الوسم: leveling

  • How To Farm Gold in Spell Brigade by Completing and Solving

    How To Farm Gold in Spell Brigade by Completing and Solving

    Gold plays a vital role in The Spell Brigade since it’s used to unlock wizards and enchantments. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t give out large amounts of gold freely. You earn some by completing missions and trying new ones, but the payouts are usually modest. The game’s economy appears to be quite tough, making it harder to accumulate gold quickly.

    However, there is a way to increase your gold intake and start building your reserve faster. It won’t make you rich overnight, but it will definitely help speed up the process. Here’s what you need to do:

    How to Farm Gold

    First, be prepared to do some grinding before you can farm gold effectively. There’s no quick way to earn lots of gold at the start. You need enough gold to unlock the third column in the Enchantments menu. To do this, you need to invest gold into the first two columns. Don’t worry about which enchantments you choose—since you can freely refund your gold later, it’s okay to test different options.

    Tip: When you refund gold, you won’t lose the columns you’ve unlocked, so feel free to experiment.

    Once you unlock the third column, focus on adding gold to the Bounty enchantment. You can always refund your gold afterward if you prefer. To do this efficiently, use your gold to master the Bounty enchantment quickly. This enchantment increases the amount of gold you earn from missions. At the highest level, it even doubles the gold you get for completing objectives, making it much faster to farm gold overall.


    General Tips for Earning Gold

    You naturally accumulate gold by playing missions. Even if you fail a mission, you still receive some gold. However, you earn more when you successfully complete objectives and defeat enemies. Increasing your kills and objectives seems to boost your earnings.

    Sometimes, the game assigns a special contract to one of your wizards, which enhances the gold you earn from the next mission. Be sure to check the Wizards tab before starting a mission to see if any wizard has this contract. The info will be displayed in the bottom left corner of the screen, helping you plan accordingly and maximize your earnings.

  • Solo Leveling Character Tier List: Arise Overdrive & the Art of Completing and Solving

    Solo Leveling Character Tier List: Arise Overdrive & the Art of Completing and Solving

    When you’re deeply engaged in the intense battles of Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive, it’s crucial to bring the best Hunters on your team. With so many options available on both consoles and PC, you’ll find a wide variety of team combinations to try out.

    If your goal is to assemble only top-tier Hunters, it’s important to evaluate their combat styles carefully. There are 20 characters to choose from, so to make your decision easier, here’s a detailed tier list to guide you.

    How Do Tiers Work?

    (Tiers categorize Hunters based on their effectiveness and usefulness in various stages of the game. S-tier Hunters are the strongest, while lower tiers indicate less optimal choices for your team, especially in late-game content.)


    Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive Hunter Tier List

    Below, you’ll find a complete ranking of all 20 Hunters available in the game, along with explanations for why each character is placed where they are.

    Within the tables, Hunters are listed alphabetically to help you find specific characters quickly. Happy hunting!

    S-Tier Hunters

    Name Element Role Reason
    Amamiya Mirei Wind Assassin Excellent for burst damage with strong defense from armor, making her a top choice for quick kills.
    Baek Yoonho Light Fighter A tanky fighter with high damage potential and survivability, great for sustained fights.
    Choi Jong-In Fire Mage Boasts the highest base Attack stat; stacks damage over time via Burn effects and AoE attacks.
    Esil Radiru Fire Archer Fast Break Meter fill; essential for Fire team combos to maximize damage and debuffs.
    Woo Jinchul Wind Fighter Provides great shielding with quick cooldowns, pairing nicely with other Wind Hunters.

    A-Tier Hunters

    Name Element Role Reason
    Alicia Blanche Aqua Mage Highest Aqua attack power; deals high damage, but with lower health and some positional risks.
    Cha Hae-In Light Fighter Focuses on Critical Hits, great for controlling late-game enemies by preventing heals.
    Lee Bora Dark Mage Versatile for both damage and support roles, adaptable for most team setups.
    Lim Tae-Gyu Dark Archer Ranged attacks include nuclear options that hinder enemy ground and space control.
    Nam Chae-Young Aqua Archer More accessible choice for beginners, effective for ranged Aqua damage with simple mechanics.

    B-Tier Hunters

    Name Element Role Reason
    Emma Laurent Fire Tank Needs buffs for maximum output but offers team-wide strength and damage mitigation.
    Han Song-Yi Aqua Assassin Strong burst damage and Poison effects, but requires a solid team for best results.
    Kang Taeshik Dark Assassin Specializes in Bleed effects, effective early game with good combo potential.
    Kim Chul Light Tank Low damage alone but excels when paired with buff teammates, breaks shields effectively.
    Park Heejin Wind Mage Good damage in early battles; cooldowns may limit performance in longer fights.
    Song Chiyul Fire Mage Deals high damage to low-HP enemies with strong AoE attacks but has a smaller mana pool.

    C-Tier Hunters

    Name Element Role Reason
    Lee Joohee Support Support Low healing power and stats; better support options exist.
    Min Byung-Gu Support Support Lacks significant DPS and requires many upgrades to be useful late-game.
    Seo Jiwoo Tank Tank Has solid shields but low damage output, better suited for holding ground.
    Yoo Jinho Tank Tank Good for tanking but needs specific team setups to perform well, not ideal as a standalone DPS.

    This ranking provides a clear picture of each Hunter’s strengths and weaknesses, helping you decide who to prioritize for recruitment.

  • All Playable Characters and How to Unlock Them in Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive

    All Playable Characters and How to Unlock Them in Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive

    Starting your journey in Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive as the main character, Sung Jinwoo, gives you a chance to unlock many other famous Hunters from the popular anime series. As you move forward with the story, you’ll need to carefully select your team and upgrade your Hunters to stay competitive. It’s a good idea to start working on your favorite Hunters early on.

    There are a total of 20 Hunters to unlock in the game. Each Hunter specializes in a specific element, has a unique combat role, and offers various upgrades to enhance your team’s strength.

    How to Recruit New Hunters

    At the beginning of the game, you’ll control Sung Jinwoo but will only fight alone briefly before being joined by a select team of Hunters to help you. You will unlock two Hunters, Lee Joohee and Song Chiyu, after finishing the first chapter. A third, Yoo Jinho, will join after the second chapter. After completing chapter three, you’ll need to wait until the end of that chapter before you can use game currency to recruit more Hunters, along with these initial three free ones.

    Additional Hunters Can Be Recruited Through Negotiation

    Once past chapter three, you can start recruiting additional Hunters to diversify your team. To do this, go back to the main area after finishing the chapter. Talk to Lim Hajim, who will present you with a list of three potential Hunters. These options are selected randomly from a list of 17 Hunters available in the game.

    To recruit a Hunter, review their details and decide which one you’d like to bring onto your team. Make sure you have enough Hunt Coins, the game’s currency, as you’ll need to negotiate with the Hunter and pay them to join. Each Hunter has a recruitment difficulty level which indicates how many coins you’ll need to succeed in the negotiation. Offering the minimum required coins gives you a shot at them accepting your offer at face value, but they might reject if the offer isn’t enough.

    It’s also helpful to check the mood icon next to the Hunter’s name. Hunters who are feeling happier are more likely to accept your offer compared to those who are neutral or unhappy. You can adjust your offer amount at the bottom of the screen, and you’ll only have three chances to propose deals. The success probability is shown as a percentage above your offer box.

    If your first or second offer is rejected, you can continue trying within those three attempts. Some coins are refunded if you fail, but not all. If all three attempts fail, the negotiation ends, and you’ll need to wait before trying again with that Hunter.

    Using Bounty Posters

    If there’s a particular Hunter you really want, you can use a Bounty Poster to persuade them to join immediately. These are limited, so use them wisely, especially on higher-difficulty Hunters.

    Cooldown and Tips

    After recruiting a Hunter, there’s a cooldown period before you can try to recruit another. You can reduce this waiting time by spending Hunt Coins. Keep this in mind if you’re eager to build your team quickly.

    All Hunters and How to Unlock Them

    In this guide, you’ll find details about every Hunter in Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive, including their elemental affinity, combat role, primary weapon, and how to unlock them. The list is organized alphabetically for easy reference.

    Chapter Progression Hunters

    Name Element Role
    Lee Joohee Water Healer
    Song Chiyu Fire Mage
    Yoo Jinho Light Tank

    Hunters Unlocked by Default

    • (Free after starting the game and completing early chapters).

    Hunters Recruited through Negotiation

    • Easy Difficulty: Han Song-Yi (Water, Assassin), Nam Chae-Young (Water, Archer)
    • Normal Difficulty: Cha Hae-In (Light, Fighter), Emma Laurent (Fire, Tank), Park Heejin (Wind, Mage), Kang Taeshik (Dark, Assassin)
    • Hard Difficulty: Alicia Blanche (Water, Mage), Mirei Amamiya (Wind, Assassin), Baek Yoonho (Light, Fighter), Choi Jong-In (Fire, Mage), Esil Radiru (Fire, Archer), Kim Chul (Light, Tank), Lee Bora (Dark, Mage), Lim Tae-Gyu (Dark, Archer), Min Byung-Gu (Light, Support), Seo Jiwoo (Water, Tank), Woo Jinchul (Wind, Fighter)

    Important Notes

    • Pay attention to the mood icons next to each Hunter’s name during negotiations, as they influence acceptance chances.
    • You can only negotiate three times per Hunter, with success chances displayed as percentages.
    • If a Hunter refuses to join, wait for their appearance again in Lim Hajim’s menu or use a Bounty Poster for immediate recruitment on high-priority Hunters.
  • How to Complete and Use Pets in Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive

    How to Complete and Use Pets in Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive

    Fighting through the chapters of Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive involves keeping track of many things—stats to upgrade, teams to assemble, items to pick up during battles, monsters to defeat, and more. Once some of those dangerous monsters are defeated, they can be turned from enemies into allies.

    There are several optional pets in Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive that you can add to your team. Each pet offers useful benefits in exchange for accompanying your team during missions. Here’s an overview of each pet, what they do, and how to get them.

    How To Use Pets

    Before starting a mission, go to the team formation screen. Pause briefly and look for the paw icon in the bottom left corner of the team setup menu, next to a small plus sign. If you’ve already unlocked a pet, this is where you can choose to add a pet to your team for the next adventure.

    Pets are cute, smaller versions of the terrifying monsters you’ll encounter. They are made gentle and friendly so they can follow you around on missions, providing various benefits.

    When you have a pet on your team, it will help gather resources nearby, sometimes breaking away from formation to pick up helpful items you might not see. Pets will also collect loot dropped after battles, saving you the trouble.

    All Pets and How to Get Them

    In the table below, you’ll find details about the pets available in Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive. This includes their name, picture, rank, description, and the way to unlock them.

    Every Pet in Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive

    Pet Name Photo Rank and Description How to Get
    Apex Predator Tank S Rank: Despite being smaller, Tank is still tough to defeat. Watch out for the ice bear! Comes free with the Deluxe Bundle of the game.
    Wild Cerbie Cerbie D Rank: A loyal guard dog with three mouths, confident he can eat anything to serve his lord. Obtainable through challenges on the world map. Complete various challenges to unlock.
    Igris the Squire Igris D Rank: A knight who always strives to look his best in front of his master. Purchase from the Exchange Shop for 7,000 Hunter Coins.
    Clumsy Baby Tusk Tusk D Rank: An ambitious Tusk dreaming of becoming a grand marshal. Found in Monarch Road; can be chosen during Chapter Five.
    Reckless Iron Iron D Rank: Knows how to swing an axe but sometimes forgets his friends. Available at Monarch Road during Chapter Five.

    Pets can be useful companions, helping to gather resources and loot, saving you time and effort in your missions. You can view all your available pets and detailed information about them in the Pets menu within the main hub of the game.

  • Creating a Verdant Oracle in Blue Protocol: Star Resonance and Completing Skills

    Creating a Verdant Oracle in Blue Protocol: Star Resonance and Completing Skills

    Blue Protocol: Star Resonance offers 16 different ways to play, but if you enjoy supporting roles in your favorite MMO games, the Verdant Oracle might be a good fit. This class focuses on helping friends through healing and dealing damage to enemies. It’s one of the support classes that connects with your natural side to provide aid and offense.

    There are two main builds for this class: the Smite Spec, which focuses more on damage output, and the Lifebind Spec, which emphasizes healing. You can customize your Verdant Oracle in many ways depending on your preferred playstyle.

    Class Overview

    The Verdant Oracle relies on ranged magic attacks and support skills. It’s an easy class to start with, especially if you prefer to keep your distance from enemies while assisting allies. Most of the class’s strength lies in healing and boosting team stats, rather than direct combat.

    If you favor supporting others over fighting yourself, the Verdant Oracle is ideal. With two different specs—each focusing on healing and debuffing enemies—you have plenty of options to keep your team in top shape. Your main tools involve ranged magic spells, with offensive moves mainly used for self-protection rather than aggression.

    Focus on Intelligence

    No matter which spec you choose, your main stat will be Intelligence. Building this stat will optimize your supporting and offensive capabilities.


    Verdant Oracle Smite Spec

    This spec uses Wild Bloom as its powerful attack, combining damage with healing effects. It’s supported by skills like Feral Seed, which summons a seed to strike enemies, slowing them and restoring energy. The Smite Spec is support-oriented but can deal significant magic damage.

    Main Skills:

    • Feral Seed: Summons a seed to attack, dealing magic damage and slowing foes, while restoring energy. Best used when energy is low.
    • Regen Pulse: Consumes energy to heal allies and dispel debuffs, ideal in tight spots.
    • Infusion: Channels a seed barrage to damage enemies over time; useful when playing solo.
    • Nature Ward: Provides a shield to yourself and nearby allies, especially useful when the team is low on health.

    Tip: Prioritize increasing your Intelligence stat to maximize damage and support effectiveness.


    Lifebind Spec

    This build sacrifices some damage for stronger healing capabilities, focusing on Life Bloom as its key skill. It’s ideal for players who prioritize keeping the team alive over dealing damage.

    Main Skills:

    • Grove Wish: Consumes energy to heal yourself and allies over a few seconds, also granting damage reduction.
    • Nourish: Heals and supports allies continuously, perfect for ongoing support during fights.
    • Flowers Ascension: Boosts magic damage temporarily after dealing or generating healing, stacking damage output.
    • Growth Arcane: Increases your magic attack and reduces cooldowns, helping your skills recharge faster.

    Support Talents:

    • Inspiration enhances stats for allies, making it a core supportive buff.
    • Regen Bud grants additional healing and damage over time, stacking support benefits.
    • Increasing Haste and Energy Regeneration speeds up your ability to cast spells more frequently.

    Best Talents

    Certain talents boost your overall supportive and healing ability:

    • Inspiration: Grants bonus stats to allies within range, a key skill to maximize support.
    • Regen Bud: Generates healing seeds when using special moves, increasing healing potential.
    • Intellect Conversion: Adds magic attack based on your Intelligence.
    • Defensive Blessing: Adds armor to allies with Inspiration.
    • Energy Surge: Improves energy recovery, vital for sustaining support.

    Best Gear

    Gear selection depends heavily on your chosen build:

    • Smite Spec: Focus on increasing Luck and Mastery alongside Intelligence to improve both offensive and supportive skills.
    • Lifebind Spec: Prioritize Haste and Mastery to enhance healing throughput and cooldown reduction.

    In summary, the Verdant Oracle is well-suited for those who enjoy a flexible support role with both healing and offensive options, with gear and talents that can be tailored to suit either damage or healing emphasis.

  • Completing the Journey of a Mage in The Slormancer

    Completing the Journey of a Mage in The Slormancer

    The Slormancer offers a plethora of character builds, thanks to its vast array of over a hundred Slorm Reapers that can dramatically alter your playstyle. You can traverse the game’s campaign with various builds using any of the three classes. However, the real challenge begins after completing the campaign when you can further fine-tune your build.

    If you’re unsure where to start, we have just the guidance you need. Below, we’ll discuss a sample leveling build for the Mage to help you progress through The Slormancer’s campaign. Once you get the hang of the class, feel free to modify this build however you prefer, as the game allows for easy respecs.

    Leveling Slorm Reaper

    As the Slorm Reapers you encounter are randomly generated, we suggest holding onto the Adam Nostrus’ Staff until you find a better option. This staff has solid stats that complement this build and offers bonuses for opening and closing breaches as the Reaper develops.

    Build-Specific Slorm Reapers

    If you happen to obtain them, here are some Slorm Reapers that fit well with this build:

    • Shockwave Staff of Havoc
    • Manabender
    • Drum-Staff of War
    • Mana Harvesting Staff
    • Energy Overflowing Staff
    • Staff of Ferocious Affinity

    Reaper Runes

    You can unlock Reaper Runes through The Great Forge, which allow you to enhance your character further. While they aren’t critical for leveling up, obtaining the right ones may require some effort. If you’re interested, here are some recommendations for this build.

    Activation Rune

    Activation Rune of Fulguron

    Effect Rune

    Rune of the Sharpshooter

    Enhancement Rune

    Enhancement Rune of Adrianne

    Leveling Skills

    The heart of this build is Arcane Missiles, which is enhanced to produce numerous Remnants of itself. These are then boosted by Arcane Breach and Time Warp to create Temporal Clones that also cast Remnants, flooding the area with projectiles.

    Arcane Missile

    Mastery I

    Remnant Copycat

    Mastery II

    Temporal Missile

    Mastery III

    Evolve and Overcome

    Mastery IV

    Remnant Lock

    Mastery V

    Emblematic Missile

    Arcane Missiles acts as the primary source of damage in this build. The first Mastery upgrade, Remnant Copycat, allows your Temporal Clones to cast an Arcane Missile Remnant. We will summon Temporal Clones using Arcane Breach and Time Warp.

    In the second Mastery slot, we utilize Temporal Missile to transform Arcane Missile into a Temporal spell, yielding a Temporal Emblem instead of an Arcanic one. This works well with the fifth Mastery upgrade, Emblematic Missile, which will trigger an extra Arcane Missile Remnant for each non-Arcanic Emblem.

    Evolve and Overcome gives Arcane Missile the potential to Pierce, Fork, and Rebound based on the highest of these attributes. To maximize this upgrade, focus your gear on one of these stats. While they don’t affect Remnants, they will boost the main Arcane Missile’s DPS.

    Finally, Remnant Lock provides a chance for your Remnants to inflict Time-Lock, preventing the enemy from moving or attacking while delaying damage dealt to them for three seconds. However, if a Time-Locked enemy’s health bar depletes, they still die, so you don’t need to worry about every enemy taking an eternity to defeat.

    Remnant Lock significantly enhances survivability for this build, as Time-Locked enemies can’t attack you.

    Arcane Breach

    Mastery I

    Uninvited Guest

    Mastery II

    Multi-Breaches

    Mastery III

    Almighty Remains

    Mastery IV

    Ephemeral Rift

    Mastery V

    Gravitational Force

    Arcane Breach serves as our secondary skill, aiding in the creation of Temporal Clones for Arcane Missile Remnants. The first Mastery upgrade, Uninvited Guest, guarantees the creation of a Temporal Clone once Arcane Breach ends at max rank.

    This works in conjunction with the fourth Mastery upgrade, Ephemeral Rift, which makes Arcane Breach last only three seconds, enabling you to generate the Clone more quickly. When combined with Multi-Breaches, this allows for almost constant uptime on Arcane Breach.

    Almighty Remains provides additional Critical Strike Chance for your Remnants when attacking enemies within the Breach. Critical Strikes significantly boost the damage output of this build, making this upgrade quite beneficial.

    Lastly, the fifth Mastery, Gravitational Force, pulls nearby enemies in. While this isn’t the most crucial aspect, it does have some utility compared to other options, given that we won’t be using Arcanic Emblems.

    Time Warp

    Mastery I

    Experienced Battlemage

    Mastery II

    Clone Wars

    Mastery III

    Shamanic Knowledge

    Mastery IV

    Blasts from the Past

    Mastery V

    Overdrive’s Vestige

    Mastery VI

    Out of Time

    Mastery VII

    Phlegmatic Scholar

    Mastery VIII

    Heavier Cannon

    Time Warp not only enhances your mobility, but also creates a Temporal Clone at your initial location each time you use it, which subsequently casts Remnants.

    For Mastery upgrades, we go with Experienced Battlemage to increase Critical Strike Damage, which scales as you level up.

    Clone Wars is crucial, allowing your Temporal Clones to cast Arcane Missile Remnants. Shamanic Knowledge boosts the effectiveness of your Totems, as Clones are considered Totems.

    Blasts from the Past enhances the damage dealt by each Remnant, while Overdrive’s Vestige adds a chance to unleash Overdrive damage, targeting additional foes.

    In the sixth Mastery upgrade slot, we pick Out of Time, which ensures your Temporal Clones are immune to damage, allowing them to last their entire duration. This is essential for setting up your Remnant-casting Clones.

    As previously mentioned, Phlegmatic Scholar works wonderfully with Emblematic Missile for Arcane Missile, granting an extra Remnant cast.

    Finally, we choose Heavier Cannon for its bonus to Max Life and Attack Speed, making it the best option for our eighth Mastery slot.

    Ancestral Legacy

    Ancestral Legacy board in The Slormancer.

    As you journey through the campaign, you’ll collect Ancestral Stones that can be placed into the Ancestral Legacy board for added effects and stats.

    To start, use your first Stone to unlock the Raw Emergency circle. This will allow you access to The Viper circle with your second Stone, which offers two essential stats for this build: Movement Speed and Attack Speed. Additionally, the Cooldown Reduction is beneficial for more frequent Arcane Breaches.

    Consider investing in the Hex Commander node that branches from Raw Emergency for a boost in Elemental Damage and Mana Regeneration.

    We’ll also enhance Elemental Damage through the Elemental Boost and Elemental Reward nodes that stem from Burning Shadow, so make sure to invest in these as you unlock your remaining Ancestral Stones.

    Attributes and Stats

    Attributes chart for a Mage leveling build in The Slormancer.

    This build is built on a solid mechanical foundation, so your Attributes and gear stats will greatly impact its effectiveness.

    Attributes

    As you level up, focus on investing your initial points into Dexterity to enhance your Attack Speed, and Savagery for increased Raw Damage. Fury is also beneficial for eventually boosting your Critical Strike Chance, though this may be less critical early on.

    If you find yourself needing more survivability, consider putting some points into Toughness for better Armor and Max Life.

    Stats

    When checking your gear, keep an eye out for several important stats that you can add through forging. Here’s a list ranked based on their importance for your leveling progression:

    1. Attack Speed
    2. Raw Damage
    3. Movement Speed
    4. Mana Regeneration
    5. Max Life
    6. Armor
    7. Critical Strike Chance
    8. Critical Strike Damage
    9. Fork/Rebound/Pierce Chance (relevant for Evolve and Overcome)
    10. Time Warp Mastery
    11. Arcane Missile Mastery
    12. Arcane Breach Mastery

    Legendary Effects

    Lastly, a few legendary items can significantly enhance this build, should you be fortunate enough to obtain or craft them:

    • Shroud of the Arcanewalker
    • Vestige of Ancient Time
    • Time Traveling Robe
    • Rune of the Timeless
  • Completing the Forge Guard Leveling Build in Last Epoch

    Completing the Forge Guard Leveling Build in Last Epoch

    The Forge Guard is one of the three Class Mastery choices available to the Sentinel in Last Epoch. This warrior, equipped with heavy armor and summoned Forged Weapons, offers a distinct gameplay experience focused on fire damage, minions, and throwing attacks—setting it apart from the other two Sentinel Masteries.

    While it may not be as popular as the Paladin or Void Knight, the Forge Guard can become quite powerful when built correctly. If you’re aiming to progress smoothly through the campaign with this Mastery, you’re in the right place. Below, we’ll explore a beginner-friendly build for the Forge Guard.

    Build Overview


    Pros

    Cons

    • Easy to gear
    • Good area-of-effect damage
    • Tanky
    • Lower single-target damage

    This build features two of the Forge Guard’s throwing skills: Hammer Throw and Shield Throw. These skills allow you to clear groups of enemies while maintaining high survivability through block chances and health recovery. Meanwhile, Smite and Symbols of Hope provide buffs and healing support, and Shield Rush enhances mobility and damage output.

    The general playstyle involves using Shield Rush to maneuver between enemy groups and unleashing waves of hammers with Hammer Throw. The skill can initially be specialized to make the hammers orbit around you, later allowing them to be thrown out in waves, causing additional damage.

    Shield Throw serves as a crucial single-target damage skill, compensating for Hammer Throw’s typical lack of effectiveness against individual foes. However, be aware that this build generally has lower single-target damage, requiring a bit more time to defeat bosses or tougher enemies. This shortcoming is offset by its impressive pack-clearing capabilities.

    Skills and Passive

    Unlock Hammer Throw at level three, making it your main source of damage. In its Skill Specialization tree, first focus on unlocking the Catapult and Avatar of the Spire nodes to increase its effectiveness by allowing the hammers to spiral and hit multiple enemies. Iron Spiral and Hammer Vortex further enhance this by making the hammers orbit around you.

    For the final node, Enra’s Technique, changes the hammers’ attack pattern, allowing them to be thrown out in a fan shape for greater damage dispersion.

    Mana Starved Forging will enable you to cast Hammer Throw at no cost when you’re out of Mana.

    Next, focus on Shield Rush as your next skill. Prioritize reducing its Mana cost through Rush Mastery and enhance its defensive capabilities with Protective Speed and Unstoppable Charge. Add points into Consuming Path and Warrior’s Entrance for increased damage.

    Once you have the Forge Guard unlocked, move to specializing in Shield Throw. Unlock nodes like Siege Breaker, Defender’s Rage, Throwing Arm, and Colossus. Upgrade your Shield Throw with Aeroplates, Vampiric Steel, and Hemrin’s Technique to enhance survivability and damage through additional hits.

    Next, focus on Smite for extra damage and health recovery. In Smite’s skill tree, start by boosting health regeneration with Soothing Balm after using the skill. Round off this tree with Righteous Fury and Righteous Flurry for added damage.

    Finally, invest 15 points in the Paladin Passive Tree to unlock Symbols of Hope, which grants various buffs. Start by focusing on nodes like Iron Symbols and Meditation to maximize effectiveness.

    Passive Trees

    This setup utilizes both the Forge Guard and Paladin passive trees, ensuring you have a minimum of 20 points in Sentinel. Begin with Juggernaut for a boost in Strength, then max out Armour Clad. Allocate points into Fearless and Stalwart to unlock Time and Faith and max out that node as well.

    Once you’ve unlocked Forge Guard, start with three points in Steel Aegis and two in Weapons Master to unlock Shield Throw. You’ll then want to put 15 points into the Paladin tree to unlock Symbols of Hope.

    In the Paladin tree, maximize Conviction and then add points into Defiance and Honor until you reach 15.

    Back in the Forge Guard tree, target damage nodes like Fresh from the Forge, Siege Captain, Hammer and Anvil, and Might. Don’t forget to unlock Walls of Solarum for a significant defensive boost.

    For resistances, consider investing a few points in the Abyssal Endurance passive from the Void Knight tree, which provides health and resistances at a low cost.

    Stats and Uniques

    The Firestarter's Torch Unique Sceptre in Last Epoch.

    This build is suitable for gearing, but a few unique items can significantly enhance performance. Given that Hammer Throw and Shield Throw are your key damaging skills, look for buffs to Throwing Damage and Throwing Attack Speed during your leveling process.

    Furthermore, both Hammer Throw and Shield Throw benefit from Strength and Dexterity, so boosting these attributes will improve overall damage.

    For survivability, remember to keep building up your resistances and health. Block Chance is also crucial for enhancing your defenses, particularly with the Walls of Solarum passive.

    For Idols, aim for two Adorned Rahyeh Idols (the two-by-two type) featuring the Chance to Cast Smite on Hit with Throwing Attacks property. This will significantly boost your damage and health regeneration.

    Additionally, use four Large Rahyeh Idols that focus on Throwing Critical Strike Multiplier and Chance to apply Shred Armor on Throwing Hit. While these are less essential than the Smite-triggering stats, they can still provide valuable damage increases.

    Here’s how to prioritize offensive stats for this build:

    1. Throwing Damage
    2. Throwing Attack Speed
    3. Level of Hammer Throw
    4. Dextirity
    5. Strength
    6. Critical Strike Chance
    7. Critical Strike Multiplier

    And for defensive stats:

    1. Health
    2. Block Chance
    3. Endurance
    4. Resistances (focus on Physical for campaign)

    Uniques

    This build is relatively easy to gear, but certain unique items can significantly enhance it and are obtainable early on.

    Firestarter’s Torch drops as early as level one, making it a common find from early-game encounters. This Sceptre inflicts Spreading Flame with its hits, dealing considerable damage over time. It also lowers the Mana cost for Fire spells like Smite.

    Bleeding Heart is another solid early-game Unique that aids with sustain until you unlock Smite. Other useful options include Thorn Slinger and Riverbend Grasp, which can enhance your throwing attacks.

    If you manage to find Sigeon’s Reprisal, it can elevate your build to its full potential. This shield allows you to automatically use Shield Throw when hit and boosts its damage for every 10 Damage Reflected to Attackers stat you acquire.

    Using Small Weaver Idols, you can stack this stat effectively, amplifying the damage from Shield Throw with relative ease. If you come across Sigeon’s Reprisal, focus on this stat to see Shield Throw decimate enemies throughout the campaign.

  • Crafting and Gathering Leveling Guides for FFXIV Players

    In Final Fantasy 14, it’s not just the usual job classes that players can explore—there are also Crafter and Gatherer roles. It’s a good idea to level up at least one of these roles to help you make some gil, which can support your main job choice. Plus, crafting and gathering can be a really relaxing way to spend your time in the game.

    The game offers a variety of Disciples of the Hand and Land to pick from. No matter which one you choose, we have a leveling guide ready for you. Our guide includes advice on the best gear to acquire, which recipes and resources to prioritize, and other tips to help you level up quickly.

  • Maximize Your Goldsmith to Level 100 in Final Fantasy XIV

    Maximize Your Goldsmith to Level 100 in Final Fantasy XIV

    Final Fantasy XIV: The Journey of a Goldsmith

    In the world of Final Fantasy XIV, creating stunning items is key to success, making Goldsmith a highly sought-after crafting profession. Not only do the elegant pieces made by Goldsmiths enhance the game’s glamour, but they also offer significant benefits to character stats. Each class uses the jewelry crafted by Goldsmiths, and this profession is also responsible for creating weapons primarily for classes like the Monk and Black Mage. While the materials required—such as ores and gems—can be pricey, the potential rewards can be substantial once you reach higher levels.

    Leveling any crafting class, especially a Disciple of the Hand like Goldsmith, takes a considerable amount of time and effort. There are more efficient ways to level up, however, and below, you’ll find a clear path for progressing from Level 1 to Level 90, including recommended gear upgrades and the best leveling options.

    Getting Started and Leveling to 21

    The Goldsmith’s Guild can be found in the Steps of Thal in Ul’dah. To begin the Way of the Goldsmith quest, you’ll need to be at least Level 10 in any combat class.

    Upon accepting the quest from the Hyur receptionist, you’ll receive your initial hammer, which is essential for a Goldsmith. At this stage, don’t worry about leves—experience gained from crafting items below level 20 is minimal. Instead, focus on completing job quests, which will also provide you with basic crafting gear if you’re lacking.

    Quest Overview:

    Quest Name Level Required Items Materials Needed
    Way of the Goldsmith 1
    My First Chaser Hammer 1
    Gorgets Rising 5 2x Copper Ingot, 1x Leather
    Throw Some Rings on It 10
    Objectively Speaking 15 1x Fang Earrings, 1x Brass Gorget 1x Brass Ingot, 1x Bat Fang, 1x Hard Leather
    A Melding of the Minds 20 1x Staghorn Staff (melded with Level 1 Materia) 1x Marbled Eye, 2x Antelope Horn, Any Materia

    As you approach Level 20, consider grinding out some Copper Ingots and Copper Rings. The Goldsmith’s Guild offers Copper Ore at a low price, and many recipes incorporate these materials. You’ll earn extra experience points for crafting an item for the first time or when creating a high-quality (HQ) item.

    Tip: Gathering your own crafting materials can save you a lot of gil later on. Leveling Miner alongside Goldsmith is a smart strategy since all crafting disciplines support each other.

    Leveling to 53

    By now, you should pay closer attention to your equipment. Gear for the Disciple of the Hand influences your Craftsmanship and Control, which are vital for crafting efficiently.

    When you hit Level 21, aim to acquire an Iron Chaser Hammer, a Recruit’s Grinding Wheel, and pieces from the Initiate’s and Cotton Crafting gear sets. You can find some of these from job quests, but if you lack them, purchasing from NPC vendors like Yoyobasa and Gwalter on Ul’dah’s Sapphire Strip is an option. This crafted gear applies to all DoH jobs, assuming the level requirement is met.

    Leves: In Ul’dah, look for the levemete Eustace in The Quicksand (located at Ul’dah – Steps of Nald X:12, Y:9). You’ll find three types of Tradecraft leves—Constancy, Charity, and Ingenuity.

    Charity leves allow you to turn in up to three times the required amount of materials for triple experience. Even though Ingenuity leves offer high experience, they often require you to deliver items to a distant location.

    Leveling to 63 (Ishgard)

    At Level 53, visit Evrardoux and Norlaise in The Pillars of Ishgard to purchase the following gear: the Mythrite Lapidary Hammer, Garnet Grinding Wheel, and the Holy Rainbow Crafting Set. Subsequently, look out for the Ramie Crafting Set as you progress further into Ishgard content.

    Collectables

    Once you hit Level 50, you’ll unlock Collectables. These special items can be crafted and traded for Scrips, which are used to buy exclusive items. Unlike HQ items, the emphasis here is on increasing an item’s collectability stat.

    For instance, make sure to invest in master recipes with your scrips, as these unlock essential crafting options for your leve quests.

    Leveling to 80 (Crystarium)

    After reaching Level 71, head to the Crystarium and purchase the Deepgold Cross-pein Hammer, White Oak Grinding Wheel, and the Brightlinen Crafting Set. As you work your way towards Level 80, keep an eye out for components from the Pixie Cotton and Zonureskin Crafting Sets.

    Final Steps to Level 90 (Sharlayan)

    Before venturing out of the Crystarium, make sure to upgrade your crafting gear one last time with a Dwarven Mythril Lapidary Hammer, Lignum Vitae Grinding Wheel, and the Dwarven Cotton Crafting Set. In Old Sharlayan, the levemete is Grigge (X:12, Y:13).

    Beware that there are no Charity leves at Level 80 and above, just Constancy ones. Nevertheless, you’ll encounter Studiun Deliveries, similar to Crystarium Deliveries, which you should actively complete.

    Unlocking the Final Crafts

    Congratulations! At Level 90, you can craft the Rarefied Chondrite Needle, your ultimate collectable for Goldsmithing, which can be traded for exclusive purple scrips. The best crafting set available at this level is the Artful Afflatus Set, obtainable from Scrip Exchange vendors.

    Leveling to 100 (Tuliyollal)

    As you approach Level 100, you can anticipate completing familiar tasks with new materials. Here, you’ll engage with the Goldsmithing quests assigned by Rral Soj (X:16.9, Y:11), alongside shared quests with Blacksmith and Armorer classes.

    Overall, while reaching Level 100 can be a grind, it won’t feel tedious if you actively utilize various methods such as daily Grand Company turn-ins, regular Tradecraft leves, and crafting collectables that align with your Goldsmith level.

    Stay dedicated, and enjoy your crafting journey in Final Fantasy XIV!