Pre k seasons: Activities for Exploring the Four Seasons

How to Explain Seasons to Preschool Children

With the change in weather this spring comes the perfect opportunity to teach your preschool children about the seasons we experience throughout the year. Why do the leaves change color in the fall? Why is there so much rainfall in the spring? If you’re trying to explain the reason for the season to your little ones, here is what you need to know.

The Earth has a tilt.

The Earth sits on a slight tilt of about 23.5 degrees. Because of this tilt, different areas of the world are hit with more (or less) sunlight and warmth than others throughout the year. These changes in weather are broken up into four seasons: summer, fall, winter and spring.

Summer

Summer lasts from late June to late September, and brings long, hot days along with it. Warm, dry temperatures occur during these three months, which can often lead to droughts in areas where water is in short supply. It’s especially important to help your loved ones stay hydrated and healthy through this sultry season by drinking plenty of water and wearing sunscreen when outdoors.

Fall

Late September, October, and November (and the beginning of December) are the three months of fall, which is sometimes called autumn. During the fall, the weather begins to cool off, leaves start to turn a golden hue, and preschool children across the nation head back to school. The excitement of choosing Halloween costumes and planning spectacular Thanksgiving feasts occur throughout these months. With such cool temperatures, there is no better season to take a walk through the park with the ones you cherish. 

Winter

Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and Valentine’s Day all fall within the winter season. From mid-December to mid-March, temperatures drop to an icy low. Northern states typically experience snow, some even encountering a blizzard or two. Just remember—dry, cold air can have negative effects on any plant life in your lawn. To protect your plants from frost, try covering them with a plastic sheet overnight. This should provide your crops with a bit of warmth while acting as a barrier from the frigid winter air.

Spring

Finally, spring lasts from late March until mid-June and brings many positive changes to the environment with it. Flowers are in full bloom, the days last longer, trees are bursting with new leaves, and rainfall is much more frequent.

Winter, spring, summer, or fall, you can celebrate the seasons year-round by teaching your preschool children about the changing temperatures, weather patterns, and other distinguishing characteristics such as holidays and seasonal activities. Get started today by heading outdoors to enjoy some springtime sunshine.

did you know…

…That the solstices mark the end of one season and the beginning of another? That’s right! The Winter Solstice historically has marked the end of fall and the beginning of winter! It also marks the shortest number of daylight hours during the year because half the Earth is tilted away from the sun! Read more about the Winter Solstice here on National Geographic Kids!

If you enjoyed this blog and want to read more, click below for our blog from last month!

Preschoolers and Vocabulary

KIDS ‘R’ KIDS SIENNA PLANTATION PRESCHOOL PROGRAM

Kids ‘R’ Kids understands exactly how energetic and curious your preschooler is. We also know what activities are best at keeping your growing child busy and engaged while learning about important topics like the weather and seasons! Our fully accredited, accelerated Preschool Program allows for your preschooler to learn and grow at their own, rapid paces!

Want to learn more about Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academy of Sienna Plantation located in Missouri City, Texas? Our mission is to provide secure, nurturing, and educational environments for children ages 6 weeks – 12 years. We help children to bloom into responsible, considerate, and contributing members of society. For more information, give us a call or stop by for a tour! We’d love to get to know you and your family.

Seasons Alphabet Activities using Letter Cards (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer)

Get your students excited about learning with these seasonal alphabet activities using letter cards! So many great ideas for fall, winter, spring, & summer. They are the perfect size for preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten learners to practice letter recognition, letter sounds, spelling, and reading skills. Keep reading to get over 15 ideas for seasonal activities for your classroom!

Hands-on alphabet games are so beneficial for little learners. The cards offer something for the students to manipulate and hold in their hands. They are small in size, so students can grasp them properly and move them around to make words or put them in alphabetical order. Another reason hands-on alphabet games are great is that they allow the children to move while learning. This triggers multiple areas in their brain and may increase their mastery. These alphabet activities using letter cards are engaging with their bright colors and cute images; another reason your preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten students will love them!

Grab the seasons’ letter cards here, or pick up the WHOLE bundle for over 60 letter card themes!

This post contains affiliate links which means I earn a tiny commission when you use my links at no cost to you.

Fall Alphabet Activities Using Letter Cards

Apple Letters! Use the included Say It, Make It mats, so students practice letter identification and letter formation. Students can build the letters with mini erasers, pom poms, beads, jewels, or any other small manipulatives you have in your room. I placed my letter cards in a sensory bin with oatmeal, and students will grab the cards and place them on the mat. Then they will build the letter after they say it. 

Alphabet Paint! Preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten students will love painting letters. They will pick a letter card, then use a q-tip dipped in paint to trace it on the worksheet. Use colors that match the letter cards you are using to make it even more seasonal or themed. 

Alphabet Sensory Bag! Make an alphabet sensory bag for students to practice writing their letters on. I love how to leaf-themed bag turned out with orange hair gel, gold glitter, and leaf confetti. Be sure to tape the top closed! Students will pick a letter card, then write the letter in the gel. 

*Tip: I have my students use a pom pom to write the letter since it is soft and won’t tear the bag.  

Check out this post on how to make an alphabet sensory bag here. 

Alphabet Spin & Write! These spin & write worksheets are included in the letter card resource. There are ones for each theme! To play, students will draw a letter card. Then they will spin the spinner to see what kind of writing utensil they are going to use. You can make a spinner with a pencil and a paperclip, or you can use these clear spinner covers. Then students will use that utensil to write the letter they drew. I placed my letter cards in a sensory bin to make it even more fun and engaging. This fall-themed bin is filled with dyed chickpeas and mini erasers. Check out this post for directions to dye chickpeas. 

Read, Build, Write Mats! Students will draw a card and say it. Then build it with playdough, and lastly, write it. Slide the mats into wipe and write pockets to make them perfect for dry erase markers. Little learners could also build the letter with pom poms, mini erasers, jewels, beads, or buttons. To make this sensory bin, I used dried green lentils and dried beans. 

Winter Alphabet Activities Using Letter Cards

Snowflake Letters! Students will love this snowflake-themed letter activity. They will pick a letter card, then find it on the paper and trace it with their marker. I put the cards in a fun sensory bin made with dyed chickpeas. Click here to see how to dye chickpeas!

Penguin Letters! These cute penguin letter cards will get your little learners excited to learn! Students will pick a card, then write the letter in the sensory bag, and lastly, they will find it on the worksheet and trace it with a marker. This sensory bag has hair gel, glitter, and mini pom poms in it. Click here to see how to make a sensory bag. 

Stamp the Letters! These mitten letter cards are so cute; students will have so much fun stamping the letters as they find them. 

Gumdrop Letters! Students will be engaged with these Say It, Make It mats with a gingerbread twist! I printed the mats on brown paper. Then laid the gingerbread letter cards on a cookie sheet. Students will use a spatula to scoop up a letter and place it in the say it space. They will say the letter, then build it using small manipulatives. I used gumdrops, but pom poms, beads, mini erasers, or small plastic cookies would work great!

Spring Alphabet Activities Using Letter Cards

Flower Power Letters! Little learners will say the letters and then build them. For this spring-themed activity, I used a bowl of sand, and the students built the letter with seeds. All this fine motor work will build those hand muscles and get your students ready for writing!

Write the Room! Preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten students will love this alphabet activity using letter cards that gets them up moving around the room. Before play, place the letter cards around the room. To play, students will walk around the room with a clipboard, worksheet, and writing utensil. As they find the letter cards, they will write each letter in the squares.  

Rainbow Letters! Engage students with bright colors in the rainbow sensory bin! Check out the post to dye rice to make this bin! Students will draw a letter card, read it, build it, and write it. Slide the mats into wipe and write pockets to make them more durable and perfect for dry erase markers. Students can build the letter with play dough, pom poms, beads, mini erasers, cotton balls, or other small manipulatives you have in your room. 

Bird Letters! To play, I placed the bird letter cards in a pocket chart, and students will pick a card. Then they will trace it on the worksheet. Students can practice putting the cards in alphabetical order or just identifying the letter. 

Summer Alphabet Activities Using Letter Cards

Watermelon Letters! Little learners will love writing their letters in this watermelon sensory box. Check out this post for directions to dye rice. I added in a few black beans to represent the seeds. Students will pick a letter card, then write it in the sensory box, and lastly, they will trace it on the worksheet. 

Beachball Letters! Preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten students will paint the letters using q-tips after they pick a letter card. 

Sunny Letter Stamp! Little learners will draw a letter card, then stamp it on their worksheet. Grab the lowercase letter stamps here and the uppercase stamps here. 

Spin & Write Fish Letters! Students will grab a letter out of the sensory bin, spin to find their writing utensil, and write their letter on the worksheet. You can make your own spinners with a paperclip and a pencil or use these clear spinner covers. 

I hope you can use one or more of these ideas to have fun this season! Learning letters doesn’t have to be boring, and your students will love these engaging activities! Check out my other posts about alphabet activities with letter cards to get even more ideas for your literacy time! 

Grab the seasons letter cards here!

Want all 65 letter cards? Get the letter cards bundle here!

Check out this post about Holiday Letter Activities!

Find more ideas for how to use letter cards for tons of themes!

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Provisional calendars for Summer Grand Prix and 2023/2024 season

During Saturday’s meeting of the FIS Ski Jumping Subcommittee on calendar planning, the proposed schedules for the Summer Grand Prix and World Cup 2023/2024 were published. The competition programs are yet to be approved at the meeting of the FIS Ski Jumping Commission, scheduled for May 5th.

Men’s Summer Grand Prix 2023:

The 2023 Summer Grand Prix provisional calendar can be divided into two halves. The first, at the turn of July and August, will consist of six individual competitions, which will be held over ten days on ski jumps in Hinterzarten (July 28-29), Courchevel (August 1-2) and Poland (August 5-6).

The organizer of the summer Polish Grand Prix weekend is unknown at the moment. The main candidate is Wisla, but if the ski jumps named after Adam Malysz are sent for reconstruction, the competition will be moved to Zakopane.

After a month and a half break, the divers will return to the Summer Grand Prix for three final weekends – in Ryshnov (September 23-24), Hinzenbach (September 30-October 1) and Klingenthal (October 7-8). Like last year, the plans for the German final of the cycle include mixed team competitions.

Men’s World Cup 2023/2024:

As part of the proposed calendar of the Men’s World Cup, 36 competitions are planned – 30 individual, 3 team and 3 duet. Unlike previous years, there are no mixed competitions on the schedule.

The opening of the World Cup will take place November 25-26 in Ruka, Finland. Then the athletes start in Klingenthal (December 9-10) and Engelberg (December 16-17). Later, the athletes will take part in the 72nd 4-Hills-Tournament (December 29 – January 6).

The next stop on the World Cup calendar will be the Polish tournament. Competitions should start in Wisla (January 13-14) in doubles and individual events. Then he makes his debut in the fight for the Crystal Globe in Szczyrk (January 17). The final of the tournament is scheduled in Zakopane (January 20-21). Team and individual competitions will be held on Wielka Krokiew.

A week after the Polish tournament, the main event of the 2023/2024 season will take place – the World Ski Flight Championship, which will be held in Bad Mitterndorf, Austria. On January 26-27, four-episode individual competitions will take place, and on January 28 – team competitions.

In February the jumpers will go on a big trip. It all kicks off with a weekend in Willingen, Germany (February 3-4), from where participants will travel to the US to compete in three Lake Placid competitions (February 10-11) – two individual and one duet competition. From the US, the cup caravan will depart for Sapporo (February 17-18) and return from Japan to Germany for skiing flights to Oberstdorf (February 23-25). There are scheduled duets and two individual competitions.

March will start with team and individual competitions in Lahti (March 2-3). This will be followed by the Raw Air tournament on ski jumps in Oslo (March 9-10), Trondheim (March 12-14) and Vikershun (March 16-17). The season finale will traditionally be held in Planica (March 22-24) in the format of two individual competitions and one team competition.

2023 Women’s Summer Grand Prix:

The Women’s Summer Grand Prix calendar is exactly the same as the Men’s Grand Prix.

Women’s World Cup 2023/2024

Women’s World Cup 2023/24 starts on the first weekend of December in Lillehammer. The flights in Vikershun, which consist of two competitions, will complete the battle for the Crystal Globe and the Cup of Nations.

One of the ideas discussed at the FIS meeting in April was to give World Cup status to women’s ski flying competitions.
– There was a proposal that women’s ski flying should be given the status of a World Cup event, says Sandro Pertile, director of the men’s World Cup.

– The top fifteen jumpers in the overall World Cup standings will be entered, with up to five extra places being used as wildcards. Specific rules will be published in October, and the top 15 will be open to outstanding athletes outside of this group who have performed well on large hills, such as Willingen, the Italian official continues.

In the meantime, the Verdens Gang reports that more and more organizers are joining Vikersund who would like to host ski jumpers as part of ski jump flights. There is talk of applications from Oberstdorf and Planica. Germany, whose facility is slightly safer than the Flyer, has a much better chance.

Provisional calendars:

Keywords women’s skiing, women’s world cup, FIS meeting, competition calendar, world cup 2023/2024 , Summer Grand Prix 2023 ski jumping , Ski Jumping

Season 26 | Fall of the Nephalem

Diablo III

Blizzard Entertainment April 4, 2022

0089 – Shortly after the release of the Diablo III update. Read this article to learn more about the season theme and balance changes in update 2.7.3. The release of the update is expected on April 12.

Content

• Season theme
• Decorative season awards
• Season Camping Rewards
• Conquest of the season
• Gifts of Hedrig
• Description of the update
  • Seasons
  • Greater Portal Changes
  • Items
  • Corrections made

The theme of the new season

The souls of the heroes defeated in the endless struggle against the forces of evil cry for help! Sensitive Nephalem will be able to listen to the petrified cries of the dead and tune in to the last moments of the agony of the dead. Will these Nephalem be able to heed the whispers of redemption for fallen heroes and survive the Echoing Nightmares? Or will they forever be trapped among the fallen nephalem? Only time will tell…

The Second Nightmare will be added to the game in Season 26. This is the first theme of the season and represents a new aspect of the game. In the Second Nightmare, players will participate in a tense, fast-paced and increasingly difficult event in which the main goal is to survive in battle for as long as possible. We were inspired to create it by Orek’s warning: “Many Nephalem have come here before you, but few have made it through the trials.” In the Second Nightmare, you can find out what happened to the failed Nephalem.

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Seasonal Decoration Rewards

Beginning with Season 17, we’re giving players the chance to unlock rewards they might have missed before. Season 26 will unlock the rewards originally available in Season 14. In addition to the boots and leg armor of the exclusive Conqueror Set, you’ll also find a set of Tal Rashi themed portrait frames. Nephalem who wish to embody the spirit of justice will be welcomed with a flag in the style of our beloved archangel. Remember: justice is beyond jurisdiction!

We also understand that the participants of previous seasons also want something new. As a reward for completing the Season Journey (these rewards were first introduced in Season 17), players will still be able to receive two decorative items, as before. Complete the Fall of the Nephalem challenges and complete Season 26’s Season Journey Guardian missions to earn Portrait Rakkis’ Memory and Pet Toothy Warrior .

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Season Journey Rewards

If you’ve been active in past seasons and completed all of the Conqueror’s objectives each time, you should probably have enough extra stash tabs. Those who have not yet unlocked all five tabs by participating in the Season Journey will be able to unlock a new tab by completing the following Conqueror Challenges.

• Clear a portal with level 70 on Torment XIII difficulty in less than 5 minutes.
• Complete a level 60 Greater Rift solo.
• Kill Greed on Torment XIII difficulty.
• Kill the Butcher with level 70 on Torment XIII difficulty in less than 30 seconds.
• Reforge a legendary or set item.
• Encrust an ancient legendary item with a level 50 or higher legendary quality gem.
• Upgrade 3 legendary gems to at least level 55.
• Get two conquests.

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Seasonal Conquests

Speaking of conquests, it should be noted that their list will also change. The “Season of Greed” is again preparing for us the conquests “Avarice” and “Avarice” . Every gold coin counts! Conquests Speed ​​Demon and Need for Speed ​​ require you to complete the Nephalem Rifts with a breeze. Conquest Edged Day and I Can’t Stop will be awarded to players who upgrade Legendary Gems to a high level. Finally, solo players will be able to obtain Divinity and Lionheart by reaching high level Great Rifts on their own, while Years of War and Dynasty will be awarded to players with at least six classes of heroes. .

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Hedrig’s Gift

As before, you will be able to get a new beautiful set of items from Hedrig’s Gifts by completing chapters of the Seasonal Journey. For those who have not participated in the seasons before, below are the conditions for obtaining and a list of all available kits.

Successful completion of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th chapters of the Seasonal Journey will give you a total of three Hedrig’s Gifts. Each gift contains several class-specific set items. Players will be limited to one set each season on Heroic and Normal difficulty, so use your gifts wisely!

The items you receive from the set depend on the class of the character who opened the gifts. To collect a complete set of items for a particular class, one hero must open gifts.

Below is a list of sets that can be obtained in Season 26 using Hedrig’s gifts.

• Barbarian – Legacy Rekor
• Crusader – Armor of Akkan
• Demon Hunter – “Incarnation of the Marauder”
• Monk – Inna’s Hall
• Necromancer – Shroud of the Lord of Pestilence
• Sorcerer – “Ghost of Zunimassa”
• Wizard – Delsir’s Masterpiece

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Patch Description

The following is a list of upcoming changes in Update 2.7.3 for Diablo III.

Contents

• Seasons
• Greater Portal Updates
• Items
• Corrections and other changes

Note: changes will affect all versions of Diablo III – PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC – except where noted.

Seasons

Season 26 will see the addition of The Recurring Nightmare is an optional challenge for max-level characters that can be rewarded, and players will have to fight through the memories of the Nephalem who fell in the great portals. Nephalem from the present will have to fight the monsters until they are overtaken by death or Enemies will not prevail . To enter the Echoing Nightmare, the Nephalem must obtain Petrified Shout as loot from the Greater Rift Guardian. Transforming the Petrified Shout with Kanai’s Cube creates a portal that players can enter to battle the horrors of the Nephalem’s past.

Season Theme Details

• Petrified Screams and Recurring Nightmare are only available for Season characters.
• In multiplayer, a single petrified scream can be used to open a portal to the Echoing Nightmare.
• As in the case of the boss battle, all participants in the multiplayer game must accept the offer to enter the Second Nightmare.
• The difficulty of the Recurring Nightmare increases as the event progresses. The faster players kill monsters, the faster they will complete the Second Nightmare.
• Players can receive the following rewards for completing the Second Nightmare: XP, Legendary Items, Blood Shards, Gems, and the new Whisper of Redemption Legendary Gem .
• Whisper of Redemption is a Legendary Gem designed exclusively for enhancing Ancient Legendary Items. Its level when obtained depends on the player’s performance in the Second Nightmare.
• Rare monsters now spawn in the Second Nightmare.
• Meteorites are now falling from the sky.
• Infernal fakes now spawn, summoning large numbers of explosive lunatics.
• Portal Guardians now spawn.
• Increased the spawn rate of monsters.
• Dark Reflection Burst now better matches the area of ​​effect.
• Time to exit increased to 60 sec.
• Whisper of Atonement max level increased to 125 based on progress.
• Monsters in Recurring Nightmares can no longer be frozen, stunned, immobilized, or knocked back.
• Fixed an issue that caused shrine guides to deal too little damage.

New Changes (After the end of PTR testing)

• Monsters in Recurring Nightmares can no longer drop gold, items, or health orbs.
• Damage from Explosive Lunatics and Meteorites is now even more of a threat.
• Fallen Lunatics and Meteorite’s Molten modifier now deals physical damage.
• Adjusted the difficulty of levels 100+.
• Pillar of Defense replaced with Pillar of Speed.
• The amount of experience for passing the Second Nightmare now corresponds to the rewards for passing the great portal.
• The amount of time before the Recurring Nightmare ends has been reduced to 30 seconds.
• The Portal to the Echoing Nightmare can no longer be opened in games below level 70.
• Explosive Madmen and Meteors now deal physical damage.
• Adjusted the chance of receiving Petrified Shouts from defeating Greater Rift Guardians.

Go to Patch Notes

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Greater Rift Changes

We’ve decided to improve Greater Rifts with gameplay improvements, balance changes, and feedback from the community. We’ve evaluated all of the cards and monsters in the Greater Rifts and adjusted their spawn chances so that players can spend more time playing the content they enjoy. You no longer have to wander so much through the tangled, like spaghetti, caves!

Dream of Orek: Greater portal has a small chance to become Dream of Orek. These fairy portals use a specific list of cards and monster types.

• Added 3 cards to the map list for Greater Rifts and removed 2.
  • Added: Blighted Fields, Endless Sands, and Briarthorn Graveyard.
  • Removed: Caldean Drains and Aqueduct Subsoil.
• Adjusted the chance of cards appearing in Greater Rifts.
• The probability of monster groups spawning in the Greater Rifts has been adjusted.
• Defeating the following monsters now grants more experience and progress in Greater Rifts:
  • flaming guards;
  • smoldering creatures;
  • ice guard;
  • doomguard;
  • charged guard;
  • Blood spearman;
  • Black Moon spearman;
  • Moon clan spearman;
  • Spear Thrower from the Blood clan;
  • Ice clan spearman;
  • hellish witch;
  • vicious temptress.
• Players can speak to Orek to close an active Greater Rift. This feature is only available in single player.
• Defeating certain monsters now grants even more progress in Greater Rifts.
• Defeating Fallen Shamans, Fallen Creators, Fallen Prophets, and Fallen Fire Mages also grants more progress.
• Updated visual effects when entering Son Oreka.
• Orek’s Sleep vignettes are now more visible.

Items Growth Dash applies the effects of all runes at the same time and deals 1000% more damage . For every 1% of the hero’s health missing, Spear of the Ancients’ damage is increased by 2%.

• Legacy of Rekor (six-piece bonus): hits with Furious Dash and Weapon Throw increase the damage of your next Spear of the Ancients by 5500% and fire multiple spears near the target. The effect is cumulative. Each spear throw consumes up to 5 stacks of this effect.
• Law of Arreat: Damage dealt by Throw Weapon and Spear of the Ancients is increased by 150-200%.
  • Throw Weapon skill replenishes 25 50 units rage depending on the distance to the affected enemy. The amount of rage generated can be up to 200 more.
  • Spear of the Ancients skill returns up to 25 50 pts. rage depending on the distance to the enemy, while the rage limit returns to the base maximum value.
• 300th Spear: Weapon Throw and Spear of the Ancients damage is increased by 150-200%. The attack speed of the Throw Weapon skill is increased by 200%.
• Scular’s Salvation: Spear of the Ancients deals 150-200% more damage. If Spear of the Ancients with the Boulder Toss rune hits up to 5 enemies, its damage is increased by 100%.

Developer Comment: We’ve made additional buffs to Throw Weapon to expand the range of development options with the Rekor Legacy rework. We’ve also updated the Law of Arreat to allow players to generate even more Fury.

Developer Comment: We’ve reworked Legacy Rekor to make this set more unique. We felt that the Barbarian’s ranged attacks would naturally complement dashes with the Legacy Rekor set.

Crusader

• Summoner’s Thorns: Increases the attack speed of Punish and Slash by 100%. These skills deal damage equal to 67,500% of Thorns Effect.
• Norvald’s Zeal: while under the effect of Steed and for 5 sec. after it ends, the crusader’s damage is increased by 200%.

Developer Comment: Norvald’s Zeal proved too effective when paired with various sets. We decided to nerf it, but to compensate, we made the Summoner’s Thorns set more useful.

Monk

• All Mystery allies summoned by the 6-item bonus from Inna’s Mantra now refresh their duration on each attack.
• Fiery Ally Mysterious Ally: Smaller allies can now pass through enemies.
• Earthen Ally Mysterious Ally:
  • The Earth Ally stone’s movement speed has been increased. Stones always return to the player regardless of the number of monsters on the screen.
  • Weaken Projectiles no longer slows Earth Ally gems.

Developer Comment: We’ve made improvements to Mysterious Ally to make this skill more usable.

• Staples of Lesser Gods: enemies hit by Storm Strike for 5 sec. take 150-200% more damage from the Monk’s Mysterious Ally.

Developer Comment: We’re happy with the Monk gameplay with the Inna’s Mantra set, but the fire-based progression was too powerful. Lesser God Bonds no longer provide a bonus to Fiery Ally.

Back to update content

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Bug Fixes

• Players can no longer change difficulty while the Recurring Nightmare is active.