Path of Exile's Delve League Expansion and the Future

The Delve League started last August and will end in November. It introduced an endless dungeon in the form of the Azurite Mines. Players can delve as deep and as far as they want, collecting sweet loot and PoE currency along the way. They can also gather Azurite and VoltaxicSulphite to improve their equipment and items. The latter is for upgrading the Crawler, which guides players through the mysterious darkness that took over the mines.

The Reason for Delve

The idea was to keep players from dropping the game after completing the current league. An endless dungeon screams “complete me”. However, it's not going to be completely explored at all. It's in the name. Players would have to go back, try to improve their skills and equipment, just to reach the deepest level they can get to. Testing out your skills and reaching the most difficult levels, after all, make games worth playing.

The Problems

As it is with other updates, the Delve League also has its own flaws. For one, the VoltaxicSulphite(what the Crawler uses for fuel) nodes you get to gather are quite scarce. Without it, delving further would be impossible for players. Hence, they are forced to stop to collect the fuel elsewhere. It's jarring especially when you've finally reached your stride and are forced to an abrupt stop. Even if the dungeon is infinite, you can't explore it continuously.

Another constant problem is that too much delving saturates the PoE trading market with items from the mine. It's not much of a problem right now, though, because it's the current league mechanic. However, it would definitely be a different story if it goes core. For the uninitiated, that means making the current mechanics permanent.

Now, you may ask, ‘why is that a problem?'. Delve loot can devalue the future league's loot. They're going to be cheaper and easier to collect than loot from the current (at that point) league. That would cause players to be quite reluctant when challenging future mechanics.

There are more issues such as bugs, and eventually, it tends to become a grind. In general, though, players seem to be refreshed by the change of pace the Delve League brings.

The Solutions

If Delve is indeed going core, the developers should fix incessant issues that may potentially cause trouble for players—especially the loot problem. As it is, unique equipment currently seems a tad bit too common while delving. There are also complaints about how difficult it is to identify destructible walls and the fact that the Crawler moves independently of the player.

If it does end up in the core league, it could be an alternative to endgame or leveling. Otherwise, it could be an optional activity, a break from story quests, or something to do that's different from the usual. At any rate, the only thing we can do is wait for the official announcement. There's still about a month left before it ends, so continue enjoying Delve and Path of Exile!

OSRS Gold Farming Tips

In games such as Old School RuneScape as well as in the real world, money is an all-important resource that everybody needs. To that end, many methods of OSRS gold farming exist. Listing all of them isn't the purpose of this article though. Instead, we'll tackle some tips and reminders for when you're trying out those methods.

Please do take note that these methods will not always give you the same profit every time. Market prices are always fluctuating, so don't worry if your profit margins sometimes are sometimes lackluster.

First Tip: More Opportunities for Paid Players

It's a well-known fact that more content is available for paid members. However, that shouldn't discourage you from trying to farm gold however which way you want. While there are more opportunities for members, that actually makes it harder to choose which method to follow. You might even end up being spread too thin among all the alts you have.

Tying in with the next tip, sometimes all you need are the basic things.

Second Tip: Higher Yields Do Not Always Make Better Methods

So you have a rather difficult method of gold farming, but the rewards are so worth it. Or is it really? Sometimes, faster but less profitable methods are better. Say the more profitable one takes one and a half hours and yields 10,000 gold. The other method takes thirty minutes, but only yields 4,000 gold. By doing the latter method, you get 12,000 in relatively the same amount of time you do the former.

In this case, what is available to free players can actually be more profitable than those available to members. Then again, it all depends on your preference.

Third Tip: Perseverance is Key

Many of the methods you'll find require a great deal of repetitive action. Sure, you can use bots or scripts, but are the gold rewards really worth the risk of possibly getting banned? If you want to keep your account, you're going to have to do everything by hand. Doing that requires no small amount of perseverance and patience.

Who knew gold farming is so character-building?

Fourth Tip: Know Your Limits

If at any point you start getting tired of OSRS gold farming, go and do quests, explore, or raise your skills. It's not a necessity to go out there and farm all the time. Better yet, turn off your PC or phone and go and enjoy the real world for a bit. Grinding 24/7 will never be healthy for anybody, so be sure to take breaks often! You’ll be fresh with renewed vigor for the game when you come back.

Fifth Tip: Enjoy!

It's actually a part of the previous. There will be a point where grinding for OSRS gold will get old, and it stops being enjoyable. When it does, it's a good time to take a break. The main purpose of a game is for players to enjoy. So when it stops being fun, it's not serving its purpose.

At any rate, continue enjoying OSRS! Whether you're questing, skilling, hunting, or just general passing time, have fun.

Fortnite: The Perfect College Pastime

Forget about late-night parties that keep you up ‘til the wee hours of the morning. Let long hours socializing in the frat and sorority halls fall by the wayside. And that romantic movie date with the cutie from across your dorm room? Ditch it! There’s only one thing you should be doing in your downtime while at university and that, my friend, is setting your firearms ablaze. It’s Fortnite galore or nothing!

Outselling PUBG mobile five times over during its first week alone, it’s safe to say that Fortnite is now the undisputed king of the Battle Royale genre. While gaming certainly knows no age, Fortnite sure does have the intricate qualities that make it ideal for students just like you. It’s the ultimate college pastime so let’s delve deeper and look at the reasons that make it so.

Let Loose and Shoot—It’s the Perfect Stress Reliever

Tired of term papers and endless sessions of burning the midnight oil? Boot up your laptop and go on an all-out Fortnite session with your best buds. You’re sure to let out all that pent-up energy and come back to your academics with an unburdened mind as well as a fresher perspective on things. Now, we’re not saying play Fortnite for the entirety of the semester—that’s a surefire way to fail your classes! What we mean is that you must find a perfect balance between work and play. Though it may seem like it at times, you’re not a machine that’s built to study 24/7. Take a break occasionally. You deserve it.

To the Battlefield and Beyond—You Get to Explore the World Outside Your Dorm

Dorm life doesn’t need to be a prison sentence. Sure, certain things must be done for you to keep your GPA up, but there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to zone out on the virtual battleground every so often. Fortnite provides the perfect temporary escapism to free you from the utterly hectic pace of college life. With Fortnite, you can even connect with friends from far and wide or make new acquaintances along the way. It’s a great way to socialize without having to leave the confines of your room.

Plug, Play, and Come Back Another Day—It Won’t Eat Up Your Time

There’s a reason why you’re in college: To get an education. That’s the bottom line. So, you can broaden your horizons as much as possible and have as many options later in life, right? Fortnite will not take up so much of your time that you end up neglecting your academic duties. It isn’t as demanding nor time-consuming as other games (like MMORPGs, for instance). You can play it in steady increments whenever you can squeeze in a few minutes of game time into your busy schedule. 

Let’s face it. Quite a lot of the misadventures that happen during your downtime in college are of the crazy variety. They’re the kind of stuff that you immediately regret the day after. Save yourself from embarrassing escapades. Instead, play your way to be the last man standing on Fortnite during your free time. So, when it’s time to get serious, you’ll be fresh enough to work your way up to the top of the class rankings. It’s all a matter of finding your equilibrium. All work and no play can make Jack a dull boy, after all.