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Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred: Divine Lance Paladin Endgame Build - Easy Pit 110 Clear & Infinite Sustain
Divine Lance Paladin is not only incredibly fast to set up and fun to play, but also easy to pick up, making it the top choice for Paladin players looking to kick start their journey in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred.
Currently, this build can clear Level 110 of The Pit in under two minutes. It boasts not only exceptional survivability but also offers an incredibly satisfying gameplay experience. All you need to do is hold down your attack button and rampage through the map; you can zip through Diablo 4's zones with lightning speed.
If you are looking for a build that is both engaging and enjoyable, or if your stash is currently overflowing with various Strength-based gear, then Divine Lance Paladin build is absolutely worth a try!
Core Mechanics
The core mechanic of Divine Lance Paladin is Resolve Stacking. Divine Lance Paladin possesses an exceptionally tall cap of +12 Maximum Resolve stacks; this is achieved by combining the effects of GA with Masterworking. In Diablo 4, every single piece of gear you equip must feature this specific stat bonus.
Such a massive accumulation of Resolve stacks grants you astonishing defensive capabilities, allowing Divine Lance Paladin to tank virtually any incoming damage in the game. However, a word of caution: because you have invested significant resources into stacking Resolve rather than allocating them to stats like Maximum Life or Armor, your Divine Lance Paladin will become extremely fragile the moment you lose the buff provided by Resolve.
This is a particularly critical point to keep in mind if you are playing on Hardcore difficulty. Fortunately, the solution is quite simple: whenever you begin a new dungeon run in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred, simply activate your Fortress skill. In just about 1.5 seconds, your Resolve stacks will be fully replenished.
Gear
- Heir of Perdition
- Aspect of Glynn's Anvil
- Aspect of the Zealot's Covenant
- Tibault's Will
- Aspect of Interdiction
- Aspect of Redirected Force
- Crushing
- Ring of Starless Skies
- Light's Rebuke
- Revelator's Aspect
In Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred, the drop rates for Unique items are exceptionally high, allowing you to farm them almost continuously. You should be able to acquire the unique two-handed weapon, Light's Rebuke, with relative ease; it drops from bosses encountered during Tree of Whispers quests or while running Nightmare Dungeons in Diablo 4, making it a very accessible item to obtain.
Tibault's Will can completely resolve your Energy and Mana sustain issues. I recommend attempting to upgrade a pair of normal (white) pants in Horadric Cube to transform them into a Unique item; this method allows you to acquire Tibault's Will with relative ease, after which you can immediately equip and utilize it.
Thanks to Aspect of Glynn's Anvil, Divine Lance Paladin becomes incredibly durable. Aspect of Glynn's Anvil not only provides a massive boost to your defensive stats but also offers offensive benefits. Specifically, it grants you Fortress buff. When facing Diablo 4 Bosses or other formidable foes, simply activate Fortress skill; each stack provides a 4% bonus to your damage output, allowing you to instantly melt through enemies and secure lucrative Diablo 4 Items.
Skills
- Rank 15/15: Divine Lance
- Rank 15/15: Fanaticism Aura
- Rank 15/15: Defiance Aura
- Rank 11/15: Rally
- Rank 1/15: Falling Star
- Rank 1/15: Condemn
- Rank 4/15: Fortress
How should we utilize these skills in actual Diablo 4 combat? At the start of every new engagement, you must first cast Fortress to begin building up Resolve stacks. During combat, avoid mounting your horse, as doing so will cause you to lose any stacks you have accumulated. When facing Elite monsters or Bosses, be sure to promptly re-cast Fortress and Fanaticism Aura.
During battle, you can continuously and mindlessly spam Divine Lance while utilizing Falling Star for mobility. Activating Defiance Aura grants you Unstoppable status, thereby triggering the special effect of Tibault's Will. Cast Condemn approximately every 3 seconds to benefit from the movement speed buff it provides.
Once Fortress effect expires, immediately activate your Auras to trigger the effects of Resplendence during prolonged Diablo 4 Boss encounters. Ensure that you reposition or perform a stutter step at least once every 2 seconds to maintain the effects of Relentless. Falling Star serves primarily to ensure that you never run out of resources, while also providing some solid stat bonuses and damage boosts.
Runes
- Igni
- Ceh
- Bac
- Jah
This is a specific Rune configuration designed for boss encounters in D4. You must equip Bac Rune in conjunction with Jah. This specific Rune combination grants Divine Lance Paladin the ability to Teleport. Besides your innate Falling Star skill, you can now utilize Teleport to achieve even faster and more agile movement across the battlefield.
Furthermore, activating Teleport grants you Unstoppable status, which is invaluable for maintaining control over the flow of combat. You should strategically trigger this Unstoppable status at opportune moments to activate corresponding resource regeneration bonuses. Once these bonuses are active, any resource sustain issues you might face in Diablo 4 will be completely and permanently resolved.
By pressing Teleport key, your Diablo 4 character gains a powerful resource regeneration buff that lasts for a full 5 seconds. Defiance Aura and Fortress skills can also trigger this same effect; all these skills and Runes provide the benefits associated with Unstoppable status, granting you effectively infinite resources for the subsequent 5 seconds.
This means that in actual combat, you can largely ignore your resource bar, remaining fully stocked with resources throughout the entire engagement with no need to actively manage them.
Divine Lance Paladin achieves an exceptional balance across defense, sustain, mobility, and sheer visceral satisfaction. Not only is the barrier to entry for this build incredibly low, but it also allows you to experience a near-invincible, mowing down-hordes style of gameplay in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred. Don't hesitate - switch to this build immediately, hold down your attack button, and use your Divine Lance to tear through the map!
Diablo 4 DoT Damage Guide: Snapshotting, Stacking Logic, and How to Maximize Your DoT?
If you've ever hesitated between gear stats and Paragon points in Diablo 4 Season 13, or doubted whether you've truly maximized your damage output in actual combat, then understanding the underlying logic of DoT might be the key to unraveling this mystery.
Unlike direct damage, DoTs don't unleash their full power in a single attack; instead, damage is calculated gradually and accumulates subtly. To truly master this type of damage, you need more than just stacking gear; you need a clear understanding of how the mechanics work.
Grasping these mechanics will allow you to more accurately predict the damage output of Diablo 4 DoTs, providing a rational basis for gear state choices and in-game operations.
Features
By default, all DoT effects in Diablo 4 cannot crit, cannot apply overpower, and benefit from additive damage stats and damage over time.
A DoT effect triggers a damage check every 0.5 seconds; this single calculation is called a tick. The sum of all ticks generated during the entire DoT period equals the total damage value indicated by the effect.
For example, a DoT that deals 200 damage over 5 seconds will be broken down into 10 ticks in Diablo 4, each dealing 20 damage. This splitting method ensures stable damage output and provides a basis for subsequent stacking calculations.
Types
- Bleeding: Physical damage
- Burning: Fire damage
- Corrupting: Shadow damage
- Frostbite: Cold damage
- Poisoning: Poison damage
- Sparking: Lightning damage
Snapshotting
Snapshotting is one of the most crucial features of Diablo 4 DoTs. A portion of the damage bonus is locked by Snapshotting the moment DoT takes effect and remains unchanged throughout its duration. For example, if a Diablo 4 target is vulnerable for 2 seconds, and you apply an 8-second DoT during this time, each tick of that DoT will retain up to 20% of the vulnerability damage bonus. Even if the target's vulnerability disappears after 2 seconds, the bonus continues until DoT ends.
Classification
Based on whether the damage is tied to a specific target, Diablo 4 DoTs can be divided into two main categories: Targeted DoTs and Non-Targeted DoTs. Regardless of the type, Diablo 4 system uses a unified time unit to advance damage calculation.
Targeted DoTs
Targeted DoTs are effects directly applied to the enemy's status bar in Diablo 4, such as Flay, Poison Creeper, Fire Bolt, and Touch of Death. These DoTs deduct remaining damage over time, and the remaining damage can affect the benefits of other related skills.
When you repeatedly use the same Targeted DoT skill, the effect of subsequent casts does not exist independently, but is merged with the unresolved damage on the target. Diablo 4 system records the current remaining DoT damage and recalculates a unified DoT when an additional effect is added.
Assuming the base stats of a Targeted DoT are: each cast inflicts 100 damage, lasting 5 seconds. If 2 seconds have passed after the first cast, the remaining damage is 60. Immediately after casting a second DoT, Diablo 4 system adds 60 residual damage to the new 100 damage, generating a new DoT that deals 160 damage and lasts for 5 seconds. This new DoT overwrites the original remaining time and is dispersed at a rate of 16 damage per tick.
Mathematically, Diablo 4's targeted DoTs exhibit a decaying growth pattern. With each additional damage, the residual value of the old damage gradually decreases, so the total damage doesn't expand indefinitely but rather approaches a stable peak. This design preserves the benefits of your other skills and Diablo 4 Items while preventing uncontrolled damage.
Non-targeted DoTs
Diablo 4's non-targeted DoTs don't directly attach to the target but instead take effect by creating a damage area or continuously emitted damage waves. For example, skills like Firewall, Incinerate, Blighted Corpse Explosion, and Blight will periodically tick as long as the target is within the skills area of effect. This source of damage doesn't shift with target movement, and there's no concept of residual damage value.
The stacking logic of non-targeted DoTs is completely different. Because these effects are essentially damage sources rather than target states, multiple effects can coexist and operate independently. When an additional effect is placed on top of an existing one, their damage is directly added together.
This stacking method does not change the intrinsic properties of a single effect, nor does it have a total cap. The peak damage depends on how much you can make the effective windows of multiple effects overlap. Once casting stops, the damage diminishes with each stack, eventually reaching zero.
Tactical Implications
Diablo 4's merging mechanism for targeted DoTs means that continuous casting can continuously increase damage per tick, but the rate of increase decreases, making it crucial to accurately grasp the residual value changes after stacking. Non-targeted DoTs, on the other hand, require more precise positioning and casting rhythm. Because the damage is not target-bound, enemies lose damage input once they leave the area. Therefore, the effectiveness of these skills highly depends on area coverage and methods of restricting enemy movement.
In Diablo 4 Season 13 gameplay, you can maintain stable damage output through targeted DoTs while utilizing non-targeted DoTs to handle multi-target or mobile combat scenarios, thus building a more comprehensive and sustained damage output system.
Understanding the logic behind Diablo 4 DoTs not only helps you more accurately estimate damage output efficiency but also provides a rational basis for judgment in equipment selection and skill combinations. While damage over time (DoTs) doesn't have the immediate effect of direct damage, once you grasp its patterns, it often demonstrates astonishing cumulative power in prolonged battles.
What's Next for ARC Raiders after Expedition 4? | New Maps, ARC Enemies & Reward Changes Expected!
ARC Raiders just recently launched its latest Expedition 4 Update, and all players who decide to participate in this Expedition will experience this Reset. So, after this Expedition opens, what new content will players receive next?
This is still full of variables, but it won't last long.
According to ARC Raiders officials, the game will receive updates starting on May 12th, and every Tuesday thereafter. But what is certain now is that the next content update has been confirmed to be on the 26th.
In other words, the game updates before this may be some small changes, such as weekly store updates, and some other content additions and changes.
We can also see in previous adjustments that these contents will be similar to adjustments to the strength of Augment in the game, or changes to Weapon Durability.
Therefore, if nothing else happens, players will see the new ARC Raiders content on the 26th. Then, next, this article will help you sort out and predict the future development direction of games.
Review of recent updates
If you look back at the recent updates of ARC Raiders, you can find that it seems to follow a pattern: first a large update, then a small update, and so on.
Therefore, we believes that the upcoming monthly update may be more similar to the previous Flashpoint update and will have rich content, including the long-awaited new blueprints, new ARC enemies or new conditions.
As early as January of this year, we saw the official road map released by ARC Raiders, which pointed out the future development direction of the game for a third of this year.
But if you have been paying attention to this aspect, you will know that after entering May, the previous road map has become outdated, and the official has not released a new road map for a long time.
When will New Content arrive?
You can make speculations. In the near future, or even within a week or two, we are likely to see a road map again, indicating the direction of ARC Raiders updates in the next three to four months, giving everyone enough time to understand possible follow-up content.
It's been a while since we've had a big update like Riven Tides. So, in fact, we can assume that Riven Tides update is already a thing of the past for the game's officials.
Regardless of players' experience and feedback, official attention and interest in this version have entered a stage of decline. Their attention has now turned to new content, and they need time to fully prepare and promote the new content.
Therefore, this week naturally becomes the best window period. The current Expedition is more proof of this. During this period, players can focus on resetting their accounts, reaccumulating ARC Raiders items, and preparing for the next update.
Let us review for you players, before Riven Tides update was announced, players also experienced such a period. If this new content is also released according to this step, then we can well predict that future content updates may be carried out in this way.
It is undeniable that ARC Raiders officials do a pretty good job of keeping secrets, and they always like to bring unexpected surprises to everyone. When the last road map was released, it was only four days before Headwinds update. So this time, it is very likely to be the case.
In any case, the focus of all players this week is to complete Expedition, focus on Resets, missions, and Workbench. You can prepare ARC Raiders items for possible content updates.
What might new content include?
New Road Map
First of all, the new road map will definitely appear as soon as the official update news is released to fill in the outdated road map. And players generally reported that the information given in the last official road map was too vague and did not allow everyone to understand the detailed content.
Therefore, we believes that everyone can expect that perhaps in the new road map, there will be more detailed information, such as when new ARC Raiders items will be added, and in which update there will be new ARC enemies to meet players.
This kind of clear update content preview can also reduce players' speculation about possible update content, so that there will be no excessive expectations and subsequent disappointment.
New ARC Raiders Map
After this Riven Tides update, player feedback doesn't seem to be very good, and it doesn't live up to many people's expectations. Players have been waiting for months for this map, so any dissatisfaction will be magnified by this long wait.
ARC Raiders officials have discovered this problem and are likely already making preparations. As early as the first few months of this year, they have publicly stated that they are dissatisfied with the current game map and are planning to add larger and more diverse maps.
Previously, when Riven Tides update was released, some players found some clues in the updated game files that may represent new map.
Might include a cold map with chronic snow, and a new map with constant acid rain. These new maps will bring new ARC Raiders items for players to use, and there may also be some new game mechanics coming.
This most likely means that the official has a clear and ongoing plan to add more maps in subsequent updates, and the frequency of map updates will be increased, so there is no need to wait for a long time.
Adjustments to Reward System
You can observe that in this version, players are dissatisfied with the mission rewards of ARC Raiders.
Although many tasks allow players to unlock certain items, when players complete these tasks, the subsequent rewards do not change in any way, or in other words, these repeatedly unlocked items have almost no value to players.
Therefore, we can expect that ARC Raiders officials may make modifications to these in-game systems in subsequent updates so that players will not feel bored when playing the game content repeatedly.
No matter what, focus on Expedition 4 and get ready for the content update on May 26th. If you are following the latest content from ARC Raiders, hope this article can help you understand what may be coming next.
ARC Raiders Riven Tides Weirdest Easter Egg? Full Guide to Hotel Panorama Disco Room Puzzle!
It's been a while since ARC Raiders Riven Tides update, and recently, the game began its Fourth Expedition.
You might be all set for the upcoming content, eagerly awaiting its release. Or perhaps some raiders are already feeling a bit weary from the constant fighting and relentless raids.
So why not put down your weapons and complete Easter Egg the developers have included in this update: Hotel Panorama Disco Room Puzzle? It might offer a bit of relaxation for you or your friends amidst the intense ARC Raiders gameplay.
What is Hotel Panorama Disco Room Puzzle?
In Hotel Panorama of Riven Tides, there's a room that has puzzled many players—a derelict disco hall. It seems you could find a puzzle here, but no one has mentioned anything of value that can be obtained from it.
Yes, there is indeed a puzzle here, but unlike other puzzles, it doesn't reward you with specific rare ARC Raiders items or unlock a loot room. This puzzle offers no rewards, achievements, or experience points; its sole purpose is to be fun.
If you're a player who enjoys the fun puzzles and things in ARC Raiders, then this puzzle will definitely be to your liking. It might even give your teammates or opponents a little unexpected surprise.
What you need to prepare
If you want to show your friends this useless Hotel Panorama Disco Room Puzzle and see their reaction when all they get in return for their efforts is upbeat music and a constantly spinning disco ball; or if you want to create some funny video clips during gameplay...
Here are some things you'll need to prepare in advance:
- Batteries
- Wires
- Power Rods
- Speakers
- Voltage Converters
- Power Cables
- Electrical Components
Note that to complete this puzzle, it's best to prepare all the materials listed above beforehand.
This is because the materials required for the puzzle will randomly change within this list each time you enter a new raid, and you'll only know exactly which materials you need once you reach the destination.
Furthermore, it's strongly discouraged to search for these materials after entering the raid, as this not only makes you more vulnerable but also makes material acquisition highly unpredictable.
Therefore, to cope with this randomness, your best option is to prepare at least five of each possible material. Although each raid only randomly generates three required materials, to ensure you meet the puzzle's requirements, it's best to bring all of them.
This might take up a lot of space, so you can conveniently bring a friend along to enjoy the puzzle together. Alternatively, you can bring ARC Raiders items with the most Backpack Slots and try multiple times.
Where is Hotel Panorama Disco Room Puzzle?
To reach Disco Room in ARC Raiders, you first need to find the entrance to Hotel Panorama Azzuro on the east side.
If you are familiar with the map, go to the stairs on the east side of the hotel, enter the hotel from there, and turn left. You will immediately see the abandoned giant disco ball. The puzzle we need to solve is nearby.
It is highly recommended that you clear out ARC enemies around Hotel Panorama Azzuro before solving the puzzle.
This will not only prevent them from disturbing you while you are solving the puzzle, but also prevent them from attracting other raiders. Moreover, enemies lurking in this area usually have a good chance of dropping valuable ARC Raiders items.
How to solve it?
Once you have successfully found the location of the puzzle following the previous instructions, you will see that it is divided into upper and lower levels. You need to remember the locations of the three circuits that need to be repaired to solve the puzzle, and then repair the circuits in order.
First Circuit
After entering the hotel, walk along the balcony above. You'll easily find the first circuit; it will be indicated by special visual effects. It's interactive, and if you have the correct materials, you can repair it using the hints.
Second Circuit
After repairing the first circuit, jump down from the balcony on the right. You'll enter the disco. Search carefully; on the wall next to the stairs, you'll find the second circuit, which is sparking. Repair it as well, following the hints.
Third Circuit
Back in the disco, you'll see some tables and chairs. Keep walking forward until you find a black speaker; it's easy to spot. Go around to the back of the speaker, and you'll find the last circuit that needs repairing.
Start Disco
Once you've successfully found and repaired all three circuits, the rest is simple. Just return to the circuits in the same order and interact with them within the time limit to solve the puzzle and start the disco ball and music.
The only thing to be careful about is that when repairing the first three circuits, do not press the interact key again after using materials to repair them. This will start the puzzle's timer, which should be the last step.
If you accidentally activate it, you will fail Hotel Panorama Disco Room Puzzle. Any ARC Raiders items you used to repair the circuits will be wasted, and you will need to try again in the next run.
Is Hotel Panorama Disco Room Puzzle worth completing?
For players seeking high rewards, this puzzle might seem very uninteresting.
After all, completing it requires not only materials and time but also venturing into areas of Riven Tides with a high probability of player spawns and a high chance of combat.
And completing it offers no rewards—no achievements, no experience, and not even any proof to boast about to other players.
However, you still occasionally see this puzzle in ARC Raiders videos, and we can see different players, sometimes even strangers, sharing the music and lighting effects after completing it. This is precisely the charm of games like ARC Raiders; the players you encounter aren't necessarily enemies, although we usually assume that. They're actually just players like you, and it's perfectly acceptable to remain friendly.
Hopefully, this Hotel Panorama Disco Room Puzzle will help you relax amidst the intense gameplay of ARC Raiders.
Path of Exile 2 Martial Artist: Everything You Need To Know (5 Game-Changing Skills)
Path of Exile 2 will release Patch 0.5.0 - Return of the Ancients - at the end of this month. GGG revealed in a recent livestream that Patch 0.5.0 will introduce two brand-new Ascendancy classes. One of them, the new Ascendancy for Monk - Martial Artist - boasts incredibly creative and imaginative skill designs, offering immense potential.
However, if you're a new PoE 2 player, the sheer volume of terminology in GGG's livestream might have put you to sleep. What skills does it have? What makes it strong? How do you play it in practice?
Today, I will provide a detailed introduction to Martial Artist.
Core Skills
To understand Martial Artist in PoE 2 Patch 0.5.0, you first need to understand its four core skills:
- 1. Hollow Form Technique
- 2. Hollow Resonance Technique
- 3. Runic Meridians
- 4. Way of the Stonefist
Hollow Form Technique
Hollow Form Technique is the signature skill of Martial Artist in PoE 2 Return of the Ancients and is the core of the entire gameplay. You can select an attack target around you and create several mirror images of yourself near the target.
These clones, once created, will immediately copy a pre-set attack skill, attack your target, and then quickly disappear. This mechanism is very similar to General's Cry in PoE 1.
However, this powerful attack naturally comes at a cost. The number of clones is limited, their attack speed and damage are reduced, and the energy cost of the skill is increased accordingly. However, you can create two more clones by using Power Charge.
Hollow Resonance Technique
Martial Artist's second powerful skill is Hollow Resonance Technique, a very interesting damage-enhancing mechanism. Using this technique, you can attach ghostly bells to your back.
When you land a Critical Hit on an enemy with another skill, the ghostly bell on your back automatically emits a powerful sound wave towards surrounding enemies, dealing area damage. This skill significantly increases your attack power without putting any burden on the player.
Runic Meridians
The third skill for Martial Artist in PoE 2 Patch 0.5.0 Return of the Ancients, Runic Meridians, balances character build depth with defensive stat boosts. It's a passive skill, but very practical, allowing you to socket more runes into various equipment slots.
Specifically, it provides up to 5 additional rune slots: 1 for the head, 2 for body armor, 1 for gloves, and 1 for boots. While these extra runes may seem insignificant, their value is immense in the late game when building your own build.
Way of the Stonefist
This is also a powerful passive skill. Way of the Stonefist changes the base type of your equipped gloves to Fists of Stone and directly enhances all existing modifiers on the gloves.
Judging from GGG's livestreams, the enhanced glove modifier values are astonishing. More importantly, GGG doesn't seem to mention whether this transformation applies to Unique Items, such as PoE 2 Hand of Wisdom and Action.
If it does, the potential power of this build will far exceed expectations. After all, high-quality unique gloves come with powerful special modifiers, and with the amplification from Way of the Stonefist, their strength is unimaginable.
If you don't have Hand of Wisdom and Action or other Unique Items, you can obtain them by defeating Pinnacle Bosses or by trading with other players using Path of Exile 2 Currency.
Reason for its Strength
Having understood Martial Artist's skills, the next question is, why is it so powerful?
This brings us to a famous Keystone Passive in PoE 2 Patch 0.5.0 Return of the Ancients - Hollow Palm Technique. When combined with Martial Artist's various skills, it greatly enhances Martial Artist's combat capabilities.
If you are new to PoE 2, you may not be familiar with Hollow Palm Technique. Specifically, its effect allows you to deal high damage "bare-handed": as long as your character is unarmed, all your Quarterstaff skills can be used normally as if you were wielding weapons.
Furthermore, in this state, your attack speed receives an additional bonus based on your Evasion Rating, with every 75 points of Evasion Rating providing a 1% attack speed bonus; your critical strike chance also receives an additional bonus based on your Energy Shield, with every 10 points of Energy Shield providing a 1% critical strike chance bonus.
Therefore, the core of Hollow Palm Technique is to encourage players to maximize their Evasion Rating and Energy Shield, maximizing the benefits of attack speed and critical strike chance. Martial Artist's Runic Meridians skill allows players to socket multiple runes into their equipment, making it easy to maximize these two attributes.
Of course, if you don't have such powerful runes, you can trade them with NPCs or other players using Path of Exile 2 Currency.
Furthermore, Martial Artist's Way of the Stonefist provides a significant stat boost to gloves, while Hollow Palm Technique enhances unarmed attacks. These two skills work together to allow players to easily deal high damage.
Gameplay Guide
Now that you understand the basic mechanics of Martial Artist in PoE 2: Return of the Ancients, let's look at some practical playstyles based on these mechanics.
First, you can use Hollow Form Techniques to create clones and utilize them in attacks.
Simultaneously, you can combine this with core talents like Unwavering Stance to become immune to enemy stun abilities, while maintaining high health and armor stacking.
Add some powerful PoE 2 Unique items, such as Mageblood - which permanently grants buffs from potions on your belt, further enhancing survivability and damage output.
In this gameplay, players can use a single key to control their clones, remaining almost immune to all damage while the clones unleash devastating attacks.
This concludes my detailed introduction to Martial Artist in PoE 2 Patch 0.5.0 Return of the Ancients. It's a very interesting and powerful Ascendancy, and we should see many Martial Artists in dungeons when Patch 0.5.0 is officially released. In short, I hope this guide has been helpful.
Why ARC Raiders Lost 50% of Its Players in Just Six Months?
In 2026, the shooting game market has long since moved beyond simply pursuing the thrill of gunfights. It has begun to explore elements such as survival, tactics, and teamwork. ARC Raiders was initially one of the most impressive titles in this wave.
ARC Raiders debuted in October 2025, attracting a large player base with its revolutionary gameplay design. However, less than six months later, its popularity plummeted from a peak of nearly 500,000 concurrent players to only about 10% of its former level.
Even after Riven Tides Update, its player count never returned to its peak. Why?
Awkward Update Speed and Boring Content
It all started at the beginning of 2026. After Embark launched its Cold Snap winter-themed event, Embark entered a month-long "silent period" - at the start of 2026, when ARC Raiders players were desperately craving new content, they didn't release any new information for three consecutive weeks.
When they finally made a move at the end of January 2026 with Bird City event, players found it to be a complete farce - instead of fighting new Arc enemies, players were simply rummaging through empty rooftops and abandoned chimneys. The thinness and repetitiveness of the content were laughable, and the game's popularity plummeted.
The subsequent ARC Raiders Shrouded Sky Update was even more tedious. While Embark introduced a new element - the map condition Hurricane - its gameplay was virtually identical to Cold Snap, except that the "health continuously decreasing" mechanic was replaced with a more subtle "shield continuously decreasing" mechanic. Many players felt this was simply blatant reuse of existing assets.
What angered players even more was the serious bugs plaguing ARC Raiders at the time. For example, when encountering Hurricane on the map, players could easily loot high-value Arc Raiders Blueprints. This allowed many players to exploit the bug to obtain large amounts of Blueprints, even creating multiple accounts to farm them, ultimately causing a severe devaluation.
These problems not only tested players' patience but also eroded the game's credibility in their eyes.
PvPvE Mechanism Malfunction
Another significant reason for ARC Raiders' declining popularity was the malfunctioning PvPvE mechanism. Embark's strategies for catering to different player groups contained fundamental logical contradictions.
For instance, the game featured a PvE-friendly matchmaking mechanism, intended to alleviate new players' fear of PvP duels with significant skill disparities, allowing them to farm resources safely against ARC enemies in an environment with minimal risk of being attacked by real players.
However, this adjustment precisely removed the game's core appeal. When you choose solo matchmaking, you can avoid encountering any PvP players for extended periods. When you finally get shot, your first reaction will likely be anger and bewilderment: "Why would a normal person prepare for this? I've played ARC Raiders for dozens of hours and never been attacked."
Furthermore, new players might assume they won't encounter PvP players and confidently bring powerful ARC Raiders items, only to have those weapons looted by PvP players if they get attacked.
The real irony lies in the fact that this "newbie protection" matchmaking mechanism is fractured: if you want to play with friends online, PvE friendly matchmaking completely fails, leaving you constantly at risk of being ambushed by enemy squads.
In addition, this mechanism creates conflict between PvE and PvP players, and because the problem remains unresolved, the tension between the two sides is escalating. When players are constantly embroiled in disputes and conflicts on forums, it becomes difficult for them to simply enjoy the game itself.
Disappointing Riven Tides Update
Embark released the most anticipated update for ARC Raiders in 2026 at the end of last month - Riven Tides Update. However, contrary to many players' expectations, Riven Tides Update isn't as fun as anticipated.
First, while designed as a three-star difficult map, its design flaws significantly increase its difficulty in practice. The open map is filled with Bastions, Rocketeers, Vaporizers, and the new ARC enemy, Turbine. The unreasonable number of these ARC enemies makes Riven Tides a "new player killer."
And what about veteran ARC Raiders players? Turbine's characteristic is its slow descent from the sky; its speed is very slow. Therefore, when veteran players face it, they only need to find Turbine's well-known weakness, throw a few grenades, and the battle is over instantly. Turbine offers them nothing new.
Secondly, Riven Tides gameplay loop is extremely boring. Players must don bulky Metal Detectors and traverse vast beaches, following faint audio cues in an attempt to dig up a tiny, laughably insignificant item, all while enduring the constant threat of being ambushed by enemy ARC.
The reward for all this effort is pitifully low - most of the time you only get something worth a few coins.
Furthermore, Riven Tides suffers from other design flaws: for example, the extraction mechanics are severely unbalanced, with an unprecedentedly low number of extraction points. While most maps have at least four extraction points, Riven Tides only has two, spaced a mere 100-200 meters apart.
Even more tragically, Riven Tides' terrain is incredibly open. When attempting to extract, you're faced with a desolate, undefended area, offering virtually no cover from the relentless enemy fire. This extremely illogical terrain configuration leads to inexplicable and utterly defenseless deaths. Many players, after experiencing this frustration, simply abandoned the map altogether.
Regardless, as a fan and player of ARC Raiders, and as a consumer of the game, I sincerely hope that Embark will take these issues seriously and provide players with a better gaming experience.
Helldivers 2 SMG-203 Gallant Guide: The Only One-Handed Medium Penetration SMG
In Helldivers 2, SMG-203 Gallant can be unlocked on the first page of Exo Experts Advanced Warbonds for 35 medals. It's a special variant of MP-98 Knight, sacrificing some single-shot damage for moderate armor penetration (AP3) and a longer barrel, increasing its muzzle velocity to 450 m/s.
Its appearance and mechanical design are inspired by the classic FN P90; both are compact bullpup submachine guns with top loading, downward ejection, and a futuristic warfare aesthetic.
Most importantly, SMG-203 Gallant is the only submachine gun in Helldivers 2 that can be operated with one hand while possessing moderate armor penetration - a completely new tactical combination. Let's analyze its attributes, compare its strengths and weaknesses, and see what role SMG-203 Gallant should play in your arsenal.
Advantages
SMG-203 Gallant boasts a top rate of fire and moderate penetration, making it particularly reliable against Automatons. It quickly and effectively eliminates mobs, and is superior to other SMGs in dealing with Illuminate enemies.
SMG-203 Gallant is also very effective against Veracitors and Gatekeepers. Against enemies like Scout Striders and Berserkers, a single headshot is enough to eliminate them because of its incredibly high rate of fire.
Its short bursts prevent you shooting at dying targets. Full-auto fire is best reserved for targets with high health, high durability, and low armor, such as Fleshmobs and Chargers.
Like most SMGs, SMG-203 Gallant is also one-handed, allowing you to carry other Helldivers 2 Items in your off-hand while holding the weapon in your primary hand. This allows SMG-203 Gallant to be used with SH-20 Ballistic Shield.
You can also carry important mission items, such as SSSD Hard Drive in Retrieve Valuable Data missions, or High Value Sample found in Fortresses in Super Helldive Difficulty.
Compared to MP-98 Knight, Gallant rifle also has a slightly higher muzzle velocity of 450 m/s, giving it a slight edge in long-range engagements.
Also Read: Helldivers 2: Hotfix Patch, Monetization Rework, and Ammo Types Teased - Full Developer Response
Disadvantages
In Helldivers 2, SMG-203 Gallant shares the same disadvantages as MP-98 Knight and AR-23P Liberator Penetrator: high ammo consumption; you can empty your magazine in just two seconds.
The high rate of fire means most bullets either hit already dead targets or miss entirely, and SMG-203 Gallant's greater recoil exacerbates this.
Furthermore, each bullet only deals 65 damage. If you want to quickly eliminate enemies, you have to empty your magazine. Killing a scout in Helldivers 2 consumes about 30% of a magazine, and reloading after running out of ammo is a real hassle.
This is especially true when facing fast-moving Bugs and swarms of enemies. SMG-203 Gallant is particularly disadvantageous against the new Bugs, as killing them will accelerate the movement of other Bugs, requiring you to use additional items to complement the weapon.
Most importantly, I feel this gun's role in Helldivers 2 is unclear. While it has its unique utility - it's a fast-firing one-handed AP3 weapon, which is certainly good - there aren't any specific enemies in Helldivers 2 that require it, and it can be easily replaced by other weapons.
If you need ammo with medium penetration, Reprimand is a better choice; it has higher power and more efficient ammo. If you encounter situations where you need to empty your magazine, you can choose Knight.
If you want a submachine gun with medium penetration, you can choose Reprimand. If you want a one-handed weapon, you can choose Stoker. SMG-203 Gallant lacks a specific enemy type of counter.
Attachments and Equipment
Regarding SMG-203 Gallant upgrades, I recommend using a Vertical Foregrip, paired with a Compensator and an extended magazine. The gun's initial Ergonomics is 75, which isn't very high, and the extended magazine further reduces it by 15. However, even with the low Ergonomics, SMG-203 Gallant's bullet spread is very concentrated, which is sufficient for use.
If you don't want to equip Compensator but want to slightly improve your Ergonomics, you can choose Muzzle Brake and Flash Hider, but both will significantly increase your vertical recoil. If you don't equip Vertical Foregrip, and the barrel doesn't have underbarrel, your bullet spread will be more concentrated, but the recoil won't be ideal.
I believe SMG-203 Gallant's strength lies in its instant-fire capability and the need for reduced recoil. Therefore, Compensator paired with Vertical Foregrip is the optimal choice, maximizing SMG-203 Gallant's potential.
In addition, this gun requires a larger magazine capacity, making an extended magazine necessary. For ample ammo, carrying B-1 Supply Pack is essential. You can also equip Reinforced Epaulettes, which provide a 30% reload speed bonus, allowing you to unleash ammo faster and boosting your DPS. Siege-Ready armor passive is highly recommended, as it compensates for ammo shortages and helps maintain ammo levels for SMG-203 Gallant.
While SMG-203 Gallant's ammo consumption is astonishing, it hasn't yet found a truly fitting role in Helldivers 2. However, its unique selling points are undeniable, promising a thrilling shooting experience. If you're looking for a novel experience, Gallant is definitely worth considering.
Torchlight Infinite SS12 Build Tier List: Sage is the New Meta! Complete S-D Hero Rankings for Lunaria
Unlike the class systems common in traditional games of this genre, Torchlight: Infinite features heroes as classes, further subdivided based on different characteristics, or what could be called subclasses, resulting in a wide variety of unique gameplay styles.
Now, we're in Torchlight: Infinite season 12, Lunaria. For most players, in a game where the core motivation is to improve character strength and reach a high enough level as quickly as possible within the season to efficiently acquire Torchlight Infinite flame elementium, a reliable character strength ranking is essential at the start of such a season.
Below, we'll categorize and rank all characters in the game according to their strength, from S-tier to D-tier. Get ready to choose the Torchlight: Infinite Lunaria hero that suits you.
S-Tier Classes
Sage
Sage is an outstanding and noteworthy new hero this season. She can create incredibly powerful top-tier builds through flexible skill combinations. Combining different Elixir Skill Effects, Mana Recovery, Life Recovery, and damage bonuses will greatly help players smoothly complete the game and quickly reach the endgame. If you have enough flame elementium, she is a hero worth investing significant resources in.
Rosa 2 (Unsullied Blade)
Rosa 2 continues to hold a leading position in Lunaria season with her strong presence. Although she has suffered some nerfs, her Mana Stacking and Mercury mechanic still qualify her as a top S-tier hero for early game progression.
Gemma 2 (Frostbitten Heart)
She hasn't received many changes this time. Her ability to deal massive damage and quickly eliminate enemies over a wide area still makes her a valuable addition to the early game progression this season. And she also possesses a very powerful ability to quickly acquire flame elementium.
Carino 2 (Lethal Flash)
Has received a significant buff after his rework. This update includes the ability for Projectiles to automatically return, changes to some skills, and a new mechanic that consumes ammo but deals more damage, further enhancing his hero strength.
Youga 2 (Spacetime Elapse)
Youga remains an S-tier hero as League Starter. Recent updates, including Lunaria and Twisted Spacetime, have further increased his hero strength.
Rehan 2 (Seething Silhouette)
He offers flexible and highly versatile gameplay. If you have a unique understanding of his kit, you can achieve excellent performance with his Berserk.
Erika 1 (Wind Stalker)
Erika 1 boasts the highly desirable high movement speed and bonus attack power, providing a very enjoyable early game experience and impressive endgame performance.
Erika 2 (Lightning Shadow)
She boasts a variety of popular buffs, and combined with her Critically Strike with Feline Figure, she often provides a surprisingly enjoyable experience during progression.
Erika 3 (Vendetta's Sting)
Erika 3 is a great choice for melee-focused Classes players, making her a top pick for progression. Combined with her Vendetta and inherent ability to deal extra damage, she can easily and naturally output significant damage.
A-Tier Heroes
Iris 1 (Growing Breeze)
Unlike before, when 40 stacks of Nourishment were needed to reach Full Bloom, Iris 1 (Growing Breeze) now only requires 10 stacks of Nourishment to reach Full Bloom with Spirit Magus. This undoubtedly gives her the ability to reach Full Bloom much faster. Furthermore, her Spirits have been buffed, making her a good choice as League Starter.
Iris 2 (Vigilant Breeze)
She is a more well-rounded and balanced option. Thanks to her Rock Magus, and with her Traits buffs, she might be a better choice as your League Starter than Iris 1.
Thea 3 (Blasphemer)
Thea 3 also applies Desecration to herself in Lunaria season, buffed Erosion Damage and her unique kit—which deals massive damage based on Desecration ability—make her quite strong in the endgame.
Gemma 3 (Flame of Pleasure)
She also received many buffs in the Lunaria version. The extra damage from her summons increases with the duration of Purgatory, making her a good character as your League Starter.
Carino 3 (Zealot of War)
Carino has undergone several changes, but if you have a unique understanding of build combinations, he's still a suitable early-game hero capable of dealing significant damage.
B-Tier Heroes
Youga 1 (Spacetime Illusion)
He hasn't undergone any major changes; if you're used to using him as your early-game hero, he's a suitable choice.
Selena 1 (Sing with the Tide)
Selena has a good kit, and her Tide effect has been somewhat enhanced, but her weak endgame completion ability makes her not a top choice for early-game progression in Lunaria.
Rehan 1 (Anger)
Rehan has lost some of his previous popularity; while he still has good damage output and a unique skill mechanic, he's clearly not the first choice this season, but you can try him if you like.
Rosa 1 (High Court Chariot)
Benefits from her Holy Domain ability, giving her excellent and powerful buffs in the game. She was a good choice in previous seasons, but hasn't received significant buffs in this Lunaria season, making her less competitive compared to other heroes.
Thea 2 (Incarnation of the Gods)
Thea 2 has been reworked. The developers have made significant adjustments to her abilities and added some new Traits. If you're curious about these changes, Thea 2 is also a decent character choice.
Thea 1 (Wisdom of the Gods)
This hero heavily relies on your use and configuration of her Divine Blessings. To achieve high buffs, you must efficiently and consistently acquire Focus Generation to support your poke, resulting in decent damage output.
C-Tier Heroes
Gemma 1 (Ice-Fire Fusion)
She possesses Cold and Fire skills and the massive damage they provide, there are many comparable characters available in the late game of this version.
Moto 2 (Charge Calling)
He has received a slight buff in combat and boasts equally impressive damage output, his gameplay is too mediocre and one-dimensional, so it's unfortunate that he only ranks at this level.
Moto 1 (Order Calling)
Moto 1 Suffers from the same problem as Moto 2, remaining in an awkward, non-mainstream position among all available heroes. Players always have better options.
Bing 2 (Creative Genius)
Whimsy Essence mechanic gives him some damage potential in the early game, but in the late game of the season, he still struggles to compete with the heroes mentioned above.
D-Tier Heroes
Carino 1 (Ranger of Glory)
He has not received any major adjustments and did not receive much attention in previous seasons. Perhaps choosing his other variants would be wiser and more in line with the trend of Lunaria.
Bing 1 (Blast Nova)
Unfortunately, neither of his variants has sufficient appeal, neither in gameplay nor in damage output. Clearly, players have better options. Developing him to a truly powerful level requires a significant investment of flame elementium.
For your convenience, the above class tier rankings are summarized below.
Tier:
- S-Tier: Sage, Rosa 2, Gemma 2, Carino 2, Youga 2, Rehan 2, Erika 1, Erika 2, Erika 3
- A-Tier: Iris 1, Iris 2, Thea 3, Gemma 3, Carino 3
- B-Tier: Youga 1, Selena 1, Rosa 1, Rehan 1, Thea 2, Thea 1
- C-Tier: Gemma 1, Moto 2, Moto 1, Bing 2
- D-Tier: Carino 1, Bing 1
As we all know, the first step to playing Torchlight Infinite Lunaria is choosing a hero. Therefore, this article aims to help you with your hero selection in the new season, helping you find a strong hero, or one you like, and begin your Torchlight: Infinite SS12 Lunaria journey.
How to Get Powered Descender in ARC Raiders Fast? – Blueprint, Crafting & Tips
Statistics show that fall damage causes players to fail raids far more often in ARC Raiders than against any ARC enemy, a situation that has been widely complained about. Therefore, the developers have effectively addressed this issue by adding Powered Descender in the recent Riven Tides update.
Equipping it before jumping from a rooftop or tower will slow your descent, allowing for a safe landing. However, obtaining its blueprint requires some targeted searching, and crafting it requires a specific level crafting table and two components.
This article will guide you through the details of the new Powered Descender in ARC Raiders, helping you acquire and use it more quickly.
Item Usage Mechanics
Powered Descender is a useful device that slows your descent when jumping or falling from a height. However, the device requires a charging time to activate, so you need to deploy it before jumping, not during the fall.
If the energy runs out while you are still falling, the device will deactivate, and you will take normal fall damage for the remainder of your fall. Therefore, always plan your descent carefully before jumping.
Additionally, please note that Powered Descender has a limited charging time. If you jump from an extremely tall building, the device may lose power before you land. Please test it on a lower building first to familiarize yourself with the charging time.
How to obtain Blueprint?
Like all other Blueprints in ARC Raiders, ARC Raiders Powered Descender Blueprint does not have a fixed spawn location. This means you will need to rely on the random drop of containers, rather than being guaranteed to get it from chests.
However, currently, Hotel Panorama Azzurro, located in the western part of Riven Tides map, is the most popular drop location for this Blueprint. The hotel's compact layout allows players to find various types of containers within a limited space. Since the game update, players have consistently found Powered Descender Blueprints there.
If you want to acquire Powered Descenders faster, the following three strategies can significantly increase your Powered Descender Blueprint drop rate. Let's take a look:
After landing, prioritize areas with higher item drop rates. Night raids double the drop rate for all blueprints. If time permits, try to go during night raids.
You can carry Dockmaster's Detector, which will reveal normally invisible buried containers in the sand. These containers may contain Powered Descender Blueprints.
You don't need to empty Hotel Panorama Azzurro every time. Attack the higher-level Raider Containers and Commercial Lockers first, then evacuate. Repeat this process during multiple raids to improve efficiency instead of spending the entire game time in one building.
How to craft?
After the blueprint is in your inventory and you've safely evacuated, return to Speranza and open your crafting station. Powered Descender is crafted at Utility Station, but only if you upgrade it to level 3. If your Utility Station level is lower than this, you'll need to upgrade your station to unlock the recipe, as lower-level stations won't offer this option. You can prepare for this in advance.
The two materials required to craft this item are a Power Rod and a Turbine Compressor. Theoretically, a Power Rod can drop as loot, but its drop rate is extremely low, making it very rare. Don't rely on luck to find it; crafting it at Refiner is a more reliable method. Turbine Compressor is an epic item that can be obtained by searching destroyed Turbines, or you can choose to defeat them directly.
Both materials are related to Riven Tides map in this update, which may require some exploration. Therefore, expect to spend some time collecting components on the map.
How to use it effectively?
This device is one of two new items added in Riven Tides update, adding a new member to Utility Item, but most Raiders haven't yet mastered its efficient use. Next, I'll explain in detail how to effectively use Powered Descender.
Because this device requires a short charge to activate, you need to activate it before jumping off the edge. Players who activate the device after jumping often find that the charge is insufficient, providing only partial protection.
Here are some operational tips for your reference:
- Activate the device at the edge of the platform, that is, before jumping, wait for the charge to complete, and then jump.
- When you are on a tall building, it is recommended to use stairs or ropes to reach the upper level, using Powered Descender only on the final part of the descent.
- The device has a limited number of charges, so if you are on a top floor, you need to plan your route carefully and avoid jumping blindly.
- For lower buildings, Powered Descender is very convenient to use, allowing you to completely bypass stairs and save time in tense and exciting raids.
This concludes the article on how to obtain and use the new item Powered Descender, in ARC Raiders. We hope this information helps you acquire the item more quickly and apply it in actual combat.
How to Beat Urivar in Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred? – Full Mechanics & Rewards Guide
Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred expansion launched on April 27th, and many players are undoubtedly eager to experience it. Lair Bosses have always been one of the most reliable ways to obtain key equipment. All bosses can be challenged without consuming any resources. If you defeat them, you can use a Lair Key to open their treasure vaults and obtain a large amount of loot.
This article will show you how to defeat Urivar in Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred.
About Urivar
Urivar is content from Lord of Hatred expansion; you can only challenge him if you own the expansion pack.
Urivar is a Lair Boss with unique loot drops. To obtain the rewards, you need to overcome various mechanics to defeat him. You can adjust your world level to make the fight easier or more challenging. However, higher Torment difficulty will reward you with better loot.
After defeating Urivar, you will need a Lair Key to open his treasure chest. This key can be obtained through various endgame events, such as War Plans and Helltide.
Before challenging the boss, you need to choose a suitable build: please select a build with strong area control and survivability.
Boss Mechanics and Tips
Urivar and his knights deal mixed fire, lightning, and physical damage. If you cannot reach the 70% fire resistance cap, use Elixir of Fire Resistance II to break through your resistance cap. Like most Lair bosses, he also has a Stagger Bar, which temporarily stuns him when it is full, creating an opportunity for you to attack the boss.
During the fight, there are some mechanics you need to be aware of, and we have also provided some solutions:
- Surrounding Knights: At the edge of the arena, these Surrounding Knights will circle around you. You need to avoid bumping into them. If you accidentally bump into a Knight, they will attack you with their spears and knock you back to the center of the arena.
- Aerial Spear Attack: When Surrounding Knights attack you, their spears will rapidly fall around you. Before the spears hit the ground, a yellow circle will briefly appear under your feet. Therefore, try to move in a circle to dodge attacks, letting the spears land behind you until the attack ends.
- Fire Lanes: When Shield-bearing knights slam their shields into the ground, fire lanes will form around them. You need to avoid stepping into these fire zones.
- Urivar's Sword Slam: Urivar raises his sword and slams it into the ground, creating a glowing arrow-shaped pattern. You need to immediately leave the pattern's area and move behind the boss. The marked area will disappear after a few seconds.
- Urivar's Light Bridge: Urivar can create a glowing bridge of light connecting to your location. During this time, he will track your movement and summon spears to attack your location. You need to use defensive skills such as Immunity or Shields and keep moving to avoid the impact areas.
- Knights Fight (50% Phase): When Urivar's health drops to 50%, he will disappear and summon nearby knights to fight for him. The knights will join the battle one after another, using fire circles, firebombs, and lightning balls, and attempting to attack you with spears. Therefore, you need to remain vigilant and avoid being surrounded by enemies.
- Spears Landing: As the battle nears its end, spears will rain down across the arena. Pay attention to the yellow circles; they indicate where the spears will land. It's also crucial to avoid the center of the arena, as this area will take the most damage when Urivar summons the spears. Stay at the edge of the arena while avoiding the surrounding knights.
Loot Items
After the battle, you'll need to use Lair Key to open the reward chest to obtain the dropped items. The first unique item dropped will always come from the boss-specific drop list below. Subsequent unique items have a 50% chance of coming from the universal unique item pool.
If you're playing in a group, the chance of a unique item drop increases by 33% for each additional teammate, up to a maximum of 100% with a full group of 4 players. Additionally, Urivar will drop Diablo 4 Greater Lair Key, which is necessary to open any Greater Lair Boss hoard. The number of unique items dropped by Lair Boss Hoards depends on Torment difficulty.
Belial Ambush Encounter
After defeating Lair Boss, Belial has a small chance to ambush you. This unexpected encounter may present a series of challenges. Belial will use a mixture of Blood and Poison magic, which you will need to dodge.
After defeating Mini Belial, you will receive a second round of loot from Lair Boss you just killed, without needing any additional materials. Additionally, he will drop Betrayer's Husk, an item required to challenge Belial's Exalted Lair Boss form.
This concludes this article about Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred Urivar. We hope you can defeat the bosses and obtain the items you desire in the game.
Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred Best Builds Tier List: Top 6 Meta Builds Ranked
Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred expansion introduces a wealth of cool and exciting new build options. With a brand-new skill tree system and various new content additions, everything feels completely fresh. Let's take a look at the rankings for the strongest builds in Lord of Hatred.
Currently, no one can know with absolute certainty the exact power level of every single build. The analysis we are presenting here is largely based on the best possible deductions drawn from the information currently available to us.
This list highlights a select few build options that appear to sit at the very top tier and for which we already have a solid foundational understanding. Therefore, please treat these rankings as a reference guide only. Below, I will introduce them to you in descending order of power.
- Abyss Dread Claw Warlock
- Hell Fracture Warlock
- Hammerdin Paladin
- Whirlwind Barbarian
- Arbiter Wing Strike Paladin
- Summon Skeleton Necromancer
Abyss Dread Claw Warlock
Claiming the top spot on the power rankings is Abyss Dread Claw Warlock. This build is incredibly fun to play and centers primarily around Shadow Claws skill. Whether you are in the early game or have reached the endgame, this build performs exceptionally well. It can tear through hordes of monsters on Tier 11 difficulty with unstoppable force, often dispatching entire packs of enemies with a single strike. Not only is this a visually impressive build, but for Warlock class specifically, it also boasts remarkably high survivability.
In short, I had an absolute blast playing this class; it will undoubtedly be the undisputed Child of Meta for Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred expansion. However, you should ultimately choose the class that you find the most fun or the coolest to play. Do not let raw power be the sole factor dictating your choice.
Hell Fracture Warlock
Hell Fracture Warlock boasts an incredibly wide area of effect (AoE) and benefits from astonishing damage multipliers. This build is perfectly suited for clearing out massive hordes of monsters. You can summon colossal Hell Fractures, tearing open deep abyssal rifts across the ground.
When paired with a new weapon called Spine of Tathamet, you can continuously summon these Hell Fractures, unleashing an absolutely ferocious barrage of damage. The power of this build is truly formidable; it has the ability to instantly engulf your entire screen in a blinding explosion of roaring flames. I am confident that DPS output of this build will be truly astonishing, and it is poised to become one of the most sought-after and popular builds among players in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred.
Hammerdin Paladin
Ranked third on the power tier list is Hammerdin Paladin. The reason this build delivers such spectacular performance is entirely thanks to a brand-new gear set revealed in recent gameplay footage showcased by Diablo 4 development team: while in Arbiter Form, you gain the ability to cast all Ultimate Skills in any cooldown restrictions.
Furthermore, your Disciple Skill - specifically the core Hammer ability - receives a massive damage multiplier boost of up to 500x. Moreover, for the entire duration of Arbiter Form, this skill operates with zero cooldown.
Although the build's overall power was slightly tempered due to adjustments made to Argent Veil mechanic, a closer look at its skill tree configuration reveals that this Hammerdin build remains fully functional and capable of unleashing truly terrifying destructive power. It is, without a doubt, a frenetic build built around extreme speed, allowing you to leverage its high mobility to effortlessly weave through hordes of enemies.
Whirlwind Barbarian
The powerful return of Whirlwind Barbarian has sparked immense anticipation and excitement. The development team has personally pledged that they have invested significant effort into optimizing this build, striving to transform Whirlwind into a truly viable and potent build with genuine practical utility.
For the past three years, Whirlwind had fallen completely out of the meta, languishing as a bottom-tier build with virtually no competitive viability. However, thanks to recent updates and balance adjustments in Diablo 4, Whirlwind has finally arrived at its moment in the spotlight, re-emerging as a dominant and formidable build once again.
Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred introduces substantial enhancements to the gear associated with this build. For instance, the core item Gohr's Devastating Grips has received a massive buff; additionally, a brand-new Aspect - specifically tailored for Channeling Skills - has been introduced to the game. These changes have significantly boosted Whirlwind Barbarian's overall power level and burst damage potential.
Arbiter Wing Strike Paladin
Arbiter Wing Strike Paladin is an incredibly popular build that is particularly well-suited for leveling purposes. You can choose to combine this playstyle with Hammerdin Paladin build, or you can opt for a pure, standalone Wing Strike approach. The only piece of gear for Wing Strike build that faced a nerf was Sanctus of Ketama. Previously, it offered a multiplicative damage bonus of up to 400% and came bundled with a suite of incredibly potent passive effects, such as Giant Slayer. Although it has since been toned down, it remains a highly practical and effective item.
Furthermore, this is a build with exceptional survivability. You have the option to pair it with various Diablo 4 items and skills focused on shields. By doing so, the build's tankiness becomes truly astonishing; I am confident that its performance in actual combat will be nothing short of outstanding.
Summon Skeleton Necromancer
The developers have completely reworked Necromancer class. You can now command a maximum of 28 minions - a feat made possible entirely thanks to the newly introduced Under Crown helmet.
Summon Skeleton Necromancer is borderline absurd in its power: you can summon an additional 4 Skeleton Mages and 4 Skeleton Warriors. Moreover, you retain complete control over their actions. Regrettably, we have not yet seen the full set of gear components for this build, so further adjustments may still be on the horizon.
However, what is certain right now is that you can invest skill points to empower your Skeleton Mages and Warriors, pushing their combat effectiveness to the absolute limit. I believe this will prove to be an exceptional build - not only for the leveling phase but also for the endgame, where it holds the potential to evolve into a top-tier, S-rank powerhouse.
The above represents our preliminary overview of the most promising builds for Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred, based on the information currently available. This ranking is largely a reasonable extrapolation derived from the current skill trees, gear reworks, and select gameplay demonstrations; ultimately, the build that is truly best suited for you is one you must discover through your own personal experience.
Why Helldivers 2 Players Are Fighting Over Exosuits Warbond and How Major Orders Became Useless?
Recently, with the release of information about Helldivers 2 Exo Experts Warbond, a significant number of players, instead of eagerly awaiting its official release, are angry about Arrowhead.
Angry players are venting their frustrations in gaming communities, while those who are looking forward to it hold opposing views, leading to a heated debate between the two sides.
Regarding this debate, I'd like to briefly summarize the reasons for the argument, the opinions of both sides, and some of my own thoughts.
Reasons for Debate
If you're not quite clear on what happened, let me first explain the trigger for this debate.
In short, Helldivers 2 Exo Experts Warbond will add two new exosuits: EXO-51 Lumberer and EXO-55 Breakthrough.
These two exosuits look cool and powerful. EXO-51 Lumberer is a classic exosuit borrowed from Helldivers 1, featuring an Anti-tank Cannon on the right hand and a Flamethrower on the left. EXO-55 Breakthrough is a newly added Tank-type exosuit with strong defensive capabilities and perhaps even armor penetration.
The problem is that these two new exosuits have been crammed into the Exo Experts Warbond, which requires Super Credits to unlock - something that has never happened before.
We all know that unlocking Exo Experts Warbond and obtaining new exosuits, weapons, and cosmetics requires 1000 Helldivers 2 Super Credits. For players, acquiring so many Super Credits is a significant burden, both in terms of time and money.
Therefore, this substantially increases the cost of obtaining these two new exosuits, leading to the controversy among players.
Two Opinions
First, let's talk about the opposing side. They believe that in the past, all exosuits in Helldivers 2 could be obtained for free by completing Major Orders with other players. Once a Major Order was completed, all participating players received the exosuit, such as EXO-45 Patriot Exosuit, EXO-49 Emancipator Exosuit, and Bastion Tank.
This method not only aligned with the game's setting but also fostered team spirit, making players comrades-in-arms.
However, if new exosuits can only be obtained through Exo Experts Warbond, it not only betrays the camaraderie among players but also means that previously free exosuits now require Super Credits.
A greater concern arises: if this sets a precedent, what about next? Will all new exosuits, weapons, and even gameplay elements no longer be free? Perhaps this is Arrowhead testing the waters with their players.
Another group of players argues that, firstly, this is a PvE game; even if your character isn't strong enough, you can still enjoy the game by playing with other players, making exosuits unnecessary. Secondly, Super Credits can be obtained in-game, so they don't place a significant burden on players.
My Opinion
Frankly, firstly, I think the arguments of the pro-Super Credits players are untenable because obtaining Super Credits in Helldivers 2 is extremely tedious and time-consuming. You need to run around the map opening chests without shooting or fighting (to save time), repeating this hundreds of times.
Furthermore, there's absolutely no difference in the number of Helldivers 2 Super Credits that drop between different difficulty levels - for example, level 1 and level 10. The developers have mentioned possibly changing the drop rate, but so far, there's been no change.
Most people have to go to school or work; those who can spend a lot of time playing games are a minority. This means that obtaining new exosuits solely through opening chests in-game is virtually impossible.
I agree with most of the opposing viewpoints. However, I don't believe that all future gameplay will require Super Credits. After all, Arrowhead has never locked the core gameplay into Warbond; you can play the entire game without spending a single penny. This has become a defining feature of the game and will not change.
Underlying Reasons
The entire Helldivers 2 community is embroiled in a huge argument over the two exosuits. But have you considered this - before this, most players didn't actually think the mechs were that powerful?
The exosuits themselves are only mediocre in terms of strength; most people don't use them much anyway. So why are they fighting tooth and nail over Exo Experts Warbond?
This leads to the deeper reason for this argument: Arrowhead has placed Warbond gameplay in too central a position.
If you're a veteran player, you should remember that completing Major Orders used to reward you with truly valuable items, such as new stratagems, new armor sets, new capes, and even some unique weapons.
But what about now? At least in my personal opinion, most Major Order rewards are just a bunch of useless items.
The problem is this: normal gameplay doesn't offer anything good, while all the coveted new content has been crammed into Warbond. As a result, players' main goal has shifted from enjoying the game itself to grinding for Super Credits, and this discrepancy is the deepest source of anger and disappointment.
If Major Orders could offer meaningful rewards again, and players weren't limited to Warbond for good stuff, then public opinion on this would be much more moderate.
This concludes my summary of this debate and my personal opinion. I hope it's helpful.
