MMOexp-EA FC26: Why Flashback Goretzka Might Be the Perfect Midfield Connector The new season of EA FC 26 has been moving at full speed, and EA Sports has already been releasing some exciting Squad Building Challenges (SBCs) to keep Ultimate Team fans engaged. One of the latest additions is a Flashback SBC for Leon Goretzka, the Bayern Munich midfielder who has been a staple in FUT for years. Known for his physical presence FC 26 Coins, versatility, and "Hullet Gang" style of stats in previous FIFAs, Goretzka's new card brings plenty to the table even under the toned-down "power curve" that EA has been pushing in FC 26.   But is this SBC worth completing? Let's break down the card's stats, in-game performance, chemistry style options, and overall value to help you decide whether Leon Goretzka deserves a spot in your squad.   Flashback Leon Goretzka: The Basics    Position: CDM / CM / CAM  Height: 6'2  Weak Foot / Skill Moves: 4star Weak Foot, 3star Skills  Work Rates: High / Medium  PlayStyles+: Box-to-Box+  Other PlayStyles: Power Shot, Precision Header, Incisive Pass, Relentless, Bruiser   At first glance, Goretzka's card doesn't quite match the "all-80s" monster versions from previous FIFA years, but he's still well-rounded.   His stats lean into being a box-to-box midfielder, capable of progressing the ball forward, defending, and linking up with attackers.   The addition of Box-to-Box+ is huge-it enhances his overall movement, stamina usage, and ability to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Combined with his size and physicality, he fits naturally into the meta for narrow midfield setups like the 4-1-2-1-2 (narrow).   Key Stats Breakdown    Pace: Respectable but not blistering. Quick enough to cover ground but lacks the explosive acceleration of smaller midfielders.    Passing: One of his strongest areas. His incisive passes are sharp, making him a great distributor for through balls in tight spaces.    Dribbling: Adequate, though not elite. On the ball, he feels controlled but slightly heavy compared to more agile midfielders.    Defending: Solid positioning, strong tackling, and excellent interception ability.    Physicals: Outstanding. At 6'2 with Bruiser, Goretzka can shield the ball, win duels, and bully attackers.   The standout in real gameplay is his passing and distribution, which makes him a valuable pivot in midfield. However, his dribbling and acceleration can feel sluggish at times, meaning he's best used to recycle possession or release attackers rather than dribble past opponents himself.   Chemistry Style Options   When it comes to boosting Goretzka, the choice of chemistry style depends on your playstyle:    Shadow: Maxes out his pace and defending. Great if you want him as a holding midfielder who covers ground and breaks up play.    Anchor: Adds a bit of physicality alongside pace and defending, making him even stronger in duels.    Engine: Boosts dribbling, pace, and passing. In testing, Engine makes him feel more responsive and snappy on the ball, enhancing what's already his standout attribute-passing.   Between Shadow and Engine, most players will prefer Engine to unlock his full box-to-box capabilities, though Shadow works well if you want him as a more defensive option.   In-Game Performance Review   After multiple matches testing him in Division Rivals and FUT Champs qualifiers, Goretzka shows a clear identity as a midfielder:   Strengths in Play    Passing and Through Balls: His incisive passing style shines, especially in the 4-1-2-1-2 narrow system. He can find runners like wingers or strikers with pinpoint balls, leading to plenty of assists. In one stretch of four matches, Goretzka recorded 8 assists and 1 goal, which is fantastic for a midfielder.    Physical Presence: Shielding, shoulder-to-shoulder duels, and aerial battles all favor him. His size makes him difficult to dispossess, and Bruiser helps him shrug off challenges.    Versatility: Can be deployed as a CM in a midfield three, a holding CDM in a double pivot, or a box-to-box role. He feels most comfortable linking play and progressing the ball forward.    Stamina: With Relentless, he doesn't fade late in matches. You can rely on him to still cover ground in the 90th minute.   Weaknesses    Dribbling in Tight Spaces: Even with Engine, his close control can feel clunky compared to smaller midfielders. Don't expect him to weave past defenders.    Acceleration: His sprint speed is fine, but his first steps are slow. He feels sluggish if pressed immediately after receiving the ball.    Finishing: He can chip in with goals, but he's not a natural shooter compared to attacking mids.   Overall, Goretzka excels as a connector-someone who wins the ball, finds space, and plays intelligent passes to attackers. He's not the star scorer or the flashiest dribbler, but he's consistently reliable.Comparing Goretzka to Alternatives   When evaluating an SBC card, it's always worth comparing to alternatives:    Zubimendi (LaLiga SBC): More of a pure defensive midfielder. Stronger in interceptions and shielding but less dynamic going forward. Goretzka offers more creativity and attacking threat.    Other Bundesliga Options: If you're running a Bundesliga squad, Goretzka links perfectly with Alphonso Davies, Joshua Kimmich, and Bayern attackers. He's a natural fit for Bundesliga hybrids.    Icons & Heroes: Early in the cycle, affordable midfield icons may not be as balanced. Goretzka offers a strong, budget-friendly box-to-box option until bigger names like Vieira or Yaya Touré become available.   For around 70–75k coins, he sits in the "affordable but not must-do" range. He's cheaper than Zubimendi and arguably more fun to use thanks to his offensive contributions.   Price and Value   The SBC requires six squads, with the highest rated segment at 85 overall. At around 74k coins, it's a reasonable price point.    Pros: Affordable, Bundesliga links, well-rounded stats, box-to-box role, excellent passing.    Cons: Not a game-changer, clunky dribbling, not worth restructuring your entire squad for.   If you already have Bundesliga pieces or Bayern players, this SBC makes sense. If your squad is heavily Premier League or Serie A based, Goretzka may not be worth the effort since you'd struggle with chemistry.   Final Verdict   So, is the Flashback Leon Goretzka SBC worth completing in EA FC 26?   The answer: Yes, but only if he fits your team.   He's not a "must-do" SBC in the same tier as a meta-breaking card, but he's a very solid, reliable midfielder who will serve you well in most squads. His ability to distribute passes, dominate physically, and link defense with attack makes him an asset-especially in narrow formations.   While his dribbling and acceleration can feel heavy, you can work around those limitations by focusing on quick passing and letting him play as a connector rather than a dribbler. He's affordable, offers great Bundesliga chemistry, and will give you consistent performances buy EA FC 26 Coins.   If you're a fan of Bayern Munich, a Bundesliga builder, or just someone who loves balanced midfielders, this is a great pick-up. For others, he may just be a luxury option rather than a necessity.   Rating: 8/10  Passing: 9/10  Physicals: 9/10  Defending: 8/10  Dribbling: 7/10  Value for Coins: 8/10   Goretzka may not be the "Hullet Gang" superstar of old, but he's still a powerhouse in EA FC 26-and one that can quietly carry your midfield if you give him the right role.

MMOexp-POE: Fresh Meat and Offerings—The Secret DPS Engine Behind Mage Skeleton Builds This time focusing on one of the most rewarding and scalable setups in patch 3.26: Mage Skeletons. Whether you're a league starter looking to carve your way through early mapping or a seasoned player seeking a high-budget powerhouse that melts bosses in seconds, this guide covers every step of the journey-from Absolution leveling, to Chaos Mage Skeletons, and finally, to the Doryani Prototype Lightning Mage endgame setup POE currency.   1. Leveling: Absolution to Early Maps   Why Absolution?    Solid early damage scaling with minimal gear.    Easy to link with Minion Damage, Spell Echo, and Added Lightning Damage.    Naturally transitions into minion builds later on without major passive respecs.   During the campaign, prioritize Minion Life, Convocation cooldown, and early aura reservation nodes. Absolution carries you until you gather the core items for the next phase: Chaos Mage Skeletons.   2. Transitioning to Chaos Mage Skeletons   Originally, the plan was to shift into Skeleton Archers before reaching Mage Skeletons. However, as Cassie discovered during his marathon launch stream, the conversion gloves required for Chaos Mages are now far more affordable and accessible early on-meaning you can skip archers altogether.   Here's the core of the Chaos Mages setup:    Gloves: Rare or unique gloves that convert Fire Damage to Chaos Damage.    Combat Focus Crimson Jewel: Forces your Mage Skeletons to avoid Cold.    Combat Focus Viridian Jewel: Forces your Mage Skeletons to avoid Lightning.   With those two jewels, you're left with pure Fire Mages-and once converted via your gloves, that Fire damage becomes Chaos damage. Simple, powerful, and incredibly efficient.   Once the conversion is done, congratulations-you're officially playing Chaos Mage Skeletons. This version performs extremely well in early mapping and is strong enough to handle most league mechanics on a reasonable budget.   3. Animate Guardian Setup and Mask of the Stitched Demon    Without the mask, your guardian will instantly die once you activate the aura.    With the mask, he gains an absurd 42,000 life regeneration per second, becoming effectively immortal.   The mask currently sits around two Divine Orbs, making it a manageable pickup once your mapping economy stabilizes. Until then, skip the aura and focus on solidifying your skeletons' damage and survivability.   4. The Next Step: Doryani's Prototype Lightning Mages   After the Chaos Mage phase, the next logical upgrade path is the Lightning Mage Skeleton setup using Doryani's Prototype. This variant trades chaos scaling for the raw destructive power of lightning damage while utilizing clever resistance manipulation.   How It Works:    Equip Doryani's Prototype, which makes enemies share your Lightning Resistance.    Lower your own Lightning Resistance as much as possible using Reflected Mist Rings (negative lightning res).    Your Skeleton Mages' lightning hits are now effectively amplified against all enemies.   Combat Focus Jewels for Lightning Mages:    Cobalt Jewel #1: Forces mages to avoid Fire.    Cobalt Jewel #2: Forces mages to avoid Cold.   This setup, combined with Doryani's Prototype, transforms your minions into lightning-charged nukes that melt even the toughest bosses. Cassie describes it as "one of the most broken setups in this entire league."   5. Mercenary (Spectre) and Gear Optimization   For this setup, you'll use a Strength/Intelligence-based Mercenary, ideally a Fallen Reverend or War Priest, to amplify your team's damage. Recommended Merc Gear:    Doryani's Prototype: Core chest piece for negative Lightning Resistance scaling.    Reflected Mist Rings: Look for at least –100% Lightning Resistance.    Peril's Toe Amulet: Grants lucky damage with hits to nearby allies, removing the need for a Perfect Spirit of Fortune Spectre.    Generic Helmet and Boots: Prioritize life and resistances. Eventually, aim for a Crown of the Tyrant for even more damage amplification.Despite running with negative resistances, the mercenary's innate damage reduction mechanics make him incredibly tanky. Cassie notes that his mercenary "should be dying instantly with those stats-but just doesn't."   6. Player Gear and Defensive Layers   For the player character, the defensive backbone of the build revolves around Doppelganger Guise, a unique body armor offering immense physical and chaos mitigation.   Key Stats from Doppelganger Guise:    Up to 40% less Physical and Chaos Damage taken.    Recover 10% of life over 1 second when hit.    Comes with Unhinge, though Cassie recommends staying "sane" to retain defenses.   Other Core Gear:    Helmet: +2 to minion gems, benchcraft Skeleton duration.    Weapon: +1 to Minion Skill Gems or +1 to all Spell Skill Gems, with Trigger socketed spells on skill use.    Gloves and Boots: Focus on minion damage, life, and movement speed. Brittle Boots add critical scaling later on.    Rings and Amulet: Prioritize Minion Attack Speed, Life, and Resistances.    Leash of Oblation Belt: Enables all three offerings at once-essential for endgame synergy.   7. The Offerings Combo and Fresh Meat Synergy   This is where the build truly shines. By combining Leash of Oblation with the Hollow Effigy anointment, you can trigger Bone Offering, Flesh Offering, and Spirit Offering simultaneously without needing corpses. Every eight seconds, a single skill use automatically refreshes your offerings, meaning your skeletons are always buffed.   Fresh Meat Support further amplifies your Mage Skeletons by granting massive damage bonuses during the first 10% of their duration. Cassie's setup ensures Skeletons last around 57 seconds, translating to roughly 5.7 seconds of hypercharged DPS before resummoning.   This rotation syncs beautifully with Blessed Rebirth, ensuring your freshly spawned skeletons stay invulnerable during their peak damage window.   8. Spectres and Support Minions   For Spectres, Cassie recommends:    Perfect Guardian Turtle: Defensive powerhouse for your team.    Pale Seraphim: Provides enemies with increased damage taken.    Forest Warrior: Grants Onslaught-even low-tier versions work.    Pain Artist: Adds critical multiplier for your minions, included once you can sustain four Spectres.   The Animate Guardian and Spectres should be linked with Minion Life and Meat Shield, improving survivability until your setup matures.   9. Skill Links Overview   Skeleton Mages (6-Link):    Summon Skeletons  Minion Damage  Spell Echo  Greater Multiple Projectiles (swap to Increased Crit Damage or Slower Projectiles for bosses)  Fresh Meat  Elemental Focus   Weapon Trigger Setup:  Bone Offering  Flesh Offering  Spirit Offering   Auras:  Determination  Precision  Purity of Elements  Tempest Shield  Wrath (from Mercenary)   Utility:  Convocation  Frostblink or Shield Charge  Sniper's Mark   10. Closing Thoughts: Power Scaling and Endgame Potential   By the time you reach the Lightning Mage variant with Doryani's Prototype, your build achieves staggering performance-Cassie's high-budget Path of Building showcases 65 million DPS, with the mercenary-assisted setup doubling that figure at a fraction of the cost.   Defensive scaling through Doppelganger Guise and Offerings keeps you surprisingly durable, while the build's modular nature allows future upgrades via Watcher's Eye, Cluster Jewels, and Crown of the Tyrant. For players seeking an endgame-ready minion build that balances insane damage with clever mechanics, Mage Skeletons are in their strongest state yet POE exalted orbs for sale.   TL;DR Progression Path   1.Leveling: Absolution through campaign → early white maps.   2.Midgame: Transition into Chaos Mage Skeletons using conversion gloves and Combat Focus jewels.   3.Endgame: Gear mercenary for Doryani's Prototype → respec into Lightning Mage Skeletons with Combat Focus (avoid Fire/Cold).   4.Optional: Add Animate Guardian with Mask of the Stitched Demon for extra auras.   5.Profit: Enjoy one of the most powerful minion setups of 3.26.   Final Thoughts:   Skeleton progression perfectly embodies what makes Path of Exile so deep-a build that evolves organically through multiple power spikes, each phase offering its own flavor of dominance. From early Chaos Mages to the final Doryani Lightning storm, this setup is a love letter to creative summoner gameplay.   If you're ready to command an army of chaos and lightning, this is your season to rise.

MMOexp-Diablo 4: Companion Druid Build Guide – Command Nature’s Wrath Like Never Before The Druid has always been one of the most versatile and experimental classes in Diablo IV. It can shapeshift into powerful beasts, rain down storms of nature's fury, or summon loyal animal companions. For a long time, though, "pet Druids" were considered fun but not truly competitive compared to other archetypes. That all changes this season. With new mythic items, chaos perks, and long-awaited bug fixes, the Companion Druid build has gone from gimmick to endgame powerhouse Diablo IV gold.   At the heart of this transformation lies the Kilt of the Blackwing, a game-changing item that turbocharges your Ravens, Wolves, and Vines into devastating damage dealers. Combined with new perks like Savagery and the scaling changes that allow companions to inherit 100% of your stats, this is now one of the smoothest and most rewarding builds in the game. Whether you want to rip through Nightmare Dungeons, clear Helltides, or push the Pit, this pet-focused setup delivers massive numbers while letting you play more strategically and less mechanically intensive than traditional Druids.   Let's break down exactly how this build works, what gear you need, and how to play it effectively.   Why Companions Are Finally Strong   In previous seasons, companion skills were mostly treated as support tools. Ravens gave crit boosts, Wolves were useful for distractions, and Vines offered situational control. But their actual damage output was underwhelming. This season changes everything:    Kilt of the Blackwing makes Ravens deal screen-wide AoE nukes.    Savagery Chaos Perk turns companions into core skills, freeing them from cooldown restrictions.    Bug fixes to Stormcrows improve their synergy with elemental procs.    Companions now inherit 100% of your stats, including critical strike chance, resistances, and Willpower scaling.   This means when you stack crit damage, cooldown reduction, or even defensive layers, your pets benefit directly. They can also proc Lucky Hit, which fuels spirit regeneration and keeps your gameplay loop seamless. Put it all together and your minions aren't just background noise-they're the stars of the show.   Core Skills   The skill setup revolves around maximizing pet uptime while keeping yourself alive with Druid's defensive tools.    Ravens (Maxed & Upgraded): Your primary damage dealer. With Savagery, they stay active at all times, melting packs and elites alike.    Grizzly Rage (Ultimate): Provides multiplicative damage and survivability. Pair it with Rampaging Werebeast passive for crit scaling that affects both you and your pets.    Claw & Pulverize: These aren't used for direct DPS but instead to quickly stack the Quickshift passive, boosting shapeshifting bonuses.    Cyclone Armor: Even while removed from your bar during Grizzly Rage, its passive damage reduction remains active. Crucial for higher-tier survivability.    Debilitating Roar: A defensive and offensive hybrid skill. Reduces incoming damage while buffing your own output-great for boss phases or elite packs.   This compact toolkit gives you consistent pet uptime, strong defensive layering, and the ability to amplify your companions' burst windows.   Spirit Boons Setup   Spirit Boons allow you to customize your druid's animal blessings. For the Companion build, you want a balance of sustain and pet empowerment:    Deer-Gift of the Stag: Extra maximum Spirit keeps gameplay smooth.    Eagle-Avian Wrath + Swooping Attacks: Increases crit damage and attack speed for both you and your companions.    Wolf-Energize: Pets can proc Lucky Hit to restore Spirit, fueling the loop.    Snake-Overload: Adds lightning procs that synergize well with Stormcrows for extra AoE damage.   If you're struggling with survivability, you can swap Eagle's secondary boon to Iron Feather for a big chunk of toughness.   Gear Breakdown   The gear is where this build truly shines. Several key mythic items are mandatory for maximum performance:    Kilt of the Blackwing (Legs): Core item. Turns Ravens into massive AoE nukes. Non-negotiable.    Hair of the Parthanon (Helmet): Provides +Lucky Hit, crit scaling, and movement speed.    Shroud of the False Death (Chest): Grants +1 to all passive skills, boosting both offense and defense. Also adds all-stat rolls to help cap resistances.    Fist of Fate (Weapon): Another huge multiplier. Helps cap attack speed while amplifying critical strikes.   Legendary & Tempering   Since your mythic slots are mostly reserved for offense, your legendaries need to carry utility and defenses. Focus on tempering for:    Armor and resistance caps.    Cooldown reduction for smoother rotations.    Lucky Hit and Spirit sustain.   Proper masterworking and perfect incense buffs are vital for pushing higher content.Rune Choices   Runes expand this build's identity into a full "pet flood" setup:    Niu + Chek: Spawns additional summons that inherit your bonuses, freezing enemies and applying vulnerability. Incredible synergy.    Ignite + Lum: Balances Spirit drain while fueling over-abandon multipliers. Great for resource management.   If you lack these, fallback options include:    Aku + Hak: Strong sustain with secondary procs.    Quags: Great for Pit pushing variants.    M Rune: Flat 15% damage boost via War Cry.   Chaos Perks   Chaos perks refine this build's insane pet scaling:    Over Abandon: Universal damage multiplier.    Purge the Infected: Guaranteed crits and bonus damage.    Crazy Brew: Huge boosts to attack speed, resource costs, and movement speed. The potion cooldown trade-off is negligible.    Unique Perk-Savagery: The keystone. Without this, companions feel weak; with it, they're unstoppable core skills.   Gem Setup   Keep it simple but effective:    Weapon: Runes for offense.    Armor: Sapphires for damage reduction while fortified.    Amulet: Diamond for all resistances.    Rings: Skulls for extra defense scaling.   This balance makes you tanky enough to survive while letting your pets unleash chaos.   Skill Tree Pathing   The priority is maximizing pet strength while ensuring you're not too squishy:   1.Max out Ravens for AoE power.   2.Take Grizzly Rage + Rampaging Werebeast for multiplicative crit scaling.   3.Invest in Claw + Pulverize for Quickshift passive synergy.   4.Grab Cyclone Armor and Debilitating Roar for survivability.   5.Stack passives like Call of the Wind and One with Nature to scale companion damage even higher.   Paragon Board   Pathing through Paragon ensures your build scales into the highest difficulties:    First Priority: Companion damage and attack speed nodes.   Glyphs:    Fang and Claw-Directly buffs crit scaling for you and pets.    Exploit-Keeps vulnerable uptime constant for boss damage.    Stats: Willpower, crit damage, and Lucky Hit are key for both personal and companion scaling.    Defense Nodes: Damage reduction while fortified and resistance stacking-pairs perfectly with Cyclone Armor and Roar.   Mercenaries   Companion builds thrive with mercenary support:    Hybrid Mercenary-Rakair: Grants resistances, AoE slows, and up to 90% damage reduction. His Valiant perk prevents one-shots every 30 seconds.    Reinforcement-Altin: Provides consistent damage reduction with Field of Languish. Excellent synergy with Druid's already solid defenses.   How to Play the Build   The playstyle is simple but highly effective:   1.Start fights by alternating Claw and Pulverize to quickly stack Quickshift.   2.Activate Grizzly Rage for a massive damage steroid and survivability boost.   3.Summon Ravens onto elites or bosses. With Savagery, you can keep them up constantly.   4.Debilitating Roar to soften enemies and buff your own output.   5.Let Wolves and Vines layer additional CC and passive DPS.   6.Chug potions reactively to trigger Crazy Brew for bursts of speed and efficiency.   7.Stay mobile-avoid plague zones and reposition often. Standing still risks losing pets and momentum.   Your companions will shred enemies, while you provide buffs D4 materials for sale, debuffs, and occasional shapeshifting bursts.   Final Thoughts   The Companion Druid build is one of the most exciting ways to play Diablo IV this season. It finally makes full pet builds not only viable but competitive in endgame content. With Ravens nuking entire packs, Wolves providing single-target pressure, and Vines adding control, you command a literal army of nature. Add in the insane synergy of Kilt of the Blackwing and Savagery, and you've got a build that scales as far as you're willing to push it.   For players who want a build that feels powerful, fluid, and less mechanically demanding than hyper-fast spam builds, this is the perfect choice. The Companion Druid is back-and this time, it's here to dominate.