Analyzing The Impact Of New Skill Gems And A Significant Nerf In Path Of Exile 3.24 Necropolis
The latest teaser from GGG for Path of Exile 3.24 Necropolis introduces intriguing new skill gems that automate skill usage, alongside a notable nerf. This article examines the potential implications of these new gems and explores the ramifications of losing left-click instant skills for certain builds.
Automation
Automation is an intelligence-dexterity hybrid blue gem that serves both as a skill and a support.
When paired with instant spells, Automation bestows the Automation skill, which can be activated similarly to a reservation skill. When activated, Automation automatically triggers all supported instance skills as they come off cooldown, rendering manual use of linked skills impossible.
Call To Arms
On the other hand, Call to Arms is a pure strength red gem that operates similarly but for Warcries.
It functions as both a skill and support gem. When combined with Warcries, Call to Arms grants the Call to Arms skill, which can be toggled on.
Once activated, it triggers all supported Warcries upon cooldown, preventing manual use of the linked Warcries. Additionally, this setup causes all Warcries to share cooldowns.
Initial Thoughts
Upon initially viewing these two gems featured at the start of the teaser, I took a moment to carefully review them. I found the concept quite appealing as it provides players with additional options, which I consider advantageous.
However, the teaser concluded with a notable statement: "We've removed the capacity to bind any instant skill to left-click as a result." Indeed, this implies the removal of the ability to utilize instant skills via left-click.
Community Reaction
Approximately an hour after the teaser's publication, the Reddit post became untraceable as it had been heavily downvoted.
Consequently, moderators were compelled to pin the thread to ensure its prominence on the Path of Exile subreddit.
Similarly, the cross-post for this teaser elicited a predominantly negative response, with almost every comment expressing discontent over the alteration to left-click instant skills.
Potential For Comprehensive Changes
In all honesty, I've found myself undecided when faced with similar community uproars in the past. This time around, I've invested considerable thought into the matter.
I've pondered the potential rationale behind this change in the context of POE 3.24, contemplating the possibility of a comprehensive overhaul to a specific system or perhaps viewing it as a smaller adjustment within a larger framework.
However, I've yet to find a satisfactory explanation. Unless significant developments are in progress, I remain uncertain about the implications of this alteration.
The Implications Of This Shift
Currently, our best course of action is to analyze this change within the context of the game's current state.
Here's how the change impacts most builds: If you previously employed an instant spell or Warcry on left-click, under the new system, when linked to Automation or Call to Arms, Warcries will trigger automatically upon cooldown without any manual input. However, this change comes with drawbacks: increased cost, slower cooldown recovery, and the need for an additional gem slot due to the link with Automation or Call to Arms. This means you have to spend more POE Currency.
Let's consider the pros and cons realistically. While the automatic triggering of skills upon cooldown may seem beneficial, it's crucial to note that this isn't always the case, especially if you weren't continuously holding down left-click. The increased cost and longer cooldown are definite drawbacks, although they raise questions about the potential benefits of the automatic triggering. Additionally, sacrificing an extra gem slot is a significant disadvantage.
However, these implications primarily apply to builds utilizing left-click instant skills. What about builds employing damage abilities on left-click, such as General's Cry, Corrupting Cry, and those utilizing Detonate Mines?
In the absence of macros or similar solutions, these builds face reduced damage potential, as they now require Automation gems in their primary link, or they must adjust to using an additional keybind, impacting their playstyle comfort.
Macros
However, in the realm of gaming, macros exist as a reality.
Over time, GGG has progressively reduced the necessity for macros within various aspects of Path of Exile gameplay. They've generally shifted away from design choices that encourage players to rely on macros. However, this specific change is poised to significantly increase the adoption of macros or similar tactics to address this issue and revert to previous gameplay dynamics.
There are already numerous posts on the subreddit outlining methods like the NumLock trick to effectively replicate the functionality of the old left-click instant skill. These posts are receiving widespread positive feedback and upvotes.
Positive Response To The Gems
However, if we set aside the widespread discontent, it becomes evident that many players actually responded positively to the introduction of these two new skill gems.
Nevertheless, their strong aversion to the elimination of left-click instant skills has overshadowed this positivity.
Unresolved Skills?
Additionally, there are unresolved edge cases to consider, such as the Focus skill or the Necromancer's Bone Armor, which cannot currently be supported by Automation.
Effectiveness Of Call To Arms
I find the concept of Call to Arms supporting quite appealing, so let's briefly delve into it.
An interesting aspect that may have escaped notice in the teaser is that this gem simultaneously triggers all Warcries, rather than sequentially. For instance, in a slam build, you could allocate a four-link setup with Call to Arms connected to three Warcries. With some investment in Warcry Cooldown Reduction (CDR), you could eliminate the need for manual activation of Warcries in these builds, which would be truly beneficial.
However, it's worth noting that the mana cost and reservation multiplier associated with this gem are excessive. At level 20, Warcries already incur a substantial mana cost of 19 without any additional links.
Therefore, adjusting these parameters is imperative for this quality of life enhancement to be viable.
The Cost Of QoL
The fundamental problem lies in the implementation of both these new gems.
Their excessively high cost in the pursuit of quality of life renders them counterproductive. Attempting to integrate them into your build would ultimately detract from, rather than enhance, your gaming experience.
Brand Recall
Indeed, Brand Recall is also a factor to consider.
It's conceivable that they might introduce a slight casting delay to mitigate potential exploits in this regard. Since the Automation gem triggers linked instant skills, it has the capacity to activate Brand Recall. Consequently, this scenario resembles builds that slot Brand Recall into a trigger weapon or rely on triggering it with Spellslinger.
However, with Automation, there's no need to initiate the trigger or reserve Spellslinger. It consistently triggers without any player input, which could lead to absurdity with Saboteur triggerbots.
Conclusion
On the whole, I must express my appreciation for the conceptualization of these new skills, which I find to be quite commendable.
However, their execution leaves much to be desired. If the intention was always to eliminate left-click instant skills, then the solution should have been more refined, especially considering the reliance of entire build archetypes on this mechanic.
In my view, sacrificing a bit for the sake of improved quality of life is often justified and tends to benefit the majority of players. However, in this instance, the sacrifice is far from minor, and true quality of life would only be achieved if left-click instant skills had never been part of the game.
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Since the release of the first Path of Exile 3.29 teaser, the developers have been sharing updates via video; however, they recently released specific written details regarding Reliquarian.
As Scion's second Ascendancy class, Reliquarian was introduced alongside 3.28 league, making it a relatively new addition. Unfortunately, perhaps due to mechanics that lacked standout appeal, it failed to gain significant traction during Mirage league.
In an effort to boost Reliquarian's popularity and utility, and to encourage more players to try it in 3.29 league, the development team has announced upcoming optimizations. If you are interested in this class, here is a preview of what to expect!
Reliquarian core mechanics
If you played Legacy of Phrecia event, you might recall Scavenger, a limited-time Ascendancy for Scion. Reliquarian was introduced to the core Path of Exile game as a redesigned evolution of that concept.
Reliquarian stands out from other Ascendancies due to its highly dynamic nature. Its skills and mechanics are not static; instead, they evolve alongside league updates.
This adds a layer of unpredictability and fun to the class rankings. If the mechanics are well-balanced and you can master them quickly, you might even find yourself dominating new leagues using this class.
Each major node in Reliquarian skill tree grants several passive skills based on specific unique item types; additionally, you can aim to acquire extra passive skill points.
All Reliquarian passive skills are categorized by unique item type: Armor, Caster Weapons, Martial Weapons, and Jewelry, with each category containing several specific skills.
Note the progression requirements: you must begin by unlocking skills in the armor category; the caster and martial weapon categories only become available once the armor category is fully unlocked; and the jewelry category requires you to have unlocked all skills in either the caster or martial Weapon categories first.
Reliquarian in 3.29
To completely revamp Reliquarian in Curse of the Allflame league, the developers have replaced almost the entire skill lineup with new options.
It is no wonder the development team released text-and-image previews early; they wanted to give you ample time to fully understand these features.
However, with over twenty skills available, not every single one is worth unlocking. Instead, you should examine the specific effects of each skill and unlock them selectively based on your needs for 3.29 league.
Of course, during any Path of Exile league, skills alone aren't enough to craft a complete, powerful build; you must continuously acquire better items and upgrade your gear setup.
To that end, you can buy Path of Exile currency at POECURRENCY.com to reroll the modifiers on your existing weapons or armor and boost their power.
Strong skills for the early league
If you want to make rapid progress as a Reliquarian when Path of Exile 3.29 launches, Vaal Caress is a great skill to unlock first. It grants you Onslaught status for 20 seconds after you use another Vaal skill.
While under the effect of Onslaught, your movement speed, attack speed, and cast speed all receive a 20% boost. When combined with other ways to trigger this status, you might even be able to maintain Onslaught uptime throughout the entire 3.29 league.
Additionally, Vaal Caress increases the level of all Vaal skill gems by 2, which is a significant bonus.
The second new Reliquarian skill to highlight is Elevore. It provides a 25% chance to suppress spell damage and a 25% chance to avoid elemental ailments, while also restoring 200 Life whenever you successfully suppress spell damage.
It is worth noting that there is Wolf Pelt helmet in the game sharing the same name and offering virtually identical effects. Combining the two can yield bonuses that far exceed your expectations.
Next up is Kaom's Roots. A key tip here: if you are playing an evasion-based character, do not select this skill, as one of its modifiers prevents you from evading enemy attacks.
However, the skill grants immunity to stun and knockback, ensures your movement speed never drops below its base value, and provides a flat +100 to maximum life. So, as long as you don't rely on evasion, this serves as a fairly solid defensive setup.
Skills with great overall viability
Unlike the aforementioned Reliquarian skills, which are often limited to the early league due to various constraints, some options offer broader utility, such as Dawnbreaker.
This skill converts 25% of the cold, lightning, or physical damage you take into fire damage. Notably, just like Elevore, there is a piece of gear in Path of Exile sharing the name Dawnbreaker that features this same conversion mechanic.
While this effect might seem insignificant on its own, unlocking it allows you to build your character around it to maximize its potential.
For instance, you could create a character that largely ignores cold/lightning/physical resistances, instead pouring resources into stacking fire resistance.
This mechanic becomes incredibly powerful when facing massive, lethal hits; while many of Path of Exile's toughest bosses possess resistance penetration, it usually applies only to the specific damage types they deal.
Finally, let's look at The Apostate. There is also a piece of armor by the same name, though Reliquarian skill version has weaker base stats than the original gear.
Interestingly, this design choice is intentional. The Apostate Cabalist Regalia armor has no attribute requirements and provides no Energy Shield; instead, it grants bonuses to Strength and resistances.
More importantly, equipping it grants a bonus to Maximum Life rather than Energy Shield, even though chest armor is typically the primary source of Energy Shield in the game.
Consequently, simply equipping The Apostate armor results in a massive loss of total energy shield.
To balance this, the skill version of The Apostate reduces your maximum life by 12 points for every level gained, resulting in a total loss of 1,200 life.
However, in the endgame, a single chest piece can easily provide 1,200 Energy Shield on its own. Thus, opting for a standard chest piece instead of The Apostate yields a higher overall benefit, while still allowing you to utilize other skill features.
These are just a few of the new Reliquarian skills worth unlocking in Path of Exile 3.29; there are plenty more for you to explore. Also, the stream is starting soon, be sure to tune in on time so you don't miss out on Twitch Drops!
On July 16th, the official team will be livestreaming to explain more information about Path of Exile 3.29, but they've already stated that Mirage League-related mechanics will not appear on the map. Is this really good news?
While the final information regarding Mirage League mechanic in PoE 3.29 won't be fully confirmed until the 16th, if it is completely removed, it means the mechanic will neither generate naturally on the map nor appear in Black Barya region, and Shrine Belt series items associated with it will become invalid.
Furthermore, full Mirage maps with the affix Empowered Mirage covering the entire map will no longer be usable in Standard leagues, and new leagues will no longer be able to acquire them.
The only unaddressed aspect is whether Mirage-related PoE currencies (such as Volatile Valor Orb, Refracting Fog, etc.) will be retained in the core gameplay of PoE 3.29. This was not mentioned at all in the announcement, leaving considerable uncertainty.
How has Mirage mechanic performed previously?
Many players and analysts believe that Mirage mechanics are the most playable since Affliction league, and may even surpass the appeal of Necropolis league - the latter, while entertaining, offered a somewhat poor experience in-game.
The core breakthrough of Mirage mechanic lies in solving a long-standing problem plaguing Path of Exile: the low reward of in-game mechanics.
Looking back at leagues before PoE 3.29, features like Keepers of the Flame and Breach in Kalandra offered extremely low rewards for in-game interaction, leading players to almost never engage with them.
The same applied to Necropolis league; once the ideal Necropolis setup was achieved, players stopped paying attention to the map's mechanics.
In contrast, Mirage is the first league mechanic in nearly three years that allows players to actively and frequently interact within the map and reap reasonable rewards.
It would have been truly regrettable for players to completely remove it in Patch 3.29, rather than adjust or weaken it.
Impact on Farming Diversity
Previously, the random affixes Mirage introduced to each map (such as 100% more currency) were a significant source of surprise in endgame farming.
However, once Patch 3.29 decides to remove any form of this random dynamic, map spawns will revert to a completely predictable, static pattern.
Simultaneously, the third map affix system created by Mirage may be completely removed in Patch 3.29, forcing players to choose only traditional eight-affix maps or regular maps, significantly reducing the diversity of endgame farming paths.
It is estimated that more than half of the current farming strategies relying on Mirage will lose their support, undoubtedly the most significant overhaul of the endgame content ecosystem by this patch.
Impact on the Economy
One of Mirage's most prominent contributions is extending the economic lifecycle of several existing league mechanisms.
Take Beyond as an example. Normally, its exclusive PoE currency depreciates rapidly as the game progresses. However, Mirage, by introducing Volatile Valor Orb - which only drops in Marauder area when combined with Beyond monsters - has kept Beyond's economy consistently strong throughout the game.
Furthermore, currencies like Dexterous Catalyst and Refracting Fog provide richer dimensions for endgame progression. They not only make extreme gear upgrades possible but also spawn many new builds that rely on these numerical breakthroughs.
PoE 3.29 hasn't clarified whether these currencies will be retained. If they disappear, gameplay elements like Beyond will quickly depreciate in the new patch, losing their previous value.
This could potentially create a chain reaction, indirectly weakening the long-term playability of existing content in the game.
Mirage May Create Mandatory Issues
If Mirage mechanic were to be fully integrated into the core game, it could indeed create a mandatory pressure on players to invest in Atlas Skill Tree to specialize in it. This might be one of the reasons the development team chose not to include it in the core of Patch 3.29.
However, the new patch didn't attempt any compromises, such as giving it a fixed random trigger probability like Affliction League, or retaining the mechanic by linking it to Scarab, allowing players to actively choose whether to invest in it based on their strategy.
The announcements released did not mention any alternatives to Mirage. If they weren't mentioned in the livestream on the 16th either, doesn't the official decision seem too absolute?
Overall Impact and Future Outlook
In summary, Mirage not only creates a new endgame farming path for players and introduces a brand-new PoE currency system, but also provides random surprises within the map.
This comprehensive benefit is quite rare in the entire Path of Exile historical league.
However, as of now, the official team has neither given any hints about whether it will return in the future, nor provided any supplementary explanations regarding the retention or removal of related currencies. The overall situation seems quite serious. For players, retaining some elements of Mirage through random triggering is certainly better than completely removing it from the game.
The final full changes for PoE 3.29 will be revealed in this Thursday's live stream, where we can see if the development team has prepared any alternative designs.
If they neither retain any core elements of Mirage mechanics nor provide a transitional solution, then this will be one of the most significant changes to Patch 3.29 endgame experience.
Among all ARPGs centered around gear progression, Path of Exile 2's crafting system undoubtedly stands at the top. Especially after Patch 0.5, as the game content expanded and gear acquisition, economic cycles, and endgame gameplay deepened, the importance of the crafting system became even more apparent.
It's complex and profound, offering players a great deal of freedom, thus becoming the ultimate gameplay experience for many.
Ironically, while this system brings high returns and long-term pursuit, it has also gradually become the most exhausting aspect for players. With the increased demand for endgame gear in Patch 0.5, post-game crafting no longer feels like creating gear, but like a high-cost gamble.
When players finally craft a perfect piece of gear, they often feel not the sense of accomplishment from "mastering the skill," but the relief of "finally not having to keep failing." This is perhaps the biggest contradiction of PoE 2 crafting system.
The Problems of High Profits
Why is the crafting system so profitable? The answer is simple: because it's scarce.
In an economic system, an activity with an extremely high profit margin often means that it has a high barrier to entry. Path of Exile 2's crafting system perfectly exemplifies this.
First, it demands a vast amount of knowledge from players.
For an average player to craft a high-end gear, they need to understand affix levels, base material selection, prefix and suffix mechanisms, probability calculations, locking mechanics, interactions between different currencies, and various hidden rules.
Within patch cycles like Patch 0.5, as players explore new gear combinations and crafting paths, the importance of this knowledge increases further. However, the problem is that much of this crucial information remains on third-party websites, in databases, and within player communities, rather than within the game itself.
The crafting system isn't about players learning the game through the game, but players leaving the game to learn how to play the game.
Second, it requires players to possess substantial resources.
Crafting is not a one-shot process. Because of randomness, even so-called "deterministic crafting" often requires repeated attempts.
A high-end gear might require dozens or even hundreds of attempts, and a single failure could mean the loss of hundreds of PoE 2 Divine Orbs or even more currency.
This leads to an awkward situation:
The players who most need to craft and upgrade their gear are often the least able to afford crafting failures.
Ordinary players need to craft to improve their characters, but crafting resources are only consistently available to those who already have powerful characters. Ultimately, crafting has gradually transformed from a progression path into a final stage of gameplay.
Why does Crafting Feel More Like Gambling than a Game?
The biggest problem with crafting in Path of Exile 2 isn't randomness, but the experience resulting from the combination of randomness and cost.
Randomness itself isn't terrible; many excellent games have random mechanics. Loot boxes, drops, and upgrades can all provide excitement. But these systems usually share a common feature: the cost of failure is low, or players can continuously receive feedback.
Crafting in Path of Exile 2 is the opposite.
Especially after Patch 0.5, as players' demand for higher-quality gear increased, the contradiction between crafting investment and the risk of failure became even more pronounced.
Players might spend dozens of hours preparing materials, only to have them all wiped out in seconds by a single random failure. This doesn't generate the thrill of success; it feels more like gambling.
This is why some players feel that crafting lacks a sense of accomplishment.
A truly satisfying crafting system should reward players' understanding, planning, and decision-making, not just good luck.
If one player and another use the exact same methods, the only difference being one is lucky and the other unlucky, then the system is closer to a game of probability than a creation system.
Should the Crafting System Lower its Barrier to Entry?
Of course, the issue isn't simply demanding that the developers make it easy for all players to craft top-tier gear. One of the greatest charms of PoE series is its extremely high skill ceiling.
If all PoE 2 players could easily obtain their best gear, the economic system would collapse, and the goal of achievement would disappear.
Therefore, the focus of the debate isn't: should ordinary players own top-tier gear?
The real question is: should ordinary players can participate in crafting?
These are two completely different questions.
The current problem is that the production ecosystem in Patch 0.5 environment still has a significant gap:
- It's either simple, low-cost, low-value productions;
- or ultimate productions with huge investments and aimed at top-tier players.
There's a lack of a reasonable progression path in between. Therefore, many PoE 2 players find themselves with few options besides acquiring gear. While the crafting system exists, it remains far removed from the average player's progression.
What the Crafting System Needs?
Path of Exile 2's crafting system wasn't a failed design.
On the contrary, it offered a depth that many other ARPGs couldn't provide. It allowed players to research, calculate, plan, and create long-term goals.
Patch 0.5 didn't change the core appeal of the crafting system, but it further exposed a problem: as the system's depth increases, the barrier to entry needs to be considered accordingly.
Top-tier crafting should belong to a minority of players, but basic crafting, experimental crafting, and progression crafting shouldn't be exclusive to wealthy players.
A good crafting system shouldn't make players feel relieved to have escaped unscathed, but give them satisfaction from their own judgment and creation.
What Path of Exile 2 truly needs to find isn't enabling everyone to craft god-tier gear, but striking a balance between depth and replayability.
In Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5.0, running a farm that continuously produces currency has become almost mandatory for everyone who reaches the endgame stage. However, for characters who hadn't yet entered the late-game endgame activities, the preparation for running a farm was quite tedious.
However, within the 0.5 endgame content, you do not actually need a farm to obtain currency. You can progress through the quest line at your own pace, and you will still accumulate a substantial amount of currency, laying a solid foundation for the later endgame phases.
Atlas Unlock Path
When you first enter the endgame and open Atlas tree, you will notice that most areas are locked. In the initial stage, seven nodes on the tree are blocked, allowing you to allocate points only within a small section at the bottom.
Your primary objective is to unlock the first restricted region by heading to Fortress, where every map completed within that area rewards an Atlas passive point. To get there, you need to reach either Western Gateway or Eastern Gateway; completing either one of these passages will unlock three blocked nodes and grant you access to the central zone.
Enigma Chambers
Once the passage is unlocked, you can proceed to Enigma Chambers, which exist on both the west and east sides and require Waystones of Tier 10 or higher. Completing the chamber challenges yields fragments that can be used to challenge Arbiter of Ash.
Defeating Arbiter of Ash will unlock Origin Tower area in the upper centre of the tree and further open up Patriarch Halls and Matriarch Halls, both of which require Tier 15 or higher Waystones. After you defeat Arbiter of Divinity, the final zone at the very top of the tree becomes available.
Atlas Passive Allocation Path
Bottom Section
When you start from the bottom section of the tree, your priority should be to allocate points toward the left side, picking up Pack Size and Magic Monster nodes along the way to gain more experience and more drops.
On that leftward route, there is a node called Eons of Contamination, which allows you to find Irradiated Precursor Tablets. These tablets help you acquire more Waystones and additional Tablets, making them crucial for sustaining your mapping efforts.
From there, you can choose to move toward the middle of the tree and continue allocating points into Specialized Seeker, Archaeological Interest, and Valuable Paths to maintain your Waystone supply.
The Journey Ahead node offers a three-choice bonus among monster pack size, effect, or rarity. Monster Effectiveness option is recommended, since it boosts both experience gain and item quantity, though it also raises monster difficulty—so you should gauge your own capability accordingly.
Upper Section
After moving into the upper part of the tree, your targets are the following three nodes:
- Reverse Transcription: allows you to upgrade Tablets so that they have three affixes.
- Forest Mastery: increases the chance to discover Lineage Supports in forest areas.
- Hidden Scars: provides a chance for Fracturing Orbs to drop; without this node, they will not drop at all.
Other nodes can be chosen to further increase monster packs or currency drops.
Endgame Mechanic Priorities
After completing the bottom portion of the main Atlas tree, your next priority is to unlock one endgame mechanic. For league-starting characters or more casual players, the relative value of different mechanics varies considerably.
Abyss and Breach are the two most recommended mechanics. They integrate seamlessly with your world map exploration, adding high-reward content to the maps you are already running; both offer excellent profitability and are relatively forgiving in terms of difficulty.
Delirium, on the other hand, is extremely challenging, while Ritual mechanic has its best Omens locked behind maps of level 79 and above, offering little benefit to early-stage players.
Temple mechanic forces you to leave your current map and spend a significant amount of time inside the temple itself, which slows down your overall world map progression.
Once you choose a mechanic, it is best to fully fill out its passive tree first. Then, while you are farming maps, use the corresponding tablets so that every map includes that mechanic's content and benefits from the entire tree's bonuses.
Masters of the Atlas
Masters of the Atlas system is a special enhancement within the endgame Atlas framework. You have three masters to choose from, each offering twelve node options where you can allocate the points you earn to reinforce your preferred mapping style.
The most recommended master is Jado, currently the most well-rounded and versatile choice. You gain one passive point for each objective you complete. His key nodes include:
- Partial Translations: enhances tablet effects.
- Long Days: grants a chance to gain random extra content, which helps you obtain tablets for other mechanics.
- Unforeseen Treats: provides a chance to reveal nearby anomalous maps, aiding in the hunt for high-value Lineage Supports Gems.
- Keen Appraisal: gives you 50% more chance to find rare items, occasionally yielding drops of considerable worth.
Jado's quest line requires you to kill death bosses within anomalous maps; these bosses have a chance to drop Lineage Support Gems. With a bit of luck, a single gem can already give you enough PoE2 currency to significantly upgrade your character.
Once you have Jado's tree and your chosen mechanic tree fully completed, you will usually be strong enough to challenge Arbiter of Ash. Defeating Arbiter unlocks a large section of the northern Atlas tree, granting access to many powerful nodes.
Leaving Fortress
If you decide to leave the Fortress and explore the outside world, your primary goal should be to complete a Corrupted Nexus, which will start Doryani's quest line.
While exploring the world map, it is advisable to push forward in a straight line from your starting point outward, rather than circling around Fortress. Moving in a straight line will expose you to more content, thereby unlocking a greater number of high-value encounters.
The above guidance is intended only for casual players. If you prefer not to manage a highly profitable but repetitive farm, following this approach will still ensure that each play session yields meaningful rewards.
