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Crackling Energy Sorcerer was a massive favorite back in Diablo 4 Season 11. A quick look at the Sorcerer leaderboards in The Pit showed countless players mastering this build, and in Season 12, it remains one of the most dominant forces in the entire game. Its power rivals that of any top-tier setup, including Paladin.

This build offers incredible clear speed, making it a top-tier choice for fast farming. More importantly, it handles the increased difficulty introduced in Season 12 with ease. Its greatest strength lies in its phenomenal single-target damage. In short, it excels in every scenario and is a blast to play.

How Crackling Energy Sorcerer Works?

Esadora's Overflowing Cameo

This entire playstyle is built around one key item: Esadora's Overflowing Cameo. A Sorcerer has multiple ways to generate Crackling Energy, such as through the skill Ball Lightning or the passive Static Discharge. These energy orbs appear on the ground when monsters are defeated or when certain skills trigger.

Upon picking up Crackling Energy, you gain stacks, and your character becomes wreathed in arcs of lightning that automatically strike nearby foes.

When you reach maximum stacks while wearing Esadora's Overflowing Cameo, a cascade occurs, rapidly unleashing all stored energy. At this moment, every lightning arc focuses on the single closest target, delivering a continuous barrage of strikes ten times faster than normal.

This is the secret behind the build's incredible single-target damage. During boss encounters, you will witness their health bar vanish as you effectively channel all your area-of-effect power onto them.

As for groups, your clear speed is determined by how quickly you can chain through individual monsters. However, with constant Teleports to reposition, the efficiency is surprisingly fast in endgame, whether you're leveling or farming Diablo 4 gold.

How to Scale Your Damage?

The damage of Crackling Energy is boosted by global damage modifiers and specific bonuses to Lightning damage. However, the most significant and impactful way to scale it is by stacking skill ranks.

The discharge from Esadora's Overflowing Cameo benefits exponentially from your skill ranks. Therefore, the core of this build is to maximize this stat as much as possible.

Vex Rune

A previous bug prevented Vex Rune's bonus to skill ranks from applying to amulets, but this has now been fixed. Utilizing it to boost your skills effectively grants a massive 180% multiplicative damage increase, making the build even more formidable.

Core Skills

This build features three Core skills on its action bar simultaneously: Charge Bolts, Chain Lightning, and Ball Lightning. This strategy allows affixes on your weapon, offhand, and gloves that grant ranks to Core skills to benefit all three simultaneously, maximizing the return.

All Add Skills Level Affixes

When you have affixes that boost all skills, this multiplier applies to a wide range of abilities—the three Core skills plus various passives—making it incredibly potent. Ultimately, your total skill ranks can easily reach around 100, which translates to a 10 to 12-fold multiplier for Esadora's Overflowing Cameo's discharge.

Crackling Energy Sorcerer Skills

The following skills should be placed on your action bar:

• Teleport
• Chain Lightning
• Ball Lightning
• Charge Bolts
• Unstable Currents
• Lightning Spear

Beyond the action bar, skills like Familiar also require some of your skill points, as it can be triggered by your Ultimate, Unstable Currents. Other skills such as Ice Armor and Flame Shield are utilized through their enchantment effects.

Your primary method of dealing damage is to cast Ball Lightning frequently. Your Ultimate ability, Unstable Currents, randomly triggers various lightning skills, including Charge Bolts.

Charge Bolts serves as a vital AoE skill. When triggered, it fans out, dealing widespread damage and helping you rapidly clear packs of lesser monsters.

Lightning Spear contributes additional damage and, crucially, applies Vulnerable to all monsters it hits. Combined with Aspect of Shredding Blades, it deals even more damage to vulnerable enemies.

Crackling Energy Sorcerer Gear

While Esadora's Overflowing Cameo is absolutely essential for Crackling Energy Sorcerer, several other items can be swapped based on availability. Here are some of the key Uniques you'll aim for before acquiring Mythic items:

• Esadora's Overflowing Cameo
• Temerity
• Godslayer Crown
• Orsivane
• Raiment of the Infinite
• Galvanic Azurite
• Esu's Heirloom

Although the build doesn't carry active defensive skills on its bar, your character is far from fragile.

Orsivane is a core weapon for this setup. Besides granting ranks to Core skills, its unique property provides a significant damage reduction bonus as long as you have no defensive skills on your bar.

You can place defensive skills in your enchantment slots to gain their benefits for free.

• Ice Armor: Using a healing potion automatically grants a robust barrier.
• Flame Shield: Taking fatal damage or dropping to critically low health automatically triggers Flame Shield, protecting you from harm.

Temerity, the unique pants, allows you to generate a barrier simply by dealing damage. Given the high attack frequency from Crackling Energy, Lightning Spear, and your Ultimate, this barrier is almost constantly active, greatly enhancing your survivability. Any hit that isn't strong enough to eliminate you in one blow is quickly absorbed by this barrier.

Mobility

In addition to Teleport on your skill bar, you can socket a Jah Rune to gain a second Teleport charge, further boosting your movement speed through maps.

If you want to push speed to its absolute limit, you can swap to The Oculus. Its effect resets Teleport's cooldown whenever you strike an enemy with it, enabling a chain of endless teleports to instantly traverse entire zones. You can keep The Oculus in your inventory and equip it specifically for situations demanding maximum speed.

Crackling Energy Sorcerer is an incredibly versatile build and is exceptionally well-suited for tackling the challenging bosses introduced in Diablo 4 Season 12. If you enjoyed it in Season 11, you'll find it remains a powerhouse in Season 12, made even stronger by the fix to Vex Rune interaction.

If we were to categorize all the gameplay modes in MLB the Show 26, the most common division would be online and offline modes. These two modes are not interoperable due to different network requirements, resulting in differences in gameplay details.

The offline mode is generally more user-friendly, especially in terms of hitting, as it avoids the inconvenience of network latency and overly strong real opponents.

However, for truly thrilling virtual baseball competition, online modes like Diamond Dynasty Ranked Seasons or Battle Royale are undoubtedly the best choice!

To help you smoothly experience the online mode and win rewards in the finally officially launched MLB 26, we will provide the most comprehensive virtual online hitting techniques.

Basic info you should know

In baseball, hitting is also called batting. The corresponding hitter in a game refers to facing the opposing pitcher and using a bat to hit the ball to score for your team.

In the virtual game MLB 26, if you're playing as a batter, you need to use player Plate Coverage Indicator (PCI) to match your swing landing point. Key elements include PCI placement and timing of the hit.

While every position on the field is important, the hitter is indeed the primary scorer, and hitting is considered the most difficult baseball move.

A common misconception about improving hitting ability is that it's about improving reaction time. This is indeed important in real games, but in a game controlled by a controller, batting strategy and practice are key.

Adjusting settings

All the actions you make as a player in MLB the Show 26 are based on your controller settings. Therefore, the more reasonable your background settings, the better your actual hitting experience and performance will be.

Besides the final fine-tuning based on personal preference, the first thing to do among all the general best settings is to modify your Hitting Interface settings.

Zone is used most frequently, and PCI Sensitivity determines PCI movement speed. While a higher PCI Sensitivity value results in faster reaction times, excessive sensitivity can be overwhelming for beginners.

Next, you'll need to adjust Camera Settings. We recommend selecting Strike Zone and Strike Zone High for a closer look at the impact point. This allows for a clearer observation of the ball's trajectory, enabling you to react promptly if the pitch deviates from the strike zone.

However, if you are an experienced MLB player, you can experiment with different camera angles based on MLB 26 variations to find a setting that suits you best.

Pre-adjusting PCI position

PCI stands for Plate Coverage Indicator. It visually represents the potential impact zone - the area where the hitter is most likely to effectively strike the ball.

Therefore, we suggest adjusting PCI position before pitching, based on your prediction of the pitcher's intended area, rather than leaving it centered in the strike zone by default.

This is because in online games, most of your opponents are likely to habitually throw specific pitches into predictable, specific areas.

For example, if an opposing pitcher attempts a jam ball, and your PCI starting position is on the top edge or inside the strike zone, you can simply move your thumb quickly to react.

This not only improves your speed in dealing with common pitching spots but also gives you enough room to adjust when the ball deviates from your expected trajectory, preventing you from missing scoring opportunities due to frantic action.

Mastering common pitching strategies

As a hitter, you'll mostly be facing the opposing pitcher. While there are many strong online players, many actually play by following certain patterns.

Common pitching patterns include throwing fastballs when you're leading or using breaking balls to induce an early swing and cause an error.

If you don't encounter these patterns in the game, you can observe your opponents' pitching habits in the first few innings. This allows you to anticipate the ball's landing point and type in the second half of the game, effectively suppressing the opponent's scoring.

Stay patient

The reason some hitters fall into the breaking ball traps we mentioned is that they lack patience and blindly swing without analyzing the pitch.

To become a top hitter, you should remain patient, calmly handle the first half of the game, forcing the opposing pitcher to panic due to deep counts and throw mistake pitches.

Practice actively

The achievements of any baseball star are inseparable from hard work, and the same applies to playing the game in MLB the Show 26!

Because online games are more difficult and unpredictable, we recommend choosing high difficulty levels for practice. This way, as you improve through practice, you'll find most opponents are insignificant.

Furthermore, if you want to conduct targeted batting practice, choose pitchers with extremely fastballs as preset opponents. No real person could be as good as them!

Don't give up too early

Sometimes you might lose confidence in online games due to setbacks like multiple strikeouts, and then approach the rest of the game negatively. This is a big mistake.

Unless you're really unlucky and get matched with an opponent far stronger than you, a temporary slump doesn't mean anything. Instead, you should actively adjust your strategy, be more focused than the previous inning, capitalize on your opponent's mistakes, and turn the tide.

That concludes our introduction to hitting techniques. With the official launch of MLB the Show 26, more players are joining the game, so go and compete with them!

Although this year has seen the release of many excellent games, such as Resident Evil Requiem and Crimson Desert, the gaming community has already tacitly agreed that the true king of the year will be GTA 6, launching on November 19th.

Many players have been waiting for over a decade, and the stellar performance of Red Dead Redemption 2 has solidified their belief that Grand Theft Auto 6 will push graphical fidelity to another level. However, this brings up another question: what kind of hardware will it require?

Will GTA 6 Be Delayed Again?

Official financial reports have confirmed that GTA 6 will arrive in Fall 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Looking at the studio's past release patterns - Red Dead Redemption 2 on October 26, 2018, and GTA 5 on September 17, 2013 - November 2026 shapes up to be the most likely launch window. It seems a delay is unlikely.

But PC gamers will need more patience. The publisher of GTA has a long-standing strategy of launching on consoles first before porting to PC. The PC version of GTA 5 arrived nearly a year and a half after the console versions, and Red Dead Redemption 2 had a one-year gap. Following this pattern, the PC version of GTA VI might not meet PC players until late 2027 or even 2028.

Due to past chip shortages, neither PlayStation nor Xbox have immediate plans for next-generation consoles. This gives us at least one optimistic takeaway: if your current setup isn't inferior to a PS5, you likely won't need to upgrade your hardware just yet.

Predicting GTA 6 Hardware Requirements

Currently, official hasn't released any official information regarding the specifications for GTA 6. The various requirement lists circulating online are all predictions from players and media.

Nevertheless, almost everyone assumes Grand Theft Auto 6 will be a massive game with correspondingly high demands. 16GB of RAM might be the baseline, but for a superior experience, especially with 4K and ray tracing, 32GB is considered necessary by many forecasters.

Regarding the game's size, some community leaks have suggested it could be a staggering 500GB. This might be an exaggeration, but a conservative estimate would place the install size well over 150GB, potentially reaching 200GB or more.

Consequently, a Solid State Drive (SSD) will be non-negotiable, as traditional hard drives won't be able to keep up with the data streaming demands of an open world.

If you're willing to wait for the PC release, here are the predicted specifications you might use as a guideline for future upgrades.

Optimistic Prediction

Minimum Requirements:

• CPU: Intel i5-10400 / AMD R5 3600
• GPU: Nvidia GTX 1660 / AMD RX 5700
• RAM: 16GB
• Storage: 150GB SSD

Recommended Requirements

• CPU: Intel i7-10700
• GPU: Nvidia RTX 3060
• RAM: 16-32GB
• Storage: 150GB SSD

Comprehensive Prediction

Minimum Requirements

• CPU: Intel i7-8700K / AMD R7 3700X
• GPU: Nvidia RTX 3060 / AMD RX 6600XT
• RAM: 16GB
• Storage: 150-200GB SSD

Recommended Requirements

• CPU: Intel i9-10900K / AMD R5 5900X
• GPU: Nvidia RTX 3080 / AMD RX 6800XT
• RAM: 32GB
• Storage: 200GB+ SSD

Why Such High Requirements?

GTA 6 is taking another leap forward in world-building. The beautiful buildings you see in the world won't just be empty shells; you'll be able to actively enter and explore them - and perhaps even rob them!

Leaked information from 2022 mentioned the game could feature up to 157 enterable buildings, which was already a massive number.

Further rumors suggest this figure could be as high as 400, or even exceed 700 enterable stores and interior spaces. While this seems incredible, considering Red Dead Redemption 2 had around 200 enterable buildings, it's not entirely far-fetched for a next-gen titan like GTA 6 to have two to three times that amount.

In previous installments, many buildings were only accessible during specific missions and permanently closed afterward. The primary reason for this was performance limitations. For instance, GTA 5, launched on PS3 with only 256MB of RAM, simply couldn't load the entire map alongside numerous complex interiors simultaneously. With PS5 boasting 16GB of RAM, this might no longer be a bottleneck.

Additionally, the trailer shows that interiors can be seen behind the glass windows of many buildings. But are these actual, explorable interiors, or a 3D visual illusion created using techniques like Parallax Interiors? 

While such techniques will likely be used, the studio also holds a patent for Interior Generation. This technology could automatically generate matching room interiors based on the building's type, its neighborhood, and narrative purpose. If this patent is utilized, the richness and variety of interiors in Grand Theft Auto VI could be on an entirely different level.

Should You Upgrade Your Rig?

If you absolutely need to play GTA 6 at launch, you'll need to check if you own one of the two consoles. You have four options: the standard PS5, Xbox Series S, PS5 Pro, and Xbox Series X.

You don't need to worry about GTA 6‘s performance on these systems. Official will optimize the game to the best of their ability, even if it means pushing these consoles to their absolute limits.

Comparing the four, PlayStation consoles generally have a slight edge over Xbox counterparts. However, if you're on a tighter budget, Xbox Series X (or S) will still deliver a smooth gameplay experience.

If you're a PC gamer planning to build a new machine specifically for GTA 6, now might not be the ideal time. Components like SSDs and GPUs are currently seeing price hikes. By the time GTA 6 arrives on PC, their value will likely have normalized.

Ultimately, GTA 6 might just showcase what the next generation of gaming truly looks like. Preparing your system for it could also ensure you're ready to enjoy other upcoming titles that push technological boundaries.

Provided the current album theme aligns appropriately, Monopoly Go occasionally launches temporary crossover events. For instance, with the current Posh Pets Album in full swing, Sanrio series, famous for its adorable animal characters, creates a perfect thematic synergy!

On March 10 and March 15, 2026, Monopoly Go hosted Hello Kitty Partners and Hello Kitty Prize Drop events, respectively. Now, just as the latter is drawing to a close on March 17, a brand-new event, Hello Kitty Treasures, is set to go live!

So, how long will this digging event last, and what rewards can you earn if you give it your all? We're here to tell you everything you need to know.

Hello Kitty Treasures release date

This event kicks off on March 17, 2026, at 10:00 AM PST, and runs until 1:00 PM on March 22. This gives you at least five full days to participate, a window that conveniently includes the better part of a weekend!

How does the event work?

While the ultimate grand prizes may vary depending on the specific event theme, the core mechanics of every treasure digging event remain largely the same.

As a special solo event within the game, treasure digging requires you to use special pickaxe tokens to excavate squares within a grid. By unearthing hidden treasures, you complete levels and earn rewards.

The event consists of multiple levels; for each level, the game provides a general outline indicating where the required treasures might be located within the grid.

Each time you consume a token to click on a square: if you uncover a piece of a treasure, the square will reveal a treasure fragment; if you don't find anything, the square will simply remain empty.

Successfully unearthing all the designated treasures within the current level allows you to advance to the next.

As you progress through the levels, the rewards become increasingly generous; the final grand prize for this event includes a massive haul of dice, a Wild Sticker, and a brand-new board token!

How to earn pickaxe tokens?

As the essential currency required to advance in Hello Kitty Treasures, these tokens are awarded as prizes during most of Monopoly Go's standard daily activities. All you have to do is participate in as many of these activities as possible!

Additionally, to help you get started right away, the game provides you with 4 free tokens to kick things off. Once the event concludes, any remaining tokens you have left over will be automatically converted into dice at a 1-to-3 ratio.

Daily events

Every day, Monopoly Go launches new banner events or tournaments. During Hello Kitty Treasures event, the milestone rewards for these daily activities will include pickaxe tokens.

To earn these rewards, you must spend dice rolls to advance across the game board, earning points by playing mini-games or landing on specific tiles to unlock further milestones.

The daily events currently confirmed to offer pickaxe tokens this week are the tournament on March 17th and Trinket Trove event. Be sure to participate before they end!

Daily Quick Wins tasks

Every morning, the game refreshes with three randomized Quick Wins tasks. Completing each task grants you three small rewards. During Hello Kitty Treasures event, one of these three rewards will be pickaxe tokens.

The full list of tasks and rewards for March 17th is as follows:

• Pass Go 2 times: 15 Free Dice Rolls, 3 Peg-E Tokens, 4 Pickaxe Tokens
• Complete 2 Shut Downs: Cash, 5 Peg-E Tokens, 4 Pickaxe Tokens
• Land on Community Chest 1 time: 20 Free Dice Rolls, 7 Peg-E Tokens, 4 Pickaxe Tokens

If you successfully complete all Quick Wins tasks every day throughout the week, you will also unlock an extra grand prize on Sunday. Since Hello Kitty Treasures happens to conclude this coming Sunday, we hope you didn't miss out on the tasks from March 16th!

Claiming store gifts

Every eight hours, the in-game Monopoly Go store refreshes with a gift; occasionally, pickaxe tokens may appear as one of these gifts.

However, please note that these gifts do not stack. This means that even if you wait 24 hours between visits, you will only be able to claim one gift rather than three. To avoid missing out, it is best to claim your gifts as soon as they become available.

Playing the event itself

Pickaxe tokens are also included among the rewards for certain stages within Hello Kitty Treasures event itself; simply successfully clear a stage to unlock them.

What rewards can you earn?

In addition to the ultimate grand prize, you will receive a selection of rewards for every Hello Kitty Treasures stage you successfully complete. The higher the stage level, the more substantial the rewards. The details are as follows:

Level 1-10

• Level 1: 4x4 Board; 50 Free Dice Rolls
• Level 2: 6x4 Board; Cash Reward
• Level 3: 6x5 Board; 75 Free Dice Rolls
• Level 4: 5x5 Board; 100-300 Free Dice Rolls
• Level 5: 5x5 Board; Green Sticker Pack
• Level 6: 6x4 Board; Cash Reward, 4 Pickaxe Tokens
• Level 7: 6x6 Board; 100 Free Dice Rolls
• Level 8: 6x7 Board; 100-400 Free Dice Rolls
• Level 9: 5x4 Board; Yellow Sticker Pack
• Level 10: 6x4 Board; Cash Reward, 5 Pickaxe Tokens

Level 11-20

• Level 11: 7x7 Board; 200 Free Dice Rolls
• Level 12: 6x6 Board; 100-500 Free Dice Rolls
• Level 13: 6x4 Board; Cash Reward
• Level 14: 5x6 Board; 150 Free Dice Rolls
• Level 15: 5x5 Board; Cash Reward
• Level 16: 7x7 Board; 300-700 Free Dice Rolls
• Level 17: 7x7 Board; Cash Reward, 7 Pickaxe Tokens
• Level 18: 6x6 Board; 200 Free Dice Rolls
• Level 19: 4x7 Board; Pink Sticker Pack
• Level 20: 6x6 Board; 100-400 Free Dice Rolls

Level 21-30

• Level 21: 4x7 Board; Cash Reward
• Level 22: 6x6 Board; 150 Free Dice Rolls
• Level 23: 6x4 Board; Cash Reward
• Level 24: 7x7 Board; 300-700 Free Dice Rolls
• Level 25: 7x7 Board; 500 Free Dice Rolls
• Level 26: 6x4 Board; Cash Reward
• Level 27: 5x4 Board; Pink Sticker Pack
• Level 28: 7x7 Board; 100-500 Free Dice Rolls
• Level 29: 7x4 Board; 200 Free Dice Rolls
• Level 30: 7x5 Board; Blue Sticker Pack

Levels 31-40

• Level 31: 6x6 Board; Cash Reward
• Level 32: 7x7 Board; Purple Sticker Pack
• Level 33: 6x6 Board; Cinnamoroll Heart Board Token
• Level 34: 5x5 Board; 300 Free Dice Rolls
• Level 35: 7x7 Board; Cash Reward
• Level 36: 6x6 Board; 300-700 Free Dice Rolls
• Level 37: 7x4 Board; 250 Free Dice Rolls
• Level 38: 4x5 Board; 100-300 Free Dice Rolls
• Level 39: 6x4 Board; Cash Reward
• Level 40: 7x7 Board; 2,000 Free Dice Rolls, Wild Sticker

Among these rewards, Cinnamoroll Heart Board Token, much like the event's Hello Kitty theme, comes from the adorable Sanrio universe. If you're a fan, this is something you definitely won't want to miss!

That covers everything you need to know to participate in Hello Kitty Treasures event. Remember to join immediately once the event begins to avoid running into the predicament of not having enough tokens!

While the valiant Helldivers have nearly annihilated 97% of the enemy forces during Major Order, it's somewhat disheartening that High Command has deemed the operation a failure. However, the next wave of enemy offensives is imminent.

On March 17, Helldivers 2 Entrenched Division Warbond will be deployed, providing weaponry for the next brutal confrontation. These tools of war have an old-school, vintage aesthetic; you might think they drew inspiration from World War II designs, but their origins may stretch back even further. Let's examine the historical prototypes that inspired these arms and equipment.

Armor Sets

• CPG-48 Sapper
• CPH-26 Commander

Both of these armor sets consist of olive drab fabric, knee-high military combat boots, and leather gloves. The style of these uniforms is influenced by the attire of British soldiers during World War I. Of course, there are some key distinctions.

CPG-48 Sapper features a metal breastplate and knee guards, but its most iconic element is the wide-brimmed helmet. Its prototype is Brodie helmet issued to British infantry units. Nicknamed the tin hat, washbasin, or bathtub for its resemblance to a small pot worn on the head, this helmet is a signature piece. Beyond increased explosive damage resistance, this armor also provides additional grenade slots.

CPH-26 Commander lacks the metallic armor plates of Sapper variant, as it is a light armor set. Its helmet appears to be modeled on the trench caps, or gore blimey caps, often worn by British officers during First World War.

CPH-26 Commander grants the wearer enhanced resistance to explosions and gas, along with reduced sidearm recoil. This may reference the first large-scale German chlorine gas attack near Ypres in 1915, which poisoned 15,000 Allied soldiers, making gas protection a critical consideration for frontline troops thereafter.

SMG/FLAM-34 Stoker

SMG/FLAM-34 Stoker is equipped with an underbarrel flamethrower that you can switch to and use at any time.

This is a weapon with a very rugged firing mechanism; it has few direct prototypes and seems more like a novel creation assembled from various inspirations. However, the flamethrower itself was also first used in combat by German forces at Verdun in 1915.

P-69 Veto

P-69 Veto is a sidearm that fires jet-assisted rounds. Even with limited knowledge of firearms, one can instantly recognize its prototype: the famous Mauser C96.

Production of Mauser C96 began as early as 1896. During World War I, due to shortages of the standard-issue Luger P08 pistol, German military urgently procured approximately 137,000 Mauser C96s. By the outbreak of World War II, over 1.1 million Mausers had been manufactured and deployed across battlefields worldwide.

CQC-73 Entrenchment Tool

Previously only available as a pickup item on the map, CQC-73 Entrenchment Tool is now officially an unlockable piece of equipment. It can be used to dig trenches or serve as a melee weapon to decisively crush the skulls of democracy's enemies.

The shovel's role as a melee weapon stems from World War I, where rifles fitted with bayonets proved too long and cumbersome for close-quarters trench warfare. The entrenching tool, valued for its durability and versatility in both digging fortifications and striking enemies, became one of the most popular cold weapons of trench combat.

G-13 Giga Grenade

G-13 Giga Grenade consists of three hand grenades bundled together. This type of improvised grenade, first used by German forces during World War I, was created by wiring several stick grenades (Stielhandgranate) together to inflict greater damage on vehicles and fortifications.

G-13 Giga Grenade is heavy, so it can't be thrown very far, but one can expect it to be tremendously powerful upon detonation. At least in the preview, it appears capable of destroying enemy tank units—something Helldivers are sure to appreciate.

AGM-17 Gas Mortar Sentry (Stratagem)

AGM-17 Gas Mortar Sentry excels at crowd control, as it can disorient large groups of enemies while inflicting sustained damage. This stratagem is a direct reference to innovations from WWI.

Following Second Battle of Ypres on April 22, 1915, chemical warfare escalated rapidly. In February 1916, French forces deployed artillery shells containing phosgene; by July 1917, German forces used mustard gas shells. Both sides sought to project chemical agents onto enemy positions via artillery. While the intensity of WWI may not have reached the levels of WWII, the brutality witnessed on the battlefields was arguably even more profound.

B/Flam-80 Cremator (Stratagem)

B/Flam-80 Cremator is fed by a backpack supply, requiring no reloading. Based on the preview, it appears not only to ignite enemies but also to impede their movement.

It is inspired by a weapon system first introduced by German forces in 1915. The initial version was the large flamethrower (Grossflammenwerfer), requiring a two-man crew and used primarily in defensive roles. It was eventually succeeded by smaller, man-portable versions (Kleinflammenwerfer). B/Flam-80 Cremator clearly draws inspiration from the larger variant, offering an extended burning range.

Diplomatic Handshake (Emote)

Entrenched Division Warbond's influence from World War I extends beyond this.The new emote, Diplomatic Handshake, is not a random gesture conjured by High Command; it is based on Christmas Truce of 1914, or All Together Now statue commemorating it.

On Christmas Day 1914, British and German soldiers along various sections of Western Front spontaneously declared a ceasefire. They laid down their arms, crossed No Man's Land, celebrated the holiday together, and even organized football matches. It stands as one of the most remarkable moments of peace amidst the brutality of First World War.

Entrenched Division Warbond carries significant commemorative weight, but it may also serve as a hint that the coming battles will be as grueling as those of World War I. Helldivers, set aside your differences, aim your weapons at the true enemies of Super Earth.

In ARC Raiders, the start of a new week signifies the opportunity to kick off your weekly loot-gathering journey by tackling the latest set of trials. Beginning your week with these objective-driven missions provides a clear structure and focus for your gaming sessions.

Since Expedition 3 has only recently begun in the game, these seemingly simple trials actually represent your safest and most reliable method right now for acquiring essential basic materials.

In this guide, we will walk you through everything included in Week 20 trials, which went live on March 16th, and provide the perfect strategies for completing each one.

Week 20 trials overview

As with previous weeks, this week's trials consist of five specific objectives. These tasks typically involve transporting designated cargo or dealing damage to specific types of ARC enemies.

None of Week 20 trials are particularly difficult; however, if you wish to maximize your rewards and potentially acquire rare ARC Raiders blueprints that are hard to come by otherwise, you will need to earn at least 4,000 points within a single mission.

Get hit by lightning

To be honest, when you first see this trial objective, your immediate reaction will probably be, You've got to be kidding me! After all, getting struck by lightning in the game results in your character taking damage.

Nevertheless, whether the developers were running low on ideas or simply wanted to test your self-healing capabilities, you must complete this challenge if you don't want to miss out on the rewards.

To do so, you must first wait for an Electromagnetic Storm event to spawn on any given map, as this is the only event that causes lightning to appear in the surrounding environment.

Since these map events are time-limited, and you certainly don't want to waste time standing around doing nothing, you need to master the patterns of the lightning's appearance and descent. Your goal is to get struck as many times as possible within the short duration of the event.

If lightning is about to strike a specific spot on the map, a glowing blue circle will appear on the ground at that location. Simply keep a close watch; if you step into the circle ahead of time and wait for the lightning to descend, you will successfully get struck.

Of course, to earn enough points to maximize your trial rewards, you will need to get struck multiple times. Therefore, be sure to bring plenty of healing supplies so you can continuously heal yourself while getting zapped, it makes for a truly comical scene!

Damage Hornets

This type of objective has appeared in previous weekly trials as well. While Hornets are not considered the most difficult type of ARC enemy to deal with, getting hit by their stun rounds will leave you stunned for a few seconds and will also reduce your shields.

Therefore, the key to taking down Hornets lies in dodging their stun grenades while simultaneously destroying any of the thrusters located on their bodies to destabilize them.

Another tricky aspect is that Hornets invariably appear alongside swarms of Wasps, which serve to provide them with a certain degree of protection. However, Wasps appear to be significantly easier to eliminate, so there is no need to worry about them.

Damage flying ARC enemies inside Spaceport walls

This trial strictly confines the mission area to the zone marked by boundary lines within Spaceport map; you must eliminate a sufficient number of flying ARC enemies within this specific area to earn trial points.

Do not worry that the reduced operational area will prevent enemies from spawning frequently; to ensure you can successfully complete the objective, the game will significantly increase the spawn rate of flying ARCs during specific time intervals.

ARC Raiders features a wide variety of flying PvE enemy types. In addition to Hornets and Wasps mentioned in the second trial, the following units are also present:

• Snitch
• Spotter
• Fireflys
• Rocketeers

Among these, Firefly was a new addition introduced in Shrouded Sky update released in February. Once it detects you, it will attack using a flamethrower; you can inflict damage by shooting at its thrusters while simultaneously utilizing cover to dodge its attacks.

Of all the flying ARC enemies, Rocketeer is the largest and presents the greatest challenge to eliminate; consequently, taking down a single Rocketeer yields the highest number of trial points. However, you should not overlook opportunities to eliminate the other enemy types as well.

Also Read: ARC Raiders Shrouded Sky Update: Increased Difficulty, Key Room Controversies, and Player Demands for Balance Changes

Damage Bombardiers

This particular ARC enemy is far more dangerous than any of the flying bots mentioned above. It is a massive, heavily armored unit capable of launching devastating long-range mortar fire to inflict catastrophic damage to you.

To make matters even trickier, every Bombardier is flanked by two Spotters. These Spotters not only act as bodyguards but also mark your location, thereby facilitating Bombardier's attacks.

Therefore, we recommend prioritizing the elimination of Spotters first, a tactic that also helps prevent other nearby players from detecting your position. However, be aware that Spotters will eventually respawn.

Consequently, immediately after eliminating Spotters, you must aim for Bombardier's weak points to take it down as quickly as possible: destroy the yellow knee joints to cripple its mobility, and then destroy the rear-mounted cylinders to completely disable its propulsion system.

Common spawn locations for this enemy include:

• Dam Battlegrounds: Primary Facility (Night Raid)
• Buried City: Parking Garage, Marano Park, North of Plaza Rosa
• Spaceport: East of Vehicle Maintenance, The Trench
• Blue Gate: Raider's Refuge, Checkpoint, Traffic Tunnel

In addition to serving as a trial objective, Bombardiers may drop the following materials upon death; you can use these, along with any blueprints you've acquired, to craft additional weapons:

• ARC Powercell
• ARC Alloy
• Mechanical Components
• Advanced ARC Powercell
• ARC Flex Rubber
• ARC Motion Core
• Launcher Ammo
• Bombardier Cell

Deliver carriables

This mission requires you to locate crates and transport them to Field Depots within the current map, or to find batteries and deliver them to Substations.

Theoretically, crates can be found in every map except Stella Montis; however, you may prefer to complete this task in a map where you are more familiar with the terrain.

Although the mission itself does not strictly require combat, carrying a crate will significantly reduce your movement speed and generate noise, which may attract ARC or other players.

Therefore, if possible, it is recommended that you team up with one or two friends to complete this mission, taking turns to cover one another.

If other players approach, simply letting them know that you are currently working on a mission may be enough to convince them to leave you be.

The information above covers everything you need to know to complete all the trials for ARC Raiders Week 20. You can choose to start immediately, or wait to complete them during off-peak hours on the weekend - just be sure not to forget!

In the world of game development, player feedback can often be the key that alters a game's destiny. Recently, the studio behind Arc Raiders shared a more detailed vision for the game's future than what's outlined in their official roadmap.

Through an in-depth analysis of player testing data, the studio has not only re-evaluated the game's direction but also formulated an ambitious ten-year update plan. While we may not see the intricate details of this plan immediately, we can at least understand the official adjustments being made to the game, allowing us to speculate on future content updates.

Player Feedback

To understand the future direction of ARC Raiders, it's essential to understand how the development team handles player feedback. In a recent interview, the game's production director shared a crucial insight: the development team initially did not anticipate such an enthusiastic PvE player community.

During the game's pre-launch testing phase, many players, without any official prompting, independently discovered friendly lobbies—matches where players voluntarily chose cooperation over competition. In reality, some team members did believe during development that a pure PvE experience would be compelling, but it wasn't until they saw the player data that they truly confirmed the significance of this demand.

Initially, ARC Raiders was conceived as a pure PvE game, and the development team hadn't even considered adding a dedicated PvE mode. Facing two distinct player bases with preferences for PvP and PvE, the team admitted this presented a considerable challenge. However, they are not willing to abandon either group and are striving to find a balance.

Testing Feedback

Before the official release of ARC Raiders, the game underwent an extensive testing period. During these tests, the game received a substantial amount of negative feedback regarding PvP, which led the development team to second-guess their decision to transition from pure PvE to incorporating PvP elements. This caused internal hesitation, with the team debating whether to revert to PvE or commit to purely PvP content.

However, after deep data analysis and reflection, the team discovered that PvP itself wasn't the root cause of the problem. The real issues were identified as:

• Problems with weapon balance.
• Inadequate feedback mechanisms during PvP encounters.
• The unfairness of matchmaking when pairing solo players against pre-made teams.

Further analysis revealed that the negative sentiment towards PvP actually stemmed from issues with the loot system. The production staff shared their internal testing data: they had initially expected a satisfaction score of 3 for the loot system (on a hypothetical 5-point scale), but the first test yielded only 1.4, and the second test was even lower. This prompted the team to make significant overhauls to the system.

This series of discoveries directly led to the creation of the current Aggression-Based Matchmaking system in the game. It also explains why each patch focuses on weapon adjustments and matchmaking optimizations—the developers are committed to using data feedback to solve problems in a targeted manner.

It's highly likely that the team will continue to refine the matchmaking system, potentially even introducing a dedicated solo queue mode. As monthly content updates and seasonal events roll out, the game may evolve to include more cooperative and PvE elements, all while striving to maintain a balance between PvP and PvE gameplay.

Update Plans

The development team has long-term aspirations for ARC Raiders. They have explicitly stated their desire for the game to have a decade-long lifespan. Currently, the development direction remains open-ended; as long as new ideas align with the established worldview and the overarching vision for the player experience, all possibilities are on the table.

Furthermore, the parent company of ARC Raiders highlighted the following points in its Q4 2025 financial report:

• The game has a comprehensive annual content plan.
• There will be monthly content updates and live operations.
• ARC Raiders is projected to become a sustainable pillar business for the company.

It's also worth noting that the CEO of the studio developing ARC Raiders has simultaneously taken on the role of Executive Chairman at the parent company. This, at the very least, suggests that in the short term, Arc Raiders will have ample resources and support to pursue its development goals.

Revival of Old Content

Throughout development, certain features and elements were adjusted or removed, including:

• Movement speed adjustments.
• Jump pads.
• A specific type of Snap Hook.

However, the most anticipated possibility is the return of a vehicle system. The development team stated that while they cannot guarantee its inclusion at this time, they do possess vehicle prototypes dating back seven years. Early trailers for the game featured a quad bike. During a GDC event, the production director mentioned that while these prototypes haven't been active for a while, it's too early to completely rule out their potential return.

Considering the game's ten-year roadmap, the addition of vehicles could introduce more diverse traversal methods and enrich the open-world elements. If vehicles do make a comeback, players could potentially look forward to larger-scale maps and a more expansive exploration experience.

The decisions made by ARC Raiders development team are not based solely on intuition but are strongly supported by concrete data. With its ten-year plan and open attitude towards player feedback, this is a game worth keeping an eye on, whether you're a PvE enthusiast or a PvP player.

Although Diablo 4 Season 12 offers a wealth of playable content, The Pit remains the top favorite among many veteran players. It not only provides valuable rewards but also delivers a unique, fast-paced pushing experience.

However, maximizing both the rewards and the enjoyment of The Pit hinges on one crucial factor: utilizing builds that excel at clearing enemies quickly and efficiently within the current season's meta.

Without such builds, reaching the higher tiers of The Pit becomes an incredibly difficult challenge.

In this guide, based on the current state of Season 12, we will recommend several builds designed to help you rapidly conquer more than 100 tiers of The Pit, even during the early stages of the season!

The Pit Overview

This Diablo 4 endgame activity is officially known as The Pit of Artificers. Once you reach level 60, you can initiate a run by consuming 3 Artificer's Stones.

Each entry into The Pit offers up to 150 tiers to unlock, subject to a 15-minute time limit. The faster you clear each individual tier, the more new tiers you will unlock for subsequent runs.

If your character unfortunately dies during combat, 30 seconds will be added to your timer; this time penalty doubles and stacks cumulatively with every subsequent death.

Regardless of how many tiers you ultimately complete, once the timer runs out, you will be able to claim your rewards, typically consisting of Legendary or Unique gear, as well as various crafting materials.

Non-Mythic Speed Paladin

As the name suggests, the greatest advantage of our first recommended build for pushing The Pit is immediately apparent: it allows for rapid progression without the need for Mythic items! After all, while Mythics are undeniably powerful, they can be quite difficult to acquire during the early stages of a season.

To craft this build, you must first equip Godslayer Crown and pair it with the appropriate runes. By utilizing Runes that help supplement your critical hit chance, specifically GAR Rune, you can synergize with the helm to pull all nearby monsters directly toward you.

This setup ensures that whenever you apply crowd control effects to enemies, the effect of the runes is triggered. By layering other complementary runes on top of this foundation, you can trigger these effects even more frequently, allowing you to execute multiple consecutive evasions.

Juggernaut Oath skill is an absolute essential, as it grants you increased damage against crowd-controlled enemies. Additionally, do not forget to select Aspect of Glynn's Anvil for your boots to ensure you can quickly stack your Resolve to its maximum capacity.

Finally, you must ensure that your gear includes affixes that reduce your evade cooldown whenever you deal damage; without this specific stat, the entire build will fail to function correctly.

The core damage rotation for this build involves first using Arbiter of Justice to perform an evade, immediately followed by an attack, then another evade, and another attack. As long as you maintain this rhythm, virtually all skill effects will trigger automatically.

Consequently, not only does this build have low requirements regarding gear rarity, but it also features a very low operational difficulty. Aside from The Pit, it is highly suitable for tackling most standard seasonal content.

Zealspin Paladin

It must be said that, even after undergoing several nerfs, Paladin continues to hold a dominant position in the current state of Diablo 4.

This build leverages a variety of synergistic effects to deal massive damage; furthermore, when paired with Arbiter, it allows you to cast spells and inflict damage upon enemies while simultaneously evading attacks.

In terms of combat style, it actually bears similarities to the previous Paladin build; however, Zealspin Paladin relies more heavily on Mythic gear.

First and foremost, Heir of Perdition provides a multiplicative damage bonus of up to 60%. Moreover, if you are tackling The Pit in a party, and other teammates are also wearing this specific piece of gear, this effect can stack even further.

As for the chest armor, we recommend Shroud of False Death; its exceptional affix, granting +1 to the ranks of all passive skills, is simply perfect. Amulet of Jacques' Fervor grants you an additional strike damage bonus of up to 20% for every stack of Fervor you accumulate.

Additionally, you should prioritize stacking cooldown reduction attributes on your gear to ensure that Arbiter remains active at all times.

If you feel this level of reduction is unnecessary for your playstyle, you are free to swap out these attributes to better suit your specific needs.

Evade Spiritborn

Historically, most Spiritborn builds have been renowned for their wide-area damage coverage and excellent movement speed, qualities that are immensely beneficial for clearing The Pit.

Building upon this foundation, Evade Spiritborn build stands out as a particularly exceptional performer in this regard. Therefore, if you plan to continue playing Spiritborn class in Season 12, this build is undoubtedly your top choice for all manner of speed farming activities.

Regarding Mythic gear requirements, this build calls for Shroud of False Death. For Spiritborn class specifically, this item's greatest benefit is that if you have not dealt any damage within the past 2 seconds, you gain Stealth and a 40% increase in movement speed.

The choice of Spirit Hall is a crucial element in enhancing the effectiveness of your class and its associated builds; specifically, Double Eagle Spirit Hall is the ideal choice for Evade Spiritborn.

With this setup, in addition to activating Evade, your Primary Spirit Hall allows you to simultaneously unleash a volley of storm feathers every time you cast Evade or Seeker.

Meanwhile, your Secondary Spirit Hall ensures critical hit triggers and provides buffs specifically tailored to capitalize on Vulnerable effects.

If possible, we recommend acquiring Loyalty's Mantle unique item to further boost the overall potency of your Double Eagle Spirit Hall setup.

The above represents our recommendations for several builds that strike an excellent balance between speed and damage while farming The Pit.

Feel free to further optimize these builds based on your own preferences, or experiment with other playstyles to discover new possibilities!

More than a month has passed since the launch of Phase 1 of WoW TBC Classic Anniversary. While you have been busy completing raid objectives, the development team has been working feverishly behind the scenes to prepare for Phase 2. Based on the previously released 2026 roadmap, we know that they plan to launch Phase 2, titled Overlords of Outland, sometime this spring.

However, to date, we have yet to receive any concrete details regarding Phase 2, highlighting the significant uncertainty currently surrounding this upcoming stage. Given that everything remains up in the air, player feedback could potentially influence their final decisions. Therefore, let's take this opportunity to discuss some of the improvements that Phase 2 urgently needs in relation to the game's current content.

Release Date Predictions

First, regarding the release date for Phase 2: the developers have provided only a broad timeframe: Spring (typically corresponding to March through May). However, considering the official roadmap and their established update cadence, a reasonable estimate places the release in mid-April—specifically, around April 16, 2026.

Naturally, this projection is grounded in solid reasoning. If the previously released TBC Classic Anniversary roadmap holds true, the expansion's phase 4: Fury of the Sunwell is slated to arrive this autumn, implying a latest possible launch window in late November. 

The entire cycle, from the initial launch to the final phase update, spans approximately 8 to 9 months, meaning each individual phase lasts roughly 2 to 3 months. Furthermore, given that Classic WoW phases typically run for 8 to 10 weeks, this further reinforces our belief that Phase 2 is scheduled for an April release.

Additionally, since the game is still in its early stages and given that Phase 1 introduced three new raids—players typically require 6 to 8 weeks to farm (acquire) their gear sets. Consequently, the developers will probably provide players with a buffer period of around two months. Releasing Phase 2 too soon could result in significant gear disparities and disrupt the progression of existing guilds.

Should raid content be nerfed?

As for the core content of TBC Classic Anniversary Phase 2, it goes without saying that the major attractions will be the new Serpentshrine Cavern and Tempest Keep raids. While these falls under the category of established content, the task of fine-tuning raid difficulty is undoubtedly a major headache for the development team.

As we all know, Phase 1 raids - Karazhan, Gruul's Lair, and Magtheridon - all underwent difficulty nerfs shortly after their initial release. Judging by the actual feedback, the implementation of this major decision was highly successful; tens of thousands of active players managed to participate in and secure at least one raid boss kill, significantly enhancing the overall player experience.

However, this decision was not without controversy. Hardcore players - those who constantly push for the absolute limits - were deeply frustrated by the post-nerf raid adjustments, feeling that their voices had gone unheard. This intense dissatisfaction ultimately compelled the developers to revert the Heroic dungeons to their pre-nerf state. This was an unprecedented shift, as it meant that the raids themselves had effectively become easier than Heroic dungeons.

So, will the difficulty level be set so high that a significant portion of the player base finds themselves completely stalled, unable to make any progress, thereby forcing the developers to nerf Heroic dungeons once again? Currently, the prevailing consensus is that they will not. The reason is that they need to maintain the game at a highly challenging difficulty level to satisfy the player demand for high-end content; this approach aims to ensure that Heroic dungeons remain a true test of player skill rather than devolving into bland, trivial content.

However, we speculate that if they later discover that more than 15% of players remain completely stuck - unable to advance at all - within the Heroic dungeons, they might ultimately decide to make adjustments after all.

Yet, compared to the Heroic dungeons, the true focal point of their internal discussions is almost certainly whether or not to launch the subsequent raid content, specifically Serpentshrine Cavern and Tempest Keep, in their nerfed states. In fact, there are currently three potential adjustment paths available for them to choose from.

The first option is to implement absolutely no nerfs whatsoever. This means that both Serpentshrine Cavern and Tempest Keep would be released in their original, un-nerfed versions, exactly as they were at launch. For those hardcore players, the rewards of such a decision would be immediate and tangible. However, looking at the global landscape, it is likely that only a handful of top-tier guilds would be capable of clearing Serpentshrine Cavern in its pre-nerf state, especially during the very first week of the raid's release.

The second option involves adopting the official, original nerf patches from TBC Classic. It is worth noting that in the original game, these two raids were designed with the specific intention of serving as catch-up raids to help players bridge the progression gap. These raid adjustments were specifically aimed at assisting players in advancing their raiding progress.

Furthermore, the changes introduced by these batch updates would be comprehensive in scope. They would encompass adjustments such as slower trash mob respawn rates, significant reductions to boss health pools, and in some cases, complete overhauls of the raid encounter mechanics themselves.

The third and final potential approach to raid tuning involves making subtle numerical tweaks to the raid's parameters. This strategy aims to ensure that the vast majority of players can successfully clear the content, while simultaneously providing developers with the latitude to meticulously fine-tune the details, thereby maximizing the preservation of the raid's original gameplay experience and core spirit.

However, as of now, the official stance on how exactly to tune the raids remains undecided. Therefore, you are encouraged to actively voice your opinions; the developers may very well be monitoring player feedback to gauge the community's sentiments.

Increased gear drop rates

Next, as we transition into the next phase, we will face an unprecedented scarcity of gear within WoW TBC Anniversary. If Serpentshrine Cavern and Tempest Keep are released within just two weeks of each other, only the most dedicated and hardcore guild members will stand a chance of assembling a full set of Best-in-Slot (BiS) gear. This implies that, as the majority of players venture into the Phase 2 raids, their current gear levels will fall far short of the ideal standard.

Consequently, even if the difficulty of the dungeons themselves has been reduced, the damage output (DPS) generated by most guild members would likely amount to a mere fraction of their potential capabilities.

This brings us to another critical decision the developers must make: Should they adjust Badge of Justice system to alleviate the pressure players face regarding gear acquisition? For instance, they could allow players to exchange Badges of Justice for Epic-quality gear from Phase 1 raids, thereby establishing this as a viable and accessible avenue for gearing up.

While this approach might appear, at first glance, to instantly stifle player enthusiasm for farming older raids, it essentially serves as a safety net mechanism—a guarantee that, ultimately, every player will be able to acquire the coveted BiS gear they desire. 

Reducing World Boss spawn timers

The final and highly contentious topic is this: Should the current spawn intervals for World Bosses be drastically shortened?

Although World Boss encounters are technically PvE activities, the ultimate privilege of securing the kill often falls to a select few top-tier guilds, particularly in the cases of Doom Lord Kazzak and Doomwalker. This means that 95% of players never even get the opportunity to personally participate in a World Boss battle, which explains why only a tiny handful of individuals ever manage to acquire that coveted, top-tier BiS (Best-in-Slot) gear.

As things stand, the vast majority of the player base has absolutely no chance of even challenging these bosses, let alone entertaining the fantasy of looting any spoils from these formidable World Bosses. This starkly highlights the fact that the current server system is in dire need of significant adjustments.

Allowing a mere handful of guilds to monopolize all World Boss kills is simply too tedious; it clearly runs counter to the developers' original design philosophy. However, there is an incredibly simple yet effective solution: have World Bosses respawn every 5 to 8 minutes.

By implementing this change, players would be able to experience exciting open-world content, offering a temporary respite from the monotonous, endless grind of dungeon farming. Furthermore, every player would have the opportunity to assemble their own desired set of BiS gear.

In summary, there is still some time to go before the release of WoW TBC Classic Anniversary phase 2. Want to ensure you remain at the forefront of the fierce competition for BiS gear during T5? Check out the latest leaks and gameplay previews right now!

Sports games grounded in real-world baseball and players maintain a strong connection to reality; to promote and celebrate actual competitions, they often launch special events, such as WBC Programs found in MLB the Show series.

WBC (World Baseball Classic) is an international baseball tournament that serves not only as a grand showcase for professional players but also as an excellent opportunity to boost the sport's global profile.

Consequently, following MLB 23 WBC Program in 2023, this year's MLB the Show 26 brings the program back once again to coincide with the real tournament (scheduled for March 5-17, 2026)!

In this guide, we will provide a detailed breakdown of how to participate in MLB 26 WBC Program and the various rewards you can earn through it.

How to participate in WBC Program?

For its return, MLB the Show 26 has integrated WBC Program into Mini Seasons, one of the many game modes available within the core Diamond Dynasty experience.

Compared to the previous version released three years ago, the new WBC Program abandons the much-criticized single-track format. Instead, it mirrors the structure of the actual 2026 tournament by featuring four distinct pools.

Each pool has a maximum point cap of 100, corresponding to specific rewards, and the objectives required to earn points differ from one pool to another.

You can choose to focus solely on the pools that interest you most, or if time permitting, participate in multiple pools to maximize your earnings.

Each reward pool contains multiple card packs; acquiring these allows you to save your MLB 26 stubs at this stage, thereby laying a solid foundation for participating in future events.

WBC Program missions and rewards

While there are differences between them, several missions that help you progress through Pools A-D remain consistent across the board:

• Complete 10 Moments (3 points each)
• Complete WBC Showdown (10 points)
• Complete Series Missions (3 points each; requires the use of WBC Series cards)

The specific objectives for the final mission category listed above include:

• Pitch 30 Innings
• Record 60 Strikeouts
• Record 50 Hits
• Record 30 Extra-Base Hits
• Hit 20 Home Runs

Details regarding other missions may vary, but they generally fall into two categories: PXP Missions and Player Missions. Below, we will walk you through the exclusive missions and rewards available in each individual pool.

Pool A

PXP Missions (4 points each, repeatable):

• Accumulate 2,000 PXP using Camargo, Despaigne, Lugo, Caissie, & Urshela
• Accumulate 2,000 PXP using Almeida, Tejada, Paxton, & Ramirez

Player Missions (4 points each):

• Record 3 Hits using 80 OVR Camargo
• Record 2 Extra-Base Hits using 81 OVR Despaigne
• Record 10 Strikeouts using 82 OVR Lugo
• Reach Base 3 Times using 83 OVR Caissie
• Record 2 Extra-Base Hits using 84 OVR Urshela
• Pitch 5 Innings using 85 OVR Almeida
• Record 5 Hits using 86 OVR Tejada
• Record 2 Wins using 87 OVR Paxton
• Record 3 Extra-Base Hits using 88 OVR Ramirez

Rewards:

• 5 Points: Estadio Hiram Bithorn
• 10 Points: 80 OVR WBC Johan Camargo
• 15 Points: Panama Bat
• 20 Points: 81 OVR WBC Alfredo Despaigne & 4,000 XP
• 25 Points: Cuba Bat
• 30 Points: 82 OVR WBC Seth Lugo
• 35 Points: Puerto Rico Bat
• 40 Points: 83 OVR WBC Owen Caissie & 4,000 XP
• 45 Points: Canada Bat
• 50 Points: 84 OVR WBC Gio Urshela
• 55 Points: World Baseball Classic Gold Players Pack
• 60 Points: 85 OVR WBC Adrian Almeida & 4,000 XP
• 65 Points: Colombia Bat
• 70 Points: 86 OVR WBC Ruben Tejada
• 75 Points: MLB The Show 26 Pack
• 80 Points: 87 OVR WBC James Paxton & 4,000 XP
• 85 Points: MLB The Show 26 Pack (x2)
• 90 Points: 88 OVR WBC Alexei Ramirez
• 95 Points: MLB The Show 26 Pack (x2)
• 100 Points: 89 OVR WBC Nolan Arenado & 4,000 XP

Pool B

PXP Missions:

• Accumulate 2,000 PXP using Bichette Jr., Tellez, Fischer, Thompson, & Henderson
• Accumulate 2,000 PXP using Contreras, Worley, Caglianone, & Arozarena

Player Missions:

• Get on base 3 times using 80 OVR Bichette Jr.
• Hit 2 extra-base hits using 81 OVR Tellez
• Record 3 hits using 82 OVR Fischer
• Get on base 3 times using 83 OVR Thompson
• Hit 2 extra-base hits using 84 OVR Henderson
• Record 10 strikeouts using 85 OVR Contreras
• Earn 2 wins using 86 OVR Worley
• Record 3 hits using 87 OVR Caglianone
• Get on base 5 times using 88 OVR Arozarena

Rewards:

• 5 Points: WBC Uniform Choice pack (x2)
• 10 Points: 80 OVR WBC Dante Bichette Jr.
• 15 Points: Brazil Bat
• 20 Points: 81 OVR WBC Rowdy Tellez & 4,000 XP
• 25 Points: Mexico Bat
• 30 Points: 82 OVR WBC Andrew Fischer
• 35 Points: Italy Bat
• 40 Points: 83 OVR WBC Trayce Thompson & 4,000 XP
• 45 Points: Great Britain Bat
• 50 Points: 84 OVR WBC Gunnar Henderson
• 55 Points: World Baseball Classic Gold Players Pack
• 60 Points: 85 OVR WBC Jpseph Contreras & 4,000 XP
• 65 Points: USA Bat
• 70 Points: 86 OVR WBC Vance Worley
• 75 Points: MLB The Show 26 pack
• 80 Points: 87 OVR WBC Jac Caglianone & 4,000 XP
• 85 Points: MLB The Show 26 pack (x2)
• 90 Points: 88 OVR WBC Randy Arozarena
• 95 Points: MLB The Show 26 pack (x2)
• 100 Points: 89 OVR WBC Bryce Harper & 4,000 XP

Pool C

PXP Missions:

• Accumulate 2,000 PXP using Cervinka, Perkins, Giljegiljaw, Lee, & Sato
• Accumulate 2,000 PXP using Muzik, Yoshida, Lin, & Bazzana

Player Missions:

• Record 3 hits using 80 OVR Cervinka
• Get on base 3 times using 81 OVR Perkins
• Hit 2 extra-base hits using 82 OVR Giljegiljaw
• Get on base 3 times using 83 OVR Lee
• Hit 2 extra-base hits using 84 OVR Sato
• Record 5 hits using 85 OVR Muzik
• Hit 3 extra-base hits using 86 OVR Yoshida
• Hit 3 extra-base hits using 87 OVR Lin
• Get on base 5 times using 88 OVR Bazzana

Rewards:

• 5 Points: Tokyo Dome
• 10 Points: 80 OVR WBC Martin Cervinka
• 15 Points: Czechia Bat
• 20 Points: 81 OVR WBC Robbie Perkins & 4,000 XP
• 25 Points: Australia Bat
• 30 Points: 82 OVR WBC Kungkuan Giljegiljaw
• 35 Points: Chinese Taipei Bat
• 40 Points: 83 OVR WBC Jung Hoo Lee & 4,000 XP
• 45 Points: Korea Bat
• 50 Points: 84 OVR WBC Teruaki Sato
• 55 Points: World Baseball Classic Gold Players Pack
• 60 Points: 85 OVR WBC Martin Muzik & 4,000 XP
• 65 Points: Japan Bat
• 70 Points: 86 OVR WBC Masataka Yoshida
• 75 Points: MLB The Show 26 pack
• 80 Points: 87 OVR WBC An-Ko Lin & 4,000 XP
• 85 Points: MLB The Show 26 pack (x2)
• 90 Points: 88 OVR WBC Travis Bazzana
• 95 Points: MLB The Show 26 pack (x2)
• 100 Points: 89 OVR WBC Hyun-Min Ahn & 4,000 XP

Pool D

PXP Missions:

• Accumulate 2,000 PXP using Hebbert, Jones, Horwitz, Tovar, & Alcantara
• Accumulate 2,000 PXP using Soto, Bader, Vientos, & Chourio

Player Missions:

• Record 3 hits using 80 OVR Camargo
• Hit 2 extra-base hits using 81 OVR Despaigne
• Record 10 strikeouts using 82 OVR Lugo
• Get on base 3 times using 83 OVR Caissie
• 84 OVR Record 2 extra-base hits with 85 OVR Urshela
• Pitch 5 innings with 85 OVR Almeida
• Record 5 hits with 86 OVR Tejada
• Win 2 games with 87 OVR Paxton
• Record 3 extra-base hits with 88 OVR Ramirez

Rewards:

• 5 Points: WBC Uniforms Choice pack (x2)
• 10 Points: 80 OVR WBC Duque Hebbert
• 15 Points: Nicaragua Bat
• 20 Points: 81 OVR WBC Druw Jones & 4,000 XP
• 25 Points: Netherlands Bat
• 30 Points: 82 OVR WBC Spencer Horwitz
• 35 Points: Israel Bat
• 40 Points: 83 OVR WBC Ezequiel Tovar & 4,000 XP
• 45 Points: Venezuela Bat
• 50 Points: 84 OVR WBC Sandy Alcantara
• 55 Points: World Baseball Classic Gold Players Pack
• 60 Points: 85 OVR WBC Juan Soto & 4,000 XP
• 65 Points: Dominican Republic Bat
• 70 Points: 86 OVR WBC Harrison Bader
• 75 Points: MLB The Show 26 pack
• 80 Points: 87 OVR WBC Mark Vientos & 4,000 XP
• 85 Points: MLB The Show 26 pack (x2)
• 90 Points: 88 OVR WBC Jackson Chourio
• 95 Points: MLB The Show 26 pack (x2)
• 100 Points: 89 OVR WBC Didi Gregorius & 4,000 XP

That covers all the details for MLB 26 WBC Program. We hope this helps you complete the missions faster and secure the player cards or packs you want most!