow.

Additionally, this build reworks Weapon Master Paragon, allowing you to utilize its magic nodes to increase maximum fury, laying the foundation for further damage stacking.

Skill Points and Expertise

Core Damage Dealer

Whirlwind is Barbarian's primary damage skill. Allocate points to the fury-consuming damage-boosting branch and the tornado branch; the latter generates two dust devils to assist in attacks.

Remember to select Channel Damage Bonus to maximize Whirlwind's damage.

Key Support Skills

• Rallying Cry: The core of fury generation. Players must ensure they have Resource Generation talent and the 20% effect boost branch to guarantee infinite furies.
• Iron Skin: Provides unstoppable effects, increasing survivability.
• Challenging Shout: Provides a 20% damage bonus to the first 5 taunted enemies and reduces their attack power.
• War Cry: Provides independent A-type damage, increases attack speed, and extends duration.
• Call of the Ancients: The core burst skill. Released every 6 seconds, it interrupts Whirlwind's smooth gameplay, but the different ancestors it summons provide massive damage bonuses.

If you find the skill bar too complex or dislike interrupting Whirlwind, you can use Wrath of the Berserker ultimate skill instead.

Expertise

We can choose a polearm as our expertise, gaining a permanent 15% damage increase and a 15% increase to Lucky Hit Chance.

Gear Selection

• Helmet: Harlequin Crest is a good choice. Prioritize Cooldown Reduction stats; don't stack maximum health too high.
• Chest Armor: Blood Boiling (Key Aspect). Automatically gains one stack of Overpower every 4 seconds, reliably synergizing with Dominate Glyph.
• Gloves: Gohr's Devastating Grips. Gathers enemies every 2 seconds and increases Whirlwind damage.
• Pants: Choose Earthquake Aspect for unconditional damage bonuses while under Overpower effect. No weapon switching required.
• Boots: Choose Battle Mad Aspect for additional damage.
• Ring 1: Use Heavy Hitting Aspect to increase tornado damage. Prioritize Critical Strike Chance, Critical Strike Damage, Vulnerability Damage, and All Damage affixes. For crafting, choose “Damage Per Stack”.
• Ring 2: Ring of Starless Skies. Reduces resource consumption and provides a direct independent damage boost.
• Amulet: Undoubtedly, choose Melted Heart of Selig.

If you don't have any of Diablo 4 items listed above, you can use others as substitutes, but the damage effect may not be as significant.

Rune Combinations

Rune Combination 1: NaguCeh

Mechanism: Activating Ancestral Call summons a permanent pack of wolves to assist in combat.

Rune Combination 2: CirVex

Mechanism: Utilizes Cir's 300 Consecration overflow to easily activate and maintain Vex's +3 to all skills effect.

Charm

After testing, 3 Charms with maximum fury + 2 Charms with +3 to all skills are the golden ratio for maximizing damage.

However, there is a taboo: this build has extremely low life, so remember not to use Charms that increase life by 30%.

Gameplay Loop

Before entering combat, players must first summon an ancestor to see if they can pull the ancestor of cast Frenzy.

During combat DPS, hold down the right mouse button to channel Whirlwind. Use all War Cry and Call of the Ancients on cooldown.

Our core focus is as follows:

• Red Buff: Represents the stacks of Infinite Frenzy; keep it at full stacks (300).
• Overpower Stacks: Maintain at 4 stacks.
• Damage Display: Once fully built, the displayed damage numbers can reach 23-24 trillion, or even higher.

Limitless Rage greatly enhances all builds, including Whirlwind, Hammer of the Ancients, Double Swing, Berserk, etc., each easily surpassing Pit 120 stacks.

Currently, Barbarian is rated as a Tier 2 class by some community players, known for its stability and strong impact. As more builds are discovered, we believe Barbarian's potential is constantly being raised!