After a strong launch, Zenless Zone Zero has revealed details for its first major content update. Here’s a summary of ZZZ’s 1.1 special programs, including new characters, events, and a whole new game mode! 

Zenless Zone Zero Version 1.1, titled "Undercover R&B," releases on August 14. It will continue Wise and Belle’s journey in New Eridu as they team up with N.E.P.S to take on the infamous Mountain Lion Gang. 

ZZZ 1.1 Polychrome code

There was one redemption code revealed during the stream: UNDERCOVERRNB. Redeem it either in-game or on the official redemption page. Make sure you’re logged in on the correct account, and act fast! This code expires on August 4 at 10:59 a.m. CT.

New characters in 1.1

There are three new playable characters coming to ZZZ in Version 1.1: Qingyi, Jane Doe, and Seth Lowell. 

Qingyi is an S-Rank Electric Stun agent in Zhu Yuan’s security squad. We met her as an NPC during the main story missions, and now, she will be playable. She appears to be a melee unit, striking quickly to build up Daze in an AoE. When she deals Electric damage, Qingyi gains stacks of “Flash Connect Voltage,” which allows her to use stronger attacks.

Jane Doe is a high-ranking member of the Mountain Lion gang, though her introduction card enigmatically says “Faction Unknown.” She is an S-Rank Physical Anomaly unit who unleashes a flurry of quick strikes to build up her Attribute Anomaly on enemies. Jane will use a Passion Stream mechanic to enter the Passion State, allowing her to unleash a series of fast attacks.

Seth Lowell is another member of Zhu Yuan’s security squad. As an A-Rank Electric Defense unit, Seth confers a shield to his teammates, preventing them from taking damage. He can also strike enemies with a sword, though, dealing Electric damage. He protecc, but he also attacc.

There will also be a new Bangboo in ZZZ Version 1.1: Officer Cui Bangboo. When there are two or more N.E.P.S officers in your team, Officer Cui will perform follow-up attacks as part of your attack chain. Officer Cui will be added to the Bangboo lineup on the Signal Search page, where you can select him as your targeted rate-up Bangboo. 

ZZZ Version 1.1 banners

The first half of ZZZ Version 1.1 will feature the Qingyi (S) with her signature W-Engine Ice-Jade Teapot (S).

The banners in the second half will feature Jane (S) and Seth (A). Their respective W-Engines will also be available for Signal Searches: Sharpened Stinger (S) and Peacekeeper Specialized (A).

ZZZ Version 1.1 events

The Camellia Golden Week event will feature a variety of minigames and puzzle levels. Delve into a new Companion Hollow to earn Polychromes and an event-exclusive A-Rank W-Engine: Camellia.

First-Class Customer Service is another event that focuses on the video store. Complete a series of QTE-type activities to help customers tune their video players.

Daily Life of a PubSec Officer takes players through, well, the daily life of a Public Security Officer. Talk to the citizens of New Eridu and take on a series of small commissions to help them out.

Scene One, Shot One! is a photo-taking event. Pose yourself and other characters, apply new filters, and get the perfect shot. 

Login events - free pulls

There will be two login events in the upcoming Version of ZZZ. The first, All-New Program, awards a total of 10 Encrypted Master Tapes over a series of seven days. The second, “Eh-Nah” Into Your Lap, awards a similar 10 Boopons over seven days. In total, we will receive 20 free pulls just for logging into the game.

New game mode: Inferno Reap

A new game mode called Inferno Reap will be available starting with the 1.1 update. It looks to be a challenging boss fight where Proxies take on Nineveh directly. There’s no TV-screen Hollow navigation, just pure combat. To access Inferno Reap, you need to have cleared the Withering Garden stage in Hollow Zero. There’s no limit to how many times you can take on this challenge, so pick your favorite teams and put them to the test!

The post Everything new in Zenless Zone Zero 1.1 – banners, characters, and free pulls appeared first on Destructoid.

Alhaitham is a 5-star Dendro DPS character in Genshin Impact. From his signature Light of Folar Incision to the budget-friendly Harbinger of Dawn, here are the best weapons and artifacts to make Alhaitham a formidable DPS.

Best weapons for Alhaitham

Light of Foliar Incision

Light of Foliar Incision is Alhaitham’s signature 5-star Sword and his best-in-slot. However, its advantage over other 5-star weapons is fairly small. I only recommend pulling for this weapon if you don’t have any of the other 5-star Swords below and don’t want to use a 4-star option.

Primordial Jade Cutter / Uraku Misugiri

These two 5-star Swords are almost as good as Alhaitham’s signature if you happen to have them already. They offer high CRIT stats and passives that are at least somewhat usable. Consider a Geo teammate if using Uraku Misugiri, particularly Zhongli.

Mistsplitter Reforged / Haran Geppaku Futsu / Splendor of Tranquil Waters

These 5-star Swords perform fairly similarly. They each have desirable CRIT stats, and Alhaitham can generally make use of their passive effects. Splendor of Tranquil Waters requires an HP-draining teammate to trigger its passive consistently. Furina is currently the best teammate for this purpose.

Wolf-Fang / The Black Sword

Both of the 4-star Swords from the Battle Pass are useful for Alhaitham. Wolf-Fang is the better of the two, especially with Refinements. At Refinement Rank 5, Wolf-Fang can perform better than some of the 5-stars above. This does, however, require you to buy the Battle Pass five times. You should weigh whether the $50 fixed cost is worth it for you.

Toukabou Shigure / Iron Sting

Toukabou Shigure and Iron Sting are the free-to-play 4-star options. Despite being obtainable for free, they’re not bad at all. Toukabou Shigure was a past event weapon, but Iron Sting can still be crafted for free using billets. Iron Sting Refinements improve Alhaitham’s damage by a small amount; there’s no need to use precious billets on them unless you want to.

Harbinger of Dawn

Harbinger of Dawn is a 3-star Sword, but it still provides value with its hefty CRIT stat and useful passive effect. Harbinger of Dawn is only worth using if you can consistently keep Alhaitham above 90% HP. If you can keep the passive up, Harbinger of Dawn can perform better than the 4-star options above. However, this may not be feasible with Furina or in Bloom-based teams.

Best artifact sets for Alhaitham

4pc Gilded Dreams

Gilded Dreams is Alhaitham’s best artifact set for his personal damage, assuming he has a teammate who can hold 4pc Deepwood Memories. This set gives a variable amount of Elemental Mastery and ATK, depending on his teammate composition. Luckily for Alhaitham, both of those stats are useful to him.

4pc Deepwood Memories

If Alhaitham is the only Dendro character on the team, or if no one else can hold 4pc Deepwood Memories, then Alhaitham should hold it himself. Alhaitham needs the Dendro RES shred from the 4pc effect.

2pc combos

While you’re still farming for a 4pc set, you can make do with 2pc combos with beneficial stat bonuses. Focus on sets that grant Elemental Mastery and ATK.

Artifact stats to prioritize for Alhaitham

Alhaitham will need about 120-135% Energy Recharge to Burst every rotation, as long as he has a Dendro teammate to feed him energy. With Nahida or Yaoyao, you can stay in the lower end of this range. With Baizhu or Collei, though, you may need more. I recommend putting a Favonius weapon on a teammate if possible.

As for other stats, Alhaitham should focus on CRIT stats, Elemental Mastery, and ATK, in that order of priority. Try to shoot for a 1:2 ratio of CRIT Rate to CRIT DMG.

The post Best Alhaitham builds in Genshin Impact appeared first on Destructoid.

The Iridescent Arataki Rockin’ for Life Tour de Force of Awesomeness is the flagship event for Version 4.6 of Genshin Impact. Since this is a multi-part event, here are some tips to quickly breeze through each activity and earn all rewards, including the 4-star character Gorou.

To start the event, complete the associated quest. You should have received it automatically when you logged in. Head over to Watatsumi Island and engage in some dialogue to unlock the Iridescence Tour event activities.

The Iridescence Tour event lasts until May 27, 2024. Be sure to complete it and claim all of your rewards by then!

Xtreme Carnival Ensemble

The Xtreme Carnival Ensemble is the rhythm game portion of the Iridescence Tour event. There are seven stages in total. You’ll need to attain at least 80% accuracy on Pro mode to earn all rewards. Here are some tips that might help make it easier:

Use Cascade mode. Open the Settings menu in the upper right side of the event screen. Under the Basic menu, select Interface Styles and tweak things to your preferences. We found Cascade mode the easiest to see.

It’s easier on mobile. If you have a phone or tablet capable of running Genshin Impact, and you’re having trouble with the keyboard or controller inputs, try playing the rhythm game stages on a mobile device. The stages are designed for two thumbs, and the touchscreen is a more intuitive interface for a game like this.

Trillion Trinket Trawl

The Trillion Trinket Trawl is a series of open-world objectives. Here’s everything you’ll need to do and how to get them done quickly.

1. Defeat three types of Ruin machines. Teleport to the south teleporter in Araumi on Narukami Island. Glide north and defeat the dormant Ruin Hunter at the top of the cliff. Glide down to the east and defeat the dormant Ruin Grader.  Finally, defeat one of the three triangular Ruin Cruisers patrolling the Araumi area. If you stay near where the Ruin Grader was, they should eventually make their way to you.
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2. Defeat two types of Primal Constructs. Teleport to the entrance of The Mausoleum of King Deshret in the Sumeru desert. There are two Primal Constructs just inside the mausoleum. Defeating both of them counts toward this objective.
3. Defeat three types of Clockwork Meka. Teleport to the teleporter northeast of the Central Laboratory Ruins in the northernmost region of Fontaine. There are two Meks on the shore to the south. Defeat them and follow the beach to the west to find two more Meks. As long as you defeat three different types, this objective is complete.
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4. Photograph two types of birds. Teleport to the Statue of the Seven in the Liffey region of Fontaine. There’s a red finch and a blue finch right when you spawn in. Don’t move; just pull out your Kamera from your Paimon menu and snap two photos of the birds. The Kamera gadget will not work; you must use the Kamera from your Paimon menu.
5. Photograph two types of dogs. Teleport to the Adventurer’s Guild in the Court of Fontaine. Follow the street around to the southeast, and you’ll find two dressed-up poodles on the right side of the road. Snap a photo of them through your Paimon menu (not the Kamera gadget!).
6. Photograph two types of cats. Teleport to Asase Shrine on Seirai Island in Inazuma. There are plenty of cats here. Photograph two cats with different colors using the Kamera in your Paimon menu.
7. Gather three Sango Pearls. Teleport to the north teleporter on Watatsumi Island. Glide south and drop down to a series of small waterfalls. There are several Sango Pearls at the base of the falls.
8. Gather three Starconches. Teleport to the Domain of Guyun in Guyun Stone Forest in Liyue. Head west to find three Starconches sitting on the beach.
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9. Gather three different green plants. Teleport to the Statue of the Seven at Windrise in Mondstadt. There’s a Mint to the left of where you spawn in, several Windwheel Asters scattered around, and some Calla Lilies on the riverbank.

A Meeting of Melodies

These are a series of music note puzzles where you must select the correct notes to finish the melody. Notes can be one of three clefs: treble (𝄞), alto (𝄡), and bass (𝄢). The answers to each puzzle are below.

Venue Decorations

Completing various objectives in Trillion Trinket Trawl and A Meeting of Melodies will unlock various venue decorations. Just do the open-world tasks and music note puzzles, report back to Dvorak, and ask to decorate the venue. Unlocking more decorations progresses the event story.

The post Genshin Impact Iridescence Tour event guide appeared first on Destructoid.

It’s been a while since we last heard about the Genshin Impact anime. It’s presumably still in the works, but the wait has been unbearable. Thankfully, even if there isn’t an official anime yet, the fanbase has us covered.

There are a lot of talented animators out there, and some of their work was featured in the latest HoYoFair exhibit. I encourage you to check out the presentation in full, but here’s a highlight of some of my favorite segments!

1. Progenitor: The Surface

Progenitor is an animated Genshin project from DillonGoo Studios. Dillon Gu, director and head of the studio, is a former animator for RWBY, and the influence shows in his unique 3D anime style. 

Progenitor takes Genshin characters and places them in a dystopian cyberpunk setting. I won’t spoil the story for you, but I’m blown away by the detailed environments, fluid fight choreography, and unique takes on Genshin character designs.

If you want to check out the Progenitor series in full, I suggest starting with episodes 1 and 2. I also enjoy The Last Bakery, which features Neuvillette, Xiangling, and Navia in a similar futuristic setting.

2. Ranked Daycare

Ranked Daycare is an animated short by No_Tables, following Lumine and Klee as they fight their way through mobs of enemies in a ranked game mode. Unlike the usual Genshin combat with swords, spears, and elemental abilities, though, Lumine and Klee are equipped with a vast arsenal of elemental firearms.

I love the fresh character designs and how elemental reactions are worked into the gunplay. The animation is a joy to watch, especially with Klee’s adorable giggles as she sets off massive explosions. 

If you want to see more Genshin with guns, check out No_Tables’ previous HoYoFair entry titled Times…Changed?

3. Domain 404

If you prefer a hand-drawn anime style, Domain 404 has you covered. Directed by LucHD, Domain 404 perfectly portrays the chaotic fun of Genshin co-op. A group of four players takes on a domain, but soon find that the game isn’t behaving as they expect.

I thought it was fun to see 5-star characters from Genshin Impact playing the game with different characters. They were playing an actual meta team too, indicating that the creators know the meta. I loved seeing Genshin’s unique co-op combat system portrayed in an animated format. If you’ve ever played co-op in Genshin, you know the pain of realizing that someone brought their C6 Bennett.

4. Moonlit Bamboo Forest

Moonlit Bamboo Forest has a gorgeous painted art style. This short, produced by Passion Paris and directed by David Pagaille, takes place in the forests of Liyue. The story follows a boy setting out on a journey from his hometown, only to run into some strange forest spirits.

It’s stylistically stunning and a real treat for the eyes. Even better, it’s an adaptation of in-game lore that you’ll only come across if you buy a book series from an NPC. When’s the last time you sat down to do some reading in Genshin?

5. Titanslayers: Edge of Oblivion

Created by KIERU, Titanslayers: Edge of Oblivion is an epic fight between some of my favorite Genshin characters and a mysterious beast from the Primordial Sea. As an added bonus, it also features a sweet moment between Beidou and Ningguang.

The short that premiered during the HoYoFair presentation actually appears to be a work in progress. KIERU has commented that, in order to stay true to their original vision, the full short will be released next month. The version we’ve seen looks fantastic already, so I can’t wait to see what the finished animation will look like.

The Song Burning in the Embers

Unlike the others on this list, The Song Burning in the Embers is an official animated short from HoYoverse. It provides a glimpse into Arlecchino’s backstory and how she became the Father of the House of the Hearth. I love everything about it, except the fact that it’s not part of the official Genshin Impact anime series.

I’m glad there’s plenty of animated Genshin content to enjoy, whether it comes directly from HoYoverse or from a myriad of talented creators. The wait for the Genshin Impact anime series continues, but in the meantime, we’re being fed well. I just hope the anime doesn’t end up floating around forever, like the potential Nintendo Switch version of Genshin Impact.

The post The Genshin Impact anime isn’t out yet, but fanmade anime might just tide us over appeared first on Destructoid.

Two new artifact sets are coming to Genshin Impact Version 4.6: Unfinished Reverie and Fragment of Harmonic Whimsy. Let’s take a look at the new gear and see if they’re worth farming for any of your characters.

Fragment of Harmonic Whimsy effect explained

Fragment of Harmonic Whimsy’s 4pc effect grants up to 54% DMG bonus when a character’s Bond of Life increases or decreases.

Bond of Life is a debuff that prevents a character from receiving a certain amount of healing. Any healing they receive will reduce their Bond of Life bar instead of replenishing their HP. Bond of Life must be fully cleared before they can begin filling their HP bar.

Bond of Life can be applied by certain enemies (like Fatui Operatives) or from certain weapon effects (some Fontaine craftables). Unless a character can apply Bond of Life to themselves, they are unable to activate Fragment of Harmonic Whimsy’s 4pc effect.

Who can use Fragment of Harmonic Whimsy?

As of Version 4.6, there’s only one character in Genshin Impact who consistently uses the Bond of Life mechanic: Arlecchino. Fragment of Harmonic Whimsy is tailor-made for Arlecchino, and is likely to be her best artifact set. However, Gladiator’s Finale or Echoes of an Offering are also good artifact sets that may be easier to farm. Both sets can be obtained through artifact strongboxes.

Since few characters can use either Fragment of Harmonic Whimsy or Unfinished Reverie, it might be better to farm for an alternate artifact set for Arlecchino, even if it’s not her best-in-slot.

Unfinished Reverie effect explained

The 4pc effect for Unfinished Reverie has several parts to it:

• Gain 50% DMG bonus when out of combat for more than 3 seconds.
• When you start combat, if there are no Burning enemies nearby, this buff starts to decrease.
• If there are Burning enemies nearby, this buff increases up to 50%.

Note that the buff caps out at 50%. Having Burning enemies nearby doesn’t double the buff; it just maintains it at 50%.

Being on-field or off-field doesn’t matter. The text specifies “in combat,” which means enemies have noticed you and you hear battle music.

Who can use Unfinished Reverie?

As of Genshin Impact Version 4.6, I don’t recommend pure Burning teams in general. Burning has a lot of potential for self-damage and there are other reactions that make better use of Dendro.

That said, Unfinished Reverie might have a niche use in Burnmelt teams. Burnmelt uses Burning to establish a Pyro aura, then triggers Melt with a Cryo DPS character. You could, in theory, use Unfinished Reverie for Burnmelt Ganyu. However, this locks Ganyu to Burnmelt teams, and she would be better off with Shimenawa’s Reminiscence or Wanderer’s Troupe instead.

Are the new artifacts in 4.6 worth farming?

As of Version 4.6, Fragment of Harmonic Whimsy and Unfinished Reverie are not worth farming for. Fragment of Harmonic Whimsy might be worth it for Arlecchino if you’re intent on getting the absolute best gear for her, but there are more efficient places to spend your Resin.

This may change in the future as Genshin Impact adds new characters, weapons, and mechanics. But for now, you can skip the new domain.

The post Genshin Impact’s new artifact sets for 4.6, explained appeared first on Destructoid.

As a child in New Jersey, I grew up hearing stories of my mother’s flight attendant days in South Korea. A few stuck out to me even at a young age – such as hearing she needed to maintain a certain weight to get into the flight attendant program and that she had to quit her job once she got married. I couldn’t understand why my mother had to quit her dream job, the job that allowed her to travel to Hawaii and Paris, the two places she had always wanted to go since she was little, just because she got married. My mother also told me how women either lied about being married to keep their jobs or were pressured to quit by their superiors if they were public about their marital status or were pregnant. Although airlines across the world have since rolled back official policies restricting marital status and pregnancy for flight attendants in response to federal civil rights laws, many still perpetuate gender discrimination through dress code restrictions and limitations on lactating.

Unfortunately, what my mother faced as a female flight attendant was common across the globe. The role of women in the airline industry has long been limited to societal constructs of what it means to be “feminine.” Women flight attendants have been hypersexualized through revealing uniforms and advertisements, such as an infamous ad campaign run by a now discontinued airline in which a flight attendant states, “I’m Cheryl; Fly me.” To maintain this public perception of flight attendants as sexually and romantically available, airlines imposed informal and formal restrictions on the height, weight, and age of flight attendants as public imaging and marketing tools. In the 1950s, airlines began to institute mandatory retirement ages for flight attendants, 35 and older, to further reinforce their image of a desirable woman. Flight attendants were fired for getting married or becoming pregnant until the 1970’s.

Nowadays, we see this sexualization in current “female” flight attendant uniform policies – skirt, high heels, tight clothing, low-cut blouses – which are indicative of the longstanding stereotypes of what it means to be a “woman” in the airline industry. Restrictive uniform and grooming policies that reinforce stereotypical categories of “male” or “female” harm people of all genders, particularly women and nonbinary people. This was the case in Wetherell v. Alaska Airlines, in which a nonbinary flight attendant was required to adhere to an inflexible uniform policy that forced them to conform to rigid gender stereotypes. In May 2023, the ACLU, the ACLU of Washington, and the Washington State Attorney General’s Office secured a consent decree against Alaska Airlines, requiring the removal of all gendered restrictions from its uniform policy for flight attendants and additional training on gender identity and gender expression.

Wetherell v. Alaska Airlines

The ACLU and partners represented Justin Wetherell, a flight-attendant and flight-attendant instructor based in Seattle.

Source: American Civil Liberties Union

Dress code restrictions aren’t the only gender discrimination issue that airlines need to work on. New parents in the airline industry need to be able to pump breast milk aboard aircraft during noncritical flight phases. Lactation accommodations are now the norm in many places thanks to landmark legislation including the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act of 2022. The PUMP Act guarantees the right to pump at work and provides federal labor protection for new parents in most industries who want to pump milk during their workday without fear of being fired by their employer. But the PUMP Act excluded flight crews, and as a result, airlines have dragged their feet at implementing basic accommodations, forcing their employees to delay pumping due to their flight schedules, resulting in pain, discomfort, and infections, or to stop breastfeeding earlier than they intended.

We have fought to ensure pregnant flight attendants have the right to pump at work. In partnership with the ACLU of Colorado and other organizations, we secured two settlements agreements on behalf of Frontier flight attendants and pilots who had previously been denied pregnancy and breastfeeding accommodations by Frontier. As a result of the settlement, Frontier made important policy changes addressing pregnancy and lactation accommodations on the ground and during flights, including a policy change allowing flight crew to pump breast milk while in the air.

Now that Frontier is leading the way, other airlines should follow suit. That’s why we sent a letter to 28 airlines urging them to adopt policies expressly permitting flight crews to pump breast milk aboard an aircraft.

For those airlines that don’t follow in Frontier’s footsteps, we need the AIR PUMP Act to expand PUMP’s critical protection to flight crews, making clear that all airlines must provide employees who are lactating with the basic accommodations they need, such as pumping during non-critical phases of the flight. But in the meanwhile, we’re very glad to know that there’s currently a bipartisan effort, in both the House and Senate, to require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Authority to give written guidance to air carriers so that flight crew members will be able to pump without being penalized.

No working mother should be forced to choose between their job or nursing their child. We applaud Congress for passing the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act, and now it’s time to finish the job and stand by working parents in the airline industry.

Chiori is a 5-star Geo character in Genshin Impact whose damage scales with both ATK and DEF stats. Because DEF is important to Chiori, you will want to Ascend her to level 90 as soon as possible. Here are all of Chiori’s Ascension materials you’ll need to achieve that goal!

Character Ascension

Coppelia

Chiori uses the purple Ousia version of Artificed Spare Clockwork Components as her boss materials. The Icewind Suite duo can be found near the Opera Epiclese. Talk to Maillardet and be sure to choose the “Dirge of Coppelia” challenge each time you fight this boss.

You’ll need 46 Components in total, which will take an average of 18 boss runs or about 720 Resin at World Level 8.

Dendrobium

Chiori requires Dendrobiums, the Inazuman local specialty. It can be found growing in old battlefields on Kannazuka and Yashiori Island. There are 55 Dendrobiums to be collected in the overworld.

You will need 168 Dendrobiums to fully Ascend Chiori. Local specialties respawn 48 hours after collecting, so if the ones in your world aren’t enough, you might want to politely ask a co-op host for theirs.

Spectral Husks

Spectral Husks drop from all Specter enemies, regardless of element. Specters are most commonly found around Watatsumi and Seirai Islands in Inazuma, but there are also a few in Sumeru.

To max out her character levels, Chiori requires 18 Spectral Husks, 30 Spectral Hearts, and 36 Spectral Nuclei. You will need more if you plan on leveling her Talents.

Prithiva Topaz

As a Geo character, Chiori uses golden Geo Prithiva Topazes in order to Ascend. Unfortunately, you can’t get these from her world boss, the Icewind Suite. If you don’t have enough on hand, you can convert other gems to Geo using Dust of Azoth.

Chiori will need 1 Sliver, 9 Fragments, 9 Chunks, and 6 Gemstones to fully Ascend.

Talent Levels

Light Books

Chiori’s Talents require Light books to level up. You can farm these from the Inazuma Talent domain on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Chiori will require 9 brown books, 63 silver books, and 114 gold books to fully level her Talents. This is roughly 2,480 Resin, depending on how lucky you are with drops.

Spectral Husks

Specters can be found primarily on Watatsumi and Seirai Islands in Inazuma. All Specters drop the same class of materials, regardless of their element.

Chiori’s Talents will require 18 Spectral Husks, 66 Spectral Hearts, and 93 Spectral Nuclei to reach max level.

Lightless Silk String

Chiori’s weekly boss is the All-Devouring Narwhal, who drops Lightless Silk Strings. You can unlock this boss domain in the overworld by completing the Fontaine Archon Quests, but if you’re not quite there yet, you can still initiate the challenge through the Adventurer’s Handbook.

Chiori will need 18 Strings in total. This means around 8 weeks of farming, depending on your luck.

The post Chiori’s Ascension materials in Genshin Impact appeared first on Destructoid.

While playing the poker roguelike Balatro, you may come across a mysterious blank voucher. The card’s description says it does nothing. Is this true, or does it actually do something? Here’s what the Blank Voucher really does in Balatro.

Buy the Blank Voucher ten times

The first time you buy the Blank Voucher, it will do nothing, just like it says in its description. Nothing will happen the next few times you buy the Blank Voucher, too. Keep being stubborn though, and on your tenth purchase, you will unlock the Antimatter Voucher.

The Vouchers that appear in your shop are random, and individual Vouchers can only appear once per run. This means that you might not get a Blank Voucher every run. If you try to unlock the Antimatter Voucher with normal gameplay, this can mean playing through way more than ten runs of Balatro. 

Antimatter Voucher

The Antimatter Voucher is unlocked by purchasing the Blank Voucher ten times. The Antimatter Voucher gives you one free Joker slot, with no drawbacks. This is an incredibly powerful effect, especially in the later stages of a run. An extra Joker can make or break a run by adding more score Mults or enabling you to play special hands.

There are actually three different ways to unlock the Antimatter Voucher:

1. Keep playing more runs of Balatro. Continue playing normally and keep buying the Blank Voucher when you see it in your shop.
2. When you see the Blank Voucher in your shop, buy it, and then exit to the main menu. Continue your run, and your shop should have the Blank Voucher and your money back. Repeat until the game registers that you’ve bought the Blank Voucher ten times.
3. Unlock everything in your player profile. In the main menu, select your player profile in the bottom left and select “Unlock All.” This will unlock the entire collection of cards for you, but it will also disable achievements for that profile.

Once you unlock the Antimatter Voucher, it has a chance of showing up in the shop during subsequent rounds. You need to buy the Blank Voucher during a run for the Antimatter Voucher to appear during subsequent rounds in the same run. Like getting the Blank Voucher, the appearance of the Antimatter Voucher is also random, so you may need to play several runs before you find what you need.

The post What does the Blank Voucher do in Balatro? appeared first on Destructoid.

Do you remember Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora? The open-world ARPG by Ubisoft saw its last update in early December. Now, after more than two months of radio silence, Avatar's got a new update that includes some surprising improvements. Some aren't anything to write home about, but other bits from the latest patch notes are worth your attention.

Title Update 3 goes live with bug fixes galore

The new Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Title Update 3 patch notes highlight many quest-related bugs, from minor annoyances to soft locks, have been addressed. Teleporting away after a death in certain situations no longer prevents you from completing a quest, and NPCs no longer stand on furniture at certain points during the story. Various graphical issues have been fixed or improved, too.

Patch 3 adds Avatar QoL and major achievement fix

Perhaps most notably, The Ubisoft Challenge requiring you to cook all specialty dishes has been fixed. This achievement is now obtainable and, for the first time, it’s possible to complete all Challenges for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.

Inventory space has been expanded, and crafting now extends to stashes and pouches. Na’vi Senses have been improved to make it easier to spot quest objectives and investigation items, hopefully improving some more annoying quests. Additionally, while mounted, you can grab sticks and Dapophet Pods, while aiming and swapping were also improved.

Graphical options, like fog and motion blur, have adjustment sliders now. Combat difficulty overall has been reduced, especially in early game. It's easier to stealth, while enemies have worse aim, and weak point hitbox size has increased.

Direhorse speed has been increased, but the buff comes with penalties and speed boosts depending on terrain type. There was little reason to go Direhorse riding post-Ikran unlock before, but the changes could spice things up.

Na’vi names for certain plants and animals have been added, too. This may be a minor addition, but I think it's important to acknowledge names in their native language when we can. Even if the native language comes from a race of fictional blue cat-people.

While this update fixes many of the issues in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, it doesn’t address all of them. My Ikran and weapon cosmetics still don’t save when I quit the game, and the core issues with its cookie-cutter open-world gameplay remain.

The post Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora receives major bug fixes, quality of life improvements appeared first on Destructoid.

It’s that time of the patch cycle again, where HoYoverse announces all of the new content coming to Genshin Impact. In case you missed the livestream, here’s everything that was announced for Genshin Impact Version 4.5: Blades Weaving Betwixt Brocade!

4.5 livestream Primogem codes

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AT3BDSWTYBKD
5TKAUAWAGBJR

Each code grants 100 Primogems and various other materials. Redeem them either in-game or on the official site. These codes expire within a matter of hours, so be quick!

4.5 new characters

The one new character coming to Genshin Impact Version 4.5 is Chiori, the seamstress of the Chioriya Boutique. We’ve met Chiori before during Version 4.3’s flagship event, Roses and Muskets, during which she was a costume designer. Now, she makes the step from NPC to a fully playable character.

Chiori is a 5-star Geo Sword user who summons dolls in order to deal with off-field Geo damage. The number of dolls she can create depends on how many Geo constructs are on the field, hinting at potential synergies with other Geo characters like Geo Traveler, Ningguang, Zhongli, Albedo, or Itto. Her damage scales with both ATK and DEF stats, which could lead to interesting builds.

Her signature weapon, Uraku Misugiri, will also have a DEF bonus, making it a potential option for Albedo. If you’re an Albedo haver who missed out on the 4-star event weapon Cinnabar Spindle, be on the lookout for more details on Chiori’s weapon.

4.5 banners

The banners during the first half of Genshin Impact Version 4.5 will feature Chiori (5-star Geo Sword) and Arataki Itto (5-star Geo Claymore). The characters will be accompanied by their signature weapons: Uraku Misugiri (5-star Sword) and Redhorn Stonethresher (5-star Claymore).

The second half of 4.5 will feature reruns of Neuvillette (5-star Hydro Catalyst) and Kaedehara Kazuha (5-star Anemo Sword). They will also likely be paired with their signature weapons: Tome of the Eternal Flow (5-star Catalyst) and Freedom-Sworn (5-star Sword).

There’s no news yet on the featured 4-stars for these upcoming banners. We can expect 4-stars to be revealed a few days before each of the banners go live.

4.5 new banner type: Chronicled Wish

For the first time, Genshin Impact is introducing an entirely new banner type: the Chronicled Wish. This banner will run concurrently to other banners and feature an assortment of 5-star characters and weapons. You will be able to choose which of the characters or weapons you want with a Fate Point system that’s much more forgiving than the weapon banner.

The six featured characters are all from Mondstadt. The weapons are mostly from Mondstadt, but include two Sumeru weapons: Beacon of the Reed Sea and Hunter’s Path.

It looks like the Chronicled Wish will be a way for players to obtain standard characters/weapons or older limited characters. Chronicled Wish banners in the future will only feature 5-stars who have had three event banners already.

We covered this new banner type in more detail in a separate post.

4.5 new events

Alchemical Ascension is the flagship event for Genshin Impact Version 4.5. This management sim takes place in Mondstadt, where you set up a shop to brew and sell alchemical potions. Completing this event rewards you with the 4-star event polearm Dialogues of the Desert Sages, as well as another mysterious item called “Exalted Earth.” 

Feline Fortress Furrdyssey has you taking care of and petting cats. This might just make 4.5 my favorite Genshin patch ever.

Rolling Crossfire is a minigame that tasks players with shooting elemental rounds at Slimes on a board, triggering reactions in order to clear them out.

The Great Fayz Reaction Debate sees the return of the time-stop mechanic of Fayz Potions. It looks like this combat event is slightly different from its last iteration though, so we may have to just play it and see.

Leyline Overflow will close out Version 4.5 with double drops from Leylines in the overworld. This will be a great time to farm for character EXP and Mora if you need them.

Other additions in Version 4.5

Chiori’s Story Quest will be available as soon as Version 4.5 goes live. New Hangout Events are on the way, too, including one for Lynette.

A Training Guide system is coming to the character menu. Newer players will be able to see build advice based on their World Level and what other players have equipped. Older players will be able to see these suggestions too, but take them with a grain of salt, since player data doesn’t always translate well into optimized endgame build guides.

Genius Invokation TCG will receive yet another update with the addition of new cards for Electro Cicin Mage, Neuvillette, Charlotte, and Kirara.

Genshin Impact will also collaborate with the Discovery Channel to host events that raise awareness about environmental conservation. While this collaboration won't have any in-game effects, it will still be something cool to look out for.

The post Genshin Impact: new character, banners, and events for Version 4.5 appeared first on Destructoid.