In Tax-Force, players confront morality-based policies and economic strategy as they tackle themes of government actions and corporate accountability. The game’s backdrop is a galaxy in financial crisis. To rescue the planet and save Farset13’s Solar Shield from shutdown, you’ll lead Tax-Force, a squad of armed Treasurers with emergency powers. Their mission: track down billionaire mutant tax evaders.

With only 7 days to spare, you’ll battle defenses, negotiate repayments, and clear the debt directly, all while deciding whether to reinvest in the city’s economy or tackle the crisis head-on. The clock is ticking, and the planet’s fate hangs in the balance.

Stephen Downey, CEO of Outsider Games, shared his excitement:

“We’ve poured years of effort into crafting Tax-Force, our ultimate creation that fuses our love for 90s comic books with our stance against tax-avoiding billionaires. Revealing the game at the Indie Arena booth at Gamescom is a moment we eagerly anticipate after all the hard work.”

Don’t miss the chance to be part of the unveiling of Tax-Force, a game that combines action, narrative depth, and tough decisions in an exhilarating rogue-lite adventure.

Features of Tax-Force

• Melee Combat – a focus on tough, close-range combat, with hand-drawn, rogue-lite biomes that remix with every run.

• Mutant Powers – Specials inspired by superhero mutant powers. Astral Projection! Metal Man! Optical Blasts!

• Strategy and Morality – Negotiate with targets to affect the economy, narrative and gameplay on each run. Every decision challenges players to choose between sci-fi metaphors for socialist vs capitalist economic policies.

• Rebuild – As you reinvest in society, the gameplay reacts. Price and potency of healing responds to public or private investment in healthcare. Weapons and criminal activity adjust as you increase defence spend, while new bridges and paths appear as you invest in infrastructure.

• Branching Narrative – Every decision leads to narrative consequences for the Farset13 citizens, as their stories are guided by your choices, and the city organically grows and changes around them.

• Timeloop – Death activates your time-travelling mutant power, sending you back to Day 1, armed with knowledge of your enemies and the consequences of your actions.

• Stunning Visuals – Gorgeous, hand-drawn comic book art style inspired by Jim Lee and 90’s X-men comics.

For more information, head over to their official website here.

Here’s the little teaser trailer that was released for Tax-Force:

About Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis

Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis blends retro-style and modern visuals in two gameplay modes. While exploring the world, the game employs a command-style RPG system with chibi characters. During battles, full-body characters take the stage, with more dynamic camera work, reminiscent of the original title’s style.

You will relive the most memorable moments from FFVII and experience the journey of a young hero Sephiroth. The best part? You get to create a team with beloved characters from the Final Fantasy VII series, including Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Zack, and others! Equip them with fresh gear exclusive to Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis.

Ever Crisis mirrors the original Final Fantasy VII’s battle system, the Active Time Battle, and incorporates materials, weapons, summons, and limit breaks from the original game. The mobile version supports extra features like Auto Mode and Battle Speed, and enables Co-op battles where three friends can join forces to defeat bosses collectively.

Here’s a quick guide on how to utilize her to the fullest.

ALL ABOUT DOMMY MOMMY

Kafka is an integral part of the Stellaron Hunters, a faction dedicated to countering the efforts of the Interastral Peace Corporation. By using the mystical power of Spirit Whisper, Kafka orchestrated the establishment of Trailblazer, a mechanism designed to assimilate the essence of the Stellaron entity. All we know about her as of now is during her leisure moments, Kafka takes immense pleasure in indulging her passion for retail therapy and meticulously arranging her assortment of coats.

Kafka is dangerous and elusive and the community worships the air she breathes. Her banner has been long awaited by many fans, so let’s get straight to it! The mysterious femme fatale of the Stellaron Hunters specializes in using Damage over Time (DoT) effects and excels in dealing Lightning Damage, perfectly complementing The Nihility. This solidifies her role as a top-notch DPS choice. She truly stands out when teamed up with fellow DoT enthusiasts for some multi-target mayhem. Is she going to be better than Jing Yuan? Well, let’s see.

TALENT BREAKDOWN

Basic ATK : Midnight Tumult: Deals Lightning DMG equal to 50% of Kafka’s ATK to a single enemy.

Skill : Caressing Moonlight: Deals Lightning DMG equal to 80% of Kafka’s ATK to a target enemy and Lightning DMG equal to 30% of Kafka’s ATK to enemies adjacent to it.If the target enemy is currently receiving DoT, all DoTs currently placed on that enemy immediately produce DMG equal to 80% of their original DMG.

Ultimate : Twilight Trill: Deals Lightning DMG to all enemies with a chance of inflicting Shock on them, and causes enemies with the Shock status to immediately take DMG equal to a certain percentage of the original damage received. Shock lasts for several turns. When Shocked, enemies receive Lightning DoT equal to a certain percentage of Kafka’s ATK at the beginning of each turn.

Talent : Gentle but Cruel:After an ally of Kafka’s uses Basic ATK on an enemy, Kafka immediately launches 1 follow-up attack and deals Lightning DMG equal to 60% of her ATK to that enemy, with a base chance of 100% of increasing the DoT inflicted by 15% for 2 turns. This effect can only be triggered 1 time per turn.

Technique : Mercy is not Forgiveness: Immediately attacks the enemy. After entering battle, deals Lightning DMG equal to 50% of Kafka’s ATK to a random enemy. In addition, all enemies have a 100% base chance to become Shocked for 3 turn(s).While Shocked, enemies receive Lightning DoT equal to 50% of Kafka’s ATK at the beginning of each turn.

Traces: 

Torture: When the Ultimate is used, enemy targets will immediately receive DMG from all currently applies DoT sources instead of just receiving DMG immediately from the currently applied Shock State.

Stat Bonus:

1. HP Boost: Max HP increased 6.0%
2. Lightning DMG Boost: Lightning DMG +6.4%

Thorns: The base chance for Ultimate, Technique, or the follow-up attack triggered by the Talent to inflict Shock is increased.

Stat Bonus:

1. HP Boost: HP +4.0%
2. Lightning DMG Boost: Lightning DMG +3.2%
3. ATK Boost: ATK +4.0%

Plunder: When an enemy inflicted with Shock is defeated, Kafka regenerates additional Energy.

Stat Bonus:

1. Lightning DMG Boost: Lightning DMG +4.8%
2. ATK Boost: ATK +6.0%

EIDOLONS, IN CASE YOU LUCKED OUT GETTING MULTIPLE KAFKA COPIES

E1 : Da Capo: When the Talent triggers a follow-up attack, there is a 100% base chance to increase the DoT received by the target by 30% for 2 turns.

E2: Fortississimo:While Kafka is on the field, DoT dealt by all allies increases by 25%.

E3: Capriccio: Skill Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15. Basic ATK Lv. +1, up to a maximum of Lv. 10.

E4: Recitativo: When an enemy target takes DMG from the Shock status inflicted by Kafka, Kafka additionally regenerates 2 Energy.

E5: Doloroso: Ultimate Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15. Talent Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15.

E6: Leggiero: The Shock inflicted on the enemy target by the Ultimate, the Technique, or the Talent-triggered follow-up attack has a DMG multiplier increase of 156% and lasts 1 turn longer.

KAFKA’S ASCENSION AND TRACE MATERIALS

ASCENSION MATERALS

• 15 Thief’s Instinct
• 15 Usurper’s Scheme
• 15 Conqueror’s Will
• 65 Shape Shifter’s Lightning Staff
• 308,000 Credits

TRACE MATERIALS

• 15 Obsidian of Dread
• 41 Thief’s Instinct
• 72 Obsidian of Desolation
• 56 Usurper’s Scheme
• 139 Obsidian of Obsession
• 58 Conqueror’s Will
• 12 Regret of Infinite Ochema
• 11 Tracks of Destiny
• 3,000,000 Credits

THE BEST LIGHT CONE FOR KAFKA

Patience Is All You Need is the best Light Cone for Kafka, as it increases her damage against DoT-afflicted enemies and increases her Speed if you manage to trigger her follow-up attacks often enough. This effect that can stack up to three times. This is great as it allows you to go for more of an ATK% Relic instead of Speed Relics. Also this Light Cone has a 100% base chance to inflict Erode on any enemy that doesn’t have this effect yet. Eroded targets are considered Shocked and will receive DoT.

For the poor, aka like me, your best bet is to go for Good Night and Sleep Well, a 4* Light Cone. It takes the crown with its substantial damage boost against debuffed (Shocked) foes. It’s even more effective when paired with other characters dealing damage over time or applying debuffs alongside Kafka on your team.

THE BEST RELICS FOR KAFKA

Kafka is all about offense, so focus on beefing up her damage stats like Attack and Critical Hit Rate on her gear. She’s a bit of a tactical character – it’s much smarter for her to take her turn after her teammates to pile up Damage over Time effects on enemies. You don’t need to prioritize Speed as much for her, which is great.

Band of Sizzling Thunder 4-PC: +10% Lightning Damage, +25% Attack for the wearer for one turn after using their Skill.

You can always go for Musketeer of the Wild Wheat as a substitute if you don’t have this set.

For Ornaments,

Space Sealing Station: +12% Attack, another 12% Attack when wearer’s Speed surpasses 120.

Make sure your Speed hits the 12o mark for this to actually be effective. This will greatly increases her attack power.

Check out her full Companion story here:

HERE COMES THE SUN

The newest support hero, Ilari has finally been revealed in the latest Invasion trailer. We get a glimpse of her abilities in the trailer but as of now, we are unsure of what they are. From what we see though, she looks to be an interesting addition to the current support pool.

Other than her fantastic design, let’s hope she’s actually more useful than Lifeweaver.

This is what is rumoured to be her abilities:

• A 150 HP destroyable healing turret.
• A Cooldown-based jump(Like Baptiste) that knocks enemies back.
• An Ultimate that allows you to fly and shoot 1 rocket dealing damage and applying a discord.
• Full tracking for healing your team, and shoots multiple burst heals. Beam healing like Zarya.

The theme of the upcoming season is Null Sector, and with that, the season will see Overwatch 2 release skins that will change the race of existing heroes from human to omnic ‘Null Sector’. Here we have a sneak peek of all the upcoming skins that players will receive.

The mythic skin will be for everyone’s favourite support, Ana!

It’s also been teased that the new season will feature new bundles featuring Vigilante Sojourn and two Null Sector skins for Kiriko and Cassidy.

SEASON 6 ROADMAP

Blizzard has also revealed their roadmap for Season 6 beyond the launch of the highly awaited co-op mode Invasion on August 10. At launch, players can experience firsthand a new limited-time event called Underworld. The mode will update weekly from launch to 5 September. It will first launch on King’s Row map.

5 September will also bring about Hero Mastery Missions, in which hero-specific challenges will be provided. These challenges will help players learn how to play different characters better.

On 19 September, Overwatch 2 will have its anniversary event launch and will feature three weeks of limited-time game modes including cosmetics for our heroes.

Although there’s been disappointment about the story modes being locked behind a paywall, I’m excited about this season as it seems stacked with content. Don’t forget that Overwatch 2 is also coming to Steam, and players can already pre-download the upcoming season now.

You can watch the trailer for the upcoming season here:

As tournament sponsors, Infinix gifted the victorious team with a substantial cash prize of RM15,000 and an exclusive Infinix x MLBB Gift Box featuring the coveted NOTE 30 Pro devices. The second-place team received RM10,000, while the third-place team secured RM5,000 in sponsorship. The MSL Championship 2023 united skilled gamers from across the nation, providing them with an opportunity to showcase their strategic and tactical prowess. Beyond being a competitive spectacle, the tournament served as a platform for nurturing young talent and fostering a sense of community within the esports realm.

YK X USM from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) emerged as the champions of the MSL Championship 2023, wowing everyone with their skills and amazing teamwork. This fierce squad, led by coach Muhammad Izdham bin Razali (Cellow) and featuring players like Mohamad Arif Asyraaf bin Mohamad Redzwan (Riff), Harith bin Chandrasekaran (Rith), Muhamad Afif bin Muhamad Tarmizi (Kinder Bueno), Muhammad Arif Shamil bin Ariffin (Mel), Muhammad Faris bin Badrul Zaman (Aish), Muiz Fahmi bin Jamran (Moeh), and Muhammad Hakim Mikhail bin Mohd Saiful Rizal (Loving Myself), played like absolute champions, bagging the championship title with flair.

The icing on the cake was when the MSL Championship 2023 crowned Kinder Bueno from the LYK X USM squad as the Most Valuable Player (MVP). It’s no wonder with a name like Kinder Bueno’s. Their gameplay showcased unmatched skills and crucial contributions that fueled the team’s stunning success throughout the competition. A true esports superstar in the making!

“I’ve had an interest in esports since high school because I love playing games. During high school, I participated in tournaments organised by the school, and when I entered college, I started competing more seriously. My plan to become a pro player is uncertain; if I’m destined to be one, I’ll become a pro player.” Muhamad Afif bin Muhamad Tarmizi (Kinder Bueno) from the LYK X USM team.

The Infinix and MLBB partnership for the MSL Championships 2023 was a success, with the Infinix NOTE 30 Series taking center stage throughout the tournament. It’s great to see collaborations like this happen here in Malaysia and I look forward to seeing more of them in the future.

Now that the MSL Championship 2023 has ended on a high, be sure to follow Infinix Malaysia for future events and promotion updates. You can keep up with them at these following links:

1. Official Website
2. Facebook
3. Instagram
4. TikTok

In response to player feedback, the game developers have made changes to how damage against armor is calculated, ensuring a fair playing field for all heroes. Furthermore, nearly half of the current heroes will undergo balance changes in the upcoming season.

Some notable balance adjustments include refining Cassidy’s Magnetic Grenade ability in which the maximum range will be significantly reduced, with the projectile now taking a maximum of 1.5 seconds to travel. Moreover, Cassidy will receive a health boost and adjustments to his damage fall 0ff. They will also be modifying Torbjorn’s turret and primary fire, and reducing Soldier:76’s damage output on his Helix Rocket and slightly increasing the cost of his Ult, and lastly enhancing Orisa’s Fortify ability.

The current Support heroes are not left behind, as Lifeweaver, Kiriko, and Mercy will also receive updates. Lifeweaver’s Ult will have more impact and he will gain additional survivability by Part of Tree of Life’s healing will now be converted into Overhealth, up to a maximum of 100 health per player. He will also get added survivability by converting some of his health to shields and upping the amount of healing done by Rejuvenating Dash. Kiriko’s Protection Suzu will be tweaked to provide more strategic healing and the slight knockback on Suzu is also being removed. , while Mercy’s damage boost will be slightly reduced to address damage spikes from 30% to 25%.

Additionally, a new Support Hero will be introduced, emphasizing the importance of creating a balanced and impactful character from the start.

Other heroes, such as Sombra, Ramattra, Doomfist, and Bastion, will also receive smaller changes or larger reworks in future updates.

All these exciting changes and additions will be available on August 10 when Overwatch 2: Invasion goes live. The development team is eager to engage with the player community and is open to feedback to ensure a fantastic gaming experience for everyone. Get ready to join the action and enjoy the new content in Overwatch 2: Invasion!

You can find the trailer for the Invasion: Fight The Null Sector Threat here!

Or check it out on the main website here.

Coming out of Arsenal, the developers have used feedback from the community to shape Season 18. Overall, they’ve agreed that they have done a good job with the map overhaul and that Season 17: Arsenal had an impactful update. Season 18 will see the developers working hard at prioritizing rank updates. There have also been several changes to some weapons. So let’s dig in!

Apex Legends Season 18 Release Date

Season 18 has been confirmed to be released August 8th 2023. The season will arrive on 8 August at around 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST.

The new season will be called Resurrection and there will be no new Legend.

Revenant Reborn

Why go through with a Revenant Rework?

Evan Funnell, the Apex Legends Game Designer has stated that Revenant’s popularity has fallen off and that his playstyle was very problematic hence the team’s decision to rework him.

Revenant will be automatically unlocked for all players at the beginning of Season 18. To keep him permanently, you will have to complete some required quests before the season ends.

Revenant Abilities

• Passive – Assassin’s Instinct
  Improved wall climb for better horizontal movement. Reveals low-health enemies nearby, and if he damages them, he marks their position for his team.

• Tactical – Shadow Pounce
  Launch a powerful leap to close the distance between Revenant and his target, reach high places, or reposition. Charging the leap allows for even longer jumps.

• Ultimate – Forged Shadows
  Creates shrouds of shadows around him to protect him from incoming damage.
  It increases his upper body hitbox. But absorbs up to 75 damage before breaking, and will start to slowly recharge over time forging a new shroud around him when it finishes.
  He is vulnerable when his shields are down. If he secures a knock, it will bring back his shadows immediately and resets his tactical.

Some Developer Notes

1. How far can rev pounce?
   Full charge on flat ground is 50m.
2. How many people can Rev track?
   No limit but there is range. Anybody below 40HP, close around him. There are arrows tracking them for a few seconds.
3. Will disruptor rounds do more damage on rev shields?
   It does not. It’s specific for armour.

Other Legend Changes

Seer

We see Seer finally getting the changes he needs this time.

• Silence duration reduced, and cast time increased so players have time to evade the effects.
• Slow time greatly reduced 2.3 sec to half a second.

Bangalore

Rolling Thunder Increased by 60s.

Gibraltar

Bombardment Reduced by 90s.

Mixtape on Broken Moon

Enjoy Mixtape on Broken Moon this Season!

Gun Run and Team Death Match will be going to The Core.

Control will be on Production Yard.

Weapon Balance

Charge Rifle Reworked

Bzzboom. Bzzboom.

Say goodbye to hitscan Charge Rifle. These are the changes that are coming to our beloved Charge Rifle.

• Hitscan is being removed, and it will now be projectile based. It will have bullet drop.
• The pre-beam laser is also removed.
• The firing mechanism has been changed.
• Magazines have been added back and ammo consumption is reduced back to 1.
• The gun will deal more damage the farther away the target is.

Care Package

The Prowler returns to the Care Package, and this time the Select Fire will be reintroduced into it.

Hemlok is rotated out and will get a damage and recoil buff.

SMGs

• All SMGs will have their strafe speed reduced.
• All SMGs will have a headshot multiplier reduction.

The R99 gets a few nerf this season.

• The vertical recoil is increased.
• The ammo capacity at base and all magazine sizes are reduced.

Shotguns

The Mastiff blast pattern is tightened.

Disruptor rounds is coming back and will be on Peacekeeper instead.

Developer Notes

We got to hear from Eric Canavese the Lead Weapons Designer.

1. Are there any plans to bring the attachment back permanently in the future? 

Select Fire itself, no. When we released the CAR SMG, we found that the automatic fire on the prowler and the way that the car needed to be built were very similar. So pulling back on the select fire off of the prowler, and really having it own its burst fire space was a good call. It was important to us, and it allowed the CAR to have its own identity within the weapon space. There’s no real need for us to take the Prowler back, it does have a strong identity as a burst weapon. And if you’ve watched ALGS recently, you’ll see that it’s performing chefs kiss. It’s got a good spot.

2. Will we ever bring selectfire back on other guns? Possibly.

We’re always exploring what are alternative ways guns can work and how can we add more depth in gameplay to the current roster of weapons in the game.

3. Given that Gibby’s ulti have been reduced, can you see him coming back into the meta with the buffs to shotguns?

Yes I can definitely see him becoming more popular again.

4. Can we expect a change for the Nemesis?

No scheduled changes for it right now but they are keeping an eye on it. it is performing the way they want it as of now. It is important to have a gun that is rival to the R301 and Flatline.

• Overly Generous Ladder Points (LP): Arsenal’s LP tuning was intended to be generous, but not this generous. Its current tuning is causing a series of cascading issues with the rest of the Ranked system. We are tightening the amount of LP awarded and bonuses included for Season 18.
• Bugs: We love to hate them. They are contributing to the tuning problem and we’re feeling confident about our upcoming fixes.
• Future Changes: Season 18 will focus on refining Ranked tuning and stability. We’re going to take a deep breath and take the time needed to prepare for an even tighter and more competitive Ranked system.

Dive trails will be removed from Season 18 onwards. Instead, players will get an animated Banner Frame and Badge to show off their achievements.

According to Chris Cleroux, the Lead Game Designer of Apex Legends, Dive trails were designed to show off rank skills, but instead its given the player a bullseye on their backs.

Season 18 Focus

BONUSES

In Season 17, when a player’s ranking is much higher than their Matchmaking Rating (MMR), the bonus system stops giving bonuses to correct the rank gradually. The generous LP caused some players to have inflated rankings compared to their MMR, leading to an early “no bonus” state. In extreme cases, ranks were significantly higher than MMR, overshadowing all bonuses. Future adjustments will make this state harder to reach.

For the average player to receive bonuses again, they need to actively defeat multiple squads and perform well to raise their MMR.

The developers see that it it feels bad to perform well and not see any bonuses. Therefore, there will be 2 changes in Season 18:

1. Adding a minimum elimination bonus based on a player’s MMR, which won’t be withheld.
2. Slightly increasing the elimination bonus.

RANK DISTRIBUTION

The increase in Masters players is due to bugs and overly generous LP tuning. The LP distribution is skewed to the right, leading to an excessive number of Masters players, as shown in the graph below.

In Season 18, this will be the new changes:

1. Decreasing LP gains per match to address the shift in ranking distribution.
2. Introducing a ruleset for Diamond+ players to address the high concentration of players at higher ranks. This will involve increased stakes and LP losses, and reduced rating bonuses and loss mitigations.

By implementing these solutions, the pace to Masters for the average player will slow down, leading to more accurate matchmaking and higher-quality matches, especially in Diamond+ ranks.

Question: For rank, since the LP system below diamond is the same, you can almost always get to diamond, if you put in the time, wouldnt it just shift the majority of players from masters to diamond?
We are focusing on Diamond for this season and putting the pressure on Diamond+ players.

The team has confirmed that they are working on making sure people aren’t going to bunch up like in S17 and are ready to react if it happens this time.

We’ve noticed a particular pattern in both Ranked and ALGS levels: teams stay outside of the ring and delay interacting with other teams to gain points. Hiding and avoiding firefights isn’t a rewarding way to play Apex Legends. Season 18 has some updates to target this, and more are coming in future seasons to address the core gameplay issues around inactivity and avoidant playstyles. – APEX LEGENDS: JULY 2023 RANKED DEV BLOG

In order to counter this, Season 18 will bring about these changes:

• Adjusting ring timings to increase mid-game encounters
• Ring damage tuning to enforce playing inside the ring
• Fixed a number of “ratting” spots with more fixes to come

MATCHMAKING

When a player’s LP ranking exceeds their MMR equivalent, the devs use the ranking (LP) instead of MMR for matchmaking. For instance, if a Gold MMR player has a Diamond LP ranking, they will be matched into a Diamond lobby. This ensures that MMR and LP are connected and help guide players to their accurate rank. If players succeed in these challenging matchmaking situations, they can continue climbing. However, due to the overly generous LP tuning, many players have inflated LP compared to their MMR, causing lower-skilled players to be matched in higher rank lobbies.

In Arsenal, players have been matched with other players of varying skills, even at the highest ranks, which was unintentional and led to inconsistent match experiences.

Season 18’s will be about updating the matchmaking to handle players who actively challenge their MMR. This will ensure that players get competitively challenging matches that align with their current ranking.

During matchmaking, the system aims to find players with similar MMR (skill level). The longer it searches, the closer the match should be. The goal is to provide exciting and challenging matches. However, waiting forever for a match isn’t enjoyable either. When there aren’t enough exact MMR matches available, the system continues searching for a limited time and then starts the match with the closest MMR players it can find. At the extreme end of very high skill, matchmaking is struggling, leading to unfair matches with a wide MMR range.

The main focus in Season 18 is to fix a bug that has been causing inconsistent high-end match experiences. We’ve identified the root cause and are actively working on a solution.

For the rest of the player population, matchmaking is stable, and players are consistently being matched with others who have similar MMR values.

Back in 2019, Grinding Gear Games unveiled the first glimpse of Path of Exile 2. Since then, except for a few teasers, information has been scarce. Originally envisioned as a significant update, similar to Overwatch 2, it was meant to bring new graphics, content, and systems to the existing game.

However, at ExileCon this year, everything changed. Path of Exile 2 was revealed as a separate and true sequel, taking place 20 years after the original. Let’s delve into the details!

Truly One Path of Exile

It began with a plan to update old character models from around 2007. As the game director, Jonathan Rogers, explained, it evolved into a chain of enjoyable projects. The idea to update and make more quality of life improvements to the original Path of Exile eventually led to the decision of creating an entirely new game.

“We realized that our plan to replace PoE 1 with PoE 2 would essentially be destroying a game that people love for no reason, so we made a decision. Path of Exile 1 and 2 will be separate, with their own mechanics, balance, endgame, and leagues.” – Jonathan Rogers

For players, this means having two versions of Path of Exile to enjoy simultaneously. Both games will be active together, featuring a new league every three months (or even more frequently for dedicated players). Don’t worry about your stash tabs and skins, as they will remain usable in both games. Your prized legacy six-links in Standard won’t change, and any future purchases will be compatible with both games (except for certain exclusive content not present in PoE 1).

(Credits to Sali)

Here’s what we know for now:

• Six new character classes, along with the six from PoE 1 for 12 total (Sorceress, Monk, Huntress, Mercenary, Warrior, Druid),
• New ascendancies, with three for each class,
• A revamped skill gem system where the links are in the gems themselves, not tied to equipment,
• Tons of new skills, including shapeshifting (bear, wolf, cat) and giant comets,
• Meta gems, which are gems that can have other gems socketed into them (think things like cast on crit or spell totem),
• New weapon types, like spear and crossbow, which have their own skills,
• A six-act story campaign set 20 years after the death of Kitava,
• A new map-based endgame,
• A dodge roll for everyone that doesn’t require a gem link, with the ability to dodge-cancel abilities,
• Changes to crafting and the economy, including changes to the way chaos orbs work and the introduction of gold as a currency,
• Over 100 new bosses to battle, each with unique mechanics.

Gemtastic Overhaul

(Credits to Sali)

In Path of Exile 2, skill gems receive a major overhaul, changing how they interact with gear. Instead of items having sockets for skills, the skill gems themselves will have sockets. Uncut gems drop from monsters and can be assigned to the skills of your choice. The number of support gems attached will still depend on the item level, but they now drop at the monster’s level, so you don’t need to level them up from scratch. This allows for more flexibility in using different skills, as you’re not limited to specific six-link items for your main damaging abilities.

Swapping items becomes much easier since skills are no longer tied to item sockets. You can switch out items without worrying about jewelers, fusings, or chromes. Additionally, parts of your passive skill tree can be assigned to a weapon swap, making it seamless to switch between different skills mid-combat.

Meta gems enable further customization by allowing you to socket multiple skill gems inside them. You can reserve Spirit to automatically cast skills based on certain triggers or link multiple skills to cast in a specific order. Spirit becomes a new resource for reserving buffs and trigger skills, making mana management more significant.

These changes create a more dynamic combat experience, allowing players to use multiple skills effectively and enabling powerful, high-cost abilities like the beloved ice comets.

Gold Frenzy

(Credits to Sali)

One of the brilliant things about Path of Exile is its unique economy. Unlike other games with generic currency like gold, every currency orb in PoE serves a specific purpose, such as rerolling affixes or gem links on items, giving them intrinsic value. However, in Path of Exile 2, they are introducing gold, which initially raised concerns.

But, there’s a good reason behind it. Gold will help smoothen the early game experience without making it the primary trading currency. It means less hassle in the early stages, avoiding repetitive trips to town for specific orbs. The introduction of gold will streamline early currency drops and reduce the need to pick up and sell as much low-value gear. Additionally, gold will be used for gambling, which makes it a suitable gold sink and appeals to the love for gambling among exiles.

The Path of Exile 2 closed beta starts on 7 June, 2024. Check out the new classes in action below.

Patch 1.1.1 will address all classes in the action RPG but will particularly focus on improving Sorcerers and Barbarians, which have struggled the most in Season 1.

Lead class designer Adam Jackson stated that their aim is to enhance the effectiveness and enjoyment of playing as a Sorcerer and Barbarian. The team plans to reduce the dominance of Vulnerable and Critical Strike damage, making other stats and builds more valuable in the future. Their goal is to achieve balance and diversity among different ways of dealing damage.

Exciting changes are coming to Sorcerers and Barbarians in the next Diablo 4 patch! Sorcerers are in for improved late-game survivability as detrimental effects are removed from their skills and items. Take Greater Chain Lightning, for instance, it used to only deal increased damage when bouncing off you, but now it will do so no matter whom it bounces off of. And that’s not all! Many of their Legendary aspects and Paragon boards have undergone similar enhancements.

Barbarians, on the other hand, are getting buffed skills that will grant you more Fury during combat, allowing you to unleash more powerful attacks. During early game, you’ll experience increased damage output. Violent Upheaval, an upgrade to one of the class’s basic attacks, will now trigger Berserking (a short damage buff) not just against regular enemies but also bosses.

Both classes will enjoy late-game Unique item buffs, making their gear even more potent. However, Blizzard notes that once the patch is live, you’ll need to obtain the items again to see all the changes to their bonuses. But fear not! The changes to Unique item stats will take effect immediately after the patch drops. So, gear up and get ready to dominate the world of Diablo 4 with these amazing improvements for Sorcerers and Barbarians!

Here are the changes to Diablo 4 coming in patch 1.1.1, which Blizzard notes aren’t completely finalized:

• Improvements to Barbarian Fury generation and late-game Unique item stats and bonuses
• Changes to simplify and improve the consistency of Sorcerer skills as well as improvements to their late-game survivability
• Improvements to Druid Spirit generation and companions
• Improvements to Necromancer damage consistency
• Increased boss health in World Tiers 3 and 4 and improved rewards
• Guaranteed Legendary item drops from bosses after level 35 in any World Tier
• Treasure Goblins at level 15 and on will guarantee a Legendary item drop
• Nightmare Dungeon enemy density greatly increased
• An additional stash tab will be added
• Elixir stack size will be raised to 99
• Respec gold costs will be reduced by about 40%
• Leave dungeon will be reverted back to a 3 second class
• “A whole lot of bug fixes”
• Fixes to VRAM use and general performance of the game

These Diablo 4 changes won’t be in patch 1.1.1, but Blizzard plans to address them in a future patch:

• Improving Necromancer minion builds is “on the team’s radar”
• Changes to enemy density based on player behavior in 1.1.1
• Improving the speed that players progress through the later World Tiers in season 2
• Changes to crowd control TKTK
• Changes to make elemental resistances more useful
• Improvements to the mount maneuverability, especially the boost skill when using a controller
• Changes to other stats, like Vulnerable and Critical Strike, to improve the value of Overpower damage

The full patch notes for 1.1.1 will go out on August 2 and the patch itself will go live on August 8.