The Buff Browser
Browse Buff's collection of helpful blogs as we explore gameplay tips and tricks from the pros, review and recommend the latest games, and take an inside look into loyalty gaming and earning rewards.
Tips & tricksValorant’s Breeze: Game-Changing Tips & Tricks to Help You WinValorant is always bringing in new maps and swapping out some old ones. Although Breeze will be rotating out for the 2023 season, it will stay in other non-competitive modes. Plus, it will more likely return, so it's a good idea to get that last bit of practice on the map before that rotation happens. This way, you will be ahead of the curve when Breeze comes back, even if it does with some changes to the layout.
Although there have been complaints about Breeze as a map (which is probably why Riot is rotating it out this coming season), Breeze is still an exciting map to play. With lots of long lines of sight, it is the perfect playground to outclass your enemies with superior aim.
» Learn more about different Valorant maps
Breeze Map Overview
Like in many of the other maps, there are two spike sites. What makes Breeze really stand out, though, is how expansive it is with its emphasis on long-range combat. Mid is also a vastly open area where a lot of action goes down, so it's important to have good communication here if you want to find success on Breeze's beachy shores.
» Need more Valorant rewards? Read our guide on how to earn free Valorant Points
Attacking A Site on Breeze
Your entry points into A Site are through A Main and A Hall, along with Mid Doors if going through Mid. Having a solid Viper wall makes entry a whole lot easier, as it cuts out the strong defender angle from A Switch. Once you gain control over A Site post plant, use the Pyramids to your advantage. You should do so while holding the angles on Mid Door, A Main—and watch out around A Bridge.
Defending A Site on Breeze
You need to have a strong hold on A Main. Having your controller get a smoke on the A Main entrance to A Site is going to make things a lot easier to defend and stall. Try to mix it up and counteract an enemy Viper wall by playing some off-angles. Make sure to keep the comms strong around A Hall, as fighting at A Site often gets heated and extended, and you don't want an enemy flank to wipe out your whole team.
Attacking B Site on Breeze
B Site is a lot more tight-knit than the other areas of the map once you can make space and get onto the site. Be ready for some close-quarters combat and equip yourself accordingly. Entries into B Site are through B Main and B Tunnel. It can be very advantageous to look for an early pick on an enemy in Nest before committing to planting.
If you are a Phantom-over-Vandal player, you may see more success with your B Site pushes, as this is where that controllable spray will really get a chance to shine.
Defending B Site on Breeze
While defending B Site, you are going to want your utility out early. An early smoke on B Main can help stall an enemy push, especially considering just how close the enemy starting point is. It makes a lot of sense to have strong utility agents here, as having mollies or a Sage slow can really make the enemy team think twice about rushing the site.
Tips for High-Ranking Players
If you are playing more challenging games, here are some tips that might come in handy:
If you are playing in the higher ranks, you are going to see way fewer 5 man rushes onto either site, which we see quite often in the lower ranks. Control over Main is going to be paramount. Having a strong OP user on the defender side in Nest is going to make life a whole ton easier to maintain that control. A double controller team can actually be a really strong comp on Breeze. Blocking lines of sight and making entry into sites more difficult by denying vision will be the name of the game on a map with such wide, open areas.
» Struggling with Fracture map instead? Read our tips to boost your Fracture map playstyle
Get Rewards for Playing With Buff
While Breeze will be moving out of rotation, it is definitely a good idea to be comfortable for its eventual return. What will be here to stay, though, is Buff! Even with the map rotations, different agents, and weapons, it won't matter what you decide to play.
With Buff running in the background while playing Valorant, you will always be earning Buff points to later spend on redeeming some awesome rewards!
EsportsValorant Competitive Mode: How Does It Work?Valorant is one of the most popular competitive shooters at the moment. In 2022, there was an average of 22 million monthly players, with a massive percentage of those players grinding ranked matches. Because the ranked portion of Valorant is so popular, Riot focuses a lot of its attention on making sure the game runs perfectly so that the experience is always flawless—and a reliable shooter is the best kind of competitive shooter.
Ranked matches in Valorant—or any game, really—are no walk in the park, and it takes a lot of skill and grinding to climb up the ranks. So, why play ranked? Before we answer that, let's break down what Valorant's competitive mode is and how it works.
» Learn more about Valorant
What Is Valorant’s Competitive Mode?
As the name of the mode suggests, it includes competitive features for players who are there to prove themselves against other players of similar skill and ultimately get better at the game. It is a great way to put a name or rank to your skill level and requires patience, perseverance, and practice.
The gameplay rules are similar to those of unrated games, though the stakes are higher—wins and losses permanently affect your rank, which is visible to your party, the tab menu, and end-game scoreboard summaries.
» Read some expert tips on how to improve your Fracture map strategy in Valorant
Ranking System Explained
Ranks in Valorant are used to most accurately describe your skill level and place you against similarly skilled opponents in the competitive matches. Those ranks can also act as bragging rights when you've achieved a higher rank than your friends, but you'll still have harder games than them.
Before you dive into some Ranked games, you'll need to unlock Competitive mode. There are 2 different prerequisites to unlocking Competitive mode depending on when you started playing the game, and once you've unlocked the mode, there are a few things you'll have to keep in mind if you're aiming to get a rank by the end of that Episode.
In Episode 4 Act 1, Riot made a few changes that can be summed up in 5 steps:
1. Unlock Ranked
If you've created an account during or after Episode 4 Act 1 (that started in January 2022), you'll need to get your account to reach level 20 by playing spike rushes, deathmatches, and unrated matches for XP.
If, however, you've made an account before 2022, and you've played at least one ranked match before reaching level 20, you'll be allowed to continue playing ranked even if you're below level 20. However, if it's an old account but you've never played ranked before, the level 20 rule applies.
2. Play 5 Placement Matches
Once you have access to the Competitive mode, you'll have to play 5 matches to determine your initial rank. These matches are vital to getting a good placement at the start of the Act.
Valorant uses a system called MMR, which is what determines your skill level against other players. In these first 5 placement matches (especially if they're your first), your MMR will be extremely flexible. This means that you'll both earn and lose a lot of MMR. Depending on what your MMR is by the end of your 5th game, you'll receive the rank that the system thinks suits your level of skill.
3. Play Ranked and Climb
Now that you've got a rank, it's time to work on improving it. From the lowest rank to the highest, there are 9 ranks you'll need to grind through by winning games:
• Iron 1, 2, and 3
• Bronze 1, 2, and 3
• Silver 1, 2, and 3
• Gold 1, 2, and 3
• Platinum 1, 2, and 3
• Diamond 1, 2, and 3
• Ascendant 1, 2, and 3
• Immortal 1, 2, and 3
• Radiant—the top 500 Valorant players in your region.
4. Brace Yourself for the End of the Act
Valorant has extended seasons called Episodes, which are split into 3 Acts, each about 2-3 months long. When you're playing ranked, your wins and losses will only count toward the rank you receive for that Act. When the Act is over, your rank will reset, and you'll have to play another 5 placement matches at the beginning of the following Act.
This is great if you placed low and you'd like a good shot at placing higher during the next Act. However, it's not so good if you're at a really high rank and risk placing much lower at the start of the next season.
5. Receive Rewards
Since there are 3 Acts in an Episode, there are 3 opportunities during that Episode for you to get different ranks. Your previous rank does influence your next placement, but because the MMR is so flexible, it could go either way—you could place much lower, much higher, or even right where you already were (which is likely and better for skill level MMR for everybody.)
At the end of the Episode, you'll receive rewards based on the highest rank you achieved during the end of the 3 separate Acts within the Episode.
» Read our guide on how to earn free Valorant points
Why You Should Care About the Competitive Mode
Other than bragging rights, Competitive mode not only lets you get some sweet rewards by the end of the Episode but is also the best-balanced game mode of them all, since everyone there has their own ranked MMR and they want to keep it that way or improve it.
So why aren't Casual modes balanced? Well, you might already know that Casual game modes can be riddled with complete noobs to pros who'll crush you to the point that you'll think they're hacking. That's because the MMR for Casual and Ranked are separate. A pro who plays ranked all day and is sitting in immortal rank might play the odd casual game here and there—and get paired up with players at the silver/gold level, which isn't fun or productive for either side.
Playing ranked games makes sure that you are paired with people who are at your level, so you're always playing fair games.
Another reason you should care about Competitive mode is that your rank is an indication of your skill level, and it can help you improve.
» Learn the differences between Valorant Points and Radianite Points
Key Takeaway
Competitive mode is filled with sweat-lords who are trying their best to improve and win games, which means that in all likeliness, you'll have a team comprised of the same try-hard nature, even if they're all random players. This might seem daunting at first, but this no-messing-about environment is the ultimate way to improve your mechanics, rotations, positioning, and communication in the world of Valorant.
If you're grinding through your ranks, or even sticking to the casual side of the game, try running Buff in the background for some free rewards!
EsportsDota 2 vs. World of Warcraft: What Is the Difference?You may have heard that Dota comes from Warcraft, and that isn't wrong. Back in 2003, while Warcraft 3's Frozen Throne expansion was at its peak, IceFrog and Steve Feak, two big W3 community map makers at the time, created a game mod called Defense of the Ancients, or Dota as we know it. It quickly became the most popular mod in the Warcraft 3 community.
A decade later, Dota 2 came out as a free-to-play standalone title on Steam, which is still massively popular today. But, what are the similarities between World of Warcraft and Dota 2 today? Well, it turns out they're completely different games.
» Have some Dota skins you don't like? Learn how to sell your Dota 2 skins on Steam
Dota 2 Summarized
Game Design
Dota 2 is a MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) that can be compared to League of Legends in gameplay. Its predecessor did so well as a game mod that it formed the standard of MOBA games. On release, Dota 2 was instantly popular, despite the existence of LoL and other MOBAs at the time.
Dota 2 is a round-based game, where two teams of 5 players battle each other in a pre-defined 3-laned map. Each player has to control their own unique hero (out of a selection of around 120 heroes), each with their own abilities, attacks, and lore.
Each hero has to gather gold by killing creeps or enemy heroes and build effective kits that suit them and their team from the shop.
Goal
The goal is simple—you need to go into your respective lanes, kill creeps and enemy heroes to win your lane, then push together to destroy the enemy team's base. The execution, however, is not quite so simple. Dota 2 comes with immense strategy and split-second decision-making, and it requires hundreds of hours to even be considered proficient at the game.
» Read more about Dota 2 account boosting and why you should avoid it
World of Warcraft Summarized
Game Design
World of Warcraft shares some of its lore and universe with Warcraft 3, though its game style is completely different.
In the original Warcraft games, you'd be playing a top-down RTS game, building up a base, managing economies, and commanding hoards of orcs or armies of night elves to overrun your opponents and destroy your enemies' bases. You could have 12 people all versing each other, 1v1s, 2v2s, AIs, and loads of different maps to play on.
WoW Community
The community side of Warcraft 3 was probably what really made the game so popular, though. There, you'd find tower defenses, mauls, card games, shooters, and pretty much any other minigame you could think of in the RTS world (that's where many of those minigames you might know were born). I gotta hand it to those map makers too, I tried my hand at making a custom map during the peak of Warcraft 3 LANs, and it was certainly a lot to unpack, considering how much you were able to do for free.
Goal
In World of Warcraft, however, you are playing as a single customizable character from a series of different races and classes in an MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game). You can level up by doing quests or group dungeons, learn new spells, improve your gear, learn professions, etc. And you can do all that with (or against) thousands of other people doing the same.
The game takes hundreds of hours to get to the end-game content, but even then, there's always something new you could do, whether that's farming reputations, getting achievements, or improving your PvP rating.
You'll be playing from a 3rd-person perspective, with an action bar full of interchangeable skills and spells, in an open world map that is breathtakingly large and filled with all sorts of fantastical beasts and interesting NPCs with their own stories. You can also join guilds and communities filled with other players that can make the whole experience both easier and more enjoyable.
Dota 2 vs. World Of Warcraft: Game & Genre Comparison
Dota 2 took over the characters from the original game, which was made with edited Warcraft 3 models, so it's easy to see how some of the characters and visual features seem pulled straight out of the Warcraft universe. As a result, both games are set in fantasy universes that share similar species and monsters, as well as terrain.
As for differences, Comparing Dota 2 to World of Warcraft is like comparing Chess to Monopoly; they're both games that require strategy and experience, but fundamentally they're completely different.
Dota 2 is a 45-90 min match that you'll play with 9 other players that you might never see again, and you'll start fresh at the beginning of every match. In World of Warcraft, you can play with up to 40 people at once, and you can even choose whether you want to play against NPCs (PvE) or other players (PvP). And trust me, playing against NPCs is not always an easier choice.
» Check out our list of best DOTA 2 heroes for ranked games
Final Thoughts
Though there are a lot of differences between World of Warcraft and Dota 2 today, their history is a constant reminder of the good ol' days in Warcraft 3, going to LANs with friends and rejecting the option of sleep for countless hours of fun. Both of these games are worth sinking hundreds of hours into, though one might struggle to find the time to play both.
If you do find the time, why not have Buff open in the background to earn some cool rewards?
EsportsTop 4 Most Thrilling Valorant Tournaments in 2023When Riot announced they were making an FPS game, there were mixed opinions on whether the game would be successful or not. Now, Valorant has almost hit the top of the competitive FPS eSports scene on PC, and loads of pro players have switched over from games like CS: GO. Watching the best Valorant teams go head-to-head with each other in the big eSports games can definitely be a nail-biting experience that may include some cheering (or yelling) at the screen.
If you're interested in watching the action, we've made a breakdown of 4 of the best Valorant tournaments to keep an eye out for. Each of these tournaments features the best teams from around the globe, all competing for glory, fame, prize money, and of course—bragging rights.
» Learn about the 2 best in-game methods for getting free Valorant skins
1. VALORANT Regional Leagues: Finals
If there's any tournament worth watching outside of the Champions Tour, it's the Regional Leagues Finals. The Regional Leagues are split into 2 main sections where teams from 7 regions (previously 8, but CIS was removed this year) battle it out to be the grand champions and take home glory and a portion of a $150 000+ prize pool!
The first stage of the Regionals happens inter-regionally, where 8 teams from each region play a best of 2 in the round-robin tournament format (every team plays every other team once each). The top 6 teams with the most wins get selected to enter playoffs, where they battle it out to find the region's best teams.
The top teams of each region then progress through to the Regional League Finals, where they'll all be going against each other in a GSL format—a double elimination bracket that can decide 3rd place, 4th place, 5th place, and so on. The stakes are much higher in the Finals, where the 1st place will walk home with more than $50,000 in prize money. If you've made it this far, though, you'll still be rewarded close to $10,000 for coming in last.
Here's a breakdown of Valorant's next Regional League:
Date of Tournament
Stage 1: January 9th, 2023
Stage 2: March 27th, 2023
Total Prize Pool
€150 000 (2022 amount, 2023 amount yet to be confirmed)
Regions
Spain (+ Portugal and Italy)FranceUK (+Ireland)Poland and EE MENATurkeyDACH
Restrictions
Other than standard tournament rules, you'll have to be part of a specific region to participate.
2. Red Bull Campus Clutch
By hosting the Red Bull Campus Clutch every year, Red Bull has made a sweet opportunity for university students to claim fame in Valorant. Universities around the world hold inter-house competitions to find their best team, after which they play regionally to find the region's best teams.
Those teams will then form part of the 300 universities participating across 50 countries, consisting entirely of university students, all competing for bragging rights to be the best team among them all.
The Campus Clutch is certainly exciting right from the beginning. As some regions get stomped on while others excel at the start, it'll be interesting to see which teams gain favor during the tournament. The winners of the whole Campus Clutch will automatically enter the world championships, where they can further prove their skills and potentially become the number 1 team in Valorant.
Here's a breakdown of Red Bull's next Campus Clutch
Date of Tournament
TBD: In 2022, the tournament was held from August to December, so expect the same for 2023
Total Prize Pool
€20,000
Regions
50 countries around the world. Full list here
Restrictions
Other than standard tournament rules, you gotta be 18 or older and a student currently studying at a university.
3. VCT: Game Changers
The Valorant Champions Tour: Game Changers is a world championship hosted by Riot specifically for female competitors—and it's a biggy. In 2022, the finals reached over 230,000 peak viewers, resulting in VCT: Game Changers being the 2nd most-viewed female-only championship ever. In 2022, the Finals were hosted in Berlin, where the top teams from 8 regions competed for a share of €500,000! These are the best of the best in the female gaming world, and many of them belong to recognizable teams with female divisions, like Cloud-9 White, and G2 Gozen.
Game Changers has year-long regionals that have streams running consistently, narrowing down the list of the best teams that will then get a chance to participate in the World Championship and take home the title of being the best female Valorant team for the year. In the World Championship, 8 teams will go head-to-head in a double-elimination bracket, where each game is best-of-three, until the Grand Final, which is a best-of-five. You can find most of the broadcasts over on Twitch.tv.
Apparently, VCT: Game Changers will be different in 2023, with more participants, an increased total of final contestants, bigger prize pools, and way more exciting top-level matches that will happen in the Game Changer World Championship.
Here's a breakdown of what we know about the next VCT: Game Changers:
Date of Tournament
While changes are being made to the tournament, dates have not been revealed, but regional qualifiers might be open soon!
Total Prize Pool
€500,000 (2022 amount, 2023 amount yet to be confirmed)
Regions
Global
Restrictions
Other than standard tournament rules, you'll have to be part of a registered pro team in your region to participate.
» Interested in free Valorant points? Read our guide on earning free VPs
4. VALORANT Champions Tour
If you're going to watch any Valorant streams, you'll wanna watch these ones. The VCT is the ultimate culmination of the best players in the world, competing for the number one title and a prize pool of $1,000,000. Here, you'll find the best commentators hosting the wildest games, with all the teams you've heard of, like Cloud9, NRG, OpTic Gaming, Fnatic, NAVI, G2—and loads of upcoming teams you've never heard of too.
In the VCT, teams will compete inter-regionally against one another in multi-stage challenger playoffs. The top 2 teams will continue to the VCT and face the other regions' best teams. The regionals and finals work very similarly to the VCT Game Changers format, though the stakes are much higher. Simply winning the challenger's regional cup awards the team a prize of $30,000 before even entering the finals, while winning the finals meant walking home with $300,000 for the team.
Semi-Final and Grand Final matches are the most intense matches you'll experience in the Valorant's eSports scene, each being a best-of-five matchup, with a massive live audience. On Twitch, 1,500,000 viewers came on to watch the final match alone, while some even paid a fair amount of money to travel to Turkey and experience the event live.
The next VCT has been announced! Here's what we know so far:
Date of Tournament
Opening event in Brazil: Feb 13 - March 5, 2023Champions Tour 2023 EMEA League: March 26 - May 28, 2023Champions Tour 2023 Americas League: March 26 - May 28, 2023Champions Tour 2023 Pacific League: March 26 - May 28, 2023
Total Prize Pool
€1,000,000 (2022 amount, 2023 amount is still being calculated.)
Regions
Spain ( + Portugal and Italy)FranceUK (+Ireland)Poland and EEMENATurkeyDACH
Restrictions
Other than standard tournament rules, you'll have to be part of the specific region to participate.
Final Words
These 4 major tournaments happen throughout each year, from tryouts to playoffs and finals, so there are hundreds of matches for you to catch live on Riot's site, or over on Twitch. Outside of those, there are loads of smaller tournaments hosted in many different languages around the world. There's probably even a game going on right now.
If you're a fan of the game and you like to enjoy some Valorant matches of your own, why not try using Buff to get free rewards while playing?
ReviewsTop 6 Rarest League of Legends Skins of All TimeLoL has been available to the public for well over a decade now, and with its long history comes a plethora of skins for its 160+ champions that hit the rift every day. If you're familiar with the game, you might already know about the "legacy vault" and how certain skins become unavailable to purchase after a period of time. Some skins, however, are even rarer than those, to the point where people are willing to pay hundreds of dollars, sometimes even thousands, for LoL accounts that own those extremely rare cosmetics.
Despite having thousands of hours logged in the game, there are skins that even I have never seen. Here are the most notable of those rare skins and the reasons why they are so rare.
» New to LoL? Learn about the best LoL champions for first-time players
1. King Rammus
The BETA Skin
King Rammus is the oldest limited skin in the game. The only way you could get this bad boy was to participate in the closed Beta testing, during October 2009. Visually, it's really similar to the base skin—if you don't play Rammus much, you would probably not recognize it as a skin if you saw it on the rift.
However, owning this skin is still pretty cool, as it shows you've been there since the beginning (or, rather, that the account has). I've personally never seen it in-game, so it's rare enough to get some attention. King Rammus is worth about $60.
2. Young Ryze
From the Collectors Edition
Also known as Human Ryze, this skin was also part of the Collector's Edition of League of Legends, which players could purchase to support Riot during the earlier days of their launch. This skin used to be just a recolor of Ryze, but has gotten a bit flashier with a more rounded visual overhaul during the champion's rework.
It doesn't seem like there's any difference other than his visual appearance, yet this skin can make an account go for $150-$200 just for owning it.
3. Black Alistar
From the Collectors Edition
Black Alistar was part of a limited bundle when pre-ordering the Collectors Edition of League of Legends. Alistar's skin was the most notable one in the bundle, making the accounts that have it reach about $250 in value. The others in the bundle (Huntress Sivir, Goth Annie, and Silver Kayle) each go for about $100-$200 on account markets.
Black Alistar is one of the most basic skins you can find in the game in terms of detail, as Alistar's base skin (purple and blue) has just been recolored to black and brown.
» Learn how to get LoL cosmetics by watching streams
4. The PAX Trio
The Limited Expo Skins
If you're unfamiliar with the PAX expo, it's one of the biggest gaming expos in the world that happens every year and covers tabletop, arcade, and video gaming. As you can imagine, some of the biggest dev names and gaming companies show up to reveal new content and give away exclusive prizes. Naturally, Riot games can be found there quite often, and in the first 3 years of their presence at PAX, they handed out some ultra-limited skin codes to the participants of the expo.
Due to all that, PAX skins are arguably the most expensive skins to get your hands on. These are:
PAX Twisted Fate
This one's the holy grail of rare skins—the first 20,000 people to attend PAX would get this skin, and because LoL wasn't super popular back then, many of those skins were never claimed. Right off the bat, players would sell this skin for anywhere between $200 and $500, but as the popularity of the game increased, so did the value of this skin. Today, you can find accounts with this skin being sold for over $4,000!
As for the appearance of the skin, Twisted Fate just has a simple recolor that changes his clothing to a blue and black combo with accents of grey, which is basically equivalent to a chroma (recolor) in today's skins. Rocking this on the rift is definitely a cool statement of loyalty, but $4,000 for a recolor is a bit much if you ask me.
PAX Jax
Jax was the 2nd of the 3 champions to receive PAX skins, and his skin is arguably the most desired one of the lot, too. Awarded to players who attended PAX in 2010, PAX Jax puts Jax into a well-suited yellow jacket, which has made him stand out from the crowd for years. I always get excited seeing a PAX Jax running around in the rift—even if he's on the enemy team giving me a hard time.
Owning this Jax skin could fetch you a lucrative amount if you're interested in selling your account. PAX Jax goes for about $500 on average.
PAX Sivir
Sivir was the last to get a PAX skin in 2011, giving her an awesome futuristic Tron look. My favorite part of the skin is that her weapon has been turned into a set of buttons from a controller. On top of that, she's rocking a stylish black suit with orange or blue trimmings and goggles, and she has very cool silver hair to wrap up the whole look.
Accounts with PAX Sivir are in high demand, especially after her rework. Even though she's not one of the most popular female champions in LoL, you can still find accounts with this skin going for about $200-$700.
5. UFO Corki
The First Promotional Skin
Much like the other skins on this list, you had to be around really early for this one—you needed to have registered and played a match before Jan 14th, way back in 2010, shortly after the game's official launch. The skin itself has Corki in a round UFO with a glass dome covering his head. Other than that, there are no changes to the champion's visual or audio effects.
Strangely enough, even though it's one of the rarer skins, accounts with this skin only go for about $30 a pop, making it the cheapest rare skin on this list.
6. Victorious Jarvan IV
The First Victorious Skin
Every year, at the end of a season, players who play ranked LoL games receive a reward based on their placement at the time. Reaching the gold rank or better would earn you that year's "Victorious" skin, each one themed to be set in a universe where that champion has achieved their full potential.
Jarvan IV received the first victorious skin in season 1 back in 2010, and since then, Victorious skins have been highly sought after. Accounts that have this skin alone go for anywhere between $400 to $900!
Final Words
There are certainly bragging rights attached to these skins, as showing them off feels great when you get compliments. But, is it worth spending hundreds of dollars to buy other players' accounts (which you cant merge with your own) just to say you've got the rarest skins in the game? I'll let you decide.
» Do you have any of the skins? Download Buff and redeem rewards while flaunting them
Rewards5 Pro Tips to Earn Money Streaming Your Gameplay on YouTubeYouTube has millions of content creators trying to make an income off of creating videos and streaming content, so you need to stand out from the rest to be successful. Having more followers and subscribers means higher chances of receiving donations and getting viewers to join your channel as members—where they'll pay a subscription to use special features when you're broadcasting live on the site.
» Already streaming your gameplay on YouTube? Run Buff in the back for some extra free rewards
1. Broadcast Consistently According to Your Content Calendar
It's important to have consistency in streaming content. Having a set schedule means the viewers who want to see your content know exactly when to show up to see you live. Sure, if your stream is shorter than eight hours, you have the option to save it as VOD that people can watch for a period of time. But the real entertainment is being able to communicate with your audience as a streamer, as well as interacting with your favorite streamer.
2. Produce High-Quality & Valuable Content
Yes, it's possible to stream with low-end rigs and equipment, but putting a little budget into a better microphone and camera (if you want to show your face) goes an extremely long way for your viewers. If you think about it, even if you're watching a stream at 480p, having clear sound makes it okay to watch, but bad sound even at 4k is just a bad experience.
Depending on your budget, you'll need to prioritize what you need to focus on to improve your stream quality.
Internet Connection: Do a speed test to find out what you're working with—at least 20Mbps up and down is a recommended speed for consistent streaming performance.Audio Quality: Test for background noise that comes through your mic. It's best to get a standalone mic, but first, check if you can change sound filters on your streaming software. Lighting: Get a decent ring light from Amazon—this will dramatically improve how well you appear on your video feed.
3. Personalize Your Content to Stand Out From the Rest
It's important that you bring something that fits your personality and character to the table, even if it's not entirely unique. For example, having a style of T-shirt that you exclusively wear while streaming can really make you more memorable. Here are some more examples:
Intros & Outros
Think of simple intros to use at the start of each video. It's usually a good idea to let your stream run for 5-10 minutes to let some of your audience hop on first before you start your intro. As for outros, keep it simple as well—"until next time, friends" works well, but try to find something that leans towards your personality.
Unique Catchphrases
Catchphrases can be a bit challenging, as they're something that best comes around naturally during your streaming career. If you have some catchy phrases you've been saying in the outside world, use them, but don't force them.
Custom Video Thumbnails
Stand out from the other streams with a custom video thumbnail. Bright colors and large text on your thumbnail work surprisingly well when trying to grab viewers' attention—combine that with a click-bait title, and you'll be seeing loads of traffic hitting your stream.
» Interested in more than just YouTube? Discover the best games to Stream on Twitch
4. Promote Your Videos Using the Correct YouTube SEO
YouTube is the biggest video platform worldwide, so you must know how to get your videos seen by millions of other content creators. Here are a few tips on how you can be found easier in the vast sea of content on YouTube.
Use Keywords: Refine keywords in your titles and descriptions to a potential niche market and you'll find more success.Use Tags & Descriptions: You only have 20 tags and 5000 characters to work with, so use the space wisely.Promote Your Channel:
Take advantage of other social media platforms. Monitor Analytics Closely: This will help you find your strengths and weaknesses in marketing your channel.
5. Interact With Your Viewers While Streaming
You shouldn't force conversations, but do chat with your viewers if they're communicating with you. One of the biggest highlights of being a streamer is being able to communicate with your audience, and doing so can keep them around for longer. It's okay not to respond to chat if you've got millions of followers and there are thousands of messages coming through per minute, or if the comment simply isn't worth responding to, but try not to ignore your chat completely.
» Want to get paid to play the games you love? Check out other ways to make money from playing games
RewardsP2P Trade—Buying & Selling In-Game Items for Real $$$The most expensive in-game item ever sold officially was a virtual planet called Planet Calypso, which was sold for $6 million in a game called Entropia Universe.
The planet in question is super lucrative and made over $400 million in the year 2010 with in-game transactions. This shows that people are willing to pay exorbitant amounts for rare in-game items, or things in-game that add benefit to the gameplay.
If you're lucky enough to have gotten a super rare item in a crate opening or a roll, then it's well worth considering selling the item for some real-world cash.
» There are more ways to make real money from playing games
How to Trade In-Game Items for Real Money
There are a few different ways to go about selling your items if you're feeling up for exchanging your rare goodies for some real-world cash. Some marketplaces are more popular than others, depending on the title of the game, and could result in much higher sales if you find the right place.
Trading via Steam
If you have a Steam game that has items that you can sell, selling via the Steam marketplace is by far the safest way to do it. There are a few prerequisites to setting up your account to be eligible to sell items on the marketplace:
Your account has to be non-limited (meaning you have to own a game worth at least $5 or have had at least $5 in your steam wallet). Your steam account has to be protected by Steam Guard (this involves 2-step verification with a cellular device) for at least 15 days.You need to have some funds available in your steam account.You need to own at least one marketable item.
If you meet these prerequisites, selling an item on the Steam marketplace is really easy.
Open Inventory in your Steam account.Find the item you'd like to sell, click on it, and find the 'sell' button under the item's description (If there's no sell button, the item isn't marketable).Check the graph showing previous sales of the item to set its price (when deciding on the price, keep in mind that Steam will take a small portion of the sale).Agree to the terms and services, and put it up for sale (if you haven't used your mobile authenticator for a week, your item will only be listed for 15 days).Check your email—you might receive an email from Steam requiring you to further authenticate the sale.
If you'd like to check the items you have listed, head over to the market under the community tab, and under 'My Active Listings' you'll find your item and its price. If it says your item is on hold—don't panic. Steam puts a delay on marketplace postings and trade items.
Trading via an External Marketplace
Trading via 3rd party marketplaces can be risky, and if you're not sure where to go, ask friends and other gamers, and double-check if that site is safe before going ahead with a sale of an item.
Keep in mind that these 3rd party sites often require you to log into your Steam account, and if you're at a malicious site, it could mean losing all of your accounts inventory. Be careful, especially if you have items such as CS:GO knives.
Considerations for Identifying a Reliable Marketplace
If you're having doubts about whether a site is legit or not, there are a few ways you can check up on the site's reliability.
Check if it has a trusted platform for taking care of its users, and google the reliability of the site and its methods.Make sure the site guarantees the safety of both parties' privacy as well as inventory security.Ask around or turn to Reddit to find out which sites are viable for what you want to sell.
BONUS: In-Game Items Commonly Favored by Buyers
Got a bunch of items and you're not sure what's good to sell or what people want to buy? Here are some tips on what to look out for when selling an item.
Accessories & Cosmetics
Most sought-after cosmetics are usually a high tier/rarity, or items that are from limited-time events. Keep an eye out for tags like 'Legendary,' 'Epic,' 'Factory New,' 'Limited,' etc. One game using such tags is CS:GO, for which we also compiled a list of its best weapon skins.
Equipment & Weapons
The best-selling equipment and weapons are those with the highest stats or best rolls. In Diablo 3, a player sold a weapon called 'Echoing Fury,' a mace that isn't that amazing but it had the highest possible rolls of that weapon, for $14000. It wouldn't be a surprise at all to see similar transactions happening in Blizzard's next release, Diablo 4.
Materials & Resources
Sometimes farming for materials is too much of a grind, so some players are willing to buy them on marketplaces. If you've got some spare useful resources or some shiny gems that you're holding onto, you might score some actual cash by selling them to other players.
Aside from trading, you can get your hands on passive income by playing your favorite games. Run Buff while you're gaming for some sweet free rewards.
Buff faqsDota 2 Account Boosting: What It Is & Why You Need to Avoid ItEvery so often, taking a shortcut can mean gaining an unfair advantage over other people, and in the case of Dota 2 account boosting, it means causing negative impacts on your team play and the quality of your games.
» Learn how to sell your Dota 2 skins on Steam
Account Boosting
There's no dodging the fact that learning and mastering Dota 2 and climbing the ranks in the MOBA takes a long, long time. Like in many other online competitive games, Valve has a simple rating system to measure your potential rank amongst thousands of other players called MMR (matchmaking rating).
So far, there are 8 ranks in total, and every rank is split into 5 tiers. Players will earn a badge when reaching these tiers as they earn enough MMR, and can display and show off these badges publicly. Here's a breakdown of how much MMR is needed per rank:
Herald 0 - 616 MMRGuardian 770 - 1,386 MMRCrusader 1,540 - 2,156 MMRArchon 2,310 - 2,926 MMRLegend 3,080 - 3,696 MMRAncient 3,850 - 4,466 MMRDivine 4,620 - 5,420 MMRImmortal 5420+ MMR
Your rank represents how good you are at Dota 2 and the respective badges you own show other people you are a skilled player. However, some players aren't quite happy with where they're placed and are too tempted by a cheeky (and bannable) tactic called account boosting. This allows them to climb through the tiers to higher ranks without actually earning those placements through the effort that's required to get there.
Account boosting isn't legal in Dota 2 and violates the terms of service you agree to when you play the game for the first time. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop loads of websites from advertising account boosting, and thousands of pros who are willing to boost low-ranked accounts for a certain price.
How It Works
Essentially, a player who has a low rank, or one who isn't happy with their current rank, will give their account over to another person or bot, who will then climb through ranks on their behalf.
There are a few methods to boost accounts and all of them are frowned upon.
Getting a friend or pro rank up for you: This seems to be tempting enough that people are willing to pay pros to play on their accounts and soar through the ranks. Smurfing: Even more tempting than getting your rank boosted by a pro, is being the pro getting paid to cheat the system by boosting accounts. Using a bot: Players who have been previously reported are moved to low-priority queues—and some 'hire' a bot to take their account out of low-priority lobbies.
Implications on Game Play
There's a reason Valve is trying to stomp on this behavior—not only is it unfair to players who climb legitimately, but it also causes huge balancing issues for many players' matches, and often for many matches too.
Imagine you get a teamie who's been boosted all the way from Guardian to where you are in Ancient and has no idea how to play the game properly. That player would be a liability to the team and would continue to weigh down his teammates.
Though the idea of quickly excelling to a high rank and slipping past all the trouble of grinding seems like an exciting idea to some, it really ruins the game for those players who have genuine intentions and are there to play fairly.
Players who have their account boosted also tend to skip past essential lessons about the game that are learned by climbing through the ranks at a regular pace.
Consequences of Account Boosting in Dota 2
If the idea of ruining the game for themselves and other players doesn't sway cheeky gamers from account boosting in Dota 2, Valve has some lovely measures in place.
Dota 2 has in-game bans for offenses like toxic behavior and leaving matches early, and depending on how often you earn these bans, they can stack up from 10 min to 6 months—but account boosting incurs much bigger wrath from Valve: the VAC ban, a year-long ban.
Final Words
It's definitely not worth it to go through the incredible risk of having a VAC ban just to have your account boosted by a pro you had to pay. On top of that, you're just going to suffer each ranked game you play because you're not where you're supposed to be. There's a reason Valve made account boosting illegal, so be a team player and stay on your own account.
While you're sweating it out while climbing the ranks in Dota 2, why not have Buff open in the back to earn some sweet free rewards?
Esports7 Best Free Online eSports Games to Play in 2023 to Make $$$The gaming industry is colossal. So big that, in 2022, it accrued more revenue than the film, music, and book publishing industries combined—and eSports makes up a huge portion of this industry. In 2018, Epic Games stated that more than $100 million was allocated for the Fortnite competitive scene for that year alone.
eSports has now become a great opportunity for elite gamers to turn passion into careers in the gaming world. As such, here are the best free-to-play titles in the eSports scene that you can make money from without having to spend money on.
1. Apex Legends
Available on Steam (PC), Origin (PC), PS, Xbox, and Switch
Apex Legends is the most competitive FPS Battle Royale out at the moment. If you're not familiar with the genre, it's where dozens, or sometimes hundreds of teams or solo players are put into a shrinking arena with limited equipment and have to eliminate their opponents until they're the last ones standing. Apex is arguably the best-rated Royale to play at the moment, even earning a spot on the top eSports titles for PC in 2022.
Respawn's remodeled Source engine allows Apex Legends to be an extremely fast-paced shooter with great mobility and gunplay, which invites some absolutely insane moments of gameplay making the competitive scene an extremely exciting experience to be a part of. The Apex Legends Global Series in 2022 has a prize pool of $2 million, but whether you're competing in the big leagues or just regional tourneys, Apex's eSports scene is worth being a part of.
» Learn more about Apex Legends and how to get more Legend Tokens
2. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Available on Steam (PC)
Counterstrike is among the OG's of competitive shooters in the eSports scene. It's a round-based team shooter where a team will have to try and plant a bomb on an objective area in the map, and the opposing team has to prevent that from happening or try to defuse the bomb before the round ends. The first title was made back in 2000 by Valve, the creators of Half Life, and has been growing in popularity as a competitive shooter since then.
In 2021, the accumulative prize money from all the eSports tournaments was more than a whopping $21 million! The game's popularity is still high after all this time, so getting involved in the competitive scene can be rewarding. Many eSports CS:GO tournaments happen regionally, so you might just find a local tournament that could be worth joining.
CS:GO pros and content creators are usually common candidates for sponsorships, so even if you're not winning parts of the prize pool, you could still be raking in a bit of cash by standing out with a cool sponsor.
» Learn more about CS:GO and how to trade and sell skins on the CS:GO skin exchange
3. Dota 2
Available on Steam (PC)
Dota 2 is a MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena), a strategy game where two teams of 5 players are pitted against each other with the goal of destroying the opponent's base. Each player controls a unique character from a selection of over 120, each with their own abilities and passive traits. The game's competitive scene is among the largest titles in the eSports world, with the total prize money for 2021 for Dota2 boasting a mouthwatering $40 million!
Dota 2's audience is also huge, and the way the game is built allows tournaments to happen all the time, all around the world! Participating in a Dota 2 championship is an awesome experience whether you're playing or just spectating.
» Learn more about Dota 2
4. Fortnite
Available on Epic Games (PC), Xbox, PS, iOS, macOS, and GeForce Now
Fortnite is a third-person shooter game that released in 2017 and blew up almost instantly. Its competitive scene features a Battle Royale that works similarly to Apex Legends.
Fortnite thrives in the eSports scene, with top players walking home happy with a huge $3 million in global tournaments. If you're feeling up to joining Fortnite tournaments, Epic games has made getting started really easy! Just head over to the official Epic Games site and check out their competitive page.
» Learn more about Fortnite
5. League of Legends
Available on RIOT Games (PC)
League of Legends was inspired by the original Dota and features great graphics and visuals. It's also a bit faster than DotA, with a little less depth. League of Legends features in the top eSports list, with the worlds series in 2021 having a prize pool of $2 million.
Watching League of Legends tournaments is always exciting and an amazing experience if you're lucky enough to be at a live game. LOL's competitive games are best streamed over on lolesports.com, where you can also earn some awesome loot with stream drops!
» Learn more about League of Legends
6. Rocket League
Available on Epic Games (PC), Steam (PC), Xbox, PS, Linux, macOS, and GeForce Now
There's no game out there similar to Rocket League. Putting it bluntly, it's soccer with rocket-powered control cars that can jump and use boosters to fly around in the air, and even though the raw mechanics of Rocket League have never changed, players are still finding amazing new ways to move around and manipulate the ball at their will.
Rocket League is my personal favorite eSports title to watch, the finesse that the pros have is breathtaking once you know how difficult the game is to play. The Rocket League world championship this year in 2022 will feature teams from all around the globe competing for a huge $6 million prize pool and massive sponsorship deals
» Learn more about Rocket League
7. VALORANT
Available on RIOT Games (PC)
VALORANT is RIOT's approach to an FPS title after so much success on their MOBA: League of Legends. VALORANT is largely inspired by CS:GO and works much the same way from buying weapons at the beginning of each round to planting bombs on objectives. Where VALORANT stands out from its CS inspiration is its list of unique agents. There are currently 8 agents in the game, each with 4 unique abilities, one of which is an ultimate usually capable of turning the tides of a round if used well enough.
The competitive scene for VALORANT took off almost instantly, thanks to RIOT Games' huge success with League of Legends. In the 2 years that VALORANT has been out, its already rewarded $14 million worth of prize money to players around the world. As RIOT's FPS grows in popularity, so do its opportunities in the eSports scene.
» Learn more about Valorant
Get Started and Earn More Along the Way
Getting to the top admittedly won't be a walk in the park, but whether it's winning huge sums from eSports competitive tournaments or getting sponsored by brands, it's worth getting involved in the eSports scene. However, if you're not feeling up for the big leagues, you can also earn some passive rewards gaming with Buff!
