You will face First Price of the Flowing Sands after defeating Second Prince and watching his father flee. As Second Prince’s older brother, it is one of the big bosses you will encounter in the second chapter of Black Myth Wukong. It is huge, powerful, but slow. But it can also show great agility when he needs to hasten. Next, this guide will break down its attack patterns and share some effective strategies for dealing with this powerful enemy.

Preparations

First Prince does not apply any status effects, so you can essentially build no special strategy for this one. First Prince can withstand your attacks and fight back with twice the force. Therefore, you'll need to utilize Black Myth Wukong Items that provide defensive so you can withstand the blows.

Ebongold armor set will provide enough defense in this battle to withstand the most fierce attacks. The damage caused by using Twin Serpent Staff in this battle is quite limited. Therefore, if you want to make the battle go more smoothly, the best choice is Wind Bear Staff. Since First Prince is vulnerable but too far away to melee, you should unlock Pillar Stance to make the ultimate easier to perform.

Attacks

First Prince has three ranged attacks. When you are on the other side of the arena, it will perform a Lunging Attack, a Charging Attack, or a Pouncing Attack. Of the three ranged attacks of First Prince, Pouncing Attack is the most dangerous. Once it is launched, it is almost impossible to react in time.

When attacking from a distance, its arms raised above its head are a sign that it is about to pounce, and should be dodged immediately. Lunging Attack and Charging Attack are relatively easy to avoid by dodging or flashing, and they do not pose much of a threat. In fact, it is most vulnerable when it is performing a lunging attack, which is a wonderful opportunity to get close to First Prince and damage it.

You should know that it is about to lunge when it extends its arms to the side. It will swing twice in a row in the air. These swings, along with the sprinting movement, are quite slow and you have every chance to easily dodge them. After the dash, it will be vulnerable for a moment, and it will slam with its right hand to stand up, so you should quickly move to its left side. It is crucial to attack it when it falls to the ground.

When you face First Prince at medium range, it will continue to use Pouncing Attack and Lunging Attack, but it will also frequently perform palm stomps. It is important to note that the lighter slams usually come in pairs. Knowing the timing of the second palm slam is crucial to effectively avoid it. Once it stands up with full force to perform a palm slam, it will not immediately follow up with another attack. These palm slams are easy to recognize because of their speed and power.

Medium range is when First Prince is most threatening, so don’t stay there for too long. As for close combat, sticking close to it will limit First Prince’s attack methods and make it relatively easy to deal with. Just get behind it and beware of its tail swipe, which starts with a hip swing and is not difficult to avoid. If you get close to one of its arms, it will swipe at you with a backhand, which is also obvious, so just dodge it when you see it raise its hand.

How To Beat First Prince Of The Flowing Sands?

You need to bait First Prince Of The Flowing Sands into a fierce attack, and focus on inflicting damage when it shows a weak spot. Then get close to it and try to get behind it. You only need to guard against its tail swipes. Whenever it tries to distance itself, get close to it immediately.

When you attack from behind, it will most likely turn to face you in the middle of a combo. It will try to hit you with a palm strike or a backhand swing. But both attacks have obvious signs, so watch and dodge in time, then get back behind it to continue the attack.

When you do this, use spells to freeze it in place, and perform heavy attacks when the focus meter is full. Keep the pressure on, keep attacking, and eventually it will fall. If it is about to launch a heavy attack, don’t try to restrain it or throw it off balance. Because once it is unfrozen, it is almost impossible to interrupt him when it is preparing a big move, and you will definitely be hit by it. The best strategy is to move around it, then get behind it again and continue the attack!

Rewards

Defeat First Prince and you’ll receive Arhat Gold Piece, a Stone Spirit, a Yaoguai Core, and 1035 Will. Additionally, squeeze through the crack in the giant wall next to First Prince’s boss arena and you’ll find a treasure chest containing Loong Scales at the back of the room.

In summary, by analyzing the attack patterns of First Prince of the Flowing Sands and adopting the strategies in this guide, you’ll be able to effectively defeat this powerful opponent. Remember, the key is to watch for its attack signs, dodge at the right time, and strike hard when it exposes a weakness. Additionally, after defeating First Prince, don’t forget to collect your rewards, especially Loong Scales in the hidden room. These rewards will help you get further on your journey to Black Myth Wukong.

In Diablo 4’s battles, players often need to use elemental skills and spells to deal with multiple enemies at the same time. The game provides a number of skills and Uniques to help players control the battlefield.

For Sorcerers, Raiment of the Infinite unique can use Sorcerers’ Teleport capabilities to attract surrounding enemies, bringing them together and making them more vulnerable to attack. Gloves of the Illuminator can ensure that every fireball thrown by Fireball Sorcerers will cause explosive results. Today’s guide will introduce you to the various methods you can use to farm and obtain Raiment of the Infinite and Gloves of the Illuminator.

How To Get Raiment Of The Infinite Unique?

Players can obtain Raiment of the Infinite Unique chest armor by reaching World Tier 3 or World Tier 4 to open treasure chests or defeat enemies. Participating in endgame events in the game can increase the chance of obtaining this equipment.

Challenging Echo of Varshan in World Tier 3 or Lord Zir, The Dark Master in World Tier 4 can further increase the chance of obtaining it, as Raiment of the Infinite Unique is included in the loot they drop. Using Diablo 4 Gold to acquire the necessary items will allow you to enhance your character and better prepare to face these tough challenges. However, this requires players to collect the following specific summoning materials to unlock the endgame event challenges:

• Boss: Echo of Varshan (World Tier 3); Location: Malignant Burrow, Hawezar; Material: 2x Malignant Heart: Open Whispers caches or complete endgame activities
• Boss: Echo of Varshan (World Tier 4); Location: Malignant Burrow, Hawezar; Material: 5x Malignant Heart
• Boss: Tormented Echo of Varshan; Location: Malignant Burrow, Hawezar; Material: 15x Malignant Heart/1x Stygian Stone: Open chests after completing Pit runs
• Boss: Lord Zir; Location: Ancient’s Seat, Fractured Peaks; Material: 9x Exquisite Blood: Complete endgame activities like Legions, Nightmare Dungeons, World Bosses, Helltides, etc
• Boss: Tormented Lord Zir; Location: Ancient’s Seat, Fractured Peaks; Material: 27x Exquisite Blood/1x Stygian Stone

How To Get Gloves Of The Illuminator Unique?

Like Raiment of the Infinite Unique, the player’s Sorcerer must be at World Tier 3 or World Tier 4. You can also try to obtain the gloves by exploring the map, opening treasure chests, or defeating enemies, but the drop rate of Gloves of the Illuminator Unique from these tasks is low. Participating in World Events can increase the chance of obtaining the equipment. For example, entering Nightmare Dungeons after crafting Nightmare Sigils with Sigil Powder is also a good way to obtain Gloves of the Illuminator Unique.

Grigoire and Beast in the Ice contain Gloves of the Illuminator in their loot, so challenging these two bosses can obtain the equipment faster. And after collecting the necessary summoning materials below, you can challenge them repeatedly until the gloves drop.

• Boss: Grigoire (World Tier 3); Location: Hall of the Penitent, Dry Steppes; Material: 2x Living Steel: Spend Aberrant Cinders to open Tortured Gifts of Living Steel or complete endgame activities
• Boss: Grigoire (World Tier 4); Location: Hall of the Penitent, Dry Steppes; Material: 5x Living Steel
• Boss: Tormented Grigoire; Location: Hall of the Penitent, Dry Steppes; Material: 15x Living Steel/1x Stygian Stone: Open chest rewards after completing Pit runs
• Boss: Beast in the Ice; Location: Glacial Fissure, Fractured Peaks; Material: 9x Distilled Fear: Complete Tier 30+ Nightmare Dungeons or complete endgame activities
• Boss: Tormented Beast in the Ice; Location: Glacial Fissure, Fractured Peaks; Material: 27x Distilled Fear/1x Stygian Stone

How To Deal With Tormented Uber Bosses?

Fighting Tormented Uber Bosses requires players to delve into Pit to find and utilize Stygian Stones. These enhanced bosses present a great opportunity to obtain Uniques in the game. To take on these top-tier opponents, players will need to train their characters to the highest level and work together with their partners.

Related: Diablo 4 Season 5: How To Make Your Lightning Spear Sorcerer Build Stronger? - Pros, Cons And Items

Raiment Of The Infinite Unique Effect & Affixes

When a Sorcerer with Raiment of the Infinite equipped casts Teleport, nearby enemies are drawn to your location and stunned for 2-3 seconds, your Teleport cooldown is increased by 20%. In addition, you gain the following buffs from Unique’s Affixes:

• + [99 - 135] Intelligence
• + [1 - 2] to Elemental Attunement
• + [1 - 2] to Shocking Impact
• + [1 - 2] to Glass Cannon

Gloves Of The Illuminator Unique Effect & Affixes

When a Sorcerer with Gloves of the Illuminator Unique equipped casts a Fireball skill, each time the fireball hits the ground, it bounces and explodes, and the damage done by these explosions is reduced by 30% to 0%. In addition, this glove will give you the following additional benefits:

• + [9.0 - 11.0]% Critical Strike Chance
• + [10.5 - 15.0]% Fireball Attack Speed
• + [1 - 2] Mana when a Fireball Explodes
• + [2 - 3] to Fireball

In Diablo 4, whether facing numerous enemies or powerful bosses, choosing the right equipment and skills is crucial. For Sorcerers, Raiment Of The Infinite and Gloves Of The Illuminator are undoubtedly powerful tools to improve combat efficiency. Through reasonable planning and strategy, players can maximize the effectiveness of these Uniques and gain an advantage in the battle against the enemy.

In any Diablo game, players eventually descend into the depths of Hell. So it was perhaps somewhat surprising that it took Diablo 4 more than a year to introduce players to this realm. Even more surprising was that this terrifying moment did not appear in a major story expansion, but was presented as part of seasonal content.

Specifically, Diablo 4 Season 5, named Season of the Infernal Hordes, is scheduled to officially launch on August 7. The core content of this season is randomized raids on Hell that players can participate in repeatedly.

Infernal Hordes

In Diablo 4 Season 5, Infernal Hordes brings a new permanent endgame mode to the game. This mode debuted in the game’s Public Test Realm a month ago. In this mode, players will face a steady stream of demonic attackers in the depths of Hell.

Infernal Hordes is designed primarily as a multiplayer experience, but it also supports single-player. The core mechanic of this mode is that with each wave of enemies defeated, the player can choose from three Infernal Offerings. These offerings can provide additional rewards or greater challenges. This design is designed to continuously push the tension and complexity of the game, forcing players to face more tough battles while pursuing higher rewards.

Endgame Challenge

At the end of the game, the player will face a boss battle with 10 different combinations. The opponent in this battle is a secret organization called Fell Council, which consists of five demonic priests. These priests first appeared in Diablo 2. In the game, the player will fight three priests randomly in each encounter.

If this challenge is not exciting enough, special events may occur randomly in the game, causing some large bosses to break into the battle scene midway through the game. This includes a particularly terrifying version of Diablo 4 - a butcher with his whole body on fire. For less experienced new players, you can upgrade your equipment to fight these terrifying bosses by spending Diablo 4 Gold.

Related: Diablo 4 Season 5: What Builds Are Worth Trying? - 5 Best Builds Explained

Design For Infernal Hordes

The lead season designer once said that during the game design process, more attention was paid to the replayability of the game, especially for the end-game mode of the game. And chose to add some random and memorable elements to the game, which could be favors and disasters, or Butcher-like events, etc.

Another designer involved in the production of Infernal Hordes said. I hope to use the setting of the boss to ensure that players have a unique experience every time they play the game, and they can’t just rush in blindly and steamroll everything.

This sounds like a balance challenge, although pushing the five members of Fell Council to complement each other has largely solved this problem. For example, Maffer is a powerful bruiser, and Geleb is a caster who only uses fire attacks.

But for Bremm, the lightning guy, he goes from another pure elemental caster to a character who creates storm-themed hazards in space, allowing players to find their own way out, so that they can cooperate with others.

Enriching Endgame Experience

Infernal Hordes, Diablo 4’s endgame mode, is only available at World Tier 3 difficulty, and players must reach around level 50 to unlock it. This is usually not a problem for long-term players of the game, as they are often already well above this level. However, for players participating in Seasonal Realms, they will start at level 1 on August 6 and will need a journey to reach World Tier 3.

To this end, the game has designed a series of seasonal questlines and progressions to help these players gradually upgrade to World Tier 3. The core of this series of quests is a special dungeon - Hellbreach, which is exclusive to Season 5. In Hellbreach, players will experience a simplified version of Infernal Hordes game, which can prepare players for their subsequent game content.

However, Infernal Hordes is designed to be a permanent feature in Diablo 4 with the purpose of enriching the game’s endgame experience. Season 5 seems to be following in the footsteps of Season 4, which was focused on changes to the game’s loot system, with less focus on season-specific content and features, and more on introducing some permanent changes to improve the overall gameplay experience.

Season 4 intentionally left one area of ​​Diablo 4’s item system unadjusted. The game’s unique items, which have specific build-changing effects, cannot be modified through the game’s crafting system, unlike legendary items.

In Season 4, balance designers chose not to make any adjustments to unique items, deciding instead to observe the impact of other changes to the game. In Season 5, unique items have undergone significant improvements and buffs to address the previous retention issues.

There has been much speculation about the storyline connection between Season of the Infernal Hordes and Diablo 4’s first expansion, Vessel of Hatred, which is set to launch on October 8. That expansion will introduce a new Spiritborn class.

Season 5 is seen as a continuation of Season 4’s efforts to further optimize the game’s balance, itemization, and endgame. If even half of these tweaks can be implemented, the game will be in great shape come October, when it hits its critical juncture.

Ymir and Jolan are two NPCs in Elden Ring who are both involved in the same questline in Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. This guide will cover the entire questline and the many unique rewards that can be obtained along the way.

Heading To Scadu Altus

The first thing we have to do is get to Scadu Altus area, and there is actually a way to do this without going through Castle Ensis.

Note, however, that heading to Scadu Altus will cause Hornsent NPC to move there from his initial location in Gravesite Plains, skipping some of the small interactions with him there.

From Gravesite Plain Site of Grace, we can head north and cross Ellac Greatbridge to Castle Front Site of Grace.

From there, we need to head southeast and enter Valley area. We can see a wooden hut in the distance in a field of Miranda Flowers and Poison Pool area. There is also an enclosed Spiritspring behind Poison Pool, which we can activate by destroying a pile of rocks a short distance east of it.

We can then take a Spiritspring to a secluded plateau and a second Spiritspring to Site of Grace Behind the Fort of Reprimand, in Scadu Altus.

Once we have found Site of Grace, we can jump over the northeastern wall of the fort to reach the ground level with minimal damage. We will then move around the fort, eventually heading northwest of it.

Finding Scadu Altus Map

Before moving on, we might as well look for Moorth Highway, which is south of Site of Grace, as we will be returning there later. We should go grab a map of this area if we haven’t already done so.

To get there, we can follow Moorth Highway northwest. Keep an eye out for one of Miquella’s Crosses on the east side of Highway along the way, as once we get the map, we will be heading back to Moorth Ruins Site of Grace. Highway will eventually merge with another road, and the map can be found at that intersection.

Reaching Cathedral Of Manus Metyr

Next, we’ll head to Cathedral of Manus Metyr, where we’ll find Ymir and Jolan. Along the way, we’ll pick up Gesture needed to complete their shared questline.

Again, this will trigger a major milestone in DLC, as it will dispel Miquella’s Charm on all major NPCs. This may cause certain NPC quest steps to be skipped, but as far as I can tell, it won’t cause any quests to automatically fail.

Anyway, let’s fast-forward to Moorth Ruins. From there, we’ll head a short distance east and a little south to find a ramshackle entrance below.

Be careful as we enter Ruins, as we can die from fall damage. There are a few minor items to find in Ruins, so feel free to explore.

Once we get close to the bottom of Ruins, we’ll find that there’s a tunnel leading off to the southeast. Exit Ruins and reach Bonny Village Site of Grace.

Let’s grab O Mother Gesture before continuing on to Cathedral. We will start from the east and follow Village Road down. After jumping over the dried-up creek, turn north and head to the outskirts of the village. This Gesture is located near a twisted tree.

We can then retrace our steps a short distance and move northeast across the bridge. If Miquella’s Great Rune and Charm haven’t been destroyed yet, it will be destroyed once we cross Bridge Leading to Village Site of Grace.

Regardless, we will continue running north along the road and eventually reach Church District Highroad Site of Grace. We can then move southwest along the road and soon reach Cathedral of Manus Metyr.

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Start The Questline

After discovering Site of Grace, go through the double doors and speak to Ymir, who is sitting behind Cathedral. The first time you speak, he will give us Hole-Laden Necklace Key Item and Ruins Map instructions. We can speak to Ymir two more times and ask about Glintstone Sorceries.

Once this is done, a new NPC named Jolan will appear to the northwest, leaning against a pillar. Jolan will be indifferent to us at first, but we should still talk to her until all of her dialogue is finished.

Heading To Finger Ruins Of Rhia

With that taken care of, we now need to head to Finger Ruins of Rhia, located in Southern Shore area.

Start by jumping north to the elevated patch, then move northwest to Stone Coffin structure, double jumping north across a gap to reach another elevated area. Moving north, we’ll reach another Stone Coffin, then, moving east, we’ll reach a secluded part of the shoreline.

Next, continue walking east while keeping an eye out for Fingercreepers buried in the sand. Near the edge of the shoreline, we’ll find another Stone Coffin, which we can move northeast to reach the edge of Finger Ruins.

Crimson Seed Talisman +1

Our goal is in the center of Finger Ruins, so we need to make our way there. The denizens of these ruins are called Lampreys, and they will do their best to hinder our progress. One Lamprey in particular will shoot purple bolts at us. If we hit our target, we will be knocked off our horse and pinned to the ground for a few seconds.

At the center of Ruins is a Hanging Bell, which we can interact with the help of our Hole-Laden Necklace. Doing so will allow us to obtain Crimson Seed Talisman +1 and advance our current quest line.

Obtaining Second Ruins Map

Once done, we can return to Cathedral of Manus Metyr and talk to Ymir. He will reward us with the second Ruins Map, as well as Beloved Stardust Talisman.

Afterwards, we can talk to Jolan, and she will declare trust and alliance with us. Once we have exhausted all NPC dialogue, we will need to go to Finger Ruins of Dheo. These Ruins can only be reached by traveling through Shadow Keep, but fortunately, we will not have to fight any bosses. Instead of entering through the main gate, we can enter through Church District.

Getting To Finger Ruins Of Dheo

Heading north from here will lead to a tough boss fight, but we don’t need to struggle with that for this quest. Instead, we can head to the southeast room. We’ll pick up a Scadutree Fragment near the statue, and if we use O Mother Gesture we picked up near Bonny Village, the statue will slide open, revealing a hidden passage to Hinterland of Scaduview.

After discovering the nearby Site of Grace, we can head northeast to Finger Ruins of Dheo. Along the way, there are two Tree Sentinels that we can fight to get some Blessing of Marika consumables. Beyond that, we have a summoning sign that will summon Jolan to help.

That being said, neither defeating Tree Sentinels nor summoning Jolan is necessary to complete our quest. What we need to do is move northeast, cross Hinterland Bridge, and then southeast down Fingerstone Hill.

Once again, we need to reach the center of Ruins and interact with Hanging Bell to get Cerulean Seed Talisman +1.

Get Third Ruins Map

With this, we can quickly return to Cathedral and talk to Ymir to get the third and final Ruins Map. Afterwards, we can talk to Jolan again, and she will give us some information about what Ymir is trying to do.

Once all the conversations are done, we can rest at the nearby Site of Grace to start the final stage of the questline. Interacting with the empty chair here will reveal a tall ladder from which we can slide down to Finger Ruins of Miyr. Going a few steps forward will trigger an invasion by Swordhand of Night Anna. Defeating Anna will get us Claws of Night, which is pretty outstanding as far as fist weapons go.

How To Kill Metyr, Mother Of Fingers?

Now, we can return to Finger Ruins and interact with Hanging Bell. There, we need to face Metyr, Mother of Fingers. This boss is pretty tough, at least for me.

I eventually beat it with Ancient Meteoric Ore Greatsword and Mimic Tear Spirit Summons, but it took me quite a few tries to learn the boss moveset. It’s worth mentioning that defeating Metyr will earn us Remembrance of the Mother of Fingers as well as 420,000 Elden Ring Runes.

Final Rewards

However, we’re not done yet. After discovering Site of Grace, we’ll fast-forward back to Cathedral Site of Grace. Once again, we’ll need to interact with Ymir’s Chair, which will lead to another fight where two enemies will need to be defeated.

Fortunately, it’s not that difficult. Once both Jolan and Count Ymir, Mother of Fingers are defeated, we’ll get Ymir’s High Priest Armor Set, Maternal Staff, and Bell Bearing.

After resting at Site of Grace, we can find a wounded Jolan sitting in her original position. We have two options for completing her questline, an Iris of Grace or an Iris of Occultation, each with their own rewards.

Anyway, that’s it for the complete step-by-step guide for this Ymir & Jolan Questline. Of course, this is just my personal gameplay. You can definitely make different choices based on your style, and in my opinion, this is what makes Elden Ring more appealing. Have a great day!

In Elden Ring, you can have the most optimized build in the world, but without a well-upgraded weapon, you won’t see significant results. So, in this guide, we’ll share the best routes to collect Somber Smithing Stones 1 to 10 in preparation for the upcoming Elden Ring Shadow of The Erdtree DLC.

It’s worth noting that I did this without upgrading or using any weird skips or shortcuts at all. This means that whether you’re just starting your journey in the new expansion or are already on your way, you can use the information in this guide to maximize your damage potential early and easily.

I’m sure there have been many similar guides in the past to help you collect Somber Smithing Stones 1-9, but this was usually done when using the shortcut to Crumbling Farum Azula.

This is another reason why I created this guide, as a lot of people are reluctant to enter late game areas like this within the first few hours of playing the game. Additionally, executing shortcuts is cumbersome for players on some consoles. However, with this guide, you don’t have to worry about any of these issues.

Somber Smithing Stone 1

Here, I’ll start this route with Bandit Starting Class and Golden Seed Keepsake, but you can get the same results with any Starting Class.

Unlock Church of Elleh Site of Grace, then head to Gatefront Ruins to get Torrent, Map Fragment and Whetstone Knife. Teleport back to Church of Elleh and get the summoning bell and wolf summoning spell from Witch Renna.

I usually use the vent behind First Step Sites of Grace to drop down to the beach and collect a Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot to teleport back to Gatefront and go east, talk to Boc and he will reward you with 10 Mushrooms.

Continue east, cross the bridge, then go right and pick up a Somber Smithing Stone 1 from the man sitting on the chair. After that, we will get Fevor’s Cookbook, which will allow us to use Mushrooms and Trina’s Lily to make Sleep Pots to easily defeat a certain boss later.

After getting Fevor’s Cookbook, go to Third Church of Marika to get Flask of Wondrous Physick. Then head south to Minor Erdtree and pick up Greenspill Crystal Tear. Don’t forget to collect 5 Trina’s Lilies from the nearby Mistwood Ruins.

Somber Smithing Stone 2

Next, we’re going to head to Fort Haight and climb up the ladder to get the left half of Dectus Medallion. We also need to defeat Godrick Knight here to get Ash of War Bloody Slash. You can use Wolf Summoning spell to distract him and use the opportunity to perform a few backstabs.

Afterwards, we will cross Bridge of Sacrifice to reach Weeping Peninsula and look for a Stonesword Key.

All the way south you can find Somber Smithing Stone 2 on a beach guarded by 4 aggressive Jellyfish enemies.

Somber Smithing Stone 8 & 9

Return to Gatefront Site of Grace and apply Ash of War Bloody Slash to your knife. Then head to Agheel Lake and follow that path to Murkwater Cave, where you will be invaded by Bloody Finger Nerijus. However, you can easily kill him with Bloody Slash, or you can wait for Yura to help you.

After defeating him, you will receive Reduvia. This is a powerful Arcane weapon and we will be using it until the end of this game.

Then go to Third Church of Marika and use the portal behind to teleport to Caelid. Ride all the way to Lenne’s Rise and use the vent. You can loot the nearby Elden Ring Runes, then head to Minor Erdtree, and use the vent in the back to reach Fort Faroth.

Head west to Divine Tower of Caelid. You can get Somber Smithing Stone 9 from the person sitting in the chair. Attack Teardrop Scarab and push off the ledge to get Somber Smithing Stone 8.

Somber Smithing Stone 4 & 5

Then go to Isolated Merchants and buy Beast-Repellent Torch. This is a brilliant light source to ensure that certain beasts, like rats, don’t attack you.

Return to Fort Faroth and climb the ladder to obtain the other half of Dectus Medallion. We’ll also get Radagon’s Soreseal Talisman. This is not mandatory. I just use it to get the extra +5 stamina.

Afterwards, we’ll head to Inner Aeonia Site of Grace and head south through Heart of Aeonia, where we’ll fight Commander O’Neil to get Somber Smithing Stone 4. Next go back to Inner Aeonia, but this time head north through the canyon to get a piece of Somber 5.

Buy Somber Smithing Stone 1-4

We then need to go back to Gatefront and head to Stormhill Shack to get a Stonesword Key. Use the knife with Bloody Slash to defeat the knight here and get Ash of War Golden Vow.

We bypass Stormveil Castle to reach Lake-Facing Cliffs Site of Grace. Then go to Laskyar Ruins and use the portal there to teleport to South Raya Lucaria Gate.

However, you may want to grab Dexterity-knot Crystal Tear near Scenic Isle before using the portal, but you can also grab it later.

Jump down from South Raya Lucaria Gate and head west to Temple Quarter Site of Grace, then ride north to get Academy Glintstone Key behind the dragon.

The next step is optional. From South Raya Lucaria Gate, walk northeast. You can use the portal here to teleport to Kingsrealm Ruins. This is a very convenient portal, as it has Map Fragment nearby and is close to Smithing Master Iji. Iji has Somber Smithing Stone 1-4 available for sale.

Also Read: Elden Ring: A Brief Guide To Farm This Grossmesser Sword - Farming Locations & Tips

Somber Smithing Stone 6

Use the portal from South Raya Lucaria Gate to Main Academy Gate. Unlock Site of Grace and use another portal to teleport to East Raya Lucaria Gate. Take Grand Lift of Dectus and use it to reach Altus Plateau.

Then go to Forest-Spanning Greatbridge from Altus Plateau Site of Grace and use the portal there to teleport to the other side of the bridge. Once there, go down under the bridge and unlock Site of Grace.

Follow the path west and cross the bridge to Mt Gelmir. Continue heading west until you encounter several Iron Maidens. Use the ladder to go all the way up and unlock Site of Grace to get a Somber Smithing Stone 6.

Somber Smithing Stone 3

Teleport back to Academy Main Gate and take the elevator up. After opening the academy door, you can pick up a Somber Smithing Stone 3 at the end of the room.

Somber Smithing Stone 5 & 6

Continue through the cemetery and use the waterwheel to unlock Classroom Site of Grace. We’re ready to go to Volcano Manor to get Somber 7, but we still need to make Sleep Pot.

We need to go to Church of Elleh to buy three Cracked Pots and a Crafting Kit. I also purchased an additional Cracked Pot from Nomadic Merchants near Castle Morne Rampart Site of Grace on Weeping Peninsula. If you’ve followed the guide so far, you should have enough materials to make 5 Sleep Pots.

Then teleport back to Classroom Site of Grace and use the waterwheel to go all the way down and to Volcano Manor, where you can find Somber 6 and 5.

Somber Smithing Stone 7

Next, we have to prepare ourselves to face Godskin Noble. Only after defeating it can you go outside and build the bridge.

Go back into the room and use the elevator to reach the top floor. Jump off the balcony and follow this route to unlock the shortcut back to Godskin Noble room. When you take the express elevator upstairs, you can jump off before reaching the top floor to get a Stonesword Key.

You need two Stonesword Keys to unlock the path to Somber 7. But if you’ve followed the guide so far, you should have exactly two handfuls. After getting Somber 7 Guarded by Iron Maidens, you should be able to upgrade the weapon to +9.

Somber Smithing Stone 10

Now, to get Somber 10, we need to complete White Mask Varre questline. In order to do this, we need to defeat shardbearers such as Godrick, Rennala, or Radahn. This isn’t too difficult since we’re using +9 Reduvia.

Then head to Rose Church where you’ll find White Mask Varre. He will give you 5 Festering Bloody Finger to invade other players. I believe you need to hack at least three players to advance his quest.

After completing the mission, return to Rose Church and Varre will give you Lord of Blood’s Favor and Pureblood Knight’s Medal. Use Medal to teleport to Mohgwyn Palace.

There are a lot of useful items to pick up here, such as Lord’s Rune, which is worth 50,000 runes. What we’re looking for, however, is Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone, which is located inside a chest guarded by these enemies.

There is a Site of Grace nearby, so if you accidentally die while trying to grab an item, you can simply respawn and try again.

This is the last item we need to upgrade Somber weapon to +10, and we do it without taking any shortcuts. So you can do this in your own game without having to worry about your game glitching or performing any skips.

Anyway, I hope you found this guide helpful. If you have any ideas for optimizing this route, don’t forget to share them. Have a beautiful day.

What’s your current progress on Team Affinity Season 1 Chapter 1? Are you still looking for a way to reach 100% quickly? No need to bother anymore. In this guide, we will provide both offline and online methods to help you complete Team Affinity quickly.

Offline Method

First, let’s start with the offline method.

Repeatable Single Player Missions

The first thing you should determine is what single player missions you wish to accomplish. Or, if you want to complete multiple divisions at once, see what repeatable single player missions you can complete. Note that repeatability is the key here.

We can see that in AL East, the total requirement is 20 bases, but they don’t have a pitcher. But if you go to AL Central division, you’ll find that their single player missions are both hitters hitting a total of 20 bases and pitchers pitching a total of 9 innings. Then, if we go all the way to AL West, you’ll find a total of 3 innings pitched and 20 bases here.

So the repeatable missions for all divisions appear to be 20 total bases for hitters, and then for pitchers, it’s either 3 or 9 innings.

Play vs CPU

So now how do we do this most effectively? MLB The Show 24 has a game mode called Play vs CPU that may help.

It’s worth noting the stats for this game mode. Once you exit, the stats will count towards your progress on any mission you want to complete. You read that right, if you only hit with the first hitter, then all you need to do is get 4 bases with the first hitter. If you hit a home run, you’re out and done with the mission.

In this mode, you will see the difficulty of playing against CPU rookies at the start of the match, and all you have to do is choose a way to play against them. I recommend that you race them with the easiest difficulty possible.

Note that the first place you place is your fifth-best starting pitcher. Why did you do this? Because generally speaking, they’ll also field their fifth-best starting pitcher, which is their worst starting pitcher, and that gives you an advantage.

Considering you’re hitting with diamonds now, you’re going to have different lineups, depending on what you’re using. Of course, if you have more budget for MLB The Show 24 Stubs, choosing Legends must be the best.

Assuming I’m only playing in AL East, since it doesn’t have pitches, I select two hitters, Trea Turner and Mike Trout. When I unlock the third hitter, Ken Griffey Jr, I’ll make them 1, 2, and 3.

At this point, it doesn’t matter if all of them are out, because when the fourth hitter walks up to hit after the third hit, I’m going to quit right away. I could keep rinsing and repeating this process until I had 20 bases. This would be the most ideal approach if you focus exclusively on hitters.

Mini Seasons

Assuming you want to train hitters from distinct divisions, and also want to train some pitchers, then I wouldn’t necessarily recommend Play vs CPU game mode, since it’s a complete game. We’ve got a faster way for you to continue innings pitching while also benefiting from hitting the batsman at your preferred pitch.

A great way to do this is within Mini Seasons. You can enter any of Mini Seasons, but I highly recommend choosing Classic Mode since you can hit two targets at the same time.

You can then restart your Mini Seasons each time by holding X until you get to a new Mini Season, then edit the roster and make sure you have at least six consecutive home runs.

You can choose a high-elevation park, or you download a high-elevation custom baseball diamond so your hitters can hit non-stop home runs.

Team Affinity’s mission is to hit 20 home runs in a season and total 50 home runs on Veteran difficulty.

Also Read: How To Maximize Stubs In MLB The Show 24? - 10 Ways

Unfortunately, if you’re going Mini Seasons route, you’ll be racing on Veteran difficulty, but you’ll likely still be way ahead because you don’t need to win those races at all. So you don’t even have to worry about that, just worry about 3 innings pitched and hitting the tank with hitters.

Another unfortunate thing about Mini Seasons is that, unlike Conquest, since your pitcher will be sharing energy throughout the game, it doesn’t reset. So if you use Pitcher A, then most likely the next game you’re going to have to use Pitcher B, and then most likely the next game you’re going to have to use Pitcher C.

You can work around this, but you’ll have to start Mini Seasons of every time you complete these missions. Therefore, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to complete both repeatable missions for each season in one go.

Conquest

Let’s say you don’t want to do this and you want to play on the easiest difficulty and use the same image every time. For example, let’s say you’re in an AL West game and you want to pitch three innings each with Raisel Iglesias or Jose Altuve. Conquest would be great for that.

Because the beauty of Conquest is that once you have a certain number of territories next to stronghold, you can always play on novice difficulty.

Another tip I would like to add is that if you are going to use Play vs CPU mode to gain innings, I highly recommend playing this way at home unless you are facing Rockies Team.

If you’re facing a Rockies Team, it doesn’t matter if you’re playing at home or away. But if you’re playing at home with the pitcher you pitch to, then you’ll be able to choose your custom ballpark. This will be your priority in order to gain base totals while completing innings pitched.

Online Method

For online mode, I would say you can participate in events.

Events currently allow you to use Team Affinity Season 1 cards to build a team. Next up just like the offline game mode, let’s actually see how Team Affinity’s online rewards stack up in terms of repeatable missions.

You will see that online you need to complete a total of 10 bases in each division before pitching, which is much less than offline. And we’ll see, for AL Central, it’s two pitchers pitching three innings in center field, but the total number of hits is always 10. And then if we look at AL West, you’ll see there’s a total of two innings pitched here, and those are repeatable.

So how do we do this in events? We will continue to build event teams using Team Affinity card that we will eventually need. Therefore, within the lineup, you will prioritize which Team Affinity card you need to get the total bases.

If you don’t have any pitchers at the moment, this means you need to hit first. No matter how many hitters you have, as long as your last hitter hits, you are executing a Team Affinity mission.

If you’re still batting in the first inning and don’t want to finish the entire match right after you finish batting, you can just quit and go to the next game. This doesn’t matter as the event will not be reflected in your personal record, it will only reflect the current ranking of the event. So you might as well take advantage of three hitters hitting a home run on the road.

Unfortunately, once you hit a ball with hitters, you won’t quit even if you’re not there. Instead, you’ll pitch an entire three-inning game using the number of innings pitched you need to count.

But like many seasons, the event shared energy throughout the tournament. So if you use Pitcher A in Game 1, you most likely won’t be able to use him again in Game 2 unless you want someone with no energy.

So what you can do is, if you prioritize pitching missions and hitting missions, then after every game, you use up all those pitchers.

Or, let’s say you only have two pitchers, so you pitch Pitcher A for three innings in the first game and Pitcher B for three innings in the second game. In this way, it is likely that by the third game, Pitcher A will not have enough energy to continue pitching the third game.

So every time you complete your second race, all you have to do is simply forfeit your entry. While giving up your eligibility will cause you to start over, your tournament starts with zero wins and a brand new pairing rating, or you can use Pitcher A.

Rinse and repeat the process and you’ll get two innings of pitching each time. You don’t have to win these events, all you need to do is get the stats.

Anyway, that’s the complete guide to complete Team Affinity Season 1 Chapter 1 in both offline and online modes. Don’t hesitate, try it now!

Hello adventurers! Today, we will talk about a quest chain in WOW Classic SOD Phase 2 that has attracted the attention of many players, Dark Rider.

As we all know, among the series of new content introduced in Phase 2, the most popular ones are runes. Dark Rider quest chain will reward a new rune for each class, so most players will want to complete it, eventually. So, without further ado, let’s get started!

Require

This mission involves killing level 41 elites, but technically, there is no level requirement. However, you need to travel to multiple locations, so I would recommend starting the mission at level 40 and using a mount to make it easier to succeed.

In addition, don’t forget to prepare some WoW SoD Gold before you start. It will make your exploration journey smoother!

Start Quest

To start this quest chain, first head to Deadwind Pass. Most players will need to travel through Duskwood to get there.

For Horde, that likely means starting in Stranglethorn Vale. If you’ve already chosen a flight path in Swamp of Sorrows, you can start there.

Follow the road to find the camp in the northeast corner of the area and talk to Dalaran Agent there to pick up Ariden’s Sigil. Note that you or someone in your party will need to have this trinket equipped in order to proceed to the next steps.

Also Read: WOW Classic SOD: A Complete Leveling Guide To Arcane Mage Healer In Phase 2

All Dark Rider Locations

Next, you’ll need to travel to seven other locations around the world to find Dark Rider. In each location, you need to run around with Ariden’s Sigil until you find a place where you can get Dark Presence buff.

When you get this buff, you can quickly tell if there are Dark Riders around because a pair of eyes will appear above your character when you enter the area. Just be aware that you won’t be able to find Dark Presence buff if you’re already mounted.

When you are in an area with a Dark Presence aura, use your Ariden’s Sigil trinket to summon Dark Rider. This is a level 41 elite.

Please note that if multiple people in your party use this trinket at the same time, you can summon multiple Dark Riders, but you only need one. Everyone on your team can loot their Dalaran Relic. You’ll need 7 pieces of Dalaran Relic in total, each of which can only be looted from a specific location. These seven positions are:

Deadwind Pass

The first location is very close to your starting location on Deadwind Pass. Follow the road a short distance towards Duskwood and then north to the end of the river. Remember, you must be walking and running here and have a trinket equipped.

Swamp Of Sorrows

Next, head east into Swamp of Sorrows and run northeast. Dark Presence buff here is located slightly southeast of Fallow Sanctuary.

Duskwood

Retrace your steps west through Deadwind Pass to Duskwood and then to Raven Hill Cemetery. You’ll find Dark Presence on the east side of the cemetery.

Arathi Highlands

Now you need to head to Arathi Highlands. Alliance can get here via Wetlands, while Horde can get here via Hillsbrad Foothills. Dark Presence buff here can be found in the northeast between Hammerfall and Dabyrie’s Farmstead.

Badlands

The next location is Badlands, which are probably the hardest of these areas to reach, especially for Horde players. You need to head south through Wetlands and Loch Modan to get here. Dark Presence is located near the center of the area, in an open valley between large hills.

Barrens

The last two locations are on another continent. Head to Barrens first and follow the road south of the intersection to find Dark Presence.

Desolace

You will find the last Dark Rider in Desolace. Alliance has a flight path close to this area, but if you haven’t chosen it yet or if you’re a Horde player, you might choose Stonetalon Mountains to get here. Dark Presence here is located in the northern part of the area between Thunderaxe Fortress and Sargeron.

Turn In Dalaran Relics

It doesn’t matter in which order you defeat Dark Riders. But once you have all Dalaran Relics, go back to Dalaran Agent in Deadwind Pass and you’ll get a small amount of WOW Classic SOD Gold and XP for each Relic you turn in.

When all seven Dalaran Relics are turned in, you will complete the ultimate mission and receive the corresponding runes for your class. The runes you get are:

• Druid: Rune of the Jungle King
• Hunter: Rune of Close Combat
• Mage: Missile Barrage Rune
• Paladin: Rune of Infusions
• Priest: Luminous Epiphany
• Rogue: Rune of the Assailant
• Shaman: Rune of Two-Handed Mastery
• Warlock: Rune of Forbidden Knowledge
• Warrior: Rune of Ruthless Precision

Outro

That’s the complete guide to Dark Rider quest chain in WOW Classic SOD. With this, you’re ready to get another rune!

Before entering, I recommend that you plan your travel route according to your actual situation so that you can maximize the efficiency of farming all Dalaran Relics. Anyway, hope this guide is helpful.