Diablo 4 Season 11 Tower Beta | Top Builds for Pushing High Floors and Rankings
As Season 11 draws to a close, Diablo 4 has given players another surprise: the beta versions of The Tower and Leaderboards were released at 11:00 AM PST on January 12th. This is something many loyal fans of the game have been dreaming of, especially after the removal of competitive dungeons in Season 6.
In this game, which is even more challenging than Endgame, players need to use character builds with higher damage output and survivability to complete all battles and thus upgrade their ranking on the leaderboard. This process is not simple; it requires you to constantly try, make mistakes, and modify your work.
To help you get through this ordeal, this guide will introduce you to the best builds for farming The Tower for each class, as well as their effectiveness in this game content. Please note that this content is currently in beta, and there may be vulnerabilities during its operation. Furthermore, its effectiveness may be subject to modification in the future.
Shadowblight Necromancer
Because Necromancer class has been significantly nerfed in the current season, the farming efficiency of Shadowblight Necromancer builds has also been greatly reduced; however, given its high base damage and survivability in previous seasons, it can still be effective for simple towers.
In this build, the only thing you need to focus on is how to trigger Shadowblight, the most important passive, more frequently, which will give you higher shadow damage. In view of this, you may need to use the following skill rotation order:
In any suspicious situation, cast Soulrift first, as it takes time to stack its buffs. Once you see an enemy, cast Reap to create your first Corpse, which also provides damage reduction. Then, use Decrepify and Iron Maiden skills to trigger Aspect of the Cursed Aura to attack groups of monsters.
If the monsters are too powerful, you can use Corpse Tendrils skill to control them in groups; then use Blight skill to gather them together and gain a 10% damage bonus. When encountering a single powerful boss, you can cast Supernatural Sever to generate the initial corpse needed to start the engine, which is especially important in farming Tower.
Crackling Energy Sorcerer
The next suitable build is Crackling Energy Sorcerer. Although somewhat more efficient than Necromancer and usable in many combat situations, it’s not the best choice. This is mainly because you have to sacrifice many defensive abilities to maximize damage - a trade-off.
This means that not only can you not enter Tower alone, but you also need to constantly monitor your position in the arena when running missions in a team, because you are simply too fragile. However, this structure also serves to gather enemies, which seems contradictory, but there is a way to break the deadlock.
The most recommended method is to place Imbiber Glyph in your Paragon Boards. It will increase the effectiveness of your healing potions by 30% and increase your damage by 14% when you are at full health, which can significantly improve survivability and damage output.
In addition, you can also go to EZG.com to buy some Diablo 4 items that can be used for vigorous defense, such as armor, helmets and shields, to ensure success in challenging competitive content. Here always offers the most affordable prices and fast delivery, so it won’t delay your farming progress at all.
Pulverize Druid
Players who love heavy attacks and tank playstyles will definitely like this: Pulverize Druid. It was quite powerful at the beginning of Season 11, but after some balance adjustments in patches and the addition of Paladins, its status plummeted. However, due to its extremely simple gameplay, it is still nominated here.
Previously, in this setup, you only needed to keep slamming. But now, you also need to carefully design how the extra splash damage caused by the venom pool generated by Pulverize skill is dealt, and calculate the specific damage value, which is much more troublesome.
Lunging Strike Barbarian
In this situation, Lunging Strike Barbarian build, which has the same devastating impact, becomes the best alternative. However, to unleash its full potential, you need to have Melted Heart of Selig, currently the strongest Mythic unique in Season 11, which grants you exceptional survivability.
This will require you to farm Duriel, King of Maggots multiple times to increase the chance of this mythical item appearing in the loot rewards. Alternatively, you can go to Alchemist and use Resplendent Sparks and specific runes: 6 Vex, 6 Thul, and 6 Tun to craft Melted Heart of Selig, which is more expensive but the fastest.
Heartseeker Rogue
Although Rogue class has never been considered the best choice for players to complete endgames and high-challenge content, Heartseeker Rogue in Season 11 is currently well-balanced. Once you learn to use skill rotations effectively and have powerful D4 item options such as Orphan Maker, farming Tower shouldn’t be a problem.
This build offers a shotgun-like spray that will give you a significant advantage in both melee and ranged combat. However, it’s important to note that this also requires a high level of proficiency in skill rotation to maximize the damage output of Shadow Clone skill.
Payback Spiritborn
Although the most popular Spiritborn build at present is based on Evade, it is not suitable for farming Tower; on the contrary, Payback, which has gained significant benefits recently, has gradually risen to prominence. Among these, Rod of Kepeleke can cooperate almost perfectly with Ring of the Midnight Sun to instantly consume all resources and quickly recover.
While Vigor will be constantly switching between consuming and recharging in this build, trust me, the more frequent Payback skill casts it provides will make you virtually invincible, and its powerful sustain will allow you to safely complete all pushing challenges.
Blessed Hammer Paladin
The last and currently best build for completing farming Tower in Diablo 4 is Blessed Hammer Paladin. Equipped with the incredibly resilient and powerful Herald of Zakarum, your character will be immune to any lethal damage while easily pushing your damage output limits.
While this shield is currently highly controversial within the community, it’s essential for achieving extremely high tankiness. Meanwhile, try to place gems or legendary Aspects on Herald of Zakarum to increase critical strike chance, thus maximizing your chances of success.
Although Tower, which is highly competitive, is currently in beta, it is worth looking forward to the possibility that it will appear as a season mechanism/content in Diablo 4 Season 12 PTR, which may be launched in February. After all, no player can resist the thrill of competition. Have fun playing the game!
ARC Raiders Season 2 PvP Guide: 5 Meta Builds for Mobility, Burst Damage, and Survival
In ARC Raiders, PvP mode has always been a favorite among players. You can continuously refine your gear and tactics in combat, gaining a greater sense of immersion and accomplishment.
However, winning PvP isn't just about brute force; it demands skillful movement, survival techniques, and sustained endurance.
Weapon builds in ARC Raiders involve considerations of combat range, ammo capacity, survivability, carrying capacity, and mobility, rather than simply weapon selection.
A powerful PvP build revolves around primary and secondary weapon pairings, ammo type combinations, shield level selection, backpack enhancement modules, quick-slot item configuration, and skill tree allocation emphasizing mobility as a core component. This ensures the build functions effectively under high-pressure combat conditions.
This guide will break down the strongest PvP builds in Season 2 and their practical strategies to help you maintain control of the battle.
Versatile Build
This build is considered the optimal solution for the current version. Its core strength lies in balancing stamina, vertical terrain control, and post-battle reset efficiency. It allows for proactive suppression while avoiding ambushes, making it suitable for most combat scenarios.
Recommended Configuration
Weapons: Rattler II/Rattler III + II Toro To maintain mid-to-close range suppression, Rattler should also be equipped with Stability-focused mods.
Shield: To find the optimal balance between survivability and mobility, avoiding excessive weight that could hinder movement speed, a Medium shield is chosen.
Augment: Combat Mk 2/Combat Mk 3 Increases stamina cap and carrying capacity, supporting multiple rounds of skirmishes.
Quick Slots: Prioritize Shield Recharger and Smoke Grenade for handling unexpected reloads.
Core Skills
Besides good mobility, this build also requires enhanced stamina and movement control.
Mobility
- Youthful Lungs - Increases stamina pool
- Marathon Runner - Reduces stamina cost during sprinting
- Effortless Roll - Low-cost change of direction
- Heroic Leap - Vertical escape/relocation
- Carry the Momentum - No stamina cost window after rolling
- Nimble Climber - Gain high ground advantage
Survival
- Looter’s Instincts - Quick looting, reducing exposure time
- Silent Scavenger - Reduces noise level to avoid ARC Enemies
- Agile Croucher - Safe healing behind cover
- Broad Shoulders - Allows carrying more items
Conditioning
- Used to the Weight - Reduces weight penalty
- Fight or Flight - Increases stamina quickly under pressure
- Proficient Pryer - Faster door breaching, reducing exposure time
- Gentle Pressure - Reduces noise when breaching doors
- A Little Extra - Improve breaching efficiency and reduce the impact of equipment on carrying capacity.
Practical Strategy
Before engaging in combat, prioritize using Nimble Climber to seize vertical positions such as rooftops and high platforms to gain a pre-emptive line of sight. During combat, if you inadvertently take damage, immediately roll and use Carry the Momentum to either continue suppressing the enemy or retreat before they regain control.
After combat, use Silent Scavenger and Looter’s Instincts to quickly and quietly loot the spoils, and use Smoke Grenade for cover during relocation, preventing ARC Enemies from intervening and prolonging the battle.
Note that while the shield can withstand a significant amount of damage in combat, sustained fire can still cause damage penetration; therefore, it’s essential to replenish health with healing items promptly.
Ultimate Burst Build
This build is specifically designed for players who prefer head-on confrontations and rely on firepower to win. It centers on heavy weapons, and while it reduces shield movement speed by 5%-15%, this impact can be mitigated by subsequent skill selection.
Recommended Configuration
Weapons: Renegade + Bobcat - Bobcat requires Padded Stock + Compensator for improved stability and melee burst damage.
Shield: Medium or Heavy shield, suitable for the survivability requirements of heavy weapons, avoiding being quickly focused down.
Augment: Combat Mk 3 (Aggressive), specifically designed to offset the weight burden of dual-wielding weapons.
Core Skills
This build focuses on mid-range burst damage with heavy weapons, so skills not only need to reduce the impact of weight but also increase speed to prevent being slowed down by excessive weapon weight and being chased by enemies.
Mobility
- Youthful Lungs - Maintain core stamina skills
- Marathon Runner - Reduces stamina loss
- Effortless Roll - Quick movement in combat does not consume stamina
- Heroic Leap - Increases speed, compensating for the slow movement speed of heavy weapons
- Carry the Momentum - Sprinting does not consume stamina
Conditioning
- Used to the Weight - Very important, otherwise heavy weapons will hinder your movement
- Fight or Flight - Quickly recover stamina after being injured
- Gentle Pressure - Reduces the loud noise caused by heavy weapons
- A Little Extra - Gain more resources when breaching doors, reducing the impact of weight
Practical Strategy
This build is best suited for mid-range combat. You can rely on the weapon’s high burst damage to wear down the enemy’s shield, and once you break through, go all out.
Because heavy weapons have a high weight, you should avoid long-range pursuits as much as possible. Use your firepower advantage to force the enemy into your firing range. If you still encounter danger and damage, use Heroic Leap to break through the enemy’s defenses, and then find a new angle of attack after adjusting.
Stable and Balanced Build
Unlike the previous build that focused on overwhelming enemies with powerful weapons, this build is a versatile option suitable for both solo and team play. It emphasizes mid-range shield harassment and close-range finishing off enemies. It has a low skill ceiling and is suitable for most players.
Recommended Configuration
Weapons: Tempest + II Toro. Tempest should also be equipped with Stability-focused mods to maximize its mid-range advantage.
Shield: Medium or Heavy shield
Quick Slots: Heavy Fuze Grenade/Shrapnel Grenade + Smoke Grenade
Core Skills
This build focuses on mobility and post-battle reset skills to ensure excellent kiting ability.
Mobility
- Youthful Lungs
- Marathon Runner
- Effortless Roll
- Heroic Leap
- Vault Spring / Vaults on Vaults on Vaults
Survival
- Agile Croucher - Safe adjustment behind cover
- Silent Scavenger - Reduces noise during looting
- Looter’s Instincts - Quick resource replenishment
Gameplay Strategy
First, use Tempest to remotely deplete enemy shields, forcing them to panic and retreat. When the enemy gets close, immediately switch to II Toro for close-range finishing.
If you fall behind in combat, you can use Effortless Roll and Smoke Grenade to reposition and attack from a new angle. Also, to avoid attracting the attention of AI enemies in Are Raiders, fight quickly and decisively, avoiding protracted battles.
Trap Ambush Build
This build is designed for looting core areas and night raids. The core strategy is to set up ambushes to lure enemies and quickly escape the scene. Here, we’re not aiming to wipe out the enemy team; our focus is on acquiring ARC Raiders items with minimal risk.
Recommended Configuration
Weapon: Venator, single weapon setup, to reduce weight and free up space for traps and loot.
Trap: Blaze Trap + Jolt Mine combo, prioritize placing them on ziplines, doorways, and other routes other players are likely to take.
Core Skills
This build emphasizes increased weight and stamina for a quick escape after looting.
Mobility
- Youthful Lungs - Increases stamina for faster and more agile trap placement.
- Marathon Runner - Reduces stamina consumption during escapes.
- Carry the Momentum - Key to emergency escape; stamina is not consumed during sprints.
Survival
- Looter’s Instincts - Loot is found faster.
- Silent Scavenger - Looting is quieter.
- Agile Croucher - Crouchs faster for quicker evacuation.
- Broad Shoulders - Carries more loot.
- Looter’s Luck - Improves looting efficiency.
Conditioning
- Proficient Pryer - Breaks down doors faster.
- Gentle Pressure - Demolishes doors quietly.
- A Little Extra - Reduces the impact of weapon load.
- Used to the Weight - No speed reduction when fully loaded.
- Fight or Flight - Quickly Recover Stamina in Combat
Combat Strategy
In this build, remember to avoid initiating attacks. Your goal is to acquire more loot and escape alive. If you are attacked, don’t linger; immediately plan your retreat and use Carry the Momentum to escape.
For Solo Players
This build is designed for solo players, balancing endurance, battlefield resupply, and tactical maneuverability. It allows you to adjust your status and handle multiple waves of threats while deep behind enemy lines.
Recommended Configuration
Weapons: Rattler II/Rattler III + Bobcat (Rattler also needs Stability-focused mods)
Shield: Medium shield
Augment: Combat Mk 2 or Combat Mk 3, to increase stamina for prolonged combat.
Core Skills
Since this is a solo build, prioritize maxing our Survival skill to ensure independent combat capability.
Survival
- Agile Croucher - Move and reposition more agilely
- In Round Crafting - Can be used for healing or as a Shield Recharger in combat
- Traveling Tinker - Unlocks more supply recipes
Mobility
- Youthful Lungs - Increases stamina significantly
- Marathon Runner - Reduces stamina consumption
- Nimble Climber - Facilitates quick route planning during extractions
- Carry the Momentum - Does not consume stamina during extractions
- Effortless Roll - Does not consume stamina when repositioning
- Heroic Leap - An important repositioning tool and escape skill in PvP
Conditioning
- Used to the Weight - Reduces weight penalty
- Proficient Pryer - Reduces door breaching time
- Gentle Pressure - Reduces noise in combat to avoid attracting AI enemies
- A Little Extra - Improves door breaching efficiency
- Fight or Flight - Quickly recovers stamina after being injured
Combat Strategy
Solo combat emphasizes flexible tactics, avoiding blindly engaging in direct confrontations. When resources are low, use skills to replenish Shield Rechargers and bandages promptly, and quickly relocate.
When pursued by enemies, provide cover to break their line of sight, lure them into an ineffective chase, and escape. In solo battles, stamina is paramount; you need to precisely manage the stamina consumption of sprinting, rolling, and climbing to avoid running out of stamina and becoming passive.
These are 5 powerful PvP builds for ARC Raiders. Regardless of which build you choose, remember that conserving stamina, agile movement, and quick battles are key to victory. Good luck climbing the ranks!
Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.4.0 Top 3 Overpowered Builds: Applicable Scenarios & How to Craft?
Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.4.0 has been live for some time now. Due to the official upgrades and reworks to various equipment and items, as well as adjustments to some skills, many builds have changed since release.
Based on recent game content and the latest adjustments, I will introduce what I consider to be the three strongest builds in Path of Exile 2, hoping to provide you with new inspiration.
1. Essence Drain Lich Build
Essence Drain Lich is one of the most reliable and well-rounded chaos builds in PoE 2. It focuses on stacking chaos damage over time and spreading its damage using the contagion mechanic, while maintaining excellent survivability through energy shields and life conversion mechanics.
This build performs exceptionally well in both map clearing and boss challenges, providing players with a smooth gameplay experience and extremely high growth potential.
Core Mechanics
Essence Drain build's core single-target skill fires a projectile that inflicts a powerful, continuous chaos damage debuff on hit enemies. Combined with Contagion skill, this chaos damage spreads to groups of enemies, triggering a chain reaction that clears the entire screen.
Dark Effigy Totems increase single-target damage based on the number of enemies affected by the chaos damage over time, making it incredibly powerful against high-level bosses.
Defense and Sustain
Essence Drain Lich Build's greatest strength lies in its versatility, excelling in both offense and defense.
Lich ascendancy provides a powerful energy shield, and Soulless Form converts health regeneration into mana regeneration, granting your build near-indestructible sustain.
Eternal Life locks your health within the energy shield's range, reducing damage taken. Finally, Ravenous Form's poison effect further enhances both offensive and defensive capabilities.
Skill Gems
Next is our skill gem pairings. Appropriate Support Gems can maximize the effectiveness of our skills. Below are the main skills in this build and their corresponding Support Gems:
- Essence Drain: Chain II, Swift Affliction II, Derange, Intense Agony, Considered Casting;
- Contagion: Unleash, Rapid Casting II, Magnified Area II, Arcane Surge;
- Dark Effigy: Overabundance II, Deliberation, Rapid Casting III, Poison II, Controlled Destruction.
Passive Tree
Regarding the nodes in the passive tree, our focus is mainly on the following:
- Increasing Chaos Over-Damage;
- Skill effect duration;
- Curse effects;
- Increasing mana;
- Energy shield and health.
This allows us to create a build that is safe for clearing maps, scales smoothly, and remains effective even in the late game. It's ideal for players who enjoy strategic casting.
2. Whirling Assault Titan Build
This build is an upgraded version of Cyclone builds. It excels in spinning attacks, combining extreme armor stacking, stun control, and charge-based burst damage.
In patch 0.4, Titan was arguably Ascendant class with the strongest physical damage reduction and sustained melee DPS. Whirling Assault Titan Build is fast, aggressive, and virtually invincible once fully geared.
Core Mechanics
Whirling Assault is the core skill of this build, launching a spinning attack from the player, combining movement, crowd control, and damage.
Then comes Mantra of Destruction, which generates energy orbs to attack enemies and accumulates combo counts. When your combo reaches its maximum, it enhances the damage of your next attack.
This is further enhanced by Tempest Bell, which significantly increases stun stacks and crowd control, and finally, Falling Thunder, which launches energy orbs to quickly eliminate enemies.
Defense
Titan Ascendancy synergizes perfectly with armor stacking, while Hulking Form converts small talent points into massive defensive bonuses. Crushing Impacts provides a stun bonus and deals extra damage to stunned enemies.
Stone Skin grants an additional 50% armor to equipped items, and Colossal Capacity allows players to carry a chest that adds 20 inventory slots, optimizing resource acquisition and recharge mechanics.
In endgame content, this build can achieve over 80,000 armor, making physical damage received virtually negligible.
Skill Gems
Whirling Assault build's skill gem setup is slightly more complex than Essence Drain Lich build.
- Whirling Assault: Ancestral Call II, Uul-Netol's Embrace, Heavy Swing, Overextend, Defy II;
- Mantra of Destruction: Ailith's Chimes, Ailith's Chimes, Prolonged Duration II, Chaos Mastery;
- Tempest Bell: Prolonged Duration II, Delayed Gratification, Overextend, Overabundance II, Defy II;
- Falling Thunder: Pinpoint Critical, Overextend, Elemental Armament II, Concentrated Area, Fist of War III.
Passive Tree
Each node in this passive tree has multiple uses for its corresponding skill: defense provides stun, stun provides damage, damage provides energy accumulation, and energy accumulation can be used to kill bosses.
Therefore, when activating nodes, we prioritize the following attributes:
- Armor and physical damage reduction skills;
- Stun stacking and stun duration;
- Amplified damage area of effect;
- Melee physical damage and attack speed;
- Synergistic effects between skills.
Whirling Assault build is suitable for players who enjoy melee combat and prioritize survivability. It's excellent for clearing maps and quickly defeating high-level bosses.
3. Chaos Zero Duration Titan Build
Chaos Zero Duration build is the most skill-intensive of these three builds, designed for experienced players and aiming to provide an experience drastically different from mainstream playstyles.
This build requires a significant investment, making it less friendly to beginners with limited PoE 2 currency, but its damage ceiling is extremely high.
Chaos Zero Duration build transforms Titan into a near-invincible Chaos caster with amazing regeneration and sustained damage output.
Core Mechanism
The core idea behind this system is to use Palm of the Dreamer to reduce the duration of skill effects to 100%, fundamentally changing how multiple skills operate. Time of Need triggers approximately every 0.06 seconds, providing significant health regeneration.
Simultaneously, for damage output, we use Ember Fusillade, which deals fire damage to enemies within range when a skill hits; and Cast on Critical triggers Ember Fusillade additionally in each cast cycle, significantly increasing our damage output.
Damage Bonuses
Previous Chaos Titan builds suffered from insufficient damage. While our characters were very tanky and difficult to kill, the damage output was insufficient to one-shot the boss.
Therefore, patch 0.4.0 improved this build by:
- Enhancing elemental damage bonuses;
- Using Orb of Storms to deal lightning damage to enemies;
- Applying debuffs with Thunderstorm and Firestorm.
The skills mentioned above are not designed to deal direct damage, but rather to amplify Ember Fusillade's damage to an astonishing degree.
Skill Gems
Let's look at the skill gems and support gems for this build:
- Time of Need: Uhtred's Omen, Compressed Duration II;
- Ember Fusillade: Rapid Casting II, Sione's Temper, Pinpoint Critical, Concentrated Area, Concentrated Area;
- Cast on Critical: Orb of Storms, Energy Retention, Boundless Energy II, Harmonic Remnants II, Overabundance I.
Passive Tree
Chaos Zero Duration Titan build revolves around these core attributes:
- Reduced skill duration;
- Health and Chaos damage bonus;
- Casting speed and critical strike chance;
- Elemental power.
This build is recommended for experienced players and is ideal for challenging high-level bosses and endgame content.
These are the three strongest builds in the recent Path of Exile 2 patch 0.4.0. Each build has its own advantages. Choose the one that suits your playstyle, budget, and experience level, and enjoy the fun of battle!
CoD Black Ops 7 Season 2 Reportedly Launches February 5 With Ranked Mode and New Maps
If you were to ask which FPS game is the best on the market right now, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 would definitely be on the list, thanks to its unique zombie mode gameplay and constantly updated season content, appealing to all players who love shooting and thrilling battles.
Recently, numerous leaks in communities and social media have suggested that Season 2 of this game will be released soon. If you know nothing about this, that’s okay, because EZG.com will summarize all the existing information here and list Season 2 release date and detailed explanations of the new content that you are most interested in.
Launch Time
Based on the previous season update frequency of CoD Black Ops series developers, the end of Battle Pass included in the current S1 Reloaded indicates the start of the next season, which means that the new season is expected to officially meet many players on February 5, 2026.
It is reasonable to guess that the release will begin at 9 AM Pacific Time, in keeping with the developer’s tradition. Of course, due to time zone differences, your account may be updated slightly later, as detailed below:
- Pacific Time (PT): 9:00 AM
- Central Time (CT): 11:00 AM
- Eastern Time (ET): 12:00 PM
- Greenwich Mean Time(GMT): 5:00 PM
- Australian Eastern Time (AET): 4:00 AM for next day
New Contents
Next comes the most exciting part: the new content already known in Black Ops 7 Season 2. Each of these elements can help retain existing players and attract a larger influx of new ones. This steady growth in player numbers is something both players and developers would love to see.
Ranked Mode
First up is CoD Bo7 ranked mode, which is highly anticipated by advanced players. It provides a stage to distinguish between the strong and the weak, and a more exciting competitive experience amidst a hail of bullets.
Previously in SBMM, top shooters were always frustrated by the inability to engage in a truly realistic and decisive match against equally skilled players. So, ranked matches have been introduced.
In this new mode, you can go all out for victory and have the opportunity to use top-tier gear with extremely high damage and offensive power in daily challenges, a gameplay experience that non-ranked matches cannot provide.
Many players speculated that BO7 would prefer to release the ranked mode in the latter part of the season, but surprisingly, a lot of information suggests that this brand-new game mode will be launched with Season 2. That is, after Season 2 starts on February 5th, you can enter this highly competitive challenge.
The news sent the entire community into a frenzy, with players speculating that Black Op7 Season 2 might continue the momentum of the game’s initial release, or even surpass the scale of the recently concluded Season 1! Get ready with your best loadout and team up with trustworthy teammates to enjoy the thrill of ranking up and reaping tons of rewards!
Maps
Along with the new game modes, a series of new maps will also be introduced in CoD Black Ops 7, including Plaza, Slums, and Yemen. Many players speculate that some remastered maps will also be released in the new season, given the abundance of map templates in the series, making remastering relatively easy.
While a small number of loyal fans dislike this practice of porting or borrowing maps from previous games, the community is generally tolerant of the developers’ lazy approach. After all, no one would refuse to play a game on a map that is different from the original map, especially a classic map, which is a win-win situation for both sides.
Battle Pass
In Call of Duty, besides the additions and subtractions of gameplay during each season’s transition, the most exciting thing for players is the update of Battle Pass. For example, Armory will definitely add many new gun options, attachments, and more groundbreaking perks, all of which will appear as rewards on the track in it.
In addition, there are some cosmetic items, such as camouflage skins for guns, operator skins, and kill announcements, which will definitely appear in Battle Pass with a Season 2 theme. It’s worth noting that Fallout and Bo7 co-branded Pass will disappear after Season 1 Reloaded ends, so please claim any unclaimed rewards as soon as possible.
Other Updates
Next up are some Season 2 update updates that have generated some buzz but whose authenticity is hard to verify. The most discussed topic is that the series will be released on Nintendo Switch next season, and many players who own multiple devices are starting to speculate whether the game will introduce cross-platform online functionality.
Imagine Nintendo Switch players and PC/console players in the same game lobby, that would be crazy! Additionally, the developers will fix a bug where some camouflage missions require a 50-win streak but are forcibly lost when the player reaches a 30-win streak, causing the mission to fail.
Of course, the macro bug that is currently troubling BO7 players, ARC Raiders players, and even all FPS game players will also be forcibly removed in Season 2, which may bring the game balance back to its original level.
Overall, the new maps, game modes, weapons, and cosmetic items to be released in CoD Black Ops 7 Season 2 will inject fresh energy into the game. So, whether you’re a casual player who explores it from time to time or a high-level player who previously gave up, Season 2 is the perfect time to return and continue the challenge!
Diablo 4 Season 11 Minion Necromancer Build: This Build Dominates The Pit
According to the developers, Diablo 4 Season 12 will be released on PTR in February 2026. In this season, endgame content will be further reset, and the difficulty of quests and dungeons like The Pit will be further increased.
As Season 11 enters its final phase, many players are shifting their focus toward efficient farming. Whether it’s completing seasonal objectives, gathering crafting materials, or preparing high-value gear for the upcoming season, optimizing builds has become more important than ever.
A strong, reliable endgame build not only helps players push difficult content but also saves a great deal of time during the final grind. This article will introduce a Minion Necromancer build centered on Minions. It boasts powerful damage capabilities and can efficiently clear high-difficulty dungeons like The Pit. It can help you fight efficiently in Season 11.
Gear
It’s important to note that all equipment in this build has been sanctified. Once sanctified, items cannot be modified, so ensure you have tempered, enchanted, refined, and socketed your equipment before sanctifying.
First, we selected Heir of Perdition for Helm and added Ahu+Qax, significantly increasing damage multipliers and trigger frequency, resulting in output capabilities far exceeding previous levels. For gloves, we choose The Hand of Naz, which boasts formidable damage output.
The core mechanic of The Hand of Naz is gaining an additional Skeletal Mage for each minion sacrificed. After sacrificing your Skeletal Warriors and Golems, your Mages will develop into Skeletal Arch-Mages after attacking 25 times without dying.
Skeletal Arch-Mages are slightly larger, and their hands glow slightly. When struck, they are immediately teleported to safety and receive a 100% critical strike damage bonus. Furthermore, every three attacks trigger a Shatter effect on the target, damaging three other targets around the target and significantly increasing its attack range.
In addition, The Hand of Naz’s basic attack has a piercing effect; although the distance is limited, it’s enough to hit multiple targets in a single attack, further expanding the Shatter effect’s coverage.
For weapons, common choices include the Sparr-enhanced Unique Two-Handed Scythes and sanctified Obsidian Blade. Many players use Scythes in this build, as its power is significantly increased after sanctification, reaching an attack frequency of once per second and further boosting damage.
The Obsidian Blade has an even higher attack frequency, reaching twice per second. When combined with a Grand Emerald gem, this advantage is further enhanced, providing an additional 72% critical strike damage. Furthermore, Obsidian Blade triggers the rune Qax more frequently, further increasing damage, hence our choice.
For the shield, we select Bone Shield of Reanimation. It grants at least 50% damage reduction, greatly enhances survivability, and increases base damage. With additional upgrades, the shield further boosts your main-hand weapon damage by another 100%.
Here is the complete gear list for this build:
- Helm: Heir of Perdition
- Chest armor: Shroud of False Death
- Gloves: The Hand of Naz
- Pants: Blood Moon Breeches
- Boots: Runic Cleats of Occult Dominion
- Weapon: Obsidian Blade
- Amulet: Ocelot’s Eye
- Ring 1: Aspect of Grasping Veins
- Ring 2: Soulwatch Hoop
- Offhand: Bone Shield of Reanimation
Skills
The core skills of the Minion Necromancer build are Blight, Soulrift, Corpse Tendrils, Raise Skeleton, Reap, and Bone Prison.
When you use Reap to crit, Blight can always maintain a crit status, and Skeleton Priest summoned by Raise Skeleton also provides a damage bonus to Minions, allowing you to focus more on gear optimization. Here is the complete skill list:
- Reap
- Raise Skeleton
- Soulrift
- Blood Lance
- Hewed Flesh
- Blight
- Necrotic Fortitude
- Titan’s Fall
- Spiked Armor
- Bone Prison
- Grim Harvest
- Death’s Embrace
- Iron Maiden
- Amplify Damage
- Decrepify
- Skeletal Mage Mastery
- Precision Decay
- Corpse Tendrils
- Coalesced Blood
- Necrotic Carapace
- Reaper’s Pursuit
- Finality
- Inspiring Leader
- Hellbent Commander
- Kalan’s Edict
Paragon
In Minion Necromancer build, we do not use Mage Glyph, but choose Abyssal instead. This is because Mage Glyph only provides a damage multiplier, namely a 10.4% damage bonus at level 100, which is useless compared to Abyssal.
Abyssal offers up to 218% extra damage and a 10.4% damage multiplier, plus an additional 10% damage multiplier, and requires fewer Paragon points, making it effective without needing to stack Intelligence or other attributes. Therefore, Abyssal is the preferred choice here.
The following are the choices for Legendary Nodes and Legendary Glyphs:
- Star (Gravekeeper)
- Cult (Leader Deadraiser)
- Flesh-eater (Essence)
- Frailty (Amplify)
- Wither (Abyssal)
Divine Gifts
In this build, having Divine Gifts is even better, as it will increase your rewards and Diablo 4 items. Here are Divine Gifts you can combine:
- Essence of Shadows
- Essence of Screams
- Essence of Sin
- Essence of Pain
This concludes the introduction to the equipment, skills, and Paragon required for Minion Necromancer build. This build boasts high-coverage burst damage while also possessing very strong defensive capabilities, making it an excellent choice for efficient dungeon clearing at the end of Season 11.
Enjoy the game and conquer all in Diablo 4 Season 11!
ARC Raiders Cheating Issues Spark Player Dissatisfaction | How Should Studio Turn the Tide?
ARC Raiders, a multiplayer shooter - extraction game, has garnered attention since its release. While opinions on the game are mixed, most players love it.
However, recently, rampant cheating and exploitation by many players in ARC Raiders have caused the game to lose its original balance, frustrating and angering many players, especially those focused on PvP.
What started as scattered complaints has now escalated into a widespread discussion among streamers, competitive players, and casual players. This has prompted the developers to issue an official response, stating they will expedite the rectification and resolution of these issues.
Let's take a look at the cheating behavior in ARC Raiders, combine it with netizens' opinions, and explore the specific measures the official team might take.
Specific cheating behaviors
The complexity and annoyance of cheating in ARC Raiders stems in part from players exploiting game glitches to commit various types of cheating. This means that no matter what you're doing in the game, you might encounter a cheater, ruining your entire day.
1. Using game hacks
The most classic form of cheating is using third-party systems - the universally despised cheats. These players use software like auto-aiming, wallhacks, or ESP (Extrasensory Perception) to see and shoot opponents through walls, rooftops, or terrain.
You might finally complete a raid, diligently looting your loot, only to be unexpectedly killed by an enemy hiding somewhere. This is the most direct form of cheating, and most players can report it to the official authorities.
2. Boundary-Crossing glitches
This type of cheating involves players exploiting game glitches to reach unexpected areas on the map, whether through unexpectedly appearing environmental glitches like ziplines or by using cheat software to push players off the map.
The end result is that these cheaters can kill unsuspecting players from impossible angles. While this isn't cheating in the traditional sense, these exploits blur the line between developer errors and intentional cheating, creating an unfair gaming experience regardless.
3. Macro weapon abuse
Another method involves modifying weapon configurations in the game, transforming an ordinary gun into a deadly weapon. For example, semi-automatic weapons like Kettle rifle can achieve extremely high rates of fire through macro scripts or external hardware that can automatically press buttons.
While these aren't traditional cheat programs, because they allow players to fire at rates far exceeding human limits, it's equivalent to turning a semi-automatic weapon into a near-fully automatic one. Many players have encountered this in the game and have considered it cheating.
4. Modifying console commands through file vulnerabilities
Some PC players have discovered ways to access console settings that were not previously publicly accessible. By modifying configuration files or using hidden launch commands, players can drastically increase their field of view, remove fog and environmental effects, or gain a vision advantage that doesn't exist in normal gameplay.
This gives players who know how to manipulate these settings an unfair advantage. Fortunately, the studio quickly fixed the issue and removed the problematic commands.
Furthermore, player cheating in the game goes far beyond this, with their methods constantly evolving. These despicable behaviors not only frustrate legitimate players but also erode the competitive fairness of the game.
Player reactions
Recently, many popular streamers, including Shroud and Nadeshot, have publicly condemned cheating. It's estimated that at least 50% of players in high-level PvP lobbies cheat, although these figures are only speculative and haven't been independently verified.
Meanwhile, on Reddit, many casual players have reported frequently encountering "impossible" deaths, such as headshots through smoke, instant kills from a distance, or unpredictable enemy movement. They stated that if this phenomenon cannot be curbed, they might abandon the game ARC Raiders.
Many players pointed out that these cheating accounts are generally newly registered, private, or associated with accounts with low Steam ratings, and warned other players to stay away from such accounts as soon as possible.
Besides frustration, some members publicly predicted that ARC Raiders might repeat the fate of The Cycle: Frontie, which was ultimately shut down due to serious cheating issues.
Studio's response
After complaints about cheaters in ARC Raiders peaked in early January 2026, the official response was finally released on the game's Discord servers and social media channels.
The response acknowledged that cheating was a serious problem and outlined a series of measures the studio is currently implementing or planning to implement.
1. Update Anti-Cheat System
The studio promised a major update to its anti-cheat system, including detection algorithms and enforcement mechanisms. This will result in a more robust server-side detection mechanism and a more powerful banning system, aiming to combat traditional third-party cheating software and blatant exploiters.
Regarding account bans, many players believe that a one-month ban is far from sufficient. Those who enjoy cheating will undoubtedly return. Accounts repeatedly detected cheating should be permanently banned.
2. Client-Side fixes
In addition to server-side detection, some behaviors stemming from client-side vulnerabilities that are frequently abused, such as wallhacks or modifications to visual settings, are being addressed.
The official team is releasing dedicated fixes and hotfixes to address these issues, preventing players from exploiting game vulnerabilities.
3. Game tools released
This improvement primarily targets the live streaming system. Some ARC Raiders streamers are frequently targeted by malicious viewers who time their attacks based on the streamer's gameplay.
The studio plans to release a feature similar to the live streaming security options offered by other games to protect streamers and reduce live stream sniping, thereby optimizing their gaming experience.
In addition to the points already officially addressed, the next patch update may include new and more comprehensive anti-cheat measures, further enhancing the gaming experience for regular players.
Regardless, players' complaints all stem from a desire for a better gaming experience in ARC Raiders. They love the game and don't want it to fade away. Let's look forward to the studio's next update bringing some surprises!