The core of Path of Exile is character customization. Most expansions introduce new ways to play the game, sometimes including brand new skill gems. Path of Exile 2 will be no different.

What’s Definitely Coming In POE 2?

In fact, it will be the single largest drop of new skills into Path of Exile in the game’s history. Between introduced skill gems, the concept of skills attached to ascendancy classes, and weapon implicits granting skills as well, once POE 2 hits will be inspired to craft a plethora of brand new builds with a batch of visually pleasing new skills.

We are less than a month out from ExileCon 2023 and the total reveal of everything related to Path of Exile 2. Let’s hop on the hype boat and explore what we do know about all the new skills arriving in this big content drop.

Defined New POE 2 Skills

The long-awaited shapeshifter archetype finally enters Path of Exile with Path of Exile 2. Presently, we’re aware of at least three different shapeshifting forms: the Werewolf, the Werebear, and the Werecat.

The Werewolf will be accessible via a skill gem and function much like an aura. This is probably the case for the other two forms, too. Werewolf users focus on speed, attacking fast and moving fast. The form can be transitioned to and from seamlessly. Inside the form, you will be able to use any skill that makes sense.

The two examples GGG used were Leap Slam and Cleave, although I’m sure many other melee skills will be usable, too. And spell skills are probably not usable in the Werewolf form, although we could be surprised. Similar to the Werewolf gem, the Werebear is also stored within a skill gem, although we never saw it in action. While a Werebear will probably focus on tankiness, its functionality should be the same as the Werewolf.

Personally, I think this will be a form we can briefly swap to and gain major defenses inside. Think of an emergency Vaal Molten Shell or something similar. A huge boss strike is incoming. So, we quickly swap to Werebear form before dancing back to Werewolf or Werecat form.

Unlike the other two former shapeshifting forms, the Werecat form can only be accessed through the Beastmaster ascendancy class, one of three new ascendancies. Due to this, there will probably be more power packed inside this form than the latter two. Plus, it’ll have a specialization in Critical Strikes.

Don’t worry about scaling, either. In POE 2, skills granted by ascendancy classes will scale with the character’s level and not remain static. I’m hoping for a variety of new play styles enabled due to shapeshifting. In addition to adding this entirely new archetype, I really hope it’ll introduce a shift dancing playstyle, incentivizing players to swap between multiple forms and prolonged fights.

The new crossbow weapon class will add a variety of new skills to the game in the form of weapon, implicits, and actual skill gems. Power Shot is a high damage single target attack skill granted by a crossbow implicit, which can be modified by bolt skill gems. In order to have a better gaming experience, I recommend that you prepare enough POE Currency. In this way, you can buy the skill gems you need at any time.

We know of three bolt types: Permafrost Bolt, Armor Piercing Bolt, and Incendiary Bolt. Permafrost deals cold damage and conjures a big field of ice and can freeze enemies. Armor Piercing deals extreme damage, breaking through the armor of enemies. Incendiary sparks a field of fire and can leave corpses burning.

Again, these bolt skills are like auras and can be swapped between to change how your crossbow attack skill of choice functions. They don’t seem to reserve mana, and swapping between them doesn’t have any associated cost.

The Siege Cascade Skill is granted by the Siege Crossbow and essentially acts like the current day's Rain of Arrows skill. You shoot a bolt into the air and it slams down on enemies. Again, your various bolt skills modify how Siege Cascade works.

The second new weapon class coming with POE 2 is spear. Spears boast a host of brand new skills found both on skill gems and on the weapons themselves as implicit modifiers. Every single spear in the game will grant Exiles at least one mobility skill with some granting, too.

One of the spears we’ve seen came with both an engage and disengage skill. The former skill grants increase damage for a short time once used, while the latter unleashes a flurry of projectiles upon use.

Another new skill is Whirling Slash, which creates a sandstorm, which grows each time you use it then explodes when you leave it, dealing huge damage to monsters.

Yet another spear skill gem is Rapid Assault, which does three rapid stabs, then a fourth that does more damage and can possibly stun, rewarding those who position themselves well.

Spearfield creates an area of spears on the ground, which deals bleeding damage to monsters who walk through it. It’s basically a damaging area control skill gem.

Storm Spear fires a lightning projectile, which splits on contact. It is kind of like Lightning Strike.

Related: Will There Be Three New Weapon Types In Path Of Exile 2?

Finally, we have Blazing Lance. Blazing Lance creates a trail of fire on the ground, which can be hit again to Fan the Flames for a burst of damage. All in all, these seven new skills introduced from Spears are absolutely wild.

Path of Exile 2 shall bring a new gem type into the game - Meta Gems. These gems accomplish a niche purpose or enact an odd design pillar, functioning differently from other gems.

Renowned examples are the proficiency, cast on crit, and spell totem support gems. The former can hold all your auras inside it, allowing them to be activated with the click of a button. The latter completely revamps the current spell totem support gem, allowing you to socket multiple intelligent gems into the meta gem itself. For example, you can socket an elemental curse and an elemental skill into the gem and it will know to use the curse first and the spell skill second.

Even though the developers have been steadily revamping and sometimes merely updating the visual effects of existing skills, it’s evident more drastic changes shall arrive at the momentous release of Path of Exile 2.

Some of the speculation we’re about to undergo might be revamped to existing scales or these might be new skills entirely. We’ll have to wait for the end product to see. But there’s sure to be an absolute ton of other visual and animation updates on release, especially with the updated Exile models and bar advanced rigging technology GGG has developed.

Speculated New PoE 2 Skills

Both the Ngamakanui and Aggorat teasers showcased a rapid fire barrage of potentially new Elemental Skills. The Exile in the jungle ruin seems to use a revamped spark skill, curving her hand toward the floor and conjuring a small lightning projectile that randomly zips along the ground.

Afterwards, she either uses a new cold damage skill or gets another revamp skill gem Ice Nova. Finally, the Exile finishes off a group of the infected creatures with a brand new cold damage skill - a meteor of ice. If I were to guess, its name is probably an ice meteor.

Then in the Aggorat teaser, we see the monk Exile use his staff to twirl around another new skill, create a ground targeted arc of lightning and a cone of ice. Both look like completely new scales. Unlike anything else we’ve seen in the melee right now, the monk is also using lots of skills, which could mean a few things.

GGG might have just wanted to show off all these skills and animations. Because they look cool or they could be hinting toward a combo system of sorts with this class.

What if there are new abilities or support gems that incentivize using a variety of skills or damage types to build up for a huge payoff? A combo system of sorts. It’s definitely a possibility, especially for the monk, an archetype known for their wild combo potential.

We’ve seen a dodge roll in the two most recent snapshots of Path of Exile 2. So, how will a tumble like ability enter POE? I’d gander it’s a new skill gem or a basic movement skill, like our basic attack skill. If it’s a new skill gem, we would likely get it very early as a way to introduce new players to Path of Exile’s method of dodging big boss attacks. Roll would be a precursor to Flame Dash and Frostblink, maybe.

Option 2 roll is our new basic movement skill and one of our only movement skills. There is a small possibility we’re about to see a major shift in the way movement skills function in Path of Exile.

Imagine this: we get Roll as a basic movement skill or one of a few movement skill jumps. Instead of having individual hyper focus skill gems, GGG adds the ability for a variety of support gems to modify these new basic movement skills.

Thusly, we could form our own movement skills and save a fair wealth of Flame Dash. But with Flame Trail support and Insta Phase support mixed with the Dash skill gem, you’d have your own with three more supports to use and modify it with. I could see four based move skills possible: Roll, Dash, Charge, and Blink.

…

Seasons is of course the next big thing on the horizon for Diablo 4. And we previously knew that Season 1 is coming in mid to late July. That was announced in a recent Developer Campfire Livestream.

However, we now have more specifics, including when Season 1 will be starting, which was revealed by Rod Fergusson on Twitter. A user asked when the announcement will be so that they can start planning their vacation leave. And Rod Fergusson, the Franchise General Manager of Diablo, replied announcing next week.

This is further backed up by Adam Fletcher, the Global Community Developer Director, replying to another user on Twitter, asking them when they can expect the next Dev update or Camp livestream. And Adam replied more news on that later this week.

New Dev Update - Next Week

So, it’s really looking like another Campfire Livestream will probably be happening next week, which will offer us the release date for Season 1.

We also have a bunch of details on the changes and tweaks and new things coming in the next big patch and the seasons as well as some juicy behind-the-scenes details.

That will give us a better understanding of how things work in the game, where different quality of loot and gear comes from, and just general things that you’ll want to know if you plan to play Diablo 4 Seasons.

Season 1 Details

So, if you want to know these juicy details, then let’s get started with what will be included in Season 1 in Diablo 4. Here’s a rundown of what you can expect.

Each Season Makes New Characters Starting Level 1

In Seasons, you’re going to create a new character starting from level 1. So, your Eternal Realm characters will not go into the season servers.

That’s because a seasonal character will basically be on a standalone version of the game with other seasonal characters with their own standalone bank stash, which is separate from eternal.

Seasonal Theme & Loot

There will be a season-specific theme that will be announced probably in this next update and within the season, we can expect to get new loot that will be powerful and probably build defining.

Hopefully, this will give us some good variety and freshness to the gameplay and our classes.

Season Duration - 3 Months

Seasons are expected to last roughly three months long. So, that’s how long you have to level up and get the gear.

Once this period ends, the seasonal characters will become Eternal Realm characters. So, you’re not going to lose your characters that you already have and you’re not going to lose the characters you make in Seasons.

But you might be wondering what exactly carries over in case you haven’t been keeping up to speed.

Also Read: Diablo 4 Tornado Druid Build: Fastest Druid Leveling Build (Level 1-50)

What Carries Over?

If you’ve already finished the campaign, then you will be able to skip the campaign on your seasonal characters.

In terms of your Renown, the maps Fog of War and your Shrines of Lilith will carry over. That means you will get the stats from those Shrines of Lilith. So, that’ll be a good early game boost.

If you’ve completed all the map Fog of War and got every Shrine of Lilith, you can expect to have around the first two renowned reward levels per zone.

Other tasks like side quests, strongholds, and dungeons will need to be redone, and that’s where you’ll make up the rest of the renowned levels.

Season Journey

Along with Seasons, the Season Journey, which has chapters in it, will also come. That will basically act as our guide to track seasonal objectives that give us various rewards, including legendary aspects and caches.

So, think of this like a journal with different quests and tasks that you’re going to want to complete in the season.

Battle Pass

On top of this, the Battle Pass will come with seasons. It’s estimated that it will take around 80 hours to complete and this is actually more than other games, such as Warzone and Overwatch, which take around 50 hours.

The good news is there’s meant to be no pay to win aspects on the Battle Pass and there is a free version. This will be leveled up by gaining favor, which you get by completing various objectives. That apparently includes things like strongholds, dungeons, and side quests.

Smoldering Ashes System

But along with this will come the Smoldering Ashes system that’s tied to the Battle Pass. This system is a new currency that we will gain by completing levels in the free part of the Battle Pass.

This currency of Smoldering Ashes can then be used to trade for Blessings that will boost our XP gain from monster kills, our gold earned from vendor sale amount, get more materials when salvaging gear, and increase the duration of our Elixirs.

Overall, this is meant to be a system that will ease the grind relating to getting more XP, materials, and Diablo 4 Gold.

If you’ve already leveled up a few characters, the idea of leveling up another one from Level 1 in Seasons might be a bit overwhelming. But systems like this are here to basically smooth that over for us.

Increased Mob Density

Outside of this, we also know from the last patch that the next one will come with an increased amount of mob density and Elite mob density. This is what a lot of players have been wanting since experiencing those dungeons that had tons of Elite groups in them, which gave loads of drops on XP.

Of course, they have since been hot fixed. But having enemies spread out in a dungeon just isn’t as fun as wiping out waves of dense mobs. And the XP and loot are more efficient in that as well.

So, we can expect this change to come in early Season 1 and that’s something to look out for and that they’re aware of.

Balance Changes

Also, after the recent class buffs, many people have been feeling a little lackluster. Because these buffs didn’t really make meaningful big changes for our classes and the issues that people have with them. It’s good to know that the developers are aware of these issues, such as build parity. And in their own words, they’re heavily monitoring discussion based on this topic.

So, hopefully, the next set of balance changes will address these issues with certain classes and their build diversity being very limited in higher-level content.

World Tier 4 Loot

Another upcoming interesting change is the type of loot you get in World Tier 4.

As you may know, upgrading to World Tier 4 allows ancestrals to start dropping that offer a big bump in item power, which levels up your sub stats quite a bit.

In World Tier 4, Sacreds are still dropping abundantly while Ancestrals are more uncommon or rare in comparison.

A user asked Adam Fletcher about this on Twitter and now basically we have confirmation that they are going to adjust this by Season 1. So, it’s not too long to wait. And if you’re yet to get to World Tier 4 to farm ancestrals, this will make your life so much easier as being fully kitted out in ancestrals is a big power bump.

Good Insights Into Farming Cellars

On a slightly different note, I just wanted to highlight a really awesome Reddit post that offers some really good insights into farming cellars in the game.

User MrFrodoBeggins tested 1270 cellars over a three-day period and recorded all of their findings and what’s an absolute MVP.

From their testing, which included between 230 to 290 cellars across the Fractured Peaks, the Dry Steppes, Scosglen, Keanjistan and Howezar, they counted their Obols, XP, gold, legendaries, uniques, and even Treasure Goblins and Butcher encounters. And it’s actually quite interesting seeing all of the stats.

But the overall conclusion is that cellars just kind of suck to farm specifically. They don’t yield as much XP or loot as more efficient activities compared to the time spent doing the cellars. But he does say they are good for getting materials since you are running from cellar to cellar, anyway.

However, I would be very interested to see the results of doing cellars by resetting instances instead of running from one to another. In the early game, farming cellars next to World Events was a very efficient farm to run between the two back to back. But it seems safe to say that at high levels, it’s not worth targeting cellars specifically.

…

Phase 3 of Wrath Classic – The Call of the Crusade is finally upon us. This penultimate patch will see a brand new raid tier, updates to dungeons, new items for collectors, a fresh PVP season and much more.

Today, I’ll be taking you through what to expect from the Call of the Crusade Patch, talking over what’s new, and how things may be a little different this time around compared to the original release.

1. Trial Of The Crusader

Let’s start off with the big one, the upcoming raid, Trial of the Crusader.

This is the first raid ever in WoW’s history to adapt the “heroic or normal” format, where players can choose to modify the level of challenge they want before engaging in the content.

This raid has such a legacy for many reasons. Jaraxxus, who is, of course, everyone’s favourite Eredar Lord of the Burning Legion. It’s the only raid ever, with no trash at all. It’s a “PVP in PVE’’ encounter in the faction champions.

This encounter definitely shows you who has their defensives to hand, and who doesn’t, and a surprise entrance from a certain Lich King to introduce us to the final boss deep below the tournament grounds. It’s very much expected to be a fairly short, but sweet addition to Wrath Classic’s raiding content.

And to that end, several changes have been made to how the content will work. Each difficulty will now share a lockout. So, originally you could run ToC 4 times per week, now it’s only 2. So if you did 10 player heroic, you cannot do 10 player normal that week, and vice versa. Same goes for 25 player.

Also, some of the previously stackable items are now uniquely equipped. Think of the big trinkets, such as Death’s Verdict. So, you don’t feel the need to run normal to try for this 1 item, as it would also cost you your heroic lockout for the week.

Finally, to offset there being less overall lockouts to do, bosses on both difficulties will drop additional Emblems of Triumph. And on 25-player raid, bosses will drop an additional Trophy of the Crusade. This should all add up to making ToGC (Trial of the Grand Crusader) as a raid feel a good source of upgrades, without feeling as though you are missing out due to there being fewer lockouts to do as a whole.

2. Onyxia’s Lair Returns

But that’s not all the raiding content as Onyxia will be making a return in Dustwallow Marsh.

Originally, this was for WoW’s 5 year anniversary event, but it will be available alongside Call of the Crusade this time. A new feature to this is an NPC outside of her lair named Zidormi. She will allow you to toggle between the old level 60 version and the new level 80 version of this encounter.

This time around, no attunement needed, like Vanilla. So, don’t worry about that. The fight itself is just like it was in Vanilla: apply dots, more dots, handle many whelps and see who can dodge a deep breath.

Onyxia will drop items very reminiscent of her Vanilla drop table, but with updated itemization for Wrath Classic. If you are particularly lucky, you might even see the Reigns of the Onyxian Drake. This super rare mount has the same model as Onyxia herself and boasts a premium 310% flight speed.

Finally, raid wise, the VoA (Vault of Archavon) gets a new addition, Koralon the Flame watcher. He will drop Tier 8 equivalent tier gear and Season 7 PVP gear.

3. Dungeon Updates

Dungeon content will also be seeing updates in Call of the Crusade.

The new difficulty, called Titan Rune Beta, is an amped up version of the previously available Titan Rune Alpha dungeons. Enemies will have additional health and damage, but players will also get new tricks to deal with this challenge. This will vary from dungeon to dungeon.

But for example, in the Nexus dungeons or VH (Violet Hold), defeating a mirror image will give the player a stacking haste buff. And in the CoS (Culling of Stratholme), players can now find holy hand grenades to deal with powerful undead minions.

The reward from TRB (Titan Rune Beta) dungeons is a brand new currency called “Sidereal Essence”. This can be spent at the living constellations where your factions, emblem vendors, are found in Dalaran.

Rewards on offer are 10 player Ulduar hard mode items, including those from Algalon. These dungeons should be both a great option for players looking to gear up an alt or a fresh character, and for mains who have been getting unlucky on getting a certain item from Ulduar 10 hard mode so far.

Related: WOTLK Classic: 10 Last Minute Tips To Prepare For Phase 3 Call Of The Crusade

4. Trial Of The Champion

Alongside Trial of the Crusader, will also be a new dungeon, the Trial of the Champion as a 5-player counterpart to the raid.

This features some good old-fashioned horseback jousting, a variety of bosses and, of course, a showdown for the Black Knight right at the end.

This dungeon will also be available on TRB difficulty, where the crowd gets quite a bit more involved than normal by throwing both buffs and debuffs into the arena to help or hamper players.

The remainder of the content surrounding the Argent Tournament Grounds will also release with the update. This includes several new reputation vendors, such as the Sunreavers or Silver Covenant, depending on your faction, as well as the Crusader quartermaster in the western pavilion. These will offer new companion pets, mounts, toys, heirlooms and more.

You can also earn more Champion’s Seals as all remaining tournament daily quests have been added into the game. So, you can work towards the various rewards that little faster.

5. Epic Gems

Another new feature to expect in the patch will the inclusion of Epic Gems.

These provide more stats than the rare quality gems, and should be something that you look to place in your new gear where possible. Fortunately, there are many ways to get your hands on these new gems. So, if you like to play the game, you should pick them up.

At 450 Alchemy skill you can transmute a rare gem and an Eternal into an Epic Gem once every 20 hours.

There will also be a quest at the Alchemy shop in Dalaran called Cardinal Ruby, where, after doing 5 of any other Epic Gem transmute, you will learn how to transmute cardinal rubies. These are the red gems and will be the most in demand by far.

At 450 Jewelcrafting, you can prospect Titanium Ore. This will give uncommon and rare quality gems, Titanium Powder, which can be turned in at the Jewelcrafting shop for Dalaran Jewelcrafter’s Tokens and a chance at epic quality gems.

Epic gems can be exchanged for 10,000 Honor if you are more into PvPing for upgrading your gear. Or, you can exchange Emblems of Heroism for Epic Gems. The single color gems cost 20 each, the dual color 10. You can downgrade your emblems at this NPC in Dalaran Sewer if you wish to spend them in this way. But beware, once you downgrade, it’s permanent.

Finally, all new gem designs can be exchanged for Dalaran Jewelcrafter’s Tokens at the shop in Dalaran. They cost 4 each.

6. Season 7 PVP

A new PVP season will, of course, start, that being season 7, which will see the Relentless Gladiator’s gear become available for purchase by using your WOTLK Classic Gold. The best players will also be able to work towards titles and a mount, namely the Relentless Gladiator’s Frost Wyrm.

7. Isle Of Conquest

Finally, the Isle of Conquest will become available for play.

This 40 vs 40 battlegrounds pits Alliance vs Horde in a battle for resources against one another. It has you capture strategic points on the map, as well as build various vehicles to aid you in gatecrashing the enemies’ base. Or you know, maybe everyone will just run into each other in the middle of the map and fight for the first five minutes instead.

Either way, similar to AV (Alterac Valley), the first team to reduce the other side’s resources to 0, or defeat their general, will be declared victorious.

And that’s what to expect from Phase 3 of Wrath Classic – the call of the crusade. So, whether it’s raiding, collection or PVP, there is something for everyone here.

…

On February 28, we finally have news about Elden Ring DLC, a full expansion titled “Shadow of the Erdtree”

All we have right now is this one image, but they didn’t go with 1080p, 1440p or even a 4K resolution. And they made this teaser at 7500p. To put that into perspective, you’d need 336 SpongeBob-themed 13-inch televisions to display every pixel here. With all that space to work with, FromSoftware had plenty of room to hide some nice details in here, a lot of which can help us guess what this expansion will be about.

Shadow Of The Erdtree

First, let’s not discuss the details that can be seen at a glance for a moment. The Erdtree is not looking too hot. I mean, you’d expect that given the title, but there’s a bit more going on here. It’s visibly mangled, blackened, and dripping what looks like some kind of sap, but it also looks like there might be two trees here. One of which is very straight and lines up pretty much exactly with the Erdtree seen in-game, while the other is twisting around it, almost like a hand choking out its life.

But, the thing that caught everyone’s attention is this character riding what looks to be Torrent down here, since their hairstyle matches the one seen on Miquella in Elden Ring’s intro sequence. To keep things relatively simple, let’s just assume this is actually Miquella.

Beyond that, we also see a bunch of spectral graves and monuments, which all hold secrets of their own, but let’s back up and see what this could be setting up. The title “Shadow of the Erdtree” makes it pretty clear that whatever is going on back here will be central to the plot. The “O” in the word “shadow” looks like two branches wrapping through each other, and there’s probably a bit of Berserk World Tree inspiration in there, so I think this is a separate tree.

Perhaps it’s another version of the Haligtree, since the in-game Haligtree was planted and watered by Miquella himself, but there’s also a case for it being related to the Helphen lampwood, since that’s associated with the spirit world and there are a lot of weird spirit-y graves in this image. But, I don’t think the branches look enough like how they do on the Haligtree, and we really have little to go off of for the Helphen, so I think the strongest case is that it’s made of deathroot.

While not technically a separate tree, it’s important to note that deathroot is made of the Erdtree’s own roots, and the branches are similar enough to what we can see in deeproot below the royal capital. And this might be a bit of a stretch, but it almost looks like the second tree has the same texture and eye-like growths as what we see in deeproot. So, that’s my guess for the premise, but where is this all taking place?

Miquella/Trina’s Dream

The location in the image can’t be found anywhere in-game, but judging by the Erdtree’s angle it seems like this shot was taken in the far south.

The problem with that is the landscape looks nothing like what you’d expect it to from that location. Therefore, I think Miquella being in this shot is so important. So I’m sure you’ve heard this before… I’ve said it, other people have said it, everyone’s saying it, but there’s a lot of stuff about Miquella’s world of dreams that was either left open to interpretation or removed during development.

I don’t know if they’ve been planning to make this DLC since the start, but focusing on this dream world could fill in a lot of the gaps of what we don’t know. And, not only would this explain the bizarre landscape, it would also shed some light on pretty much everything else shown in this picture. I’m not a botanist or anything, but I think this is meant to be a vast field of domesticated wheat, which isn’t really something that happens in nature.

But, an unused twinblade claims that Miquella possesses the “rune of abundance,” and what better way to reflect that concept than his dream world being just endless grain? These taller monuments also look like the ones from Dark Souls 3’s Crucifixion Woods, and while crucifixion is an important concept in Elden Ring, their designs are just different enough that I don’t think they’re related.

You could also say these monuments resemble the Cleanrot Knights’ Halo Scythes or Torrent’s Whistle, but my current guess is that they’re modeled after Miquella’s great rune, since we don’t know what that looks like yet and you could easily make that shape out of the Elden Ring.

A lot of this might also be inspired by Greek mythology… “ZEUS!!!”… Especially Miquella’s connection with the gods of sleep, trade, and harvest is closely related to the underworld, so I think there could be a sort of Hades or afterlife theme to all of this. As for these coffins, archways, and ruins, I’ve got nothing.

Interlude From Future-V

While editing this, I noticed that the arches have that Caduceus spiral that FromSoftware loves so much, and the coffins remind me of the ones used to travel through the underground, which, kind of reminds me of the ferryman of the greek underworld, who is already associated with deathroot with stuff like the tibia mariners. Just a few more points for the greek symbolism thing.

Conclusions & Predictions

So, with all of that in mind, here are my predictions: This expansion will be about a world where deathroot has grown out of control and is strangling the Erdtree. This doesn’t happen before or after the game, but instead takes place in Miquella’s dream, and either Miquella himself or his alternate persona known as St.Trina will be a major character. We actually see a glimpse of the dream world in the main game, being at the end of Fia’s questline in deeproot, and the deathblight curse seems even more pronounced than usual here.

If these are the same world, maybe the true source of deathblight is currently inside the world of dreams, which you might already know is actually Godwyn, the half-dead demigod. His physical corpse is still in deeproot, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he could be found in the dream world as well. Miquella, being the half brother of Godwyn, likely wants him to die a true death both for his sake and for the well-being of this world of dreams.

After you defeat whatever is spreading this infection, which I imagine could include a fight with Godwyn himself, you’ll receive some kind of Elden Ring Runes and make your way back to the real world. Of course, this is all wild speculation.

…

Today I want to bring you a piece of good news. Recently, New World has finally ushered in a brand new event. The event is called Legacy of Crassus, and it runs from February 21st to March 7th.

From the news officially released by New World, what we can know is that in this brand new event, we need to defeat the level 66 vicious brutes that can be seen everywhere in Aeternum to get specific items, such as Lucanus weapons and Decimus armor, standard weapons, armor, and consumables. Now, there’s no exact information on the overall stats and attributes of these weapons, yet. But again, I’m guessing they’re pretty decent if it’s event specific.

Here you should pay attention to one thing: if you want to get these rewards easily, then you have to cause at least 1000 damage to these brutes. I don’t think that’s going to be a vast deal for most people.

And every day you’ll be able to get different rewards after defeating the world bosses. If you can defeat all the world bosses eight times, you’ll get all the rewards below:

• Wrath of Decimus (Great Axe)
• Hoplites Great Blade (Great Sword)
• Cuirass of Decimus (Heavy Chest Armor)
• Fists of Decimus (Heavy Gauntlets)
• Sagittar of Lucanus (Bow)
• Vesuvius (Fire Staff)
• Galea of Lucanus (Medium Helm)
• Hobnailed Boots of Lucanus (Medium Boots)

You will also get:

• 1 - 3 Obsidian Gypsum
• 500 Umbral Shards
• A special Craft Mod that can help you add powerful effects to crafted items. (with 25% chance)

I can’t wait to get these items in my pocket. Maybe they’ve got some shirking fortification and resilient. What I believe is probably the most important add-on to the overall rewards loot rewards pool for this new event is that they called out a special craft mod that can add portable powerful effects to crafted items.

So, essentially, this sounds like this is going to become the new BIS, which means people need to craft with this item in order to get some sort of special new effect again. I am not sure what it is, but it sounds like based on this impact, it will have an overall impact on what is best in the slot.

Related: Is New World Worth Playing In 2023?

You know, we’ve got combat chain changes right around the corner, so that’s going to affect a lot of overall best and slot, as well. But regardless, I would not be surprised if you guys all saw Asmodeum prices over the next few weeks, especially with the overall just combat changes. People are going to be wanting to craft a lot more. I know on Orofena currently the Asmodeum prices are rock bottom. Hurry and stock up someduring this time. Purchase as much as you can with New World Coins because their prices are going to bump up a bit.

This event also calls out standard rewards so typically. Each victory rewards the player with either a random weapon or an armor piece at their level and that’s a 90 chance. But then, there’s a 10 chance of getting a specially named item from Brimstone Sands or greater Aeternum.

…

In 2023, Blizzard will release Diablo 4. This hack-and-slash RPG will be a bold entry in Diablo series, transporting you back to its dark fantasy world. In order to push the boundaries of the genre, the game needs to make a series of additions, such as comprehensive progression and open world of the sequel. But these ambitions shouldn't underestimate the dungeon-crawling impact of Diablo's previous years. In fact, Diablo 4 exists, so you definitely want the game to learn from other successful titles of its kind, as well as the history of the series, and keep improving to enhance your gaming experience.

Diablo 3 is a hit game, and despite its shortcomings, it can serve as a benchmark against which to target a wider range. ARPGs have grown in popularity in recent years, with rivals like Path of Exile praising the best parts of Blizzard's classic games. As one of the most expected games of 2023, you must have high expectations for Diablo 4, and the IP can still fuel your enthusiasm. As long as Blizzard can keep adding to its groundbreaking properties, its relevance will continue. So, the game team had to consider the breadth of experience available across the genre, as well as the ongoing Diablo game.

Diablo 3 Features That Need To Return In Diablo 4

When Diablo 3 was first released in 2012, Blizzard promised you that installments would be available online in the future. For now, Blizzard has confirmed that future installments will be online-only. To keep players engaged with the sequel, the live service should justify its existence by producing a consistent cadence of new events. However, there may only be one last major update for the game, the next season of Diablo 3. Because once Blizzard takes over the game later this year, it's likely that Blizzard's priority will be post-launch support for Diablo 4. In this case, user experience is particularly critical. In order to get the next game off the ground, Blizzard is hoping to fix some of the early issues with the third game, namely server issues.

Another important factor in continuing a franchise is authenticity. In order to make you feel at home, the game needs to integrate a series of traditional elements. If you're a long-time player, in Diablo 4 you'll see the return of several original characters, which means the story should carry over from Diablo 3 and the Reaper of Souls expansion to the follow-up. While the game's lore and atmosphere are valuable for contextualizing the adventure with a uniquely grim tone, at the heart of the entire Diablo series is the gameplay.

For now, Diablo 4 has to focus not only on the core narrative, but also on the various classes and action-based abilities. While the fundamentals of the second and third Diablo games are good, Diablo 4's combat needs to balance well-balanced combos and synchronized controls that favor rewards and allow you to maneuver them flexibly. In ARPGs, your choice is often tied to the process of equipping a character with impactful swings and spells, and these skills often improve over time. In fact, the class-based mechanics of both Diablo 3 and Path of Exile's spiritual successor are deep, though many believe the latter is more involved.

Diablo 4 Should Have The Power To Compete With Path Of Exile

As one of the many games tried before Diablo 4, Grinding Gear Games' Path of Exile has been recognized by many players, because the game's ARPG design in the free online world is very good. The game's team took inspiration from Blizzard's game, developed a modern game that is enough to attract many hardcore fans, and now has a powerful community with its excellent game quality. In some ways, Grinding Gear Games' project might be seen as an extension of Diablo's history.

That kind of uncompromising gameplay in Path of Exile makes for a great experience, especially for optimizing passive stats. In addition, in order to achieve a variety of play styles, Blizzard can also design a streamlined character building system similar to Path of Exile's skill tree. Diablo 4 has an example of this customization, Codex of Power. If you want to invest the time to perfect your career, all the possible specializations might be an avenue.

In fact, Diablo 4 needs to cover its bases as an advanced ARPG offering. But there's no question that the sequel could be wide-ranging. For upcoming releases, it could have a longer lifespan if developers add new hooks or endgame content to it. Path of Exile's Ruthless Mode, which debuts in 2022, is a good example of this. In Diablo 4, if Blizzard succeeds in developing its own best version, it will leave a glorious achievement in the history of the game, and it will also leave an excellent memory in your heart.

Related: POE 3.21 Expansion Release Date Speculation, Content, Changes And More

Finally, according to reliable sources, Path of Exile 3.21 will be delayed due to the release of Diablo 4 in June. Because by convention, if Path of Exile 3.21 continues to be released in March, then Path of Exile 3.22 will be released around the second week of June, which will conflict with Diablo 4's release time.

…

If you no longer want to play Diablo 2 Resurrected's ladder economy and would like to reset the leaderboard, you will be able to do so soon. The next ladder season will start on February 16th.

As is customary with Season 1 and Season 2, the new ladder will include new content not found in Diablo 2. Season 3 or patch 2.6 will add eight new runewords. Most of these new runewords are easy to come by, although some may have never seen a high rune drop. And only one high rune needs a runeword, that is Metamorphosis. Runewords can provide some stats that are beneficial for melee-driven builds, such as crushing blows, and cannot be frozen. However, crafting Metamorphosis by getting Cham runes is hard. Overall, these new runewords are great for players who like to play the game in single player.

At present, whether non-Ladder or Single Player users can use legal means to get Sunder Charms, there is no news yet.

Since its first ranked season, Diablo 2 Resurrected has been adding new content to its ardent fans. This includes 8 new runewords, introducing a new endgame activity and reworking under utilized skills. Players can also use some equipment obtained through D2R Ladder Items to increase their chances of winning. From these contents, we can see that Season 3 seems to follow the pace of Season 1 and Season 2.

In addition to Diablo 2 Resurrected, Blizzard is working on another Diablo project, which will be released this year. Currently, June 6th is the confirmed release date for Diablo IV. Compatible with previous and current generations of Xbox and PlayStation consoles, it will also feature the series' origin platform: PC.

Since 2012, the next major entry in Diablo series will be Diablo IV. Diablo III was released as a PC exclusive game that year.

…

Once upon a time, there were four people Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin - the founders of Hogwarts. All had different values and so after the school was founded they divided their students into different houses based on their values and the same will happen to you once you start Hogwarts Legacy, which is why today we are going to look at which house you should join in Hogwarts Legacy.

First of all, I want to say it doesn't matter which house you actually choose. The main story of Hogwarts Legacy will not change. So, you will have exactly the same story in Gryffindor as in Hufflepuff or in Ravenclaw. But, which house suits you the best? Therefore, we have to check all the different houses.

Gryffindor is for the brave students of Hogwarts and the line symbol basically represents that braveness. In the Hogwarts symbol, the colors are red and yellow and the common room is in Gryffindor Tower.

Hufflepuff, on the other hand, is for the hard-working and the loyal students. So, Hufflepuffs don't care about hard work. They enjoy doing it. They are loyal to their fellow students. The badger is the mascot of the Hufflepuff house and the colors are yellow and black and the common room is next to the kitchens. And the common room here is designed very very nature, oriented you have plants. You have basically earthy colors, like dark green, a brown, a beige, a yellow, which is just super beautiful. And Hufflepuff is actually my second favorite common room in this game.

Ravenclaw is for the smartest students. The eagle basically represents that a little bit. And the blue colors just complement the Ravenclaws perfectly. The Ravenclaw common room is found in Ravenclaw Tower and is designed completely different to the other common rooms. It's basically designed in its colors, blue light, blue sky. Blue is very beautiful. But, the main difference here is that there are many tables and many desks, where the Ravenclaws study for their next exams or are just educating themselves. Because that's what they are best at and what they are enjoy doing.

The Slytherins are the most different from them. All they are very ambitious and very pride of their lineage. That's what we also see in the books or in the movies where the Slytherins basically pride themselves of their pure blood nature and actually put other students down that are not. In the eyes of the Slytherins are blessed with that pure blood and the serpent basically represents Salazar Slytherin because he was a parse of mouth. He could talk to snakes, which is why the serpent or the snake basically is the mascot of the Slytherins. And the green colors also represent the house and the common room is by the dungeons under the Black Sea. And that might also be very important for the game because maybe we can actually see some creatures like mermaids or the giant squid in the Black Sea from our common room window, which I think would be very very cool. And there are also different companions in each house, which you might find very interesting.

For your decision, it is not known if these are only available for each house or in general I think they are available in general because in the dark arts trailer where we basically play the companion quest of Sebastian Sallow, which is the companion for Slytherin there.

Here, we are a Hufflepuff student. So, I'm under the impression that this means we can actually choose the companion not based on the house, but based on sympathy basically. Gryffindor has not say Onai as a companion, but Hufflepuff has Poppy Sweeting as a companion. And as I said Sebastian Sallow is the companion for Slytherin. Ravenclaw is not known, yet I think on the next showcase, we might see something like that. And it is also very likely that there will be many many more each with their own story. If they're all very detailed like Sebastian Sallow's Quest, then the game is going to be just huge just based on the companion quests.

And also each house has its own ghost that is probably involved in the story a little bit. Because in the state of Play Trailer, we can actually see a little scene where the almost Headless Nick, ghost of Gryffindor floats next to the Gryffindor student and which is basically our character. So, the house ghost is maybe somehow involved in it and the Hufflepuff house ghost is the Fat Friar. And the Ravenclaw goes the Grey Lady and the Slytherin goes to the Bloody Baron. So, based on that, you might have it easier with your decisions - which house you should join in Hogwart's Legacy?

But, if you are still unsure in general, you can also answer a few questions on wizarding world.com and you'll be assigned to a house. So, the decision is basically made for you. If you now connect your Warner Brothers Games account and your platform, for example the PlayStation Network, you will also get some cool rewards like ropes or masks based on your house. And you can also take your house and your wand from the Wizarding World over to Hogwarts Legacy.

…

When it comes to Path of Exile, some RPG players who love the dark style will be familiar with it. This is the crystallization of the Diablo game inherited by the fanatic Diablo fan "Chris Wilson" after ten years of research. In addition to the various dungeons, weapon matching and other gameplay of traditional Diablo games, the game has also added a huge skill tree system. Adding points in the game can even make the talents and skills of each character point different from other players!

It is worth mentioning that, as a sequel to Path of Exile 1, Path of Exile 2 retains almost all gameplay, and even realizes dual-terminal intercommunication. The characters and items in the first generation will be transferred to the second generation. In terms of plot, Path Of Exile 2 tells the story that happened 20 years after Kitava's death. Naturally, this land is still full of monsters, which require players to explore and decrypt.

Developer Grinding Gear Games has confirmed that the long-awaited Path Of Exile 2 will be fully unveiled in 2023. The debut will be at Exilecon 2023. Until July, the game will also go to Gamescom for European players to enjoy. In fact, Path Of Exile 2 was originally slated for a 2022 release date, but it now looks like the sequel may be released in time for the series' tenth anniversary. As for the public beta time, it is still uncertain. But what is certain is that the exact time for the public beta will be announced when Path Of Exile2 is officially showcased at Exilecon.

Seeing that Blizzard's Diablo 4 is intensifying, here Grinding Gear Games also released a real machine demonstration of Path Of Exile 2 in April last year. Judging from the video, the game screen is as delicate as Diablo 4. Characters and enemies move in subtly different ways depending on the situation. Battles also leave physical scars on the environment, especially after intense battles, leaving piles of charred bodies and bones.

It is understood that Grinding Gear Games has invested a lot of effort into Path Of Exile 2, and it is expected to provide many new features, including 19 occupations, a new Skill Gems system, updated functions, and new weapons and armor. In addition, the sequel will delete 70% of the existing content. This is undoubtedly good news for new players, because they will no longer be confused by too much content!

Since the equipment no longer needs 6-Link, the first thing to delete is naturally Orb of Fusing. In addition, Portal Scroll, Sextant, Perandus Coin, Orb of Binding, Engineer's Orb, and all quality currencies will be removed. These currencies have always been less useful things when they were added.

Most of the existing old season content will also be deleted, such as Manors, decryption, Heist Filters, etc. These contents will become an affix on the map, appear in the form of monster groups, and will also drop season unique items and Orb of Alchemy.

At the same time, the map will also delete the reflection modifiers, and Vaal Orbs will make the map modifiers * 2, up to 16 modifiers. Presumably, it will take a long time to farm a picture in the future, and it will no longer be possible to complete it in a few minutes or even tens of seconds like now. Orb of Alchemy needs to be combined with POE Currency to use it, and an Orb of Alchemy crafting table is added at the same time.

Overall, Path Of Exile 2 is basically a brand new game, and it no longer needs to be dragged down by various season content. The benefits of this are also obvious, at least newcomers don't have to re-study the old seasons one by one. With the injection of fresh blood, Path Of Exile 2 must be able to shine again.

…

Hades is a high-degree-of-freedom action game developed by Supergiant Games. It won the "Best Independent Game" and "Best Action Game" awards at TGA (The Game Awards) 2020.

At this year's TGA 2022 awards ceremony, that is, on December 9th, Supergiant Games officially announced Hades' sequel, Hades II. The studio attached two character designs and released the first trailer. It can be seen from the trailer that this new work is still the RougeLike gameplay familiar to players. Due to the huge success of the previous game, it's hard not to let players look forward to it.

What Is Hades II?

Hades II is a rogue-like dungeon crawler. In the game, you will use dark sorcery in the Underworld of Greek myth against the evil Titan of Time. Hades II is arguably Supergiant Games' first ever sequel. This new work will be developed on the basis of the original Hades, and will bring players a new, action-packed, infinitely replayable experience. However, the story line of the new work is still rooted in the Underworld of Greek myth and its deep connection with the dawn of witchcraft.

In Hades II, you will explore a larger and deeper mythical world from the perspective of the Princess of the Underworld, Melinoë. You too will defeat the power of the Titan of Time with the full support of Olympus behind you. With every setback and achievement you make, you'll be drawn deeper and deeper into an all-encompassing story. New locations, challenges, upgrade systems, and surprises await as you delve deeper into the ever-changing Underworld time and time again.

Who Is The Protagonist Of Hades II?

In Hades II, you play as the Princess of the Underworld, Melinoë. She's an immortal witch and sorcerer with powerful magical abilities and deadly feats of shadowy weapons, and she has an old score to settle.

Like her older brother Zagreus in the first game, Melinoë is not an original Supergiant Games character, but is based on an ancient Underworld deity believed to be related to Hades. As a result, players' perspective on the Underworld expands as they explore her story and connection to her family.

Will Hades II Launch As An Early Access Game Initially?

Yes! Like its predecessor, Hades, Hades II will be in early access mode for a while until its official V1.0 release. Expect more information on Hades II early access sometime in 2023.

Early access means you'll be able to buy and play a beta version of Hades II, with the option to provide feedback and gameplay data. This will be invaluable to Supergiant Games as they work to perfect the game's potential. Feedbacks from the player community are fundamental to the design during development and was critical to the quality of the original game, so Supergiant Games plans to replicate that process in Hades II.

On Which Platforms Will Hades II Launch?

For this issue, Supergiant Games did not make a clear statement, they just expressed the hope that Hades II will eventually be released on PC and console platforms. Therefore, the platform on which Hades II will be released will not be revealed until the game is completed.

According to Supergiant Games' early plans, what we can know is that they will have an early access period for Hades II on PC, and it will be on Steam and the Epic Games Store at the same time.

Recently, Hades also took advantage of the popularity of Hades II to promote it on the Steam platform. Not only is it half price, but it's only $15.73. It can be seen that Hades has currently received a 98% favorable rate. Instead of waiting, you might as well experience Hades first, which may be helpful for you to experience new works later.

…