Latest news with #TheBlade
Time of India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Dune Awakening Swordmaster guide- Builds, best abilities, tips, tricks, and more
(Image via Funcom) The Swordmaster class in Dune: Awakening is the melee powerhouse. He excels in close-quarters combat with deadly precision. The Swordmaster can turn players into a whirlwind of precision steel. It is perfect for those who thrive in battle's heart and prefer resilient survivability or aggressive dueling. The guide here covers the best Swordmaster builds, essential abilities, and some tips and tricks to dominate Arrakis sands and become an unstoppable force. Dune Awakening Swordmaster optimal build Balanced Swordmaster will thrive on the mix of defense and offense. For raw aggression, give priority to The Blade tree for the raw damage. Boost Long Blade Damage (15% boost at the max rank) and Blade Damage for maximized strikes. Then unlock the Dance of Blades (50% damage can increase after the kills) for chaining the skills into the carnage. Pair it with Foil to have extra survivability during the duels. Foil is the parry counter, which has the enemy damage for 10 seconds. It's essential for the duels. Tip: Pair raw aggression with The Will for better survivability. INSANE SWORDMASTER TROOPER BUILD GUIDE - Dune Awakening If endurance is important, blend The Way and The Will. Deflection, the dart-blocking stance, can block the ranged threats, while the Reckless Lunge (post-lunge 50% damage reduction) helps cut the incoming damage. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like New York: Gov Will Cover Your Cost To Install Solar If You Live In These Zips SunValue Learn More Undo Additionally, sustain with the Disciplined Breathing and Field Medicine. You will outlast the foes via attrition. Equip Adept Rapier, the high single-target damage, or the Kaleff's Drinker (faster strikes) for the melee. Keep Karpov 38 as the ranged backdrop. For armors, Hollower Stillsuit will offer hydration management and solid protection without any mobility penalties. Best abilities for Swordmaster in Dune Awakening Knee Charge is the fight opener. It can close gaps and stagger the enemies—325 damage and 10s cooldown for free hits at max level. It can be used defensively and aggressively. Retaliate, on the other hand, punishes the attackers with bleed stacks and auto-parries. It's ideal for trading blows. Dune: Awakening — Schools of the Imperium | The Swordmaster Crippling Strike can cripple mobility and drain the enemies' stamina for crowd control. Against the groups. Eye of the Storm against groups unleashes devastating AoE spins (at max rank, yields 140 damage). Ensure to keep Inspiration (35% melee buff teamwide for 23s duration) ready. The teamwide damage of Inspiration can damage buffs and can turn the raids into routs. Some passives like Prescient Strike can double the hits after abilities. Thrive on Danger, on the other hand, offers bonus healing at a low HP. It further enhances Swordmaster's endurance and lethality. Dune Awakening tips and tricks for Swordmaster build and combat Parry timing is an important key. Master Foil and Deflection to punish the enemy attacks. Watch for the telegraphed strikes. Stamina management is necessary. Use Optimized Hydration (25% extra stamina) and Disciplined Breathing (20% faster regen) to stay mobile. Use Desert Conditioning for reduced dehydration penalties and choose General Conditioning to expand the pool. Do not exhaust. Disengage with the dashes if you feel overwhelmed. Kite using Knee Charge. Bait the enemies and then dash in for the stagger. Then, follow up Eye of the Storm for a burst damage. Medkits will be lifesavers. Field Medicine offering 20% extra healing ensures stability within prolonged fights. Master timing blocks to ensure triggering Retaliate. It's not just for button-mashing. Use it against the ranged foes. Use cover for close distance and then knee charge into the melee range. Essential weapons and Armor for Swordmaster For the weapons, Adept Rapier, the Long Blade excels within reach and damage. Pack the Karpov 38 pistols for distant threats. Make sure to switch when the enemies start to kite you. For armor, choose a Hollower Stillsuit. It is non-negotiable. Its lightweight balances mobility and defense while hydrating players in the middle of the fight. Farm the schematics at the Dewgap Gateway. Survive on Arrakis sands mastering Swordmaster Always carry the medkits apart from the sidearm like Karpov 38. Field Medicine can boost healing by 20%. Also, use the Optimized Hydration to stretch the water further. Swordmaster stamina can win duels with ease. Engage with 1 enemy at a time. Swordmaster can definitely shred the solo targets, but the class struggles with the mobs. So, lure stragglers with a pistol. Then, eliminate them in the melee. Note: For the early-game gear, the Scavenger Set is a viable alternative till you can unlock Hollower Stillsuit. Swordmaster rewards aggression and precision. Build the class as per your playstyle—relentless survivor or glass cannon. Leverage parries and use Inspiration for amplified team damage. But do not neglect positioning or stamina. With some simple tactics and the right build, you will carve legends into the Arrakis' dunes like a true Ginaz warrior. Once you do, claim victories with ease onto the sands.
CBS News
27-04-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Officials to test water from Ohio village near Cold War-era weapons plant after newspaper probe
Authorities in Ohio plan to test the groundwater supply across a village near a former weapons plant after a newspaper investigation published Friday found high levels of radioactivity in samples taken at a school, athletic field, library and other sites. The Army Corps of Engineers has been removing tons of contaminated soil from the Cold War-era site since 2018 and has long maintained that residential areas were not affected by the work. However, The Blade in Toledo said its tests showed radioactivity levels 10 times higher than normal in water from a drinking fountain at Eastwood Middle School, 45 times higher than normal at the Luckey Library and 1,731 times higher than normal at a water pump near athletic fields. "We've got to get to the bottom of this," said Lt. Col. Robert Burnham, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Buffalo District, which oversees the cleanup. Nineteen of the 39 samples collected by the newspaper from well water across Luckey — at homes, businesses, and public places — showed radioactivity at least 10 times greater than what the federal government calls normal for the area, the newspaper said. The Blade hired an accredited private lab to conduct the testing. The radioactivity detected was primarily bismuth-214, which decays from the radioactive gas radon-222. Experts agree that high levels of bismuth-214 suggest high radon levels are also present. Radon exposure is the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. The testing also found low levels of radioactive cobalt-60, a man-made isotope, in two wells. Experts called that finding extremely rare. Taehyun Roh, a Texas A&M University scientist who specializes in environmental exposures, said regulators should also conduct air and soil testing to assess the extent of the contamination and identify the source. "Since this area likely has high radon levels, testing for radon in both air and water is advisable," he wrote in an email. "A safe drinking water advisory should be issued, recommending the use of bottled water until further assessments and mitigation measures are in place." The Corps of Engineers has long maintained that residential drinking water was not being contaminated by the removal work. Burnham and others said they still believe that to be true, citing thousands of their own soil samples. The state Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Health will lead the testing. In an email, Ohio EPA spokesperson Katie Boyer told the newspaper the contaminant levels in the public drinking water are still "within acceptable drinking water standards." She said any concerns raised by the state testing would be addressed. The 44-acre industrial site — 22 miles (35 kilometers) south of Toledo — was long crucial to America's nuclear weapons program. In the 1940s, farmland was replaced by a sprawling defense plant that produced magnesium metal for the Manhattan Project. In the 1950s, the plant became the government's sole source of beryllium metal for nuclear bombs, Cold War missiles and Space Race products, including a heat shield for Project Mercury. "Things that happened generations ago are still affecting us," said Karina Hahn-Claydon, a 50-year-old teacher whose family lives less than a mile from the site. "And that's because the government didn't take care of it." Private drinking wells, unlike municipal systems, are not regulated, and responsibility for testing is left to owners. The Blade's testing took place from April 2024 through January. Radioactivity has been linked to an increased risk of various cancers, including blood and thyroid cancers.
The Independent
25-04-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Officials to test water from Ohio village near Cold War-era weapons plant after newspaper probe
Authorities in Ohio plan to test the groundwater supply across a village near a former weapons plant after a newspaper investigation published Friday found high levels of radioactivity in samples taken at a school, athletic field, library and other sites. The Army Corps of Engineers has been removing tons of contaminated soil from the Cold War-era site since 2018 and has long maintained that residential areas were not affected by the work. However, The Blade in Toledo said its tests showed radioactivity levels 10 times higher than normal in water from a drinking fountain at Eastwood Middle School, 45 times higher than normal at the Luckey Library and 1,731 times higher than normal at a water pump near athletic fields. 'We've got to get to the bottom of this,' said Lt. Col. Robert Burnham, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Buffalo District, which oversees the cleanup. Nineteen of the 39 samples collected by the newspaper from well water across Luckey — at homes, businesses, and public places — showed radioactivity at least 10 times greater than what the federal government calls normal for the area, the newspaper said. The Blade hired an accredited private lab to conduct the testing. The radioactivity detected was primarily bismuth-214, which decays from the radioactive gas radon-222. Experts agree that high levels of bismuth-214 suggest high levels of radon are also present. Radon exposure is the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. The testing also found low levels of radioactive cobalt-60, a man-made isotope, in two wells. Experts called that finding extremely rare. Taehyun Roh, a Texas A&M University scientist who specializes in environmental exposures, said regulators should also conduct air and soil testing to assess the extent of the contamination and identify the source. "Since this area likely has high radon levels, testing for radon in both air and water is advisable,' he wrote in an email. 'A safe drinking water advisory should be issued, recommending the use of bottled water until further assessments and mitigation measures are in place.' The Corps of Engineers has long maintained that residential drinking water was not being contaminated by the removal work. Burnham and others said they still believe that to be true, citing thousands of their own soil samples. The state Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Health will lead the testing. In an email, Ohio EPA spokesperson Katie Boyer told the newspaper the contaminant levels in the public drinking water are still 'within acceptable drinking water standards.' She said any concerns raised by the state testing would be addressed. The 44-acre industrial site — 22 miles (35 kilometers) south of Toledo — was long crucial to America's nuclear weapons program. In the 1940s, farmland was replaced by a sprawling defense plant that produced magnesium metal for the Manhattan Project. In the 1950s, the plant became the government's sole source of beryllium metal for nuclear bombs, Cold War missiles and Space Race products, including a heat shield for Project Mercury. 'Things that happened generations ago are still affecting us,' said Karina Hahn-Claydon, a 50-year-old teacher whose family lives less than a mile from the site. 'And that's because the government didn't take care of it.' Private drinking wells, unlike municipal systems, are not regulated, and responsibility for testing is left to owners. The Blade's testing took place from April 2024 through January. Radioactivity has been linked to an increased risk of various cancers, including blood and thyroid cancers.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Officials to test water from Ohio village near Cold War-era weapons plant after newspaper probe
LUCKEY, Ohio (AP) — Authorities in Ohio plan to test the groundwater supply across a village near a former weapons plant after a newspaper investigation published Friday found high levels of radioactivity in samples taken at a school, athletic field, library and other sites. The Army Corps of Engineers has been removing tons of contaminated soil from the Cold War-era site since 2018 and has long maintained that residential areas were not affected by the work. However, The Blade in Toledo said its tests showed radioactivity levels 10 times higher than normal in water from a drinking fountain at Eastwood Middle School, 45 times higher than normal at the Luckey Library and 1,731 times higher than normal at a water pump near athletic fields. 'We've got to get to the bottom of this,' said Lt. Col. Robert Burnham, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Buffalo District, which oversees the cleanup. Nineteen of the 39 samples collected by the newspaper from well water across Luckey — at homes, businesses, and public places — showed radioactivity at least 10 times greater than what the federal government calls normal for the area, the newspaper said. The Blade hired an accredited private lab to conduct the testing. The radioactivity detected was primarily bismuth-214, which decays from the radioactive gas radon-222. Experts agree that high levels of bismuth-214 suggest high levels of radon are also present. Radon exposure is the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. The testing also found low levels of radioactive cobalt-60, a man-made isotope, in two wells. Experts called that finding extremely rare. Taehyun Roh, a Texas A&M University scientist who specializes in environmental exposures, said regulators should also conduct air and soil testing to assess the extent of the contamination and identify the source. "Since this area likely has high radon levels, testing for radon in both air and water is advisable,' he wrote in an email. 'A safe drinking water advisory should be issued, recommending the use of bottled water until further assessments and mitigation measures are in place.' The Corps of Engineers has long maintained that residential drinking water was not being contaminated by the removal work. Burnham and others said they still believe that to be true, citing thousands of their own soil samples. The state Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Health will lead the testing. In an email, Ohio EPA spokesperson Katie Boyer told the newspaper the contaminant levels in the public drinking water are still 'within acceptable drinking water standards.' She said any concerns raised by the state testing would be addressed. The 44-acre industrial site — 22 miles (35 kilometers) south of Toledo — was long crucial to America's nuclear weapons program. In the 1940s, farmland was replaced by a sprawling defense plant that produced magnesium metal for the Manhattan Project. In the 1950s, the plant became the government's sole source of beryllium metal for nuclear bombs, Cold War missiles and Space Race products, including a heat shield for Project Mercury. 'Things that happened generations ago are still affecting us,' said Karina Hahn-Claydon, a 50-year-old teacher whose family lives less than a mile from the site. 'And that's because the government didn't take care of it.' Private drinking wells, unlike municipal systems, are not regulated, and responsibility for testing is left to owners. The Blade's testing took place from April 2024 through January. Radioactivity has been linked to an increased risk of various cancers, including blood and thyroid cancers.
The Independent
18-04-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
How Saudi Arabia has sights set on F1 summit with $480m ‘Rainbow Road' Qiddiya track
Initial glances at the future of Formula One in Saudi Arabia look like something out of another galaxy. In fact, fans online have likened the renderings of Qiddiya Speed Park, due for completion in 2027 at a cost of $480m (£360m), to Rainbow Road in the video game Mario Kart. And with a 70m incline at turn one, nicknamed 'The Blade', it's not actually as outlandish a comparison as it might seem. Yet as the sport returns to Jeddah Corniche Circuit, the world's quickest street track, for round five of the 2025 F1 season this weekend, the future of Saudi investment in the pinnacle of world motorsport looks somewhat limitless. In a recent press call, Saudi Motorsport Company chair Prince Khalid bin Sultan al-Faisal talked in depth about the Qiddiya 'megaproject', currently under construction 30 miles from the capital city of Riyadh. He spoke of Saudi desires to host the first race of the season, even though The Independent understands Australia is the frontrunner to once again stage the season opener in 2026. And he even mooted the prospect of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) buying an F1 team in the future. 'There is a space available,' he said. 'There are only 11 out of 12 [possible teams], and also potentially one or two teams that might be for sale in the future. 'I mean, it could happen.' If Saudi's pursuits in other sports – most prominently, football, boxing and golf – have taught us anything, the mega-rich Gulf country usually sets out to achieve what it strives for, despite a constant background of sportswashing accusations, given the country's poor human rights record. Lewis Hamilton, on the eve of winning the first Saudi race in 2021 while wearing a rainbow helmet, was a vocal critic, insisting he was 'not comfortable' racing in a country where a ban on women driving was only lifted in 2018. Yet another multiple world champion, Sebastian Vettel, was present in Jeddah this week championing his Race4Women event, in which 20 young women competed at a karting track in the city. Saudi are eyeing an uptake in grassroots karting, from a place of near-nothingness a decade ago. It is also noteworthy that the all-women racing series, F1 Academy, is in town this weekend for round two of their 2025 calendar. One thing is clear: Saudi Arabia has now long maintained a relationship with F1 and the sport's owners, Liberty Media. It is a partnership which is not going anywhere. There is a 10-year sponsorship agreement in place with Aramco worth around $450m, which allows the country's petroleum giant to sponsor billboards and barriers throughout the season. Aramco is also a title sponsor for Aston Martin's F1 team. Grand Prix Drivers' Association chair Alex Wurz has a stake in designing the new 21-turn Qiddiya track and, rather comically on a small laptop prior to last year's Jeddah race, gave all 20 drivers a sneak preview of a lap around the futuristic circuit. The holograms for Qiddya are indeed staggering. Yet the current track in Jeddah, an F1 host since 2021 and currently the third longest track on the calendar after Spa and Las Vegas, has raised the obvious prospect of Saudi hosting two races a year. So, could it happen? Rather surprisingly, Prince Khalid was pessimistic, given the calendar's current congestion. 'I don't think with the [24-race] calendar now it's something possible and we haven't actually discussed this idea between us,' he said. 'We would like to host two races. Jeddah and Riyadh are two different regions and two different markets, and Saudi Arabia is a very big market. 'But is it feasible, given the complicated calendar? We know that we have a market in Saudi Arabia, but it's something that we haven't thought about.' Given a swathe of interest from countries such as South Africa, Thailand, Rwanda, Argentina and South Korea in hosting an F1 race, many would argue that another Saudi race should not be top of the sport's priorities. Appropriately, at this stage, it does not seem to be on the mind of F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali. Yet Qiddiya will make waves when it first hosts a Saudi race, whether that be in two years or – as seems more likely – in 2029, when surrounding projects such as a state-of-the-art theme park and glass-bottomed swimming pool are completed. In seeing F1 hosting three races in the United States (Miami, Austin and Vegas), it would be unsurprising if Saudi suddenly lets the money do the talking in an attempt to host two races a year in the near future. On the track, in Jeddah, McLaren have the quickest car, as illustrated by three wins out of four so far this season, and their Australian driver Oscar Piastri is in a terrific run of form, following two grand prix victories in three. Piastri trails teammate and championship leader Lando Norris by three points heading into this weekend, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen – who refused to entertain speculation about his future on Thursday – in third. Hamilton is currently seventh in the standings, 52 points behind Norris already, but is optimistic that an upturn in results is around the corner, especially in an upgraded Ferrari car.
