If you're looking for an extra incentive to enjoy the content of Diablo 4 Seas??on 6, ??there's a Welcome Back Boost waiting for you.

A mid-season Campfire Chat on November 12 discussed the significant changes to the existing builds and classes. While there are some significant shifts and tweaks, the Welcome Back Boost can be a great incentive for those who may have taken a break from the game. Alternatively, it can be the perfect jump start for beginners who might be playing Season 6 for the first time. Either way, you won't want to miss out on this bonus to help yourself clear the content in the ongoing sixth season of Diablo 4.

Diablo 4 Season 6 Welcome Back Boost explained

The Welcome Back Boost does precisely what its name suggests - it boosts. We are talking about an Eternal Realm character, and you'll be able to boost it all the way up to level 50 instantly. This will allow you to ignore the grind of building a class up and then pick from the available builds. This will also unlock all Altars of Lilith for that Eternal Realms character.

Finding the boost isn't rocket science, as it will be automatically offered to you as part of the seasonal content. You can use only one character of your choice, and there are two huge advantages. The first significant advantage is the ability to skip the early in-game guide and just take the character instantly to the next level, where you can grind for the relatively e??ndgame content.

The bigger advantage is the instant access to Altars of Lilith, which ?is a fantastic contributor ?to your Renown. Having access to all 160 of them from the very start will greatly boost your character's power.

The benefits of Altars of Lilith are not restricted to a single character, unlike the Welcome Back Boost. Of course, you might not find much use for this benefit if you're a veteran, but it's entirely different for beginners. Do note that unlocking the Altars of Lilith with the Welcome Back Boost might be exclusive to the Eternal Realm characters in Diablo 4 Season 6.

What's the best use of the Welcome Back Boost in Diablo 4 Season 6

There's no way to go wrong with your choice, as long as you're not using it on a character already at Level 50. That's a sub-optimal way of using the boost, and the benefits accrue only once. If you own the Vessel of Hatred DLC, you'll get an additional boost.

You could also use it on old seasonal characters who are present in Eternal Realm, but they're yet to reach endgame levels. Irrespective of your decision, the Welcome Back Boost is a smart little addition that allows you to enjoy all the Diablo 4 Season 6 content in an easier fashion.

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Blizzard has released the need-to-know details about Diablo 4's upcoming Halloween eve?nt, which will run betw??????????????????????????een October 29 and November 5.

Diablo 4 recently released the Vessel of Hatred expansion, which has reinvigorated interest in the game. The new Spiritborn class is some of the most fun Diablo content in years, so it's a great ?period to hop back int??o the action.

Diablo 4 Halloween event details

In a Blizzard blog post, Diablo 4's Halloween event was confirmed as starting at 10 AM PT on October 29. The spooky celebrations will run until 10 AM PT on November 5. Throughout this period, you can log? in and claim some limited-time cosmetic goodies for free, as detailed below:

• October 29: The Recluse’s Host Mount
• October 30: Ichorflame Torch Mount Trophy
• October 31: Recluse’s Flask Mount Trophy
• November 1: Reclusive Trappings Mount Armor

If you mis??s the cosmetics on the above dates, don't worry - you can still log in before th?e event finishes on November 5 and claim them from the in-game store.

While the Diablo 4 Halloween event is active, Dungeon runs will be much more interesting, thanks to Meat or Treat. This "harrowing game of chance" allows Shrines to apply a surprise effect on top of its usual effect when activated. As Blizzard puts it, "Will the Shrine bestow unexpected riches upon you,?? or will your Dungeon run go up in smoke??"

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The Steam Deck has been something of a revelation for PC gaming. This powerful device allows you to play your PC games on a port?able screen, allowing for an experience more akin to something like the N?intendo Switch.

This is all well and good, but some PC games require the pinpoint precision of mouse-and-keyboar??d input. That's why we're?? taking a look at the 15 best Steam Deck games, so you know which titles are worth playing on your portable PC device. All of the following games are marked "Steam Deck Verified," meaning you can guarantee a solid experience with these selections.

15. Phasmophobia

Hunting ghosts with friends, what could be more fun? Despite still technically being in Early Access, Phasmophobia is arguably the best game in its g??enre. You're placed on a map, which can be as small as a suburban house or as large as an entire prison, haun?ted by a ghost.

There are 24 different ghost types, each offering up three types of evidence to help you and your friends decipher what they are. You find this evidence using various types of ghost-hunting equipment, from spirit boxes to EMF readers. It's not entirely that simple, as these ghosts will drain your sanity before hunting and killing you. Phasmophobia is a blast, and we recommend playing with frien?ds.

14. Diablo 4

Blizzard's long-awaited follow-up in its iconic ARPG series was worth the wait. Diablo 4 follows the same general gameplay loop as previous iterations, defeating pow??erful enemies throughout dungeons whi??le collecting hordes of loot to upgrade your build.

While technically an RPG, Diablo 4's quests and storyline play second fiddle to the game's unique brand of chaotic action. There's nothing quite like melting swarms of demons while finding a rare item that takes the havoc up a notch. Some might recommend a mouse and keyboard for Diablo 4, but you can def??initely do just ??fine on a Steam Deck.

13. Balatro

Balatro isn't your standard card game. There's almost too much complexity to sum up in a few sentences, but the gist of it is this: it's a roguelike deck-builder where you must score points by playing poker hands against blinds. With these points, you can upgrade your d??eck and buy joker cards, which affect the game in various ways. It's absurdly addictive and puts an impressive spin on a classic card game.

Given the nature of Balatro's controls, it really doesn't matter whether you play on a regular PC or on a Steam Deck. It plays very well on Valve's portable devices, so if you're looking for a more laid-back Balatro, Steam Deck is the way to go.

12. Portal 2

Portal 2 might be well over a decade old at this point, but it can still kick it with any modern release on the market. With sharp humor, challenging puzzles, and an endlessly replayable co-op mode, Portal 2 remains one of the best video games ever made.

Valve gets so much mileage out of one simple concept: you have a portal gun that you can use to open portals around the game world. You must use these portals to solve puzzles throughout each level, most of which are phys?ics-based. L?uckily, these puzzles don't require pinpoint mouse precision, which is why this is perfect for chilled-out Steam Deck play.

11. Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 had its troubles upon its 2020 release, disappointing almost everyone. In the years since, CD Projekt Red has remained committed to making it the best game it can be via countless patches and the sublime 2023 expansion, Phantom Liberty.

At long last, Cyberpunk 2077 is (almost) everything it was hyped up to be, and it runs great on the Steam Deck. With engaging characters, powerful RPG choices, and the staggeringly beautiful open world of Night City, Cyberpunk 2077 is a game you can ?really sink your teeth into nowadays.

10. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

If The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth isn't the best roguelike ever, then I don't know what is. Straight from the brain of Super Meat Boy developer Edmund McMillen, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth sees you fight through proced??urally-generated dungeons against some of the most terrifyingly-designed monsters you'll ever see i??n a video game.

As you progress, you collect items on each floor. This contributes to your build, but not every item complements one another. This means you're constantly making important choices about what to pick up and what to leave behind. Each run is permadeath, resetting you right to the start if you die while progressing through the floors. Because of the randomized floors and items, it might be one of the ?most replayable games ever made.

9. Dave the Diver

How many games do you know that can blend the action-adventure and restaurant simulator genres seamlessly? There's not many, let me tell you that much. Dave the Diver is one such title, and it's undoubtedly one of the best games on t?he Steam Deck.

Dave the Diver is split into two gameplay sections. During the day, you dive into the sea, collecting?? ingredients from the ocean floor while fighting sealife with your harpoon gun. Later in the evening, you use these ingredients to run a sushi resta??urant, improving its reputation through good food and service. All of this is complemented by a gorgeous pixel art style, resulting in a game unlike anything you'll have played before.

8. Resident Evil 4

2023's Resident Evil 4 might be the best remake in the series to date, and that's a high bar to clear. The game sees the ?return of Leon Kennedy, who is tasked with rescuing the president's daughter, Ashley. You're faced with hordes of the undead throughout your adventure, which tops the 2005 original in just about every way.

Its graphics? Stunning. Its controls? Modern. The story? It has a tighter pacing this time around. And that's before we even get to the atmosphere, which is the real star of the show in the Resident Evil 4 remake. It's absolutely dripping with t??ension, which carries over? even on the small screen of the Steam Deck.

7. Skyrim

13 years after its launch, and there's still nothing that quite evokes the same feelings as Skyrim. It's a classic RPG in every sense of the word, with one of the most detailed open worlds you'll ever explore, even after all this time. Interesting questlines and memorab??le characters are the tip of the iceberg in Bethesda's magnum opus.

On PC, Skyrim modding takes things to another level. Nexus Mods has almost 100,000 mods to download for the game, so the question is: can you mod Skyrim on Steam Deck? Yes! It's a bit more hassle, but it's certainly possible, meaning you can bring Skyrim up to modern standards on your handheld device.

6. RimWorld

Ludeon Studios' RimWorld is a far deeper game than it seems on the surface. At first glance, it appears to be just another construction and management simulator. Simply put, it isn't. RimWorld gives you numerous starting scenarios, where you must attempt to survive and? escape from a procedur??ally generated planet.

To make every playthrough unique, it employs the use of an AI storyteller, which can make decisions on the fly to affect proceedings. You can choose from various storytellers, each of which will change its behavior based on various parameters. Want something intense? Go with Randy Random. Want a more traditional narrative? Cassandra Classic will make that happen. The third is Phoebe Chillax, which offers a more laid-back experience. It's this storyteller feature alone that elevates RimWorld above every other game in the genre.

5. God of War

2018's God of War finally arrived on PC in 2022, breaking Santa Monica Studio's masterpiece free from its PS4 restraints. The game tells a powerful sto?ry between Kratos and his young son, Atreus, ?and their journey to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye, at the highest peak in Jötunheim.

Its hack-and-slash gameplay is similar to previous God of War games, yet the combat still manages to feel distinctly modern. That's an achievement in itself. Just everything, from the impeccable score from Bear McCreary to the awesome world design, comes together as a full package to make God of War one of the best Steam Deck games.

4. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

How will CD Projekt Red ever top The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt? The culmination of an epic trilogy, this title is an extraordinary RPG, with impactful choices to be made even in the smallest of moments. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt features some of the most well-written side-quests you'll ever see, as well as two fantastic expansions in Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine.

For a 2015 release, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt holds up extremely well from both a visual and gameplay? perspective. The combat still feels very fluid, which is why it remains one of the best Steam Deck games you can play after almost a decade.

3. Stardew Valley

There's a reason life-simulation fans are still returning to Stardew Valley almost nine years after its r?elease. ConcernedApe's game strips the formula back to basics but does e??verything it attempts just about perfectly.

There's farming, fishing, building, mining, socializing, romancing, and even combat - it's a pretty simple life in Stardew Valley. If you enjoy life-simulators, there's a good chance you've already played this game. If you haven't, there's a good chance Stardew Valley will convert you to the genre.

2. Elden Ring

Elden Ring is not for the impatient gamers out there. This open-world RPG by FromSoftware will test the limits of your patience, punishing you with sweet, sweet death over and over again. It's a classic Souls-like, defined by nigh-impossible bosses and frustratingly infrequent checkpoints, but with a bigger scale than anything the studio has ever attempted before. The satisfaction from victory in Elden Ring will have you jumping for joy.

Given that many would recommend Elden Ring with a controller anyway, I feel safe saying the game works great with the Steam Deck joysticks. Go forth a??nd explore the Lands Between from the comfort of your own couch?.

1. Baldur's Gate 3

Top spot was only ever going to Baldur's Gate 3. Larian's 2023 CRPG is an instant classic. With deep customization, fun combat, brilliant companions, and a gripping narrative, Baldur's Gate 3 is a game we'll all be playing for many years to come. I could?? wax further lyrical about its epic world, engaging quests, and a ??staggering level of freedom, but I reckon you get the picture.

Baldur's Gate 3 feels made for the Steam Deck in many ways. The turn-based combat lends itself well to the joystick controls, and the slow-paced gameplay in general makes it perfect for kicking back on the couch and playing a??t your own pace.

The post 15 Best Steam Deck Games appeared first on Destructoid.

The Tenets of Akarat are basically the new Lilith Altars in Diablo 4. Unlike them, you oftentimes have t??o solve a fairly straightforward puzzle that then unlocks them. Doing so will give you renown for the new Nahantu area.

That being said, here are all the locations of these statues in the Vessel of Hatred expansion.

All Tenets of Akarat locations in Diablo 4

To start, ?we’ll show you all the Tenets of Akarat locations by subregion to make it easier. Each area contains five Tenets, so it’ll be easy to track which ones yo??u’re missing. 

It’ll also be easier if you set the game to a lower difficulty to prev??ent mobs from getting in the way.

Lingering Hatred

Seven Stones

Five Hills

Restless Canopy

Field of Giants

Teganze Plateau

How to solve the Tenets of Akarat

There are a few ways to solve each Tenet, often requiring you to interact with the nearby statues. When you see the Shrine, you won’t be able to interact with it or unlock it until you ??remove the defiled tentacles from it.

You?? will have to perform o?ne of the following to activate them:

• Activate all statues in quick succession.
• Light all statues up in a certain order. 
• Kill any enemies summoned by the corruption.
• Attack the corruption on the Tenet itself.

These will be pretty straightforward once you star?t finding them throughout Nahantu. It’s also best to complete them on your primary character for this season, as they’ll remain unlocked after ?creating new characters after.

Similar to the Altars of Lilith, these Tenets will permanently add towards the progression to the bottom row of the Renown rewards. 

Finding all 30 Tenets of Akarat will yield you 300 Renown. It won’t be enough to unlock all the rewards, but you will also discover most areas along the path, giving you another?? 290 points along the way.

The post All Tenets of Akarat locations in Diablo 4 appeared first on Destructoid.

The Rod of Kepeleke is one of the new Unique weapons that have been added to Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred. It’s going to be a very popular pick for all the Spiritborns out there because of? its versatility for many t?op-tier builds right now.

That being said, if you want to get this for your?? class, here’s what you’ll need to know.

How to get the Rod of Kepeleke in Diablo 4

The Rod of Kepeleke can be obtained by defeating Duriel or Andariel. They are the strongest ladder bosses in the game and can take q??uite some time to get there, let alone targ?et farm.

If you are far from this point in the game and do want to get ??the Rod of Kepeleke a lot sooner, there are easier??, but less efficient ways of doing so.

The first method is to farm the Infernal Hordes. If you rack up enough Aether, you can open up the ??big chest in the middle to obtain better rewards. It won’t be guaranteed, but you have a higher likelihood of obtaining one of the many Unique items for yo?ur Spiritborn.

You can also farm Nightmare Dungeons and The Pit at levels above 35 to consistently gain more Uniques. Once again, it isn’t guaranteed, but better gear st??arts dropping once you hit higher ??Torment tiers because of loot modifiers.

One of the better methods aside from those above would be to gamble Obols. Thatâ€??™s right. Gather a lot of Obols, preferably close to your maximum limit, then trade them to a Purveyor of Curiosities. Gamble them specifically for Quarte?rstaffs.

While you’re ?at it, allocate any spare Season Blessings to the Urn of Curiosities to increase your chances of getting two weapons for ?one roll. It’ll heavily increase your chances of getting the weapon.

The post How to get the Rod of Kepeleke in Diablo 4 appeared first on Destructoid.

Getting and hiring Mercenaries is one of the many new core gameplay aspects that came with Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred. They’re NPCs who will fight alongside you, having their own leveling trees and abilities that can synergi?ze with yours. 

If you ?want to get your own Mercenary, here’s what you must do.

How to unlock Mercenaries in Diablo 4

To unlock Mercenaries in Diablo 4, you will need to progress through the new Vessel of Hatred campaign. When you get far enough to the point where you unlock The Den, you can now ??????????????????????????get your first Merc. His name is Raheir.

There are three oth??er Mercenaries you can unlock after unlocking Raheir. They are Subo, Aldkin, and Varyana. They will each have their own quests you?? need to complete. 

Upon completing ?a new Mercenary’s quest, you will then be able to recruit them back at The Den. You can swap between them at any ?time when you’re there.

You can technically have two Mercs: one is the main one with a full skill tree ??and the other is more of ?a quick backup. You’ll have to play around with them to make them more valuable as you progress from the early game to the end game. 

Lastly, you can level these Mercs up, giving them new skills and abilities. It’ll be up to you to decide which one best suits your character’s strengt??hs an??d weaknesses.

Do you need Vessel of Hatred to use Mercenaries?

If you are looking to try out the new Mercenary system in Diablo 4, you will need to have the Vessel of Hatred expansion? to be able to use it. This is? mostly because you will unlock your first one in the new campaign, so it’s unobtainable without it.

Many players who bought the expansion may even miss this whole system entirely. It’s optional, but it does come with its? benefits depending on your playstyle.

The post How to recruit Mercenaries in Diablo 4 appeared first on Destructoid.

In Diablo 4, s??ome of the gear pieces you ??obtain may have the “non-physical damage�trait, but what it means isn’t too straightforward. Is it an affix worth keeping? If so, here’s what it means and what it applies to.

What is non-physical damage in Diablo 4?

Non-physical damage is any dam?age type that isn’t labeled as physical dam??age, as straightforward as it sounds. 

For example, if you are leveling a Druid, all the core skills will be labeled a?s physical damage except for Lightning Storm. If you are equipping gear that give?s a bonus to non-physical damage, you want to make sure that skills listed in your class�tree have any other label than physical.

A class like a Druid will have a mix of the two, so make ??sure that you aren’t dipping into a damage type that you a??ren’t casting. It’s always best to specialize in specific damage types so you won't lose out on any bonuses.

Is non-physical damage good?

In many cases, the non-physical damage boost can heavily increase your DPS in Diablo 4. This works exc??e??ptionally well for Sorcerers since all of their damage will come from fire, lightning, or cold. These are all examples of non-physical damage.

Most high-tier Sorcerer builds will either make use of the Tal Rasha’s Iridescent Loop, or?? the Fractured Winterglass because of the strong affixes they have. What they b??oth also have are significant boosts to non-physical damage. 

It’s basical?ly a direct damage upgrade by equipping these items, even if you’re running unoptimized builds that don’t benefit much from their key? passives.

Rogues will also benefit from this? when imbuing skills. Just know that just because you’re using a projectile attack doesn’t automatically mean it’s non-physical. The skill on your tree will tell you what type of damage it is, even if the?re is some type of class-specific element.

The post What is “non physical damage” in Diablo 4? Explained appeared first on Destructoid.

To truly activate PvP in Diablo 4, you’ll need to be Bloodmarked. It may be something that isn’t quite straightforward. If you want to attack other players in designated areas for this, here’s how to become Bloodmarked in Diablo 4.

How to become Bloodmarked in Diablo 4

To become Bloodmarked in Diablo 4, you have to bring up your Action Wheel and select “Mark f??or Blood� Whatever button or key it is bound to, press it. If you do not have this mapped for any reason, do so in the Controls section in your Options menu. 

By default, your Action Wheel should show you things like “Hello� Inspect Player, and other basic social options. However, if you shift the wheel to the options on the righ??t, Mark for Blood should be an option.

This will onl??y be activated when you get to either of the Fields of Hatred PvP areas of the game. 

What happens when you’re Bloodmarked?

When you bec?ome Bloodmarked, that means you will be able to target all other players who are not in your group in the Fields of Hatred areas. This then turns these regions into more of a PvPvE game.

Other players will also see you?? as an attackable target, so be prepared to potentially get one-shotted by other high-power builds out there. 

Dying in these areas to other players will make you lose all current Seeds of Hatred. These are ?the materials you have to manually pick up while in these zones. Killing other players, on the other hand, will make them drop some of their Seeds ?along with an ear.

Ears have no purpose; they are simply there as a? t?rophy for killing other players.

How to get rid of Bloodmark

To get rid of the Bloodmark effect, you have to find an Altar of Cleansing. These exist in the Waypoint towns of both Denshar and Alzuuda. These are the hub towns where you can buy items, upgrade gea??r, and store things in your stash like in other non-combat zones??. 

Alternatively, you can just teleport out of the area into a non-PvP area. Note that if you try to do this while holding any Seeds of? Hatred, they will be lost.

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Diablo 4 has quite the late-game grind, and if you're looking to summon what the community refers to as "ladder bosses," then you'll need to come prepared. To that end, you must collect all of Diablo 4's boss materials before finally meeting these big bads offering Un????ique equipment.

That being said, here's every Diablo 4 material you'll need to? summon their respective bosses, separated by difficulty.

Every boss material in Diablo 4

Some bosses can only be summoned in World Tier IV (Torment), while others can be summoned in Tier III at lower costs. This will?? be mentioned.

Grigoire, The Galvanic Saint

• Living Steel

  • 2x - World Tier III
  • 5x - World Tier IV
  • 15x - Tormented

• Best farm: Helltide Tortured gift chests.

Echo of Varshan

• Malignant Hearts

  • 2x - World Tier III
  • 5x - World Tier IV
  • 15x - Tormented

• Best farm: Helltide events and bosses, Whispers of the Dead caches.

Beast in the Ice

• Distilled Fear

  • 9x - World Tier IV
  • 27x - Tormented

• Best farm: Tier 30+ Nightmare dungeon completions.

Lord Zir

• Exquisite Blood

  • 9x - World Tier IV
  • 27x - Tormented

• Best farm: World bosses, Legion Events, and Helltide bosses.

Duriel, King of Maggots 

• World Tier IV

  • 2x Mucus-Slick Egg 
  • 2x Shard of Agony

• Tormented 

  • 6x Mucus-Slick Egg 
  • 6x Shard of Agony

• Best farm (Mucus-Slick Egg) - Echo of Varshan and World Bosses.
• Best farm (Shard of Agony) - Grigoire and World Bosses.

Andariel, Maiden of Anguish

• World Tier IV

  • 2x Pincushioned Doll
  • 2x Sandscorched Shackles

• Tormented

  • 6x Pincushioned Doll
  • 6x Sandscorched Shackles

• Best farm (Pincushioned Doll) - Beast in the Ice and World Bosses.
• Best farm (Sandscorched Shackles) - Lord Zir and World Bosses.

With all that out of the way, there is one more universal item you need if you’re trying to fight the Tormented versions of these bosses.?? While you need three times the amount for normal summoning materials, you need a Stygian Stone each time.

The best farm for Stygian Stones is to complete the newly introduced Infernal Hordes mod??e at Tier 7 and higher. Enemy levels will be significa?ntly higher, but the best loot will start dropping around, including the Stones.

The post All boss materials in Diablo 4, inclu??ding the best farming locati?ons appeared first on Destructoid.

If you switch characters in Diablo 4 between those in ??the Eternal and Sea??sonal realms, you may have come across something called a “legacy item� What is that and how different are they compared to normal items in rotation right now?

What is a legacy item in Diablo 4?

A legacy item in Diablo 4 means that it is an item that has been acquired prior to all the big armory changes that came with The Pit in Season 4. Thi??s includes the overhaul of the Blacksmith and how you acquire different and new affixes for your legendary gear.

They will appear in your inventory with a red skull over them. This will only ever a??ppear in the Eternal Realm.

Since the game was on an older system before all this, that means that the gear that you may have stored will not be compatible with Tempering and Masterworking. They can’t benefit from obtaining two addi?tional attributes as well as being masterwork to level 12.

The only th?ings they will benefit from are from all the recent changes in enemy and player balances. Old, outdated builds may still work just as fine in the Eternal Realm while others might be outsourced. 

For example, all the HoTA Barbarian things that may have worked may be less po?tent because of the introduction of all the new nerfs that happened as the game went on.

What to do with legacy items in Diablo 4

If you have a character with legacy gear from Season 3 or before, you can’t reall?y do much with it. You can try and p?lay the new modes that have come into the game since their creation, but they’re just relics of the past.

While not benefitting from new systems, t??hey will most likely start to struggle with content from The Pit or even Nightmare Dungeons since they can’t be upgraded. You ??can’t trade this gear either since all of it is account-bound. 

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The Mother’s Blessing event is coming back in Diablo 4 Season 5, and it’s probably an eve??n better incentive than ever to get back in. With?? all the positive changes that have been implemented this season, it’ll be great for many reasons, so here’s what you need to know.

Diablo 4 Season 5 Mother’s Blessing event details

To start off, the Mother’s Blessing event for Season 4 in Diablo 4 will begin on August 20, 2024, at 12 PM PST. It will run until August 27 at 10 AM PST. 

During this time, all players will earn 35% more XP and 50% more gold. You can do this either on your Seasonal characters or Eternal characters. 

Is the Mother’s Blessing event worth going back in?

With the big? increase in XP and gold gains, you can easily level up another chara?cter to level 100 in a few days. 

If you haven’t played Season 5 yet or are getting bored with your current character, now is the best time to hop in. The time it takes to level to 100 is a lot quicker compared to previous seasons and this just makes you hit the endgame faster.

Better yet, with the amount of Tempering, Enchanting, and Aspect Imprinting you’ll do, the amount of gold needed will increase dramatically. Namely, Enchantment re-rolling will cost upward of a million per re-roll ??after a few tries. 

With newer and way better ways to farm gold, you can make enough to comfortably re-roll your favorite items until you get the right stats. Alternatively, you can also use that gold to trade with other people. With it being fixed prior to an exploit that needed to be patched out, there’s more use of it there.

If?? you’re willing to take the ?dedicated grinding route for the best build for your seasonal characters, you have to grind gold since it’s the ultimate endgame resource. Take that over the XP.

The post Diablo 4 Season 5 Mother’s Blessing event: Start, end, and more appeared first on Destructoid.

Sorcerers are eating well in Season 5 of Diablo 4, utilizing any of the popular builds. One of them is the Fireball build??, which requires the Gloves of the Illuminator. So, if you want to get your hands on this pai?r of gloves (no pun intended), here’s what you need to do.

How to get the Gloves of the Illuminator in Diablo 4

The Gloves of the Illuminator can be obtained either as a very rare world drop or a boss drop from Grigoire o?r The Beast in the Ice.

If you’re looking to get it as a world drop because you don’t have access to the ladder bosses yet, it’s best to try and play the endgame activities currently in the game. Such activities include Nightmare Dungeons, The Pit, Helltides, PvP, Whisper Caches, and the newly introduced Infernal Hordes. 

Chances are low from world drops, but with how often you’ll come across Ancestral Legenda??ries, a few Uniques can drop. 

The better way to do this is to target-farm the ladder / Uber bosses.

Grigoire is the easiest of the two. You just have to collect Living Steel from Helltides, Elites, events, Treasure Goblins, and Blood Maidens. You’ll need two units of this on World Tier 3 or five on World Tier 4 to summon the Galvanic Saint. He’ll appear at level 60 on WT3 and 75 on WT4.

As for the Beast in the Ice, you need to collect nine bottles of Distilled Fear and summon him a?t the Glacial Fissure. This is only a World Tier 4 boss. The boss will appear at level 85.

The?? Gloves of the Illuminator aren’t gu?aranteed to drop per kill, but the chances of getting them from either boss are a lot higher than trying for a world drop.

Are the Gloves of the Illuminator worth it?

If you are planning on running a Fireball Sorcerer build, these gloves are a must-have. These will increase DPS but also give you a decent source of energy regen for builds revolv?ing around the skill.

Also, with ?Sorcerers being probably the ?best they have ever been in the game, this will only make the class that much stronger.

The post Ho?w to get?? the Gloves of the Illuminator in Diablo 4 appeared first on Destructoid.

When a new update happens in a live service game, things often break or have some kind of exploit. In the recent patches for Diablo 4 Season 5, trading has been disabled, leaving many players wonder??ing why that’s the case or if the system itself is broken.

Thanks to one such hiccup, Diablo 4 has disabled trading in Season 5. If you're looking for news on why the decision was made or when trading should come back, we've outlined Blizzard'??s response below.??

Why is trading disabled in Diablo 4?

Trading is currently disabled in Diablo 4 due to a trading exploit. Players were able to duplicate items very easily, making it very useful fo??r farming up endgame items li?ke Stygian Stones and Resplendent Sparks.

While news of this was very fresh on how to do it, Blizzard took swift action to disable all sorts of trading, even if? you drop items for other pl?ayers. 

When is trading coming back?

Right now, there isn’t any update on what time or date t??he feature will come back. So, if you’re looking to make a few million extra gold from lucky farming, you’l?l have to wait. It should only take a week at most, or whenever the next hotfix is, so it'll be sooner since this is a shorter season too.

Can you get banned for the trading exploit?

There’s a fairly decent chance that you can get banned for participating in these types of dupe or trading exploits in Diablo 4. Just to be safe, you shouldn’t try to perform any sort of glitches that can g??et you in trouble or gi??ve you a huge boost in the game’s progression.

Unless it was a very specific glitch like the recently discovered (and now patched) one regarding a player who used the Ro??gue class and the Umbra Crux Unique dagger, you can’t get banned. 

Trying to replicate or find other ways to get aggressively ahead and skip all the grind in t??he game can get you banned, though. Just play the game normally and grind away.

The post Why is trading disabled in Diablo 4? appeared first on Destructoid.

The new Diablo 4 Season 5, Season of the Infernal Hordes added a handful of new Legendary and Unique Items, including the all-new Axial Conduit Unique Pants item. As a Unique Item, powerful builds can be utilized to enhance Axial Conduit and make it a truly powerful piece of equipment. Here is how to get and use Axial Conduit in Diablo 4 Season 5.

How to get the Axial Conduit Unique Pants

The best way to get Axial Conduit in Diablo 4 Season 5 is to target farm the Uber Boss Grigoire, The Galvanic Saint. Grigoire specifically has a higher drop rate for the Axial Conduit Unique Pants, allowing y?ou to farm him for the fastest opportunity to get Axial Conduit to ??drop.

You can find Grigoire, The Galvanic Saint in the Hall of the Pentient, a Level 75 dungeon in the Dry Step??pes. The fastest way t??o get to the Hall of the Pentient is to teleport to the Ked Bardu waypoint and head south.

In order to summon Grigoire, The Galvanic Saint to target ??farm the Axial Conduit, you will need the following materials:

Normal Grigoire

• 5 Living Steel (World Tier 4)
• 2 Living Steel (World Tier 3)

Torment Grigoire

• 15 Living Steel (World Tier 4)
• 1 Stygian Stone

Upon defeating Grigoire, The Galvanic Saint, he will have a chan?ce of dropping the Axial Conduit Unique Pants.

If you don't want to farm Grigoire, even though that's the fastest way to get the Axial Conduit, you can also unlock the new Infernal Horde seasonal mechanic by completing The Eyes of the Enemy,?? a World Tier quest. Doing so will grant you the Infernal Compass which unlocks the Infernal Horde for you. This seasonal m?echanic has increased drop rates for the new Unique Items added in Season 5 including the Axial Conduit.

How to make use of the Axial Conduit Unique Pants

The Unique Effect for the Axial Con?duit pants makes it so Chain Lightning alternates between orbiting you and seeking up to 3 enemies. When it returns, it drains 6 Mana from you for each active Chain Lightning. After draining 66 total Mana, the bolt explodes for 150%-600% Lightning Damage. Chain Lightning expires if you don't have enough Mana for it to drain.

This effect co??mpletely changes the way you pl?ay a Chain Lightning Sorcerer build, and greatly expands on your multi-target capabilities. However, for single-target bosses, it can quickly drain your Mana, making it a tough build to sustain.

As such, it's recommended that you get some Lucky on Hit Mana on your gear to increase t?he overall sustain you'll have to upkeep the Axial Conduit Unique Eff??ect.

The post How to get and use Axial Conduit in Diablo 4 appeared first on Destructoid.

Diablo 4's fifth season is continuing a run of good will wi?thin the community thanks in no small part to its myriad quality of life improvements. One area that got a lot of extra TLC in that regard is the endgame bosses, which ??are now a cinch to fight repeatedly and in some cases much easier to summon.

Varshan and Beast in Ice summoning requirement changes

Va??rshan, who once r??equired three different "body part" materials in World Tier 3 and a cumbersome four in World Tier 4 has become a lot less demanding this season. You'll now need just one material: Malignant Hearts, which drop from Grotesque Debtors found in the world and commonly from Tree of Whispers Caches. Not only does this make summoning him easier, it'll save you a lot in bag space. If you have old body parts laying around, you can turn them into Malignant Hearts at the Alchemist.

The Beast in Ice used to require a Nightmare Sigil in addition to 9 Distilled Fear to summon, but the former requirement ha??s been removed completely. Distilled Fear, in case you don't know, drops from Tier 30+ Nightmare Dungeons in World Tier 3 or 4. Now, that's all you'll need - just head to the Glacial Fissure with 9 Distilled Fear and you'll find his arena a lot closer to the entrance than before.

And here's the real kicker: not only are these two easier to summon, you can rapid-fire summon any boss from within the boss room after defeating them?. No more leaving the dungeon and waiting for it to reset - just pop another batch of materials in the pot and you're rolling for more loot in no time.

Tormented Bosses got some love, too

The super-duper endgame "Tormented" versions of bosses had their summoning requirements lowered as well. You'll need just one Stygian Stone per summon instead of two, which means exactly half the need to kill World Bosses or do high-tier Pit runs to farm for materials. These bosses have also had their own material drops (like Shards of Agony from Tormented Grigoire) multiplied five times. Mythic Uniques are also five times as likely to drop from Tormented Bosse??s ?in season 5.

This all sounds to me like a recipe for a cozy night of spamming boss summons with friends over a couple beers. I might have been the one asking for a little friction in Diablo 4, but these q??uality of life changes? are just my style.

The post Diablo 4’s endgame bosses are a lot easier to summon now appeared first on Destructoid.

We’re well past the one-year mark in Diablo 4, so we have gone through many seasons. From launch to now, we are in the fifth season and quickly approaching the sixth. So, looking back, what are all the season start and end dates for Diablo 4?

All Diablo 4 season start and end dates so far

As of this article, we are on Season Five, Season of the Infernal Hordes, which will be uncharacteristically shorter than most ??seasons so far, but for good reason. In any case, here are all the previous seasons and how long they have lasted.

• Season 1 - Season of the Malignant (July 20, 2023 - October 17, 2023) 89 days
• Season 2 - Season of Blood (October 17, 2023 - January 23, 2024) 98 days
• Season 3 - Season of the Construct (January 23, 2024 - May 14, 2024) 112 days
• Season 4 - Loot Reborn (May 14, 2024 - August 6, 2024) 84 days
• Season 5 - Season of the Infernal Hordes (August 6, 2024 - October 8, 2024) 63 days
• Season 6 - Vessel of Hatred (October 8, 2024 - TBD)

While some seasons have lasted a lot longer than others, the average time of a season in Diablo 4 is around three months. Each season also typically starts around 10 AM PST / 1 PM EST on the day of.

With each season also comes a new type of mechanic that fits the theme. For example, the Season of the Construct brought the Seneschal companion that had its own set of abilities to acq?uire and upgrade. There were also spec?i?fic dungeons that went with it.

What we can expect in the future beyond Season 6 is yet to be known, but what we do know is ??that there wil?l be new cosmetics like mounts, armor sets, and portals. We’ll also probably see new limited-time mechanics or Aspects that change up the meta for the run of the season.

The post All Diablo 4 season start and end dates appeared first on Destructoid.

A new Diablo 4 season, a new chase for build-defining Uniques. If you're a Rogue looking to up their Combo Point game with Condemnation, you've got two pretty good option??s and a whole lotta quality of life to help you find it. A??ll you'll need to do is fight two endgame bosses and cross your fingers.

How to summon Varshan and the Beast in Ice

Once you reach World Tier 3 by completing the Cathedral of Light dungeon in Kyovashad, you?'ll be able to summon and tackle endgame bosses. Each of them has their own loot table, ??but Condemnation drops from just two: Varshan and the Beast in Ice.

Varshan can be summoned within the chasm located next to the Tree of Whispers. As of season?? 5, it only takes Malignant Hearts to summon him, and if you've got other body parts from bounties or Grotesques Debtors you can turn them into Hearts at the Alchemist.? What's more, you can summon him repeatedly without having to leave starting this season.

The Beast in Ice also got a lot easier to fight: just collect 9 Distilled Fear, which drops in Tier 30+ Nightmare Dungeons and head to the Glacial Fissure. No more cra??fting Sigils just to fight a boss, and, like with Varshan, you can summon him repeatedly.

Fighting these foes shouldn't be too difficult if your build is somewhat optimized and you've got maxed resistances (Shadow for Varshan, and Ice for Beast in Ice, duh). If you're really lucky, you won't have to fight them at ??all, since Con?demnation can drop from regular foes at a very low rate. Happy farming!

The post How to get the Unique Condemnation? dagger in Diablo ??4 appeared first on Destructoid.

If you thinking of jumping back into Diablo 4 for the release of Season 5, then it's always a good idea to know what you're getting into. Here's a ?quick overview of all the new features added in the seasonal update.

Everything new in Diablo 4 Season 5

Diablo 4 Season 5 is much smaller than normal seasons because it focuses on fixing what came before it, namely the loot system revamp introduced in Season 4. The revamp fixed many issues with loot, but also created several ne??w ones that the developers have decided? to tackle with the big update.

Season 5 is slated to last merely two months instead of the usual leng?th, and that notion sets the stage for how much new content is actually in the sea??son.

Return to Hell with Infernal Hordes

The biggest new addition to Diablo 4 in Season 5 is a new endgame mode/feature called Infernal Hordes. Infernal Hordes is a new endgame mode designed to challenge you with wave-based encounters that end in a boss fight. The mode features eight tiers of escalating difficulty, each progressively testing your skill and strategy. You will face increasingly formidable waves of enemies, with the ultimate goal of defeating the final boss to complete the encounter. Success in Infernal Hordes allows you to earn Burning Aether, a currency?? that can be used to unlock various rewards.

The rewards for participating in Infernal Hordes include gear, materials, and gold, with you having the freedom to choose what you want based on your accumulated Burning Aether. Additionally, this mode serves as a new source f??or acquiring Legendaries and Uniques, offering you the chance to enhance your equipmen??t with rare and powerful items.

Major Itemization Improvements

Diablo 4 Season 5 brings a slew of improvements that enhance the overall game quality. New Uniques and Legendaries offer fresh customization options, while the U?nique System overhaul refines affixes to be more build-specific. Mythic Uniques now drop from Tree of Whispe??r Collections, Tortured Gifts in Helltides, and the Purveyor of Curiosities, providing more ways to obtain these powerful items.

Weapon types are now available to additional classes, expanding playstyle options. Sorcerers, for example, can now use 1-handed swords. The season also introduces new and adjusted ??Tempering Manuals and Affixes, further improving fine-tuning gear enhancement mechanics introduced in Season 4.

Quality of Life and Accessibility Additions

Diablo 4's Season 5 introduces several Quality of Life improvements and accessibility features aimed at enhancing your overall experience. Among the notable changes are improved Treasure Goblin loot drops, making these elusive creatures even more rewarding to hunt (finally). Whisper bounties have been adjusted to require less time, allowing you to complete them more efficiently. Additionally, the drop rates for Mythic Uniques from non-Boss enemies have been increased, and these powerful items can now be obta??ined from a broader range of sources. However, the drop rate for the Baneful Heart crafting material has been reduced, and Tortured Gifts will no longer contain Murmuring Obols. This is a minor loss, but the?? rewards are still much greater.

Season 5 also brings significant enhancements to ensure the game is more inclusive. New features include Auto-Pin and Audio Navigation Assistance, designed to help you navigate the game world more easily. Additionally, a Compass has been added to improve directional guidance.

New Seasonal Cosmetics

While nothing much has changed with the Season Journey system, you ca??n still enjoy earning brand new rewards from following its progression. Ne??w Cosmetic appearances are also available to earn just by playing through the Season.

The post All new features in Diablo 4 Season 5 appeared first on Destructoid.

If you're just returning to Diablo 4 after skipping the past few seasons, you may notice you now have a new option in the Wardrobe: a pet. This wasn't an option when Diablo 4 launched, so don't be surprised if you don't remember this from before. Here is how to get your pet in Diablo 4 Season 5 and start taking advantage of its added u?tility.

How to unlock a pet in Diablo 4

The easiest way to unlock and gain access to your first pet in Diablo 4 is to head to Kyovashad. Look at the northern area?? of Kyovashad and you should have a quest from...well, a Well Behaved Dog. The quest is a Priority Quest titled Faithful Companion, as should be labeled by the w??hite quest marker.

Speak to the Well Behaved Dog, tell him he's a good boy, and the quest will complete and unlock your first Pet, the Well Behaved Dog, Asheara the Cani??ne. From here, head to the Wardrobe in Kyovashad and go to the Pets tab and you can equip Asheara, which will enable?? him as a pet for you.

At the moment there are only three other obtainable pets: Alkor the Snow Leopard, Hratli the Canine, and Natalya the Tiger. All three of these pets are unlocked by pre-ordering a specific edition of the upcoming Vessel of Hatred expansion. Here is how to obta?in each? of the three pets:

• Alkor the Snow Leopard - Preorder the Standard, Deluxe, or Ultimate Edition or Vessel of Hatred
• Hralti the Canine - Preorder the Deluxe or Ultimate Edition or Vessel of Hatred
• Natalyta the Tiger - Preorder the Ultimate Edition or Vessel of Hatred

If you go with the Ultimate Edition, you will get access to all 3 pets. Despite the Vessel of Hatred expansion launch being two months away, you will immediately get access to the pet in Diablo 4 when you pre-order.

What do pets do in Diablo 4?

In Diablo 4, Pets aren't? just cosmetic. Regardless of which Pet you have equipped, it will follow you around and pick up some of the more in-mass materials ?that drop throughout your journey, including Gold, Herbs, Ore, and Crafting Materials. Instead of having to click on these resources, your Pet will automatically run to it and pick it up for you.

With a Pet equipped, you'll only have to pick up Items and equipment, which drop a lot less than the abundant materials the Pet will auto loot for you. As such, it's r?ecommended that everyone at least grabs the f??ree Asheara the Canine pet to aid you in your looting while exploring Sanctuary!

The post How to get a pet in Diablo 4 Season 5 appeared first on Destructoid.

One of the new features of Diablo 4 Season 5 is the introduction to the Infernal Hordes mode. It’s an endgame activity si??milar to The Pit where enemies get progressively tougher, but you’ll need a certain item to even participate. The item in question is Abyssal Scrolls, so here’s what you need to do.

How to get Abyssal Scrolls in Diablo 4

To get Abyssal Scrolls in Diablo 4, you must first reach World Tier 3 in your game and have t??he campaign completed. Upon doing that, you will also need to complete the “Eyes of the Enemy�seasonal quest. You’ll receive an Infernal Compass which acts like a Nightmare Sigil; once you use it, you open up the activity.

While the Compass acts as the key to get into the Infernal Hordes activity?, Abyssal Scrolls are needed to upgrade the Compasses to get into higher-tier activities. However, in hi?gher-tier activities, the monsters you face will be tougher.

Upon completing a session of the Infernal Hordes mode, you’ll be rewarded with Abyssal Scrolls. The higher the tier of t?he Compass, the m?ore you earn. 

How to use Abyssal Scrolls

Much like Sigil Powder, Abyssal Scrolls work like Sigil Powder. You farm them up to create higher-tier keys that take you to higher-tier activities. O??nce you have reached World Tier 3 and completed the “Eyes of the Enemy�quest, you’ll now be able to craft Compasses and upgrade them using Abyssal Scrolls via the Occultist in any settlement.

As you progress i?nto World Tier 4, the tiers go up, the wave cap goes up, and so do the Compass Affixes. Though, it’s all dependent on what Tier your Compass is and how much you upgrade it using Scrolls. 

How to farm Abyssal Scrolls

Abyssal Scrolls can be farmed just about anywhere in terms of endgame activities. They drop from Helltide chests, Whisper Caches, The Pit, Infernal Hordes, and Nigh??tmare Dungeons, to name a few. The best place right now is to play Nightmare Dungeons with a fast enemy-clearing build with good bossing.

The post How to get and use Abyssal Scrolls in Diablo 4 appeared first on Destructoid.

Infernal Hordes is the major new feature added in Diablo 4 Season 5, and while it's mostly front and center, it may not be clear how to unlock it. As a new endgame mode, you'?ll want to participate in Infernal Hordes for the greatest seasonal return, so here's how you can access it.

How to Access Infernal Hordes in Diablo 4 Season 5

To unlock and gain access to the Infernal Hordes endgame activity, you must first reach Level 50 and enter World Tier 3 for the first time. Doing so will give you access to the 'The Eyes of the Enemy' questline, which will allow you to participate in Infernal Hordes upon completion. The Eyes of the Enemy begins within Hawezar, technically the final main region of base Diablo 4. If you're not sure where to find it, look south of Fractured Peaks on your map. From there, head to Zarbinzet and inves?tigate the disturbance occurring in the main pla??za area.

How to begin an Infernal Horde in Diablo 4 Season 5

Once you have the Infernal Horde feature unlocked following the quest completion of To the Edge of the Abyss, you should have gained access to an Infernal Compass. An Infernal Compass is required to begin an Infernal Horde, and t?hey function similarly to Nightmare Sigils. To start an Infernal Horde, simply consume an Infernal Compass in your inventory.

Infernal Compasses are a finite resource, so you'll need to gather more if you want to do more Infernal Horde runs. Thankfully, they are super easy to obtain as a large majority of your standard endgame activities often reward you with these hellish compasses. Infernal Compasses are tiered, again similarly to Nightmare Sigils, and require Abyssal Scrolls to upgrade them.

I've personally found them most commonly through opening Helltide Chests amid an active Helltide. Helltides are such a simple activity that only requires you to farm within the small area it's active, so I've found this to be the easiest way to get them in bulk. You can also obtain Infernal Compasses via the Tree of Whispers or just crafting them at the Occultist in a very identical way you would Nightmare Sigils. Regardless of which method you use, you'll find? Infernal Comp?asses very easy to obtain.

How do Infernal Hordes work in Diablo 4 Season 5?

The Infernal Hordes activity itself is similar to Helltides in that you'll be facing large numbers of Hell's denizens constantly. However, unlike Helltides, it is structured around wave-based combat, where you must fend off multiple waves of demons, each wave lasting roughly 60 seconds. To add to the challenge, you can activate Infernal Offers, modifiers that increase both the difficulty and the p?otential rewards. After successfu??lly surviving all the waves, you must defeat a boss (or bosses) for the final rewards of the activity.

Infernal Horde Rewards

Participating in Infernal Hordes offers several rewards, most notably Burning Aether. This resource can be used to open Spoils of Hell, which contain a variety of valuable items, including potential Legendary/Unique items and Masterwork crafting materials.

The activity is one of the most lucrative and rewarding events you can do in Diablo 4, and is certainly worth your time if you're looking for a new way to farm high-end loot. The best part about Infernal Hordes is that they are not locked to Seasonal Realms. That's right. Eternal Realm players can also participate in Infernal Hordes as of the Season 5 update. Thanks to this, it's reasonable to expect this mode to be actively updated as Diablo 4 gets new content.

The post How to unlock Infernal Hordes in D?iablo 4 Season 5 appeared first on Destructoid.

Every season of Diablo 4 has a seasonal mechanic which often changes up the fastest way to progress through the levels and reach Level 100 with your new Seasonal Character. In Diablo 4 Season 5, there is the new Infernal Hordes mechanic as well as Seasonal Quest that you'll want to do alongside leveling as well. This is the fastest way to level to 100 in Diablo 4 Season 5 whil?e completing your required seasonal quest.

Diablo 4 Season 5 Leveling Guide

The fastest leveling strategy for Diablo 4 Season 5 can be used by both Solo players and those leveling together with others in a group. While both will have no problem following this strategy, keep in mind that doing so in a group will be faster. This is because in Diablo 4 Season 5, the majority of your time will be spent doing Helltides, which does not scale enemy HP based on the number of players. When you match this with the ability to do more damage quickly when in a group, you can swiftly and more efficiently power through Helltides as a group than a solo player. Here is the best route for the fastest way to Level 100 in Diablo 4 Season 5:

1. Create a Seasonal Character and start the game on World Tier 2.
2. Visit the Wardrobe and take out a pet for the Auto Pickup convenience. You get a pet for pre-ordering the Vessel of Hatred expansion.
3. Pick up the first Seasonal Quest 'Of Lambs and Wolves' and complete it.

   • Grab some herbs in the open world while completing this quest so you can craft an Elixir at the Alchemist for the 5% experience buff.

4. After completing the first Seasonal Quest, begin farming Helltides on repeat.

   • Following each Helltide is a five-minute delay before the next one begins. During this time you will want to complete your Class Quest and update your gear via Tempers. If you have the time, throw in a Dungeon or two that has the Aspects you require for your leveling build to be more efficient.

5. Continue the Helltides until you reach Level 35-40.
6. Complete the first Capstone Dungeon to unlock World Tier 3.
7. Do the next Seasonal Quest, 'The Eyes of the Enemy'.
8. Switch to World Tier 3.
9. Depending on your preference, you have two options for how to continue leveling at this point:

   • Continue doing Helltides
   • Switch to Nightmare Dungeons

10. Once you reach Level 55-60, Stack Fire Res gear and head into the next Capstone Dungeon and complete it.
11. Switch to World Tier 4.
12. Continue doing Helltides or Nightmare Dungeons until Level 80.
13. At Level 80, switch to doing NIghtmare Dungeons specifically in order to level your Glyphs as well.
14. Once you reach Level 95 you can also start doing The Pit which is great exp.
15. At Level 100 finish the remaining Seasonal Quests, optimize your End-Game build, and begin doing Tormented Bosses and The Pit!

The post Fastest way to level to 100 in Diablo 4 Season 5 appeared first on Destructoid.

With the new Diablo 4 Season 5, Season of the Infernal Hordes, a new faction with its own seasonal faction rewards is in place. Titled The Mother's Gift, you will need to acquire various amounts of new currency called The Mother's Gifts in order to progress the faction tiers and unlock exclusive seasonal rewards. Here is how to get The Mother's Gifts in Diablo 4 Season 5 and unlock all 20 Tiers with the faction, as well as the rewards you will receive for doing s?o.

How to get The Mother's Gifts

In the Season of the Infernal Rewards, you can obtain Mother's Gifts by slaying powerful servants of Hell which include Elit??es, Champions, Hellbourne, and Bosses. The fastest way to get the Mother's Gifts is to slay a ton of powerful enemies via either Helltides or the new Infernal Hordes wave??-based seasonal mechanic.

You can obtain the Mother's Gifts by defeating any of the tougher enemies, so you could even farm these by completing the dungeons you need for your Legendary Aspect's, though that would certainly be a slower method ?of farming them.

All The Mother's Gift Reputation Rewards

As you collect Mother's Gifts you will rank up with the new 'The Mother's Gift' faction which will earn you exclusive rewards. This is the seasonal faction and ties into the Season of the Infernal Hordes mechanic. To reach Tier 2, you will need to collect 15 total Mother's Gifts, with the amo?unt required increasing after each rank up.

1. 5,000 Experience and Triune Parcel
2. Triune Crate and Unlock 'The Past Behind Us' Seasonal Side Quest
3. Triune Arms Cache and Unlock 'The Seething Mountain' Seasonal Side Quest
4. Triune Crate and Unlock 'An Old and Angry Wound' Seasonal Side Quest
5. Triune Arms Cache and Unlock 'Sins of the Willing' Seasonal Side Quest
6. Sacred Triune Arms Cache and Unlock 'The Wages of Hatred' Seasonal Side Quest
7. Triune Crate
8. Infernal Compass
9. Triune Crate
10. Sacred Triune Arms Cache
11. Triune Strongbox
12. Triune Strongbox
13. Elements of Hatred
14. Triune Strongbox and Abyssal Scroll
15. Triune Strongbox of Endurant Faith
16. Triune Strongbox
17. Elements of Hatred
18. Ancestral Triune Arms Cache
19. Elements of Nemesis
20. Greater Triune Arms Cache

The post How to get The Mother’s Gifts and all Rewards in Diablo 4 Season 5 appeared first on Destructoid.

Every season of Diablo 4 features class and itemization changes that typically shake up the meta in terms of what classes are better at certain functions in-game for that season. The Season of the Infernal Hordes is no different, bringing some pretty massive changes to all classes and adding a ton of new items. We've put together two Diablo 4 Season 5 Tier Lists for all 5 Classes detailing which ones are best for leveling and end-game as well as which build?s for each ??class you should use.

Diablo 4 Season 5 Leveling Tier List

For leveling in Diablo 4 Season 5, you want a build that can quickly traverse between packs of mob before taking them out in fast fashion. Ideally, the build will also have some tankiness and survivability so there's not much downtime between each group of enemies you take out. Our classes in the S Tier for this Tier List have builds that meet all of those requirements, while those in the A Tier do as well just not as effeciently. Classes in the B Tier however features builds that are a bit on the slower end in terms of leveling, and won't be able to level with as much ease as those in the S or even A Tier. Here is our Diablo 4 Season 5 Leveling Tier List for all 5 classes going?? into the new season:

S Tier

• Rogue (Barrage, Penetrating Shot, Twisting Blades)
• Sorcerer (Arc Lash, Chain Lightning, Firewall, Ice Shards)

A Tier

• Necromancer (Bone Spear, Blood Surge, Minion)

B Tier

• Barbarian (Double Swing, HotA, Upheaval, Whirlwind)
• Druid (Companion, Lightning Storm, Pulverize)

Diablo 4 Season 5 End Game Tier List

While the leveling tier list focuses on classes and builds that can quickly take out hordes of enemies, builds in our End Game tier list must also be able to quickly burn down single-target bosses with massive HP pools as is required. Our builds in the S Tier List are able to do both effectively while those in the A Tier are great in bursts at one of the other. Classes in the B Tier will be able to do all end game content, as all classes can, but may not be able to do so as easily or quickly as the other classes, at least without some serious gear. This is our Diablo 4 Season 5 End Game Tier ????List and builds for all classes:

S Tier

• Barbarian (Bash, Flay, Rend)
• Sorcerer (Blizzard, Chain Lightning, Fireball, Firewall)

A Tier

• Rogue (Barrage, Flurry, Penetrating Shot, Rapid Fire)

B Tier

• Druid (Cataclysm, Companion, Landslide, Lightning Storm)
• Necromancer (Bone Spirit, Blood Lance, Blood Surge, Minions)

The post Diablo 4 Season 5 Tier List for all Classes appeared first on Destructoid.

The fifth season for ARPG Diablo 4, The Season of the Infernal Hordes, once again changes up a lot of the build varieties for all classes while also adding the new seasonal Infernal Hordes mechanic. With all-new Legendary Items, some builds are looking better than ever. These are the best Leveling Builds for all Classes in Diablo 4 Season 5.

Best Leveling Builds for all Classes in Diablo 4 Season 5

The overall markers for the best leveling builds in Diablo 4 Season 5 are those that can quickly clear out a large number of enemies in a short period of time while also surviving the onslaught of enemies in the meantime. While being able to quickly burst down bosses is also important, it's not as important as being able to mass clear enemies. Here are the best leveling builds for each class in Diablo 4 Season 5:

Barbarian

One of the best overall builds for leveling in all of Diablo 4 Season 5 is the Hammer of the Ancients (HotA) Barbarian. The build u??ses Hammer of the Ancients to quickly AoE down enemies via the powerful hammer slam. The addition of Charge and Lunging Strike allows you to quickly traverse the map while War Cry, Rallying Cry, and Wrath ??of the Berserker give you added utility in the form of damage and survivability.

Build Guide: Hammer of the Ancients Barbarian Leve?ling Build by Mathris

Druid

For Druid, Lightning Storm is the best leveling build due to the ability to zap down a ton of enemies quickly via Lightning Storm. Trample gives the Druid some extra mobility while ??Wolves, Ravens, and Poisoner Creeper add some tanky? high-damage companions to the Druid's arsenal in between spamming Lightning Storm. Once you have Shepherd's Aspect, Lightning Storm is one of the highest damage burst abilities for leveling.

Build Guide: Lightning Storm Druid Leveling Build by IBoilerUp

Necromancer

The best Necromancer Leveling Build in Diablo 4 Season 5 is Minion Necro. Perhaps the easiest build in all of Diablo 4, Minion Necro allows you to essentially run around while your horde of minions quickly exterminate everything nearby. At its core, this build relies on Skeletal Warriors, Skeletal Mages, and Golems to swarm your opponents. For survivability, yo??u'll make use of Blood Mist, and Corpse Tendrils and Iron Maiden will give you a lot more crowd control and utility.

Build Guide: Summoner Necromancer Leveling Build by GhazzyTV

Rogue

Rogues actually have several strong leveling build options, but Twisting Blades is probably the best. Dash and Shadow Step gives the Rogue tons of mobility to quickly dart around the map, while Puncture, Twisting Bla?des, Shadow Imbuement, and Shadow Clone gives the Rogue plenty of high damage options to burst down large groups of enemies quickly. While most Leveling Builds focus purely on AoE damage, Twisting Blades Rogue actually gets some added single-target boss damage via Inner Sight.

Build Guide: Twisting Blades Rogue Leveling Build by Paryah

Sorcerer

The best Leveling Build for Sorcerer for Diablo 4 Season 5 is CHain Lightning. For several seasons this has been one of the best leveling builds in the entire ARPG, and Season 5 looks to follow suit. Using the ?massive AoE explosions from the Fireball Enchantment mixed with Arc Lash and Chain Lightning, this is one of the fastest AoE clear builds out there. Frost Nova adds some insane Crowd Control and added damage burst via the easily Vulnerability, while Teleport and Ice Armor give you more mobility ??and utility than most of the classes, especially when leveling.

Build Guide: Chain? Lightning Sorcerer Leveling Build b??y DarkHumility

The post Diablo 4 Season 5 Best Leveli?ng Builds for all Cl??asses appeared first on Destructoid.

Blizzard revealed the official title and release date for Season 5 of Diablo 4 today. Titled the Season of Infernal Hordes, Diablo 4 Season 5 will kick off in just one week on August 6 at 1 p.m. EST. In the Season o??f the Infernal Hordes??, players will tackle a new wave-based feature called the Infernal Hordes to earn powerful seasonal rewards.

Face the Infernal Hordes

Each Season for Diablo 4 typically revolves around a seasonal mechanic, with Season of the Infernal Hordes revolving around a new wave-based feature where players can take on hordes of enemies either solo or with friends. In between each wave, Infernal Offerings, which augm??ent future waves with boons or banes, can be chosen to increase wave difficulty while also increasing potential rewards.

After each Infernal Hordes run, players will take on 3 of the 5 members of the Fell Council, ea?ch with their own unique abilities that can create interesting combinations based on other members of the Fell Council joining them in the fight.

Also part of the new Infernal Hordes seasonal mechanic are?? the all-new Hellbreach Dungeons. These new dungeons grant Burning Aether throughout that can then be spent to open unique chests at the end of the dungeon.

Even though the Infernal Horde feature is the main p?oint of the new season, over 50 new Unique and Legendary Items are also being added the season, adding some new unique build variety and possibilities.

Diablo 4 S?eason 5, Season of the Infernal Hordes is set to launch on all platforms on August 6.

The post Diabl??o 4? Season of the Infernal Hordes set to start next week appeared first on Destructoid.

Lord Zir holds a lot of strong and meta items for builds all across the board in Diablo 4. He’s not so easily discoverable as you make your way into the endgame, so we’ll go over how you can ??find him.

Where is Lord Zir in Diablo 4?

You can find Lord Zir by heading over to The Darkened Way in the Fractured Peaks area. The closest Waypo?int will be in Yelesna, just south of this dungeon. Make sure it’s unlocked because it is one of the areas that you have to re-discover every season.

From here, make your way t?hrough the dungeon until you get to the center of the area called the Ancien??t’s Seat. 

The Ancient’s Seat is a typical Uber boss dungeon where you only fight a few enemies before getting to the main boss. Once you get to where you have to summon him, you’ll need nine (9) units of Exquisite Blood. The Tormented version of Lord Zir will require 27 units of Exquisite Blood and two (2) Stygian Stones.

The normal v??ersion of Zir will be level 80. The items that he drops are not guaranteed to be at 925. There is a chance of it, but just be aware of that if you’re target-farming items like the Fractured Winterglass or th??e Wildheart Hunger.

How to farm Lord Zir summon materials

As mentioned previously, to summon Zir, you need Exquisite Blood. Depending on which version? of him you’re fighting, you need to stock up on this? resource. 

The best way to quickly farm this is to exclusively play during the Helltide. While you may be passively farming Aberrant Cinders to open the Tortured Chests, you should prioritize any public events, Blood Maidens, and Grim Favors during that time.&n???bsp;

World Bosses also drop this, so ??you should make note of when they’re spawning and their cycles.

Farming Exquisite Blood is slower than farming other boss materials, so try looking for L??FG groups who are also running the boss so you can get the Unique items you’re looking for.

The post Where is Lord Zir in Diablo 4? appeared first on Destructoid.

Diablo 4 has another mid-season update on the way, and the team at Blizzard is including a few early reveals for Season 5, too.?? In a blog post on the Blizzard forums, community manager Adam Fletcher detailed the state of Diablo 4's mid-season patch, as well as how the team is approaching the yet-to-be-revealed Season 5 �including a Public Test Realm (PTR) for the fifth big update.??

Fans of Loot Reborn, the current, fourth Season of Diablo 4, may remember the Public Test Realm being a prominent source of feedback generation for the team ahead of the season's official release. Fletcher confirms in the post that Season 5 is getting its own PTR ahead of release as well. This means anyone who wants to join ?in and test the systems early is free to do so, with the main goal being data and feedback accrual so the team can fine-tune the content for public release.?

The team is planning to discuss Season 5, and its PTR, on June 21 in one of their intimate "Campfire Chat" developer streams. We'll probably get most of the details surrounding the season's theme and when the PTR is slated to launch, but we ??won't be getting any discussion of Season 4's mid-season balance patch. Instead, those notes will go up June 14, with the patch itself launching next week (likely Tuesday).

Diablo 4 didn't see a Public Test Realm until the massive season of Loot Reborn, and plenty of fans (myself included) see? it as a win for player-developer feedback and communication. Even the more gene??ralized data gathered in a PTR can be vital for a team, as players will sometimes gravitate toward broken builds (like the notoriously busted Dust Devil Barbarian of Season 4's PTR).

We can also look forward to an actual seasonal theme this time around, since the team has had time to build on the game after revamping so many of its core systems. You can keep an eye out for the Campfire Chat happening June 21 over on Diablo's Twitch page.

The post Diablo 4 Season 5 is getting a commu??nit??y-favorite feature with the return of PTR appeared first on Destructoid.

Angel Breath is a resource in Diablo 4 that is needed for crafting Potion Upgrades, Incenses, and Elixirs. While you may not necessarily craft the latter two, it’s an important thing to have because they are actually quite good, especially when min-maxing ?into the endgame activities.

How to farm Angel Breath in Diablo 4

The best way to farm Angel Breath in Diablo 4 is to farm Radiant and Resplendent Chests from public events all throughout the world and in Dungeons. Basically, any time you see an orange circle appear on your map or a??n upside-down triangle with three dots on each side, it indicates where an event is. 

Once you get into the radius of the place, you’ll see “Event Joinedâ€?/strong> on your screen. Complete the event, preferably by meeting th??e requirements. Upon completing the event, the aforementioned chests should contain some units of Angel Breath. 

You can also farm this resource when taking on the normal and Nightmare Dungeons. Since they also have events inside, you can earn a few units of Angel Breath while getting a first-time Aspect reward or farming Glyph XP for your Paragon board.

Best way to farm Angel Breath in Diablo 4

Similar to participating in events for Angel Breath, the best way to farm this resource is to partake in these during the Helltide. Everything spawns quic??ker ?here and there are more players active in these areas. 

Because of that, you’re oftentimes going to run into events that are already in pr??ogress. So as you’re roaming around and collecting Aberrant Cinders to open the Helltide chests, you can easily snag a bunch of chest drops that will almost certainly contain Angel Breath.

If you happen to catch the tail end of an event, you may still reap a few rewards from the recently opened chests. T??hey also tend to stack onto each other since they cycle so frequently.

The post Diablo 4 Angel Breath farm: Best way ??to farm Angel Breath in Diablo 4 appeared first on Destructoid.

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