General News

The updates released for ARC Raiders between January and April have done more than just enrich the game with new gameplay modes; they also include refinements to core mechanics to ensure they strike a balance between accessibility and logical consistency.

Unfortunately, a feature you may have previously hoped for, the ability to retain your workshop crafting station levels after an Expedition, has not yet been implemented. For now, you must still gather materials and upgrade your stations from scratch following each reset.

Of course, the workshop hasn't remained entirely static over these past few months.

Based on the adjustments made so far, we'll introduce everything you need to know about upgrading stations and other workshop-specific mechanics like Scrappy, following the release of Riven Tides update.

What is the workshop?

ARC Raiders is set in a world overrun by ARC invaders; consequently, all raids take place on the dangerous surface, while more routine interactions occur within the underground sanctuary known as Speranza.

You can think of Speranza as your in-game base of operations. The workshop serves as one of its primary functions, specifically for crafting, while other activities available in Speranza include customizing your character's appearance, trading with NPCs, and more.

As for the workshop itself, it comprises seven distinct stations. Each station requires specific materials for upgrades and offers a unique selection of items available for crafting.

As you upgrade your stations, you gain the ability to craft more advanced gear; however, crafting these high-tier items typically requires a corresponding blueprint.

Blueprints are an integral part of the workshop system: once consumed, a blueprint is added to the specific station associated with that item, allowing you to craft the item thereafter simply by supplying the other necessary materials.

Blueprints are typically acquired by scavenging during expeditions, ideally by looting high-value containers found during special in-game events.

However, if you find yourself unable to locate a specific item, getting ARC Raiders items for sale on IGGM offers a much faster alternative.

It is also worth mentioning Scrappy. This rooster is technically your pet within Speranza, but since he lives in the workshop, he is often regarded as an honorary part of the facility itself.

Whenever you head out for combat, provided your expedition lasts longer than one minute, Scrappy will generate Assorted Seeds and other random resources for you.

The longer your expedition lasts, and the higher Scrappy's level, the greater the quantity of items he will generate.

How to upgrade workshop stations?

The seven stations are: Workbench, Gunsmith, Gear Bench, Medical Lab, Explosives Station, Utility Station, and Refiner. With the exception of Workbench, each of these stations can be upgraded to a maximum level of 3.

Many of the materials required for crafting and station upgrades can be obtained through scavenging during expeditions. And specific materials tend to appear more frequently when looting certain designated zones.

Furthermore, some materials drop specifically after defeating ARC enemies, such as Pop Trigger or Rocketeer Driver. There are also some materials that can only be obtained through crafting.

If you are a dedicated player, gathering these materials shouldn't be too difficult for you at this stage. However, a more efficient farming strategy is to set aside dedicated blocks of time to complete all the upgrade requirements for a specific station in a single round.

By doing so, you can immediately utilize that station to craft some decent gear, thereby boosting your character's power and allowing you to complete upgrades for your other stations even faster.

How to utilize Scrappy?

Scrappy can be upgraded to a maximum of Level 5. At each level, it generates an increasing amount of materials based on the duration of your raids. The specific time thresholds are 1, 6, and 15 minutes.

Below are the upgrade requirements (Level 1 Fledgling is the default tier and requires no materials):

• Level 2 Forager: 1x Dog Collar
• Level 3 Scavenger: 3x Lemon, 3x Apricot
• Level 4 Treasure Hunter: 6x Prickly Pear, 6x Olives, 1x Cat Bed
• Level 5 Master Hoarder: 12x Mushroom, 12x Apricot, 3x Very Comfortable Pillow

Previously, with the exception of seeds, the types of materials generated by Scrappy were entirely random.

However, following Flashpoint update, you can now feed Scrappy specific items to increase the probability of it generating particular types of materials; furthermore, the items generated may be of higher value.

Currently, the items that can be used as feed include: olives, fruit mix, mushroom, agave, apricot, lemon, and prickly pear.

New content from Riven Tides update

This update introduced four new items to the game: Powered Descender, Crash Mat, White Flag, and Dockmaster's Detector.

Of these, the first three can be obtained through crafting; specifically, only the first two require a separate blueprint to unlock. Their respective workshop requirements are as follows:

• Powered Descender: Utility Station 3
• Crash Mat: Utility Station 1
• White Flag: Medical Lab 1

The importance of workshop

Only by consistently upgrading the various functions of your workshop can you accelerate the process of farming high-tier blueprints and crafting more powerful gear.

In turn, this allows you to advance your game progression; otherwise, you risk missing out on exciting combat encounters due to a lack of adequate gear.

Will the workshop get more changes in the future?

As a fundamental yet uncomplicated game feature, the workshop is unlikely to undergo a drastic overhaul, nor is such a change necessary. The only plausible possibility is that a certain level of progress might be retained following an expedition.

Admittedly, having to go through the workshop upgrade process after every expedition can indeed feel a bit tedious.

However, precisely because this process is not particularly difficult, allowing players to retain their station levels would strip the reset mechanic of much of its intended significance.

That covers everything you need to know about utilizing and upgrading the workshop in ARC Raiders at this stage. We hope this information proves helpful to your gaming experience!

Monopoly Go has become a global phenomenon, but behind this game lie several game mechanics that have left many players deeply dissatisfied. Common complaints include issues with game fairness, progression, and what players perceive as a pay-to-win model.

This article will analyze in detail why these mechanics are so frustrating and explore practical ways to alleviate this frustration without abandoning the game.

Reasons for Player Frustration

Dice Management and Progression Challenges

Limited dice supply means players often find the hourly dice replenishment insufficient to sustain the game, making it difficult to complete daily rewards and events without spending money. Even 10 dice per hour isn't enough to maintain daily rewards.

As player levels increase, upgrading properties becomes extremely costly, requiring an exceptionally large number of dice. If you're a high level, upgrading properties is incredibly expensive. Some players say, "I don't even have dice anymore, how am I supposed to upgrade? I hate this practice of including upgrade costs in daily rewards."

Furthermore, other activities in Monopoly Go often require a large number of dice rolls, so once you run out of rolls, your progress becomes extremely slow.

Perceived Rigging and Lack of Transparency

Many players believe that dice rolls and event outcomes are not truly random, but rather pre-programmed to induce spending. The most frustrating experience is repeatedly landing on specific tiles, such as the railroad tile, to trigger an event, only to land anywhere else.

Multiple players have tested this using flight mode and other techniques, and the evidence strongly suggests that the results of dice rolls, the final outcome of bank robberies, and even jailbreak attempts are pre-programmed the moment you press the button; the animation effects are merely gimmicks.

This is what frustrates many players the most. What should be random is actually scouted and pre-programmed to give you the results they want. Some players even suspect that Monopoly Go's leaderboards are filled with AI, artificially creating a competitive atmosphere that makes it harder for real players to win.

Sticker Endless Duplicates

Obtaining new stickers, especially gold stickers, is frustrating for many players. They complain that repeatedly getting the same stickers over long periods diminishes the enjoyment of the game. Collecting stickers should be fun, but the mechanics turn it into a gambling-like pursuit.

You open dozens of sticker packs and always get the same 1-star sticker. Gold stickers are extremely rare, yet essential for completing an album and usually untradeable at other stages.

According to reports, over 90% of gold stickers never appear in any trading activity. You might be just one gold sticker away from completing an entire album. As an album nears its end, the game doesn't automatically give you that sticker unless you get Wild Stickers.

Completing an album rewards a huge dice bonus, such as 15,000 dice. But for many players, this moment will never arrive. This means that without spending money, it's difficult to maintain interest in Monopoly Go, and the overall enjoyment gradually diminishes over time.

Practical Ways to Reduce Frustration

While you can't change the system, you can change how you interact with it. Here are some tips that, while they won't make you a top player overnight, can reduce your daily frustration.

Change Your Game Mindset

Once you realize that frustration is a product of the game's design, you'll stop blaming yourself. You're not unlucky, nor are you playing badly. You're simply interacting with a machine designed to extract money and attention. Shift your focus from winning to enjoying small moments of happiness in life, such as completing a thrilling heist, finishing daily quests, or collecting a new sticker. Don't burden yourself so much with Monopoly Go.

Join Active Trading Communities

The official in-game trading system isn't perfect. You can exchange stickers in the player community, trading duplicates for missing ones. Be proactive and generous. Don't ask for stickers of the same star rating when gifting them. In a friendly community, people will reciprocate when you need rare cards.

If you still can't find the sticker you want in the community, you can buy Monopoly Go Stickers from IGGM.com provides the fastest and safest way to access the game.

Know When to Walk Away

In any game, the most effective strategy is to take a break. If you find yourself checking the game every 30 minutes, feeling anxious about your shield or event ranking, or spending money you didn't intend to spend, take a short break and give yourself some breathing room.

Monopoly Go isn't a game in the traditional sense; there's no ultimate victory. Even if you collect all the stickers today, you might unlock a new album tomorrow with brand new stickers.

Therefore, true victory comes from playing the game the way you want, using it as a way to pass the time, not as a source of achievement. If frustration outweighs enjoyment, then this game might not be for you.

This article analyzes and offers solutions to some recent issues with Monopoly Go. Hopefully, it helps you adjust your mindset and allows the game to bring you more enjoyment than frustration.

Guys, we now know more about Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5.0, but is it really as much as you think? With so much talk about the dazzling update, what are the highlights and shortcomings we should pay attention to? Let's find out.

Amazing Improvements

Two Convenient Features

Patch 0.5.0 includes a built-in build planning system, allowing players to directly mark equipment slots, preset skill tree paths, and plan when to acquire skill gems in the character panel, eliminating the need to frequently consult external documentation or third-party tools.

Simultaneously, a built-in price lookup tool replaces some third-party plugins, allowing players to price items directly in-game, ensuring price competitiveness in trades.

Both of these improvements significantly reduce the frequency with which players need to leave the game, truly focusing on the player experience and improving game smoothness - definitely a highlight.

Challenge System Launch

A series of challenge missions have been added to the game, rewarding players with a very cool armor set upon completion. This challenge not only encourages players to try gameplay styles they wouldn't normally encounter, but also provides a clear long-term goal for each league, further enhancing the game's replayability.

Endgame Content Completely Overhauled

As most players know, the endgame content in Patch 0.5.0 has been almost entirely reworked, adding a story-driven league mechanic and a static points of interest system.

Each league mechanic, such as Ritual and Breach, now has its own independent storyline, new NPCs, and new items. Static points of interest are now clearly marked on the map; progressing just four nodes from the center will lead to the first tower, unlocking a large dungeon castle rising from the ground.

Atlas skill tree introduces multi-choice nodes, requiring players to weigh whether to buff themselves or strengthen the boss for additional PoE 2 currency rewards. The three Atlas masters, Doryani, Jado, and Hilda, will each offer different gameplay options, such as extra resurrections or replacing rare monsters with map bosses. 

In addition, the map search function not only highlights target nodes but also allows direct jumps, and the contrast clarity is far superior to the earlier skill tree search.

Campaign Guidance Optimization

After completing the ritual at Hunting Grounds, a swarm of locusts will fly from the ritual point towards Freythorn, a subtle environmental cue that subtly guides the player's path. This guidance method will be further expanded in Act 5 and Act 6.

Sometimes players need these subtle optimizations to make PoE even more enjoyable.

Two New Ascendancy Classes

Martial Artist ascendancy in Monk grants a set of custom gloves and a new active channeling skill; Spirit Walker ascendancy in Huntress allows the taming of beast-type bosses. Meanwhile, there are indications that interacting with the new NPC Chayula may unlock a hidden ascendancy.

Highlights Worth Noting

Runes of Aldur League

The new league Runes of Aldur brings expanded expedition mechanics and a Uniques upgrade system. This league allows players to travel to the southern islands and introduces a complex crafting system.

One key feature is the ability to upgrade lower-tier Unique items to higher-tier ones, resolving the long-standing issue of many Uniques being unusable because of low base stats.

A Plethora of New Unique Gear

This update adds Heavy Belt Mageblood and spears like Ordained. It also includes a hammer that converts all fire damage to cold damage and alters skill visuals, and the classic Brutus' Lead Sprinkler makes a comeback.

Furthermore, the game adds over 20 new active skills that are usable across weapons.

Endgame Maps and New Bosses

Over 30 brand-new endgame map layouts have been added, boasting stunning visuals. Several new pinnacle bosses have also been added, and judging from the trailer clips, these boss battles appear to be extremely challenging.

Existing Issues

No New Classes or Swords

While two new ascendancy classes were added, players expecting a duelist class and swords were disappointed, and these players have indicated they will not return to the game in this update.

Too Many Socketables

The development team originally claimed that the socketables system was intended to replace the overly complex Crafting Bench, lowering the barrier to entry for new players.

However, the actual game added hundreds, even thousands, of socketables with different functions, each relying on drops and farming, and disappearing once embedded. This made the system more complex than the original Crafting Bench.

Also Read: Path of Exile 2 0.5.0 Return of the Ancients may be the Biggest Update Ever | Endgame Rework Finally Arrives

Unclear Balance Adjustments

Specific patch notes won't be released until May 21st, and we currently know very little about the balance adjustments that will be made.

The official Q&A stated that the gap between top-tier and average players is reasonable, for example, a boss fight taking 119 seconds versus 8 seconds. But is this 15-fold difference really acceptable? Hopefully, the final balance adjustments will narrow this gap.

Overall Complexity Out of Control

The overall complexity of PoE 2 Patch 0.5.0 has far exceeded expectations, posing a significant challenge for newcomers.

Although the game is still in early testing, its sheer number of systems, interaction methods, and the diversity of character progression paths are already extremely complex, potentially surpassing PoE 1.

If the in-game guidance isn't clear enough, many players will probably feel extremely lost after reaching the endgame.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Patch 0.5.0 should be the last major update in the early access phase of PoE 2. While there are no new classes, overall it's something to look forward to!

With the release of MLB The Show 26, outfield player ratings have undergone new changes.

Today, I'm bringing you a brand-new tier list of outfield players, covering dozens of active outfielders, ranging from S-tier to C-tier. This list contains some subjective elements and is for reference only.

Hopefully, this ranking will help you better build your team or find your next goal. Below is the complete ranking.

S-Tier

The main outfielders rated S-tier in MLB The Show 26 are:

• 1. Albert Pujols
• 2. Ian Happ
• 3. Mickey Mantle
• 4. Mike Trout
• 5. Carlos Beltran

Albert Pujols

Among S-tier players in MLB The Show 26, Albert Pujols is arguably the most consistent mainstay - his batting face is textbook accurate, making him suitable for both left and right outfield - hence, he is highly praised by almost all online player reviews. His Speed is around 70, Reaction around 80, and Arm Strength around 80. While not a top-tier defender, he's very solid.

Ian Happ

You might be surprised to see Ian Happ ranked S, but this all-around player has the ability to achieve that. He's a true jack-of-all-trades, capable of playing multiple positions, and he won't falter no matter where you put him.

Mickey Mantle

Mickey Mantle has an amazing reputation as a powerful center fielder. His speed is incredibly high at 94, and his Arm Strength is overwhelmingly good. While his Swing isn't the best in the world, it's certainly not a liability, making him a true all-around player.

Mike Trout

Mike Trout is widely considered the strongest active world-class baseball player in the world, and he's one of the most coveted ultimate cards in MLB The Show 26. This card is currently the strongest outfielder, but his defensive weaknesses are amplified in center field, so you're best suited to placing him in either left or right field.

If you want this top-tier outfielder, you'll need to spend a lot of Stubs. If you lack Stubs, you can directly buy MLB The Show 26 Stubs from IGGM; we offer the fairest prices and fastest service.

Carlos Beltran

Carlos Beltran's speed makes him almost impossible for opponents to bypass in MLB The Show 26, making him a truly deserving S-tier outfielder. His only weakness is his right-handed pitching power of only 68, which slightly diminishes his hitting ability. However, you can obtain this S-tier player for free by completing in-game missions, so what more can we ask for?

A-Tier

A-tier players in MLB The Show 26 are typically players who are very strong in one area but have certain weaknesses. They include:

• 1. Kris Bryant
• 2. Cody Bellinger
• 3. Christian Yelich
• 4. Bryan Reynolds
• 5. Ken Griffey Jr.

Kris Bryant

Kris Bryant is considered by many players to be the epitome of a "golden balanced outfielder" - his swing is smooth and silky, and his passes are reassuring. However, his reaction time is occasionally slow, so it's not recommended to place him in center field, but he can be placed in the corner.

Cody Bellinger

Cody Bellinger was previously a candidate for S-tier in MLB. In MLB The Show 26, although he was relegated to A-tier due to a decline in speed, he remains a representative of offensive outfielders.

Christian Yelich

Christian Yelich's batting statistics are undeniable, but not every player likes his feel and hidden stats. Those who love him adore him, while those who dislike him hate him.

Bryan Reynolds

Bryan Reynolds is rated A-tier primarily because he is the only A-tier outfielder in MLB The Show 26 who can play both left and right field. Although his stats aren't as outstanding as other outfielders, his versatility is his biggest advantage.

Ken Griffey Jr.

This player is highly controversial: his speed is only around 75, he's not particularly good at defense, but his swing is excellent. Most importantly, his price is incredibly high; you'd need to spend around $250,000 MLB The Show 26 Stubs to acquire him. Therefore, he's classified as A-level player.

B and C-level players

MLB The Show 26's B and C-level players are playable, but either have obvious flaws or require specific conditions to perform well. Therefore, only a brief list is provided here:

• 1. Mookie Betts
• 2. Don Baylor
• 3. Mickey Moniak
• 4. Aaron Judge
• 5. Curtis Granderson

Mookie Betts

Mookie Betts has decent hitting ability, but his defensive stats are laughable: slow speed, sluggish jump, and poor passing power. However, if you like his hitting, you can still use him.

Don Baylor

Don Baylor has good speed, balanced hitting stats against both left and right pitchers, and his defense isn't the worst, making him a versatile player.

Mickey Moniak

Mickey Moniak's stats are good except for his 75-78 batting average against left-handed pitchers. Most importantly, his card is free to obtain.

Aaron Judge

Aaron Judge's strength is his power hitting ability, but his batting average in MLB The Show 26 is low. In other words, while he has great power, his ability to hit is questionable.

Curtis Granderson

Curtis Granderson is very strong against right-handed pitchers, but becomes easy prey against left-handed pitchers. Therefore, you can only place him in a fixed position.

The above is a ranking of the outfielders in MLB The Show 26. The rankings within the same tier are not in any particular order. Again, this ranking has some subjective factors and is for reference only. Hope this helps.

Warlock in Diablo II: Resurrected Season 13 was so outrageously powerful that the developers could never let that state drag on for half a year, so Ladder Season 14 has now been confirmed to begin on May 22.

Breaking with tradition, the full Patch 3.2 notes were released well ahead of time. This update is not just a massive set of number tweaks - it also clearly communicates the development team's design philosophy. Let's dive into the details of the patch and where the new season's meta is headed.

Warlock Adjustments

Warlock is clearly the centerpiece of this update, something you could already sense in Season 14 PTR. Echoing Strike Warlocks got hit hardest, but in terms of raw numbers the skill has essentially been brought back to a more reasonable level. As a result, other Warlock builds can finally step out from under its shadow and become genuinely interesting options in Season 14.

Weapon Restrictions

Warlocks can now wield a two-handed weapon in one hand only while equipping a Grimoire in the off-hand. This change shuts down the extreme setups where you could run a devastating two-hander in the main hand while stacking a Spirit or Phoenix shield off-hand.

While Grimoire itself remains very powerful for the class, the days of casually throwing together Spirit plus a top-tier two-handed Insight during the leveling process are gone. Healing potion effectiveness has also been slightly increased to bring Warlock's survivability curve more in line with similar playstyle classes.

Lethargy

Lethargy has had its reduced damage taken property removed, and a bug that prevented it from working on hostile players has been fixed. It still retains its slow, so it remains fantastic against bosses like Baal or Diablo, but it can no longer break immunities, reducing its overall power.

Fire Skills

Ring of Fire's base maximum damage has been slightly reduced at both level 1 and level 20, and Flame Wave's damage is down by about 15%. Even so, a Fire Warlock is still widely recognized as the fastest leveling route. Several issues with Apocalypse have also been corrected.

A flood of feedback from the test realm made it clear that players found clearing zones on a Fire Warlock incredibly smooth, even on Players 8 difficulty. It's safe to expect that fire builds will continue to effortlessly tear through high player-count areas in the new season.

Miasma Bolt

Miasma Bolt's damage scaling has been slightly toned down. At level 1 it used to hit hard enough to take down some tricky bosses, and while the damage curve is now more sensible, it will remain one of the strongest level-1 skills available.

In addition, a bug that triggered an extra instance of damage when the cloud dissipated has been fixed, and the cloud spawn delay that was added in the earlier PTR has been removed, bringing back its smooth feel. The adjustment that permanently reduces cloud damage by 50%, however, has been kept.

Miasma Chains

Miasma Chains has had its cast delay removed, and the number of active chains now starts at 5, scaling up to 10 with skill level. Each individual chain has a next hit delay of 1 second, meaning a cloud spawns every 0.5 seconds along the chain's path. Over 6 seconds a single chain generates 12 clouds that share the delay, but cloud damage from different chains does not interfere with one another.

Echoing Strike

Echoing Strike's weapon damage ratio has been raised from 75% to 90%, while a critical issue that caused its damage bonus to be calculated multiplicatively instead of additively has been fixed, and ethereal items will no longer lose durability from Echoing Strike.

These changes reduce the skill's damage to roughly 12%–15% of what it was, but given its previously terrifying numbers, it is still a formidable skill even after a nerf of this magnitude.

Bind Demon

Bind Demon's soft points granting modifiers have been preserved, but the damage bonus has been changed from multiplicative to additive, causing single-hit damage to plummet from the hundreds of thousands down to around twenty thousand.

The bind chance has also been rebalanced: the starting chance has been raised from 10% to 20%, and the maximum cap has increased from 25% to 56%, ensuring the skill's control identity while diluting its one-shot potential.

Demon life cap has been increased, but bound demons can no longer spawn with Conviction. Instead, they can now have Vigor, Concentration, Holy Freeze, or Fanaticism.

Other Skill Changes

• Blood Boil: The damage bonus for summoned Tainted Demons has been reduced from 30% to 20%, but the radius now scales with level, reaching 7 yards at level 10.
• Blood Oath: The “transfers damage taken to your demon” property is now on a diminishing returns curve, starting at 3% (level 1) and scaling to 25% (level 20), and it correctly benefits from skill level bonuses.
• Demonic Mastery: The skill point investment required for a second and third demon has been lowered to 5 and 10 points, respectively.
• Gorge: The attack speed bonus is now based on the skill itself rather than gear, which is more sensible.

Terror Zones

Heralds mechanic in Terror Zones has received significant tuning. The goal is to address the extreme randomness of Sunder Charms without making Heralds feel like loot piñatas, as they did in the early PTR.

The increased drop rate for Sunder Charms now begins with T1 Heralds and is not affected by the player count bonus. T3 and T4 Heralds have double the drop rate of T1, while T5 Heralds have triple. Sunder Charms have been integrated into the regular drop tables of Heralds, and any monster now has a chance to drop them.

For Heralds of T2 and above, the life bonus has been cut from 500% to 250% and the damage bonus from 50% to 25%, alleviating the near-unkillable nature of high-tier Heralds. The unique and set item drop rates from Heralds have been slightly reduced to avoid flooding the game with rare unique items.

Colossal Ancients

Colossal Ancients have had their combat logic reworked: the three Ancients continuously respawn, with up to five active on the battlefield at once. You can no longer peel them off one by one. Their damage has also been increased, and if you attempt the fight without stacking high elemental resistances, they'll send you straight back to town without a second thought.

Overall, Season 14 adjustments are largely in line with PTR changes. While Warlock's damage ceiling has been cut significantly, many other playstyles have been optimized, making a Warlock still a strong choice for a ladder start.

Diablo II: Resurrected Season 14 ladder is going live in less than two weeks. No matter which class you pick to start fresh, having good gear makes all the difference. There are cheap Diablo 2 Resurrected runes for sale in IGGM - whenever you're short on the right equipment, you can get exactly what you need there in no time and make your season start that much smoother.

With only about a week remaining until the official launch of Forza Horizon 6, you are undoubtedly eager to hit the streets of Tokyo! After all, thanks to Initial D, many racing enthusiasts harbor a special fondness for Japan.

However, for a racing game, while the thrill of driving across exciting, well-designed maps is undeniably important, it must be paired with a logical and well-structured progression system to ensure you remain engaged and motivated to keep playing over the long term.

In previous installments of Forza Horizon series, the developers fell short in this regard, to the point of drawing widespread complaints from players.

Now, however, Forza Horizon 6 appears poised to turn the tide. Read on as we provide a detailed breakdown of what to expect.

The importance of progression system

Virtually all games structure their content into seasons or similar segments, incorporating a corresponding progression system that allows you to work toward specific goals and earn tangible rewards over a set period.

These rewards typically scale alongside your in-game advancement. In the case of FH6, for instance, this means that as you steadily progress through the game, you unlock more Forza Horizon 6 credits, which can then be redeemed for high-end vehicles or other desirable items.

Unlike rewards earned by simply completing a single specific challenge or race, the unique value of a comprehensive progression system lies in its ability to keep you constantly aware of your current standing within the game, while also providing clear direction when you are unsure of what to do next.

Shortcomings in previous games

For Forza Horizon series, issues regarding the progression system were most evident in FH4 and FH5, released in 2018 and 2021, respectively.

Ideally, when you first start a racing game, you should begin as a relative unknown, a nobody without any prestigious cars to your name.

It is through hard work and dedication, earning assets and status over time, that you derive the true sense of satisfaction and accomplishment the game is meant to provide.

However, in those two titles, you began the game already established as a superstar of Horizon Festival, a legendary figure in the virtual racing world, with a vast array of supercars at your immediate disposal, ready to be claimed at your whim.

This wasn't because Forza Horizon 4 or 5 lacked a progression system entirely (for instance, in FH5, this system was known as Accolades); rather, the issue lay in the fact that the requirements for unlocking content were simply too lenient.

While gaining quick access to luxury cars and various unlockable accolades can be exciting at first, it ultimately leads to rapid burnout, causing what should have been significant milestone moments in your journey to feel trivial and inconsequential.

In fact, this design flaw creates a ripple effect, directly altering the very way you interact with the game itself.

For if high-performance, top-tier racing cars flood your garage too early and too frequently, you will lose the motivation and passion to delve into the unique characteristics of lower-tier vehicles and to hone your driving skills across various road surfaces.

The return of Festival Wristband in Forza Horizon 6

Whether in response to player feedback or simply to ensure the game reaches new heights, Forza Horizon 6 has undeniably made significant improvements to its progression system.

Interestingly, this improvement doesn't involve designing an entirely new feature; instead, it draws inspiration from earlier FH titles, bringing back the classic Festival Wristband mechanic!

This system features seven distinct wristbands, each representing a different tier. You must unlock them one by one through regular gameplay, by participating in various challenges and competitive modes, until you finally earn the coveted Gold Wristband, granting you entry to Festival Finale.

In other words, you no longer start at the pinnacle of racing, as was the case in FH4 and FH5, but must instead work your way up step-by-step through your own efforts to achieve the highest honors. This is precisely what a progression system ought to be.

As your rank rises, you will also unlock faster and more exhilarating cars, a progression that mirrors your rising status among the Festival's competitors.

Related: Forza Horizon 6 Countdown Begins: Japan Map, 550 Cars and Major Customization Upgrades!

Consequently, the primary method for advancing through the game will be participating in Horizon Qualifiers or Invitationals.

These events may require you to use specific cars or tracks, thereby preventing the recurrence of a common issue: acquiring high-tier cars too early and subsequently breezing through the game with ease.

While this approach demands that you invest more effort into mastering vehicle performance and racing strategies, that is precisely where the true allure of Forza Horizon 6 lies!

What is Legend Island?

Once you have collected all seven wristbands, you gain access to Legend Island, where you can compete at an even higher level, effectively serving as FH6 endgame.

In this region, you are free to use any car you have previously unlocked via Festival Wristband system to participate in high-difficulty events, most notably Legend Island Circuit, and earn rewards that remain out of reach for the average player.

The more casual Discover Japan feature

Forza Horizon 6 doesn't just reintroduce and refine Festival Wristband system, ensuring you experience a satisfying sense of accomplishment and earn appropriate rewards through a structured, linear progression path, it also simultaneously launches Discover Japan feature.

While this feature does possess certain progression-based elements, it comes with far fewer restrictions and requirements, making it an ideal choice for players who prefer to explore the world at their own pace.

Discover Japan features more casual and laid-back tasks, such as taking photos or making deliveries, the completion of which earns you special XP used to collect stamps and add them to your collection log.

If you prefer to engage in more open-ended competitive racing, Discover Japan also offers the night races and Touge battles, allowing you to go head-to-head against other players across various settings within Tokyo.

Forza Horizon 6 officially launches on May 19th; however, if you unlock the premium edition now, you can gain access to the game four days early, letting you kick-start your journey to collect those coveted wristbands even sooner! Best of luck!

As one of the new classes introduced in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred, Warlock is currently being explored by players through a wide variety of builds. But which build is the right fit for you? Here, we introduce a faster, more engaging, and significantly more durable variant: Tyrant's Grasp Warlock.

Core Mechanics

This build centers on Tyrant's Grasp as its primary damage-dealing ability. By utilizing Unique item Anathema of the Primes, Tyrant's Grasp is transformed into a Core Skill that consumes Wrath. This creates a synergy with Rampage mechanic, allowing the player to execute infinite leaps and rapidly traverse the battlefield.

Additionally, when paired with Hecaton Chasm ring, Tyrant's Grasp summons a multitude of hands from the ground. These hands pull all enemies within the entire screen radius into a single cluster, dealing multiple instances of stacking damage.

Consequently, the overall gameplay of Tyrant's Grasp Warlock is remarkably simple: by maintaining just a few key buffs, you can establish a satisfying loop of continuous leaping, enemy grouping, and instant screen-clearing.

Resource Management

In the past, the biggest pain point for this build was a chronic shortage of Wrath; however, thanks to a series of adjustments, we can now ensure this resource flows seamlessly.

The core strategy involves utilizing the Command Valloch skill, which provides a massive +350% increase to Wrath Regeneration for six seconds. It also grants Overpower effect, as well as Fortify health.

Furthermore, completing the five-piece Horazon's Chains Set helps reduce the resource cost of Soul Shards and provides various stat boosts, including Movement Speed ​​and Attack Speed, making it possible to maintain Command Valloch buff almost permanently.

In the early stages of the game, you can bridge any resource gaps by prioritizing Resource Generation or Resource Cost Reduction affixes on your gear. Once you acquire Ring of Starless Skies, the resource issues plaguing Tyrant's Grasp Warlock are completely resolved, ensuring a combat experience that feels entirely fluid and unhindered.

Key Gear and Mechanic Synergies

Diablo 4 items utilized by Tyrant's Grasp Warlock are absolutely essential to the success of this build.

• Anathema of the Primes: An absolutely mandatory core item. Without it, you cannot convert Tyrant's Grasp (and its associated leaping mechanics) to consume Wrath. In the early game, you can utilize its Two-Handed Sword form; later on, you should transition to using it in an Amulet slot.
• Hecaton Chasm Ring: Provides a massive damage boost while simultaneously summoning additional spectral hands. The multi-hit damage from these hands stacks entirely upon a single target, making this ring particularly devastating against single-target Bosses.
• Ritualist Shard: Unlocks Summon Valloch skill, thereby granting a tremendous amount of Wrath Regeneration.
• Horazon's Chains Set (5 Pieces): Offers comprehensive benefits across the board and reduces Dominance consumption, allowing Command Valloch and Bombardment to be cast reliably once every 10 seconds.
• Metamorphosis: When activated, this ability provides a DPS increase of approximately 30% to 80%; however, it also causes your character to continuously lose health over time. It is recommended to manually deactivate the skill after 15 to 30 seconds, utilizing Life on Hit to easily offset the health drain.

Skill Execution Details

The skill rotation for Tyrant's Grasp Warlock is mechanically simple, but it places a strong emphasis on proper positioning.

The standard 10-second rotation requires you to simultaneously activate three specific skills:

1. Cast Bombardment to trigger Paragon Board effect, granting +105% increased damage and generating corpses.
2. Cast Summon Valloch to maintain Wrath Regeneration and various active buffs.
3. Cast Sigil to activate the 15-second buff provided by Ritualism Paragon node.

Your positioning while dealing damage is also critically important. When facing Bosses or Elite monsters, never stand directly in melee range; instead, maintain a short distance - just beyond standard melee range - to ensure that all summoned hands perfectly overlap within the same area, thereby dealing their full damage potential.

When facing packs of standard mobs, positioning is less of a concern, as the hands will automatically group the enemies together and pull them into the center of the damage zone.

Survivability Considerations

Regarding defensive configuration, it is highly recommended to utilize powerful defensive affixes - such as Heavenly Strength and Tyrant's Might - to bolster your melee survivability. This allows you to comfortably withstand the majority of incoming damage in Normal Mode.

However, the visual effects generated by the multitude of summoned hands can cause severe screen clutter, making it difficult to clearly see ground-based explosions and dangerous enemy skills. While this poses minor issue in Normal Mode, players in Hardcore Mode must exercise extreme caution to avoid being struck by unseen, potentially lethal attacks.

The good news is that the health regeneration provided by Life on Hit is more than sufficient to offset the continuous health drain caused by Metamorphosis. Therefore, as long as you continue to attack without interruption, you need not worry about your health dropping to dangerous levels.

All in all, this Tyrant's Grasp Warlock build performs exceptionally well in the current season, excelling in both map clearing and survivability. I hope it serves you well in Lord of Hatred!

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!