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Thanks to the addition of Zonai Devices, there’s a ton of ways you can get creative in moving around the vast world of Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Blasting yourself through the sky with a rocket attached to your shield is pretty entertaining, but perhaps you want the companionship of a trusty steed. If good, old-fashioned horseback riding is more your forte, you’ll probably want to pay Malanya the Horse God a visit in order to maximize your horse’s stats. If you played The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, you might remember that Malanya the Horse God could be found deep in south Hyrule in the Lake Hylia region. Malanya has moved, however, and can now be found nearly as far to the northeast as you can go in the Akkala region. It’s definitely a long way from the game’s starting point, but players can comfortably follow a road that leads from Lookout Landing to Malanya’s new home of Malanya Spring (coordinates 4293, 3205, 0149). Your lengthy journey to Malanya will have to be filled with some stops along the way. For starters, Malanya won’t appear unless you make an offering of a single Endura Carrot. These are easily found near Cherry Blossom Trees, and one such tree is conveniently in between Lookout Landing and Malanya Spring at coordinates 0316, 0538, 0022. The next thing you’ll want to keep an eye out for while on the road is any wild herb you can find and plenty of them. Hyrule Herbs, Fortified Pumpkins, Blue Nightshade, Sundelions, and more. You’ll also want to smack ore deposits to acquire a bit of Rock Salt. After you’ve woken Malanya with an Endura Carrot, the Horse God himself will explain to you that he can upgrade each stat of your horses in exchange for cooked meals. The better an improvement, the more meals it will cost, naturally. However, two of the most useful stats, Strength and Speed, can be quickly upgraded from their lower levels just with the herbs you collected on the way to Malanya. Fried Wild Greens can be made simply by cooking a single herb of any kind, and Copious Fried Wild Greens are made from combining four different herbs into one dish. These two meals can boost any horse’s Strength stat from 1 to 3 giving them a much improved amount of health. Throw a single herb in a cooking pot with one piece of Rock Salt and you’ll get Salt-Grilled Greens that can boost a horse’s Speed from 2 to 3. Of course, the stronger upgrades require much more detailed meals with ingredients that are trickier to acquire, but boosting a horse’s Strength and Speed for just a few herbs is definitely quicker than catching wild horse after wild horse to get some better stats.

Tears of the Kingdom is a massive game, and not only that, but every square inch is also filled with interesting areas to explore, problems to solve, and characters to meet. It is easy to get lost in the majesty of it all, and the size and scope of the game can be overwhelming. As mentioned in our previous guide on how to get the paraglider, Tears of the Kingdom withholds some of its most essential items and abilities a little longer than Breath of the Wild did. On top of that, it is easy to miss these items and set off after getting out of the starting area on Great Sky Island. It is crucial that once you reach Hyrule proper, head straight for Lookout Landing, there you will find a variety of NPCs and characters to interact with, and many of them offer important quests. Not only will you get the paraglider from the questline with Captain Hoz at Hyrule Castle, but if you go and chat with Robbie and Josha they will offer you another important quest. Robbie is looking to explore the depths of Hyrule, a newly opened-up area that appeared when the upheaval at the beginning of the game started. Once you talk to Robbie and Josha at Lookout Landing you will get the main quest -- Camera Work in the Depths. This quest will lead you to the deepest parts of Hyrule and net you the compendium and camera in the process. Once you have the paraglider, the compendium, and the camera, you are in the perfect place to set out and adventure to your heart’s content. At Lookout Landing, many characters offer different adventures, but keep a close eye out for Hestu, as they can upgrade your inventory slots for shields, bows, and weapons. Other than that, return to Josha to continue your quests into the depths; the questline with Josha will involve you returning to The Depths in search of another upgrade, and completing this questline is the only way to get the Sensor for the Light Shrines around the world. To unlock Robbie’s lab in Hateno Village, you must complete Josha’s request. Josha wants you to return to the same place in the depths that Robbie originally sent you to explore, but this time you must follow the mysterious statues and pay close attention to the direction they are facing. Stick the statues and make sure to bring plenty of arrows and Brightblooms. Once you follow the statues to their conclusion, you will run into a familiar foe, and after that boss fight, unlock another new ability that will help on your way. Once you have completed these tasks, you will have all the tools you’ll need to explore to your heart’s content. Don’t forget to check out Hateno Village and get the Light Shrine Sensor from Robbie; that way, you can snag every shrine as you explore the world of Hyrule in Tears of the Kingdom! Good luck out there!

It is easy to get lost in exploring Tears of the Kingdom, but while doing so, you will definitely want to pick up the camera and compendium to get the most out of your journey. If you want to take photos and catalog your discoveries, you will first have to head to Lookout Landing after finishing the opening area: The Great Sky Island. At Lookout Landing there are a number of quests and NPCs, as mentioned in our previous guide on getting the Paraglider and when to explore. There you will find Robbie and Josha arguing about whether or not to let her go explore The Depths, a new area in Tears of the Kingdom that features another massive area to explore, this time deep below the surface of Hyrule. Eventually, Robbie will decide to meet you in The Depths, asking for your help in photographing a peculiar statue deep down in the dark. You will need to make your way to the map marker, near Joisin Shrine. You can get to the Hyrule Field Chasm by heading directly south from Lookout Landing and cutting across the grass field. When you arrive, you will see a massive whole with Gloom flowing out of it and some NPCs investigating it. Feel free to drop down to The Depths, but be careful not to hit the sides or touch any of the gloom. Doing so will result in losing a heart permanently. Gloom damage causes the removal of hearts until you head to a Light Root in The Depths or return to the surface. Once you arrive, follow the notes left by Robbie to his various camps until you find him near a Light Root. Activate the Light Root and then speak to him, once you do so, he will have you photograph a nearby statue. Once all of this is done, you will be in possession of the camera and the compendium!

There’s a heaping helping of things to see and do in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and while it may be tempting to run off in any direction your adventuring heart desires there is definitely one thing you’ll want to acquire as soon as possible: the Paraglider. Those that played The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will remember that leaving the game’s tutorial area known as the Great Plateau was not an option without this incredibly handy traversal tool. This time around, however, players will leave the Great Sky Island tutorial area without the ability to glide as far as one’s stamina will allow. Luckily, the Paraglider isn’t too far away after one touches down on the surface of Hyrule. Once you’ve left the Great Sky Island and landed safely upon the ground, you’ll want to head toward Lookout Landing as part of the main quest titled To the Kingdom of Hyrule. It shouldn’t be too tricky to find if you make your way toward the ominously floating Hyrule Castle, but the best way to get there will be moving toward the blinking, golden marker on one’s map and compass. After arriving in the quaint little camp, chatting with some NPCs, and maybe doing a little shopping, you’ll want to find and talk to Purah. Several NPCs will point you in the right direction, but the building you’re looking for is the enormous hut to the North. Walking up these stairs and talking to the grey-haired character Josha will trigger a brief cutscene where Link and Purah do some catching up. Having this conversation will finish To the Kingdom of Hyrule, and a new quest, Crisis at Hyrule Castle, will start. Purah will send you up to the castle in order to find Captain Hoz. This is a bit of a trek. As long as players push due north from Lookout Landing, however, it shouldn’t take too long. There aren’t any large threats on the way, but a stop at the Kyononis Shrine would prove useful for unlocking a handy fast travel point. As you make your way up the road to where Hyrule Castle was once attached to the Earth, you’ll run into a few NPCs that are working with Captain Hoz. They’ll tell you he can be found at the First Gatehouse. He’s not in said gatehouse, however, but higher up on the outside. He can be found on the northern side of the gatehouse looking toward the nightmarish scene of Hyrule Castle. After a brief (and eerie) cutscene with him, Captain Hoz will send you back into Lookout Landing to chat with Purah once more. After making your way back to her and reporting on what you saw, Purah will tell you to meet her at the super tall structure nearby known as a Skyview Tower. As she explains its purpose, she will finally present you with your Paraglider. Success! Now, with the ability to glide, getting around will be much easier.

One of the wackiest parts within The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are the Zonai Devices. These include Flame Emitters, Fans, Wheels, Balloons, and even Rockets. Of course, to use most of these players need a power source. This is given to you as part of the Great Sky Island tutorial in the form of an Energy Cell. As you might discover, however, the amount of charge your Energy Cell can hold isn’t an enormous amount. If you want to expand your Energy Cell, you’ll need to get your hands on Crystallized Charges. A lot of Crystallized Charges. Deep in a cave on the southern portion of the Great Sky Island, you can meet a friendly Forge Construct (coordinates 0468, -1683, 1371). This robotic feller will sell you a few Crystallized Charges in exchange for Zonaite. This mineral, like many others, can be found from smacking open large chunks of ore, but Zonaite is a bit different. In the same room as this Forge Construct, you can see that Zonaite ore is a bit more porous with hues of green and orange inside it. This ore isn’t found on the surface of Hyrule, unfortunately, but it can be found in much larger quantities down in the Depths. In fact, there’s so much Zonaite in the Depths that defeated enemies will often drop it too! This surplus of Zonaite down below is definitely a good thing, as you’ll need a whopping 100 Crystallized Charges just to increase your Energy Cell once. Fortunately, Crystallized Charges can be dropped by baddies in the Depths or purchased from additional Forge Constructs also located in the Depths at locations such as the Great Abandoned Central Mine (coordinates -0821, -1940, -0523). Of course, progress will go even quicker for you if you purchase or happen upon Large Crystallized Charges which are equal to 20 normal Crystallized Charges. The quickest way to gather these valuable nuggets of energy is to gather enough Zonai and clean out the stock for every Forge Construct you can find. If braving the Depths to find additional stores sounds a bit too daunting for you, however, you can simply wait a few in-game days away next to a fire and all the stores will eventually replenish their supplies. Once you’ve amassed at least 100 Crystallized Charges, you’ll want to visit a Crystal Refinery. Luckily, there are two that you find early on and they’re easy to get to. One is located up on the Great Sky Island conveniently located right next to the Nachoyah Shrine (coordinates 0388, -1660, 2299). The other is right outside the southern wall of Lookout Landing (coordinates -0216, 0198, 0031). At either of these locations, you’ll find a helpful Steward Construct that will exchange your 100 Crystallized Charges for a blip of additional Energy Cell power. There’s no Crystallized Charges for sale at Crystal Refineries, unfortunately, but doing a bit of Zonaite mining, exchanging them for Crystallized Charges, and fast traveling to a Crystal Refinery should help you pass the time while those Forge Constructs restock their shelves.

Any ARPG player will tell you having a proper build is the only way you'll be able to take out stronger enemies and bosses in the game. Diablo IV is no different, with theory crafters and Diablo veterans tinkering and tweaking different skills and Aspects to create the strongest character. Druids are one of the most powerful classes in Diablo IV, mixing high defense with reliable damage via elemental spells. They are among the most challenging classes to play because of all the different mechanics and spell options. If you've been struggling to get past World Tier 3 or complete your Capstone Dungeon, these endgame Druid builds will give you the power boost you need to make it through the more challenging portions of the game. These builds assume that your character is at least level 50 and you've reached the Paragon board; however -- you can also use them to level if you still need to make it there. Diablo IV Werebear Pulverize Build Perhaps the most well-known endgame build in the beta, the Werebear Pulverize build utilizes Earth Spike to build up Spirit and Pulverize as the main damage-dealing attack. The basic skill setup that you can use includes the following: Skills Earth Spike Pulverize Earthen Bulwark Debilitating Roar Trample Grizzly Rage See the full Skill Tree breakdown. The core of this build is to get your Skills and gear to the point where you can spam Pulverize, then obtain gear and Aspects that enhance your Pulverize damage. To recoup and regenerate Spirit faster so that you can spam, players should invest in Core skills like Heart of the Wild and Abundance and the Earthen Might ult, which provides a 5% chance to recoup 100% of your Spirit. Players can also use the unique Mother's Embrace ring that drops from defeating Lilith to refund 20-40% of the resource cost when simultaneously hitting five or more enemies. Key Aspects The two most important aspects of the Werebear Pulverize Build are the Shockwave Aspect and the Aspect of Ursine Horror. The Shockwave Aspect creates a shockwave that blasts in front of your Druid and transforms it into a ranged move. Unfortunately, this is also one of the most challenging Aspects to obtain and can only be found on Legendary 1H weapons, 2H weapons, and gloves. Players may get The Shockwave Aspect by gambling obols at the Curiosity Vendor in town. Luckily, the second critical aspect, The Aspect of Ursine Horror, is much easier and can be obtained by defeating the Belfry Zakara dungeon in Hawezar. This will create tectonic spikes that deal a certain amount of damage after casting Pulverize, transforming it into an AOE attack. It also makes Pulverize an Earth Skill, meaning buffs for Earth Skills also apply to Pulverize. Other aspects you can get, most of which can be obtained by completing dungeons, include: Ballistic: When you have Fortify, your Earth Skills gain +2 ranks. Disobedience: You gain increased armor for four seconds after you deal damage. Retaliation: Your core skills deal increased damage based on your amount of Fortify. Spirit Boons Spirit Boons are a unique mechanic to the Druid and go a long way in enhancing your character's power. The Boons you should activate for this build include the following: Deer: Wariness Eagle: Avian Wrath Wolf: Calamity Snake: Masochistic, Calm Before the Storm Related: https://www.gamecrate.com/guides/diablo-iv-unlock-druid-spirit-boons Key Items Certain Unique items will also synergize with this build and enhance its power significantly. They include: Vasily's Prayer (helm): Earth skills are now Werebear skills and Fortify you. Insatiable Fury (chest): Werebear is now your true form, and you gain +2 ranks on all Werebear skills. Temerity (legs): Effects that Heal you beyond 100% Life grant you a Barrier up to 80% of your Maximum Life that lasts 8 seconds. Ballistic Necklace (amulet): When you have Fortify, your Earth Skills gain +3 ranks. Players should concentrate on gear that provides them additional ranks on their Earth Skills and any equipment that provides Willpower, as it increases the damage that your Pulverize does. Vasily's Prayer is critical to round out this build, as it makes all of your main skills, Werebear and Earth skills, meaning you benefit from any buffs for either type of attack. If you follow these steps exactly, then the Druid Pulverize Earth build is one of the most powerful AOE builds in the entire game while still providing your Druid with enough defense via Fortify and armor to tank high-level dungeon bosses and make it out alive. Try to wrangle as many mobs in clusters as possible, as this will reward you with a greater chance to recoup lost Spirit and increase your overall damage. Diablo IV Werewolf Tornado Build The Werewolf Tornado Build uses Storm Strike to build up Spirit, Tornado as your main attack weapon, and the Werewolf form to increase your attack speed. This synergy enables you to spam your Tornado and procure critical hits more frequently. Skills Storm Strike Tornado Blood Howl Cyclone Armor Hurricane Grizzly Rage See the full Skill Tree breakdown. The Werewolf Tornado build relies on recouping lost Spirit quickly via Earthen Might and increasing attack speed as much as possible by spamming Blood Howl and Grizzly Rage, which puts you in an immune state so you don't get stun locked. With the increased attack speed via your Werewolf skills, you should be able to stack multiple tornados, which will all continue to hit enemies in the area for severe damage over time. Key Aspects The two critical aspects of this build include the Mighty Storm's Aspect and the Dire Wolf's Aspect. The Mighty Storm's Aspect makes it so the Earthen Might skill also applies to Storm Skills, providing a 5% chance to recoup all your Spirit while increasing critical strike damage. Unfortunately, this Aspect can only be found on Legendary gear, which you'll have to farm for or trade obols for at the Curiosity Vendor. Roll on 1H weapons, as they only cost 40 obols, and restrict your rolls to Offensive Aspects. The Dire Wolf's Aspect makes Grizzly Rage transform you into a Werewolf instead of a Werebear while also applying damage reduction, a speed boost, and Spirit cost reduction. It will also heal you when killing mobs, which can be helpful because you won't be in Werebear form and may require additional survivability. Other important Aspects include the following: Vigorous Aspect: Damage reduction while in Werewolf form. Stormchaser's Aspect: Tornados will seek up to 1-3 targets. Aspect of the Rampaging Werebeast: The duration of Grizzly Rage is increased by 1-5 seconds and provides increased Critical Strike damage. Spirit Boons The Spirit Boon passives you should get for the Werewolf Tornado build include the following: Deer: Wariness Eagle: Avian Wrath Wolf: Calamity Snake: Masochistic, Calm Before the Storm Key Items Luckily, only a few items are required for the Druid Werewolf Tornado build beside the unique helm, Tempest Roar. Tempest Roar (helm): Storm skills have a chance to grant 4 Spirit. Your base Storm Skills are now also Werewolf Skills. Temerity (legs): Effects that Heal you beyond 100% Life grant you a Barrier up to 80% of your Maximum Life that lasts 8 seconds. Unfortunately, Tempest Roar is required to work at its maximum capacity for this build. It can typically be found in World Tier III and beyond in Helltide Chests, World Bosses, and other random in-game drops. Players can also pick up the unique Temerity (legs), which grants a barrier that lasts up to 8 seconds. If you can obtain Tempest Roar, the Werewolf Tornado build is one of the strongest in the game. Because you're in Werewolf form, you should focus on items to improve your Fortify and survivability since that will be your only weakness. Just as powerful as the Pulverize build but better for single-target bosses, the Werewolf Tornado might be slightly more challenging to use than the Pulverize build, but the DPS payoff is well worth it. Paragon & Gems for Druids in Diablo IV For both builds, initially spec your Paragon points into the Willpower Paragon path – or the right side- as it will increase your character's elemental damage. Branch out and obtain the Tempest Node to boost your Willpower significantly. As you gain more Paragon boards, the path to increase your Willpower and damage output will become more apparent. Paragon is one of the more fun and creative things you can do in the game, so as long as you invest in Willpower and nodes that increase your damage, you’re on the right path. Regarding gems, players should socket Sapphires in armor for damage reduction, Skulls in jewelry for additional armor, and Rubies or Sapphires in weapons for increased Overpower damage or Critical Strike Damage. Whatever build you select for your Druid in Diablo IV all comes down to you. Luckily, there are plenty of options for any playstyle, and this class is one of the most fun and unique in the game. You don’t need to adhere to these rules strictly, but if you do, it should maximize your damage output. If you have difficulty in the game, try reducing your World Tier level or following one of these builds closely to help you through it.

Whether you’re playing through Diablo IV on the Adventurer or Veteran difficulty, at some point you’re going to need to heal yourself. You begin the game with the capacity to carry four potions, and these potent potables act as your primary source of healing. When you’re starting out, you’ll likely notice that using a potion will actually heal a large chunk of your health. However, as your character continues to level up those potions won’t be as effective for long. Thankfully, there’s a way to make your potions even more effective. It’ll be a short while before you can upgrade your potions, but once your character hits level ten you’ll be able to upgrade by visiting an alchemist. They’re found within towns, and are marked on your map by a mortar and pestle symbol. When you get to level ten, the game will actually give you a priority quest to visit the alchemist in Kyovashad where you get your first potion upgrade for free! Woohoo! This freebie upgrade will transform your Weak Healing Potion into a Tiny Healing Potion. The name doesn’t sound like much of an improvement, but it’ll definitely help! Upgrading your potion’s potency even further will require you to hit new level requirements and bring certain materials to an alchemist. The next level up, for example, will allow you to upgrade to a Minor Healing Potion when you’ve hit level 20 and presented an alchemist with 15 Gallowvines and 5 Biteberries. Having to wait until you’ve leveled up even more may sound like a pain, but that time you spend exploring will improve your odds of finding the stuff you need for that next upgrade. You can also see the material requirements for each level in advance which should help in creating exploration shopping lists. Of course, this is everything you have to do if you’re solely focused on upgrading the efficiency of your potions. There is a way to increase the number of potions you can carry, but it’s not related to your character level or any gatherable items. Instead, you’ll have to earn what’s known as Renown. Renown is earned by finding Alters of Lilith, completing both main and side quests, clearing out dungeons, and basically playing Diablo IV. You can view your Renown progress by opening and looking at the top of your map, but a more detailed rundown of your Renown and the rewards it will nab you can be seen when clicking the “View Rewards” button at the top of your map. In this “Region Progress” window, you’ll be able to see everything for the game’s five regions and what you’ve done within them. You’ll also be able to see how close you are to increasing your potion capacity. Each of the aforementioned five regions will give you a single increase to your potion usage meaning you can have a grand total of nine. Successfully acquire all of those additional potions and upgrade them to be Superior Healing Potions, and I’d say you’re ready to take on some of the biggest challenges Diablo IV has to offer!

The developers actually listened to feedback about the first Nickelodeon fighting game Smash Bros clone Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 gets a sequel in 2023 The developers actually listened to feedback about the first game For decades, the Super Smash Bros series dominated a very specific game type of the fighting game community. Where most fighting games were head-to-head, with health bars at the top of the screen, and standardized, Smash turned the FGC title into a party game. Super Smash Bros Ultimate was a defining moment, bringing back every single fighter that ever appeared in the series, plus many more. It was clear that the crown was ready to be handed off when they started to wind down development, though. Once other developers saw that development and support were both coming to an end, new titles were announced with the same genre of fighting game. Many major IPs have made attempts to capture Smash’s magic. Nickelodeon was one of them with Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl. The title was, as the younger generation would say, “mid”. It had promise but fell short of expectations. Claiming Smash’s crown wasn’t going to be easy. When the game dropped, it didn’t have voice acting at launch. For a game with a roster full of well-known cartoon characters, that was strikingly weird. While the gameplay and controls were pretty good, the entire game felt more like a quick cash grab than a serious threat to the throne. The developers, Ludosity and Fair Play Labs, as well as the publisher, GameMill Entertainment, took all of the feedback to heart. Today, they announced a sequel to the title, aptly named Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2. IGN got the early scoop for the game, and boy does it look 1000x better. The trailer makes a point to show off voice acting and even directly compares its visuals to the original game. They want fans to really know that they learned their lesson. They also showed off two new fighters joining the fray. You’ll be able to brawl has both Squidward (from SpongeBob SquarePants, if you’ve lived under a rock like Patrick for decades) and Jimmy Neutron (from, well, you get the idea). The game has a single-player campaign, too, where you have to stop the plans of Danny Phantom villain Vlad Plasmius. The trailer didn’t have a release date tied to it, with a release window of "Fall 2023". But, it’s going to be on every major platform when it comes out. Do you have any thoughts about this topic? Tell us in the comments below, or talk about it on Twitter. Don’t forget to tag us in the discussion! And don’t forget to subscribe to our weekly Patch Notes! Check out some other topics on GameCrate: I bring the Smoke: Mortal Kombat 1 shows off Smoke, Rain, and more Xbox gets a long-awaited feature: Voice reporting Toxic Destiny 2 “fan” owes half a million dollars to Bungie over harassment Xbox Live Gold to be retired in September, replaced with Game Pass Core

There’s a whole lot of stuff to wrap your head around as you begin your hellraising journey in Diablo IV. Thankfully, the game is very good about introducing new mechanics to you over time. One that you won’t start using right away are collectibles known as Aspects. Once you do have access to them, however, you’re going to want more and more because Aspects are a powerful way to boost your character. Before you go collecting them, it’s important to know what Aspects are. Essentially, they function as Legendary passives for your character’s abilities that are slotted into your weapons, armor, rings, or amulets. To equip or “Imprint” these Aspects, you’ll need to visit an Occultist. These folks are easy to locate thanks to the three-pointed fidget-spinner-looking rune that marks them on your map, and there’s one located in the beginning city of Kyovoshad as well. To view your personal collection of Aspects, you need only open your map and tabbing over to your “Collections.” Here you can view every possible Aspect in the game, what character class it’s meant for (some can be used by all classes), and even the conditions for unlocking said Aspect. How do you start adding to this collection? The vast majority of Aspects are unlocked by completing dungeons, and from your collections menu you can even pin the location of the dungeon you need to clear for a specific Aspect. Of course, it may not be wise to beeline toward far-off dungeons as those ones will likely be a higher level than your beginning character. If you complete a dungeon and find that the Aspect at its end is for a class you’re not playing as, don’t worry. Once an Aspect is unlocked, you can use that Aspect with any of your other characters. Starting a new game as a different class sounds even more enticing if you can begin with a bunch of class aspects already unlocked! All of that is what Aspects are and where they’re found, but to actually use them you’ve got to visit that aforementioned Occultist. It’s here that you can choose any compatible item and combine it with your preferred Aspect. Some Aspects can only attach to certain types of equipment, but you can have more than one piece of Aspect-imbued equipment on your character. You’ll be able to preview your upgraded gear before finalizing your decision, but after you’ve paid the required amount of gold and handed over the necessary materials, your Aspect gear is locked in. Aspects are entirely reusable, but your equipment is not. If you imprint an Aspect onto the wrong thing, there’s unfortunately nothing you can do to fix it. The option to “Extract Aspect” at an Occultist will remove an Aspect from a piece of loot, but that loot will be destroyed in the process. However! If that Aspect you extract is one that you hadn’t previously unlocked, it will be added to your character’s inventory for a one-time use in boosting a different piece of equipment. Nifty!

While most players' time in Diablo IV will probably be spent slaying demons and taking on dungeon bosses in PvE, there is a fun PvP element once you get to around level 50. However, player-versus-player combat in Diablo IV isn't the same as it's been in previous titles, so it's understandable if it's a bit confusing. Luckily, I've spent the last few days getting stomped by high-tier players to explain the ins and outs of the PvP system in Diablo IV. To access Diablo IV PvP, players must complete the story campaign and unlock the Tree of Whispers. From here, they can enter one of two designated PvP zones called the Fields of Hatred, located in southern Kehjistan and the Dry Steppes. Both these zones will be highlighted in pink on the map and have Waypoints. To engage in Diablo IV PvP, select the Mark for Blood emote to "flag" your character with the Bloodmark while in the Fields of Hatred. Once flagged, a red aura will surround you, and you can attack and take damage from other player-controlled characters within the Fields of Hatred. If the emote is not on the wheel, select the Customize option to add it. Players that use the emote Mark for Blood can attack both unmarked and marked players while in the Fields of Hatred zone. Unmarked players can't attack other unmarked characters but can attack marked players. To remove the Mark for Blood, travel back to town and interact with the Altar of Cleansing. If you kill other players, the Hatred's Chosen PvP Event will be initiated. Continue killing other player-controlled characters to fill the gauge to 100/100, and you will earn the Hatred's Chosen buff for five minutes, which will give you a chance to earn Seeds of Hatred for every hit you land. Once the event is over, all your Seeds of Hatred will automatically be cleansed. How Seeds of Hatred Work in Diablo IV Seeds of Hatred are the PvP currency that drops from mobs and players in the Fields of Hatred. Players can transform Seeds of Hatred into Red Dust, which can be used to buy items in the towns of Denshar and Alzuuda. When players die, they drop their Seeds of Hatred which other players can pick up. Boss mobs will also drop additional Seeds of Hatred. To turn Seeds of Hatred to Red Dust, interact with an Altar of Extraction, which will be designated with an icon on your map. Once you start the cleansing ritual, an orange bar will start to fill up, and everyone in the zone will be notified, increasing the chances of getting into an engagement with another marked player. The cleansing ritual will transform all the Seeds of Hatred in your inventory into Red Dust, which you can spend at special vendors in town. To figure out which vendors take Red Dust, look for the Red Dust icon next to the vendor icon on the map. To be successful in Diablo IV PvP, you'll want to balance risk vs reward. Gaining as many Seeds of Hatred as you can before cleansing them at an altar is the most efficient but also the riskiest, as players are waiting for people to start the ritual in hopes of a huge Seeds of Hatred payday. Remain alert when cleansing the seeds, as you’re more likely to get attacked. As the zone has a high mob density, plenty of events, and Whisper quests, it can also be a popular farming area for unmarked players. There are occurrences where there aren't many players Marked for Blood, in which case you can work with other people on your server to complete quests, gain XP, and earn Grim Favors.

There are five different character classes to choose from in Diablo IV. Obviously, the best of the bunch is the Druid because it allows you to turn into a bear, but the Necromancer, Sorcerer, Rogue, and Barbarian are pretty great too. Each one of these classes comes with their own magical and brutal abilities, but what if you unlock one that you just don’t like using? Thankfully, you don’t need to create an all-new character to undo any choice you make when unlocking abilities. Instead, you can respec your character at any time you like. Like many RPGs, Diablo IV will give you Skill Points each time your character levels up. With these Skill Points, you can open your Skill Tree and select the ability or passive that you desire. When you open your Skill Tree, you might already notice the prompt near the bottom that says, “Refund All.” Choosing to do this is how you would, as it says, refund each and every Skill Point you’ve ever spent. Then, you can reallocate those points however you see fit. If you’d rather refund just a single Skill Point, that can be done too. Simply hover over the ability you want to retrieve a Skill Point from, and hold the indicated button next to “Refund Rank.” You might notice here that a “Cost” will appear alongside this prompt. The best things in life aren’t free, of course. Unless you’re level eight or lower. If that’s the case, respecing your character is entirely free. However, you won’t be level eight for long, and you won’t have many Skill Points to refund at that point either. As your level increases throughout the game, the price of respecing a single Skill Point and the price of refunding them all will steadily increase. That sounds intimidating, but it’s dirt cheap compared to how much gold you’ll find by simply exploring and completing quests. Really, the world of Sanctuary is simply lousy with spare change. At level 21, for example, refunding all 21 of my Skill Points would cost me 1,155 pieces of gold. At this point, I already had 99,795 in gold from simply playing the game’s main quests and selling a few items here and there.

Shortly after you begin your adventure in Diablo IV, you’ll enter the opening city of Kyovashad with Lothar. The two of you will be chatting near a Stable Master where you can view the horses on offer, but, tragically, you won’t be able to buy one for quite some time. In fact, you won’t be able to acquire a Mount until you’ve completed all of the main quests for the first three acts of the game. That is a long time. So if you really want that horse, you’ll have to burn through those main quests first. Once you have completed Act III, however, you’ll be so close to receiving your trusty steed. There’s just one quest left for you to complete, but don’t worry! It’s super easy. Following Act III’s ending, Lorath will send you back to Kyovashad to find a character that you met during Act II named Donan. Simply fast travel to the city, and head north toward the Cathedral of Light. You really can’t miss good, old Donan, as he’ll be cursing under his breath and standing in the middle of the Cathedral’s main aisle right after you enter. Speak with Donan and he’ll not only advance your next main quest, but he’ll give you a new priority quest that will get you a horse. This quest involves nothing more than talking to the Stable Master of Kyovashad in exchange for a free horse thanks to Donan’s connections. Yes, free! Donan’s a great guy! After talking with the Stable Master, you’ll finally have a horse that you can summon at will with the press of a button, and this will also unlock Mounts for all of your characters. Mounts can be ridden through towns and all over the open world which means you won’t have to do any lengthy trekking on foot anymore! Should you dismount from your steed, there is a ten second cooldown before you can hop back on, so keep that in mind in case you need to make a hasty escape from some powerful enemies. If you’re wondering what options there are for customizing your new Mount, they’re hard to come by, unfortunately. The horse you receive for free is the pleasant Old Nell Steed, and you can purchase two different breeds from the Stable Master, but even further horse breeds are found as random item drops throughout the world. Confusingly, these cosmetic drops for your Mount aren’t colored as eye-catchingly as legendary loot so you’ll want to keep an eye out for any items that drop from chests or enemies that have the word “Mount” in them. Armor and trophy cosmetics for your Mount are dropped within the world in a similar way, but if all of that is taking too long for you there is, of course, the option to spend real money in the game’s shop for a Mount and cosmetics of your liking. It’s important to note that no Mount, Mount Armor, or Mount Trophy serves any purpose beyond cosmetics.