Since it was first announced at BlizzCon 2023, we’ve known very little about Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred, but with a recent official announcement, we may be able to uncover the secrets about this upcoming expansion.

To be frank, Vessel of Hatred update will absolutely change the future of Diablo 4. It will give players a brand new location to explore, a never-before-seen class, a more fleshed-out storyline, and some major gameplay changes. If you want to learn everything about this Diablo 4 DLC that has been confirmed so far, don’t miss this guide. Without further ado, let’s get started.

Release Date

Previously, we could only speculate on a vague “late 2024 release date” based on the 2023 trailer. But in an interview with Force Gaming in early November 2023, Rod Fergusson said the developer was planning a big reveal “in about six months” in “early summer 2024,” meaning we can expect more information around May or June 2024.

Unexpectedly, this came to fruition at Summer Game Fest. As revealed at Xbox Games Showcase on June 9, Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred DLC will officially release on October 8, 2024.

Pre-Order DLC

Vessel of Hatred DLC will be a paid expansion, but apparently this differs from the regular seasonal updates that were previously announced as part of the base game.

Thankfully, rumors of a $90 base price have proven to be nonsense. We now know what the actual price is, and apparently the developers will add more content than seasonal updates to justify the cost.

Vessel of Hatred is currently available for $89.99, $59.99 and $39.99 for Ultimate, Deluxe and Standard editions respectively.

So you can pre-order any edition of the expansion right now and get a host of Diablo 4 items to use right away, including a range of new Diablo 4 pets that will join you on your adventures.

New Location: Nahantu

Diablo 4 DLC will add a brand new playable region called Nahantu, which is also known as Torajan, Torajan Jungles, or Toraja.

This is a wild jungle in Sanctuary of Diablo lore, located south of Kehjistan zone, so Vessel of Hatred expansion will probably expand the existing Diablo 4 map to the currently inaccessible southwest region.

However, the area previously appeared in Act 3 of Diablo 2, so veteran players may already be familiar with it. But at the time, it was still considered part of Kehjistan, rather than a separate region.

Players may remember visiting locations like City of Kurast, which also served as the hub for Diablo 2 Act 3, and Temple City of Travincal, both of which can be found in Nahantu and will probably make another appearance in Diablo 4’s new expansion.

New Class: Spiritborn

In addition, this DLC will also introduce a brand new class that is not only a brand new profession in the current game, but also unprecedented in the entire Diablo series.

Confirming previous datamining, we now know that the new class in a Vessel of Hatred will be Spiritborn, which is closely connected to nature and fits perfectly with the jungle environment in the expansion.

With the addition of the new class, the five existing classes may also change, but it is not yet clear whether this will increase their level caps.

While little information is currently available, Spiritborn class reveal will be released on July 18, when this game-changing class will be introduced in depth. Let’s wait and see.

New Storyline

During Diablo 4’s major campaign, Herald of Mephisto appears to players as a Bloodied Wolf several times, guiding them to help defeat his daughter, Lilith.

At the end of the story, he is captured by Neyrelle in a Soulstone. The last time we see him is when he is being transported to a ship by Neyrelle.

Fans of Diablo 2 may already know about Mephisto’s connection to Nahantu region, as Prime Evil plays a major role in Act 3 of the game. Therefore, it makes sense that Vessel of Hatred takes place here.

Because of Prime Evil’s connection to Nahantu, many players suspect that Diablo 4 will eventually take players back to the region to follow up on the plot threads surrounding Mephisto.

In addition, the voice heard in the initial Diablo 4 DLC announcement trailer is that of Mephisto himself. He states that as Lilith progresses further, he becomes more powerful. We all have to participate in what’s happening here, or everyone will be left in the dark.

This suggests that Mephisto will have a greater presence in Vessel of Hatred expansion, and players may even end up fighting Lord of Hatred himself.

Related: The Best Strategies For Maximizing Your Loot In Diablo 4 Season 4 March Of The Goblins!

Gameplay Updates

While we don’t have full details yet, we know that Vessel of Hatred will introduce some new gameplay changes. You can recruit Mercenaries to fight alongside you, they have unique abilities to help in battle, and they will become more powerful the longer they spend with you.

What’s more, for the first time in Diablo 4, there will be endgame dungeons, which will include PvE cooperative gameplay, and you will need to team up with other players to complete the level together.

Besides this, other updates will be introduced throughout the game, including new skills for existing classes, additional Paragon Boards, discoverable Legendary Aspects, and new dungeon types of players to challenge.

That’s all we know about Diablo 4 DLC so far. If you want more information, stay tuned. Expect more fun with the new expansion!

As we get closer to the release of Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, we want to be ready to enter a new area at any time. Here, I want to share 6 key combat tips that can help beginners master the basics of combat and make them more familiar with combat in Lands Between.

The combat tutorial at the beginning of the game is notoriously unhelpful and very basic. So hopefully this gives you an idea of some simple combat strategies that will allow you to learn more about them than the game’s tutorials allow you to do.

Choose More Suitable Weapons

First, the trick I want to talk about is making Elden Ring more fun by choosing the right weapons. Combat is probably one of the most challenging and rewarding things to do in Elden Ring, and with the right ability or weapon, it can feel great.

Most of the time, players will build their stats for a specific ability or weapon, including Ashes of War, Sorceries, Incantations for the weapon, and sometimes they will even build stats for a specific moveset on the weapon.

Because some weapons of the same type may have very different movesets, or some weapon movesets may be better suited to a specific play style. You can try different weapons at the beginning of the game until you find a move you like. Then start upgrading your weapons with Smithing Stones or Somber Smithing Stones.

There are a limited number of these materials at the start of the game, so you should generally focus on one weapon or a pair of weapons. This prevents people from trying different weapons and not having enough Smithing Stones to upgrade their weapons.

Later, however, after finding specific items in the form of Bell Bearings, you can spend Elden Ring Runes to purchase an unlimited number of various Smithing or Somber Smithing Stones, except for the rarest ones.

That being said, at the beginning and within the first few hours of the game, it’s perfectly fine not to upgrade your weapons if you want to reserve your Smithing Stones for things you really enjoy.

Melee Or Ranged

The second thing you need to decide is whether you want to do Melee or Ranged combat. Choosing whether to fight in close quarters may be your first challenge.

Personally, I usually build around a weapon and spell combo, so I have both, or I’ll use a weapon with Ranged Ash of War.

But for the most part, ranged-based characters have it easier than melee-based characters. So in most cases it helps to have Melee, Ranged, and AOE options so you can meet the needs of each situation. That is, dungeons can be cleared using only melee combat, or bosses can be defeated using only ranged attacks.

In Melee, you have Light Attacks, Heavy Attacks, Charged Heavy Attacks, Rolling Attacks, Crouching Attacks, Jump Attacks, Critical Attacks, Lunge Attack, Running Attack, and Ashes of War. In Ranged combat, you have Shooting Arrows in slot one, Shooting Arrows in slot two, Rolling Attack, Jumping Attack, and Ash of War.

Sorceries and Incantations are used by pressing Light Attack button, or by equipping a Staff or Seal with a spell.

Note that some Sorceries and Incantations can be charged and then released for greater damage, and some can be cast continuously by holding down Light Attack.

Now, some of you might consider a bow build, but I would strongly advise against it, especially for new players. Because bows can be difficult to use, and their attribute scaling isn’t that great.

Although the bow can beat the game, in most cases you’re better off using ranged sorcery or incantation, or simply using the bow to enhance your melee abilities rather than making it the focus of your build. Because this is much more difficult than a normal build.

Shields

For those who want to build with tanks, the next tip I want to talk about is about shields.

Using shield and blocking is a great way to mitigate a lot of damage and prevent premature death. If you decide to use a shield in Elden Ring, there are some key stats you should pay attention to when choosing a shield.

Shield With High Guard Boost

Our first goal is to find a shield with a high guard boost. Blocking requires stamina, like almost every other ability in combat. Guard boost is a statistic that reduces stamina cost of blocking.

If you try to block and run out of stamina, it will fail. You’ll be stunned for a second or two, and you’ll be vulnerable to critical attacks. Therefore, the higher this stat is, the lower the stamina required for block hits.

Shield Size

There are 3 different sized shield types in Elden Ring, namely Small Shields, Medium Shields, and Greatshields. Shields of different sizes allow you to protect against different types of attacks.

For example, when using Greatshields, most attacks will bounce off your shield, even slightly staggering most enemies when they occur.

Note Damage Mitigation Numbers On A Shield

Shields have a numerical value that indicates how much protection the shield can protect you from any given type of damage. The numbers are based on percentages, so if you see a shield with 100 points of physical damage mitigation, that means it blocks 100% of the physical damage from most attacks as long as you have stamina.

Note that some weapons deal physical damage that passes through your shield, such as Scythe or Bloodhound Claws. So if you’re taking damage while blocking, the most likely scenario is that either the attack isn’t pure physical damage, or they’re using a weapon with a shield-ignoring mechanic.

A great starting shield is Brass Shield, which can be obtained from Soldier enemies in Gatefront Ruins shortly after starting the game. It requires 6 strength, 7 weights and has 100 physical mitigation.

Also Read: Elden Ring: The Best One-Shot Build To Enter Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC! - Dragonborn Blood Mage

Block Counters

Additionally, Block counters are a very helpful mechanism. When you block counter, the follow-up attack you make can knock the enemy out of the fight and provide you with a chance to heal during the fight, or deal massive damage in a fatal attack that often turns the tide of the battle.

Block counters are so good that there are some builds that play the entire game using just this mechanic. Note that if you choose a block counter build, I recommend choosing Greatshields, as they have the highest guard boost in the game. But they weigh a lot more than Small and Medium Shields, so that’s something to keep in mind.

Stance

No matter what kind of character you build, whether melee or ranged, it is very important for you to understand and master the stance.

Stance is a mechanic unique to enemies in Elden Ring. Think of it as an extra hidden health bar that will break the enemy’s stance once you’ve done enough damage.

Once an enemy’s stance is broken, most of them will do a kneeling or falling animation with a glowing dot on them, indicating that they can take a critical hit. When this happens, get close to the glowing point, or for enemies that don’t have a glowing point and their stance is broken, get close to their front and press Light Attack. This will perform a fatal attack, causing massive damage.

Please note that the invisible stance bar resets approximately 6 seconds after not being hit. In other words, if you don’t attack an enemy for 6 seconds, Stance damage they take will reset. So if you think the enemy is about to be broken, it’s best to keep attacking.

Each attack you make deals stance damage. Different attacks have different values, and some attacks deal more stance damage than others. Each weapon type also deals with varying amounts of stance damage. In addition, Ashes of War, Sorceries, Incantations for the weapon will also cause stance damage to varying degrees, so this is something to consider.

Like block counters, stance damage is another way to build your character. Stance break builds tend to be more on the offensive side, while block counter builds tend to be more on the defensive side.

Parrying

The last thing I want to talk about is whether to try Parrying. When used correctly, Elden Ring’s Parrying ability is powerful.

It’s a mechanic that’s easy to try but difficult to master. You need to equip a weapon or shield with Ash of War Parry and then press your Ash of War at the right time.

There are many who say you press it when the enemy’s hand starts to move and attack you, and others who say it’s when the weapon starts moving. But I have to tell you, it definitely takes practice to get good at it.

Anyway, that concludes this Elden Ring battle guide. Hopefully, these tips will help you on your journey to Shadow of the Erdtree. Good luck!

Welcome to the DLC Preparation Checklist! This guide outlines essential steps to take before the DLC release for Elden Ring, as well as prerequisites set by the game before accessing Shadow of the Erdtree. Let's delve into it.

Bosses You Should Beat

The game indicates that there are specific bosses you must defeat to gain access to the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.

The primary requirement, considered the most crucial, is defeating Radahn. While the lore significance remains unclear, this task is emphasized.

Subsequently, you'll need to confront Mohg, Lord of Blood, as step 2. This may relate to Radahn's influence on accessing the Land of Shadow. Defeating Radahn grants access to Mohg, Lord of Blood, enabling progression.

2 Ways To Access The DLC

To reach Mohgwyn Sacred Palace, you have two options.

Option One involves following Varre's questline to expedite your arrival, though I wouldn't recommend it. Option two is accessing the portal in the Consecrated Snowfields, leading directly to Mohgwyn Sacred Palace. Opting for the latter is advisable, as you'll naturally reach this destination later in the game.

From what we've gathered about Shadow of the Erdtree, the DLC's difficulty is expected to rival that of challenging in-game areas like Haligtree and Farum Azula. Historically, FromSoft's DLCs have been notably challenging, aligning with the formidable foes encountered in these regions.

Defeating Mohg serves as an excellent test for your build's readiness for DLC content. If you can defeat Mohg with ease, your build is likely well-equipped for the challenges ahead.

Why is defeating Mohg, Lord of Blood, necessary? Our observations suggest that accessing the Shadow of the Erdtree requires touching Miquella's hand, which emerges from the Cocoon within Mohg's Boss Arena. Thus, defeating him grants full access to obtain the hand and proceed into the DLC.

Earlier, I mentioned reasons to reconsider Varre's questline for accessing the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Let me elaborate on my rationale. If Varre's questline only leads you to Liurnia Of The Lakes, you're barely halfway through the game. If you're starting with a new character, you'll lack certain unlocked items, access to weapon levels, and talisman slots compared to using the portal in the Consecrated Snowfields.

However, if you're on New Game or New Game Plus, these concerns are less relevant, as you already possess resources from prior gameplay.

Which Build Is Best For You?

There is another crucial aspect I want to address before discussing the preparations for Shadow of the Erdtree.

While testing your build against Mohg is indeed valuable to assess readiness, it's essential to note the introduction of a new leveling system within Shadow of the Erdtree. The impact of this system on existing builds remains uncertain. While entering the DLC with a potent build capable of dealing significant damage is advisable, it's possible that dynamics may shift upon entering Shadow of the Erdtree, potentially resetting progress to a base level.

Consequently, I still advise ensuring your build is robust.

Strategies To Get Ready For The Upcoming DLC

What steps am I taking to prepare for the upcoming DLC? How am I implementing the strategies I recommend for navigating the Lands Between and acquiring necessary resources?

Smithing Stones

Primarily, I'm focusing on accumulating a substantial supply of Smithing Stones.

Through diligent rune farming and investing Elden Ring Runes in Smithing Stones at Roundtable Hold, I aim to amass a sufficient quantity. My rationale is rooted in the presumption that Shadow of the Erdtree won't introduce a new weapon leveling system, making Smithing Stones essential for upgrading weapons. This anticipation motivates my extensive gathering efforts.

The impending arrival of eight new weapon types in Shadow of the Erdtree necessitates a diverse array of weapons to be leveled, tested, and experimented with. Hence, my intensive collection of Smithing Stones is geared towards accommodating this forthcoming demand.

Also Read: Elden Ring: How To Get Unlimited Somber Smithing Stones 1-9 Easily?

For players embarking on their initial playthrough and seeking access to Shadow of the Erdtree, utilizing the Consecrated Snowfields portal to reach Mohgwyn Sacred Palace is advisable. This route grants access to numerous Bell Bearings scattered throughout the game world, facilitating maximum weapon enhancement potential.

Cookbooks

When it comes to collecting resources in the Lands Between, it's important to ensure you have acquired all the Cookbooks. These will enable you to craft various items essential for your journey in Shadow of the Erdtree.

It's better to be overly prepared than to realize you lack necessary resources, so be sure to gather all the Cookbooks and Flask of Wondrous Physick Crystal Tears, which are distributed throughout the Lands Between.

Whetblade

Another essential item you'll need is the Whetblade. These tools enable you to imbue different affinities and Ashes of War onto your weapon, making them indispensable.

• The Whetstone Knife can be found at the Gatefront Ruins.
• The Iron Whetblade can be found in Stormveil Castle.
• The Glintstone Whetblade can be found in Raya Lucaria Academy.
• The Red-Hot Whetblade can be found in Redmane Castle.
• The Sanctified Whetblade can be found in the Fortified Manor Leyndell.
• The Black Whetblade can be found in Nokron, Eternal City.

Gathering all these Whetblades will allow you to imbue every conceivable affinity onto your weapon, providing you with a significant advantage as you enter the DLC.

Stonesword Keys

There are two additional items I recommend stockpiling, starting with Stonesword Keys.

While I'm not entirely certain if they will be utilized in the DLC, given their significant role in accessing dungeons and areas in the base game, it's plausible they'll have relevance in Shadow of the Erdtree.

Therefore, ensure you visit merchants, explore the Lands Between, and acquire as many Stonesword Keys as possible to gain access to areas potentially locked behind them in the DLC.

Larval Tears

The last item worth stocking up on is Larval Tears. These are essential for respeccing at Rennala within Raya Lucaria.

With the introduction of numerous new weapons and weapon types in Shadow of the Erdtree, many players will likely want to experiment with different builds. However, using a deck-bleed weapon with only strength won't yield optimal results.

Hence, having the ability to respec for trying out various weapons and builds in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is highly recommended.

Organizing Your Inventory

The final task I'll be undertaking, and one I recommend for you as well, is organizing your inventory. I understand many of us have a tendency to hoard every item, weapon, and piece of armor in Elden Ring, treating them as invaluable treasures.

However, it's unnecessary to have multiple versions of the same weapon or numerous duplicates of armor pieces from the same set. Take the time to thoroughly sort through your inventory, streamlining it for efficiency. This will ensure that when new items are introduced in Shadow of the Erdtree, you'll be able to locate them promptly.

It's a small adjustment that can greatly enhance your preparation for Shadow of the Erdtree.

For those following the developments in Diablo 4, it's clear that Season 4 holds significant importance for the game's future. The upcoming complete overhaul of itemization, set to debut in Season 4, stands out as a major change. Alongside this, there are numerous other updates and additions teased for Diablo 4 that many players may not be aware of.

Here, we'll delve into all the available information regarding Diablo 4 Season 4, exploring potential additions and changes. Season 4 is anticipated to be the largest one yet, with significant adjustments expected. Despite these substantial changes, traditional seasonal content will still be present, including new mechanics and progression systems. Additionally, Season 4 marks the introduction of a PTR for future seasons or content, allowing players to test features before release. This season promises to be not only substantial but also likely to have a smooth launch in terms of bug fixes and balancing.

Revamping Itemization: The Key Focus Of Season 4 In Diablo 4

The most anticipated aspect of Season 4 is undoubtedly the itemization overhaul. Itemization has emerged as a widely criticized aspect of Diablo 4, with several contributing factors.

One issue is the abundance of affixes, many of which are deemed ineffective. Consequently, finding well-rolled Diablo 4 Items becomes a daunting task. Moreover, comparing newly acquired items with those currently equipped is cumbersome due to the plethora of redundant and conditional stats.

Developers have acknowledged this challenge, referring to it as the "damage on Tuesday" phenomenon, where certain conditions must be met for additional damage, leading to inconsistent performance. Given the developer discussions on this matter, it's likely that many conditional affixes will be either replaced or removed altogether in an effort to streamline the list of affixes.

Seneschal Companions Overhaul

One aspect that hasn't received much attention but I believe could be a possibility is the potential connection between effects from the Seneschal Companion in Season 3 and the itemization reworks.

In game development, new features often share underlying systems and coding, making it easier to implement similar functionalities across different aspects of the game. This principle is evident in games like World of Warcraft, where systems developed for expansions are repurposed for future updates.

It's conceivable that some of the support stones introduced with the Seneschal Companion could complement the itemization overhaul. For instance, abilities like Arcing Support, which causes the supported skill to hit additional enemies; Multishot Support, enabling projectile skills to launch extra projectiles; and Piercing Support, allowing projectile skills to pierce multiple enemies, could potentially become affixes in the itemization overhaul.

Such additions could introduce more diverse and engaging affixes to the game. With the inclusion of affixes like Multishot, for example, numerous projectile-based builds could significantly benefit, potentially enhancing their effectiveness and versatility.

Streamlining Aspect Management

Additionally, there have been significant hints indicating that alongside the itemization overhaul, there will also be substantial changes to Aspects.

This announcement was essentially made during BlizzCon. The development team for Diablo 4 has been devising a system to eliminate Aspects as separate items within the game. Currently, players often find themselves dedicating multiple stash tabs to store Aspects, particularly when progressing to level 100 and experimenting with various builds. This results in considerable inventory clutter.

The proposed solution involves integrating all Aspects into a unified system called the Codex of Power. While the exact mechanics remain unclear, it is anticipated that Aspects obtained from items will be seamlessly transferred to the Codex. Players will have access to a comprehensive list of their acquired Aspects, allowing them to easily select and apply them to items directly from an NPC interface.

This streamlining of the system is expected to greatly reduce inventory space requirements while facilitating more efficient management of gear in player stashes.

Also Read: Diablo 4 Season 3: How To Climb The Ranks In The Gauntlet? - 5 Key Tips

Unveiling The Future Of Itemization In Diablo 4 Season 4

Developers have provided significant hints about the upcoming itemization overhaul.

One key revelation is that the overhaul will be so extensive that they opted against implementing a loot filter beforehand. This decision underscores the magnitude of the changes, indicating that the overhaul will affect more than just the basic affixes on items. It suggests a comprehensive revamp touching various aspects of the game beyond affix modifications, including the addition of new affixes and the removal of unpopular ones.

Furthermore, developers have elaborated on their broader vision for itemization. They emphasize that obtaining an item marks the beginning of its journey towards excellence or potential obsolescence. This approach mirrors that of other ARPGs like Path of Exile (PoE) or Last Epoch, where players can enhance subpar items through diverse crafting systems, aiming to create top-tier or even best-in-slot gear. While the itemization overhaul may not match the complexity of PoE, it's expected to incorporate robust crafting features, simplifying the process compared to PoE while retaining depth akin to Last Epoch.

This direction represents a positive step, as it shifts the focus towards meaningful item progression and crafting. Rather than simply acquiring items and rolling a single stat, players will have the opportunity to enhance items with desired attributes, potentially transforming them into top-tier gear. Consequently, a higher percentage of items will hold value, reducing the prevalence of entirely useless loot and providing players with more opportunities to craft valuable items from their loot pool.

Exciting Teasers For Diablo 4 Season 4

Above summarizes the bulk of the information available concerning the itemization overhaul for Season 4. However, there are additional hints we've received regarding Season 4.

PTR

As previously mentioned, there will be a PTR primarily to assess the significant changes to itemization.

Endgame Possibilities: Abattoir Of Zir & Beyond In Diablo 4 Season 4

Additionally, the developers have teased various other content, particularly endgame content for Season 4. In a recent Q&A session, they were asked about the possibility of new endgame content. While they couldn't provide details, they strongly suggested keeping an eye on the PTR and Season 4 for those interested in new endgame experiences.

Another question arose regarding the possibility of an Abattoir of Zir-like feature. Interestingly, there was a subtle hint suggesting that those intrigued by such content should explore the PTR and Season 4. This suggests a focus on endgame-oriented content for Season 4, whether it becomes a permanent addition to the game or remains exclusive to the season.

Additionally, indications point towards the implementation of a system akin to the Abattoir of Zir, despite its initial shortcomings. This could be a positive addition to Diablo 4's long-term health. It's plausible that a system resembling Greater Rifts from Diablo 3 might be permanently integrated into the game, building upon the experimental nature of Abattoir of Zir. This could provide players with both curated dungeons and randomized rifts, offering a diverse gameplay experience.

This constitutes much of the solid information available regarding what's to come in Season 4. It won't be long before we have the opportunity to explore the PTR and gather more details. However, there are also additional features that may be included in Season 4, mentioned by developers but without a set release date.

The Armory System

One significant aspect is the development of an Armory system, which garnered attention during BlizzCon's Q&A sessions.

The Armory aims to enable players to save entire builds, including gear, talent loadouts, and Paragon Board setups, allowing for seamless switching between different configurations with a single click. This concept draws inspiration from the permanence seen in Diablo II, where respeccing wasn't initially available and was only introduced in later updates, possibly the first expansion.

Developers have recognized a shift in player preferences, leading to efforts in developing tools like the Armory to facilitate easier respeccing, among other features. These changes reflect a move towards empowering players to create and manage multiple builds effortlessly, aligning with evolving player expectations.

Enhancing Social Features

Similarly, in terms of social features, an aspect I consider one of Diablo 4's weaker points, the game is intended to offer a shared-world experience akin to titles like Destiny 2. While not a full-fledged MMO, it incorporates shared-world elements, albeit minimally.

Presently, the game lacks robust social features beyond a basic trade chat, a deficiency that has been acknowledged by the development team. Consequently, there appears to be a concerted effort to address this through a significant overhaul or addition of social features.

Given that raids are slated to arrive with the first expansion, it's reasonable to anticipate substantial enhancements to social aspects either preceding or coinciding with Season 4.

That essentially covers the available information regarding Season 4. I anticipate Season 4 heralding a significant transformation for Diablo 4. For those disappointed with the current state of the game, this impending update holds the potential to vastly improve their experience. Even for existing fans, it promises to deliver considerable enhancements. The itemization overhaul alone, involving the removal or adjustment of numerous conditional affixes, is poised to elevate gameplay. Moreover, the introduction of new content is always a welcome development.

Here, we’ll talk about the Witches Festival 2023 for the Elder Scrolls Online.

Witches Festival

The Witches Festival got introduced 2016 and usually returns each year mid or end of October.

The Festival is part of the Base Game and you don’t need any DLCs or ESO + to earn unique rewards or event tickets.

How To Start The Witchmother’s Festival?

If you never participated in the past years in the Witches Festival, you have to complete the quest ‘The Witchmother’s Bargain’ first.

Open the Crown Store and use the free quest starter Crow Caller to summon the Witchmother and start the quest. She will request you to obtain a pumpkin, a sample of guts, and an Essence of Death.

The quickest way to obtain pumpkin and guts is to look at the guild traders and buy them with ESO Gold.

If you don’t want to spend gold, you can find guts by looting small animals and fleshy undeads. And pumpkins can be found in containers or on the ground throughout Tamriel or you can purchase them from the NPC Grocers for 150 gold.

To obtain the Essence of Death, you must kill a boss of any delve. Delves in Cyrodiil are not working to earn Essence of Death.

Once you have all three ingredients (Guts, Pumpkins & Essences of Death), you will be directed to the Witchmother’s Brewery in Auridon, Glenumbra or Stonefalls. You may use any of these three locations, regardless of your alliance. Even so, the quest will still direct you to your alliances zone.

After you deliverd the requested ESO Items to the Witchmother, she will start to prepare her brew. Complete the quest ‘The Witchmother’s Bargain’ to receive the Witchmother’s Whistle Memento.

Double XP - Witchmother’s Whistle Memento

Use the Witchmother’s Whistle memento to summon the Witchmother’s Cauldron. This will grant you and your party a two hour 100% XP buff that stacks with all other xp bonuses.

You can’t use the Memento in Cyrodiil, but you can activate the buff before you enter Cyrodiil to use the double xp buff there.

You don’t have to drink from the Witchmother’s Cauldron in order to gain the xp buff. But if you decide to taste the Witchmother’s Brew, you will transform into a skeleton for a limited time.

If you completed the quest in previous events, you don’t need to acquire the Crow Caller or complete the quest again. You can just open your memento collection, go to tools, and there you can use the Witchmother’s Whistle Memento.

Witches Festival Rewards & Plunder Skulls

During the event, all bosses and monsters will drop unique Plunder Skulls and Dremora Plunders Skulls, which will contain amazing Witches Festival themed loot.

Plunder Skull has a chance to contain the following spooky items:

• Witches Festival Furnishing Recipes
• Witches Festival Furnishings
• Witches Festival Recipes
• Witches Festival Provisioning Recipes
• Various Creepy Crawlies
• Various Crafting Materials
• Dremora Plunder Skulls

You can acquire Dremora Plunder Skulls in addition to the regular Plunder Skulls. These will be the first Plunder Skull drop you receive for each type of boss each day.

A Dremora Plunder Skull contains all the same items found in a regular Plunder Skull, but it also includes a Dremora Motif page based on the type of boss you defeated.

• The Final Boss of the Dragonstar Arena, Maelstrom Arena, Blackrose Prison Arena or Vateshran Arena drop Dremora Motif pages for Bows and Legs.
• Dark Anchor, Geyser Bosses, Dragons and Harrowstorms drop Dremora Motif pages for Daggers and Gloves.
• Delve Bosses drop Dremora Motif pages for Staves and Belts.
• The final boss of a Group Dungeon drop Dremora Motif pages for Helmets and Maces.
• Public Dungeon and Quest Bosses drop Dremora Motif pages for Shields and Boots.
• Final Trial Bosses drop Dremora Motif pages for Swords and Chests.
• World Bosses drop Dremora Motif pages for Shoulders and Axes.

Dremora Plunder Skulls may also contain the following additional rewards:

• Grave Dancer Style Pages
• Witches Festival Writs
• Glenmoril Treasure Maps
• Runeboxes with more collectibles

Witches Festival Writs

The Witches Festival Writs work much like Master Writs. They can be traded, mailed, and sold.

Once you accept the contract, however, they are bound to you.

If you complete 13 Witches Festival Writs, you will earn the Witch’s Infernal Hat and for completing 28 Witches Festival Writs will earn the title “Witch”.

By completing Witches Festival Writs, you also have a chance to find Hollowjack Style pages.

Tome Of Forbidden Appetites Memento

There can be found also new items inside Dremora Plunder Skulls.

You can collect a new Memento, the Tome of Forbidden Appetites Memento. And you can also find a new Outfit Style, the Crowborne Hunter armor Style.

Ghost Netch Pet

Furthermore, you have this year a chance to obtain the new adorable Ghost Netch pet.

Collect and Combine ten possessed shreds to unlock the Ghost Netch pet.

Witches Festival Dailies - Plucking The Crow Quest

In 2021, ESO added a daily reaptable Witches Festival Quest.

You can start the Plucking the Crow Quest at the Impresario’s tents or inside of Olyve’s Brewery.

For this quest, you have to gather 50 cursed feathers. Cursed feathers can be collected by opening any Plunder Skull.

After you have collected 50 cursed feathers, return to Olyve’s Brewery and follow the instructions.

Then, use the portal to fight & defeat the Crowborne Horror.

Completing this daily repeatable quest will reward you with three Plunder Skulls.

Also Read: Elder Scrolls Online 2024: Whitestrake’s Mayhem Event Is Back! - A Comprehensive Guide

Witches Festival House - Exorcised Coven Cottage

During the Witches Festival, you have also the opportunity to purchase a unique house.

The Exorcised Coven Cottage will be purchasable via the Crown Store or for 250,000 gold during the Witches Festival if you have the Witches Festival Achievement ‘An Unsparing Harvest’ unlocked.

This spooky and cozy little cottage is located in Glenumbra and is only available during the Witches Festival.

If you complete all achievements related to the Witches Festival, you can unlock the ‘Sun’s Dusk Reaper’ title.

Witches Festival Event Tickets

You can also earn Event Tickets during the Witches Festival.

You will earn 2 Event Tickets per day per account by defeating any boss monster in the Elder Scrolls Online. That can be, for example, a boss from a quest, in a delve, dolmen, world boss, trials, etc.

Don’t forget to loot the boss to get your Event Tickets.

Impresario Event Merchant

Of course, the Impresario Event Merchant is also opening her store during the Witches Festival.

This year, she is offering:

• Passion Dancer Blossom fragments,
• The first fragment for the Hoardhunter Ursauk mount,
• Witches Festival themed furnishings
• Hoardhunter Ursauk Mount
• Witches Grab Bags
• Crowborne Hunter Style pages
• Crowborne Hunter Style
• A Tome of Forbidden Appetites Memento
• Ghost Netch pet & more

Witches Grab Bags

Several rewards from previous Witches Fesitvals can no longer be found in Plunder Skulls.

These rewards are now inlcuded in the Witches Grab Bags, which you can purchase for 2 event tickets from the Impresario Event Merchant.

Inside the Witches Grab Bags you can find:

• Skeletal Marionette Memento Fragments for the Throwing Bones Memento
• Apple Bobbing Cauldron Memento
• Skeletal Marionette Memento
• Hollowjack Spectre Mask
• Pumpkin Spectre Mask
• Scarecrow Spectre Mask
• Thicketman Spectre Mask
• Marshmallow Toasty Treat Emote
• Witch’s Bonfire Dust Memento
• Bonedust Pigments for the Witch-Tames Bear Dog
• Witchmother’s Servant Style the Ghastly Visitation Memento
• Bound style pages for the Witchmother’s Servant Style

Indrik Vendor

The Indrik Vendor will also open her shop during the Event.

She offers during the fourth quarter of 2023:

• Nascent Indrik feathers
• Pure Snow Indrik berries & Crimson Indrik berries
• Frost-Light Indrik Pet & Rosethorn Indrik Pet

Philius Dormier

Philius Dormier, the Impresario’s Assistant, will also open his shop during the Witches Festival.

He offers during the fourth quarter of 2023:

• Unstable morpholith pet fragments
• Dagonic Quasigriff Mount fragments

Here, I want to talk about the first hint of POE 3.23 that we were given by GGG two days ago, make some wild and unfounded predictions, and then try to use those predictions to figure out a plan for the rest of the season.

GGG’s 3.23 Timeline

If you haven’t heard, on October 9th, GGG released their initial timeline for the next 3.23 content expansion. They said they were initially going to have the next league start in November, but moved that to quote early December.

Apparently, there are some big changes coming. Maybe some new POE Items will also appear. I assume they mean that the mechanic is big and needs some time to be fleshed out and coated.

But, it’s possible they mean something bigger to the game itself, something like big changes to the passive tree or atlas tree or maybe even something that modifies and hopefully shortens the campaign. That would probably be a pipe dream. But I’m sure we’ll hear about it soon.

TOTA Events?

One real prediction I have relates to these end of season events: they’re going to have three, each lasting about a week. My first thought was some kind of race. But I’m pretty sure these events will 100% have to do with the Trial of the Ancestors. However, no matter what kind of event it is, it is very necessary to prepare sufficient POE Currency to improve yourself.

The use of the word tournament always felt a little awkward to me with TOA, but it would be very easy to create a kind of sub season event using Trial of the Ancestors.

Imagine a week-long contest where the most powerful minions turtle were removed from the warrior pool or where all the Chieftain damage was reduced by 100% or where the only minions available are those little dinky ones that you start with.

My prediction is that the final 3 weeks of the season will be three themed events for Trial of the Ancestors, featuring significant modifications to the gameplay of that mechanic and it sounds like it could actually be a lot of fun.

So, I definitely want to make time for it, maybe even figure out a Ruthless TOA build. But when exactly?

Predicting 3.23 Release Date

We know that they said the next league will start in early December. I don’t know if they’ve officially committed to this, but Crucible, Sanctum Lake of Kalandra and Sentinel all started on a Friday. That leaves us five possible days.

I doubt they would intend on starting on the 22nd or 29th of December, otherwise why say in early December?

Also Read: Best Strategies To Farm Divine Orbs In POE 3.22 TOTA League - 3 Ways

At least December 1st, 8th, and 15th, take note Exiles, that means that those three-week-long events could start as early as November 10th, just over 4 weeks from now.

But let’s see if we can narrow it down between those three dates even further. Looking at what other games are being released, there’s pretty much nothing. I’m seeing a re-release of some Arkham stuff. There’s a dragon quest game, something with Warhammer. I don’t even know what that is.

Honestly, this looks pretty barren, so there are no restrictions for when they could release something. And since Diablo 4 Season 2 starts a new season on October 17th, that looks like it’s not going to have an impact on the Path of Exile season either way, but more distance would be better particularly for those week-long events.

Because of that, I doubt that GGG is targeting a December 1st league start that leaves us the 8th and the 15th. This sounds obvious, but why say we’re targeting early December if you mean the literal middle of the month? I mean, in that case, the word ‘early’ just doesn’t need to be there. So, based on that, I’m now calling it we get the next league start for the new Path of Exile league on December 8th, 2023.

My Plan

Now, let’s just assume that I’m correct. And we’re going to use that to try to come up with a plan for the rest of the season.

If the next league starts on December 8th, then we will get those three-week long events starting on November 17th. That means we have about five weeks and just a couple of days more left in the normal part of Ancestor league.

And I want to push more of that late end game. I was trying to figure out all the classes and the atlas. I really wanted to have one Ruthless guide per starting class. And lucky for me, I only have one left and Cold DoT Witch is a darn nice endgame class.

I also haven’t forgotten about the Blight. What I decided is that I wanted to make a Ruthless specific Blight guide. So, I’m leveling that Cold DoT Witch back in my SSF, where my atlas tree is already prepped and ready for it. That means that over the next 3 to 5 weeks, you all can expect a lot of watching me take a shot at all of those endgame bosses and when I get frustrated with Ruthless bossing, then I’ll just be Ruthless blighting so you can expect a whole lot of Ruthless specific Blight content as well.

I’m really looking forward to POE 3.23!

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.