Category: Gaming Strategy Guides

Tears of the Switch 2 Edition is the perfect excuse to 100% Hyrule. Here’s the complete checklist.

Collectibles:

• 152 Shrines — All grant a Blessing of Light. 168 total needed for all hearts + stamina
• 1,000 Korok Seeds — Use the Korok Mask (Great Hyrule Forest) for auto-detection
• 152 Lightroots — One per shrine, in the Depths. Each lights up a massive area
• 30 Dragon Tears — Memory locations. Complete all 30 for the secret ending
• 46 Side Adventures — Major questlines. Some are missable

Armor sets:

• 36 armor sets (72 pieces). Upgrade each to 4 stars for the True Hero bonus
• Fierce Deity set — Find 3 Link statues across Hyrule
• Phantom Armor — Treasure chests in the Depths
• Majora’s Mask — Treasure chest in the Depths, north of Central Hyrule

Completion order:

1. Shrines (grants hearts/stamina for everything else)
2. Lightroots (lights up the Depths for easier exploration)
3. Side Adventures (unlocks fast travel points)
4. Korok Seeds (inventory expansion)
5. Armor sets (upgrade last, requires rare materials)

Pro tip: Use the Purah Pad sensor to track shrines and Lightroots simultaneously.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A brings Mega Evolution back with new Megas and a Lumiose City setting.

New Mega Evolutions:

• Mega Flygon — Bug/Dragon, compound eyes ability. Finally the pseudolegend it deserved
• Mega Milotic — Water/Fairy, Marvel Scale 2.0. Physically bulky wall
• Mega Arcanine — Fire/Rock, Intimidate 2.0. Drops enemy attack by 2 stages
• Mega Kommo-o — Dragon/Fighting, Bulletproof. Walls special attackers completely

How Mega Evolution works:

1. Mega Stones found in Lumiose City’s underground — 24 total
2. Mega Gauge fills as you battle. Once full, Mega Evolve for 3 turns
3. Save Mega Evolution for the toughest opponent in each battle

Best Mega for story: Mega Flygon. Bug/Dragon handles almost every trainer type. Compound eyes boosts Sleep Powder accuracy to 97%.

Competitive tip: Mega Milotic with Marvel Scale 2.0 is the new Chansey. Invest in HP and Defense, use Recover, Ice Beam, Scald, and Toxic.

Balatro’s Joker system has 150+ jokers. Here are the broken synergies that win runs on Gold Stake.

S Tier combos:

1. Blueprint + Brainstorm — Both copy your best Joker. Stack them for 3x copies
2. Holographic + Cavendish — +10 Mult times x3 Mult = 30 Mult from two jokers
3. Baron + Mime — Hold 5 Kings = x7.5 Mult per hand. Add Mime for x15 Mult

A Tier combos:

1. Steel Joker + Hanging Chad — Play one Steel card = x2.25 Mult
2. Bloodstone + Oops! All 6s — More consistent heart-based Mult triggers
3. Constellation + Astronomer — Infinite Mult scaling from free planet cards

Budget builds:

• Pair build: Even Steven + Odd Todd + Banner. Simple, consistent
• Straight build: Four Fingers + Ride the Bus. 4-card minimum straights
• Flush build: Ancient Joker + Flower Card. Guaranteed Mult scaling

Gold Stake tip: Skip the early game. Sell everything that isn’t scaling. You need Mult-scaling jokers by Ante 4 or you’re dead.

Astro Bot has 300 hidden bots scattered across 80 levels. Here’s where to find the trickiest ones.

Tricky bots that everyone misses:

1. Crash Site (Level 1) — Behind the waterfall. Hidden cave with a bot in a spider web
2. Temple of the Moon (Level 12) — Walk on the ceiling in the rotating room to find an alcove
3. Ocean Depths (Level 23) — Cracked wall near the giant clam. Boost through to a sunken ship
4. Volcanic Ridge (Level 31) — Floating platforms going UP after the lava slide. Bot on the highest platform
5. Sky Citadel (Level 45) — Breakable glass floor before the boss. Drop through to find a bot in a bubble

Collectible tip: Every level has exactly 3 hidden bots. If you only find 1-2, check breakable walls, hidden platforms above the camera, and underwater areas.

The final hidden bot: In the Astro Hub, enter the developer room behind the PlayStation store. Talk to the bot on the desk 3 times for the Completionist trophy.

Hades II’s weapon aspects change how each weapon plays. Here’s the current tier list for clearing 32-Heat.

S Tier:

• Aspect of Eos (Sword) — Time-delayed explosion on special. At max rank, 3x base damage and stuns
• Aspect of Selene (Staff) — Attacks build moonlight, refunding 30% of cast cost. Infinite cast uptime

A Tier:

• Aspect of Thanatos (Axe) — +50% damage below 30% HP. High risk, high reward
• Aspect of Hera (Bow) — Arrows pierce and deal 40% bonus on the second target
• Aspect of Apollo (Dagger) — Special creates a light orb that marks enemies for +25% damage

B Tier:

• Aspect of Melinoe (Staff) — +20% attack speed, no gimmick. Good for learning 32-Heat
• Aspect of Achilles (Spear) — Throw returns deal bonus damage. Solid but situational

Heat 32 strategy: Use Eos Sword with Ares attack boon (Blade Dash) and Athena dash (Divine Dash). The time-delayed explosions stack with Blade Dash for massive burst.

Silksong’s Boss Rush mode unlocks after completing the game. Here’s the loadout that clears all 30 bosses fastest.

Crest: Reaper — The silk regeneration passive is mandatory. Every kill refunds 20% of your silk cost, chaining into infinite ability usage.

Tools (Slot 1-4):

1. Thread Storm — Wide AOE that hits everything on screen
2. Needle Cannon — Long-range poke. Essential for flying bosses
3. Silk Snare — Stuns grounded bosses for 2 seconds
4. Plasma Gate — Portal that reflects projectiles

Charms:

• Bound Thorn — +15% damage on all silk abilities
• Quick Stitch — Silk abilities cost 20% less
• Carved Charm — 10% chance to not consume silk on cast
• Gilded Charm — Extra damage when health is full

Health strategy: You get 3 health refills between boss groups. Use them at 50% health between groups 1-3, full heal between 4-7, save all 3 for the final 3 bosses.

Monster Hunter Wilds has a complex armor system. Here’s the exact progression from Low Rank to endgame.

Low Rank (HR 1-5):

• Great Jagras set — Easy to craft, decent defense. Use until HR 4
• Rathalos set (HR 5) — Fire Resistance + Attack Boost. 4-piece bonus gives +15% true raw

High Rank (HR 6-30):

• Mixed Rathalos chest + Teostra arms/waist/legs — Balances offense and utility
• Key decos to farm: Critical Eye, Weakness Exploit, Attack Boost
• Palico gear: Give your cat the Tigrex weapon for extra damage

Endgame (HR 30+):

• Velkhana 4-piece — Frostcraft bonus (+30% damage on first hit after sheathing)
• Safi 4-piece — Customizable elemental weapons. Best for Dual Blades and Bow
• Raging Brachydios 2-piece — Agitator +5 and blast damage boost

Skills to prioritize: Critical Eye 7, Weakness Exploit 3, Attack Boost 7, Agitator 5, Critical Boost 3.

The Four Loongs are Black Myth Wukong’s toughest optional bosses. They’re scattered across the map and missable. Here’s the full route.

Prerequisites:

• Must have completed Chapter 2 (Yellow Wind Sage)
• Recommended level: 55+ with at least 5 gourd upgrades

Boss Order & Locations:

1. Red Loong — Chapter 1, outside the Forest of Wolves shrine. Head left, drop down the waterfall behind the tree. Easiest of the four. He telegraphs heavily — dodge toward him, not away.
2. Blue Loong — Chapter 2, Frightened Fox quest area. After freeing the fox from the cart, climb the ridge behind the pagoda. He’s a spellcaster — use the Rock Solid transformation to reflect his projectiles.
3. Black Loong — Chapter 3, inside the pagoda prison. Drop down three levels from the Meditation Point, break the cracked wall. Fast melee fighter — use Pillar stance heavy attacks for reach.
4. Yellow Loong — Chapter 4, Webbed Hollow. After killing the Second Sister, backtrack to the pool of poison and climb the hidden vine wall. The hardest of the four. His lightning phase has a 5-hit combo that one-shots if you miss a dodge. Equip the Thunderproof Mantle.

Reward: Defeating all four unlocks the {{Loong Scales}} transformation — transforms you into a thunder dragon with lightning breath and a charge attack. It’s one of the best transformations in the game for clearing crowds.

Tip: Summon the gourd spirit before each fight for the free heal. Don’t hoard your mana — these are endurance fights, not burst fights.

The Horned Warriors in the Shadow Keep are some of the toughest non-boss enemies in the DLC. Here’s how to clear the route efficiently.

Recommended Setup:

• Weapon: Blasphemous Blade or any fire-infused greatsword — they’re weak to fire
• Talismans: Dragoncrest Greatshield + Two-Headed Turtle + Fire Scorpion + Shard of Alexander
• Physick: Opaline Bubbletear + Flame-Shrouding Cracked Tear

Route:

1. Enter from the Church District grace (the one after the bridge)
2. Clear the first two patrolling warriors using stealth backstabs
3. In the main hall, lure the horned warrior with the greatshield away from the archer
4. Parry his charge attack — his recovery animation is long enough for a critical hit
5. Once he’s down, the archer is trivial. Rush her before she buffs
6. The boss room is at the far end. Summon Hornsent NPC if available for distraction

Tip: These enemies have 55% holy damage negation. Don’t use sacred weapons. Fire damage melts them.

Running Nightreign with friends? Here’s the optimized route for clearing the expansion in under 8 hours.

Phase 1: The Bleak Shore (1-2 hours)
– Start at the Mausoleum Grace
– Collect the Map Fragment (southeast cliff) before engaging any enemies
– Rush the Church of the Deep for the Starlight Ember recipe
– Skip the Catacombs (come back later, the loot isn’t worth the time)
– Boss: Gravekeeper Silas — summon at fog wall

Phase 2: The Hollow Woods (2-3 hours)
– Take the eastern path to find the Ghostflame Smithing Stone [7]
– Clear the Ancestral Woods for the Dragonbolt Incantation
– Optional: help Millicent’s questline for the Millicent’s Prosthesis talisman
– Boss: The Wailing Wyrm — use fire damage

Phase 3: The Eternal Eclipse (3-4 hours)
– Do NOT engage the Dusk Knights until you have Starlight Embers
– Rush the central tower to open the shortcut back to the start
– Clear the Forsaken Cathedral last (hardest area)
– Final Boss: The Lord of Dusk — summon at the pool inside the tower

Pro Tips
– Bring a strike-damage weapon for the crystal enemies in Phase 2
– The Eclipse reduces vision — use the Sentry Torch to see hidden platforms
– Co-op scaling is actually fair in Nightreign (enemies get +30% HP per summon instead of +50%)