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!

…

Greetings Exiles! In this guide, I’ll be bringing you my best build in POE 3.24 league, Toxic Rain Pathfinder.

Not only does it have insane damage and clear speed, it’s completely viable even in Tier 17 Maps. What’s more, this build is very affordable and perfect for players with a lower POE Currency budget. So, let’s jump right in!

Toxic Rain

Let's start with the basic skill, Toxic Rain. It causes Spore Pods to spawn where projectiles land. This will start dealing Chaos damage in an area over time, and they can overlap with each other.

New Area Threshold

Compared to the last league build, we have made a very important update to this version, which is the new area threshold.

Due to area of effect breakpoints, you can achieve optimal single target damage by increasing area of effect by at least 37% but no more than 43%. So this is going to be our new area threshold.

We hit that goal with 20% from Bow Mastery, and another 8% to 10% from Gloves craft. Also, I personally recommend purchasing Medium Cluster Jewel with Towering Threat for the rest. With this, you can save your Helmet Implicit for more useful stuff, like mana cost reduction or curse effectiveness.

Right now I’m using mana cost reduction because I’m running maps with lower recovery, so that’s why you see this mod on my helmet.

Also Read: How To Maximize The Power Of Perandus Pact Unique Jewel In Path Of Exile 3.24?

Perandus Pact

Through Necropolis League, we got a very cool new unique jewel, and it’s Perandus Pact. It can provide you with very useful statistics, such as passive skills within the radius giving +2 to all attributes.

Luckily I bought this for 100 Chaos Orbs before they raised the price and I’ve been using it ever since. This gem increases our Chaos damage by 126%. I know it’s quite expensive now, but it’s worth the price.

But now Path of Building does not support gem modifiers, which is why you will often see it in custom modifiers of Path of Building.

Secondary Source Of Damage

Our biggest and best multiplier comes from secondary sources using Ballistas. We can have 5 of these and they will help stack Wither on the boss, which will increase Chaos damage by 90% by default.

In addition, we also get an Ascendancy node, which will increase Wither effect and give us the opportunity to inflict Wither on the enemy. In short, our damage increases faster.

The other big damage increase is skill effect duration, as Spore Pods will stay in combat longer and deal damage for a longer duration.

Sadly, when you want to do hard content, you need to retool your chest or get a secondary one because you won’t be using Ballista.

How To Improve Clear Speed?

In order to increase the clear speed as much as possible, we use Caustic Arrow. When you fire your bow, this ability creates Caustic Ground where the projectile lands, dealing Chaos damage over time.

But because this skill alone is not suitable for clearing, we added Awakened Arrow Nova Support. With this combination, our clear speed will be much faster.

So when you’re mapping, just socket Caustic Arrow and Arrow Nova Support in your bow instead of Toxic Rain and Mirage Archer and you’re ready.

Toxic Rain’s clear speed is super fast, and it’s satisfying to see when everything disappears in a split second. You will get almost full screen coverage.

Please note that I only upgrade when doing Legion. I think this is a good indicator because with this clear setup the build is fast. Honestly, if I were to pick a build that I needed to compete in other games in the league, this would be my choice. Because you can use it to farm any side content without any problem.

But since I didn’t have enough time to Min-max this build, I actually lost about 60% of the damage here. This means you actually have a lot of room for improvement.

How To Achieve Perfect Defense?

On the defensive side, we have new defensive options for this build.

We can use Automation Support and link it to Immortal Call. Since gems often activate on their own, you can level up to Immortal Call’s highest level and get nifty extra defensive boots.

Don’t forget to get quality on Automation Support as quality is cooldown recovery rate. So it will be active more often.

Currently, we’ve converted 95% of physical damage to elemental damage. Including 50% from Lightning Coil. and 14% from helmets.

Additionally, I’m using Purity of Lightning in the build so I can use a Watcher’s Eye that converts 10% of physical damage to lightning damage. Since we have very high flask effectiveness, we also use Taste of Hate to increase elemental damage by 21%.

Since we treat 66% of physical damage as lightning, my use of Purity of Lightning will further reduce this damage. We also use all Elemental Flasks, including Topaz Flask, so our maximum lightning resistance is 90%.

If you want to push to ubers, you need to swap Grace Aura for Petrified Blood, or you recolor your gloves every time. This is definitely more annoying.

Gear Setup

Next, let’s take a look at some of the important items you’ll need in this build.

• Weapon: Quill Rain
• Helmet: Hubris Circlet
• Quiver: Broadhead Arrow Quiver
• Body Armor: Full Dragonscale
• Amulet: Agate Amulet
• Ring: Amethyst Ring
• Gauntlets: Dragonscale Gauntlets
• Belt: Heavy Belt
• Boots: Dragonscale Boots

Flask

For flasks, we use Ruby, Topaz, Sapphire, Quicksilver and Divine Life Flask. Note that all flasks require a mod: increased effect and reduced duration.

Be careful when you roll your flask, as there are many mods that combine these two, but the duration will be reduced even more, so your flask won’t have 100% uptime.

Additionally, Quicksilver Flask can provide regenerate life, which you will use for mapping. But when you get into a boss fight, don’t forget to change your Quicksilver to a Silver Flask with attack speed.

Passive Tree

Finally, as always, I’d like to highlight some things you need to build on a passive tree. For this build, we used Pathfinder as Ascendancy.

In the first lab, we took Nature’s Reprisal and leveled it with Toxic Rain, so this node was a game changer early on.

The second lab uses Nature’s Adrenaline to produce Flask Charges.

The third lab is Nature’s Boon. It reduces elemental damage taken by the player and provides 3 charges per flask every three seconds.

The last lab uses Master Surgeon. When you use a flask, it restores life and gives Flask Charges when you land a critical hit.

In short, Toxic Rain Pathfinder still did not disappoint me in Necropolis League. It’s still powerful and can handle anything the game has to offer, including Tier 17 Maps! So, hurry up and give it a try!

…

What are the essential addons for Season of Discovery Phase 3? Today, I’ll provide my recommendations on which addons I believe are crucial to have.

Nova World Buffs

The initial addon is called Nova World Buffs.

Its function is to monitor the current layer you’re on, which is then displayed at the top right corner of the minimap. Why is this feature crucial? It addresses the scenario where you might find yourself on a layer crowded with too many players, leading to excessive competition during quests or open-world farming.

To mitigate this issue, I employ a secondary account to invite me to a different layer. As observed, the player density significantly reduces upon switching to Layer 3. It’s advisable to seek assistance from someone in your guild or through world chat to invite you to another layer. However, it’s imperative that they also possess this addon for them to ascertain their current layer.

AtlasLootClassic

The following addon is AtlasLootClassic.

It’s crucial that it includes “Classic” in its name. Otherwise, you’ll miss out on viewing all the new loot introduced in Season of Discovery. This includes items updated in SoD Phase 3 and the newly added raids.

The primary reason I advocate for AtlasLoot is its capability to aid in mapping out your leveling path to level 50. Additionally, it assists in identifying the dungeons essential to focus on at maximum level to obtain specific items necessary for raiding readiness.

Questie

When leveling up, whether it’s your main character or any other character, acquiring Questie is highly recommended.

This addon serves various functions, including tracking quests, indicating locations to both obtain and turn in quests, as well as identifying flight points, mailboxes, repair vendors, and other useful points of interest. Not only does Questie facilitate faster leveling, but it also proves invaluable when new quests are introduced in Phase 3, potentially including those related to new profession items. These new quests will be conveniently displayed within the addon, greatly aiding your progress.

Moreover, Questie features a useful indicator within Nameplates and target portraits: a small bag. This bag serves to highlight whether an NPC needs to be defeated or if there’s an action required to fulfill a specific quest.

Additionally, it will display on your map, directing you to the precise location needed to complete the task at hand. Thus, installing Questie is highly recommended for smoother and more efficient leveling.

Better Vendor Price

Better Vendor Price provides information on the monetary value of a specific item in terms of copper, silver, and WoW SoD Gold if you opt to sell it directly from your inventory window, bypassing the need to visit the Auction House.

This feature proves beneficial in scenarios where my inventory is full, and I must discard items to make space for quest items. Additionally, it assists in selecting the most valuable reward from a quest.

Auctionator

I typically pair this with another addon called Auctionator.

When you search for specific items at the Auction House, Auctionator records their prices. This makes it easier for you to decide whether to sell the item to a vendor or list it on the Auction House for potentially higher profits.

Another reason I recommend this addon is its user-friendly buying and selling process. To sell an item from your bags, simply navigate to the selling interface and select the item. The addon will then scan for the lowest price and list your item slightly cheaper, ensuring you don’t significantly undercut others and maximizing your profit potential.

When making purchases, simply input the desired item, and the addon will streamline the browsing process. The cheapest available option will be displayed at the top, preventing you from overpaying for materials or items.

Bartender4

Would you prefer a cleaner user interface? Consider installing Bartender4. This addon enables you to personalize your action bars and hide elements you don’t wish to see.

Setting up Bartender4 is straightforward. Simply type “/bt” and press Enter. You can then lock or unlock your action bars and adjust various settings, such as size, scale, and padding. Navigate to the specific action bar you wish to modify, such as action bar one.

You have the option to disable individual bars or add more if needed for spells or macros. Additionally, you can customize elements like your reputation or experience bar, adjusting their size and enabling or disabling them as desired. For instance, I’ve chosen to hide my Blizzard Art Bar to declutter the UI, including elements like the Griffins.

With Bartender4, you can also resize your micro and back bars, offering extensive customization options to streamline your user interface.

DarkMode

Once you've addressed the previous issue, you might also consider installing DarkMode.

This addon alters the visual display, rendering everything significantly darker. This includes your target portrait, character portrait, action bars, spell book, and more.

And don't forget, you can adjust the positioning of your target portraits by right-clicking on them and dragging them to a more comfortable location.

Importantly, no additional addon is required for this adjustment. Simply right-click on the target portrait to make changes.

Also Read: WOW Classic SOD: Master These 8 Valuable Quest Items To Stack More Pre-Quests For Phase 3

Details

As you prepare for your initial raid, it's advisable to acquire Details.

This addon serves as an invaluable tool for monitoring not only your own performance but also that of your fellow raiders. It provides insights into metrics such as individual damage or healing output, as well as identifying issues like players standing in hazardous areas.

Utilizing Details enhances your ability to optimize raid performance by tracking various aspects critical to success.

Threat Plates

Some of you have suggested that I try out Threat Plates, and I'm genuinely pleased that I did.

I find it quite appealing. Firstly, the Nameplate feature significantly enlarges, with adjustable sizing options. Additionally, it now presents essential information such as remaining health and the duration of damage over time and crowd control effects.

I'm satisfied with my decision to explore Threat Plates, as I anticipate its continued use in the future.

CustomFontLoader

I suggested that you use the damage font Nice Damage, which we had previously discussed. I am aware, though, that some people might have trouble getting it to work correctly. I looked into it and came up with a solution in response.

The CustomFontLoader addon, which offers detailed instructions, can be installed. Additionally, you can customize how your damage or healing is displayed by installing new typefaces. I think this functionality is quite amazing.

AdiBags

Among the plethora of bag organization options available, my preference lies with AdiBags.

When acquiring a new item, it appears distinctively highlighted, similar to gray items but with additional hues of blue and green. Epic items, too, are showcased in vibrant colors. AdiBags facilitates easy categorization of items into armor, jewelry, and other classifications.

Furthermore, it offers automated sorting capabilities. A convenient feature is located at the top right corner, represented by a 'V' symbol, allowing users to toggle item visibility. For instance, if you wish to exclude quest items from display, you can easily do so by disabling them.

By entering '/adibags' in your command prompt, you can access the configuration menu. Here, you can adjust various settings, including the scale of your backpack, to tailor your bag organization experience to your liking.

What's Training

For increased efficiency, consider installing What's Training.

Within your spell book, you'll notice a new feature: a question mark icon located at the bottom right corner. Clicking on this icon reveals the abilities available for acquisition at every other level. This functionality prevents unnecessary visits to your class trainer in search of useful abilities.

This tool proves particularly useful while leveling in the open world, providing clarity on whether to continue progressing or return to your main city for training.

OmniCC & Bigdebuff

The following recommendation is intended for individuals interested in PvP or those playing classes with crowd control abilities. Consider installing OmniCC along with another addon called Bigdebuff.

Utilizing these two addons in tandem enhances functionality, allowing you to monitor crowd control effects and their remaining duration.

Additionally, this information is conveniently displayed on your action bars, providing clear visibility of cooldown times.

DeadlyBossMode

During raiding sessions, it's advisable to install Deadly Boss Mode.

This addon provides on-screen alerts for critical raid mechanics, ensuring you're promptly informed of important events requiring attention.

It also facilitates marking targets for focused action, such as designating enemies with a skull symbol, as demonstrated with this totem.

…

This guide covers everything you need to know to be ready for the league start of Path of Exile 3.24 Necropolis. This will go over the league mechanic and the core changes to the game.

Necropolis League Overview

The league appears relatively straightforward, although it’s essential to note that it cannot be disregarded or skipped.

In each zone, there are special haunted monsters. Undertaker Arimor, the league NPC, provides us with the Lantern of Arimor, which displays an icon at the entrance to new zones. Clicking on this icon reveals the affected monsters along with various modifiers. Hovering over these modifiers provides additional details such as density, pack size, abilities, and damage types. Arrow symbols indicate deviations from the normal pack distribution for quick reference.

Additionally, there are modifiers on the right column that can be adjusted to increase the difficulty of different monsters. These haunted mods have tiers that escalate with the zone level. Clearing these affected monsters in a zone enhances the likelihood of encountering devoted monsters in the next zone.

Devoted Spirits

Instead of making the monsters more difficult, certain modifiers grant various rewards, such as increased XP or the appearance of the Nameless Seer.

It’s crucial to understand that this process is unique to the campaign. In maps, devoted monsters spawn randomly based on pack size, typically around 3 per rare map.

Also, note that entering or resetting a zone via waypoint does not grant access to the lantern. Instead, it randomly selects modifiers for you.

Embers Of The Allflame

At some point, you’ll come across Embers of the Allflame, which can be stored in the designated space when you open the lantern.

These embers alter your monsters by exchanging them with a different mob possessing a specialized loot pool.

However, be mindful that the new mob will have the same pack size as the one it replaces. Since there is a monster level associated with these embers, hoarding them may not be advisable. Summoners also have the option to spectre slain Ember monsters.

Unresolved Anguish

When certain monsters are defeated, they may exhibit Unresolved Anguish. This triggers an interaction to summon the Undertaker, who will transport the body back to the Necropolis. In group play, the owner of the instance always receives the corpse, while each party member has a 50% chance to also receive it.

The Necropolis serves as the repository for all slain monster corpses, with a maximum capacity of 64. Upon reaching this limit, you must either click the Cremade icon or purchase an Empty Coffin for 1 Chaos Orb. This facilitates itemization and allows you to trade the corpses if crafting is not your preference. Each corpse carries a modifier to assist in targeting item modifications, though some amplify the effects of adjacent corpses.

Adjacent to the morgue are numerous open graves where corpses are interred to initiate the crafting process. You can utilize individual corpses or fill the cemetery, as all adjacent touching corpses are consumed upon activation. This process resembles fossil crafting, with multiple fossils in a large resonator. Before activating these bodies, you’ll be presented with a menu to specify the type of item you wish to craft.

Upon selection, the Undertaker initiates an unescapable dialogue, though it is abbreviated if fewer corpses are utilized. Alternatively, if crafting isn’t your forte, you can trade these corpses. Special named corpses of historical figures, when buried and activated together, yield some of the league’s unique items. Notably, The Perandus Pact Parismatic Jewel is particularly influenced by surrounding corpses.

In the endgame, once the lantern is opened for a map, it becomes untradeable. Additionally, 4 dispersed clusters have been introduced to modify the league mechanic on the Atlas Tree, providing a change of pace.

Changes To Atlas

The crafting aspect appears to be the main focus of complexity, but there are also significant core changes to note.

To streamline, here’s what you need to know: Affliction is not part of the core. All uniques, except the removed one, are now core drops. The Atlas has undergone significant changes, including the ability to unlock up to 3 labeled Atlas Trees.

Additionally, Seventh Gate is no longer accessible as map crafts, replaced by options unlocked through Atlas Bonus completion.

Wandering Path, Grand Design, and Growing Hordes have also been removed because nodes on the tree have been adjusted to grant you close to if not 100% chance to get the content you want. Sextant, Compasses and Master Missions have also been removed, the exception being Kirac.

Scarabs & Stacked Deck

Instead, their modifiers have been transferred to Scarabs.

These Scarabs now grant your Master Missions and various content modifiers based on their rarity rather than a tier. Each Scarab is limited, allowing some to affect a map up to 4 times.

Furthermore, strongboxes now feature a mini-map icon and can roll modifiers that grant Scarabs. Your fragment tab has been adjusted to accommodate the 109 Scarabs. When not stored in the fragment tab, they stack up to 20 along with Exalted Orbs, Divine Orbs, Instilling Orbs, Regal Orbs, and Stack Decks.

Regarding Stack Decks, drop rates have been reduced, while higher tier unique drop rates have been increased by up to 2.5 times. This adjustment is a result of Stack Decks and Divination or Strongboxes no longer granting boss drop uniques.

Also Read: Conquer Endgame Effortlessly With The Cost-Effective Detonating Dead Elementalist In POE 3.24

Uber Changes & T17 Maps

This leads to the topic of Ubers.

They are no longer accessible based on Atlas nodes. Instead, you must collect 5 fragments to access their fight. These fragments are obtained from a new set of 5 Tier 17 maps with more challenging modifiers, some of which are shared among all those maps, excluding the voided content.

It's important to note that not only are the modifiers challenging, but some of the mob types can also be uniques from the campaign, such as Brutus. The Tier 17 maps feature unique Uber fights from bosses encountered in the past, like the Citadel Map containing Uhtred, who can summon other Expedition bosses for assistance.

Uber fragments can drop from any Tier 17 map boss, but certain fragments are more likely to drop from specific map bosses. Additionally, many old uniques have been reworked and added to these drop pools. Upon completing one of these Tier 17 maps, your five-slot map device will unlock.

To obtain these Tier 17 maps, you'll need to grind out Tier 16s, with each socketed Voidstone increasing your chances per Voidstone. It's crucial to note that Tier 17 maps cannot drop Tier 17 maps, and certain maps can only drop specific Tier 17s. While affected by your Atlas Tree, these maps cannot be corrupted as they are unmodifiable.

New Gems

Additionally, they've introduced more transfigured skill gems.

3 new support gems have been included:

• Automation Support automatically triggers instant skills once they are off cooldown, albeit with an increased or added cooldown in the Mana multiplier.
• Call the Arm Support automatically activates your Warcry. However, it only supports one Warcry. Consequently, with these 2 automated features, instant skills cannot be bound to the left click anymore.
• Summon Sacred Wisps introduces a trigger-bot style effect that grants a chance to replicate wand attacks when they are executed, with the likelihood increasing when in proximity to rare and unique enemies.

Player & Ascendancy

The Soul Eater mechanic has undergone revisions for both players and monsters, now limited to 45 souls, each providing a 5% boost to cast and attack speed. Players lose one soul every half-second if they haven't gained a soul recently, typically occurring every 4 seconds. Additionally, monsters now receive 2% less damage per soul.

Unholy Might has been modified to offer 100% physical damage to chaos conversion and a 25% chance to apply on-hit.

Necromancers utilizing Instant Soft Left Mouse Button will find Bone Barrier granting minions a percentage of increased max life as extra energy shield, along with a portion of their damage leeched to the player's life. Mindless Aggression now provides more max life and increased damage.

Guardians will notice a reduction in the Sentinel's fire damage radius.

For other players, the Call to Arms has been replaced with Warlord's Call, which now grants warcries instead of exerting attacks. Warcries also extend their buffs to nearby allies.

Miners affected by the Left Mouse Button alteration receive compensation with a new Mastery allowing mines to detonate while in motion, although the Mastery providing 5% increased area of effect per mine has been removed.

Old Content Balance

Here are the miscellaneous changes:

Tormented Spirits now possess increased life to challenge Ghostbusters.

Cycling Damage Reduction has been replaced by Adaptive Resistances, causing monsters to develop resistance to their most frequently encountered damage type.

Stygian Spires are now immune to additional projectile modifiers on maps.

Archnemesis rewards no longer include options such as scarab or gem conversion, white sockets, duplicates, player XP boosts, or gem XP boosts.

For Essence harvesters, the highest tier for white maps is now Screaming, while for yellow and red maps, it’s Shrieking. Synthesised Maps are now only obtainable from T14 or higher map bosses, and Cortex maps are exclusively dropped by Synthesised map bosses or Maven’s Invitation: The Forgotten.

Invitations no longer drop after witnessing the corresponding monsters. Kirac offers a dialogue option to craft and open invitations. Betrayal bench crafts for quality exceeding 20% have been removed, and now Flasks can be evolved for a chance to gain plus or minus 10% quality.

Ruby, Topaz, and Sapphire Flasks no longer reduce damage taken. Instead, they provide maximum resistance and increased resistance. The Aisling Crafting Bench has been replaced by the Veiled Orb, obtainable only from Catarina, and the Vorici White Socket bench has been removed. Omens are reintroduced in Rituals, potentially replacing blanching. With these changes, Betrayal rewards are revamped to include specific Scarab rewards.

Following a map no longer causes it to become unidentified. Instead, more implicits can now be rolled.

Quality Of Life Changes

Here are the quality of life changes for Path of Exile 3.24:

• Identification is now possible for corrupted and mirrored items.
• Breach Hands automatically open when approached.
• The visual and auditory cues for Monsters Detonate Dead have been improved for better telegraphing.
• Uber Elder fragments can now be swapped between Shaper and Elder via Hotcrafting.
• Pressing the alt key on a map reveals the monster level.
• Holding control and left mouse button while using crafting currency repeats the effect until reaching maximum or exhausting the POE Currency.
• Control shift left-click transfers all stackable items from one trade window to another.
• Portals can now be opened with a keybind if a Portal Scroll is in the inventory.
• Upgraded Pantheon powers on one character are automatically unlocked for alternate characters in the same league, provided they have defeated the core god.
• Using a Divine Vessel in the corresponding map disables the Pantheon power for that character.
• Alternate characters may encounter old mechanics like the Locus of Corruption during the campaign as surprises.

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Crafting plays a pivotal role in advancing through the more challenging segments of Last Epoch. In this guide, we'll be examining a comprehensive crafting guide for this game. Let's begin without delay.

Crafting Basic

Let's begin with the fundamentals.

Pressing the 'F' key will bring up your crafting menu. You can select any piece of gear and bring it to the crafting menu or the forge.

Within the crafting menu, you'll find the tiers of affixes on your gear. Pressing the 'Alt' button reveals the tiers of your affixes. Each tier ranges up to five for normal items, with Exalted items being purple and rolling up to t6s and t7s. As you progress further into the endgame, prioritize seeking out purple gear, as they can roll higher affixes than normal gear.

During the campaign, keep an eye out for resistances, which play a crucial role in mitigating incoming damage. If you encounter a boss or situation requiring specific resistances and your gear lacks them, swiftly craft the needed resistances.

For instance, if you possess an amulet with only 7% lightning resistance, consider enhancing it on the fly to counter a lightning-intensive boss encounter.

Now, let's delve into crafting basics.

Each item has forging potential, dictating the extent of crafting you can perform. When leveling up an affix, the game informs you of the forging potential cost, typically ranging from 1 to 10. Once the potential reaches zero, crafting on the item ceases, though you can still shatter it.

Utilize Glyphs of Hope to enhance crafting outcomes. These glyphs grant a 25% chance of no forging potential cost, maximizing your crafting efficiency.

Suppose you have an amulet with desirable attributes like minion health and damage over time, but undesirable lightning resistance. This is where Glyphs of Chaos come into play, allowing you to reroll affixes.

As you progress, identify crucial affixes for your build. For example, if you specialize in fire damage, prioritize acquiring fire-related affixes. Rolling unnecessary affixes is costly and often not worthwhile. Of course, if you have enough Last Epoch Gold, you can ignore this point. Focus on refining your gear to suit your build's needs effectively.

Related: This Formidable Torment Warlock In Last Epoch 1.0 Deserves You Attention!

How To Hunt Specific Affixes?

Now, let's discuss the pursuit of specific and high-value affixes in Last Epoch.

Certain affixes hold greater value and importance, and it's crucial to keep an eye out for them. One significant example is the "percent increase to health" affix.

This affix provides a substantial boost to health, as demonstrated by its 6% increase. Upon further leveling of the gear, even greater health bonuses can be attained. However, I've currently exhausted my supply of shards for this increased health affix, necessitating the acquisition of more shards to enhance this chest piece further, potentially up to Tier 5.

Identifying essential affixes and incorporating them into your loot filter is imperative for efficient item acquisition. Let's illustrate this with an example: suppose we aim to improve a particular item by breaking it down.

If we stumble upon such an item, regardless of its rarity, we could employ either a Rune of Removal or a Rune of Shattering, depending on our priorities. The Rune of Removal is ideal for preserving affix tiers, returning a corresponding number of shards. For instance, if targeting health bonuses, utilizing this rune on a Tier 5 affix would yield five health shards, facilitating significant enhancements.

However, using the Rune of Removal involves a degree of randomness. In our demonstration, although we targeted health, we ended up depleting the forging potential without achieving our goal, emphasizing the need for careful consideration.

Conversely, the Rune of Shattering presents a more unpredictable outcome. It destroys the item, generating a random number of affix shards. While this method may yield desired results, it also carries a risk of obtaining fewer or even no shards, as seen in our attempt to improve the affix.

Ultimately, your approach depends on your immediate needs and the level of risk you're willing to accept. Utilizing Runes of Removal to secure specific shard quantities before resorting to Runes of Shattering can optimize your crafting endeavors. However, always exercise caution, particularly in the early stages of the game, where resources are limited and strategic decision-making is crucial.

How To Make A Loot Filter?

To prioritize these high-value affixes, it's beneficial to create a loot filter.

By pressing Shift + F, you can access the loot filter screen. Alternatively, navigate to your gameplay settings and manage the loot filter. Let's establish a new filter, naming it the xxx filter. Choose a symbol and designate it red for identification. Then, add a rule to designate certain affixes as high-priority.

To illustrate, let's prioritize health-related affixes, focusing on increased health and hybrid health over added health. Additionally, include movement speed and cooldown recovery speed, as they are universally beneficial for all builds.

With these conditions set, any item containing these affixes will be highlighted in red, making it easier to identify priority items amidst the clutter. For instance, we can now easily spot a belt with a 3% increase in health, indicating it's likely a tier one affix.

If such an item is encountered, and considering its low tier, using a shattering method to break it down may suffice, even if it doesn't yield the desired shards. For higher-tier affixes, such as tier three or above, employing a Rune of Removal may be necessary to acquire the desired quantity of shards.

That covers the fundamentals of crafting in Last Epoch. While there are numerous runes and glyphs to discuss, we'll touch on an advanced glyph known as the Rune of Ascendance.

The Rune of Ascendance transforms an item into a unique or set item of the same type. For example, applying it to a silver ring could yield any unique ring, regardless of its original type. This presents a fortunate opportunity to acquire desired legendaries for your build. Simply use the rune on a suitable item, such as a two-handed sword, to potentially obtain the legendary weapon you seek.

In summary, the Rune of Ascendance offers a strategic method to secure essential items for your build, albeit with an element of luck involved.

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Path of Exile 3.24, which introduces the Necropolis League, will include a new set of five Tier 17 maps. These maps are effectively Uber Maps, with a higher level of difficulty than standard endgame maps. They include bespoke mod pools and Uber versions of old bosses, giving players fresh challenges and encounters. However, there are five new (or rather, reworked) unique item awards that may only be obtained against these bosses.

The five new Tier 17 Uber maps are Ziggurat, Sanctuary, Fortress, Abomination, and Citadel. Each has a unique boss encounter and related item drop. Additionally, the Tier 17 maps are the primary source for collecting Uber Fight Keys, which are required to unlock high-level endgame content.

As the main emphasis of the guide centers around unique items, I will provide a concise overview of each of the recently revamped unique items. Following this, I will examine the potential locations and bosses from which they may drop.

Wraithlord Bone Circlet

The adjusted Wraithlord unique helmet now features four Abyssal sockets and offers a bonus of "+1 to the maximum number of spectres per socketed Ghastly Eye Jewel".

Additionally, it provides +(1-2) levels to all Minion Skill Gems, encompassing utility skills bearing the minion tag.

This enhancement significantly bolsters Pure Spectre summon builds, particularly during the initial weeks of a new league when acquiring top-tier minion helmets proves challenging.

Also Read: Toxic Rain Pathfinder Is Definitely A Good Helper For You To Run Lab & Heist In POE 3.24 Necropolis League!

Manastorm Fossilised Spirit Shield

Now, let's discuss the revamped Manastorm unique shield. It boasts updated and enhanced stats, along with a broader range of potential attributes, making high-quality rolls significantly more valuable.

The shield now provides (1-100)% increased Mana Recovery from flasks, grants 1 to 100 mana per enemy kill, increases maximum mana by (1-100), and boosts Mana Regeneration rate by (1-100)%.

Additionally, upon casting a spell, it consumes all available mana to gain supplementary maximum lightning damage equal to 50% of the sacrificed mana for a duration of 4 seconds. This bonus damage is applied universally and can even impact secondary damage types, such as Herald of the Thunder and explosion effects from various skills and POE Items.

The design concept behind Manastorm revolves around amassing substantial amounts of mana, which is then expended to obtain a significant damage boost for a brief period of 4 seconds. This shield exhibits exceptional synergy when paired with spell totems, traps, mines, or trigger effects like Cast on Crit, Cast with Damage Taken, or items such as Mjölner and Cospri's Malice, among others.

Notably, these actions do not trigger the shield's mana sacrifice mechanic. Utilizing Manastorm in this manner entails sporadic self-casting of spells, such as curses or debuffs, or perhaps instant spells like Molten Shell, particularly when confronting formidable adversaries or bosses, to activate the shield's mana sacrifice mechanic and thereby gain the associated damage enhancement.

The Dark Seer Shadow Sceptre

The following item to discuss is the revamped Dark Seer, which has undergone significant improvements.

It now bestows +2 levels to all Spell Skill Gems and introduces a universal 10% chance to Blind Enemies. Additionally, it provides immunity to Blindness for the wielder, while enemies afflicted with Blindness suffer from Malediction. Malediction, a debuff, causes affected enemies to incur 10% increased damage and deal 10% reduced damage.

The final two enhancements scale with character level: granting +(1-2) maximum mana per level and +(1-2) maximum Energy Shield per level. Given the existence of three different versions of the scepter previously, it's reasonable to assume we might encounter three distinct reworked iterations of this item as boss rewards.

One version might include the enhancements mentioned earlier: +(1-2) Mana per level and +(1-2) Energy Shield per level. Another variant may offer +(1-2) Life per level and +(1-2) Energy Shield per level, while a third version could feature +(1-2) Life per level and +(1-2) Mana per level.

Yoke Of Suffering Onyx Amulet

The fourth item to undergo rework is the enhanced Yoke of Suffering amulet, which underwent a subtle alteration. However, this alteration proves to be significant.

Now, it features the effect: "Enemies take (5-10)% increased damage for each type of element you have afflicted on them," essentially doubling this modifier, while retaining all other aspects unchanged. The elements encompass Ignite, Chill, Shock, Freeze, Sap, Brittle, Scorch, Bleed, and Poison.

Increased damage taken stands as one of the most potent damage multipliers in the game, directly amplifying any damage inflicted upon the enemy by its corresponding factor. Even if only a few ailments can be applied, there's a notable increase in damage potential with the right configuration.

Malachai's Mark Murder Mitts

Finally, we introduce the new Malachai's Mark unique gloves.

They now bestow, sequentially, a 10% chance on hit to acquire Endurance, Frenzy, and Power charges, with each sequence lasting for 6 seconds. This alteration holds significant potential for numerous builds seeking to emphasize different charge types. Players aiming to sustain charges should target a duration of at least 20 seconds, considering it takes 18 seconds for a complete cycle through all three sequences.

This enhancement brings to mind the Charge Mastery, offering an option for 100% increased charge duration. Additionally, the ascendancy notable "Unleashed Potential" provides a staggering 400% increased charge duration along with other benefits.

With the upgraded Malachai's Mark, we may witness the emergence of new discharge builds leveraging these gloves to swiftly accumulate charges.

Overview Of Drop Locations

Now, let's delve into drop locations and provide an overview of potential boss encounters. While some of the following details remain speculative and unconfirmed, others have been verified.

Citadel Map

The Manastorm unique shield may drop from Uber Uhtred, the ultimate adversary in the recently introduced Tier 17 Uber map, Citadel.

Uhtred, known as the Covetous Traitor, serves as the standard version of this boss encounter in Expedition Logbooks.

Ziggurat Map

The Wraithlord helmet is obtainable from Uber Catarina, the enhanced form of Catarina, Master of the Undead, originating from Betrayal.

It is highly probable that Uber Catarina serves as the final boss in the new Tier 17 Uber map, Ziggurat.

Sanctuary Map

The Dark Seer, a distinctive Shadow Scepter, embodies a Beyond-themed item.

In the Path of Exile 3.24 Necropolis content reveal video, we witness Lycia, Herald of the Scourge, summoning the Beyond Demon Lord, "Beidat, Archangel of Death," to her side. This strongly suggests that this is among the new boss encounters we will confront.

From a lore perspective, Lycia's pact with Beidat for immortality aligns with this encounter.

With the current information, it is reasonable to speculate that this encounter occurs in the new Tier 17 Uber map, Sanctuary.

Fortress Map

Moving on, we encounter the Uber Unbreakable in the recently introduced Fortress map.

This boss represents an enhanced iteration of the highest boss, the Unbreakable. Speculating on the potential boss-exclusive drop, it would seem fitting thematically for this boss to yield the Yoke of Suffering Onyx Amulet. Considering this engineered construct's origins with the Templar, who possesses an affinity for lightning, this conjecture holds weight.

Additionally, the item's flavor text, "Let the unrepentant be dragged ever downwards by the weight of their sins," resonates strongly with sentiments often associated with the Templar.

Abomination Map

Lastly, we are left with only one unique map and one unique item: the reworked and charge-themed unique gloves, Malachi's Mark.

These gloves are likely to be found in the new Abomination map, aligning well with the theme, particularly in light of the significance of Malachi in Act 4. While hints regarding the Uber boss or bosses for this map are scarce, potential contenders include Malachi himself or one of his disciples.

Another possibility is Piety, as seen in Piety, the Abomination, or even the Abomination monster type commonly encountered in the Belly of the Beast.

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