Starting July 7, 2026, ARC Raiders' Trials Season 5 has officially begun, bringing new challenges and opportunities to all players eager to test their skills.

Trials Season 5 introduces new skin rewards, new rankings, and new Trials. Week 2 Trials are now officially available in the game for players to challenge.

If you're still unfamiliar with Trials Season 5, or need a Week 2 Trials guide, continue reading.

Trials Season 5

Trials are a gameplay mode in ARC Raiders with a very clear mechanism: the system releases five challenging Trials each week, and players earn Trial Points by completing these Trials.

The true essence of Trials lies in its leaderboard mechanism: players are assigned to groups of 100 players of the same rank, and rankings are based on each player's highest individual score across the five Trials of week. Trials Season is the seasonal ranking challenge system for Trials.

Trials Season 5, themed Prove Your Mettle, runs from July 7th to September 30th, 2026. As usual, this season brings weekly updated Trials and various rewards.

Below, I will detail the updates worth noting for players this season.

Trials Changes

This season features significant changes to Trials system, primarily aimed at increasing mission diversity. As the developers have explicitly stated, the new season's Trials will focus more on testing players' equipment planning and adaptability.

These changes are mainly reflected in the following two aspects:

First, this season adds challenges requiring players to use specific weapons to attack specific types of ARC enemies. For example, this week's trial, "Destroy Snitches with Stitcher".

These missions no longer simply test players' damage output but require a precise understanding of enemy characteristics and weapon parameters.

Second, high-risk survival challenges have been added. Now, some Trials will directly require players to withstand explosive damage, testing their damage mitigation abilities and positioning awareness. 

Core Rewards

The ultimate reward for Trials Season 5 is a heavy armor-themed outfit called The Scorta.

Different color variants are unlocked based on the player's final rank at the end of the season. Only top players who reach Hotshot or Cantina Legend rank will receive the red and blue version.

Other season rewards include Green Bruiser Backpack, Pressure Gauge Backpack Charm, Hydraulic Pump Backpack attachment, and Come at me Emote.

Week 2 Trials

Week 2 Trials for ARC Raiders Trials Season 5 are now live. While this week's challenges may seem straightforward, each one has hidden challenges. They are:

• Open Containers in the Swasmp
• Search Lockers
• Damage ARC Enemies Using a Single Deadline
• Destroy Snitches with Stitcher
• Damage ARC with The Rascal

Open Containers in the Swasmp

The first trial is a typical area search mission with a clear objective - the swamp area in Dam Battlegrounds.

This area includes several locations such as Hydroponics Dome Complex and South Swamp Outpost, all scattered with numerous containers and Weapon Crates.

Opening any container within the swamp area advances this trial, awarding 200 points for each container opened.

Search Lockers

This is the most basic mission of the week. You need to search for green and red lockers on the map.

Spaceport is the ideal location for this challenge, as the map is filled with lockers. Additionally, the area behind the third floor of Buried City and the ground floor of Research Building are also densely populated locker spawn points.

Damage ARC Enemies Using a Single Deadline

The core trap of this trial is "a single". That is, it requires players to inflict as much damage as possible with a single Deadline. The higher the damage dealt, the higher the score.

In ARC Raiders, Deadlines are particularly effective against heavy ARC enemies, especially Bastion and Bombardier, so players can target them.

Players can sneak up behind these enemies and place mines near their weak points to detonate and maximize damage.

Destroy Snitches with Stitcher

This is a highly skill-based trial. Snitches are aerial reconnaissance units, and their core weak point is their bottom. Stitcher are submachine guns with low base damage.

Therefore, the correct approach is to first weaken Snitches with other high-damage weapons or shoot their weak points, then finish them off with a Stitcher.

Players can undertake this trial in Buried City, as the map's dense architecture allows players to easily gain high ground and approach Snitches, who sometimes get stuck in buildings and perish.

Damage ARC with The Rascal

Rascal in ARC Raiders is a single-shot grenade launcher with decent damage but a slow reload.

Since the goal of this trial is to deal damage rather than kill ARC enemies, prioritize light, clustered ARC enemies such as Popps, Fireballs, Wasps, and Hornets to inflict massive damage in one shot.

However, players should avoid using this weapon against heavily armored ARC enemies to prevent being put in danger due to low damage output.

Rascal's Blueprint can be randomly obtained by exploring Security Lockers or in Map Conditions such as Hurricane and Night Raid.

This concludes the detailed introduction to Trials Season 5 and this week's Week 2 Trials in ARC Raiders.

If this article helped you complete Week 2 Trials this week, you can follow EZG Facebook. We will continue to provide more game guides and give away valuable gifts to our followers in the future.

If you are not interested in the rewards of Trials Season 5, you can intentionally lower your rank so that you can be placed in a less competitive group in Trials Season 6, making it easier to improve your ranking and get the ultimate prize.

Each Season 14 update to Diablo 4 may appear on the surface to be just bug fixes, reward adjustments, and experience optimizations, but these seemingly insignificant changes often affect the entire Season 14's pacing and player ecosystem.

Patch 3.1.1 for Season 14, Season of Death Awakening, is a good example of this. While the update may appear to focus mainly on bug fixes and reward adjustments, its changes to core systems could significantly affect the season's pacing and player ecosystem.

Looking at the latest Patch 3.1.1 for Season 14, Season of Death Awakening, the developers have adjusted core systems, resource acquisition efficiency, Mythic gear drops, and game stability.

Compared to class buffs or nerfs, these changes may not immediately generate much discussion, but their impact on the mid-to-late game experience of Season 14 can be far more profound than a simple numerical adjustment.

Accelerated Resource Acquisition

First, the increased resource acquisition efficiency in Season of Death Awakening directly affects the player's progression speed.

Key adjustments in the patch:

• Torment levels will now always reward at least one Superior Lair Key.
• The number of Superior Lair Keys dropped has been increased.
• Glints of Hope Reputation Reward will now reliably provide Pandemonium Fragments.
• Furthermore, the number of Pandemonium Fragments required to upgrade a Horadric Cube Mythic recipe has been reduced from 5 to 4.

These changes effectively reduce random obstacles in resource acquisition, allowing Diablo 4 players to progress through Season 14 more steadily. The biggest impact of these changes is not simply faster progression, but a reduction in uncertainty throughout Season 14 gameplay loop.

Reducing Randomness

In previous Diablo 4 Season loops, players often encountered a problem: despite investing significant time, progress was stalled because of the delayed acquisition of key resources. For an ARPG that requires repetitive grinding, this experience can easily dampen player enthusiasm.

This reduction in Mythic upgrade costs essentially increases the certainty of the progression process. For average players with limited time commitment, this means they no longer need to spend a lot of time chasing resource progression and can more easily access the later content of Season 14.

This is undoubtedly a positive change for Season 14's activity level. A healthy Season 14 shouldn't rely solely on the initial novelty of launch to attract players, but should maintain their motivation to continue investing time and effort even weeks later.

However, speeding up progression also creates a new balancing challenge: ensuring that players still have meaningful long-term goals after reaching higher stages of Season of Death Awakening.

Increased Gear Acquisition Speed

Of course, the increased speed of resource acquisition also brings another problem.

If gear is acquired too quickly, players may enter a phase of lacking clear goals earlier. One of the core joys of Diablo 4 is constantly optimizing builds, finding better gear, and challenging higher difficulty content.

Therefore, striking a balance between reducing meaningless grinding and maintaining long-term goals will be a problem that the developers will need to continuously adjust.

Mythic Gear Mechanism Adjustments

Besides the resource system, adjustments to Mythic gear drop mechanism may also change the gear farming environment in the later stages of Season 14.

This patch fixes an issue where some Unique item sources were not dropping Mythic quality gear. It also increases the probability of naturally dropped Mythic gear becoming Iconic Mythic gear and adds Sword of Justice to Blacksmith's Mythic Unique Chest.

Impact on Endgame Builds

In the late game of Diablo 4, gear building remains a core driving force for players. A single key Mythic item can often determine the power ceiling of a build and influence a player's willingness to continue investing time.

The significance of this adjustment is not simply increasing gear drop rates, but correcting the reward logic, allowing players to obtain reasonable returns from more gameplay elements.

Compared to simply flooding the game with all gear, fixing incorrect drop sources is more conducive to maintaining gear value and will not easily disrupt Season of Death Awakening economy and gear pursuit.

Increased Value of Mythic Gear

However, making Mythic gear more accessible and impactful could also highlight existing differences between classes.

Some classes are inherently reliant on specific mythic gear to reach their full potential. If certain builds experience a significant power boost after acquiring core gear, the experience gap between players with and without such gear could widen.

Therefore, as Season 14 progresses, if new powerful builds emerge later, the developers may still need to maintain overall balance through class adjustments.

Stability Fixes

Beyond progression and rewards, Patch 3.1.1 also improves another important aspect of Season of Death Awakening experience: stability. Besides the rewards and gear system, the stability fixes in Diablo 4 Patch 3.1.1 are also noteworthy.

The update fixes numerous issues affecting gameplay. While these issues may not seem as immediately noticeable as class balance, stability is crucial for an ARPG whose core gameplay relies on repetitive grinding.

Basic Experience Improvements

D4 players may enter dungeons, boss battles, or Season 14 events dozens of times daily. If a high-investment challenge results in lost rewards because of a bug, the negative experience will be significantly amplified.

Therefore, this patch focuses more on improving the basic experience of Season 14. It won't give players a sudden, massive power-up, but it will make the entire Season 14 cycle more stable and smoother.

The changes in Season 14 won't stop with Patch 3.1.1; the game environment may continue to change with subsequent adjustments. To get the latest Diablo 4 updates first, follow EZG Facebook; we'll also be giving away giveaways there from time to time.

As with any live-service season, Patch 3.1.1 is unlikely to be the final adjustment. Future updates may continue to reshape Season 14 experience. For an ARPG still in long-term operation, making players comfortable is only the foundation; the key to future development lies in ensuring players always have something they want to play.

Monopoly Go Blocks Boutique opens today! Have you collected all the materials and successfully filled the boutique's display cases?

Blocks Boutique is a limited-time puzzle game launched by Monopoly Go on July 12th at 4 PM EST, ending on July 15th at 1 PM EST. This means you're now in the final sprint to complete the event. Regardless of your current progress, do your best to claim the generous rewards from Blocks Boutique.

This article will provide a clear explanation of the gameplay and reward mechanism, followed by a detailed introduction to the strategies for the final sprint.

Gameplay

Collect Blocks

During Blocks Boutique event, you can earn puzzle blocks by participating in daily main milestone events, daily tournaments, or completing Quick Wins.

Placement and Elimination

Slide and place blocks onto the puzzle board. Clearing any full row or column unlocks the ingredients needed to craft your beverage recipes.

Crafting & Upgrading

Once you collect all the ingredients needed for your drink, you can craft a finished product. The drink will be randomly added to the boutique's display window (5x5) and unlock tiered rewards, such as Monopoly Dice and Cash.

Win the Grand Prize

The grand prize in Blocks Boutique requires you to arrange items in a row and a column simultaneously within the boutique's display grid.

Rewards

Blocks Boutique uses a randomized tiered reward system, meaning the order in which each player receives items may differ across tiers. The rewards for completing all tasks are substantial, including Wild Sticker, premium sticker packs, thousands of Dice, and a large amount of cash.

Among these, Wild Stickers are the most valuable reward in this event; you can use them to redeem any rare or golden sticker you are currently missing.

If you missed Golden Blitz a few days ago, this Blocks Boutique offer is a fantastic opportunity to collect Episode Set 3 Krustyland Invasion and The Simpsons GO! Sticker Album.

Episode Set 3

Episode Set 3 Krustyland Invasion is one of the highly anticipated limited-time Episode Sticker Sets in Monopoly GO x The Simpsons collaboration, and it ends on July 15th. Blocks Boutique rewards include numerous sticker packs, including an exclusive sticker pack for Episode Set.

Collecting the entire set will also unlock a large number of Dice and highly collectible The Simpsons-themed cosmetic rewards. However, according to feedback from the player community, three Stickers in Episode Set 3 are extremely difficult to obtain:

• Girl Probes Alien
• Baby Zapper
• Vote Kodos!

To complete the set collection faster, players can combine the two activities. Completing Monopoly Go Blocks Boutique missions will unlock more sticker pack rewards, significantly increasing the chances of obtaining these rare stickers.

Sprint Strategy

Phase One

Before blindly consuming Dice, you must understand the resource consumption threshold of Blocks Boutique. Based on tests conducted in the past few days, a perfect completion requires at least 250-300 blocks.

In terms of Dice, at least 6,000-8,000 Dice are needed to reliably obtain Wild Sticker, the ultimate prize. Combining this with daily Flash Events and Quick Wins can further reduce this cost.

Phase Two

To accumulate a large number of blocks in a short time, you must strategically allocate your main milestones and daily Tournaments.

1. Tournaments

Tournaments have a level 23 rule, meaning that reaching level 23 usually rewards a large number of blocks, but once past level 23, the points required for subsequent levels increase dramatically, while the block rewards don't increase proportionally.

Therefore, after reaching level 23 of a Tournament, you can put it aside and wait for the next day's refresh before pushing for it again.

2. Banner Events

Pay attention to Banner Event grids on the board. If it's a Corner or Tax grid, adjust Dice multiplier to x10-x20; when you're only 6-8 grids away from a high-reward grid (such as a milestone node containing 300+ blocks), max out the multiplier.

Phase Three

Blocks Boutique is essentially a one-way, anti-blocking numerical logic game; blindly filling in blocks may cause you to get stuck at grid positions.

1. Hidden Mechanism

Monopoly Go has a hidden algorithm in its background. If you intentionally leave 2 to 3 scattered 1x1 spaces on the puzzle board, the system has a 75% chance of forcibly adding a 1x1 block to fill the gap when refreshing the board later.

2. Leave Empty Rows

Leave a 1x10 empty row at the bottom or right of the puzzle board. This ensures that you still have space to place blocks when the system refreshes long or large square blocks.

3. Don't Aim for a Complete Clear in One Go

Clearing the entire puzzle board doesn't offer any extra rewards. The most efficient way to complete the event is to consistently and steadily clear 1-2 rows per move, thus frequently triggering the drop of drink recipe ingredients.

Phase Four

After making the regular drinks in the first two stages, the final Showcase Grid often requires specific cross-elimination to unlock Wild Sticker.

1. Stockpile Blocks

Don't start a puzzle as soon as you have 50 blocks. It's recommended to save up around 400 blocks before attempting a puzzle all at once. This ensures you have enough blocks to handle random arrangements.

2. Lock in Wild Sticker Goals

During the penultimate refresh, use the blue or purple sticker packs from Blocks Boutique rewards to complete any missing album items. Use Wild Stickers to redeem Episode Stickers you haven't collected in Episode Set 3 yet.

Completing as many puzzles and making drinks as possible maximizes your chances of winning the grand prize. If you want to learn more about Monopoly Go's Dice acquisition strategies, follow EZG Facebook; we'll also be giving away free resources there from time to time.

We hope everyone can get the grand prize and complete their Blocks Boutique and Episode Set 3 collections before the event ends tomorrow.

The newly released R-4 Hyena for Helldivers 2 has quickly become a hot topic in the player community. This brand-new Marksman Rifle can be unlocked by participating in the latest Major Order, and many players have already begun testing its performance in actual combat after acquiring the weapon.

From practical experience, R-4 Hyena is not just a simple long-range rifle; it has very distinct characteristics: utilizing high single-shot damage and an incendiary effect to quickly eliminate high-threat targets.

EZG will provide a detailed overview of R-4 Hyena's attributes, combat performance, recommended configurations, and whether this new marksman rifle is worth adding to your Helldivers 2 gear.

Stats

R-4 Hyena's base stats are impressive. Each bullet deals 220 damage, while it boasts a 15-round magazine, moderate penetration, and an incendiary effect.

Compared to Helldivers 2 classic weapon, Diligence Counter Sniper, the latter, while also boasting a 15-round magazine and medium penetration, only deals 200 damage per shot and lacks Incandescent effect. On paper, Hyena is practically an enhanced version of Diligence Counter Sniper.

However, the biggest problem with this weapon lies in its mobility. Initially, R-4 Hyena, equipped with the default 10x scope, performs poorly, arguably being among the worst primary weapons in Helldivers 2 lineup.

While the default high-magnification scope aligns with Helldivers 2 Marksman Rifle's design, it significantly affects weapon switching and aiming speed when facing numerous moving targets.

The good news is that adjusting the equipment configuration can significantly improve Ergonomics's performance. After replacing the scope with a 4x scope, using a short magazine instead of an extended magazine, and removing some unnecessary attachments, Hyena's Ergonomics can be increased to nearly 40, resulting in a much smoother gameplay experience in Helldivers 2.

Features

Many Helldivers 2 players, upon first seeing R-4 Hyena, will naturally think of the similar weapon Coyote, but in reality, their combat styles are completely different.

Coyote is more like an assault rifle for quickly clearing out small enemies, able to suppress large groups of enemies with sustained firepower. Hyena, on the other hand, is a standard Marksman Rifle, its core value being the precise elimination of large targets.

This difference is particularly noticeable when fighting Terminids. Hyena is not suitable for facing endless hordes of small enemies alone, so you need to pair it with support gear like Guard Dog, letting the drone handle low-threat enemies, while R-4 Hyena focuses on eliminating Warriors, Bile Spewers, Chargers, and other targets.

R-4 Hyena's true strength lies in its incendiary effect. In actual combat with Helldivers 2, even if you don't precisely hit an enemy's weak point, the burning damage can still continuously weaken the target. For example, when facing Warriors, as long as you successfully hit them, even if it's not an immediate headshot, the subsequent fire damage will finish them off.

This mechanism makes Hyena more consistent compared to other high-damage Helldivers 2 Marksman Rifles. When facing Bile Spewers, Hyena usually only needs a few precise shots to eliminate the target, while against Warriors, even if the shooting position isn't optimal, the burning effect can compensate for the damage.

This means you don't need to aim for perfect headshots every time; instead, you can utilize the weapon's sustained damage advantage to eliminate enemies, complete missions, and earn generous rewards and Helldivers 2 Items.

Practical Testing

During testing, R-4 Hyena demonstrated exceptional strength. Whether facing Warriors, Bile Spewers, or larger Helldivers 2 enemies, Hyena can quickly inflict significant damage. Especially when dealing with large targets, its performance is significantly better than many traditional primary weapons.

You can use Hyena to quickly eliminate multiple high-threat units, while simultaneously using strategic equipment like Eagle Airstrike and 120mm Orbital Gatling Barrage to handle enemy groups.

While Hyena's knock back and stagger effects aren't particularly outstanding, its extremely high damage compensates for this. For Helldivers 2 players who enjoy controlling the pace of the battlefield, this weapon offers a completely different gameplay experience.

While R-4 Hyena boasts excellent damage output, it's not a flawless weapon. It only has 5 magazines, and in long missions, ammo consumption becomes very noticeable. If you're used to continuously firing to clear groups of Helldivers 2 enemies, you can easily run out of ammo.

Therefore, you'll need to equip it with Siege Ready Passive, which helps you reload ammo faster and improves R-4 Hyena's survivability in prolonged combat.

Overall, in practical use, R-4 Hyena is arguably one of the best weapons currently available in Helldivers 2 Marksman Rifle category. Compared to other high-damage rifles like R-6 Deadeye, Hyena, while slightly inferior in knock back and control, boasts higher overall damage output.

Because each shot triggers burning damage, the actual total damage dealt is far higher than the stated stats. It can quickly eliminate large enemies and also addresses the inefficiency of traditional high-damage marksman rifles against smaller targets.

Of course, this weapon isn't for everyone in Helldivers 2. If your goal is to unleash a barrage of fire through enemy lines, Coyote might be a better fit. But if you prefer precision strikes, high damage output, and want to be the team's long-range firepower core, R-4 Hyena is definitely worth trying.

R-4 Hyena has already become one of the most noteworthy new weapons in Helldivers 2. With subsequent upgrades and the opening of more battlefield environments, this Marksman Rifle may reveal even greater potential.

College Football 27 has undergone a qualitative leap in its defensive system thanks to a redesigned control scheme, smarter AI, and a more in-depth pre-game adjustment system. In this year's games, suffocating defense allows you to control the game's tempo and limit your opponent's performance more strategically and rewardingly than ever before.

The core gameplay of NCAA 27 combines pressure with flexible defense. This article will guide you through the core formations and tactics of CFB 27, helping you win more games.

1. 3-3 Double Mug

3-3 Double Mug is considered one of the most dominant defensive formations in NCAA 27, excelling at creating pressure while maintaining flexibility. The key tactic of this formation is the middle drive, however, the approach varies depending on the player.

Against New Players

You can actively use the default middle drive tactic. Control the player guarding the running back, hover the mouse over an open space, and quickly drive in at the start of the game. This creates a numerical advantage in the backcourt, making it difficult for inexperienced players to anticipate.

Against Average Players

Use a Cover 2 shell (right-side linebacker), hover the mouse over the center, and position the defensive end on the hard flank. After the kickoff, quickly switch to a safety marking the running back. This creates an open pass rush opportunity while maintaining close-range defense.

Against Elite Players

Disguise the blitz with a Cover 3 shell. Place both cornerbacks in the deep, the safety in the inside third, and the slot cornerback on the hard flank. This looks like man-to-man, but it's actually a zone defense. Opponents often throw lines that break through man-to-man defense, such as crossovers or drag runs, which will directly penetrate the zone.

2. 3-3-5 Penny

3-3-5 Penny defense is widely considered the best all-around defensive formation in CFB 27 because it is flexible and effective at handling runs and passes. This formation allows you to maintain a pass rush while having defenders drop back into their defensive zones. The key tactic is Mike Blitz Zero.

This defensive strategy is excellent for confusing opponents, making it difficult for them to predict your next move. Here's how it works:

Have a defensive end play a curl flat. At the start of the kickoff, use the directional keys to switch to that defensive player. This activates the linebacker as a pass rusher, allowing a player to gain space on the flanks, while the zone defense effectively covers the near end zone.

If facing a strong opponent, place the outside cornerback in the outside third, a safety in the inside third, and the slot cornerback in a curl flat to prevent long passes down the middle.

3. 4-3-6-1 Balanced Formation

This is the most balanced defensive formation in College Football 27, equally effective at stopping runs and passes. The key play is Will Blitz.

Stopping Runs

Use a cover 4 quarters formation, slightly lower. Six defensive linemen and safety all participate in running defense, making this the best run-defense formation in the game. While it doesn't guarantee a sack every time, it forces the offense to advance methodically.

Blocking Passes

Use two outside linebackers in a curl flats formation. Maintain pressure while actively defending passing lanes. The purple zone is very good at defending corner routes, which are common long-pass threats.

4. Nickel 2-4 Single Mug

This formation is specifically designed to create chaos using defensive line maneuvers. The key tactic is Cover 4 Quarters.

First, you need to circle around the center, stretching the defensive line, and then use maneuvers. This will create congestion in the middle and apply continuous pressure.

However, because this is a man-marking formation, its weakness is short passing lanes. Therefore, you need to have the weak-side defensive end hard-mark near the sideline to cover these lanes and ensure all defenders are in front of you.

5. 3-3-5 Mint

3-3-5 Mint is an underrated and highly deceptive defensive formation in NCAA 27, with the key tactic being Cover 3 Sky.

First, all linebackers are positioned in a rushing stance. They circle near open spaces and then initiate the rush. Almost every time, a free-rusher will initiate the run from the flank. Then, the defensive zone is set at 10 yards to prevent lateral runs and induce cornerback runs, while the rush forces the opponent to make quick decisions.

If facing a strong opponent, a Cover 2 shell can be used, with the weak-side safety guard in the deep half-court and the outside cornerback in the cloud flat. This creates a three-guard could shell - two guards on one side and three guards on the other. The rush can still apply pressure once the gaps and flanks are covered.

Winning a match requires not only sophisticated formations and tactics, but also players who can coordinate effectively. High-rated defensive players tend to perform better, such as Leonard Moore, Colin Simmons, and KJ Bolden.

If you're currently lacking suitable players, you can buy College Football 27 Coins from EZG.com for trade. We will deliver coins to you as quickly as possible, helping you get your desired players sooner.

This concludes our article on CFB 27 defensive formations and strategies. Sometimes, focusing all your energy on offense isn't the right approach. We need to solidify our defense before launching an attack. Mastering these methods will undoubtedly help you improve your game.