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It’s easily one of the most fun solo mechanics in a From Software game in years Elden Ring spirit ashes...
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Elden Ring is off to a pretty strong start on Steam. Developer From Software's new open world action-adventure RPG has peaked at 672,351 concurrent players on just its first day, putting it just behind Lost Ark (which, as of this writing, sits at 691,723 players).
It's all the more impressive when you see what games Elden Ring is up against. In order of third to tenth, Steam's current top 10 also includes Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, Destiny 2, Apex Legends, Rust, Team Fortress 2, PUBG: Battlegrounds, and MIR4.
It's not often for a single-player-focused game to beat out so many online multiplayer titles. Though, to be fair, Elden Ring isn't your traditional game--it's been critically acclaimed with strong review scores across several outlets.
In GameSpot's Elden Ring review, Tamoor Hussain writes, "Elden Ring takes the shards of what came before and forges them into something that will go down in history as one of the all-time greats: a triumph in design and creativity, and an open-world game that distinguishes itself for what it doesn't do as much as what it does."
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The Fortnite Item Shop is gaining two more superheroes with the brand-new Rogue and Gambit skins. The heroes come to the game following a long list of previous Fortnite Marvel skins, including their X-Men cohort, Wolverine, who was the "secret" skin for Chapter 2, Season 4. Here's all you need to know about the Rogue and Gambit skins.
Rogue and Gambit come loaded with items and are available in a bundle or sold separately. The X-Men heroes can be bought together for 2,100 V-Bucks, or separately for 1,500 V-Bucks each. Their full run of cosmetics includes:
The biggest change to the Soulsborne formula in Elden Ring is the introduction of a massive open world. You can fast-travel between various checkpoints around the map, called Sites of Grace, but getting from one to the other can be a slog if you don’t have a horse. Thankfully, you gain access to a horse--called Torrent--very early in the game. Here’s exactly how to get Torrent, how to mount them, and ride them.
To acquire Torrent, you must visit the Gatefront Site of Grace in Limegrave. It’s just west of the Gatefront Ruins, which lead up to the first boss, Margit, the Fell Omen. Interact with the Site of Grace and you’ll meet Melina, who will give you an item called the Spectral Seed Whistle. This item is used to summon Torrent.
We advise keeping this item equipped at all times so you can quickly use it when you please. Head into the Equipment menu, then go to your Quick Items, and pick an empty slot to assign the Spectral Seed Whistle.
When you use the Spectral Seed Whistle, your character immediately appears atop the horse, meaning you don’t have to go through any button inputs to mount Torrent. It’s pretty convenient and can be done in most areas outside. You cannot ride Torrent inside dungeons, castles, or any other inside section.
If you have any familiarity with From Software games, you know you can expect no shortage of dangerous enemies as you journey through Elden Ring. What you might not be expecting, however, is to run into the extremely difficult Tree Sentinel overworld boss roaming right outside the exit of the tutorial area. But upon emerging from underground and seeing Limgrave for the first time, you'll likely immediately notice this giant on horseback wielding a massive halberd and shield.
If you've given Limgrave's Tree Sentinel any attempts directly after leaving the tutorial area, you may have noticed he hits exceptionally hard and you likely don't. He's most certainly a challenging foe that is best fought after you've managed to upgrade your weapons and stats a bit, but that doesn't mean he's literally impossible during your first encounter. Besides, defeating him will earn you his Golden Halberd, so the sooner the better if that's a weapon you'd like to wield. Let's take a look at a few tips to help you along.
Every boss in the game is likely to require that you take a few steps back and study their attack patterns and movement, and the Tree Sentinel is a great opportunity to learn that. This is a perfect introduction to the game's dodging and spacing requirements that will no doubt test the mettle of many new players and franchise veterans alike.
The Tree Sentinel has two phases. His first phase contains mostly halberd attacks with wide reach that can hit you at close and medium range with ease. When he enters his second phase--which begins around 50% health--he begins incorporating a handful of hard-hitting AOE shield attacks, sometimes actually jumping towards you to close the gap. This can result in a devastating blow if you're unable to dodge it perfectly.
In response to Microsoft's resounding success with its games subscription service Xbox Game Pass, Sony is reportedly buffing up its own service, PlayStation Now, with even more games and multiple tier options. After being revealed by Bloomberg late last year, this new project--internally codenamed Spartacus--seems to be getting closer to completion, as reports regarding its pricing and contents have now begun to surface.
According to a recent report by VentureBeat, PlayStation Spartacus will offer users three tiers: Essential, Extra, and Premium. However, according to the report, these names are subject to change prior to the service launching.
The first tier on the plan, Essential, will supposedly run players $10 USD and offers up a small selection of games each month, not unlike PlayStation Plus in its current state. The Extra tier then starts at $13 USD, and comes not only with these "Essential" monthly games, but access to a larger catalog of PlayStation titles similar to PlayStation Now. Lastly, the Premium tier includes both of these features along with PlayStation Now's streaming capabilities, a library of "classic games," and a new "game trials" feature, allowing players to try out new games before they purchase them. However, the report states these trials will likely have a time-limit function similar to EA Play. Subscribing to the Premium tier is also the most costly option, setting PlayStation users back $16 USD a month.
Horizon Forbidden West does a lot to recontextualize everything Aloy learned in her first outing, Horizon Zero Dawn. While Aloy and her pals might have taken down the rogue artificial intelligence Hades in the first game, they've only staved off extinction on Earth instead of completely preventing it. In Forbidden West, Aloy works to find a copy of the Gaia AI that can take control of the Zero Dawn terraforming systems in order to save the world. During that quest, she learns a lot more about how Hades gained sentience in the first place.
Like Zero Dawn, there are a lot of ins and outs in Forbidden West and a few unanswered questions drawing the story forward. Below, we dig into everything we learn in Forbidden West's endgame and what it means for the future of the series.
Spoiler warning: We're talking about the game's ending as well as big parts of the stories in both Forbidden West and Zero Dawn, so you'll likely want to complete them yourself before you read any further.
The final mission of Horizon Forbidden West sends Aloy and her crew to the base of the Far Zeniths--a group of humans from another planet who've returned to Earth. The Zeniths have stolen the Gaia AI Aloy and her friends need to stop the extinction of life on Earth; their apparent plan is to use Gaia to re-terraform the planet for themselves. In doing that, it seems the Far Zeniths are willing to let existing life on the planet get wiped out to make themselves a little more comfortable.
Call of Duty: Vanguard's Ranked Play is currently live in beta, which offers a much more competitive way to play than the standard multiplayer playlists. However, Ranked Play follows the official rules, maps, and game modes of the 2022 Call of Duty League, meaning this competitive mode contains plenty of perk, weapon, and attachment restrictions. Here we guide you through setting up the best loadouts available to use in Ranked Play.
The primary weapon you decide to equip for Ranked Play will be determined by the role you prefer to play. If you're looking to hold down a lane in a slayer role then the Automaton assault rifle is the best choice, while you'll want the MP-40 submachine gun for close-quarters action near the objective.
The recommendations listed below are the set of attachments used by the majority of the assault rifle players in the Call of Duty League, as this build increases the damage range while still keeping recoil to a minimum. You're limited on what attachments you can switch up here, but you could swap the Proficiency Type with Sleight of Hand if you prefer a faster reload. Some pro players use Tight Grip for better accuracy and recoil control, while others prefer to use Sleight of Hand. For the kit, you could swap out On-hand for Fully Loaded to get more ammo.
One of the problems with the story campaigns in Destiny and Destiny 2 is that they always talk about their villains as grandiose, high-stakes threats, but they rarely are. Over the years, Bungie's games have always made story campaigns some of their more approachable content for casual players, whether alone or with a group, and because of this, they tend to be too easy. You might go up against a skyscraper-sized Hive worm god, but you thrash it on your own after about 10 minutes of fighting. In cases like that, it hardly feels like you just saved the solar system.
This problem highlights one of the best things about The Witch Queen. You can play the entire campaign on the classic difficulty, but if you want to push yourself, there's also the Legendary difficulty. The tougher mode adds modifiers that take away your radar and make you more susceptible to getting clawed to death, and limits your Power level to make all the enemies you fight that much stronger. It's enough of a handicap that you stop feeling like an unstoppable super-soldier who wields space magic, and start feeling like you're facing the serious, world-ending threats the game is always talking about. It's the perfect feeling for a Destiny campaign, and if you feel like challenging yourself, you should absolutely try it--alone.
Elden Ring's brand new Ashes of War feature allows for a seemingly endless amount of customization, so seeking them all out is imperative for anyone looking to have options at their disposal. For instance, someone wanting to make the most out of magic and large melee weapons alike can make that happen by snagging Ash of War: Gravitas early in the game. If that sounds like you, we can help you round it up right here.
Ash of War: Gravitas grants the Magic affinity and can be used on large weapons. You'll also gain the Gravitas weapon skill, which plunges your weapon into the ground to create an AOE effect that draws enemies toward you.
Ash of War: Gravitas' item description reads:
This Ash of War grants an armament the Magic affinity and the following Skill: Gravitas A skill from a great white king with stone skin. Pierce the ground with your armament to damage foes as a surge of gravity draws them in. It can be used on melee armaments that are not small.
Obtaining Ash of War: Gravitas is a fairly simple task and can be done essentially right after entering Limgrave from the tutorial area, but you'll want to have your steed Torrent. If you don't have him yet, find and rest at three overworld Sites of Grace so that you can speak with Melina and obtain the Spectral Steed Whistle. Now that you have your horse, let's head to the south to the Seaside Ruins. The coastline below is our destination, but getting down to the beach isn't as simple as just falling down.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla is now free-to-play until February 28. This free weekend of play is available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Stadia, and PC (via the Ubisoft Store and the Epic Games Store) through each platform's digital storefront. All of your progress will transfer over if you decide to buy Valhalla after the free weekend. Plus, you can purchase the game at a steep discount for a limited time.
As a note: The free weekend only includes the base version of the game. To play paid post-launch expansions Wrath of the Druids, The Siege of Paris, and Dawn of Ragnarök, you'll have to buy them separately.
There are a few free post-launch expansions that you will be able to access, however. Most notably, you'll be able to play Valhalla's Crossover Stories, which sees protagonist Eivor meet Assassin's Creed Odyssey's Kassandra.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla free trial and deal
Elden Ring, like most From Software role-playing titles, is often a dark and oppressive experience with mature storytelling and immensely challenging fights against monstrous enemies. But as usual, despite all of this, you can be assured that you're going to find some fun and sometimes downright absurd armor and weapons that remind you that you're playing a video game. One such enjoyably silly item is the Pumpkin Helm, a quick and easy early-game find that can get you looking weirdly fashionable in no time.
The Pumpkin Helm is a massive circular helmet that encases your entire head and doesn't belong to any specific armor set, making it a great option for those looking to add a bit of fun flair to their character. The Pumpkin Helm's item description reads:
An oval helmet large enough to cover any head. Very heavy and very hard. The inside of the helm is pitch black, keeping the crazed warrior within from panicking. Perhaps its rather roomy interior also helps alleviate feelings of pressure and claustrophobia.
It's easy to round up the Pumpkin Helm early in the game by finding and defeating a relatively easy boss--the aptly named Mad Pumpkin Head--so you won't have to wait very long at all to start slaying your foes with the helmet you've taken from the head of his corpse. Yuck.
First up on your quest to find the Mad Pumpkin Head, head south from the Agheel Lake North Site of Grace until you find the Waypoint Ruins, which are infested with a variety of poisonous flowers on the outside. When you arrive, you'll notice that one section of the ruins has a staircase leading down to a fog door, which is where the Mad Pumpkin Head is waiting for his beating.
Life is Strange 2 developer Dontnod is planning to release eight games between this year and 2025, only two of which have been publicly announced. It is publishing Danish studio PortaPlay's Gerda: A Flame in Winter and a new title from Studio Tolima, along with working on six other in-house projects.
While the six other projects are unknown, Dontnod's 2021 business review provides some hints of what they could be. Dontnod says that it wants to strengthen its production capacity in the action-RPG segment of the industry. In order to do so, the company will launch a new production line dedicated to this segment and ramp up the development of Project 8 with Focus Entertainment.
Additionally, Dontnod's Montreal location is working on a multi-project division focused on creating strong narratives. The minds behind Life is Strange will be in charge of it. Dontnod might also continue looking externally for new collaborations, possibly publishing titles from other studios.
Dontnod also brought up two of its older titles, Vampyr and Twin Mirror. Vampyr launched in June 2018 and has been a success for the company, with 8 million free downloads on the Epic Games Store when it was the platform's free game of the day. The report called it "the studio's biggest financial success to date alongside Life is Strange 1," although it didn't specify exactly how it's measuring success.
Elden Ring offers a diverse selection of Ashes of War throughout its massive world, and finding them all can be quite an undertaking. In the case of Ash of War: Unsheathe, however, it can be obtained pretty much directly after you first enter Limgrave at the beginning of your journey. If you want to know how, we've got you covered right here.
Ash of War: Unsheathe grants the Keen affinity and can be used on katanas. The Unsheathe weapon skill allows you to ready your sword while it's still sheathed, then deal a sudden, aggressive slice to your enemies. Ash of War: Unsheathe's lore description reads:
Skill of swordsmen from the Land of Reeds. Sheathe blade, holding it at the hip in a composed stance. Follow up with a normal or strong attack to perform a swift slash attack.
Unsheathe is the default weapon skill on the Uchigatana, which is the katana with which the Samurai class begins the game. However, if you didn't start with the Samurai, you can still get the Ash of War very early, though it requires just a little bit of finesse to avoid a chaotic showdown.
From the place where you emerge into Limgrave following the tutorial, you'll want to set off to the east to find the massive Agheel Lake. In the south of the lake, you'll notice a small, round creature with a faint glow relaxing in the water. This is a Teardrop Scarab, and it drops the item you're here for--but getting it won't be as easy as it looks.
Elden Ring gives you nearly complete freedom as soon as you leave the tutorial dungeon, Stranded Graveyard, and it’s more than a little overwhelming for Souls fans and newcomers alike. Sites of Grace point you toward Stormgate and Stormveil Castle immediately, but there’s much more you should be doing first in West Limgrave, the starting area. Here's our guide on what to do first in Elden Ring, so you can enjoy the optimal path to success and survival.
The floating gold dust at your first Site of Grace pushes you this way anyway, but make sure to visit the Church of Elleh as soon as you can. It’s a convenient base for most of your West Limgrave activities and the hub for a number of important events. Just make sure to give the Tree Sentinel a wide berth unless you’re feeling lucky. This boss is better tackled after you’ve upgraded your weapon once or twice.
Elden Ring is happy to let you wander aimlessly without even telling you how to find maps, but the West Limgrave map fragment is near the Church. Head north until you see a set of ruined stone buildings (the barracks), and make sure you’re at full health. We recommend stealth to deal with the soldiers inside, as it’s easy to get overwhelmed quickly.
There’s a stele on the road just outside the barracks. Interact with this to obtain your first map fragment. You may need to time your interaction carefully, as there’s a powerful polearm-wielding soldier patrolling the road.
US Senator Tammy Baldwin has reportedly issued a letter to Activision CEO Bobby Kotick urging him to "negotiate in good faith with the workers and suspend any efforts to undermine your employees’ legal right to form a union and collectively bargain" going forward. Baldwin's request follows the conclusion of a National Labor Relations Board hearing between members of the Activision-owned studio Raven Software, and allegations that the company is implementing "union-busting" tactics have surfaced.
Throughout Baldwin's letter--a copy of which was recently obtained by The Washington Post--the senator repeatedly calls for Kotick to not intervene with Raven Software's ongoing attempt at unionization. The senator also warned Kotick she will be "will be following the proceedings at the National Labor Relations Board and Raven Software closely" before suggesting both he and the management at Raven Software should "remain neutral in the coming NLRB election in order to allow your employees to decide their representatives for themselves." Baldwin also sent a copy of the letter to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, one of Microsoft employees overseeing the nearly $70 billion dollar acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Editor's Note: The war in Ukraine is an ongoing, painful and emotive topic. IGN urges community members to be respectful when engaging in conversation around this subject and does not endorse harassment of any kind.
A number of Ukrainian game development studios, as well as members of the wider games industry have spoken up following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia late last night.
Russia's attack began with Russian President Vladimir Putin announcing he would carry out "a special military operation" in Ukraine. Following his statement, attacks began in ten regions of Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, and have since expanded across the country. Ukraine's ambassador has claimed that at least 40 troops have now been killed along with "dozens" of civilians, and Ukraine has reportedly lost its control of the Chernobyl nuclear site.
ArmA III, a video game that in the right circumstances can look pretty realistic, has a long history of turning up on news broadcasts and being either confused with or intentionally used in place of actual camera footage of real-world events. That trend is continuing in the current crisis in Ukraine.
Instantly beautiful, fast and playable, Grid Legends provides the perfect counterpoint to serious sim racing. It is very clearly similar to 2019’s Grid reboot, although there is immediately one thing that’s changed that makes this offering worth the upgrade. No, not the added story mode, it’s more fundamental than that; it’s the handling. It just didn’t feel quite right in the last game, whereas here it’s arguably the most playable handling system of any modern racer that doesn’t have ‘Kart’ in its title. Even though your car slides at every opportunity, it’s actually disguising the fact there’s a great deal of grip here, making for an enjoyable experience whatever your skill level.
Back in July 2021, BioWare unveiled Star Wars The Old Republic: Legacy of the Sith – a brand new expansion that celebrates the first 10 years of the MMORPG while also getting fans ready for the next decade worth of content. Alongside a new story, the DLC promised plenty of new mechanics, features, and quality-of-life updates.
As a big fan of SWTOR back when it was released, this news immediately caught my attention, prompting me to hop back into the game in order to prepare for the “massive” new expansion. Unfortunately, while I enjoyed all of the prep time I spent getting back into the game, Star Wars The Old Republic: Legacy of the Sith expansion was a massive disappointment.
Honestly, it’s a bit generous to even call Legacy of the Sith an expansion. Instead, it’s more of an epilogue to Onslaught than it is a full-fledged DLC, as the plot picks up right after the events of that expansion.
Regardless of what side you’re on, Empire or Republic, players must uncover the ultimate plan of Darth Malgus, the notorious renegade Sith. This sends your character to Manaan, a beautiful underwater city that is now under siege by the Empire.
Koei Tecmo is celebrating the release of Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream, Koei Tecmo in Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation.
The Japanese version of the popular free-to-play Dead or Alive game got a new gacha today including Sophie and Plachta’s costumes for ten among the current cast of heroines.
As a bonus, the SSR chance is the improved 3.3%, and it includes a chance to unlock Elise, which is pretty neat.
You can check them all out in the trailer below.
Incidentally, speaking of bonuses, the monthly round of freebies tied to the latest livestream dedicated to the game has also been distributed, including an SSR ticket for the February trend gacha, 5,000 V-Stones, and more.
This should grant you at the very least one roll with the new Atelier Sophie gacha.
Keep in mind that this crossover is not available yet in the Steam version in English, which is mostly behind in content by over a year.