SWORD AND SHIELD: FFXIV PALADIN TANKING GUIDE

So you decided to try the Paladin, the best Final Fantasy XIV  tank when it comes to damage reduction (and even prevention) as well as boss fights. Unfortunately, things might just not be going well for you, considering you’re here. No biggie because we’re here to help. So before you save up on FFXIV currency and buy a new shield, read up so you can be the stalwart defender Eorzea!

Changing Your Stance

Assuming you haven’t nailed down the basics yet, here are a few pointers that are sure to come in handy during your time as a Paladin. First is the hotly contested choice between Sword and Shield Stance. When do you use which? Well, that depends. If you’re not that confident in your ability to maintain aggro consistently, then it’d be best that you stuck with Shield Stance. While your DPS will suffer, you can at least be sure that your other party members won’t get the aggro and be killed in the process. We’re sure you already know how fast that particular situations snowball into a total wipeout that can cost you hard-earned FFXIV Gil.

On the other hand, if you can keep aggro without turning on Shield Stance, you’re better off with Sword Stance so you can help the DPS a little.

Your Heavy Rotation

Another common discussion among Paladins is the rotation. So, which one(s) should Paladins use? Here’s our take on which rotations you should use depending on the situation:

For gaining enmity:

  • Fast Blade > Savage Blade > Rage of Halone
  • Fast Blade > Riot Blade > Goring Blade
  • Fast Blade > Savage Blade > Rage of Halone
  • Fast Blade > Savage Blade > Rage of Halone

By the time you’re on the fourth rotation, you have already established enough enmity. Now you can move on to dealing either physical or magical damage.

For physical damage:

  • Fast Blade > Riot Blade > Fight or Flight (if available) > Goring Blade
  • Fast Blade > Riot Blade > Royal Authority
  • Fast Blade > Riot Blade > Royal Authority

Rinse and repeat.

For magical damage:

  • Fast Blade > Riot Blade > Goring Blade
  • Requiescat > Holy Spirit x 5

Once you have depleted your mana and Requiescat is on cooldown, switch back to dealing physical damage.

Always on the Defensive

What good would a Paladin be without non-global cooldown defensive abilities and spells? These are what make a Paladin indispensable and simply the best when it comes to taking damage. Having said that, here’s a quick rundown as well as when you should be using them.

  • Sentinel – This is the most potent non-invulnerability defensive ability in the game, reducing damage by 40% for a short time. It may not seem like much, but it’s a huge help in very sticky situations.
  • Hallowed Ground – Despite the long cooldown, it’s arguably the best invulnerability ability because of its duration and the fact that it makes you completely damage-proof.
  • Sheltron–A very helpful ability that allows you to mitigate tank-buster damage. With best-in-slot items, it can reduce up to 25-30% of one hit. Use it as often (and as properly) as possible to get the most out of it.
  • Passage of Arms – Aside from the fact that it reduces most damage taken by 15, its group bonus now activates right after casting time, and even works 5 seconds after deactivation.
  • Divine Veil – This AOE shielding ability is better than many others of its kind, so it’s highly encouraged that it’s used.

Basically, for the Paladin, the key is in knowing which ability to use and when to do so. With knowledge and practice, you’ll eventually get it. There’s more to being a Paladin than these points mentioned. Nevertheless, this is already a good start. Hopefully, you’ll be a much better protector of Eorzea from here on out.

SNEAK PEEK: 5 HIGHLY ANTICIPATED GAMES OF E3 2019

It’s that time of the year when gamers are wrapped in eager anticipation to see what the near (and for delayed games, not-so-near) future has in store for them. All the excitement is brought about by none other than the Electronic Entertainment Expo—more popularly known as E3. Think of it like Christmas for gamers. And just like Christmas, gamers have their own wish list every single time E3 comes around.

So, which ones made this year? Read up and find out.

Death Stranding

After being revealed on E3 three years ago, Death Stranding is going back one last time, with just as much hype as it did when it was first unveiled—if not more. It’s a no-brainer why, as it’s from world-renowned game director and auteur Hideo Kojima, the brainchild of the action-packed, operatic, and sometimes absurdist espionage action franchise Metal Gear Solid.

After cutting ties with Konami, the game company that owns Kojima’s long-running military half-cinematic video game series and his development studio, Kojima Productions, the gaming visionary streaked on his, reformed his development studio, partnered with Sony, and started what seems like his most ambitious project yet.

Given the last trailer, we see Norman Reedus being some ruffian-fighting, spectre-dodging deliveryman in a post-apocalyptic American wasteland that must be “reconnected” again. Also featured in the game are other big Hollywood names like Lea Seydoux, MadsMikkelsen, Guillermo del Toro, and Lindsey Wagner doing all sorts of political, sci-fi stuff. In true Kojima fashion, the eight-minute-long trailer raised even more questions than answers. That, however, is no surprise, as it has effectively made fans want more of Death Stranding on E3. But until E3 (and Death Stranding’s long-awaited release), we all know fans will end up with even more questions.

Borderlands 3

After the success of the crazy and colorful Borderlands 2, it’s only right that Gearbox’s RPG-esque adventure shooter series will have another addition. With the last one released seven years ago, a lot of the fans who have been waiting in earnest started to question Borderlands 3 was even coming out at all. Thankfully, it is! It’s set to bring back familiar faces and put players back to vault hunters’ shoes.

The patience of the franchise’s fans has finally paid off because the third installment of the game will be officially released on September 13 this year. But before that, it will definitely have a quick stopover at E3 before hitting shelves. When it does, the developers will hopefully address the issue regarding the game’s exclusivity on the Epic Store.

WoW Classic

Games don’t usually get to have a second outing at E3 after being released. After all, there’s no point in hyping up a game that’s already in stores. World of Warcraft: Classic, however, is an exception. Other than improved graphics, nothing has changed. Or rather, everything has changed back to how things were during the game’s early days. The classic version of the most popular and influential MMORPGs will be released on August 27, 2019.

Ghost Recon: Breakpoint

Ubisoft, one of the biggest western gaming companies, is an E3 mainstay, and so is Ghost Recon. For 2019, it’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, a direct sequel to the open-world shooter Ghost Recon: Wildlands. Set in the fictional Pacific country of Auroa, you will be taking on the paramilitary group called Wolves, which was introduced in the previous.

True to the franchise’s name, stealth and survival will once again be an important factor in the game. And unlike in Wildlands where player skills are assigned through perks and abilities, there are now classes that have role-specific skillsets.

Cyberpunk 2077

Last but definitely not least would be Cyberpunk 2077, CDProjektRed’s next masterpiece after the much-praised Witcher franchise. After news of its development, it was finally unveiled for the first time on E3 last year, and will be going back for a second outing in 2019.

The game takes place in the namesake year in Night City, a fictional city in California. Despite being rife with crime, a lot of people live here because of its liberal laws regarding body modification and the promise of making it to the top.

Slated for release in 2020, there is still a lot to be revealed about this potential masterpiece, so it makes perfect sense that it’s going to grace the E3 event once more.

With these highly anticipated titles, this year’s E3 is going to be massive–and that’s an understatement. So, are you now officially hyped? You better be!

Gnomeregan Pet Battle Dungeon Guide

Once again, it’s to put your best battle pets to the test with the halls of Gnomeregan! The all-new Pet Dungeon will make you want to hop on the ongoing story with your battle pets. This mini-game of sorts has become quite a huge hit to the World of Warcraft audience. This turn-based strategy game was born out of the idea of capturing monsters and subsequently training them. The rewards are a great source of WoW gold, so don’t miss this chance.

Here, we’re going to take an in-depth look at this dungeon and guide you through until the very end.

How Do I Get to Gnomeregan?

To get started on your journey, you’ll first need to earn the achievement “All Growns Up!” which requires you to raise a pet to level 25. From there, a new quest should appear to you from RadekFuselockwho is located near the pet battle trainers in Dazar’alor. If you’re from the Alliance, you can talk to Tizzy Gearjoly who is located just outside of Dana Pull’s shop near Hook Point in Boralus. From there, they’ll both send you to Micro Zoox who is just outside the instance portal forGnomeregan. Once you reach that point, your quest will promptly begin.

Do I Need to Complete the Other Battle Dungeons First?

No. Luckily, you won’t need to complete the other dungeons like Wailing Caverns or Deadmines pet battle dungeons to gain access. Plus, with the release of the Tides of Vengeance update, you can play the three pet battle dungeons in any order that you prefer!

Are There Any Different Difficulties?

There are two separate difficulties in pet battle dungeons in general: Normal and Challenge mode. In the normal difficulty setting, when faced with a monster, you can heal or revive your pets any time and have at least one pet leveled at 25 for you to start the dungeon. In Challenge mode, however, it’s much more difficult. You cannot heal or revive your pets with Battle Pet Bandage or Revive Battle Pets at any time, and you must have at least 15 pets leveled up to 25 for you to unlock this mode. Furthermore, you need to complete the Normal mode of this dungeon for you to gain access to Challenge mode. But the great thing about Challenge mode is you can do it weekly and it will give you a reward upon completion, unlike in the Normal mode where you won’t gain additional rewards once you’ve finished it.

A quick tip for players who are looking to get into the Challenge mode is that if your pets die and you have no replacement pets, you can remedy this logging onto a different character in WoW and use Battle Pet Bandage or Revive Battle Pets. You can then log back in with you still in the dungeon and your pets healed.

What Quest Rewards Do I Get?

If you complete the dungeon in Normal mode for the first time, you’ll be getting an Ultimate Battle-Training Stone. In addition to that, you’ll also be receiving the Manapool’s aid at any time to teleport directly to the Gnomeregan’s dungeon entrance. However, there won’t be any rewards unlike the first time if you try to complete the dungeon once more in Normal mode,.

If you complete the dungeon in Challenge mode for the first time, you will be rewarded with the “Pet Battle Challenge: Gnomeregan” achievement and the Mini Spider Tank. And if you complete the Challenge mode once per week, you’ll be rewarded Pristine Gizmos which can be exchanged for items from Micro Zoox.

Path of Exile Delve: Fossil Crafting Guide

Fossils are a special type of PoE currency, much like PoE Orb. They were introduced in the Delve league and can be socketed into resonators. Furthermore, they are considered to be a special type of crafting material. There is a wide variety of Fossils that can be found within the Delves—a randomly generated mine that you can explore between each checkpoint. With our Fossil Crafting Guide, we’ll be discussing where the optimal locations to find these fossils are and how you can craft them in the easiest manner possible.

Fossil Crafting

As earlier stated, Fossil crafting was introduced in Delve expansion league. While you’re delving down in the mine, you will find these fossils along with resonators. The fossils can be placed inside the resonators, and when they are full the resonators are used to apply to an item the same way as a chaos orb or essence. These resonators have between one to four sockets, allowing you to craft both mid-tier and even extremely powerful items in the process.

However, unlike essences, fossils do not guarantee anything. Although they can be used to block off stats you don’t want, or weight rolls towards stats that you do want. A prime example would a Pristine Fossil weight rolls on an item towards having a life roll, but it also guarantees that the item will not have an armor, energy shield, or evasion rating roll. By using multiple fossils at once, you can effectively block entire sections of modifiers, and guarantee certain results to some extent.

Besides that, there are also a few extremely rare and expensive fossils that roll the item with all new modifiers that can only be found from fossils. This includes Hollow Fossil and Bloodstained Fossil. Hollow Fossil guarantees one abyssal socket on a rare item, but it is added as a modifier which will be removed should the item be rolled again. The Bloodstained Fossil adds all-new vaal modifiers, which in turn affects how vaal skills are used. While these fossils are extremely expensive to try, they can altogether result in some of the strongest items in the game!

Fossil Locations

Fossils are mostly found within the short side areas in the darkness, though they sometimes even appear in areas in which your cart can move. Sometimes, Fossils can even spawn behind Fractured Walls, so you’ll have to destroy them with Dynamite before you can access the Fossil spawn location. Currently, there are a total of 30 different Fossils which spawn in certain Fossil locations aka Fossil biomes within the Delve mine. There are seven of these Fossil locations which are listed down below:

  1. Mines Biome – Metallic Fossil, Serrated Fossil, Pristine Fossil, and Aetheric Fossil
  2. Fungal Caverns Biome – Dense Fossil, Aberrant Fossil, Perfect Fossil, Corroded Fossil, and Gilded Fossil (Note: Gilded Fossil spawns rarer than the other Fossils in this location, making it more valuable and is hidden behind Fractured Walls.)
  3. Petrified Forest Biome – Bound Fossil, Jagged Fossil, Corroded Fossil, and Sanctified Fossil (Note: Sanctified Fossil spawns rare than the other Fossils on this location, therefore it is worth more and can only be found behind Fractured Walls.)
  4. Abyssal Depths Biome – Aberrant Fossil, Bound Fossil, Gilded Fossil, and Lucent Fossil (Note: Gilded and Lucent Fossils can only be found behind Fractured Walls.)
  5. Frozen Hollow Biome – Frigid Fossil, Serrated Fossil, Prismatic Fossil, and Sanctified Fossil (Note: Sanctified Fossil is rare and can only be found behind Fractured Walls.)
  6. Magma Fissure Biome – Scorched Fossil, Prismatic Fossil, Pristine Fossil, Enchanted Fossil, Encrusted Fossil, and Faceted Fossil (Note: Encrusted and Faceted Fossils are rare fossils, and therefore can only be found behind Fractured Walls.)
  7. Sulfur Vents Biome – Metallic Fossil, Perfect Fossil, Aetheric Fossil, and Encrusted Fossil

Fossil farming and crafting is a rather common thing to do during new leagues, simply because Fossils can be quite expensive and can be considered a really good PoE currency and PoE orbs making method. But in order to be an efficient farmer, it’s critical to know the Fossil locations and spawn rates before crafting them.

Spruce Up Your Fortnite Account With Season 9 Stuff

Fortnite’s latest season brought with it a plethora of cosmetic items, challenges, and features. Of course, if you’re aiming to raise the numbers on a Fortnite account calculator, the former is all you need to know about. Then again, to collect those skins, you’re going to have to complete challenges. To complete challenges, you might need to make use of the new features.

However, that’s a topic for a different article. This one will just be about the skins, back items, and gliders the season brought with it.

Skins/Clothing

There are seven new skins, and they all look awesome. Roxlets your avatar give a sporty vibe, complete with glowing neon patterns. Sentinel gives you a Gundamesque look. Bunker Jonesy lets you rock the hobo look, complete with an almost floor-length beard and missing boot. Vega is chic with the explorer look while Stratus looks like he’s just about ready to drop sick beats.

Demi puts your character in a sleek red dress reminiscent of Ada from Resident Evil. She does not, however, have a mechanical arm like the skin. The last skin, Vendetta, wouldn’t look out of place in Destiny. Armor that covers the chest and legs, as well as the simplistic oni mask, make the costume up.

They’re listed in terms of tier requirements with the lower ones first and the highest ones last. Yes, this season’s Tier 100 skin is the Vendetta.

Back Items

The season introduces six new back items. First is the Hot Wings, a pair of mechanical wings in red-orange and yellow, intended to match the Sentinel. Second is Retribution, an accessory that will go well with the Vendetta skin. Next, Backtracker looks like a recon droid with a radar on its front. It perfectly matches the Stratus costume.

Vega‘s back accessory is the Go Bag, and it has geometric shape designs in yellow as well as a sword stuck to it. The Nana Cape is next, which is a cape resembling a banana skin. It fits with the theme of the Bunker Jonesy cosmetic. Last is the Scarlet Edge, wicked-looking stylized knives that pair up nicely with Demi‘s aesthetic.

Gliders

Sail through the air in style with new gliders! Turbo Spin and Retaliator both look sharp as glider skins. Field Flyer, Scarlet Strike, and Tailwind Twister all look like the default glider but with different designs. The last new glider is called Holographic, and it looks like a holographic umbrella. Some of them also match skins, so if you’re going for a theme, these are great to add to your account.

And More

New emojis, emotes, contrails, and harvest tools also came with the season. A notable harvest tool is the Harmonic Axes. They’re futuristic red, black, and blue dual axes. Also, a new pet became available. It is named Kyo, and it’s an adorable robotic creature. Any of the above mentioned items would be a good addition to your collection, especially if you’re planning to sell your account. So make it a point to get all that sweet loot and watch the numbers on the calculator rise!

The Best Blizzard Games For Esports Competitions

The Best Blizzard Games For Esports Competitions

Blizzard Entertainment is a true titan of the gaming scene and it has understandably carved out an enviable position in the burgeoning world of esports. The iconic developer and publisher has been releasing cult titles since it was founded by a trio of UCLA graduates in 1991 and it is now part of America’s largest gaming company. Activision Blizzard boasted revenue of $7.5 billion in 2018 and Blizzard Entertainment games played a huge part in that strong performance.

Nowadays, it is hugely important for publishers to crack the competitive gaming scene as it is extremely lucrative and leading esports enjoy remarkable longevity. Blizzard Entertainment may have lost the rights to Dota 2–one of the world’s most popular esports–to Valve Corporation in a bitter dispute, but it still possesses a formidable stable of giants in the competitive gaming scene.

Here are its five most important titles:

Overwatch

Blizzard released this multiplayer first-person shooter to global acclaim in 2016, with reviewers praising its class-based combat, polished gameplay, and utterly magnificent artwork. Overwatch was hailed as fun, accessible and extremely well-made, and it became an instant classic.

It pits teams featuring soldiers, mercenaries, scientists, and adventurers against one another in the near future, and it is perfectly set up for the sort of intense multiplayer action that lends itself well to competitive gaming.

The Blizzard team did not initially set out to create a new esport, but they soon recognized its potential in this field. The first organized, prize-winning competitions were launched just a few months after the game’s release, and ESL quickly put together the Overwatch Atlantic Showdown. At Blizzcon 2016, Blizzard announced that it would launch the Overwatch League as a result of intense demand from fans. It began in 2018 and boasted a $3.5 million prize pool, instantly catapulting Overwatch into the top 10 most lucrative esports for gamers to compete in.

The first season proved to be a smashing success, as London Spitfire beat Philadelphia Fusion at the Grand Finals in New York’s Barclays Center to become the first league champions.

Intel and HP were the league’s first sponsors, before Toyota got on board, while ABC, ESPN, and Disney XDaired contests live. The prize pool was increased to $5 million for the 2019 season and new franchises joined from across the world, ensuring competitive Overwatch gaming as it continued to soar.

Hearthstone

This free-to-play digital card game dazzled critics when it was launched in 2016. Eurogamer gave it a perfect 100 score and said it was “overflowing with character and imagination, feeds off and fuels a vibrant community of players and performers, and it only stands to improve as Blizzard introduces new features”. The game builds upon the Warcraft lore, so it instantly appealed to a huge group of fans, and it reeled in all manner of gamers thanks to its fun, accessible, fast-paced gameplay.

It is also blessed with sophistication, subtlety and a high skill ceiling that has enabled it to become one of the world’s most popular esports game. It was behind only LoL, CS:GO, Dota 2, and Overwatch in Twitch viewing hours in 2018, with Heroes of the Storm in sixth and StarCraft II seventh in a strong showing for Blizzard.

Wagering on esports has become a hugely important factor in the growth of this nascent scene, as many fans love to grab a stake in the action. Dedicated betting sites like https://unikrn.com/bet offer a huge range of markets in esports, and Hearthstone is one of the most important titles in this regard. It now faces intense competition from the digital version of Magic The Gathering Arena, but Hearthstone has a loyal following and it should continue to flourish in future.

StarCraft II

This is the most established esport in the Blizzard roster, as there have already been more than 5,000 professional StarCraft 2 tournaments. A grand total prize money of $30 million has been dished out to 1,900 pros over the years, and it is another important esport for wagering purposes. The game was launched all the way back in 2010 but, like LoL and Dota 2, it has achieved fantastic longevity thanks to its popularity within the competitive gaming scene.

It is a real-time strategy game that continues the epic saga of the Protoss, Terran, and Zerg as they wage battle across the galaxy. StarCraft II was released on a free-to-play basis as of November 2017, with microtransactions for skins, voice packs, and so on, making it a commercial success.

Professional play began upon its launch and, after a blip that lasted for a couple of years, it is going strong once more. The last three World Championship Series have carried prize pools of $700,000 and it also recently featured at IEM Katowice 2019, with a $400,000 contest.

Heroes of the Storm

This multiplayer online battle arena game sees legendary heroes and villains from WarCraft, StarCraft, Overwatch, and Diablo summoned to the Nexus to fight for glory. The MOBA genre is arguably the most important to the world of esports, thanks to the success of League of Legends and Dota 2. Since it was released in 2015, Heroes of the Storm has emerged as a serious contender to those leading titles in the popularity stakes, thanks to its varied gameplay and strong cast of characters.

It has already seen prize money in the excess of $18 million at its professional tournaments, making it the sixth most lucrative esports in history. However, Blizzard made the shocking announcement in December 2018 that it was canceling the Heroes Global Championship for 2019. An overwhelming sense of sadness and betrayal were the dominant emotions among pros, yet there is still hope that a competitive scene may be revived for this popular title someday.

Warcraft 3

The original Dota as a custom map creation within Warcraft 3, so that Blizzard execs could feel aggrieved at its success in esports with Valve. Warcraft 3 itself never enjoyed such a strong scene, although it has seen 1,300 tournaments and prize money reaching $5.4 million over the years.

The game was released in 2002 and it is now a grand dame of the industry, but Warcraft 3 Reforged will be released this year and that could give the title a fresh injection of life.

It will boast improved graphics, new dialogue, and better pathfinding, which could make it more appealing as an esport. There are still tournaments going on, but some fans would prefer Blizzard to stop spending so much time remasteringWarcraft 3 and instead channel its efforts into developing a fourth entry in the popular series. Warcraft 4 really could take the esports world by storm.

***DISCLAIMER***

This article is a Guest Post written by James Metcalfe from Unikrn.com

How the Storytelling of WoW Keeps Evolving

For over 14 years now, World of Warcraft has remained to only be active, but relevant as a whole in the gaming community. While it did not define the massively-multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) genre that we have today, it continues to be a part of it. More importantly, it continues to evolve with it. With the release of its seventh expansion, Battle for Azeroth, WoW boasts a thriving fanbase, along with tons of third-party marketplaces selling WoW accounts, WoW Gold and boosting services. However, there’s one thing that the players all agree on—the storytelling of the lore has definitely improved.

Storytelling in WoW: Then & Now

Game storytelling doesn’t get much more epic than the Warcraft universe. With the franchise turning 25 years old soon and having released the seventh expansion, World of Warcraft stories have been told as a fantasy world set in conflict. Epic struggles, each with grand heroes and vicious villains push players into the spotlight while these wars raged, with the players protecting the safety of the virtual lands they live on. And since then, players have been held in captive awe as to how Blizzard has told its stories since the early days. Mind you that they’ve managed to evolve their stories to keep up with the changing tastes and technologies of the time and to keep the players immersed and entertained.

How Battle of Azeroth Keeps Things Entertaining

Back when World of Warcraft launched Facebook, Youtube, or smartphones weren’t even in existence. WoW was the first MMORPG to have a social network, with the millions of players playing the game.  Since then, the newest expansion, Battle for Azeroth, has taken place in the shadow of the opening act for World of Warcraft, the War of the Thorns. In this event, both Horde and Alliance players head to the Night Elf territory of Darkshore to take part in the battle. Eventually, the Alliance falls back and the Horde claims Darnassus, the capital city of the Night Elves. Sylvanas Wind runner, the Horde Warchief, then makes the decision to burn Darnassus down while still full of civilians in an unprecedented act of genocide. Whether you choose to be a member of the Alliance of the Horde is up to you.

Blizzard decided to mix things up on patch 8.1, Tides of Vengeance. A quest line called the Fate of Saurfangwill now have a rare player choice inside it. When players meet up with Zekhan, they’ll now have an option to either accept his quest or reject it. Accepting the quest will have it play out like normal, but a rejection leads players down a darker, more loyal path. Upon rejecting Zekhan, loyal Horde players will be given a quest to return to Sylvanas and tell her of this treachery. Sylvanas then reveals that she has “special plans” for Zekhan, which doesn’t sound particularly good for anyone.

Wrap Up

While World of Warcraft has offered light choices like this in the past, these quests usually revolve around the character (or an NPC) killing someone. The choice with Zekhan is far more involved than most other World of Warcraft choices, especially since it has the potential to drastically impact the narrative.

Ultimately, the ability for characters to choose which sides to serve, Saurfang or Sylvanas, is fantastic. It’s exciting, new, and may lead to a whole new avenue that’ll eventually open up WoW to more people. The question is what comes next? How will this new method of storytelling be used for both sides? One thing’s for sure, it’s going to take more than a branching story to create a satisfying ending for those who are hyped for the new expansion.

The 5 Best Maplestory 2 Classes to Play as, Based on DPS

5 Best Maplestory 2 Classes

A player’s choice of class in any MMO is crucial. After all, you’ll be stuck as that class for the rest of your playthrough of the game—barring games that allow class switching. Maplestory 2 isn’t in that latter category though, so choosing a class is something that needs careful consideration.

Some of the classes in MP2 may need more Maplestory 2 Mesos to get the best out of its skills and abilities. However, if you’re the type to enjoy absolutely destroying bosses as fast as you can, that’s not really going to be an issue.

Without further ado, here are the five best classes for PvM in Maplestory 2.

Heavy Gunner

Heavy Gunner is a good PvM-focused class. It has the fastest clear times, provided the player knows how to properly cycle through their skills. When they do, the damage they can dish out is massive. However, if the enemy zips around the map, it gets hard to hit. They’re also a bit lacking in terms of options for mobility. If you’re up for the challenge, however, it can be a very rewarding choice.

Wizard

Wizards deal greater damage per hit. They’re a crowd control class with many area-of-effect spells. For all its potential to deal much damage, it has low defense. A handy teleport skill is its best friend to avoid enemy attacks. Just be careful when you use the skill, as it could cancel the spell you’re casting. While it’s a beginner-friendly class, some of its combos do need some technical skills to pull off.

Assassin

Assassins rely on critical hits for their high burst damage. They’re really mobile and attacks at mid-range. It’s a good thing, as they don’t really have much health. One or two hits from a boss (especially the stronger ones) can knock them down for the count. Overall, assassins need players who are good at judging distance and avoiding enemy attacks. They’re the straight-up heavy damage dealers.

Berserker

Berserkers have the highest HP and can dish out damage like no other. However, being a melee class means you have to go up close and personal to the enemy. For some bosses, that almost certainly spells suicide! There’s also the difficulty of keeping up stacks of their passive buff. When you’re able to figure out a strategy for that though, you’re rewarded with the highest damage a melee class can reach.

Runeblade

Runebladesare mid-ranged fighters who enchant their swords with ice, fire, or storm elements. They have good mobility and have the most visually-pleasing skills. Depending on how you build them, you can be a crowd controller, a damage dealer, or a support character. A highly-versatile character, it can also be a little difficult when you’re trying to dodge attacks while spamming skills.

Of course, that’s only for the damage dealing classes. If you’d rather support your friends, Priests or Soul Binders might be closer to your preference. It all depends on your preference. Take the time to learn about the pros and cons of each class and ask yourself exactly how you want to play. There are multiple character slots so you can start again if the class isn’t what you expected. At any rate, it’s more important that you enjoy the game.

Go and have fun on your Maplestory 2 adventure!

Halfway There: WoW Battle for Azeroth Achievement Flying Mounts

WoW Mounts Battle for Azeroth Whether it’s Earth or Azeroth, there’s no better way to travel than to do so way up high. And although there’s the option to teleport, nothing competes with being on your own WoW mount riding through the clouds while looking down at the utterly fantastical world below. In true World of Warcraft fashion, you’ll have to unlock this ability. If you’ve been playing for quite some time now, you’ll know right off the bat that this is a tedious task. The same goes here in World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth.

Explorer and Diplomat

Just as it was in Legion, there are two achievements that you need to accomplish in order to gain access to the skies. But for now, only one of the two is currently available, which is Battle for Azeroth Pathfinder: Part One, so you’ll just have to go with that.

Like in Legion, to unlock the achievement in question, you need to unlock a handful of other achievements first.

First on the list is the Battle for Azeroth Explorer, which requires players to explore the following areas:

  • Tiragarde Sound
  • Stormsong Valley
  • Nazmir
  • Drustvar
  • Zuldazar
  • Vol’dun

Next would be the achievement Azerothian Diplomat, which requires to earn Revered status with certain factions. For Alliance, that would be the Proudmoore Admiralty, Order of Embers, Storm’s Wake, or7th Legion. For the Horde, that would be the Zandalari Empire, Talanji’s Expedition, Voldunai, and The Honorbound.

Note: Both factions must earn Revered status with Champions of Azeroth and Tortolian Seekers.

Another necessary achievement is the Wide World of Quests. This requires you to finish 100 World Quests in KulTiras and Zandalar. It’s pretty tedious, but hey, it’s the lofty price you have to pay for you to soar up high. Besides, once you’re done with this achievement, you’re pretty much set for life, as this is an account-wide achievement. The same goes for battle for Azeroth Explorer and Azerothian Diplomat.

Tour of Duty, Forever

After that would be Kul Tourist for Alliance and Zandalar Forever! for the Horde.

For Kul Tourist, you’ll need to achieve the following achievements:

  • A Sound Plan – finish the Tiragarde Sound storylines
  • Stormsong and Dance – finish the Stormsong Valley storylines
  • Drust Do It – finish theDrustvar

For Zandalar Forever!, you’ll need to finish more achievements compared to Kul Tourist. But hey, you’re part of the Horde, so you’re tougher than those puny Alliance do-gooders anyway.

These achievements are as follows:

  • The Throne of Zuldazar – complete the Zuldazarstorylines
  • Secrets in the Sands – complete theVol’dun storylines
  • The Dark Heart of Nazmir – complete theNazmir storylines
  • A Bargain of Blood – complete the Blood Gate quest line in Zuldazar
  • The Final Seal – Complete the Zandalar Forever scenario in Zuldazar

Fight Before Flight

Once you’re done with all those achievements, it’s time for the last one: Ready for War.

For the Alliance, you need to accomplish the following campaigns:

  • Nazmir Foothold
  • Zuldazar Foothold
  • Chasing Darkness
  • Blood in the Water
  • Vol’dun Foothold
  • Blood on the Sand
  • A Golden Opportunity
  • The Strike on Zuldazar

As for the Horde, it’d be as follows:

  • Drustvar Foothold
  • Stormsong Valley Foothold
  • The Marshal’s Grave
  • At the Bottom of the Sea
  • Tiragarde Sound Foothold
  • The First Assault
  • Death of a Tidesage
  • The Strike on Boralus

These achievements are, unfortunately, not account-wide. Which means you’ll have to do them all over again for another character. But with Azeroth Pathfinder, Part One, the only reason to get them for your alternate characters would be for completionist purposes.

After accomplishing all those achievements, congratulations! You now have Battle for Azeroth Pathfinder, Part One. Aside from being halfway to having a flying mount, you’ll be rewarded with 20% Increased Mount Speed in KulTiras and Zandalar.