BuildKit Brief — Gaming & Tech — July 23, 2026

Path of Exile 2 Build Showcase: Slowmaxing Chronomancer by TuskDeluxe

This Chronomancer build by TuskDeluxe is built around the Auspex and its Grueling Madness aura, which slowmaxes enemies up to 100% at maximum stacks. Embrace the slow side of..things below: Big thank you to TuskDeluxe for putting this build together. For more information, refer to their video here.

0.5.4b Patch Notes

0.5.4b Patch NotesBoss Improvements Removed a majority of the stun and freeze immunity windows from all versions of the Tor Gul, the Defiler boss fight. Improved the Minion Phase in the Tasgul, Swallower of Light fight.

• Removed a majority of the stun and freeze immunity windows from all versions of the Tor Gul, the Defiler boss fight.
• Improved the Minion Phase in the Tasgul, Swallower of Light fight.
• Fixed a bug where It That Was Esh could sometimes fail to advance phases properly.
• Fixed a bug where the Arbiter of Divinity could rarely drop loot in an unreachable location.
• Defeating the Arbiter of Divinity now re-enables the exit elevator.
• Extended the time the player has to get into the first Flame Seed during the combo skill that begins with the Large Laser in the Arbiter of Ash boss fight.

Path of Exile 2 at gamescom 2026

Path of Exile 2 will once again be heading to gamescom in Cologne, Germany. Play a special demo available exclusively at the event, snap some photos with our eerie display, and pick up exclusive merchandise. We'll be sharing more details closer to the event, and we hope to see you there!

New and Changed Gems in Path of Exile 1: Curse of the Allflame

Path of Exile 1: Curse of the Allflame introduces several new Gems, including the new Pact Gems and changes to existing Skill and Support Gems. Today we’ve prepared the gem data at level 20 with 20% quality for all new and changed gems to help you theorycraft your builds for the upcoming launch.

Path of Exile 1: Curse of the Allflame Voyage Deep Dive

In Path of Exile: Curse of the Allflame, you'll set sail on perilous Voyages beneath the frozen seas of Wraeclast in search of bounty. Each Voyage begins by assembling a collection of Charts that determine the encounters, rewards and challenges awaiting you below.

Curse of the Allflame Item Filter Information

To help you get ready for the launch of Path of Exile 1: Curse of the Allflame, we’ve prepared all the Item Filter Information you need below.

• Vestigial
• Values: True/False
• Scrying Orb
• Karui Enshrouding Crystal
• Imperial Enshrouding Crystal
• Vaal Enshrouding Crystal

Counter-Strike 2 Update

The bomb damage health preview is now revealed when the bomb becomes audible. The bomb explosion now interacts with smoke grenade clouds and molotov/incendiary fire.

• The bomb damage health preview is now revealed when the bomb becomes audible.
• The bomb explosion now interacts with smoke grenade clouds and molotov/incendiary fire.
• Updated to the latest version from the Community Workshop (Update Notes)
• Updated to the latest version from the Community Workshop (Update Notes)
• Updated to the latest version from the Community Workshop (Update Notes)
• Added Workshop maps section to Play menu for Counter-Strike in Steam China.

Call II Arms-ory

Last week we released new weapon and sticker collections from our previous Call to Arms-ory. Congratulations to the artists who had their items included!

Minor Update - 07-09-2026

- Urn Runner sprint bonus reduced from +2m to 0 (trailing bonus reduced from +7m to +5m)- Urn Runner move speed bonus reduced from +3.5m to +2m- Urn Runner Stamina Recovery increased from +15% to +25%- Urn talking frequency increased from every 8s to every 6s- Urn talking sound distance increased…

Beta Patch Notes - v0.109.0

Another beta patch is here, Slayers! This one brings a host of balance changes, bug fixes, and new Epoch art.

• Added new Neow relic, Dowsing Rod - "Upon pickup, add 1 Dowsing to your Deck."
• Dowsing - Quest - 0 cost - "After entering 5 more ? rooms, transform this into Abundance."
• Abundance - Ancient - Skill - Cost 1 - "Choose 1 of 3 (Upgraded) Powers to add into your Hand. It is free to play this turn. Exhaust."
• Added new Neow relic, Neow's Sacrifice - "Upon pickup, procure 1 Ambergris and add 1 Guilty to your Deck."
• Ambergris potion - "Heal for 50% of your max HP. Take an extra turn after this one."
• Reworked Nonupeipe's Diamond Diadem relic: "Whenever you play 2 or fewer cards in a turn, take half damage from enemies." -> "Start combat with 20 Block. Blo…

The Neowsletter - July 2026

The July Neowsletter is here, Slayers! Last month we bid farewell to the Doormaker, but you know what they say: when one door closes... a giant floating hourglass creature appears!

Beta Patch Notes - v0.108.0

For all you beta testers who have been chomping at the bit for a new patch to chew on... here it is! Today's beta patch brings a ton of fixes, balance changes, some UX additions, a BIG batch of new multiplayer cards, and new art additions--including some animations for the latest boss, Aeonglass!

• End-of-turn Orb passives now trigger before Doom
• This means that, if a player would die to self-Doom (ex. from Neurosurge card) but also has an Orb with an end-of-turn passive that would kill the last remai…
• Buffed Torch Head Amalgam: increased damage at Ascension 9
• Weak Tackle damage increased from 14(15) → 14(16)
• Tackle damage increased from 18(19) → 18(22)
• Changed Regen Potion: its healing effect now triggers before Doom, preventing the player from dying to self-Doom in certain situations

HOI IV Dev Corner | Civilian Economy & Consumer Goods

Hello, I am Zwirbaum, Game Designer for Hearts of Iron, and uncharacteristically for me, instead of writing an entire wall of text, I am just going to ask a couple of questions that are very much tied to the ‘Economy’ side of the gameplay.

• How do you feel about the ‘Civilian Economy’ that currently exists within the game - as in anything that relates to the building construction, using civilian…
• What and how do you feel about the Consumer Goods as they are right now? - Do you think it does fulfill its role, narratively, and in gameplay terms? - Do yo…
• What do you think about current Economic Laws? - Do you like them,and their effects? - Do you like the fact that higher mobilization is (ALMOST) always a bet…
• Start appearing closer to release
• Give you more detailed insight into content that’s more or less finished and is being polished
• Will generally include a plethora of images and screenshots

HOI IV Creator Interviews with Leadership

Generals! High Command is aware that certain war correspondents have, in recent days, taken it upon themselves to question senior staff.

HOI IV Dev Corner | Warfare in the Third Dimension - Airborne Units in HOI

Hi all, it's time for the next Dev Corner. I'm Jamor. I started as a producer on Stellaris, Imperator, and other games back in 2017, and now I'm happy to be back as a designer on HOI.

• Airborne jumps are queued up by a number of tedious manual steps, from separately planned operations, the finicky process of getting jump capable troops to t…
• Airborne units teleport on to their objectives, in such a subtle way that it's quite easy for both attacker and defender to not notice it has even happened.
• Airborne troops take such ruinous damage and disorganization that they are incredibly feeble once landed, being generally only suited for the sort of highly…
• And the final straw for me, that a unit like the 101st Airborne, an ultra-elite division of 10,000+ men containing the cream of the army and famous for numer…
• What issues with airborne troops would you add to this list?
• What would you like to see changed or added to improve the HOI airborne experience?