Krafton, the developer and publisher behind PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, shared a trailer for its upcoming life sim game, Inzoi, as part of Gamescom Opening Night Live on Tuesday. The developers describe Inzoi as a game where players “have full control” and the power to change “everything as they wish” in their virtual lives. The new trailer shows some of the scenarios players can expect to simulate, like getting married, partying, and even getting into a car crash.

Krafton shared a gameplay reveal trailer for Inzoi in November 2023. It’s one of two games the Korean developer showcased at Gamescom this year; the other is a fantasy extraction game called Dark and Darker Mobile. Although this trailer doesn’t include a specific release date for Inzoi — though the game is scheduled to be released on Windows PC by the end of 2024 — Krafton is offering one small treat to interested players: Starting Aug. 21 and running until Aug. 26, players will be able to download the character creator for Inzoi for free to try it for a limited time.

The new trailer shows a lot of gameplay you would see in any other life sim, like The Sims franchise. Your character can get married, babble at other characters in a gibberish language, and even set their kitchen on fire. However, other aspects of the game, like its realistic art style and urban city setting, appear to add just a dash of Grand Theft Auto vibes. As shown in the trailer, your character can get into car accidents and experience road rage. Or if you’re the partying type, you can make it rain cash while you’re dancing on the beach — your choice.

The developers have emphasized in previous updates that the team wants user-generated content to play a large role in this game. A development roadmap said that the team plans to add plugins to support mods and an in-game UGC platform called Canvas. As the developers explained in the FAQ, they want the game to be a “tool for creativity” where players can share and discuss their creations on Canvas.

Inzoi might not be the only reason you’ve heard Krafton buzz lately. In August, the company announced that it acquired Hi-Fi Rush studio Tango Gameworks. The news came as relief to many fans after the beloved games studio was shuttered by Microsoft and ZeniMax Media in May.

Developer Funcom released an in-depth look at Dune: Awakening game as part of Gamescom Opening Night Live on Tuesday. It’s a survival MMO game set in the desert world of Arrakis and its larger sci-fi universe. So far, it’s looking like a sleek, but gritty take on Dune that’s all about working your way up the ladder of the world and fighting off other players for spice and other resources.

According to the trailer, Dune: Awakening is coming to Windows PC in early 2025 and will get release dates for PlayStation and Xbox consoles later down the line.

As shown in the presentation, you start as a nameless poisoner who must survive the scorching dessert heat and monstrous sand worms. The stream showed a scenario where a player made a deal to help another person take out a rival encampment in exchange for some vital resources in the early game. Once you establish a rapport with people, you can form a group and build a base of your own design and craft tech that allows you to drink the blood of your enemies — yummy! After that, your group can even form a guild and you can pledge your allegiance to one of the three houses of Dune.

Just like with anything Dune, spice is the name of the game. It’s a precious commodity and the key to power in the larger world of the game. Because of this, you’ll be constantly at war with hundreds of other players as everyone fights over spice. As far as warfare goes, it looks like anything from flamethrowers to mischievously summoning sand sand worms is fair game.

Other features of gameplay include exploration of the planet via ornithopters and building bases, but unfortunately, none of the gameplay showed any scenarios where you could overthrow Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides.

Mafia maker Hangar 13 is returning to the iconic franchise with Mafia: The Old Country, the developer announced during Gamescom on Tuesday.

The short teaser trailer is just over a minute long, and begins with dramatic, still-life shots of paintings and weapons. That’s before the camera pans over to what’s presumably the Italian countryside. There is a chapter in Mafia 2 called The Old Country; it takes place in Sicily, Italy in 1943. However, the majority of the Mafia games are set in fictional versions of American cities.

2K Games said in a news release that Mafia: The Old Country is a story about “the origins of organized crime” in the 1900s. “Fight to survive in this dangerous and unforgiving era, with action brought to life by the authentic realism and rich storytelling that the critically acclaimed Mafia series is known for,” 2K wrote.

The first game of the franchise, Mafia, was released in 2002 by Illusion Softworks, followed by Mafia 2 in 2010 from 2K Czech, and Mafia 3 in 2016 from Hangar 13. There have also been several expansion packs, mobile spinoffs, and remastered editions. Most recently, Hangar 13 released Mafia: Definitive Edition, which is a remake of the original game set in Lost Heaven, Illinois, in the 1930s. 2K Games said in a news release that the Mafia franchise has sold more than 34 million copies on console and PC.

Mafia: The Old Country is coming in 2025 for PlayStation 5, Windows PC via Steam, and Xbox Series X. More information will be revealed in December 2024.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has all the Indy trademarks you’d expect: action, adventure, the archaeologist’s iconic whip and fedora, and a long list of Nazi chuckleheads begging for a knuckle sandwich. The game will have tombs to raid, ancient mysteries to solve, and artifacts to collect. 

But Wolfenstein developer MachineGames’ take on Indiana Jones seems to have something incredibly difficult to capture without having direct access to Harrison Ford: charm.

At Gamescom this week, MachineGames and publisher Bethesda Softworks are showing off new gameplay from their upcoming Indiana Jones video game, which Polygon got to see in advance. Two moments stood out to me from watching that new gameplay because of their impressive ability to capture Indy’s character and charisma:

1. In one scene, we saw Indiana Jones try to infiltrate a seminary, dressed as a clergyman, in order to obtain some religious artifacts as part of a stealth mission. Indy will be able to wear disguises at certain points in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle‘s story, calling back to some of the better moments in the films (e.g., Jones trying to pass as a Nazi officer in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jones trying to pass as a ticket taker in The Last Crusade). MachineGames promises to let players choose stealth or direct confrontation in The Great Circle, and I’m looking forward to sneaking around as Indy masquerading (sometimes awkwardly) as someone else.
2. At some point, Indy can unlock an ability called True Grit, which will basically let him revive himself after being knocked down. In Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, this is visually represented by Indy picking up his fedora off the ground and dusting himself off. I imagine doing this often — waiting for a Nazi soldier who thinks he’s just gotten the best of me, watching him turn around, then tapping him on the shoulder and handing him a knockout punch.

These may seem like small elements in an incredibly ambitious game — MachineGames calls The Great Circle “by far the biggest game we’ve done” — but they matter for a character with a giant, scene-consuming personality like Indiana Jones.

Even in first-person moments, you can feel Indy’s charm radiating, especially during the excitement that comes from a well-earned discovery. This is a game of puzzle-solving and unlocking mysteries, and Indy will have two instruments that aid him in that regard during his adventure: a journal full of notes, maps, and clues that fills out over time, and a camera with which he can snap photos of important discoveries (which will in turn lead to more discoveries). MachineGames calls the camera “one of the key gameplay mechanics” in The Great Circle. Players will find “clever, unexpected uses” for all of Indy’s tools, the developer says, including that camera and his iconic whip.

The whip can be used in combat to attack and disarm foes, and for traversal. Expect lots of climbing and swinging (which is shown in third-person view, unlike the rest of the game), as well as opportunities to lash Nazi soldiers with the whip. There’s gunplay, of course, but much of the one-on-one combat moments we saw were some combination of whip and fistfighting. Indy can block, parry, and dole out combinations of punches, all of which hit with the meaty thwack heard in the Indiana Jones movies. MachineGames says that pacifists can bypass some of these encounters by carefully using stealth and the environment to sneak around Indy’s enemies.

The story of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, and features a familiar structure: Adolf Hitler’s forces, led by Nazi psychologist Emmerich Voss, are chasing artifacts of great power, and only Indy can stop them. Jones teams up with an Italian journalist named Gina Lombardi, who has a personal stake in their journey. In the gameplay shown at Gamescom, we saw Indy and Gina exploring tombs together, defying deadly traps and solving ancient puzzles — and maybe celebrating a victory a little too early, as what appeared to be a successful attempt at snatching a prized relic triggered an even deadlier trap.

MachineGames appears to be placing a great emphasis on The Great Circle‘s puzzles, which it says are “designed to fit seamlessly in the world.” The ones we were shown appeared to be pretty simple, tasking the player with surveying the environment and studying Indy’s journal for leads. One involved breaking parts of the environment to access a hidden room, and then using switches to unlock a mechanism. The puzzle in which Gina was involved seemed more complex, but she quickly — maybe too quickly — offered a helping hint about how to solve it.

I doubt Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will live and die by its puzzles. Instead, the more memorable moments of escaping certain death, sneaking through Nazi-infested compounds, and enjoying the thrill of discovery, both with and as Indiana Jones, seem like where MachineGames’ game will shine. After seeing more of Indy’s new game, I’m optimistic the Wolfenstein studio can pull it off.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is coming to Windows PC and Xbox Series X on Dec. 9. A PlayStation 5 version is slated for release in spring 2025.

Dungeon Keeper and Fable creator Peter Molyneux appeared on stage at Gamescom Tuesday to announce Masters of Albion — “an open-world god game full of combat, choices, mystery, and story,” he said.

Molyneux said he’s getting the old team back together to create Masters of Albion, including folks who helped create Dungeon Keeper, Black & White, and the Fable series. The team is just 20 people. “After messing around on mobile — what the hell was I doing? — I thought to myself, ‘I need to come home to PC and console,’” Molyneux said ahead of the debut.

Masters of Albion is set in Albion, which is a setting in the Fable series, but also another word for Great Britain — so that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s set in the Fable universe. The trailer shows a small village that’s alive with people, controlled and designed by a big floating hand. You can play in the game’s build mode, but you’re also able to take control of world’s characters to play in a third-person mode to defend from monsters.

Though this is the first look at Masters of Albion, Molyneux actually teased the game in October 2023: “This may be a decision I live to regret, but I am starting regular blog about the crazy way I design games; namely a new game set in the land of Albion called MOAT.”

Molyneux is notorious for talking up his games, promising things that don’t live up to expectations. He spoke to writer Simon Parkin on the My Perfect Console podcast and said he had “enormous regret for it.”

“And when I used to go back after interviews, a lot of the team members would say ‘Peter, we didn’t know that we’re going to have this feature in the game’ until they read it in the press,” Molyneux told Parkin. Molyneux did not promise much within the Masters of Albion preview, just that the team is dedicated to building something “new, unique, and different.”

Genshin Impact, the hit open-world adventure starring an anime-esque cast of characters, is coming to Xbox platforms on Nov. 20. Developer Hoyoverse announced the news as part of the Gamescom Opening Night Live stream on Tuesday.

Genshin Impact is a free-to-play game that utilizes gacha mechanics. As people play, they accrue (or purchase) in-game currency that can be used to gamble for chances to unlock special characters. Since the game’s initial release in the fall of 2020, it’s become a massive commercial success. According to a 2022 report from Sensor Tower, the game had been downloaded more than 110 million times and generated more than $3.6 billion in revenue since release.

The game is currently available to download on mobile devices, Windows PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.

The announcement comes just before Genshin Impact’s big 5.0 update on Aug. 28. This patch will bring an entire new region to explore called Natlan, a whole bunch of characters, and new quests. Although big updates like these tend to drum up buzz with fans over highly-anticipated characters, Natlan has faced the scrutiny of fans and voice actors who say the developers have “white washed” characters inspired by cultures from Latin America and West Africa.

For more Gamescom news — like the announcement of Borderlands 4 — check out Polygon’s coverage.

Firaxis Games gave Civilization fans their first real look at Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 at Gamescom on Tuesday, showing off an impressive globe- and history-spanning new take on the turn-based 4X strategy game series. Firaxis and publisher 2K Games also had some good news for fans itching to get their hands on Civ 7: It’s coming pretty soon, with a release date of Feb. 11, 2025 revealed at Opening Night Live.

Firaxis promises that players’ decisions will shape the unique cultural lineage of their evolving empires as they take on the roles of legendary historical leaders. “Construct cities and architectural wonders to expand your territory, improve your civilization with technological breakthroughs, and conquer or cooperate with rival civilizations as you explore the far reaches of the unknown world,” Firaxis said in an official game description. “Pursue prosperity in an immersive solo experience or play with others in online multiplayer.”

More details on Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 are coming soon as part of an official gameplay showcase.

Firaxis will dive deeper into Civ 7 later this week, as part of Xbox’s Gamescom presence, which is streaming from Aug. 21-23.

Civilization 7 will be released simultaneously on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X, and Firaxis promises to empower players “to build the greatest empire the world has ever known.”

Don’t Nod, creators of Life is Strange, announced Tuesday at Gamescom Opening Night Live that Lost Records: Bloom & Rage will be released in two parts — called tapes — on Feb. 18, 2025 and March 18, 2025, respectively, on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.

The independent developer shared the first gameplay trailer during the event, following the announcement back in 2023. Bloom & Rage is about four teenage girls in a punk band, set in both 1995 and 2022. Like Life is Strange, the game appears to be focused on relationships and narratives between characters, and how those relationships play into the larger, magical realist narrative. Visually, it looks a lot like Life is Strange, too.

“Navigate between dual timelines and shape both narratives – in 1995 and 2022 – with each offering a piece of the larger puzzle: the life-changing secrets they uncovered back then and why they’re reuniting now, after all these years,” Don’t Nod wrote on its website. “Together, in this place, they’re forced to try and remember clearly the fateful memories that have eluded them for the past 27 years.”

The trailer shown Tuesday includes a bit of the gameplay, including a camcorder to film what your friends are up to. There’s a lot of classic coming-of-age shots in the trailer, including the naming of the girls’ band, Bloom & Rage. But that’s where things get weird: Purple lights flicker in 1995, signaling something’s amiss, before cutting to 2022, where something (in a mysterious box) about their past has come back to haunt them.

Bloom & Rage was first announced at The Game Awards in 2023 with an expected release date in late 2024. Don’t Nod narrative director Luc Baghadoust wrote on the Xbox Wire in 2023 that Bloom & Rage is the first game in what will be the Lost Records universe.

Gearbox Software and 2K Games announced that Borderlands 4 will be released in 2025. It’s Geoff Keighley’s first big ol’ world premiere at Gamescom’s Opening Night Live on Tuesday.

The one-minute, 29-second teaser trailer is quite vague, first showing a planet seemingly bursting at its seams with a purple glow, then crashing into a crystallized atmospheric shield. As carnage happens on the ground, the camera zooms into a fiery pile — with a robotic hand reaching out to grab an iconic Borderlands mask.

“In this next installment of the definitive looter shooter, players will assume the role of a legendary Vault Hunter as they blast their way through hordes of enemies in search of new treasures to loot on an all-new planet,” Gearbox wrote in the YouTube trailer’s description.

When it’s released in 2025, Borderlands 4 will come to PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.

Borderlands 4 will be the latest mainline game since Borderlands 3 in 2019 — but two spinoffs, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands and New Tales from the Borderlands were released in 2022. Notably, the Borderlands movie — called Borderlands — was released in August and landed on “the border between good and bad,” according to Polygon’s review.

One of the first tutorial messages that pops up on the screen in Dustborn is a warning that what you say in conversations will affect your relationship with other characters, but that there’s “no wrong answer” to pick. Introduced as a story-driven experience shaped by your choices, Dustborn riffs on the Telltale-esque formula by having everybody remember your deeds. The concept, however, is taken a step further, since your actions also impact how  you and other characters develop over time. Developed by Red Thread Games and published by Spotlight, Quantic Dream’s publishing branch, the result is an ambitious story that often gets tangled in its aspirations, yet does so without ever abandoning its heartfelt nature.

The road-trip story begins with a group of four 30-year-olds inside a minivan, making their escape after a heist. The mission is to make it across an alternate-reality version of the United States to eventually deliver their stolen package in Nova Scotia, Canada. Your biggest obstacle is avoiding surveillance from Justice, a fascist regime that’s particularly interested in persecuting Anomals. These are people who can speak certain words to invoke special powers after a mysterious event that took place decades ago. As you might have guessed by now, all four people in the van are Anomals, including protagonist Pax.

In order to attempt to make it to Nova Scotia undetected, the cover for the group is to pass as a punk-rock band, despite their music skills being rather lackluster. Making use of fake IDs and forged work permits, the road trip is dictated by gigs, which you play following a standard Guitar Hero-style minigame. When you’re not onstage, you stop at different locations to connect with members of a resistance group, rest at campsites to rehearse and catch up with characters, or compose new songs.

Throughout the 20 hours it took me to see the end credits, Dustborn’s story took a dozen different turns. At first, I was expecting it to unfold in a similar way to Life Is Strange, showcasing people who have access to supernatural abilities in largely grounded depictions of our reality. Dustborn follows this to a certain degree, yet it ultimately favors fiction more often than not.

This alternate America is dictated by the JFK assassination happening to Jackie Kennedy instead, and the various events that ensued after, including the emergence of Anomals. The game takes place in 2030, with an already-established presence of robots and an ever-present commentary about how the reliance on them sucks (a robot goes haywire and steals your vehicle, server problems almost lead to the death of a mechanic who’s stuck underneath a bus, and so on).

With each new location you visit, the world and its inner turmoil continue to expand. Justice isn’t the sole enemy; there are also the Puritans, a group of technology-obsessed fanatics from whom you stole the package, as well as another entity that shows up toward the second half of the story. The game’s story also gets into the origin of the Anomals — with lengthy expositions about the use of language that get close to listening to Skullface in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain — plus flashbacks to Pax’s childhood, her past relationships with some members of the crew, combat sequences, and way more in the spoiler territory. The story is always trying to cast a wider net, and in the process some threads end up underdeveloped at best and forced at worst.

One part of the game that works is its emphasis on different points of view. No matter who you’re speaking to in Dustborn, you’re free to choose the camera’s perspective. Every conversation starts with a default angle, but you can move the camera around the scene, following an invisible path until it stays in place somewhere else, creating another viewpoint.

At times, the camera might start in a place where it’s showing two characters having an intimate conversation on a bench as the rest of the group sits around a campfire in the background. Rotate it, and the scene moves to just the two of them gazing at the moonlight shining on the ocean. During a tense point in the story, the camera angle could signify a chance to rebuild trust in a group that’s been fractured by betrayal, with everybody being in the frame. Or you could change the angle to emphasize said rupture, with the culprit being isolated on one side of the screen as the others listen to them making their case.

At the heart of everything, the characters’ writing and their specific vocal powers (named Vox) are what kept me invested. From the start, it was refreshing to see such a diverse cast that largely ignores media stereotypes and includes characters who are allowed to be angry, messy, and joyful in their own ways.

While I can’t speak with authority about each of the characters’ backgrounds depicted in Dustborn, I was particularly surprised by Theo. Because he’s a Mexican character, I was fully bracing myself to hear constant Spanish quips à la Jackie Wells in Cyberpunk 2077 or the characters in Far Cry 6. Spanglish isn’t uncommon, of course, but as a fellow Latin American, it was gratifying to see Theo following the rule of thumb: When you’re surrounded by English-speaking folks, you have to stick to English to be understood. It was only during moments of surprise that Theo let out a Spanish phrase, until a later sequence where he makes a phone call to a relative. Seen from Pax’s perspective, if you choose to eavesdrop, the subtitles display the conversation in Spanish, while Pax’s thought bubbles “translate” the main bits of it. I’m glad I didn’t have to witness yet another “[ominous mumbling in Spanish]” caption.

The care from the development team for each character is tangible, and speaking to them every chance I had became an imperative after I saw how their personality archetypes could be molded by different actions and conversations. Theo, for example, can stick to his role as the group leader or slowly open up and become more a part of the team, with the lack of impartiality that doing so involves. This feature isn’t flawless, however — while your actions have weight, some of the default story beats feel intrusive, and not always in the best way.

In one instance, a character departed the group after a rant, even though we had had a conversation the night before about how much their relationship with Pax had improved. More often than not, my hand was forced to use Pax’s Vox with the crew, such as bullying or momentarily blocking them off from speaking, despite the clear consensus among the characters that doing so is invasive. These moments didn’t completely obfuscate my sense of player agency — stories need structure, after all — but they did remove the weight of some of my previous actions.

There are ways in which Dustborn challenges its own conventions, such as having other characters use their Vox with Pax without you having a way to prevent it. The one that stood out to me the most was the existence of limited-time dialogue options. The more you listen to certain conversations, the more options appear over time. Meanwhile, the older ones expire. It made me reflect on the importance of knowing when to interrupt someone and when it’s time to just shut up and listen to the other person without saying a word, letting them vent after a stressful event.

Around the midpoint of the story, there’s a conversation with the group in which you’re told how many times you actually listened to somebody, and the impact of your seemingly small actions. After all, throughout the game, small actions can change how scenes unfold. It was funny to see the characters’ dinner end up a bit burned because I had helped the robot in charge of it pick a hat as they were figuring out their identity. I succeeded in healing Pax’s bond with a family member, only for them to ultimately lean on their idealist archetype and follow their own path instead. I chose to support this decision despite knowing they’d eventually part ways with Pax as a result, and it felt good to have that option available.

The biggest culmination of your decisions happens at the very end, when you don’t have a “select your ending” prompt. Instead, a message on the screen says that your choices and actions have been informing how the story would end the whole time. You get to watch Pax’s decision unfold without your input, and who decides to stick with her for what comes next.

As much as Dustborn leans into its science fiction setting, its story is told from a viewpoint that has clear parallels to reality. There are nods to jokes like “my husband and I saw you from across the bar” as well as mentions of “woke mind virus” speeches and how blatantly stupid they are. One of Pax’s Vox even allows her to “cancel” somebody — which is a bit on the nose, considering the contrast between Dustborn‘s queer and BIPOC characters against Quantic Dream’s alleged misogynistic and homophobic responses to a lawsuit alleging the studio was a toxic workplace.

As a whole, Dustborn is as messy and imperfect as the characters you come across. The story beats can be intrusive, and there are multiple threads left unresolved. But it makes sense to not have input on everything, to only have so much influence over the people around you. Dustborn is a reminder of how seemingly innocuous gestures might not always have a tangible impact, but they’re always shaping who we are and how we relate to others. In a game informed by decisions, the most gratifying choices didn’t involve a right answer — they were about getting a different perspective.

Dustborn was released Aug. 20 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. The game was reviewed on PlayStation 5 using a pre-release download code provided by Spotlight by Quantic Dream. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.

Burn Bright in the name of liberty

Freedom’s Flame is the next Premium Warbond for Helldivers 2, following the Polar Patriots Warbond that released in May.

Below, we detail when the Freedom’s Flame Warbond releases in Helldivers 2 in your time zone, plus some details about what to expect.

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Freedom’s Flame Warbond release time: When does the new Helldivers 2 update launch?

The Freedom’s Flame Premium Warbond is set to go live on Thursday, August 8. While neither publisher PlayStation Studios nor developer Arrowhead Game Studios have announced the exact release time, we can make an educated guess about its release time based on previous launches; Cutting Edge went live around 6:30 a.m. EST, while Democractic Detonation and Polar Patriots both went live around 5:00 a.m. EDT.

With that in mind, here’s a roughly three-hour window for when the Freedom’s Flame Warbond goes live in your time zone:

• Between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. PDT for the west coast of North America
• Between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. EDT for the east coast of North America
• Between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. GMT for the U.K.
• Between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. CET for western Europe / Paris
• Between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. JST for Tokyo

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How much does the Freedom’s Flame Warbond cost in Helldivers 2?

Though a price has not been announced for Freedom’s Flame, previous Premium Warbonds in Helldivers 2 have cost 1,000 Super Credits (or $9.99), so it’s safe to expect the same in this case.

Unlike battle passes in many other live service games, once purchased, Premium Warbonds never go away in Helldivers 2. Note that you do not get all of the associated rewards automatically — you still have you play your way through the pass.

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What’s new in the Freedom’s Flame Warbond for Helldivers 2?

Image: Arrowhead Game Studios/PlayStation Studios

The Freedom’s Flame Premium Warbond brings new weapons, armors, capes, and emotes. Let’s break down the highlights:

• There are two new primary weapons: the SG-451 Cookout shotgun that fires incendiary phosphorus pellets, and the FLAM-66 Torcher lightweight flamethrower.
• Keeping with the flame theme, Freedom’s Flame’s new secondary weapon is the P-72 Crisper handgun flamethrower.
• Ignite the dropsite with the new Fiery Drop – Firebomb Hellpods Booster.
• There are also two new armors — I-09 Heatseeker and I-102 Draconaught — and the new Inflamable! passive that grants 75% damage resistance to fire.

While you wait for the update, read about how Helldiver’s 2 latest mission has a twist — it’s about less murder, not more.

The Anti-Tank Mines Stratagem is finally in sight

In Helldivers 2, the player base eagerly awaits Major Orders, military commands from Super Earth. The entire community then bands together to complete these goals. Since February, the leadership of Super Earth has asked us to do lots of wild things, like open up a black hole or storm Automaton space to cleanse the galaxy of murder robots. But one recent Major Order is quite unusual, as it actively discourages murder.

Developer Arrowhead Game Studios are dangling the Anti-Tank Mine upgrade in front of players, a Strategem that has evaded Helldivers again and again. The only catch? Players have to not hit a certain kill count.

Major Orders can award new toys called Stratagems, which are tactical tools such as weapons, backpacks, resupplies, or orbital bombardments for use in-game. But so far Anti-Tank Mines have remained elusive.

In point of fact, this is player’s fourth shot at unlocking Anti-Tank Mines. The first Major Order that offered them as a potential reward yielded Airburst Rocket Launchers instead, which players chose en masse due to its strength against pernicious Automaton ships. A second Major Order asked players to turn a certain amount of Automatons into scrap to earn the mines; the community failed that Order.

Next, players were asked to choose between the Anti-Tank Mines and a hospital full of very sick children in the appropriately named Operation Trolley Problem. The Helldivers community showed its mettle by choosing to save the children. This was incredibly wholesome, but it did mean they had to go without those powerful explosive delights.

Image: Arrowhead Game Studios/PlayStation PC LLC

Enter the newest Major Order, Operation Vengeful Cleansing. High Command has ordered an Efficacy Review. To whit, if players can kill a certain number of enemies as a collective, then clearly we’re doing just fine and don’t need those mines. If we can’t kill those enemies, then Super Earth will finally distribute those mines to Helldivers in the virtual field. It’s a fairly high target to hit — over 1.5 billion enemies — and players are only around halfway through with just under a day to go. So, as long as everything goes according to plan, we will finally get those mines.

The mines that currently exist in the game are not an incredibly popular class of Stratagem. They’re mostly unreliable for taking out big hordes of enemies — unless you can set the ambush up just right — yet very reliable for taking out your allies in bursts of friendly fire. Call it mismanaged Democracy, if you will. This is likely why players have taken other choices when offered.

But Anti-Tank Mines, it seems, aren’t nearly as deadly for individual Helldivers as the current in-game offering. Rather than putting holes in soldiers, they’re designed for much bigger targets and won’t trigger when infantry units move over them. We know the Escalation of Freedom update, which is currently set to release on August 6, will include both a new Rocket Tank enemy and a new Spore Charger that cloaks itself with fog. Some new, high-test mines just might be just the thing to counter these new enemies, so I for one will thank Super Earth High Command for their generosity should they appear.

The new Freedom’s Flame Warbond is also set to release on August 8, which will include fire resistance armor and new flamethrowers. Warbonds include new weapons, cosmetics, and armor sets for players to unlock with Medals earned in combat. We’ll have to see what other missions Super Earth tasks us with after we pass the goal of an insufficient amount of bot and bug murders.

Win the heart of this shark maid

If you see the shark girl Ellen Joe on the streets after you’ve unlocked the trust function with her, she’ll want to chat you up — but only certain answers will boost your relationship with her in Zenless Zone Zero.

Increasing trust will give you Polychromes, as well as skill enhancement material, some bonuses in Hollows, and — most importantly — the ability to set that character as your background on the menu screen.

Below, we list the best answers to pick when talking to Ellen in her trust events and trust invites.

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Ellen Joe trust events best answers in Zenless Zone Zero

If you see Ellen’s portrait on the navigation screen, it means she’s waiting in the area for a potential trust event. Approaching her and talking to her when she has grey ellipses over her head will net you some trust, though you’ll need to be careful — replying with the wrong answers may decrease your trust.

Below we list out Ellen’s possible locations and the best answers to reply to gain trust. Note that not every prompt will give trust, even if you pick a seemingly favored answer, so we only list the answers that will raise your trust.

This is still missing a few trust events, as we’re still working through solving them all. (It’s a lot of trial and error with a daily limit, so it’s taking us a bit.) We’ll update this guide with more trust event answers as we find them.

God Finger (Sixth Street)

When Ellen asks “Can I ask... When was the last time you weighed yourself?” respond with “Pretty recently,” for a trust increase.

Hotpot restaurant (Lumina Square)

Your answers here don’t matter until the last prompt, where she says “...,” in which case you need to answer with “I was just doing what you said...” to get the trust increase.

Image: Hoyoverse via Polygon

Remodeling shop (Sixth Street)

Ellen will talk about getting you a gift. Only the second prompt matters. When she says, “Otherwise… don’t you think it’s strange if I’ve never given you anything even though we’re friends?” reply with “Thank you, Ellen” for a trust increase.

Waterfall Soup (Lumina Square)

Outside of Waterfall Soup, Ellen will be getting swarmed by girls asking for photos. When she says “Yaaay...!” hit her back with another “Yaaay!” for a significant trust increase. The answers after this do not matter.

Lumina Galleria (Lumina Square)

Ellen will be standing in front of the mall in Lumina Square. She’ll ask “Proxy… When was the last time you went to karaoke?” to which you’ll need to answer “Recently,” for a trust increase.

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Ellen Trust Invite best answers in Zenless Zone Zero

If you DM Ellen, you can meet up with her at one of four locations on Sixth Street. Doing this will give you trust increases no matter what at the end, but some specific answers will net you extra points.

‘Time! To! Choose!’ (Waterfall Soup) best answers

When Ellen asks “What kind of soup are you getting?” you’ll get a significant trust increase if you pick “Ice noodle broth.” The other options will just give you a regular trust increase. You’ll get an additional trust increase at the end of the conversation as well.

Image: Hoyoverse via Polygon

‘Do Shark Thirens Need Two Tickets?’ (404 Live) best answers

There are two trust increase prompts from this conversation, but neither of them actually matter.

The first prompt is the only choice: “You wanna keep it low-key?” which will give you a trust increase.

The second prompt is when she says “I knew I should’ve gotten an extra ticket...” It doesn’t matter which option you pick — both “You could have put your tail by me” or “I could have hugged your tail for you” will give you a significant trust increase after the cutscene ends.

‘Are These Really Just Ordinary Snacks?’ (141 Convenience) best answers

None of the choices matter until you need to make snack recommendations.

When Ellen asks, “Oh, so...you got any snack recommendations?” you should recommend a delicious snack for an immediate trust increase. After the interaction ends, you’ll grab yet another trust increase (even if you tell her to eat a suspicious snack).

Image: Hoyoverse via Polygon

‘You There? Can I Borrow your Wifi?’ (video store) best answers

When Ellen asks “What’s your password?” reply with “I thought you knew,” for a trust increase.

The rest of the answers don’t matter as you’ll get a significant trust increase at the end of the conversation no matter what.

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For more Zenless Zone Zero guides, see our beginner’s tips, list of codes, a guide to Officer Mewmew Medal locations, “suspicious shadow” location, or our “Speedy Chaser” and “Let’s Go Bro!” exploration walkthroughs.

What’s new in Diablo 4’s Season of the Infernal Hordes

Diablo 4 season 5 will drag you back to Hell. The latest season for Diablo 4 will be shorter than usual — what with the Vessel of Hatred expansion coming just over two months later — but adds a brand new mode to the game: the Infernal Hordes.

Here’s when Diablo 4 season 5 starts in your time zone, and details on what to expect from Season of the Infernal Hordes.

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What time does Diablo 4 season 5 start?

Image: Blizzard Entertainment

Diablo 4 season 5 starts at 10 a.m. PDT on Tuesday, Aug. 6, according to a Blizzard blog post. Here’s when that is in your time zone:

• 10 a.m. PDT for the West Coast of North America
• 1 p.m. EDT for the East Coast of North America
• 6 p.m. BST for the U.K.
• 7 p.m. CEST for Western Europe/Paris
• 2 a.m. JST on Aug. 7 for Tokyo

While these are the expected release times for Diablo 4’s latest season, Blizzard has occasionally had to delay the release window by a few hours due to technical difficulties. We’ll update this post once the season is live or if Blizzard announces any changes to the schedule.

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What’s new in Diablo 4 season 5?

Unlike the first three seasons of Diablo 4, season 5 doesn’t have a big new theme or a goofy spin on your typical powers. Instead, Season of the Infernal Hordes seems to pull inspiration from season 4, Loot Reborn, and is about building up new endgame improvements that will last much longer than the season itself.

Many of the below changes are coming to both the seasonal and eternal realms:

• Infernal Hordes, the season’s titular mode, serves as a wave-based slayer mode that offers special rewards and takes place in the pits of Hell itself. A new questline introducing the Infernal Hordes and its unique mechanics will include mini-dungeons designed to show off the new mode in short bursts.
• The complete rework of every Unique item in the game takes up a bulk of the patch notes for this season. These items still can’t be Tempered, but their baseline stats and effects are significantly more powerful than ever.
• A host of new, flaming cosmetics are available via the battle pass.
• Massive class, ability, and item changes are also coming to Diablo 4 as part of the season 5 patch.

Get free Polychrome by using this code

Zenless Zone Zero just closed out its version 1.1 livestream, teasing what’s to come in the next update, which launches the evening of Aug. 13 EDT. Alongside new characters and events, Hoyoverse uses the stream to distribute codes that reward free Polychrome and other upgrade materials.

The 1.1 patch will add three new agents to the game: Seth, Qingyi, and Jane Doe (yes, that’s really her name). Qingyi is an S-rank electric stun character whose banner will run during the first half of the patch and Jane is an S-rank physical anomaly character who will run during the second half of the patch. Seth is an A-rank character, and he’ll be in the banner alongside Jane. The update also will add a special story about Jane Done, and an agent story for Qingyi, as well as new events, and additional content for Shiyu Defense.

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Zenless Zone Zero 1.1 livestream codes

These codes are usually only active until the day ends, so you’ll want to make sure to use them quickly.

There’s actually only one Zenless Zone Zero reward code from the version 1.1 livestream:

• UNDERCOVERRNB

This single code does reward the same amount of premium currency that the usual three codes we see from Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail streams reward: 300 Polychromes.

The code will expire on Aug. 4 at 11:59 a.m. EDT / 8:59 a.m. PDT, so use it quickly or you’ll miss out on the free loot. For more codes that don’t expire in just a few hours, you can check out our constantly-updated list of active Zenless Zone Zero codes.

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How to redeem codes in Zenless Zone Zero

You can redeem the codes in game by opening the menu, selecting “more,” “redemption code” and then “enter redemption code.” This menu will become available once you finish “The Hare and the Proxy,” though some codes won’t be redeemable until you’re Inter-Knot level five or higher.

Image: Hoyoverse via Polygon

You can also redeem them online through the Zenless Zone Zero code redeem website. You’ll need to select your correct server and login through the website in order to get rewards. You will also need to have a working UID for Zenless Zone Zero. If you’ve never logged into Zenless Zone Zero in any form using your Hoyoverse account, it will not work.

In a sea of free competitors, how will Concord not only stand out, but survive?

Sony and Firewalk Studios’ Concord launches on PlayStation 5 and PC later this month, and faces an uphill battle to success. The team-based hero shooter is, unlike much of its competition, a “premium” paid title — meaning it’s not free to play like rival shooters Overwatch 2, Apex Legends, and Tom Clancy’s XDefiant.

Concord will also soon have more competition on that front; on PC, there’s hero shooter FragPunk, an upcoming free-to-play game from NetEase. Then there’s the launch of Riot Games’ Valorant (now live on consoles as of Friday) and the upcoming NetEase’s Marvel Rivals (now in a closed beta test).

The latter two free-to-play games have the kind of built-in fan bases that Firewalk would probably love to have. Valorant will launch as a mature product, with four years’ worth of content and refinement, and fans of Riot’s games know that the studio will continue to support their shooter for years to come; League of Legends will celebrate its 15th birthday later this year. About 6 million people play Valorant daily, according to Tracker Network. And then there’s Marvel Rivals, which will star more than 20 playable Marvel superheroes and villains with decades of history behind them. Marvel Rivals’ beta boasts about 40,000 peak players on Steam alone, according to SteamCharts.

So far, Concord hasn’t established a strong enough identity to compete with those powerhouses. Player numbers during Concord’s beta weekends were worryingly low. The game has been widely dismissed by a portion of its potential audience as lifting heavily from Blizzard’s Overwatch and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy characters. What does make Concord stand out from the competition is its price; it’s a $39.99 multiplayer game in a field of free-to-play rivals. It feels like a product of a time now past; Firewalk started working on its multiplayer game years ago, when the Guardians of the Galaxy were still hot, and Blizzard was charging money for the original Overwatch.

Firewalk is positioning the pay-to-play aspect of Concord as a positive. The developer has said it won’t put a battle pass into the game, and will continue to support the sci-fi shooter with new characters, maps, and modes. That would logically endear it to some players who are tired of the battle pass grind, and the ever-present monetization tactics of free-to-play games.

But Concord didn’t seem to draw much of an audience over the course of two beta weekends. The game’s first beta test period was originally intended to be for players who had pre-ordered the game, but an eleventh-hour change in plan opened it up to anyone with a PlayStation Plus membership. That signaled a lack of pre-order interest in the game, and a second beta test weekend — open to all players on PS5 and PC — didn’t draw much enthusiasm either. According to unofficial data from True Trophies, Concord’s player count dipped 8% from its first beta weekend to its second.

Image: Firewalk Studios/Sony Interactive Entertainment

I played the Concord beta and found it to be a solid shooter, with interesting hero kits, unique team dynamics, and a very slick presentation. But the beta didn’t communicate clearly how to play Concord; unlike the Marvel Rivals beta, Concord’s playtest shipped without a tutorial mode. Understanding the game’s unique mechanics required digging into a text-based guide and experimenting under the pressure of live team play. Worse, the initial deathmatch-style mode that was in the beta at launch, which Concord forced players to experience first, failed to highlight the game’s character buffs system and important team-based dynamics. I had some fun with Concord, but I mostly stuck with it and dug into the game’s systems out of professional obligation. I doubt it will pull me away from my other live-service games of choice.

I hope that Concord finds an audience, and that players who pay $40 for it (and pay for a PlayStation Plus subscription on top of that) will find many thousands of other like-minded teammates and enemies out there. If they don’t, PlayStation Plus subscribers may benefit in the long run, as Concord feels destined to become a monthly PS Plus giveaway, if early interest is any indication.

Concord is no doubt partly an experiment for PlayStation Studios, part of a larger plan to crack the lucrative live-service game space with future titles like Marathon, FairGame$, and unannounced online projects from Guerrilla Games and London Studios. Time will tell if the PlayStation fan base that’s willing to fork over cash for the likes of God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, and the Spider-Man games will do so for an untested multiplayer experience like Concord.

How to complete all five challenges for The Final Shape raid

Salvation’s Edge challenges are mandatory if you want to get the Ignited Light Triumph, which you need to get the new raid title in Destiny 2: The Final Shape, Iconoclast.

These challenges add an optional wrinkle to each encounter that you can complete for bonus loot. Challenges rotate per encounter each week, and only one is active at a time. This changes when a newer raid arrives and it enters the weekly raid rotation, where all challenges become available.

In this Destiny 2 guide, we’ll walk you through how to complete each of the five raid encounter challenges in Salvation’s Edge.

Note: Due to the complex nature of these challenges, this guide assumes a general familiarity and understanding of the basic mechanics of Salvation’s Edge and its five encounters. If you’re unsure how an encounter works, check out our complete Salvation’s Edge walkthrough before diving into the challenges.

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How to complete Substratum challenge ‘Scenic Route’

Image: Bungie via Polygon

The Scenic Route challenge is for the first encounter in Salvation’s Edge, Substratum.

To spawn the Tormentor and progress the encounter, you first need to kill an Overload Minotaur. Two Overload Minotaurs spawn each phase, one on each team’s side of the map.

However, the spawns aren’t consistent across teams. One team will always encounter their Overload Minotaur in the third room they reach, while the other team will always encounter their Overload Minotaur in their fourth room. To complete the challenge, you must only ever kill the Overload Minotaur that spawns in the fourth room, meaning the team that encounters their Overload first (in room three) can’t kill theirs.

You can tell which team will have the Overload Minotaur in room four based on which team has Vex Hobgoblins in their first room. If you see those Hobgoblins, that means you’ll need to push forward until you find an Overload Minotaur to kill. If not, be careful not to kill your Overload when you reach it.

The only real strategy change here is mindfulness. Have a player on each side that’s responsible for both counting rooms and checking for Hobgoblins. The biggest failure condition here is the wrong team accidentally killing their Overload because they aren’t paying attention. You do, however, need to make sure you continue to go fast in this encounter, as this challenge will add anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds to your phases.

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How to complete Dissipation challenge ‘At Capacity’

Image: Bungie via Polygon

The At Capacity challenge is for the second encounter in Salvation’s Edge, Dissipation.

To complete At Capacity, you can only ever dunk your Resonance into the bank if you have x3 Resonance. If you have anything less than that, the challenge will fail if you interact with the bank.

When gathering Resonance on each side, have the player activating the Conduit only grab the one Resonance they need, and have the bouncing player grab three of any kind of Resonance. Then, activate the Conduit and only have the bouncing players dunk.

This strategy means you’ll only net nine Resonance per phase, which will leave you about 15 seconds off of a full time refund. That means this method does require you to go fast in each phase, but it’s much simpler than alternative methods that have the Conduit players running to other sides to grab bonus Resonance (which itself wastes time). We recommend finding ways to speed up — like memorizing enemy spawns — rather than going out of your way to dunk bonus resonance.

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How to complete Repository challenge ‘Balanced Diet’

Image: Bungie via Polygon

The Balanced Diet challenge is for the third encounter in Salvation’s Edge, Repository.

The requirement for this challenge is that you can never pick up the same type of Resonance twice in a row.

To do this, find out what shape you need for your Conduit and work backwards. So if you’re triangle, grab square and circle first, then get the triangle you need to dunk. It involves quite a bit more running than the normal method of just grabbing your shape, but it’s otherwise difficult to fail if you’re focusing on it.

The one wrinkle here is that the challenge persists from room to room. So if you need the triangle symbol to dunk like in the example above, you can’t grab triangle next even after you move to the next room. If you’re struggling to remember your last symbol, try writing it down in the chat or a nearby notepad.

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How to complete Verity challenge ‘Varied Geometry’

Image: Bungie via Polygon

The Varied Geometry challenge is for the fourth encounter in Salvation’s Edge, Verity.

This is by far the most complex challenge in Salvation’s Edge, and requires you to beat Verity using all six 3D shapes to escape before your team repeats any shapes. That means the first phase and the third phase are normal, but you’ll need to make some major adjustments in phase 2.

In order for all of your inside players to escape with a different 3D shape than you used in the first phase, you’ll need everyone to grab identical shapes. So instead of grabbing a circle and a square, the left player will grab two circles, and so on. The best way to do this is to have the inside players make the call that they see inside — CST (circle, square, triangle), for example — and then shift it one to the right. So it would be: CST to TCS.

Once you’ve figured out the call, you can proceed. The dissector player will need to make the outside shapes match the new, shifted call. So in the example above, left would be double triangle, middle would be double circle, and right would be double square. Just follow the normal dissection protocol to swap the correct shapes into these locations. When you’re done, you need to have all three 3D shapes in their proper location, which is based off of the shifted call — triangle (pyramid), circle (sphere), and square (cube) in the example above.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Inside players have a bit more of a complex task here, but there is a simple way to make it happen. Trade all of the shapes around until you possess both of the shapes your statue started with (if you’re the square player, become lord of squares, like normal). Then pass the squares out to the other players. Once everyone is done here, you’ll then need to make one final trade in order to get two of the same shape.

If you started as the square player in the example above — the middle player — here is what you’d do:

1. Trade until you become lord of squares, getting rid of all your non-squares.
2. Distribute squares to circle and triangle.
3. Wait until you receive a circle from the circle player and a triangle from the triangle player.
4. Do not pick up your shapes to create a cone like you normally would.
5. Look at the new call and see that your new position — once shifted — is circle.
6. Trade your triangle away to the left player and wait to get a second circle from the right player.
7. Once all the circles are in your possession and the dissection is complete, walk out of the glass holding circle/circle (sphere).

If you want a visual explanation that uses a slightly different strategy than the one described above, I recommend checking out Datto’s explanation video, which includes gameplay footage.

Keep in mind that everything else in the encounter is normal outside of the second phase, so once you have this new method down, you just need to remember to swap between them.

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How to complete ‘The Witness’ challenge Coordinated Efforts

Image: Bungie via Polygon

The Coordinated Efforts challenge is for the fifth and final encounter in Salvation’s Edge, The Witness.

To complete this challenge, you need to break all six of The Witness’ seals (the buttons on its jacket) within a few seconds of each other. This requires all six players to have Glyphbreaker at once.

The best strategy here is to break into two groups of three as normal. But instead of three runners and three enemy slayers, you swap roles once the first three hands have been popped. The only thing to keep in mind here is that the first players to get Glyphbreaker need to keep an eye on their Resonance timers, as you’ll die if they expire. To get around this, have your most experienced Glyphbreakers go first and have them keep their Resonance under x3. If their timer is getting close to zero, they just need to get another stack to refresh it.

Once everyone has Glyphbreaker, head to the middle, do a countdown, and pop all six buttons on The Witness simultaneously — it’s best to assign everyone a button before shooting. Note that you need to simultaneously break the seals on every phase, not just the first one.

Kill The Witness without messing this up to complete the challenge.

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As you complete each challenge, you’ll unlock an individual Triumph on the Iconoclast title seal. You’ll then need to compete every encounter challenge on the Master difficult to unlock the Ignited Light Triumph.

Studio head would prefer transmedia domination instead

In recent years, fans of Sega’s Like A Dragon games — the series previously known as Yakuza in the West — have pestered the developers to allow their characters like Kiryu Kazuma and Majima Goro to appear in fighting games like Tekken or Street Fighter. The series’ former producer, Toshihiro Nagoshi, had frequently dismissed the idea, saying, “I don’t really want to see Kiryu hitting women.”

Like A Dragon series producer and writer Masayoshi Yokoyama, who took over for Nagoshi in 2021, has a different take: Please think bigger.

In an interview with Yokoyama around the upcoming Prime Video series based on the games, Like A Dragon: Yakuza, I asked him how he’d feel about characters like Kiryu, Majima, or Ichiban making the jump over to a fighting game like Tekken 8.

“I think it’s better to say that going across mediums like how we did with [the Like A Dragon: Yakuza TV] series is better, rather than just going to another game,” Yokoyama said. “We receive all kind of invitations to appear in other games, but we never actually went over to their doorstep and said ‘let us in.’ I think going cross-medium is the better way to go about it.”

That’s certainly a more flexible and more ambitious answer than the one Nagoshi gave Red Bull in 2020. So maybe we’ll see Kiryu battling Kazuya Mishima outside of a Waffle House someday.

Like A Dragon’s Kiryu has appeared in games outside of the core franchise, of course. He was a guest golfer in 2011’s Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational, and he’s appeared alongside other Sega characters in games like Project X Zone 2, Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, and Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania.

I suppose what we really need is for Sega to finally make Fighters Megamix 2, so we can all live out the fantasy of playing as the Dragon of Dojima in fistfights against the car from Daytona USA, Bean the Dynamite from Sonic Fighters, and any other dude that Kiryu feels comfortable punching.

The quidditch video game will be a PlayStation Plus freebie

One of the more notable missing elements from the Harry Potter prequel game Hogwarts Legacy was the high-flying sport of quidditch. Publisher Warner Bros. Games will address that exclusion later this year with Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, a new single-player and online competitive multiplayer game based on the wizarding sport.

Developer Unbroken Games revealed the first gameplay from its Harry Potter quidditch video game this week, showing off some familiar faces, like Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy. There’s also a glimpse of multiple arenas, including the Quidditch World Cup Stadium.

Quidditch enthusiasts will also be able to create the young wizard of their choice. Unbroken Games shows off the Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions character creator in the video above, highlighting the choices in houses, clothing, broomsticks, and more. Publisher WB Games says there are “no plans for microtransactions in the game at this time,” which hopefully means what you see is what you’ll get, forever.

Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions will be released digitally for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC (via Steam and the Epic Games Store), Xbox One, and Xbox Series X on Sept. 3. A physical deluxe edition will be available for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X on Nov. 8. A Nintendo Switch version is also coming, and will be released sometime this holiday season, WB Games says.

PlayStation Plus subscribers will get Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions (and a Firebolt Supreme Broom Skin) as part of September 2024’s downloadable games. The game will be available to keep from Sept. 3-30, if you have an active PS Plus membership of any tier.

Awkward moments, bad dates, and more nuanced relationships

The Sims 4’s new expansion pack Lovestruck has piqued my interest, and I’ve started a new run in the life simulator game. I thought that the added polyamory options would appear later into a run, after I had settled in and found a sweetheart of my own, but to my surprise the dynamic of the game had immediately changed. If you have other expansion packs installed, like the supernatural or fame-related updates, the events and interactions from these packs can make dating even more complex. My new sim, Elise, moved into a crappy apartment in the big city and immediately became embroiled in non-stop drama.

I started with the usual tasks: decorating Elise’s new apartment as well as getting her a job as a barista and having her make a few friends. Immediately, the next-door neighbors, a married couple, dropped by. Elise had a great time speaking with them, but I became alarmed when the mood immediately became flirty. This man and his pregnant wife weren’t just welcoming Elise to the building; they wanted her to know they had seen her moving in and really liked her vibes.

Luckily, other neighbors came by, and Elise ended up chatting with a lovely young man named Raj. The mood turned a little flirtatious, and I quickly forgot about Elise’s salacious, married admirers.

Image: Maxis/Electronic Arts via Polygon

Just when I thought things were coming up Milhouse, Raj’s mother called Elise and asked if she could crash at Elise’s place in case of an emergency. Sure, Elise said, always eager to be a helpful host. To my horror, she arrived with Raj. The guy Elise had flirted with at a housewarming party was now her roommate, along with his mom. The two of them lived in the same building, just a floor away! What could have possibly befallen them that made Elise’s one-bedroom apartment an ideal place to crash?

In retrospect, I can only assume this was an extreme courting measure. Perhaps Raj is an adherent to the DENNIS system, or maybe he decided the best way to sell himself as a romantic partner was to be in Elise’s personal space as often as possible. Perhaps it would have worked better if Raj wasn’t such a slob, whereas Elise is hardwired to be neat. Before long, Elise’s pristine but eclectic apartment was a total pigsty.

The household dynamic was rough. Elise slept on the couch, while Raj and his mom shared the only bedroom. Raj’s mom was also fascinated with Elise’s DJ equipment, turning the stereo and booth on at all hours. Elise missed her first day of work as a barista because she was so sleepy. She woke up late, enraged, and then began to fistfight Raj’s mom in the living room.

Lovestruck has introduced lots of romantic options, even when my character was trapped in a Cinderella-esque situation where she cleaned after an ungrateful mother-son duo. After missing work, Elise’s friend invited her to the Romance Festival downtown. Nice! Elise ended up painting a lovely portrait, eating some expensive food, singing karaoke, and meeting a handsome young DJ called Jacques Le Chien.

Just when Elise was getting into a groove and flirting with Jacques, another Sim turned into a feral werewolf and charged the dancefloor. Another romantic moment, foiled by circumstances outside my control! Frustrated, Elise arrived home, immediately fist-fought Raj’s mom again, and then booted them both out.

I thought that was the end of it, until a couple of days later. Elise started cooking a little meal, only for Raj to show up at her door and ask if he could get in on that dinner. I reluctantly let him in, and to my surprise, Elise was still amenable to his romantic advances. I like to use the ant farm approach to playing The Sims 4; I make the broad decisions, but I let the Sim act as they will in the moment. Personally, I wouldn’t want to cuddle on the couch and kiss a guy who had, together with his mother, moved in and conquered my apartment, but I guess Elise is more forgiving.

Image: Maxis/Electronic Arts via Polygon

After a romantic evening with Elise’s new sweetheart, I started to feel like things were looking up. But then Raj called Elise the next evening and confessed that he had a crush on another Sim, and asked for advice on their next date. Another cruel barrier between Elise and happiness!

Both Lovestruck and the base game update that accompanied it make romance and dating feel more nuanced. Sims have turn-ons and turn-offs, as well as jealousy triggers and personal boundaries. Jacques Le Chien was super happy to flirt at a music festival, but in broad daylight, in front of his friends, he turned Elise down. Before, romance could be a little awkward — you’d find a target, establish some basic chemistry, and then flirt, flirt, flirt, flirt, confess attraction, first kiss, embrace, flirt, flirt, flirt your way into a partnership. Now, everything’s much trickier.

So far, I’m really enjoying the nuance this gives to the early game of a new The Sims 4 run. I intend to keep pursuing Elise’s professional success and personal happiness — I just hope I can find Elise a more compatible partner than the slobbish, mama’s boy, unmotivated Raj, since his terrible mother continues to hover outside Elise’s apartment and shout abuse at her every time they interact.

Drift Races and more this week in Los Santos

The weekly GTA Online update for August 1, 2024, is live with reward events, discounts, prizes, and lots of racing.

Our GTA Online weekly update guide will tell you everything happening in Los Santos this week.

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GTA Online special events

The main event this week is a new ride — Benefactor Vorschlaghammer. You can pick one up from the Southern San Andreas Super Autos’ website or at Luxury Autos showroom. If you’re a GTA+ member, you can even pick up the Vorchlaghammer’s Drift Tuning package for free.

Image: Rockstar Games

GTA Online players successfully completed last week’s Pizza Delivery Community Challenge and collectively delivered a total of 10 million pizzas. That means that everyone gets the Pizza This… Tee just for logging in this week.

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What are the 2x GTA$ and RP events in GTA Online this week?

Image: Rockstar Games

To go along with the new Benefactor Vorschlaghammer and its free drifting upgrade, all Drift Racing races are rewarding 2x GTA$ and RP this week. If you’re a GTA+ member, those rewards are doubled to 4x GTA$ and RP.

Participate in six Drift Races this week to complete the Weekly Challenge for an extra GTA$ 100,000 and the Rockstar Helmet.

Meanwhile, the Issi Classic Stunt Races are also paying out 2x GTA$ and RP.

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What are the 3x GTA$ events in GTA Online this week?

Image: Rockstar Games

Head to Downtown Cab Co. and pick up any Taxi Work missions to earn 3x GTA$ this week.

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What vehicles are for sale in GTA Online this week?

Image: Rockstar Games

What’s in Premium Deluxe Motorsports Showroom this week?

Head to Simeon’s Premium Deluxe Motorsports showroom for:

• Dewbauchee Seven-70
• Benefactor Streiter
• BF Raptor
• Declasse Tornado Rat Rod
• Dinka Enduro

What’s in the Luxury Autos Showroom in GTA Online this week?

Image: Rockstar Games

At Luxury Autos over in Rockford Hills, you can pick up the following:

• Benefactor Vorschlaghammer
• Übermacht Niobe

What’s the Lucky Wheel prize car in GTA Online this week?

At the Diamond Casino, spin the wheel for a chance to win the new Pegassi Zentorno.

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What are the Salvage Yard Robbery targets in GTA Online this week?

If you’ve set up a Salvage Yard to make money, you’ll be looking for:

• BF Weevil
• Enus Deity
• Ocelot Jugular

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Which properties are discounted in GTA Online this week?

There are no properties discounted in GTA Online this week.

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What is the Gun Van selling in GTA Online this week?

Track down the Gun Van this week to pick up:

• Stun gun (50% off)
• Railgun (30% off with GTA+)
• SMG
• Compact grenade launcher
• Carbine rifle
• Battle axe
• Pipe bombs
• Grenades
• Molotovs
• Armor

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And if you’re playing the main game, don’t miss our list of GTA 5 cheats.

All active Zenless Zone Zero codes and how to redeem them

Zenless Zone Zero is one of Hoyoverse’s gacha RPGs for mobile, PlayStation 5, and Windows PC, which means that, yes, the game has codes that you can redeem for premium currency.

In this case, Zenless Zone Zero codes reward Polychrome and the usual other goodies — money, EXP, and the like.

Below we list out the currently active Zenless Zone Zero redemption codes as of August 2024 and explain how to redeem codes.

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Zenless Zone Zero codes for August 2024

The active Zenless Zone Zero reward codes as of writing this are as follows, in order from newest to oldest:

• KANURBT5MQ8D (40 Polychrome — added July 10)
• CATCHABOO (30 Polychrome — added July 10)
• USNC9SB4499R (6 W-Engine Power Supplies — added July 10)
• NB6D9SB4MPSZ (6 Crystallized Plating Agent — added July 10)
• 4BPDRBT459RH (6,000 Denny — added July 10)
• XTNDQAS44985 (4 Official Investigator Logs — July 10)
• ZENLESSLAUNCH (60 Polychrome, 6666 Denny — added July 3)
• ZENLESSGIFT (50 Polychrome, 2 Official Investigator Log, 3 W-Engine Power Supplies, 1 Bangboo Algorithm Module — added July 3)

Clicking the links above will take you straight to the code redemption website with the code entered already.

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How to redeem codes in Zenless Zone Zero

You can redeem the codes in game by opening the menu, selecting “more,” “redemption code” and then “enter redemption code.” This menu will become available once you finish “The Hare and the Proxy,” though some codes won’t be redeemable until you’re Inter-Knot level five or higher.

Image: Hoyoverse via Polygon

You can also redeem them online through the Zenless Zone Zero code redeem website. You’ll need to select your correct server and login through the website in order to get rewards. You will also need to have a working UID for Zenless Zone Zero. If you’ve never logged into Zenless Zone Zero in any form using your Hoyoverse account, it will not work.

48 hours without access to Final Fantasy 14 is a long time...

Final Fantasy 14’s Dawntrail expansion is upon us, with the game going down for a 48-hour maintenance ahead of its early access period.

While Dawntrail itself launches fully on July 2, players who pre-ordered the new expansion will be able to play it early on June 28 after the lengthy maintenance.

Below, we explain when FFXIV Dawntrail maintenance begins and what last-minute things you can do to ensure you’re all set for the expansion’s launch.

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What time does FFXIV go down for maintenance?

Final Fantasy 14 will go down for maintenance on Wednesday, June 26, at the following times and will be unavailable for 48 hours:

• 2 a.m. PDT for the west coast of North America
• 5 a.m. EDT for the east coast of North America
• 10 a.m. BST for the U.K.
• 11 a.m. CEST for western Europe/Paris
• 6 p.m. JST for Japan/Tokyo
• 7 p.m. AEDT for Australia/Sydney

That said, the game will come back up at the same time, but on Friday, June 28. You will only have access to Dawntrail content if you pre-ordered the expansion.

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What should I do before FFXIV Dawntrail maintenance?

Ahead of maintenance, there’s plenty of things you can do to prepare for Dawntrail. Outside of stuff we list in our guide, you should also make sure to put any gardening plots away so that your crops don’t wither — the timer for the crops will keep going, even during maintenance. You should also refresh your housing timer, if you have a house. During Endwalker’s launch, you couldn’t enter your house due to extreme server congestion, so it’s best to reset that timer now before congestion possibly occurs.

If you plan on using a Fantasia to change into the newly added female Hrothgar, you should use you Fantasia before maintenance. You’ll also need to unequip everything before being able to Fantasia. Since you have to relog to actually change races, you’ll be able to change right away upon your first login after maintenance. (If the login queues and aforementioned congestion are as bad as they were during Endwalker, you will not want to relog for that Fantasia, as you may end up stuck in a login queue for hours.)

Last but not least, you should make sure to log off in a sanctuary (in a town or near an Aetheryte) to make sure you accumulate rested EXP — which is a 50% EXP bonus up until a certain amount.

The season’s best stuff is in World Tier 3 only

Blizzard has given a fairly comprehensive picture of what to expect from Diablo 4’s fifth season in advance of a weeklong test on the game’s Public Test Realm (PTR).

The as-yet-untitled season 5, which begins on Aug. 6, will offer a new quest line that sounds as if it will lead into Vessel of Hatred, Diablo 4’s first full expansion, which launches on Oct. 8. The main new feature will be a new wave-based gameplay mode, the Infernal Hordes, culminating in an endgame boss battle with multiple variations. The Unique item tier is getting an overhaul to make it more impactful, and new combos of weapon type and character class are being opened up.

There’s a slightly higher bar to clear to access the quest line and the Infernal Hordes this time. Previous seasons have required the player to complete Diablo 4’s campaign on one character to start the seasonal quest line. For season 5, you’ll need to enter the World Tier 3 difficulty to start the quest line. This means completing the campaign, reaching at least level 48, and then beating the Cathedral of Light “capstone” dungeon on World Tier 2. Most of the game’s dedicated players will have done all this a long time ago, but newer players brought in by the recent Game Pass launch or the excellent fourth season might want to go tick it off now.

Unlike the game’s first three seasons, however, which introduced new gameplay concepts for the length of the season only, it seems Blizzard is intent on making permanent additions and changes to Diablo 4 with season 5, as it did with season 4. The new quest line will be available on both Seasonal and Eternal realms, and will remain on the Eternal Realm after the end of season 5. Blizzard’s description of season 5’s storyline — “enemies are cut-down, alliances shift, and unlikely friends emerge from the shadows” — sounds as if it might be setting the scene for Vessel of Hatred, a suspicion further supported by the quest’s permanent nature.

Infernal Hordes are unlocked at the end of the storyline and are intended to be a permanent new endgame activity to site alongside the Pit of Artificers dungeon introduced in season 4. In this mode, players enter Hell itself to defeat 90-second waves of enemies and collect Burning Aether to spend on loot and other rewards at the end of the run. In between each wave, players will choose from three Infernal Offers, which add gameplay modifiers to increase the difficulty and reward of each run.

Survive the Infernal Hordes and you will battle three of the five members of the Fell Council, corrupted priests from Diablo 2 who have become champions of Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred (and the main antagonist of Vessel of Hatred).

There are a ton of further changes, quality-of-life updates, and balance fixes to delve into in the full patch notes for the season 5 PTR and in the developers’ campfire chat stream. Highlights include: an overhaul of Unique items intended to make them more powerful, and to encourage players to change their character builds around them; the ultra-rare Uber Uniques now become Mythic Uniques, with their own item color and even drop sound; and new weapon types have been opened up for some classes, with Necromancers able to use maces and axes, Sorcerers able to use one-handed swords and maces, and Druids getting some new options, too.

The PTR is available for PC players using Blizzard’s Battle.net launcher only, and the season 5 test runs for a week from tomorrow, Tuesday June 25. Season 5 begins on Aug. 6, and runs for a briefer-than-usual two months until season 6 begins alongside the launch of Vessel of Hatred on Oct. 8.

A list of Sorceries and Incantations we’ve found so far in the Elden Ring DLC

Spells are are key to any magic-user’s arsenal in Elden Ring, and there are plenty of unique Sorceries and Incantations in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.

In this Elden Ring DLC guide, we’ll show you where to find all the spells we’ve found so far in Shadow of the Erdtree.

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Gravesite Plain spells

Gravesite Plain is the first region you’ll battle through in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. You’ll find multiple Sorceries and Incantations here. Here’s what we’ve found so far.

Watchful Spirit

In Belurat castle, in the western part of Gravesite Plain, you can earn the Watchful Spirit Incantation by using the Storeroom Key and helping Hornsent Grandam with her quest.

Electrocharge

Inside the Fog Rift Catacombs, fall into the basement via the pit in the long smasher room. Before you climb back up, look for a square room with a bunch of blobs and a spellcaster. Next to the spellcaster, you’ll find a corpse that has a pillar of light coming out of it. Interact with it to get the Electrocharge Incantation.

Glintblade Trio

After you defeat Moonrithyll in Castle Ensis on the east side of Gravesite Plain, go through the chapel and back outside. You’ll get attacked by some enemies on the roof. Drop down near the gate at the top of the stairs and run around on the cliffside until you find a ladder. Climb up the ladder and defeat the enemies on top of the building.

Once you’re safe, walk onto the connecting rooftop and look to your right. You’ll see a small courtyard and a body with a pillar of light hovering on it. Drop down into the courtyard and loot the body to get the Glintblade Trio Sorcerie.

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Scadu Atlus spells

Scadu Atlus is the second major area in Shadow of the Erdtree, and it’s absolutely massive. You’ll find a handful of Sorceries and Incantations to add to your collection here. Here’s what we’ve found so far.

Golden Arcs

In Moorth Ruins, which is in the southeast region of Scadu Atlus, make your way into the pit via the broken building. Carefully drop to the ground floor by rolling to the broken arch. Jump one more time and fight some enemies. With the area clear, go through a nearby doorway and open a chest to get the Golden Arcs Incantation.

Heal from Afar

To the southeast of the main road, in the lower area of Scadu Atlus, you’ll find a pool of water that leads into a cave. Follow the path.

Inside the cave you’ll find some magic users, a field of yellow flowers, and a glowing yellow tree. Kill the enemies and grab the Heal from Afar Incantation, which is resting at the trunk of the tree.

Aspects of the Crucible: Thorns

Inside Shadow Keep, the massive dungeon in north Scadu Atlus, you’ll fight the Golden Hippopotamus as soon as you enter the castle. When you kill it, you’ll earn the Aspects of the Crucible: Thorns Incantation.

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More coming soon!

Looking for more Shadow of the Erdtree guides? Check out our guides on new Elden Ring DLC armor, map fragments, sites of grace, and talismans. We’ve also got location guides on where to find Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes, and an interactive Elden Ring DLC map.

Where to find the Backhand Blade, Smithscript Cirque, and Curseblade’s Cirque

Backhand Blades are a new kind of weapon in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. These weapons cause you to take a different stance than traditional blades, as you wield them with a backward grip. There are three of them in the Elden Ring DLC.

In this Elden Ring guide, I’ll show you all Backhand Blade locations in Shadow of the Erdtree — for the Backhand Blade, the Smithscript Cirque, and the Curseblade’s Cirque.

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Backhand Blade location

The Backhand Blade is one of the earliest weapons you can get in Shadow of the Erdtree.

On the main road of Gravesite Plain, northeast of the Scorched Ruins, you’ll see a little outdoor grave and coffin that kind of looks like a stone gazebo. You’ll find the Backhand Blade right next to the altar in the middle of the building.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

You can see the complete breakdown of stats for the Backhand Blade in the image above.

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Smithscript Cirque location

The Smithscript Cirque is located in the Ruined Forge of Starfall Past dungeon, which is in Scadu Atlus, southwest of the Moorth Ruins.

Inside the dungeon, progress normally until you open the second big door with the lever. Walk through the open door and you’ll find yourself in a circular room that has two stone giants and a pit inside. The Smithscript Cirque will be on a body by the pit. Carefully grab the weapon and then dispose of the dual giants or run.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

You can see the complete breakdown of stats for the Smithscript Cirque in the image above.

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Curseblade’s Cirque location

The Curseblade’s Cirque drops from Curseblade enemies, who you can find very early on in your journey into the Shadow Realm. Unfortunately, this weapon is a random drop, so you’ll need to farm Curseblade kills until you get lucky.

There are two easily accessible Curseblades in Gravesite plain, and each is less than 10 seconds away from the nearest site of grace. Jump between the Gravesite Plains and Stagefront sites of grace for this farm.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

At the Gravesite Plains Site of Grace, run forward toward the giant arch that’s in front of you when you spawn. You’ll see the Curseblade perched on top and waiting for you. When you get close, it’ll jump down to meet you.

From the Stagefront Site of Grace, turn around and walk down the stairs. The Curseblade will be patrolling the stairs, allowing you to get a surprise hit on it before it sees you.

Eventually, one of these two Curseblades will drop the Curseblade’s Cirque for you.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

You can see the complete breakdown of stats for the Curseblade’s Cirque in the image above.

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Looking for more Shadow of the Erdtree guides? Check out our guides on Elden Ring DLC armor, weapons, map fragments, sites of grace, and bosses, or peruse our interactive Elden Ring DLC map.

Where to find the Great Katana, Dragon-Hunter’s Great Katana, and Rakshasa’s Great Katana

Great Katanas are a new kind of weapon in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Heftier, slower, and more powerful than katanas from the base Elden Ring, these weapons deal a lot of bleed damage to enemies. There are three of them in the Elden Ring DLC.

In this Elden Ring guide, I’ll show you all Great Katana locations in Shadow of the Erdtree — for the Great Katana, the Dragon-Hunter’s Great Katana, and Rakshasa’s Great Katana.

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Great Katana location

The Great Katana is located just minutes away from where you start the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.

Follow the main road in Gravesite Plain to the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace, then head north to the lake. Defeat the massive Ghostflame Dragon that’s resting in the lake and then ride around until you find a dead body next to a pile of debris. Loot the body and you’ll find the basic Great Katana.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

You can see the complete breakdown of stats for the Great Katana in the image above.

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Dragon-Hunter’s Great Katana location

The Dragon-Hunter’s Great Katana is your reward for defeating the Ancient Dragon-Man — the real one, not the Invader — at the end of the Dragon’s Pit dungeon in Gravesite Plain.

To reach Dragon’s Pit, ride east from the Castle Front Site of Grace, just in front of Castle Ensis. When you reach the Pillar Path Waypoint Site of Grace, go southwest instead of south and take the lower path. You’ll run into the Ancient Dragon-Man Invader and then find yourself at the mouth of the Dragon’s Pit. Continue through the dungeon to reach the true Ancient Dragon-Man and earn your Great Katana.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

You can see the complete breakdown of stats for the Dragon-Hunter’s Great Katana in the image above.

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Rakshasa’s Great Katana location

You’ll get Rakshasa’s Great Katana for defeating Rakshasa, the boss inside the Eastern Nameless Mausoleum in Scadu Atlus.

Getting to Rakshasa is a bit of a trek. First, you need to go through Shadow Keep and unlock the hidden path to the Castle Watering Hole, which you can find down the ladder by the flaming boats after the Main Gate Plaza Site of Grace.

From there, continue south, past the Recluses’ River Upstream Site of Grace until you reach the Recluses’ River Downstream Site of Grace. Here, take one of the two paths down to the river below (if you take the tombstone stairs, get off at the waterfall on your left instead of going all the way down).

Follow the river and take the eastern path to find a small mausoleum resting on the rocky shore. Head inside and you’ll immediately face Rakshasa on the other side of the fog door.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

You can see the complete breakdown of stats for Rakshasa’s Great Katana in the image above.

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Looking for more Shadow of the Erdtree guides? Check out our guides on Elden Ring DLC armor, weapons, map fragments, sites of grace, and bosses, or peruse our interactive Elden Ring DLC map.

Help Freyja understand the mysteries of Shadow Keep

Redmane Freyja is one of the first NPCs you’ll come across in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. You’ll meet in her Gravesite Plain, at the very start of your adventure into the Shadow Realm.

In this Elden Ring DLC guide, I’ll walk you through how to complete Redmane Freyja’s quest in Shadow of the Erdtree.

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Where to find Redmane Freyja NPC in Elden Ring DLC

Redmane Freyja is resting alongside another NPC, Hornsent, at the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace. You can find this site of grace at the end of the main road in Gravesite Plain, before it splinters off into the road west toward Belurat castle, the road north to the lake, and the road east to Castle Ensis. (This is also where you’ll find the first of Miquella’s Crosses.)

Speak to Redmane Freyja here until she starts repeating her dialogue. Then proceed along through Belurat castle. While inside, you can summon Redmane Freyja for the Divine Beast Dancing Lion boss fight at the top of the castle, but this isn’t necessary to complete her quest.

Before leaving Gravesite Plain, make sure you find and talk to another NPC, Sir Ansbach, at the Main Gate Cross Site of Grace. You’ll need him to help Freyja later on.

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Meeting Freyja in Shadow Keep

Once you kill the Divine Beast Dancing Lion, you won’t run into Redmane Freyja again for quite a while. Continue through the Shadow Realm until you get close to Shadow Keep. When you do, you’ll get a notification that the Great Rune has broken. This is supposed to happen — you didn’t do anything wrong here — and will set some of the NPCs on a new path.

When the Great Rune breaks, it’s a good idea to head back and talk to all of the NPCs you’ve met so far, to make sure you progress their questlines and hear their new dialogue. This is seemingly unnecessary for Redmane Freyja, assuming you spoke to her earlier in the DLC. However, you will get some additional context and dialogue from her, so it’s best to go visit her before you continue.

Once you’ve done your world tour of NPCs, head into Shadow Keep and push forward through the dungeon. Near the end, you’ll bump into Freyja at the site of grace on the seventh floor of the Specimen Storehouse. She’ll be behind the site of grace, ducked down and looking for some information on General Radahn.

Talk to Freyja and exhaust all of her new dialogue. She won’t be in a very conversational mood here, and will grumble to herself about needing to talk to Sir Ansbach.

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Getting Freyja’s letter from Sir Ansbach

You should’ve already spoken to Sir Ansbach back in Gravesite Plain, before the Great Rune broke. If you spoke to him again after the Great Rune, he’ll have already made his way to Shadow Keep before you arrived. If not, just go talk to him again and rest.

You’ll find Sir Ansbach on the first floor of the Specimen Storehouse, although he’s not as conveniently located as Redmane Freyja. From the site of grace on the first floor, head forward around the giant beast, up the stairs to your left, past the bookshelves, and down the stairs to your right into a small room. You’ll find Sir Ansbach in the back corner, reading a book.

Talk to Freyja upstairs and then head down to Ansbach and tell him of her plight. Exhaust his dialogue and then go rest again. Return to Sir Ansbach and he’ll give you the “Letter for Freyja.” Return to Freyja on the seventh floor and give her Ansbach’s letter. Keep talking to her until she runs out of dialogue and gives you the Golden Lion Shield.

If you rest again, she should disappear.

You can now return to Sir Ansbach to tell him about Freyja’s reaction to his letter and continue his questline.

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How to finish Redmane Freyja’s quest

Once you give Freyja Ansbach’s letter and talk to her, you’ll have effectively completed her quest. However, she will pop up again near the very end of the DLC — alongside a few other familiar faces. Just continue along the main path and you’ll get the conclusion to her story before you reach the final boss.

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Looking for more Shadow of the Erdtree guides? Check out our guides on the Count Ymir, Dryleaf Dane, Hornsent, Hornsent Grandam, and Sir Ansbach quests, or peruse our interactive Elden Ring DLC map.

Our guide on how to get all the new talismans

Talismans are a piece of equipment in Elden Ring that will affect your character’s attributes, abilities, and playstyle. The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC adds 39 new talismans that further improve your damage and negation. Whether you’re using a new build or reinforcing an old one, these talismans will be a great addition to your playthrough.

In this Elden Ring guide, we’ll provide details about new DLC talismans, plus show you where to find them.

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All Elden Ring DLC talismans list

Before we get into the specific locations for all of the talismans in the Elden Ring DLC, here are their effects and the region in which we’ve found them:

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Gravesite Plains talisman locations

Graphic: Johnny Yu | Source images: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Jeffrey Parkin

Here are all talisman locations in Gravesite Plains:

Blade of Mercy — (1)

Found in a chest at the top of the Scorched Ruins.

Ailment Talisman — (2)

Found on a corpse on a wooden platform on the northeast edge of the Abandoned Ailing Village.

Outer God Heirloom — (3)

Found in the chest at the top of Prospect Town.

Blessed Blue Dew Talisman — (4)

Found in front of the Statue of Marika at the Church of Benediction.

Crusade Insignia — (5)

Defeat Fire Knight Queelign in Belurat. You can also get this talisman later on at the Church of the Crusade.

Immunizing Horn Charm +2 — (6)

Defeat the Ulcerated Tree Spirit in the eastern outskirts of Belurat.

Dried Bouquet — (7)

From the Miquella’s Cross in Belurat, head out of the door on your right and immediately turn left to find a chest.

Enraged Divine Beast — (8)

Trade in the Remembrance of the Dancing Lion to Enia at the Roundtable Hold.

Spellsdrake Talisman +3 — (9)

From the Castle Front Site of Grace, head northwest and go underneath the bridge. Follow the path and jump across to the room containing the talisman.

Rellana’s Cameo — (10)

Found on top of an altar right after fighting Moonrithyll, Carian Knight in Castle Ensis.

Crimson Amber Medallion +3 — (11)

Defeat the Death Knight inside the Fog Rift Catacombs.

Two-Headed Turtle Talisman — (12)

Start from the Ellac River Cave Site of Grace and head north to the waterfall. Go behind the waterfall to find the talisman on a corpse.

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Scadu Atlus talisman locations

Graphic: Johnny Yu | Source images: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Jeffrey Parkin

Here are all talisman locations in Scadu Atlus:

Verdigris Discus — (1)

Use the imbued stone key to unlock a waygate that’ll take you to the Ancient Rauh Ruins. Head northeast to find the talisman in front of a statue.

Arrow’s Soaring Sting Talisman — (2)

Starting at the Highroad Cross Site of Grace, head west until you reach the edge of the river. Stay along the coast of the river until you reach the Scadu Atlus, West Site of Grace. Drop down the ledges to the Fog Rift Castle and progress until you beat Black Knight Gerrew standing outside of the tallest tower. On the left side of the tower, there is a small gap between the cliff and the building. Go through the gap and follow the path to the top of the tower to grab the talisman.

Smithing Talisman — (3)

After you enter a room with a rock golem petting a lava tear in the Ruined Forge of Starfall Past, head up the ramp and through the door to find a corpse on your left.

Shattered Stone Talisman — (4)

From the Moorth Ruins Site of Grace, head east under the archway and enter the door of the sunken building ahead of you to find the talisman on the rubble behind the building.

Flamedrake Talisman +3 — (5)

From the entrance of Fort Reprimand, head down the stairs on the right then enter the door on your left. Proceed through the door on your left then turn the corner on your right. Go through the maze of cages ahead of you, which will lead you to a chest containing the talisman.

Talisman of the Dread — (6)

Found at Elder’s Hovel by the spiritspring leading you to the Behind the Fort of Reprimand Site of Grace.

Talisman of Lord’s Bestowal — (7)

Starting at the Main Gate Plaza Site of Grace in Shadow Keep, enter the northwestern door and head up the stairs. Go up the ramp and enter the first door on your right. Jump out of the window to find a talisman beside the golden tree.

Lacerating Crossed-Tree — (8)

First, you’ll need to progress in Leda and Hornsent’s storylines to the point where Leda does not trust Hornsent’s faith and orders you to deal with him. Across from the elevator that takes you to the Specimen Storehouse, you’ll find both of their summon signs. Choose to assist Leda and defeat Hornsent. Report back to Leda to receive at the Highroad Cross Site of Grace to receive the talisman.

Boltdrake Talisman +3 — (9)

Head up to the second floor of the Species Storehouse in Shadow Keep and follow the inner ring path to the right. When you find a Shadow Undead casting a fireball spell from a higher floor, jump over the railing to the outer ring. You’ll land in a new room with the talisman inside.

Pearldrake Talisman +3 — (10)

After you’ve pulled the lever that moves the platforms and statues in the Species Storehouse, head to the third floor to find a Fire Knight facing the center of the storehouse. Turn to their right to find a path leading to the talisman hanging from the statue’s hair.

Retaliatory Crossed-Tree (11)

After you’ve provided Ansbach the Secret Rite Scroll and Leda begins to distrust him, return to Ansbach’s room in the Specimen Storehouse to find their summon signs. Choose to assist Leda and defeat Ansbach, rewarding you with the talisman.

Viridian Amber Medallion +3 — (12)

After you pull the first lever to light up the room in the Darklight Catacombs, turn back and go around the corner on your right to find the same room you lit up. Hop over the railing and drop into the hole to find a chest with the talisman.

Stalwart Horn Charm +2 — (13)

After you drop into the wooden opening leading you into a cave in the Bonny Gaol, follow the path to the east until you find a ladder. Climb up to find the talisman.

Beloved Stardust — (14)

After you’ve sounded the first hanging bell at the Finger Ruins of Rhia, return to Count Ymir at the Cathedral of Manus Metyr to recieve this talisman.

Golden Braid — (15)

Found inside a tree to the south of the Shaman Village in the Hinterland.

Cerulean Seed Talisman +1 — (16)

Sound the second hanging bell at the Finger Ruins of Dheo during the Cathedral of Manus Metyr questline.

Sharpshot Talisman — (17)

Found in the Albinauric’s Shack, which is unlocked after you defeat the boss beside the Shadow Keep, Back Gate Site of Grace.

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Southern Shores talisman locations

Graphic: Johnny Yu | Source images: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Jeffrey Parkin

Here are all talisman locations in the Southern Shores:

Crimson Seed Talisman +1 — (1)

Sound the first hanging bell at the Finger Ruins of Rhia during the Cathedral of Manus Metyr questline.

St. Trina’s Smile — (2)

Progress through St. Trina and Thiollier’s questline to the point where you must defeat the invader.

Clarifying Horn Charm +2 — (3)

After you’ve opened the door to the upper gaol in the Lamenter’s Gaol, head down the ladder to find an icy room. Immediately turn left to find a hole in the floor and hop in. Proceed all the way to the end up the path to find the talisman.

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Rauh Ruins talisman locations

Graphic: Johnny Yu | Source images: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Jeffrey Parkin

Here are all talisman locations in the Rauh Ruins:

Pearl Shield Talisman — (1)

Found in a chest at the Messmer Soldier camp.

Two-Handed Sword Talisman — (2)

Found in a chest at the top of the Temple Town Ruins.

Cerulean Amber Medallion +3 — (3)

Defeat the Death Knight at the end of the Scorpion River Catacombs

Fine Crucible Feather Talisman — (4)

After you drop down onto your first spiritspring inside of the ruins, head northwest then turn right at the end of the corridor. Climb up the large vines to find the talisman.

Mottled Necklace +2 — (5)

Teleport to the Church of the Bud, Main Entrance Site of Grace and hop on your trusty steed, Torrent. Hop over to the stone gazebo and drop to the ground below you. Hug the northern wall to find a sealed spiritspring. Break the rocks with a melee attack and drop to the newly opened spiritspring below you. Use the spiritspring to reach higher ground and open the chest at the top of the stairs.

Talisman of All Crucibles — (6)

Start at the Ancient Ruins, Grand Starway Site of Grace and head southwest to the elevator. Ride the elevator down and spot the broken pathways in front of you. Follow and jump along the left-most pathway until you reach land. Hug the wall to find a hole in the wall, which has a path that leads to a chest containing the talisman.

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Abyssal Woods Talisman locations

Graphic: Johnny Yu | Source images: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Jeffrey Parkin

There is one talisman in the Abyssal Woods:

Aged One’s Exultation

You must defeat the southeastern multi-eyed enemy. To defeat them, you must parry their grab to make them vulnerable to damage.

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Looking for more Shadow of the Erdtree guides? Check out our guides on new Elden Ring DLC weapons, armor, map fragments, and sites of grace. We’ve also got location guides on where to find Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes, and an interactive Elden Ring DLC map.

Meet Dryleaf Dane and challenge him to a fight

Dryleaf Dane is an NPC you’ll meet while exploring Scadu Altus in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Technically, you can meet him a little earlier — as a summon sign during the Rellana, Twin Moon Knight boss fight in Castle Ensis.

Our Elden Ring DLC Dryleaf Dane questline guide will walk you through where to find Dryleaf Dane, and all the steps you’ll need to take to complete his questline.

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Dryleaf Dane location

You’ll find Dryleaf Dane as you explore Scadu Altus. You’ll find him at the Moorth Ruins Site of Grace.

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Dryleaf Dane summon sign

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

Technically, your first encounter with Dryleaf Dane is just outside of the Rellana, Twin Moon Knight boss fight. Both Dryleaf Dane and Needle Knight Leda can be summoned to help you fight.

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Pick up the `May the Best Win` Gesture and Monk’s Missive

Your next step on Dane’s questline is the Highroad Cross Site of Grace that you’ll find just north of Castle Ensis — your first stop in the Scadu Altus region. When you approach the site of grace, you’ll be able to pick up two items related to Dryleaf Dane: the Monk’s Missive and the “May the Best Win” Gesture.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

The Monk’s Missive is a short note that just says that a monk somewhere to the east wants you to challenge them to a bout without words.

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Challenge Dryleaf Dane at Moorth Ruins

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

When you arrive at the Moorth Ruins Site of Grace, Dryleaf Dane will be standing nearby. He won’t speak with you, though — he is the monk from that missive, so you have to challenge him without words. Perform the “May the Best Win” Gesture in front of him, and you’ll start a fight.

Once Dane is defeated, he’ll disappear and you’ll find the Dryleaf Arts weapon and Dane’s Hat helmet on the ground nearby.

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Looking for more Shadow of the Erdtree guides? Check out our guides on the Count Ymir, Hornsent, Hornsent Grandam, Sir Ansbach, and Redmane Freyja NPC quests, or peruse our interactive Elden Ring DLC map.

Explore the Ruined Forge and find the Anvil Hammer

Ruined Forge Lava Intake is the dungeon you’ll find in the Gravesite Plain of Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. You’ll find it to the southeast of Castle Ensis and the Castle Front Site of Grace.

Our Elden Ring Ruined Forge Lava Intake guide will walk you through the dungeon in Shadow of the Erdtree and point you toward every site of grace, boss fight, and important item.

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Ruined Forge Lava Intake location in Elden Ring DLC

Starting from the Caste Front Site of Grace just outside of Castle Ensis, turn to the southeast. You’ll have to backtrack a little bit, but there’s a path that leads through a(nother) Messmer Soldier camp. Keep following that flat area southeast to the dungeon.

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Where to find the Ruined Forge Lava Intake dungeon

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

As you approach the Ruined Forge Lava Intake, you’ll pass through a Messmer Soldier camp. On the other side, you’ll pass by two groups of Messmer Soldiers fighting Bloodfiends.

Just a little southeast of the second group, the entrance is pretty hard to miss. Head down the slope inside, and hit the Ruined Forge Lava Intake Site of Grace.

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Start from the Ruined Forge Lava Intake Site of Grace

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

Head down the stairs ahead of you and take a right. Climb down the ladder on your left (or just jump it). You’ll pass a helpful note about weakpoints. Take a left just past that note, and you’ll get your first chance to use that hint.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

In the next room, you’ll find a Golem with a glowing gem on its lower back. That hint just means that you do (much) more damage when attacking from behind. Take it out, and then sweep the room (and its corpse) for a bunch of Smithing Stones and a Gas Stone.

Back outside, follow the path southwest, grabbing Smithing Stones as you go. Watch for slimes along the ceiling. Take the left at the end of the path.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

When the room opens up, there’s a ladder at the far end of the ledge you’re on. Take it down and duck under the ledge to find a stash of Smithing Stones and Gas Stones.

Over on the other side of the room, run up the short stairs and take a right to find more Smithing and Gas Stones as well as the Greater Potentate’s Cookbook (13).

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Lower the lava pump

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

Before you go back down the stairs, look to the southwest to find a slope you can take up. Follow it as far as you can and jump to the ledge against the far wall. Turn right, and take the ladder down.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

On the next ledge, throw the lever you find. Backtrack to where you picked up the cookbook.

Head back down the stairs and turn right. Deal with the Golem and Slime, and grab any other crafting materials you see as you cross the room to the southwest.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

At the far end, take a left through the broken wall. Take out the Golem and grab anything not nailed down.

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Find the Anvil Hammer

Back outside, cross to the actual doorway on the other side of the room. After the hallway, you’ll come to a landing with another Golem guarding the Smithscript Dagger.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

That lever you hit earlier lowered a pump (an Archimedes’ screw if you’re a nerd) into the lava. Climb that pipe — if you miss the jump, there’s a ladder over to the right — all the way to the top.

Hop off on the right through the narrow doorway. Go up the stairs and examine altar at the fireplace-thing to pick up the Anvil Hammer. When you grab it, a teleport back to the entrance appears. Or you can go a little down the pump pipe, drop onto the ledge on the right side, and you’ll be right back at the site of grace.

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Looking for more Shadow of the Erdtree guides? Check out our guides on new Elden Ring DLC weapons, armor, map fragments, sites of grace, and talismans. We’ve also got location guides on where to find Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes, and an interactive Elden Ring DLC map.

Cheap but effective

Elden Ring players are being jumpscared in the recently released Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, but not by a terrifying new enemy or deadly environmental trap. No, the source of this fear is a simple, screeching bird.

A sparse forest located southeast of the expansion’s initial site of grace checkpoint on the Gravesite Plain is one of the earliest landmarks you see (and can reach) in Shadow of the Erdtree. It’s there you’ll find a few of the expansion’s new crafting materials, a difficult human foe named Logur, the Beast Claw who drops his eponymous weapon upon defeat, and a variety of ruined stone structures just begging to be investigated.

Some of these landmarks are home to eagle-like birds who don’t take kindly to a player’s approach. And while they don’t attack, they do make an awful shriek when disturbed that’s apparently catching some people off guard. Messages dot the ground around these areas, cautioning fellow Tarnished to “listen carefully ahead” and “be wary of sound.” The ghostly emotes attached to the warnings depict brave-looking adventurers assuming the fetal position and raising their hands to the sky in defensive terror.

Similar stories have been shared on real-world social media.

“The jumpscare noise birds in this Elden Ring DLC might be the most insane thing they’ve ever done,” said one player on X (formerly Twitter). “It’s not even an enemy you fight, they’re just part of the local fauna.”

“Dude, the bird sounds are literally making me crap my pants,” another Redditor said.

“Damn jump scares!” said a third. “Got me twice within 20 minutes of starting the DLC. Need to get an Elden Ring-brand defibrillator.”

Soulsborne vets may remember developer FromSoftware pulling the same trick in Dark Souls 3’s Irithyll Dungeon, where picking up certain items would elicit a loud, horrifying scream from an unseen creature. The birds aren’t quite as bad, but there’s an argument to be made that their tranquil surroundings make for a more effective scare.

It’s far too early for me to have an educated opinion on Shadow of the Erdtree, but if anything, it’s nice to see FromSoftware continue to mercilessly mess with players.

Sunday’s showcase was impressive, but left questions unanswered

Last week, I posited that the Xbox showcase on June 9 would be the most important in the history of Microsoft’s gaming division. If it wasn’t, that could be because this slick prerecorded show couldn’t possibly compete for historical impact with, for example, the garbage fire that was the 2013 Xbox One reveal event, or the bungled E3 show that followed it. It was confident and smooth in its orchestration, impressive in a way that was almost calming after the awkward anticlimax of Summer Game Fest two days earlier. But it was still immensely significant: for its indication of the seismic publishing power Microsoft now holds, for the questions it answered about Xbox’s future, and for the questions it didn’t.

In fact, the two most telling bits of news emerged outside the boundaries of the show itself. The first was the confirmation, more than a week before the show, that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be released on Game Pass on day one. The second, which was not mentioned by Microsoft during its showcase but slipped out in a press release alongside it, is that Doom: The Dark Ages (one of the biggest first-party reveals of the event) is also coming to PlayStation 5.

Between them, these two facts spell out Microsoft’s strategy quite clearly: Game Pass is everything, and Xbox consoles aren’t. Microsoft is doubling down hard on its subscription service, and bringing its new, almost terrifying might as a game publisher to bear on the Game Pass catalog. But the company had little to say about Xbox hardware, and its attitude to console exclusivity for Microsoft-owned games remains ambivalent at best.

After the shock release of four former Xbox exclusives on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch earlier this year, many Xbox fans were looking to Sunday’s showcase for explicit reassurance that Microsoft was still investing in Xbox consoles by getting its vast army of first-party studios to make exclusive games for them. That reassurance did not come. In fact, Xbox console exclusivity was not mentioned once. The words “coming to Xbox Series X and PC” appeared as much at the end of trailers for games in storied Xbox franchises like Fable and Gears of War as they did for multiplatform releases from third-party publishers like Dragon Age: The Veilguard and Assassin’s Creed Shadows. There was no attempt at differentiation on this score.

Reports indicate that Microsoft has “no red line” internally when it comes to which of its games it will consider for release on other platforms, and the wording (or lack of it) used on Sunday shows that the company is keen to keep its options open. It’s striking that Microsoft chose to open the showcase with two heavy hitters that’ll be available on PlayStation: Black Ops 6, which was already slated for PS5 (per Microsoft’s Call of Duty deal with Sony), and Doom: The Dark Ages, which wasn’t.

The Dark Ages’ PS5 release is a clue to how Microsoft intends to handle exclusivity in the short term, at least as far as games from Bethesda, Activision, and Blizzard are concerned. Speaking to IGN after the showcase aired, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said, “Doom is definitely one of those franchises that has a history of so many platforms. It’s a franchise that I think everyone deserves to play. When I was in a meeting with Marty [Stratton, id Software studio director] a couple years ago, I asked Marty what he wanted to do, and he said he wanted to sell it on all platforms. Simple as that.”

Spencer’s explanation — as well as Microsoft’s handling of Minecraft — suggests that Microsoft does not intend to make previously multiplatform game series exclusive. It’s a strong indication that Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls 6, for one, will get a PlayStation release. For everything else, it’s an open question. It might seem unthinkable that Gears of War: E-Day or Fable will come out on PS5, but nothing said (or unsaid) on Sunday indicates that that’s off the table.

As far as Game Pass goes, however, Microsoft could not have been more emphatic. “Play it day one with Game Pass,” boomed the stinger on the end of trailer after trailer after trailer. Of the 30 games, expansions, and updates featured in Sunday’s showcase, 20 will go straight to Game Pass. Of those 20 Game Pass titles, 13 come from Microsoft-owned studios; nine are scheduled to debut in 2024, eight in 2025, and three have no release windows yet.

Call of Duty, Doom, Gears of War, State of Decay, Perfect Dark, Fable, Indiana Jones, STALKER, Flight Simulator, Avowed... all coming to Game Pass as soon as they’re released. There are blockbuster shooters and role-playing games, strategy and sim games, wistful indies, and, thanks to partnerships with companies like Kepler Interactive and Rebellion, a good helping of AA Eurojank (perhaps the ideal kind of Game Pass game).

In a way, it’s more illustrative to look at what from the showcase won’t be coming to Game Pass. Those 10 titles include big third-party franchises like Metal Gear Solid and Assassin’s Creed; a handful of smaller third-party games; and expansions for Starfield, Diablo 4, The Elder Scrolls Online, and World of Warcraft. Selling DLC for Game Pass-included titles like Starfield, Diablo 4, and TES Online is a big part of the Game Pass business model, so you could still consider those titles under the Game Pass umbrella. (World of Warcraft is the outlier here as the only Microsoft-owned game featured that isn’t on Game Pass at all — and indeed, the only one not available on Xbox consoles.)

If Microsoft has doubts about the commercial viability of console-exclusive releases in the long term, it certainly doesn’t seem to have those doubts about Game Pass. With subscriber numbers seeming to have plateaued (according to Microsoft’s rarely released figures), and with the presumed considerable loss of revenue resulting from rolling a guaranteed seller like Black Ops 6 into a subscription service, many were wondering if Microsoft’s “Netflix for games” approach made economic sense. It’s possible that this debate has been ongoing in Microsoft until recently: Black Ops 6 developer Treyarch told Game File’s Stephen Totilo “it wasn’t that long ago” that the studio was informed that the game would launch on Game Pass. But taken as a whole, the showcase was a resounding vote of confidence in the service, and an indication that it will go on to provide great value to subscribers through 2025 and beyond.

After its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft is now the third-biggest gaming company in the world by revenue — and arguably the biggest in terms of intellectual property and publishing might. Sunday’s showcase demonstrated quite convincingly how it intends to fill those massive boots: dozens of solid-looking games in famous, fan-favorite franchises, stretching far into the future. Quality and quantity. The surprise inclusion of a few long-gestating titles that had reportedly been stuck in development hell, like Perfect Dark and State of Decay 3, seemed like a pointed message that Microsoft can be trusted to keep all these projects on track, despite its spotty record in studio management.

But Xbox hardware only got the briefest mention, in the form of three new console configurations and a promise that “we’re hard at work on the next generation.” The rumored handheld announcement did not materialize. And exclusivity remains a glaring open question.

Regarding Microsoft’s position in the broader game industry, it seems we have our answer: It’s now a publisher first, a subscription platform second, and a console hardware platform a distant third.

Is the MGS 3 remake just the beginning?

Konami’s remake of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater sounds like it will be the beginning of a series of new projects in the franchise created by a “new team,” according to comments from producer Noriaki Okamura.

In a new video released Monday for Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, the name of Konami’s upcoming MGS 3 remake, Okamura tells longtime Snake voice actor David Hayter that his team, which includes “plenty of people on the team who were part of the original games,” has “been entrusted with the future of Metal Gear.”

“We want the players to be able to judge for themselves whether this new team is right for the job of keeping Metal Gear going,” Okamura said, referring to the team’s work on Metal Gear Solid Delta and the recently released Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection compilation.

In his discussion with Hayter, Okamura opaquely addressed the departure of former Metal Gear creatives, like Hideo Kojima and Yoji Shinkawa. While he does not explicitly name them, he says, “Everyone who is no longer working on Metal Gear is pursuing their own path now, and that’s going to remain the case for these titles.” That’s a pretty solid indicator that Konami plans on (re)making more Metal Gear without the involvement of its original creator.

Okamura previously worked with Kojima and team on games like Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops and Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes. He was also a producer on the poorly received 2018 game Metal Gear Survive, the only original Metal Gear project released after Hideo Kojima left Konami.

The Metal Gear Solid 3 remake could represent a fresh start for the franchise at a post-Kojima Konami. The 2024 game was selected to be lavishly remade in Unreal Engine 5 due to its place in the overall Metal Gear timeline, Konami told IGN last year; Snake Eater is an origin story for Naked Snake/Big Boss, and the first game chronologically in the franchise. In other words, it’s a smart place to start to bring in new fans who may not be well-versed in the MGS series’ era-jumping sequels.

If Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a success, and Konami does continue to remake games, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker would be next in line chronologically. Those two early Cold War-era follow-ups to Snake Eater also star Big Boss — not Solid Snake — and would be able to build on the foundation of Metal Gear Solid Delta, using characters and assets from Metal Gear Solid Delta.

When future Metal Gear remakes will come to pass is still unknown, as is the release date Metal Gear Solid Delta. The remake was originally pitched as a 2024 release, but Konami hasn’t said anything this past week about Delta arriving this year, even as it sets pre-orders live. A 2025 release is starting to look more likely.

For now, Metal Gear fans will have to pass the time poring over new gameplay details released on Sunday in a new trailer for Metal Gear Solid Delta at the Xbox Games Showcase.

Test your luck to get those three lines

Wondrous Tails (commonly abbreviated as WT) is one of the most important weeklies in Final Fantasy 14, giving you rewards for doing duties and helping you clear new content. It’s kind of like bingo and you’ll get more rewards for getting more lines in a row.

Below we detail how Wondrous Tails works in FFXIV, how to unlock Wondrous Tails, the rewards you can get, and how to get three lines.

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Wondrous Tails in FFXIV, explained

Every week, Khloe Aliapoh, a young Miqo’te in Idyllshire, will give you a book to fill out. In exchange for tales of your triumph, she will give you stickers. Line up four stickers in a row on the four-by-four grid and you’ll get a special prize. You can get nine stickers total, so if you get more lines, you’ll get bigger prizes.

The Wondrous Tails book is a key item, and you can use the item to open the book. You can earn stickers by completing the duties displayed on the left side of the book and you can see the stickers you have on the right side.

For every assigned duty you complete, Khloe will give you a sticker in a random spot on the grid. Ideally, you want at least one line before the book expires during weekly reset (it says when the book goes bad on the top left), to get some good rewards.

Image: Square Enix via Polygon

If you are in a party with anyone clearing any content for the first time, you’ll get a “Second Chance,” as displayed below the grid of duties. For example, you’ll get a second chance if you queue in Trials Roulette and get a new player completing “The Striking Tree” for the first time, even if it’s not on your list of Wondrous Tails duties for that week.

You can use Second Chances to “retry,” marking a cleared duty as uncleared (making it so you can earn another sticker from completing that same duty) and moving the clear to a different duty. You can also use two Second Chances to “shuffle,” rerolling where your stickers are on your grid. This is super important if you’re going for a specific amount of lines.

Once you have nine stickers in your book, return it to Khloe to get your rewards. If your book expires before you do this (even if it’s complete), you will not be able to claim any rewards.

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How to unlock Wondrous Tails in FFXIV

To unlock Wondrous Tails, you need to complete the level 60 quest “Keeping Up with the Aliapohs” (lol). You can pick this quest up from the “Unctuous Adventurer” NPC in Idyllshire.

The NPC will have the blue quest marker with the plus sign above their head, so you should be able to find them on your map.

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Wondrous Tails rewards

Khloe will offer the same rewards for lines, though the type of Tomestones rewarded vary depending on the patch. There are some exceptions, as some rewards will change to Poetics if a new patch that changes tomestones is about to come out. You’ll also only get certain Tomestones if you have at least one job at max level. You will have to pick one reward from the following, depending on how many lines you got:

• 9 Seals: 500 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics, an Allagan Platinum Piece, or a treasure map from the current expansion
• 1 line: 1 MGP Gold Card (worth 30,000 MGP, the Gold Saucer currency), 1 Khloe’s Bronze Certificate of Commendation, or 300 high-value tomes
• 2 lines: 2 MGP Gold Cards, 1 Khloe’s Silver Certificate of Commendation, or 1,000 lower-value tomes
• 3 lines: 20 MGP Gold Cards, 3 Khloe’s Silver Certificate of Commendation, or 1 Khloe’s Gold Certificate of Commendation

If your book is complete with nine seals, you’ll also get 50% of a level’s worth of EXP on whatever job you turn the book in with. That said, you should make sure to turn in the book on a job that isn’t maxed to make the most of the rewards.

Image: Square Enix via Polygon

Each of Khloe’s certificates have their own item exchange when you talk to Khloe. The rewards for each type are as follows:

• Bronze Certificates: Clusters for materia, minions, and magicked prisms
• Silver Certificates: Glamour accessories, older ornate armor, clusters for materia, minions, and a framer’s kit
• Gold Certificates: Sabotender de la Luna Whistle, Magicked Children’s Bed, Wondrous Lanner Whistle, Troll Horn, Calydontis Horn, Incitatus Whistle, clusters for materia, and ornate armor

Keep in mind that almost everything that Khloe will trade you can be bought from the marketboard, though at a high price. (The mounts you get from the gold certificates can sell for nearly 10 million gil, depending on your server!)

Image: Square Enix via Polygon

Some of the rewards, like the minions you get for Bronze Certifications, can be obtained via Materiel Containers from your Grand Company. Some of the other rewards, like the Gold Certificate mounts and the Silver Certificate glamour items, can also be obtained in exchange for Faux Leaves (which you get for doing Faux Hollows).

Gold Certificates can also be traded for crafted “ornate” armor, which is best-in-slot armor for raiders early on during the raid cycle and can be sold for a lot of gil during that time. Silvers can be traded for the previous cycle’s ornate armor, so we don’t recommend getting those.

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How to get three lines in Wondrous Tails

If you’re looking for that big grand prize, there’s only a few variations to get you to three lines. Your lines will need to line up like so, though they can be a rotation or reflection of these patterns, too:

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Square Enix

That said, you should keep shuffling your stickers until you get your stickers lining up into this shape. After you have your seven stickers lined up in one of these orientations, you’ll just need to pick a god and pray that your remaining two seals slot into where they’re supposed to go.

To make the most of your duties, Second Changes, and stickers, you should do the following:

• Do as many of the duties as you can until you have seven stickers. You can do these duties unsynced to clear old extreme trials and raids quickly.
• Try to save Second Chances for shuffles rather than retries.
• Amass more Second Chances quickly by using Normal Raid or Trials Roulette. You can also check party finder for people looking for unsynced first-time clears of raids or trials.

The rest is all just luck. There are tons of players who have been completing Wondrous Tails for years and haven’t gotten three lines, so don’t get discouraged. You can always shell out 10 million gil for that elusive mount (or grind out Faux Hollows, as previously mentioned).

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If you’re just starting out in the massive world of Final Fantasy 14, we have tons of guides to help you. We have a beginner’s guide to get you started, along with guides detailing when you’ll get your mount and which Grand Company you should join.

If you’re starting but are feeling overwhelmed, we have guides to help with picking a job and a guide that explains how long it may take to catch up to current content in FFXIV.

We also have guides on side content, like ocean fishing, relic weapons, and Island Sanctuary, for those who want to take a break from it all.

Ubisoft’s annual game showcase was all about Star Wars, Assassin’s Creed, and Prince of Persia

Ubisoft’s big games showcase, Ubisoft Forward, kept the Summer Game Fest hype train rolling on Monday with fresh details on new and upcoming games like Star Wars Outlaws, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, XDefiant, and a plethora of Prince of Persia projects — including the long-awaited return (sort of) of Ubi’s Sands of Time remake.

Here’s everything that Ubisoft had to share during Ubisoft Forward 2024.

Star Wars Outlaws

Star Wars fans will live out their bounty hunter fantasies this summer in a brand-new open-world galactic adventure, Star Wars Outlaws. At Ubisoft Forward, developers from Massive Entertainment walked players through what they can expect from scrappy scoundrel Kay Vess’ adventure. She’ll wrangle criminal cartels, engage in battles both in space and on planet Tatooine, and travel to locations familiar and new in the Star Wars galaxy. The 10-minute gameplay showcase was full of gameplay variety and plenty of blaster fire to get players hyped for Star Wars Outlaws’ Aug. 30 release date.

Not content to release just one new trailer for Star Wars Outlaws, Ubisoft released a second game overview trailer that highlights the title’s diversity of locations, alien species, and gameplay styles.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Ubisoft is taking the Assassin’s Creed series to Japan for the first time with Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Players will be able to take on dual roles as either the stealthy shinobi Naoe or the powerhouse samurai Yasuke. At Ubisoft Forward, we got a deep dive into how those protagonists will play in a 13-minute gameplay walkthrough. Assassin’s Creed Shadows is out on Nov. 15.

Prince of Persia

Ubisoft came with not one, not two, but three Prince of Persia-related announcements for the franchise’s 35th anniversary. Here’s what it showed at Ubisoft Forward.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown will get a free content update with revised bosses, puzzle challenges, new amulets, new outfits, and more. There’s also story DLC coming in the form of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown: Mask of Darkness this September.

Evil Empire and Ubisoft also have an update coming for roguelite platformer The Rogue Prince of Persia. It’s called the Temple of Fire and it will bring even tougher challenges to the early access game.

But that’s not all. Ubisoft even brought out a trailer for its long-awaited Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake and... you’re going to have to wait a lot longer. Ubisoft announced a 2026 release window for the troubled game.

XDefiant

Ubisoft’s free-to-play shooter, XDefiant, is getting its first season. That debut season will include new maps, a new Capture the Flag mode, new weapons, and a new faction: GSK from the Rainbow Six series. XDefiant season 1 launches July 2.

Anno 117: Pax Romana

Anno 117: Pax Romana, the next entry in Ubisoft and Blue Byte’s 25-year-old economic sim real-time strategy game, is coming in 2025, letting players take on the role of Roman governor overseeing their growing empire. At Ubisoft Forward, we got a pretty silly live-action trailer that highlights the challenge of governing an ancient province when your most loyal subjects are goats.

Should you give Rya the Tonic of Forgetfulness?

Rya is an NPC in Elden Ring who you’ll meet once you reach the Liurnia of the Lakes region, and whose story will take you to Volcano Manor in Mt. Gelmir.

Our Elden Ring Rya questline guide will walk you through all steps of Rya’s story — including where to find her in Liurnia and Volcano Manor — including what choice to make at the end, and how to collect her gear: the Daedicar’s Talisman.

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Where to start the Rya questline in Elden Ring

Graphic: Jeffrey Parkin/Polygon | Sources: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

You’ll find Rya for the first time in a pavilion not far into Liurnia of the Lakes. She’s northwest of the Laskyar Ruins Site of Grace and due east from the Scenic Isle Site of Grace (where you’ll find Patches after you meet him in Murkwater Cave).

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How to complete the Rya questline in Elden Ring

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

Speak to her and hear her request. She’ll ask you to retrieve a necklace for her from a thug at a nearby shack.

Reach Boilprawn Shack in Liurnia of the Lakes

Graphic: Jeffrey Parkin/Polygon | Sources: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

Your first step in Rya’s story is nearby — the Boilprawn Shack a little to the northwest. Head there, hit the Site of Grace, and then speak with Blackguard Big Boggart.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

When you ask him to “give me the necklace,” he’ll offer to sell it to you for 1,000 runes. Buy Rya’s Necklace from him (despite the insults). While you’re here, speak with Boggart again and buy a boiled prawn from him — that will make him friendly to you and you can summon him in a later fight.

Return the necklace to Rya in here pavilion. She’ll finally introduce herself and invite you to Volcano Manor with the unsurprisingly named Volcano Manor Invitation.

How to reach Volcano Manor with Rya

Rya’s next location depends on how you get to the Altus Plateau:

• If you found both halves of the Dectus Medallion — one from Fort Haight in southeast Limgrave and the other in Dragonbarrow at Fort Farroth — Rya will be waiting for you at the top of the Grand Lift of Dectus.
• If you traveled through the Ruin-Strewn Precipice to reach the plateau, you’ll find her at Lux Ruins right next to the Erdtree-Gazing Hill Site of Grace.

Meeting her in either of these places will let her teleport you straight to Volcano Manor.

However, if you traveled straight into the Royal Capital through the Deeproot Depths as part of Fia’s questline, she won’t show up in either place. You still have options, though. You can go either via Altus Plateau or the Acadamy of Raya Lucaria.

How to reach Volcano Manor from the Altus Plateau

Even on foot, you still have two ways to reach Volcano Manor.

Graphic: Jeffrey Parkin/Polygon | Sources: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

From the Altus Plateau and the Altus Highway Junction Site of Grace, head to the northeast and the Forest Spanning Greatbridge Site of Grace. There, you’ll find a portal that will take you to the north. Head southwest, through the Witherblood Ruins and across to the Bridge of Iniquity Site of Grace. From there, continue west and watch the cliffs on your left for a tall ladder that leads to the First Mt. Gelmir Campfire Site of Grace.

Keep heading generally west to cross some stone bridges and climb several more ladders. You’ll eventually come to a fight against a Full-Grown Fallingstar Beast (you can just run away). From that crater, you can jump off to the west and wind your way down to the front door of the Volcano Manor.

How to reach Volcano Manor from the Academy of Raya Lucaria

Alternately, way back when you met Patches in Liurnia, he told you about an Abductor Virgin in Raya Lucaria that can teleport you to “the base of the Erdtree” — he was, of course, lying. It actually takes you to Volcano Manor. Kind of.

Head to the Schoolhouse Classroom Site of Grace and ride the elevator outside all the way to the bottom. Let Abductor Virgin there grab you (and kill you), and you’ll wake up in the basement of Volcano Manor. After a lot of exploring a lava-filled area and a fight against a pair of powerful Abductor Virgins, you’ll find an exit that will lead you to the Seethewater Site of Grace in Mt. Gelmir.

From there, you’ll have to loop counterclockwise around the huge lava lake, past Fort Laiedd and the Hermit’s Shack, and then through the Craftsman’s Shack and Hermit Village. After you deal with (or sprint past) Demi-Human Queen Maggie, you can cross the narrow stone pillar to reach Gelmir Hero’s Grave. Keep heading north, and you’ll meet up with the other overland route just before the part with all the ladders.

Join Volcano Manor and assassinate Old Knight Istvan

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

Once you’re inside, speak with Tanith to get the Drawing-Room Key. Head down the hall to the west and take the last door on the left.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

You’ll find Rya inside along with a Letter from Volcano Manor. Open your Inventory, tab over to Info, and read it to mark Old Knight Istvan’s location on your map.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

Head to the Warmaster’s Shack in Limgrave. When you reach the mark, use the red summon sign to invade his world. Once you defeat Old Knight Istvan, you’ll get a Rune Arc and a Furlcalling Finger Remedy. When you return home, you’ll also get the Scaled Helm, Armor, Gauntlets, and Greaves.

Back at Volcano Manor, speak with Tanith again to get the Magma Shot sorcery. Head down the hall to speak with Rya again and pick up another letter.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

Rest at the site of grace, and Rya will move across the hall to the second room on the right. Speak with her there in her true form as Zorayas.

Head back and talk to Tanith again. This time, you’ll get an option to ask about Zorayas.

Assassinate Rileigh the Idle

The second Letter from Volcano Manor points you to the Altus Plateau. Head for the Bridge of Iniquity Site of Grace, and then cross the bridge heading east. To the south, there are a couple Spiritspring Jumps that will take you down to the valley floor. Work your way north to Rileigh’s red summon sign.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

Defeat him for Crepus’s Vial and some Black Key Bolts.

Return to Volcano Manor and speak with Tanith again to get the Serpentbone Blade katana.

Reach the Prison Town Church

Check in with Rya in her room again, and she’ll tell you about something she saw in the room next to hers — the first room on the right in the hallway. Head over to that room.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

In the back right corner, next to the corpse, dodge roll to reveal an illusory wall. Head inside and follow the tunnel. Keep following it through the next room and past the Bloodhound Knight.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

Eventually, it’ll lead you to the Prison Town Church Site of Grace. Push open the doors of the church, and then make your way back to Rya.

Speak with her again to tell her of the dark side of Volcano Manor, and then head into the Drawing Room for the Red Letter.

Speak with Tanith again and ask her about Zorayas’ troubles.

Reach the Temple of Eiglay and defeat the Godskin Noble

For the next bit, you can hold off on the Volcano Manor contracts. Instead, head back to the Prison Town Church. Work your way around to the Guest Hall Site of Grace and then over to the Temple of Eiglay for the Godskin Noble boss fight.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

Once you’ve defeated the Godskin Noble, grab the Serpent’s Amnion from the altar behind where he appeared.

Give the Serpent’s Amnion to Zorayas

Head back to Volcano Manor and find Rya in her room. Speak to her and give her the Serpent’s Amnion.

Go back and rest at the site of grace. Once you do, Rya will be gone. Speak to Tanith and ask her about Zorayas’s absence. Speak to her again and she’ll give you the Tonic of Forgetfulness.

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Should you give Rya the Tonic of Forgetfulness?

Graphic: Jeffrey Parkin/Polygon | Sources: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

Rya moves to a hidden room not far above the Eiglay Temple. You’ll have to take the elevator inside the temple, jump off the balcony, and make your way up to a lava lake.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

To the northwest, you’ll be able to find a cooled lava path under a bridge that leads to her room. When you speak with her there, she’ll ask you to kill her. You have a few options to complete Rya’s questline:

• Kill her. She’ll drop the Daedicar’s Woe talisman immediately.
• Give her the Tonic of Forgetfulness. When you give her the tonic, she’ll go to sleep. Once you complete the Volcano Manor questline and kill Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy, she’ll return to her room in the manor. Speak with her, rest, and return, and she’ll have left the Daedicar’s Woe in her place.
• Don’t kill her or give her the tonic. Once you complete the Volcano Manor quest, return to her secret room and speak to her again. Leave and rest, and then return to find the Daedicar’s Woe talisman and Zorayas’ Letter.

What you choose doesn’t affect the outcomes of any other questlines. Reading the contents of her letter if you choose to not kill her and to not give her the tonic suggests that it’s the better outcome — or at least the slightly more hopeful (less hopeless?) one.

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It’s time to go scoundrel mode

As I walked down the stairs of the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles, the location of Ubisoft’s Star Wars Outlaws demo event at Summer Game Fest 2024, my accompanying PR person asked me the question I’m sure she asked every reporter who walked down those stairs with her: “Do you like Star Wars?” A simple question, and yet a weirdly hard one for me personally to answer in 2024. Andor was a revelation, yet I still taste the ash of The Rise of Skywalker in my mouth. And so, when I answered “yes,” I forced my brain backward into remembering why I had ever liked Star Wars in the first place.

As a child, the Harrison Ford fantasy-adventure movies that played over and over in my household were not Star Wars; they were Indiana Jones. For that reason, when my 12-year-old self finally saw Star Wars — previously ignored in the Myers family household — I was flabbergasted. I already thought I had seen the coolest possible Harrison Ford character, and yet here was Han Solo, who was so much cooler that he destroyed my entire barometer for coolness. All future “cool” characters would hereby be measured against him.

As I told this polite, probably bored PR person that story, I realized I was summarizing how difficult of a situation Star Wars Outlaws actually faces. Imitating Han Solo’s coolness is no small feat, and Solo: A Star Wars Story unfortunately showed how difficult it is for somebody who isn’t Harrison Ford to pull off anything close to his alchemical coolness formula. At this point, the whole idea of an open-world Star Wars game in which you play as a Han Solo type is the pipe dream that dorks like me have been claiming they want for years (and it even almost happened once). That means the stakes are even higher — and the couple of trailers we’ve seen for the game have made it look fine, but not great.

Now that I’ve played three 30-minute chunks of Star Wars Outlaws, I have some hope that developer Massive Entertainment can actually pull this off.

When the demo loaded up, the introductory screen promised me “scoundrel gameplay,” a hilarious phrase that admittedly got me into the right mindset. The first sequence started in an Imperial base, where heroine Kay Vess and her tiny little alien friend Nix are sneaking around. Nix serves a similar gameplay function to the droid companion BD-1 in the Star Wars Jedi games, but has the same lax moral code and ride-or-die BFF sensibilities as Chewbacca.

A little blue circular indicator would appear on screen any time I could call on Nix for help, either to distract an enemy or to pick up a valuable item for me. From moment one of seeing Nix fling his tiny body at a stormtrooper’s face, I fell in love with my badass little buddy. I then took advantage of almost every moment that I possibly could to call upon Nix, since it was a lot cuter to watch him scamper around picking up items for me than to walk over and do it myself. Nix is not exactly a powerhouse in combat given his size, of course, but he can certainly throw off bad guys and grab health packs.

It’s possible I could have snuck my way past this first section, but I’m about as good at that as Han Solo would be (“I prefer a straight fight to all this sneaking around,” as he says). So by the time I reached the station’s docking bay, I had triggered a shootout with Imperial forces. Once my own starship arrived to bail me out, I ran right past the laser fire onto it and flew out of there with the Empire on my heels. Then it was time for some dogfighting. I dispatched a couple of TIE fighters and flew over to a communications satellite, which I then hacked to clear my “wanted” status so that the Empire wouldn’t keep on chasing me around. Mission complete.

The second 30-minute chunk appeared to take even more significant inspiration from the Star Wars Jedi games, which have their fair share of parkour-based environmental puzzles. Before that bit began, I did get to check out a more densely populated hub area where I could see question marks on the waypoint marker at the top of the screen and overhear conversations with NPCs that probably could have led to side quests. Once I got to the place Kay was told to go, I found an excuse for some parkour and platforming, as Kay took a cue from Nathan Drake (you know, the other character inspired by a Harrison Ford performance).

People who hate seeing convenient yellow paint on various surfaces in order to be able to tell where your character can climb will not be fans of this aspect of Star Wars Outlaws, but as somebody who gets lost in games constantly, I appreciated it. Kay doesn’t have Jedi powers like Cal Kestis, but she has definitely been to the same rock climbing gym or whatever. She also has a grappling hook, plus an electric setting on her sidearm that lets her power up elevators and other devices for puzzle-solving purposes. Almost this entire sequence was enemy-free platforming and exploring, climbing across various hazards to flip switches. It was fine; you’ve played something like this before in any number of third-person action games in the post-Uncharted landscape.

The third and final 30-minute segment of this demo was where I really got my scoundrel on. In this section, I was stealing an artifact — one that had apparently been previously stolen from some other faction, to whom Kay intended to return it. This sequence was far more clearly intended to be a straight-up stealth mission, and I stayed undercover for at least the first few minutes, creeping Samus-style through air shafts and doing silent takedowns of guards until one of them dropped a keycard I needed. Soon there weren’t as many enemies left, and I had noticed some conveniently placed explosive barrels, so I decided to go with a full Han Solo-style shootout (with Nix’s help, as usual). This was significantly louder and a lot more fun. After clearing out the room, I grabbed the artifact, then shot my way out of the rest of the building.

As she walked, Kay had a fun conversation over her communicator with one of her shipmates, a mysterious droid ally named ND-5. What I remember about the conversation was Kay being mocked for assuming that by returning this artifact, she wouldn’t be presumed to be the original thief herself. ND-5 told me I should be “terrified.” Kay responded with the equivalent of “fuck it, we ball.” I didn’t get to see how the rest of the scene played out, but I really liked the whole heist setup, and the banter was refreshingly snappy.

The best thing about the “Han Solo simulator” concept is that you’re playing as a Star Wars character who doesn’t have a lot of power — no Jedi powers, obviously, but also no significant social or structural power. The actual power fantasy here is being a cool person with high charisma, because that’s really all you’ve got. Well, also a grappling hook and weirdly good parkour skills, but you get where I’m going with this. It’s part of why Andor was an interesting slice of the Star Wars pie; it was about regular people, albeit regular people who became rebels rather than scumbags. It’s fascinating to see what the Star Wars universe looks like at ground level rather than from an epic space-opera vantage point — and that’s what an open-world Han Solo simulator could potentially achieve, provided it has some decent story beats and good one-liners along the way.

Based on what I played, whether you like this game will depend in part on whether you like the Uncharted and Star Wars Jedi games. And yet, those aren’t open-world games, and I didn’t get to see enough of the hubs or side quests to know if Star Wars Outlaws is going to be as sweeping and borderline overwhelming as some other Ubisoft open-world games have been (looking at you, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey).

The biggest responsibility of all — being the Han Solo at the center of the simulator in question — rests on Kay’s shoulders. I’m now very curious to see if she can handle that challenge this Aug. 30 when Star Wars Outlaws is released for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.

It’s easy to find a fast and affordable storage add-on, no matter which Steam Deck you own

Following the debut of the Steam Deck OLED in late 2023, the $399 Steam Deck now comes with 256 GB of internal storage. That’s a lot more than the 64 GB it used to come with at this price point, but it still may not be enough storage for your gaming needs. Don’t stress, as upgrading the Deck’s storage is both easy and relatively affordable.

Like the Nintendo Switch, every Steam Deck supports microSD cards for storage expansion, and those cards come in a range of capacities — many of which are regularly discounted. A microSD card is one of a few must-have Steam Deck accessories that we recommend for most people.

Whether you want a modest upgrade to 256 GB, a bigger 512 GB card, or the ultimate 1 TB boost, we have some recommendations that’ll let you get to downloading more games from the Steam store. These options meet the Steam Deck’s speed requirements (more on that below). Once you insert your new microSD card, you’ll just need to go through a quick formatting process so you can store games on it.

Is speed important?

While some pricier microSD cards advertise faster transfer speeds than others, which should equate to faster game install times, the general consensus is that most models deliver a similar experience on the Steam Deck. Compared to running games off the $399.99 model’s SSD internal storage, using a microSD card may result in slightly slower loading speeds, but identical performance.

The console’s microSD card slot supports UHS-1 class cards, a spec that tops out at a 104 MB/s transfer rate. That’s quite a bit slower than the advertised transfer speed that many of today’s run-of-the-mill microSD cards boast. So, our recommendation is to focus on getting as much storage as you can afford instead of worrying about speed.

Update (Jun. 10): Checked retailer links for accuracy

Vessel of Hatred pre-orders include more pet options

The setting of Diablo 4 is a particularly grim one; as far as I can tell from my adventures through Sanctuary, everyone is eating boiled beets and waiting to be skinned alive by demons. There’s one thing that Blizzard is adding to the game that’s downright adorable: pets.

There are other benefits to pre-ordering, like a new mount, armor sets for each class, cosmetic wings, and so on — but forget all that, we’re here for the pets. The pets are actually downright adorable. You might expect animals in the world of Sanctuary to have blood-soaked jaws or vicious faces, but instead they look like adorable babies. They’re just fierce enough that you don’t have to worry about them, but otherwise quite cuddly.

Pets will faithfully follow the player around, and they have a special utility in that they’ll pick up gold and items like herbs, ores, and crafting materials for you. It’s nice to know that instead of having to run around everywhere, one of these pets will simply do it for you. Players who log in will receive an in-game request that unlocks pets, and upon completion, you can hang out with Asheara the canine.

There are more pets that can be unlocked with a pre-purchase of Vessel of Hatred, the first expansion for Diablo 4. Players can pick between Alkor the Snow Leopard, Natalya the Tiger, and Hlrati the Canine. For those who don’t want to pick between the three, the Ultimate Edition pre-order will grant all three pets.

Where to find all eight Visions of the Traveler

Visions of the Traveler are a collectible item in Destiny 2’s The Final Shape expansion, necessary to get the Exotic version of the Khvostov auto rifle.

Alongside Motes of Light (of which you’ll earn one for every Vision of the Traveler you find), you’ll need to exchange all eight Visions of the Traveler to get the Exotic rifle. You’ll also earn some associated Triumphs in the process.

In this Destiny 2 guide, we’ll show you where to find all Visions of the Traveler, plus what to do with them when you find them.

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Where to find all Visions of the Traveler

There are eight Visions of the Traveler spread throughout the new Pale Heart of the Traveler location. They look like small versions of the Traveler itself. Below, find details about where to find each Vision of the Traveler.

Vision of the Traveler location #1

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Load into the Lost City transmat zone and head through the old Vanguard office, where Micah-10 is currently set up. Head down the hole on the left and make your way outside. Head to the right, where you’ll see red-edged platforms. Continue forward and approach that red light.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Continue forward until you see a waterfall, shown above, on the left side of the building.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Jump down into that waterfall, where you’ll find the first Vision of the Traveler.

Vision of the Traveler location #2

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Load into The Landing zone and turn towards the north. Right next to the transmat zone is another waterfall. Jump down into it and collect the second Vision of the Traveler.

Vision of the Traveler location #3

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Make your way to The Refraction, the Dreaming City-looking area. Head to the location on the map shown above.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Looking northwest, you’ll see yet another waterfall, this time with a cave atop it. Go into that cave and collect the third Vision of the Traveler.

Vision of the Traveler location #4

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Next, you’ll want to go to The Blooming zone, to the spot on the map highlighted above.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Looking toward the entrance of The Seclusion, the Vision of the Traveler will be at the top of the tree on the right side of the large tunnel.

Vision of the Traveler location #5

Image: Bungie via Polygon

This Vision of the Traveler is the only one that requires you to collect it in a mission, specifically the “Searing Light Cyst” mission.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Go through the mission until you reach the room directly before the boss room. You’ll know you’re in the right spot because a tree will be in the middle of the room, as shown above.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Once you enter the room, turn to the right, and there’ll be a small hole that you can jump into. Jump into it and find the fifth Vision of the Traveler.

Vision of the Traveler location #6

Image: Bungie via Polygon

The sixth Vision of the Traveler is at the very top of The Divide. Climb the mountain until you reach the spot on the above map.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

The Vision of the Traveler is tucked behind a small radar dish.

Vision of the Traveler location #7

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Head to The Impasse zone.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Once you land, head to the east. The Vision of the Traveler is hidden in plain sight as part of the architecture on top of the building, shown above.

Vision of the Traveler location #8

Image: Bungie via Polygon

The eighth and final Vision of the Traveler is at the very end of The Transgression area. Its location is shown on the above map.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Go to that spot, going through the structure that houses the first “Paranormal Activity” quest. The Vision of the Traveler is tucked behind a tree on the left.

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What to do with Visions of the Traveler

Image: Bungie via Polygon

After you collect all eight Visions of the Traveler, head to The Lost City and go to where the Speaker’s room was in the original Destiny. (This is the circle found on the south side of the Lost City area map.)

Once you’re there there, place all Visions on the podiums. Once all eight are placed, a golden chest will spawn in the middle. If you’ve collected all Motes of Light and earned the Mote of Primordial Light, you’ll be able to open the chest and nab the Exotic version of Khvostov.

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All done? If you’re after other The Final Shape Exotics, then we have explainers on Ergo Sum, Still Hunt, and Microcosm.

Heal the Ghosts, connect the Light and the Dark

Paranormal Activity events pop up around the Pale Heart of the Traveller in Destiny 2’s The Final Shape.

The Paranormal Activity events only appear in places where you have found and healed a Ghost. Once you turn in an “Alone in the Dark” quest to Micah-10, that location then becomes available for Paranormal Activity. There are 11 in total, so you’ll need to complete eleven Alone in the Dark quests to unlock them all.

If you do find and complete all eleven, you’ll get the Paracausal Geometries triumph and unlock the First Knife exotic ship. Here are the steps for finding and completing Paranormal Activity events in Destiny 2.

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How to complete ‘Alone in the Dark’ missions

Image: Polygon via Bungie

After finishing the campaign, you’ll link up with Micah-10 at a holoprojector in the Pale Heart’s version of the Tower. She gives you quests to find and return lost Ghosts in need of healing. After completing her initial missions, she’ll have a repeatable quest called “Alone in the Dark”.

The “Alone in the Dark” quest has several steps to complete. Those are:

1. Find the injured Ghost
2. Open Overthrow chests in a nearby region
3. Follow the Vision of Light to a new location
4. Defeat the boss, and heal the Ghost

Image: Polygon via Bungie

These “Alone in the Dark” missions are fairly straightforward. The first step of finding the Ghost can be marked on your HUD to make it much easier to track. Follow the marker until you see Near Objective pop up on the left of your screen. Once you get to the Ghost’s location, you’ll need to look around for the orange glow of the injured Ghost.

Image: Polygon via Bungie

Once you find it, you’ll be tasked with opening Overthrow chests in the closest region to where you found the Ghost. Overthrow is the Pale Heart’s equivalent of public events, so head to the location indicated, then find and complete Overthrow events.

Each time you complete an event, a chest will spawn. Opening a chest adds a percentage of progress to the meter; the higher the level the more progress you gain. I started an Overthrow from near the beginning of Level 1 and had all the progress I needed before finishing Level 3.

Image: Polygon via Bungie

Once that’s done, follow the quest indicator to find the Vision of Light, the bird that guides you through the Pale Heart. Follow it to a new location, where you’ll need to defeat a boss and then heal the wounded Ghost.

Image: Polygon via Bungie

There are a handful of different boss encounters here, but they all work relatively similarly. Enter the boss arena, break crystals or blights to draw out the boss, and then deal damage to the boss. Once it loses a third of its health, it will gain a shield and you’ll need to repeat the first step to break it.

Image: Polygon via Bungie

Keep doing this until you finish off the boss fight, then you can heal the Ghost. After that, you just need to head back to the Tower to hand in the quest.

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How to complete a Paranormal Activity event

Image: Polygon via Bungie

Once the work of unlocking a Paranormal Activity location by completing the corresponding “Alone in the Dark” quest is done, the event itself is very simple. Bear in mind, that you can only complete whichever Paranormal Activity is currently active on your map.

Image: Polygon via Bungie

To begin, highlight the event on your map and follow the indicator to the location. There you’ll find a glowing blue orb in a circle that you can commune with. Interact with it and you’ll get the Aura of Balance for two minutes.

You might have spotted some strange blue and orange cubes around the Pale Heart, but you’ll need to wait until they are active before you can interact with them. This is where the Paranormal Activity event comes in.

The goal here is to link two cubes, the Light one (with blue circles on it) and the Dark one (with orange triangles on it). You do this by shooting each cube with the appropriate damage type. Shoot the blue cube with a Light weapon, and the orange cube with a Dark weapon.

You’ll first need to find somewhere you can stand where you can see both cubes at the same time. This is mostly very simple, but there are a couple of tricky ones.

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All Paranormal Activity locations and solutions

Here are all 11 Paranormal Activity locations, with screenshots of the cubes and descriptions of how to find them.

The order in which these appear seems to be different for each person, so I’ve put them in order from west to east on the map. You might need to hop back and forth through this list to find the ones you need; if useful, the top of this guide contains a drop-down table of contents to help you navigate each location easier.

Lost City Outskirts

Image: Polygon via Bungie

As you make your way out from the Tower through the outskirts, you’ll find the Aura of Balance to the left of a gate just after a courtyard with a large tree.

Image: Polygon via Bungie

Turn around to face the large tree in the middle of the courtyard. Go up the stairs to your immediate left, then jump onto the planter ahead of you.

From there, you’ll be able to spot the orange cube on the other side of the courtyard by looking under the tree. The blue cube can be seen in the distance by looking through the gate ahead. A ranged Light weapon with a scope is very useful for this.

Lost City

Image: Polygon via Bungie

Head out through the back of the old Tower and you’ll find the Aura of Balance just as you exit the door into the open area.

Image: Polygon via Bungie

Jump onto the roof in front of you where the large statue is. Turn 180 degrees and look up to find the blue cube near the large window, then look down to your right to spot the orange cube.

The Landing

Image: Polygon via Bungie

From The Landing loading zone, go south past the large building and you’ll find the Aura of Balance on top of a rock formation beside a large tree root.

Image: Polygon via Bungie

The blue cube is near the water to the north, the orange cube is near the waterfall to the south. Walk along the root beside the Aura and jump up to the window in the central building, you can see both from there.

The Refraction

Image: Polygon via Bungie

You’ll find the Aura of Balance just to the west of Ikora’s crashed ship.

Image: Polygon via Bungie

Climb up to the rocky outcrop above Ikora’s ship and then look towards where the Aura was. You’ll spot the orange cube beside a waterfall. The blue cube is below you to your left.

The Blooming

Image: Polygon via Bungie

Among the rock formations in the southwest corner, you’ll find the Aura of Balance on a small cliff.

Image: Polygon via Bungie

Grab the Aura then jump up to the ledge above. Go around the corner ahead to the left and you’ll find the cubes. You can stand beneath the blue cube and shoot both, or stand on a rock near the orange cube.

The Blooming Deep

Image: Polygon via Bungie

Make your way through the Blooming Deep Lost Sector until you reach the enemies that you need to use Transcendence to defeat. On that ledge, you’ll find the Aura of Balance.

Image: Polygon via Bungie

You’ll have passed the blue cube on your way to the Aura, and the orange cube will be to your left as you reach it. Go back along the path to the spot where there is a gap in the side wall. From there, you’ll easily spot both cubes.

The Seclusion

Image: Polygon via Bungie

As you make your way through The Seclusion, you’ll find the Aura of Balance on the north end of the large cavern with the upside-down trees and waterfalls.

Image: Polygon via Bungie

The blue cube is plainly visible in the middle of the room, jump to the platform underneath it. From there, you’ll see a large rock pillar to the south. The orange cube is behind it, jump to the platform to beside the pillar to get a line of sight on both.

The Divide

Image: Polygon via Bungie

Starting from the Impasse loading zone, take the path through the wall to the snowy mountain area. When you come out of the cave, follow the path to the right to find the Aura of Balance under an arch.

Image: Polygon via Bungie

Then head up the path over the arch until you reach a broken piece of an airplane. The orange cube is inside the plane, walk to the end of it and look down to your left to see the blue cube below.

The Forgotten Deep

Image: Polygon via Bungie

Make your way about halfway through the Forgotten Deep Lost Sector and you’ll find the Aura on the right as you enter a large room with a Hive Guardian in it.

Image: Polygon via Bungie

The blue cube is above a wooden structure near the entrance of the room, the orange cube is underneath the balcony at the back left of the room. Stand on top of the metal structure near the back to spot both.

The Impasse

Image: Polygon via Bungie

From where you load into The Impasse, look to the east and you’ll see a large structure with a door in the middle, leading to a stairway going up. As you’re looking at that doorway, you’ll see the Aura of Balance on a pedestal to the right.

Image: Polygon via Bungie

Go left around the large structure and you’ll see a statue with a flat surface on top. Jump up onto it and face the central building. The orange cube is on your right, on the corner of the structure you just came around. The blue cube is to your left, below the ledge of the next structure.

The Transgression

Image: Polygon via Bungie

Track this location on your map and it will lead you all the way to the end of the Transgression region, a room with multiple levels and a smaller structure in the middle. You’ll find the Aura of Balance on top of that middle part.

Image: Polygon via Bungie

Stay right where you are once you grab the aura, the blue and orange cubes are on either side of the room and you can shoot both from that spot.

How to get the most out of your Legendary Shards

Legendary Shards are disappearing in Destiny 2: The Final Shape. If you’re a veteran player, or have played Destiny 2 for any significant amount of time, you probably have a pretty big stockpile of Shards that you need to get rid of before June 3, which is when the servers go down to prepare for the new expansion.

In this Destiny 2 guide, I’ll help you figure out what to spend your Legendary Shards on before Bungie deletes them from your inventory.

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What to spend Legendary Shards on in Destiny 2 before they go away

If you’re like me, you have a lot of Legendary Shards to get rid of after seven years of hoarding. If you just wait until June 4, Bungie will delete them all for you, which is convenient. But if you want something more useful after all your time grinding, you can exchange them for a few different items in-game.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Most players are taking their excess Legendary Shards and using them to purchase Phantasmal Fragments at the Lectern of Enchantment on the Moon for 10 Legendary Shards a piece. Rahool, the Cryptarch in the Tower, will allow you to exchange 10 Phantasmal Fragments for 10,000 Glimmer. While Bungie could take this exchange away, it’s better than nothing, and a solid way to turn your Legendary Shards into potential Glimmer.

If you’re a raider, another option is to buy Raid Banners from Hawthorn in the Tower. You can buy 10 Raid Banners for 30 Legendary Shards.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

The best Legendary Shard exchange is, unfortunately, completely dependent on RNG. Rarely, Banshee-44 will sell a weapon with a Masterwork level of five (you have to buy each weapon to find its masterwork level). If you purchase a Masterwork five weapon over and over again, you’ll get an Enhancement Core out of each one that you dismantle. You can also do this if the Masterwork level is four, but the Enhancement Core won’t be guaranteed.

Enhancement Cores are very useful for upgrading gear, and getting them is a lot more difficult than restocking your Glimmer. Keep an eye on Banshee’s inventory over the weekend and see if you get lucky.

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What is replacing Legendary Shards in Destiny 2’s economy?

Legendary Shards have been the catch-all currency in Destiny 2, alongside Glimmer. With Shards going away, Glimmer is going to be the only general currency, and you’re just going to need to pair specialty currencies — like Ascendant Shards — with it to purchase the things you want.

The catch there is that Glimmer has a cap of 500,000, so you can’t just stockpile it indefinitely like you could Legendary Shards. That’s why having Phantasmal Fragments or old Planetary Materials to exchange for Glimmer is so useful.

Red Death and Khvostov return alongside a sniper rifle that shoots Golden Gun shots

The new Exotics in Destiny 2: The Final Shape and its connected episode, Echoes, are looking very unique. There’s a sniper rifle that lets any class shoot Golden Gun, a chest piece that lets you vomit rockets at enemies, the return of multiple beloved Exotics from the original Destiny, and more.

In this Destiny 2 guide, we’ll show you all the new Exotics coming to The Final Shape and Episode: Echoes, tell you what they do, and how you can unlock them.

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Destiny 2: The Final Shape Exotics list

There are a lot of new Exotics coming to The Final Shape. Here’s a quick glance at all of them.

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All Exotic weapons in The Final Shape

There are at least eight Exotic weapons coming in The Final Shape. As of this writing, it’s currently unknown how you can get your hands on most of these weapons, but we'll update this post once we locate them.

Tessellation

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Type: Energy fusion rifle
How to get: Upgrade to the deluxe edition of The Final Shape

Tessellation is technically a Final Shape Exotic, even if it’s been available since 2023 for those who pre-ordered the deluxe edition of the expansion. And while upgrading to the deluxe edition is the only way to get this thing for the foreseeable future, it’ll eventually come to the Monument of Lost Lights, where you can use an Exotic Cipher and some currency to purchase it.

If you’re trying to decide if Tessellation is worth the deluxe upgrade, here’s what it does. The Intrinsic Exotic perk for Tessellation is Property: Undecidable, which causes the weapon to adapt its damage type to match your current grenade type, as well as grant bonus grenade energy on kills. This allows you to get Strand or Stasis weapons in your Energy slot for the first time ever, which should be very helpful for the new Prismatic subclass.

The secondary Exotic perk for Tessellation is Property: Irreducibile, which allows you to hold reload and suck your grenade into the weapon. You’ll then be able to fire that grenade out of your Tessellation, which creates an elemental explosion based on your grenade’s element.

The new expansion will also add a new Catalyst for Tessellation, which is still a mystery, but could introduce significant changes to the gun — like the Catalyst for Quicksilver Storm did back in Lightfall.

Red Death Reformed

Image: Datto via YouTube

Type: Solar pulse rifle
How to get: Season pass rank 1

Red Death Reformed is, as the name suggests, a remake of Red Death — a beloved Exotic from the original Destiny. Red Death Reformed also shares some similar functionality to the Exotic hand cannon Crimson (also designed after the original Red Death), and is a Solar pulse rifle that heals you whenever you kill enemies.

Red Death Reformed’s Intrinsic Exotic perk is Redemption, which causes final blows with the pulse rifle to Cure you and increase your reload speed. Reloading Red Death Reformed after you get a kill causes it to Cure nearby allies as well. The Inverse Relationship Exotic perk causes you to flinch less as well as gain increased handling and movement speed when you deal damage with Red Death Reformed. The Exotic pulse also deals more damage when your health gets low.

Based on testing at a preview event for The Final Shape, this pulse rifle its healing capabilities are very powerful, even when you’re playing by yourself. It’s a great pick if you’re struggling to complete an activity without dying, and you should consider using it in the Legendary version of The Final Shape campaign.

Still Hunt

Image: Bungie

Type: Solar sniper rifle
How to get: Currently unknown

Still Hunt has three Exotic traits. Its Intrinsic perk is Cayde’s Retribution, which causes any Orbs of Power you collect or precision hits you land to charge Still Hunt’s Super meter. Once the meter is full, you can hold reload to fire three Golden Gun shots. These shots work just like Golden Gun for Hunters, meaning that each shot does more damage than the last, and it only fires one shot if you’re using the Exotic Hunter helmet Celestial Nighthawk.

Its other two Exotic perks are Golden Munitions, which causes the weapon to gain bonus ammo whenever you activate Golden Gun, and Sharpshooter. Sharpshooter gives Still Hunt bonuses to target acquisition, aim down sight speed, and flinch resistance. All of those bonuses are enhanced when the Golden Gun mode is active, meaning you’ll be able to hit your shots even if you’re under fire.

This weapon deals very impressive damage to majors, mini-bosses, and bosses.

Microcosm

Image: Bungie

Type: Heavy Kinetic trace rifle
How to get: Currently unknown

Microcosm is a weapon of firsts in Destiny 2. It’s the first Heavy Trace Rifle in the game and it’s also the first Heavy weapon that does Kinetic — non-elemental — damage.

Its Intrinsic Exotic perk is Paracausal Beam, which causes it to fire a “beam of Kinetic light,” which deals bonus damage to shields. The other Exotic perk is Paracausal Imbuement, which causes kills with Microcosm to charge your Super bar. On the flip side, Microcosm will do increased damage for a short period of time once your Super expires.

The perks on the page don’t do Microcosm justice, as it hit like a truck even against a Master Lost Sector boss.

Khvostov 7G-0X

Image: Bungie

Type: Kinetic auto rifle
How to get: Currently unknown

Khvostov is an iconic Destiny weapon. The non-Exotic form is the first gun you pick up in both the original Destiny and Destiny 2, and it was also a fully customizable Exotic back in the first game. It’s finally back in Destiny 2 in its Exotic form, but has entirely new perks this time around.

Khvostov 7G-0X’s main perk is called The Right Choice, which causes every seventh bullet to ricochet between enemies and deal additional damage. Its Exotic Trait is Eyes Up, Guardian, which causes Orbs of Power to strengthen the bounce effect, giving you bonus bounces and damage. If that wasn’t good enough, it also comes with the Shoot-to-Loot perk.

This gun is very powerful, acting almost like a Kinetic Sunshot. It’s especially potent when paired with the new Prismatic subclass, as it can charge both your Light and Darkness Transcendence meters.

Ergo Sum

Image: Ryan Gilliam

Type: Unknown sword
How to get: Currently unknown

We don’t know much about the Ergo Sum sword or how you get it, but Bungie leaked its existence via a marketing email a few weeks before the expansion.

All we have to go off here is the name, which is Latin for “I think, therefore I am.” Take that however you will as you prepare to jump into combat with the greatest wielder of the Darkness — often associated with thought and order — that we’ve ever faced in The Witness.

Exotic raid weapon

Type: Currently unknown
How to get: The Final Shape raid, name unknown

Bungie never talks about the raid Exotic until players complete it, and we’ll know more after the The Final Shape’s raid release on June 7. However, we know for certain there will be a raid Exotic, as every raid has had one since the original Vault of Glass back in 2014.

As for what it’ll be and what it can do, your guess is as good as ours.

Exotic Episode: Echoes mission weapon

Image: Bungie

Type: Currently unknown
How to get: Episode: Echoes Exotic mission, name unknown

While Bungie hasn’t announced it yet, we know via the Episode roadmap that each new Episode will come with both an Exotic weapon (Red Death Reformed, in this case), and a new Exotic mission. That means that sometime before Episode: Echoes is over, we’ll be getting a Whisper, Zero Hour, Avalon, Starcrossed, or something in that vein. That means whatever this Exotic is, it’ll probably be craftable, and we’ll be able to earn new perks each week.

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All Exotic armor in The Final Shape

Not counting the Exotic class items, there are six new Exotic armor pieces in The Final Shape — two per class. All six of these new Exotics will come from Rahool and his new Exotic-deciphering loyalty program. You’ll need to increase Rahool’s reputation in order to unlock them.

The Exotic class items allow Prismatic Guardians to mix the effects of two existing Exotics together, and won’t be available until after The Final Shape raid launches on June 7.

Wishful Ignorance

Image: Bungie

Type: Titan gauntlets
How to get: Rahool the Cryptarch

The Exotic perk for Wishful Ignorance is called Wish-Dragon’s Talons, and it causes your Frenzied Blade to gain a fourth charge. While wearing this Exotic, your Frenzied Blade and Flechette Storm Aspect briefly increase their damage with each strike. Pulses from your Banner of War return melee energy to you based on how many allies you heal.

This Exotic has some massive implications for Strand Titans using both Banner of War and Flechette Storm. But the bonus Frenzied Blade charge and damage means that these might even be useful for Prismatic Titans, who don’t have access to either of those Strand Titan aspects.

Hazardous Propulsion

Image: Bungie

Type: Titan chest
How to get: Rahool the Cryptarch

The Exotic perk for Hazardous Propulsion is Danger Close, which causes weapon precision hits or kills to have a chance to load Kinetic Exodus rockets into the chest piece. Whenever you use your class ability, you’ll fire any stored Exodus rockets, which home in on enemy targets. Dealing damage with your Exodus rockets give you a temporary buff that increases all rocket launcher damage.

This chest piece has a lot of potential for Titans. Not only do these rockets deal quite a bit of damage, but the boost to rocket launchers could seriously increase Titans’ DPS in boss fights.

Gifted Conviction

Image: Bungie

Type: Hunter chest
How to get: Rahool the Cryptarch

The Exotic perk for Gifted Conviction is The Gift of Certainty, which causes you to unleash little Arc explosives whenever you activate Ascension or Tempest Strike. These explosives deal damage and Jolt targets. Jolting any nearby targets grants you increased damage resistance.

This chest piece plays nicely with Hunter’s new Ascension Aspect, which allows them to fly into the air. It also gives Hunters a nice defensive option while on Arc, as Jolt is a very powerful and common subclass verb.

Balance of Power

Image: Bungie

Type: Hunter legs
How to get: Rahool the Cryptarch

The Exotic perk for Balance of Power is called Double Down, and it causes your Threaded Specter to last longer and have more durability. This enhanced Threaded Specter also releases additional Threadings when it takes damage. Finally, you won’t appear on any enemy radars when standing near your Threaded Specter.

This is more of a PvP Exotic than a PvE one, but it will definitely annoy any Crucible opponents you go up against as a Strand Hunter.

Speaker’s Sight

Image: Bungie

Type: Warlock helmet
How to get: Rahool the Cryptarch

The Exotic perk for Speaker’s Sight is The Lost Voice, which causes your healing grenades to spawn a Restorative Turret. Healing allies has a chance to spawn an Orb of Power.

This Exotic could be very useful for Solar or Prismatic Warlocks looking to keep their teammates healthy. Healing grenades normally just give a single burst of healing to allies, but with Speaker’s Sight, Warlocks can lock down an area for a while by providing constant healing for their Fireteam.

Mataiodoxia

Image: Bungie

Type: Warlock chest
How to get: Rahool the Cryptarch

The Exotic perk for Mataiodoxia is Stylostixis, which causes any targets you damage with your Arcane Needle Strand melee to emit a Suspending burst when they die. If you land multiple Arcane Needles on a single target, an even larger Suspending burst will immediately occur. Killing any suspended targets grants you melee energy and your Arcane Needles can pierce Barrier Champions.

This Exotic gives Strand Warlocks some additional options for Suspending targets — something the class is already good at doing. But perhaps more importantly, it gives Prismatic Warlocks a reliable way to Suspend enemies since they don’t have access to a Suspend grenade.

Exotic class items

Image: Bungie

Type: Titan mark, Hunter cloak, Warlock bond
How to get: Mysterious post-raid mission

The Exotic class items are the only Exotic armor pieces you won’t be able to get from Rahool the Cryptarch this episode. Instead, they’ll come from a mysterious activity that won't be released until after Guardians complete the raid on June 7.

As for the class items themselves, they may have different names, but they all function the same. Each class item — Essentialism, Stoicism, and Solipsism — has random rolls, and each will get one Exotic perk in its first column and one in its second column. The idea is that these class items let you mix and match multiple Exotic effects together. The perk pools are (mostly) different between the three classes, and (mostly) contain effects belonging to Exotics from their particularly class — i.e. Titans typically will only be able to use other Titan effects.

The “spirit” versions of the perks on these class items aren’t the entire Exotic perks from the original Exotics, and are usually missing an effect. If you want to use Spirit of Abeyant on your Titan, for example, you’ll only get the three-pronged Suspending blasts from the Abeyant Leap Exotic. If you want to get Woven Mail whenever you Suspend an enemy — the other half of Abeyant Leap — you’ll need to wear that Exotic instead.

Finally, these Exotic class items only work while you’re using the new Prismatic subclass, so keep that in mind.

Below, here are the perk pools for each of the three Exotic class items:

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Disclosure: This article is partially based on a Destiny 2: The Final Shape preview event held at Bungie’s headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, from May 14–17. Bungie provided Polygon’s travel and accommodations for the event. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.

When is the next entry or results period for the housing lottery?

If you’re trying to get a house in Final Fantasy 14, you’ll need to play the lottery system.

The FFXIV lottery system consists of five “entry period” days, followed by four “results period” days. You’ll need to place your bid during the entry period days and if you win, finalize your purchase during the results period days. (If you don’t claim your win during the results period, you will forfeit the plot and lose 50% of your deposit. Yikes!)

You can also check where the housing schedule is in game by opening your Timers menu and selecting the housing tab.

If you’re trying to plan ahead, we list out the FFXIV housing schedule for August 2024 below. Note that our schedule does not take any maintenance times into account, so you may need to bid or claim your houses a day or so earlier to accommodate for this.

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FFXIV housing lottery schedule for August 2024

Here’s the FFXIV housing lottery schedule for August 2024:

• July 31 until Aug. 4: Results period
• Aug. 4-9: Entry period
• Aug. 9-13: Results period
• Aug. 13-18: Entry period
• Aug. 18-22: Results period
• Aug. 22-27: Entry period
• Aug. 27 until Sept. 1: Results period

The periods change at server reset time, which is the following times depending on your time zone:

• 8 a.m. PDT for the west coast of North America
• 11 a.m. EDT for the east coast of North America
• 4 p.m. BST for the U.K.
• 5 p.m. CEST for western Europe/Paris
• The following day at 12 a.m. JST for Japan/Tokyo
• The following day at 1 a.m. AEST for Australia/Sydney

June 2024’s active codes, and where to input them

The ability to redeem codes in Wuthering Waves follows a trend set by other open-world gacha games from recent years.

Using redemption codes is an easy way to get free items, including healing items, shell credits, and premium currency astrite.

As with other gacha games, it’s likely many of these codes will expire after a certain amount of time, so it’s best to redeem sooner than later to ensure you don’t miss out.

What follows is a list of active Wuthering Waves codes, and the rewards you get for redeeming them.

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Wuthering Waves codes for June 2024

The current active list of Wuthering Waves redemption codes are as follows, added in reverse chronological order:

• WUTHERINGGIFT (50 astrite, 2x premium resonance potion, 2x medium revival inhaler, 2x medium energy bag, 10,000 shell credits) — added May 23

Note that for those playing on PC through the Epic Games Store, there is technically another code available via the Echo Starter Pack, which is a one-time free add-on that, once downloaded, is redeemed through the same code redemption system. This grants 1x incomplete echo, 1x premium tuner 10, and 5x advanced seal tube.

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How to redeem codes in Wuthering Waves

To redeem codes in Wuthering Waves, you have to open the Redemption Code screen in the settings menu.

This requires some playtime to unlock — specifically, reaching Union Level 2, or around when you start the “Utterance of Marvels II” mission in Chapter 1, Act 1.

To find the Redemption Code menu, first open settings — on mobile, start by accessing the Terminal with the icon in the top right corner, then settings using the cog icon on the bottom right — then go to the Other Settings submenu toward the bottom of the list, then select “Redemption Code.”

Image: Kuro Games via Polygon

Once you have successfully entered a code, the rewards will then appear in your in-game inbox. You can find your inbox by pressing the mail icon at the bottom of the Terminal screen.

The Redemption Code screen in Wuthering Waves

Finally, know there is no code redeem website, which means to use any codes which become available, you need to boot up the game first.

Subscribers get the Jing skin this month

Fortnite Crew is a monthly subscription service for Fortnite.

Members who subscribe to Fortnite Crew receive access to the current Battle Pass, a top up of V-Bucks to their account, and perhaps most importantly, exclusive cosmetics through the Fortnite Crew Pack.

As an additional incentive to keep subscribing, you also receive bonus Legacy Styles for certain skins for each additional month you remain a subscriber.

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What is the Fortnite Crew Pack and skin for June 2024?

The Fortnite Crew Pack for June 2024 is the Jing skin. You can take a closer look at the skin and related accessories, its Legacy Styles and Lego Fortnite style in the following posts by BuonannoJayden and iFireMonkey on X:

As shown, the skin has a number of Legacy Styles to unlock the longer you keep your Fortnite Crew subscription — with a total of six styles (across five additional months) to unlock.

You have until the last day of the month to claim the skin — you can see the following section for the exact time for when each Fortnite Crew Pack changes — from which point it’s then unavailable to new subscribers.

At least, for now; Epic has said “previous Crew Packs’ items may be made available again to Crew members at a later date,” but practically, if you have your heart on a certain pack, be sure to subscribe and claim while you can.

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Fortnite Crew release date and time: When does each new Fortnite Crew Pack release?

Each new Fortnite Crew Pack is available on the last day of each month for the proceeding month at the following times:

• 4 p.m. PST for the west coast of North America
• 7 p.m. EST for the east coast of North America
• 12 a.m. GMT for the U.K. (the following day)
• 1 a.m. CEST for western Europe/Paris (the following day)
• 8 a.m. JST in Japan/Tokyo (the following day)

For example, Nov. 2023’s pack (featuring the Drakon Steel Hybrid skin) was released on Oct. 31 at the above times in the Americas, and on Nov. 1 elsewhere.

This means if you’re thinking of subscribing for the first time, it’s worth starting just before the above date and time to ensure you get the current Fortnite Crew Pack before it changes over.

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What is Fortnite Crew?

Fortnite Crew is a subscription where, for $11.99 each month, you’ll receive the following:

• Access to the current season’s Battle Pass
• 1,000 V-Bucks
• The latest Fortnite Crew Pack (with an exclusive skin and “at least one” matching cosmetic accessory)
• The next Legacy Style for any unlocked Fortnite Crew skins
• Rocket Pass Premium for Rocket League

As with all V-Bucks purchases, your currency could be locked to the platform you chose to start subscribing, so choose carefully. (At the time of writing, Nintendo Switch is the only platform where your wallet won’t be shared across other platforms.)

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What happens if I cancel Fortnite Crew?

If you cancel Fortnite Crew, you’ll keep all unlocked Fortnite Crew Pack cosmetics — including Legacy Styles — as well as any awarded V-Bucks and Battle Passes earned during that period.

Capcom showed off its open-world take on the franchise at State of Play

Capcom has circled back to reveal more about Monster Hunter Wilds, the open-world entry in its beloved Monster Hunter series, after having previously revealed the game at The Game Awards 2023. At PlayStation State of Play on Thursday, a new gameplay trailer showed off way more of this massive upcoming title. There’s still no release date — besides just “2025” — but now we know a bit more about how the game looks.

The new gameplay trailer introduced what appears to be an ensemble cast of characters, trading quips amongst one another while riding a big boat that somehow is traveling over the sand dunes of a huge desert. A series of shots then depicts these characters exploring a diverse range of environments that are — you guessed it — full of monsters. The trailer then showed some classic-looking Monster Hunter battles, with over-the-shoulder shots of a character who has a vast array of weapons at their disposal.

The Monster Hunter franchise, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2024, is comprised of dozens of wildly successful games across every platform — even the tabletop. The bestselling entry in the franchise, Monster Hunter: World (2018), was a huge action-adventure game but didn’t actually feature an open-world — despite the “World” in its title. Its follow-up, Monster Hunter: Rise (2021), followed the same formula. Since Monster Hunter Wilds will have a fully open world, fans can expect more freewheeling exploration through much bigger maps and biomes.

We still don’t know exactly when in 2025 we’ll be exploring the world of Monster Hunter Wilds, but we do know the game will be released on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X.

New games for PS5, PSVR 2 in 2024, plus a few surprises

Sony’s latest State of Play livestream was full of new game announcements and updates for all things PlayStation 5 and PlayStation VR 2 — with a little bit of PlayStation content for PC as well. PlayStation fans got a look at a new game starring the lovable Astro Bot, a new Dynasty Warriors, a release date for the Silent Hill 2 remake, and confirmation of a few games making the jump from PC to PS5 (and vice versa).

If you couldn’t watch May’s big State of Play showcase live, here’s a recap of all the game announcements, release dates, trailers, and other highlights from Sony’s event.

Concord gets first gameplay

When Sony showed off Concord at last year’s PlayStation Showcase, we didn’t know what to expect from Firewalk Studios’ multiplayer PvP FPS. Now we do, as Sony and Firewalk showed off a cinematic trailer and in-engine gameplay from the colorful 5v5 competitive hero shooter starring a bunch of alien misfit adventurers. Concord is coming to PS5 and PC on Aug. 23.

God of War Ragnarök is coming to PC

Image: SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

Kratos and Atreus’ latest adventure makes the leap to Windows PC this year. God of War Ragnarök, originally released on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in 2022, will get its long-awaited Windows port on Sept. 19, with all the bells and whistles we’ve come to expect from Sony’s PC efforts. That includes super ultrawide display support and Nvidia DLSS 3.7, AMD FSR 3.1, and Intel XESS 1.3. Ragnarök on PC will also include the game’s Valhalla DLC.

Astro Bot is back in a new PS5 game

The star of Astro’s Playroom and Astro Bot Rescue Mission returns for a brand-new game coming to PlayStation 5 later this year from developer Team Asobi. It’s called, simply, Astro Bot, and like Astro’s Playroom, it’s steeped in love of all things PlayStation. Astro can transform into PlayStation’s most famous characters, including Kratos, Aloy, and Nathan Drake, and even turn into a PlayStation 5 console. Astro Bot hits the PS5 on Sept. 6.

Marvel Rivals is coming to PS5 (and Xbox)

Marvel and NetEase’s team-based hero shooter starring the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe is coming to PS5. Marvel Rivals is currently in closed testing on PC, with console versions slated to arrive later this year. A console beta test will be available on PS5 and Xbox Series X in July.

First Monster Hunter Wilds gameplay

Capcom and Sony gave us a new look at Monster Hunter Wilds, the 2025 open-world follow-up to Monster Hunter: World, in a new gameplay-focused trailer.

Silent Hill 2 remake release date

Konami and Bloober Team’s remake of early aughts horror classic Silent Hill 2 now has a release date. Silent Hill 2 is coming to PS5 on Oct. 8. A spooky new trailer shows what to expect from the new rendition.

Dynasty Warriors returns

Koei Tecmo and Omega Force haven’t released a new mainline entry in the historical hack-and-slash Dynasty Warriors franchise since 2018. That’s about to change with Dynasty Warriors: Origins, which is coming to PS5 in 2025. (It’s also coming to Windows PC and Xbox Series X.)

Path of Exile 2 coming to PS5

Image: Grinding Gear Games

Grinding Gear Games’ Path of Exile 2, the studio’s next iteration of its free-to-play action RPG, is coming to PS5 as well as PC. The alternative to Diablo 4 is set years after the original Path of Exile, sending players to the dark world of Wraeclast where they’ll seek to end a spreading corruption. Early access starts on PS5 sometime this fall.

Until Dawn remastered

Image: Ballistic Moon, Supermassive Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment

Supermassive Games’ interactive horror game Until Dawn comes to PS5 and Windows PC this fall, new and improved. At State of Play, we got a look at what remaster studio Ballistic Moon has brought to the 2015 original.

Where Winds Meet

You may remember Where Winds Meet from Gamescom Opening Night Live 2022, where the ambitious, Wuxia-style open-world action-RPG was revealed. Where Winds Meet is now confirmed for PS5, with a new gameplay trailer to show off the goods.

Infinity Nikki

Open-world dress-up adventure Infinity Nikki is coming to PS5 — with a beta test expected soon — letting players explore a bucolic fantasy world with their furry friend Momo. Think Breath of the Wild, but with really cute outfits.

Ballad of Antara announced

The developer behind Pascal’s Wager revealed its new game, Ballad of Antara, a very ambitious Soulslike action game coming to PS5 in 2025. According to the game’s official description, “A faraway land is on the verge of being lost to a conflict from eons ago, and the invasion that followed it. Embark on a perilous journey, seek towering divine creatures, to reclaim the twisted and lost fundamentals of the world.”

Alien: Rogue Incursion revealed

Alien: Rogue Incursion is an “intense single-player, action horror game” — and the first Alien game developed especially for virtual reality — coming to PlayStation VR 2 from developer Survios this holiday season.

Behemoth gameplay

Skydance’s Behemoth promises an adventure through strange, otherworldly environments and battles against towering monsters, with “weighty VR combat and life-like physics.” PSVR 2 owners will be able to test those claims for themselves when Behemoth arrives later this year.

Senua’s Saga continues on May 21

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 continues Senua’s journey as she heads to the mythical island of Iceland. After the events of Senua’s Sacrifice: Hellblade, Senua is a lot more at peace with her Furies, but the world is still full of monsters both all-to-real and quasi-fantastical.

Hellblade 2 is a deliberately-paced, brutal, extensively mo-capped, narrative-driven adventure that picks up a bit after Senua’s Sacrifce. It’s just as deeply rooted in psychology and psychosis as the first game, but the real star is the way Ninja Theory made use of Unreal Engine 5 to deliver one of this generation’s first real next-gen moments. “There’s nothing else quite like it,” is how we put it in our preview back in April.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 comes out on Xbox Series X and Windows PC on May 21. Here’s what time Hellblade 2 releases in your time zone.

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Hellblade 2 release time in your time zone

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is set to release at the same time worldwide on May 21, according to a Ninja Theory post on social media. Here’s when it’ll be available in your time zone:

• 1 a.m. PDT for the West Coast of North America
• 4 a.m. EDT for the East Coast of North America
• 9 a.m. BST for the U.K.
• 10 a.m. CEST for Western Europe/Paris
• 1:30 p.m. IST for India
• 5 p.m. JST for Tokyo
• 8 p.m. NZST for New Zealand