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Just about every week brings something new to Destiny 2, whether it's story beats, new activities, or interesting new combinations of elements that let players devastate each other in the Crucible. Iron Banter is our weekly look at what's going on in the world of Destiny and a rundown of what's drawing our attention across the solar system.

The story of Destiny 2 is one of evolution. Though the core of the game has always existed as it does now--it's about shooting aliens, and the shooting of aliens is very satisfying--just about everything else that facilitates the shooting of aliens has undergone massive changes. Both on purpose and by accident, I've been covering Destiny 2 throughout the whole of its life, and I've been witness to every adjustment, iteration, change, expansion, season, and hotfix since its release.

There are very few games like Destiny, if there are any at all. I've never seen a game go through so much invention and reinvention, or to spend so much time discovering its identity and to grow into it so well. I've also never had a game stick with me to the degree that this one has. I haven't always liked Destiny 2 over the course of its history, but I've always been impressed by it--its scope, its ideas, its ambition. In the second half of its life in particular, I think Destiny 2 has finally become the game that Bungie pitched all the way back in 2013.

Looking for a deal on a Switch Lite? You can buy a refurbished model on eBay for just $169 while supplies last. Considering the portable console retails for $200, and brand-new models aren't always on shelves, this is a great way to grab the handheld-only version of Nintendo’s wildly popular system at a discount. At the time of writing, the deal offers coral and turquoise color options (while supplies last) and all units are listed as “Excellent” condition, come in the original packaging, and include the standard Switch Lite USB-C adapter.

If you’ve never bought a refurbished device before, they’re previously-owned products that are tested to be in working condition, then cleaned and repaired to match the quality of brand-new models as close as possible. Buying refurbished tech from eBay sellers can sometimes feel like a gamble, but the refurbish quality is verified by eBay and the seller re_tech_deals has a 100% positive feedback based on over 13,000 customer ratings. That said, the seller offers free returns if you experience any issues with the console.

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Classic is nearly here, and far from the calm before the storm, the weeks leading up to Blizzard's re-release of the beloved expansion have, for various reasons, been a flurry of emotions ranging from wild anticipation to deep frustration within the game's dedicated community.

In an interview with GameSpot, WoW Classic associate production director Clay Stone and senior software engineer Kevin Vigue dove into some of the topics that have both delighted and concerned fans in the lead up to Wrath of the Lich King Classic's September 26 launch, sharing details on how Blizzard is looking to bring improvements to the most popular expansion in WoW history while still making sure it stays distinct from the modern version of the MMORPG.

If you’ve been looking for a quality productivity tablet that won’t break the bank, consider checking out this refurbished Microsoft Surface, which is available for just $200. Windows 10 comes preinstalled, and you’ll get around 10 hours of battery life out of the unit before needing a recharge--along with some impressive internal specs.

While it’s not a powerhouse like current-gen models, anyone who needs a reliable, versatile tablet will get a lot of mileage out of this refurbished unit. Your purchase also comes with an aftermarket 30-day warranty (to ensure everything is working as intended) and a charging cable--although it doesn’t include the Surface Keyboard or pen. Returns are also accepted up to 30 days after shipment.

Few laptops in the $200 range can match the power and utility of the Surface, so be sure to check out the deal while you can.

Editor's Note: Article updated on September 23, 2022

The 2022 school year is in full swing, but if you haven't picked up a new laptop for school, we've got a deal for you that's worth checking out. It's an especially nice deal for those who are shopping for computers for their kids or for young college students on a budget. Right now you can snag a refurbished Apple MacBook Air for only $250.

The refurbished unit has been given a rating of “B,” meaning you might see a bit of light scuffing or scratches on the case. But considering this is a MacBook Air with a $250 price tag, that shouldn’t be a dealbreaker.

Included with your purchase you’ll get a Magsafe Charger and a 30-day warranty. There’s also a 30-day return policy that lets you ship back the unit if it’s not living up to your standards.

If you're in the market for a tablet, check out this iPad Mini bundle deal as well.

Editor's Note: Article updated on September 23, 2022

Apex Legends Mobile's mid-season Hyperbeat update brought loads of new events to the mobile version of Respawn's hit battle royale. The latest in this series of events, a TDM-focused limited-time event called Deathmatch Mayhem launched this week, giving players access to all kinds of new prizes. The event challenges players to complete in-game feats, called Trial Tasks, in return for free in-game loot.

Players who complete every Trial Task will also be rewarded with the Marble Carapace Fade legend skin, a mobile-exclusive cosmetic for the game's first-ever mobile-only legend. Free Fade skins are hard to come by, so this is an event Fade mains won't want to miss. Keep reading for a step-by-step guide to help you complete the Deathmatch Mayhem event and claim your prizes as quickly and easily as possible.

Getting started

You'll most likely be met with a splash screen advertising the Deathmatch Mayhem event when you fire up the Apex Legends Mobile app. Selecting "Go!" will take you directly to the event hub, but if you accidentally swipe past it or it doesn't appear, you can navigate to the hub manually by selecting the purple "Season Event" banner on the right side of the main lobby screen. From there, select the limited-time tab at the top of the screen, then select "Deathmatch Mayhem" from the vertical event list on the right side of the screen.

Apple’s newest iPad Mini is pretty darn expensive, with prices soaring over $700 for the most premium model. However, Apple products are also built to last--meaning you can save a bundle of cash by opting for older, refurbished products. And if you’re in the market for an iPad Mini, consider checking out this deal on a refurbished iPad Mini 4, which is listed for just $290.

This particular model has been given a refurbished rating of “B,” meaning it might have some light scuffing and scratching, but works flawlessly.

A pre-installed temper glass protector, snap-on case, wall charger, Lightning cable, and original Apple box are all included with your purchase. If the product doesn’t live up to your expectations, returns are accepted for up to 30 days. You can also add a two- or three-year warranty to your purchase if you want to extend its longevity.

If you've ever come across vaults in Fortnite, you've probably noticed they've historically required you and some friends to stand still and be scanned in order to access the goodies inside. Well, all of that has changed with the introduction of keys in Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 4, which will now have to be collected before being able to open vaults. The vaults are stacked with much better loot this time around, but they'll take some searching on your part. Here's how to get vault keys in Fortnite, and then of course, how to use them, too.

Where to find keys in Fortnite

Fortnite keys are found as randomized loot, which can be good or bad. It means you won't need to head to specific places and fight over these much sought-after keys, but it also means there's no surefire way to find them in any round. We found our first key as floor loot near the suddenly barren Reality Tree. In any case, whenever you find a randomized key, you'll be onto phase two: knowing what to do with it.

Fortnite vaults and how to use keys

As soon as you find a key, your map will update with several lock symbols around the island. These represent the locations of vaults. You can head to any of them, but note the number of keys it'll require you have. A lock icon with one keyhole means you'll just need a single key, but some vaults need more than that and are labeled as such on your map.

Fortnite Chapter 3, Season 4 has unleashed a flurry of exciting new locations to explore, mechanics to try out, and items to experiment with. But the main thing you'll be using in the game's battle royale experience is the deadly arsenal of weapons, and as usual, this season has changed things up in that department, too. We've compiled a list of all of the weapons that have been vaulted this season, as well as a list of which weapons have been unvaulted or freshly added to the game. Here's a round up of new weapons in Fortnite Chapter 3, Season 4.

New weapons in Fortnite Chapter 3, Season 4

Though we'll surely see more guns introduced and unvaulted as the season goes on, Chapter 3, Season 4 opens with two new weapons for you to get your hands on:

• EvoChrome Shotgun
• EvoChrome Burst Rifle

Both of these guns are truly unique to the game, as they level up in rarity as you deal damage with them. They'll start off at Uncommon rarity, but the more you hit your opponents, the better they'll get--all the way up to Mythic. This is certain to be a high risk, high reward option for competitive players looking to make the most of their arsenal.

Season 4 of Fortnite Chapter 3 is finally underway, and it's sporting some pretty significant map changes to the ever-expanding battle royale. Most notably, a mysterious substance known as Chrome is taking over the map--and while that certainly sounds bad lore-wise, it's also bringing with it some fresh gameplay elements. We'll go into that and more in this breakdown of the biggest new additions to the map in Fortnite Chapter 3, Season 4.

Fortnite Season 4 map changes

There are some new and altered places of interest (POI), some never-before-seen mechanics, and more to check out this season. Let's take a look at the stuff you need to know.

New POI: Cloudy Condos

With the aforementioned Chrome taking over the island, some POIs have taken to the sky in an effort to avoid it. The most notable of these is the popular landing spot Condo Canyon, which has been renamed Cloudy Condos and will now fly around the map. This makes it an excellent spot to hang out and rain down fire on your enemies, but you'll need to be able to get up there. But if you plan to reach higher POIs like Cloudy Condos, you'll need to make use of one of the island's various D-Launchers to propel you up there.

New POI: Herald's Sanctum

Chrome has started covering the map in, well, chrome--but it's not content with merely layering itself atop existing POIs. It has also birthed a brand new location known as Herald's Sanctum, the headquarters for this season's villain. See it for yourself in the above slideshow.

Where we dropping, loopers? Fortnite Chapter 3, Season 4 has arrived. That means the usual onslaught of new battle pass rewards, new weapons, map changes, Exotic weapons, NPCs, and more are all in the game waiting to be discovered. We've got the complete round-up of Fortnite new season details, so you can use this article as your one-stop-shop for everything there is to know about Fortnite Chapter 3, Season 4.

Fortnite Chapter 3, Season 4 battle pass

The Fortnite battle pass once again includes more than 100 rewards, including eight new characters and their alternate styles, several new loading screens, back bling, pickaxes, lobby tracks, emotes, and more. You'll find an item-by-item gallery of every single reward in Fortnite's new battle pass here soon.

New weapons and loot in Chapter 3, Season 4

It wouldn't be a new season without a new loot pool. In Chapter 3, Season 4, Fortnite is adding two new unique guns at launch, as well as including several vaultings and unvaultings of other items. On top of those, two new supplemental items are in the game as of today, too. You can find all the info you need in our Fornite Chapter 3, Season 4 weapons guide. We also have a separate guide coming that will go over Chrome Splash, a new throwable support item, in full detail. You'll definitely want to learn the many tricks involved with this new tool.

Streamer and content creator Ali "SypherPK" Hassan will be the latest Fortnite-related personality to put his own digital skin in the game when his Icon Series outfit and accessories hit the Fortnite Item Shop next week. SypherPK getting his own set of cosmetics puts him in rarified air, joining the likes of Kathleen "Loserfruit" Belsten, Tyler "Ninja" Blevins, and most recently Maria "Chica" Lopez in Fortnite's Icon Series.

Like the other content creator sets, SypherPK's will feature his outfit, the Oni's Curse back bling, Sypher's Scimitar pickaxe, and the Sypher's Strut emote. You'll be able to grab them separately or in a bundle when they arrive in the item shop at 8pm ET on September 22.

The outfit is rather robust in terms of features, coming with a default style that's essentially just SypherPK in real life along with both reactive and non-reactive ghostly styles. With the reactive style, he gets more ghostly with each kill. If you're familiar with the Marigold skin's reactive gold style, then you more or less get it. The outfit also has a masked option, and the accessories will have the same basic style options as the outfit, so you'll be able to keep them coordinated.

NBA 2K23 allows players to respec and rebuild their MyPlayer characters, but only after completing the Rebirth questline involving Ronnie 2K. To complete the questline, you'll need to find Ronnie several times inside the game's online hub without the help of map markers. The game delights in not revealing exactly where and when you can find him, so we're here to walk you through how to complete this lengthy quest and earn some great rewards along the way. Here's where to find Ronnie 2K in NBA 2K23.

All Ronnie 2K Locations for the Rebirth quest

Ronnie 2K will appear at four different spots throughout the quest and hand out a different reward each time you find him. Your player will need to reach specific overall ratings for each encounter to earn Ronnie 2K's prizes.

First location and reward - 65 OVR

Once your player reaches an overall of 65 or higher, head to the northeast side of the map to find Ronnie 2K. He's near the Northside Knights zone, just to the left of the Knights Station icon. He's standing next to a dumpster in a bright pink hoodie, so he's hard to miss. Speak to Ronnie to get a shirt with his image on the front--not a worthwhile prize, but the best is yet to come.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer beta is officially live, and this weekend gives PlayStation users first crack at Infinity Ward's continuation of the rebooted Modern Warfare series. Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer beta offers a pretty familiar offering, but there are some solid maps and a completely overhauled Gunsmith feature worth checking out.

Better map designs than Modern Warfare 2019

One of Modern Warfare 2019's biggest shortcomings was the over-abundance of massive and cluttered map designs used across multiplayer for matches of various player counts, so it's nice to see the developer scale back Modern Warfare 2's standard maps to better fit Call of Duty's traditional 6v6 combat. We only get to sample three standard maps in the current beta, but as previously announced, all of Modern Warfare 2's standard maps were designed for traditional 6v6 matches. This gives hope that Modern Warfare will have an overall stronger map pool at launch.

The beta 6v6 maps include:

Valderas Museum is a museum located in Spain. The map feels like the largest of the three, with plenty of space to fight in and around the museum. This map works well for Domination, and looks to be a solid map for other objective modes at launch.

Ahead of Nvidia's GTC 2022 keynote next week, where the company is expected to announce its new 40-series consumer GPUs, manufacturer EVGA has announced that it is terminating its relationship with Nvidia and exiting the GPU market.

The massive business shift, which was confirmed by EVGA on its forums, has been broken down in a detailed report by Gamers Nexus, who spoke directly to EVGA CEO Andrew Han to get the details of the split. According to Han, Nvidia has been difficult to work with for some time now. Like all other GPU board partners, EVGA is only told the price of new products when they're revealed to everyone on stage, making planning difficult when launches occur soon after. Nvidia also has tight control over the pricing of GPUs, limiting what partners can do to differentiate themselves in a competitive market.

Furthermore, Han was critical of how Nvidia routinely undercuts its own partners with its Founders Edition cards, which offer identical products at discount prices that partners are barred from matching. This has resulted in some massive losses for EVGA, with Han stating that RTX 3080 and higher GPUs lost the company hundreds of dollars with each sale.

When it comes to weapon nerfs, most people think recoil or weapon spawn rates, not cosmetic items. But Apex Legends developer Respawn Entertainment announced via blog post that two cosmetic weapon skins for the Flatline assault rifle have been changed to negate the potentially unfair advantage the skins' original designs allegedly gave users compared to other Flatline skins.

The skins in question are the reactive Heat Sink skin, a Legendary-tier reward for completing Season 4's battle pass, and the Revelations skin from the recent Gaiden event. Both skins had cosmetic designs that made ADSing a bit easier on the eyes than the standard iron sights experience should.

"Competitive integrity is and will always be a core pillar for Apex Legends," reads the developer's blog post. "As part of that, our default iron sights are designed to push players to loot for better optics. We also believe that skins shouldn't be a factor in the sights functionality as well. During Season 4, we released the Heat Sink reactive skin for the VK-47 Flatline rifle and we heard feedback from some players that the Aim Down Sights (ADS) felt superior to any other skin available."

There's no word yet on whether other weapon skins may suffer the same fate. For now, Respawn doesn't seem to be planning on any immediate changes.

Genshin Impact 3.1, called King Deshret and the Three Magi, will take players to Sumeru's desert. Like the title implies, the story revolves around King Deshret. In the desert, Aaru Village is one of the biggest Desertfolk abodes and hosts a lot of Akademiya exiles.

It looks like players will also enter King Deshret's Maesoleum and encounter The Algorithm of Semi-Intransient Matrix of Overseer--a normal boss with a very long name and the ability to turn invisible. Back in the rainforest, Aeonblight Drake will be another new boss.

While not detailed in the PlayStation Blog post overview of 3.1, Scaramouche looks like he plays some sort of pivotal antagonistic role. He's seen "piloting" some sort of Electro "mecha" in the trailer, though it's mysterious what he's exactly up to in Sumeru.

Candace, Cyno, and Nilou will also become playable characters in 3.1 Candace and Nilou are Hydro characters, and Cyno is Electro. For the first half, Cyno and Candace will be available to pull, along with Venti’s rerun. Nilou and Albedo’s rerun will take place in the latter half of 3.1

Venti's rerun is likely due to a new event brewing, ahem, over in Mondstadt. Over in players' starting city, the annual Weinlesefest begins--an Autumn celebration of wine and the Anemo Archon. From the trailer, it appears we'll learn more about Razor's parents.

3.1 will also see a rerun of the daily login event. Players can log in everyday for different rewards, including Intertwined Fates. They'll also receive Primogems ×1,600, Fragile Resin ×4, and two unique gadgets, Jumpy Dumpty Party Popper, and Cloud Retainer’s Damasked Device in their inboxes.

Finally, the Trials of Osiris returns to Destiny 2, with the first top-tier PvP event in Season of Plunder. This season sees some new weapons you can earn from Trials, including the new shotgun The Inquisitor and combat vow Whistler's Whim. Here's where you'll play Trials of Osiris this weekend and what weapons you can earn.

• Map -- Midtown
• 20 rounds won -- Pinnacle Trials Engram
• 7 matches won -- Pinnacle Trials Engram
• Reputation Rank 10 -- The Inquisitor (Arc Shotgun)
• Reputation Rank 16 -- Whistler's Whim (Kinetic Combat Bow)
• Flawless run -- Forgiveness (Adept) (Arc Sidearm)

Trials weapons now carry the Alacrity Origin Trait. It gives you increased aim assist, reload speed, stability, and range on your Trials guns when you're the last living member of a fireteam or running solo. You can also choose to swap to the Crucible Origin Trail, One Quiet Moment, which greatly enhances your gun's reload speed when you reload while out of combat.

As always, Trials be available from Friday's daily reset at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET until the weekly reset at the same time the following Tuesday. During that time, you can also pay a visit to Xur to see what Exotics he's selling. Make sure to pay a visit to Saint-14 in the Tower to pick up a Trials card, which will dictate certain bonuses (such as whether you get bonus rewards at certain milestones or if a loss will be forgiven).

Trials of Osiris is a weekend PvP mode that runs from the daily reset on Friday until the weekly reset on Tuesday, giving you four days to take part. Your goal in the Trials is for you and the other two players in your fireteam to achieve a "Flawless" run, in which you win seven matches without losing any.

PSVR 2 is Sony's upcoming VR headset, and unfortunately, players won't be able to launch original PSVR games using the new product.

In an episode of the official PlayStation podcast (first spotted by Nibel), SVP of platform experiences Hideaki Nishino said explicitly that there will be no backwards compatibility for PSVR games on the PSVR 2.

"PSVR games are not compatible with PSVR 2, because PSVR 2 is designed to truly deliver a next-generation VR experience," said Nishino. "PSVR 2 has much more advanced features like all new controller haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, inside-out tracking, eye-tracking, and 3D audio. This means that developing games for PSVR 2 requires a whole different approach than the original PSVR."

PSVR 2 was first announced in 2021 and backwards compatibility has been a longtime question, something Sony has avoided answering until now. There is no official launch date for the PSVR 2, but it's confirmed to be arriving sometime in 2023. PSVR 2's price isn't known at this time either.

PSVR 2 is launching with a number of titles, including the recently announced Star Wars: Tales from a Galaxy as well as Resident Evil Village.

A free demo for the Souls-like Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty from developer Team Ninja and publisher Koei Tecmo is out now across PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

The demo shows off a slice of the dark fantasy action-RPG where they'll fight demons wish swords. Combat is inspired by Chinese martial arts. Everyone who completes the demo will get the Crouching Dragon helmet for use in the final game when it's released in 2023.

Additionally, Koei Tecmo is surveying demo participants about their experience to help shape the final product. Everyone who completes the online questionnaire will receive digital wallpaper showing the game's art.

Also something to keep in mind is that the Wo Long demo represents an in-development version of the game, so what is on display in the trial might not be representative of the final state of the game.

Level Infinite has launched the 1.5 update for its MMORPG mobile and PC game Tower of Fantasy. The latest update introduces new bosses, characters, weapons, and areas to explore.

Players can now find the Artificial Island in an area separate from the main game. To unlock it, they must either be level 50 or reach a specific mission in-game. Those who decide to go to the Artificial Island will find materials such as gold, black nucleus, and red nucleus (rare). As they progress through the Island, they'll eventually be able to build their own Artificial Island, and this will unlock exclusive maps as well as collect materials.

Players can also unlock Claudia, a new character who's described as "cold at first but is more of a kind-hearted older sister once you get to know her." She's a master with one-handed swords and has great mobility. She'll also bring the Guren Blade, which is considered a grievous type weapon with shatter and charge abilities.

In addition to introducing a new character, players can now participate in eight-player raids. Once a team of eight is formed, they'll be able to fight the Frostfire Dragon, and if the boss is defeated, they'll earn special fortress weaponry rewards.

Lastly, daily log-ins and the Aida Cafe will have various limited-time events for players. During the limited-time event, they can enter the cafe and, from the rewards page, serve up to three mysterious customers. Players will have to explore the game to find the proper ingredients for the food, and the more money they spend in the cafe will earn them better rewards.

Apex Legends Mobile recently held a surprise weekend event that rewarded players with three free Loba Bootlegger Packs, a special kind of Syndicate Pack that usually can only be obtained via purchase with Syndicate Coins, the game's premium currency. These packs gave players free cosmetics from the premium Bootlegger cosmetic collection.

This event proved so popular that two more have since been announced, but this time, the prize has been doubled--players who participate in the Bootlegger Bonanza and Star Spectacle events will receive a total of three Loba Bootlegger Packs and three Rhapsody Digital Star Packs. Keep reading for a closer look at both of these events, instructions on how to participate, and a list of all the prizes you can earn by taking part.

Schedule

The events each last for three days and take place on separate weekends:

• Bootlegger Bonanza runs from September 17 - 19
• Star Spectacle runs from September 24 - 26

Getting started

Once they go live, both events will likely appear in the Hyperbeat Hub, which can be accessed by selecting the "Season Event" banner on the right side of the main lobby screen. They may also be accessible via a splash screen that appears when first logging in. For now, you can take a gander at each collection's cosmetics (or pre-emptively purchase some Bootlegger or Star Spectacle Packs, should you so desire) by selecting the "Store" tab near the bottom right corner of the main lobby screen, then selecting "Syndicate Packs" from the vertical list that appears on the right side of the screen.

Hollow Knight Silksong, the highly-anticipated sequel to Hollow Knight is coming to PS4 and PS5. Team Cherry's upcoming game was previously announced during a Xbox & Bethesda showcase and only confirmed for Xbox, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

With Sony's announcement, Hollow Knight Silksong will now pretty much be available on all major gaming platforms. For Xbox Game Pass subscribers, Hollow Knight Silksong is also a day-one release.

There is no concrete release date announced yet. Players have been waiting for Hollow Knight Silksong for quite a while. The sequel was first announced in 2019, and it took until the Xbox & Bethesda showcase to get an official confirmation of some sort of release date, vague though it may be.

Hollow Knight is an acclaimed indie metroidvania, and Silksong follows the journey of an unplayable NPC in the original--Hornet, princess-protector of Hallownest.

King's Fall is one of Destiny 2's most iconic Raids, and for those players looking to play the pinnacle PvE activity in its most challenging form, they can start preparing for a Master Raid run from next week. After the Destiny 2 weekly reset on September 20, Master King’s Fall will be live and will feature extra rewards for any fireteam confident enough to take on the Taken King at his most powerful.

All encounters are set at Power level 1600, several points above the current seasonal power cap of 1580. You can shorten that gap slightly with the Skeleton Key seasonal artifact if you've unlocked its additional power but be prepared for a version of King's Fall where every inhabitant of Oryx's Dreadnaught hits much harder and faster.

To sweeten the pot, Bungie has added stat-focused armor as a reward, and completing encounter-based challenges will award players with Adept weapons. In the normal mode for King's Fall, completing these challenges will reward players with extra encounter loot and the objectives will rotate in and out on a weekly schedule.

Depending on the perk rolls and stats of the armor that players can earn, this could be the best of the best gear up for grabs if a fireteam can survive the wrath of the Taken King, his daughters, and Gologoroth. It's not clear yet which path Bungie is taking for Adept weapon rewards, as Vault of Glass hands out high-end weapons with a curated roll while Vow of the Disciple gives out random Adept weapons upon completion of its challenges.

Ranked matches can be frustrating in any game, especially when you're lacking in competent team mates to squad up with. The development team behind Apex Legends Mobile seems to understand this sentiment, and this week they took action. Players who logged in to the mobile battle royale over the last 48 hours were greeted by a message in the game's news feed titled "Second Chance, Anyone?"

"Complete missions over select weekends to earn Ranked Level Protectors and Ranked Point Protectors," read the beginning of the message. "These cards will protect your Ranked Level and Rank Points should you get an unlucky match that doesn't reflect your true skill."

The message went on to detail a series of upcoming events that will allow players to earn these rank-protecticting cards. While the developers didn't reveal exactly what kind of missions players will need to complete to earn Ranked Point and Ranked Level Protectors, they did lay out a schedule for the event. Apex Legends Mobile players should prepare for Rank Protector missions on the following dates:

• September 17 - 19
• October 8 - 10
• October 15 - 17

Ranked Level Protectors can be earned by logging in daily during the three-day period. Ranked Point Protectors are obtained by playing two matches in Ranked Mode each day the event is active.

Tekken 8 was announced at PlayStation's September State of Play, and now director Katsuhiro Harada has revealed even more info about what we can expect from the fighting game sequel.

Aside from more exciting father versus son showdowns, Tekken 8 is built from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5, Harada said in a new IGN interview. None of Tekken 7 has been re-used, and Harada was excited to describe the impressive in-game footage.

"This is actually the first time that we're taking rain and outside effects and having that effect of rolling down the character models. And not just that," Harada said. "But when they fall down on the ground, their clothing gets dirty as a result. So you can see the kind of results of the battle on the character models."

As for the story, Harada called Tekken 8 a turning point and promised that the story mode hasn't been shrunk from what players saw from Tekken 7. "Tekken’s story has always been about the Mishimas and their blood feud, and Tekken 7 showcased Heihachi Mishima and Kazuya and the showdown that took place there. And that finished with that installment," Harada said. "So now we're showing everyone a pinnacle of the story from the start of the campaign, but this is showing the remaining Mishimas, the two of them, the only ones left, and then you've got Jin Kazama and what he's trying to achieve."

Harada did not answer when asked if Tekken 8 will include Rage Arts as seen in Tekken 7, though he did comment on the unpopularity of the Rage system and Rage Arts when the features were first implemented. It's unknown if Tekken 8 will include Rage Arts or how the system will be modified.

Though the update itself is still four days away, the patch notes for Apex Legends' upcoming Beast of Prey Collection Event have been released on Respawn's official blog. In addition to covering the event's new mode and cosmetic items in more detail, the blog post provides specific information on upcoming changes to the game's meta.

Some of the most striking changes include the return of the RE-45 and Devotion to the floor loot pool, with the P2020 and Havoc taking their place in the Replicator. Additionally, players can expect to see a reduction in lower-tier weapon spawn rates--a change many players will likely be happy to see. Specifically, the spawn rate of low-tier light weapons will be decreased, with heavy weapons spawning more often.

Interestingly, there are no buffs or nerfs to any legends included in the patch notes, though Rampart's mini-gun, Sheila, now inherits the sensitivity settings for the most similar optics sensitivity level, which should make the transition from using standard weapons to using her Ultimate a little more smooth.

Microsoft's Xbox Showcase at Tokyo Game Show 2022 had plenty of updates to share today, as well as news on a number of new games being added to the Game Pass library today. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Anniversary Edition, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, and Fuga: Melodies of Steel are all playable through the subscription service right now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is a Studio Ghibli-inspired RPG developed by Level 5 , and the version coming to Game Pass is the remastered edition that launched on Nintendo Switch, PC, and PS4 in 2019. It's sequel, Revenant Kingdom, will land on Game Pass later in 2023.

Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony is a visual novel developed and published by Spike Chunsoft in 2017, with an enhanced version arriving on Switch in 2021. Like previous games in the series, Killing Harmony follows more than a dozen high school students with special talents who are trapped in a deadly game. The person responsible for their predicament is also in the group and is working to avoid being caught out by the students.

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey was released in 2018, and is was the middle chapter of the most-recent trilogy of games that included Assassin's Creed: Origins (also on Game Pass) and Valhalla. Taking place during the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, players can choose to play as either Alexios or Kassandra, become a Spartan mercenary, and destroy an ancient cult that has destabilized Greece.

Halo developer 343 Industries has confirmed it will not add microtransactions to The Master Chief Collection after exploring the possibility of doing so earlier this year. 343 said it considered adding purchasable Spartan Points to the game, but that is no longer happening.

In a blog post, 343 simply stated, "We can confirm that we will not be further pursuing purchasable Spartan Points for MCC.

Spartan Points in The Master Chief Collection will continue to be only unlockable via gameplay. Back in June, 343 said the purchasable Spartan Points might be added to the game to help players skip the grind of obtaining new items, but 343 has now changed plans.

343 is, however, making some changes to Spartan Points in MCC. "The 100-point cap is being removed, retroactive points will be granted, and we will be making further adjustments to Challenges to make them more rewarding, along with bringing back Double XP Weekends," 343 said. These changes are expected to go live in the next big update for MCC, which is scheduled for November.

While microtransactions are not coming to The Master Chief Collection, 343 is adding more to Halo Infinite, the latest of which is bunny ear DLC that is out now. Looking ahead, 343 plans to add even more to Halo Infinite as part of the company's live-service ambitions.

Halo Infinite players can pick up some new cosmetic DLC right now in the form of bunny ears. Following from the cat ear DLC released in 2021, 343 Industries is releasing even bigger ears now.

"Head over to the Shop to outfit your Spartan with an Armor FX that will make you known--nay, feared--across the galaxy. Don the holographic bunny ears of Marlin T. Buckets and become imbued with a force greater than the Precursors' own neural physics...," 343 said.

The cat ear DLC, which cost $10, proved to be very popular among Halo Infinite players, so it'll be interesting to see how the community reacts to the bunny ears.

Also new to Halo Infinite this week is the Parasite Ichor visor, which players can unlock after they complete all challenges and the Ultimate challenge. Here is what it looks like:

Video game creator and weekly podcaster Hideo Kojima has begun teasing his next project, which is featured on a new website. A shadowy image of a face with the words "Who Am I?" written across can be seen on the site, and clicking on the image prompts users to share the photograph across social media. Something that Geoff Keighley has naturally done already.

As for what it is exactly Kojima is working on, don't expect a reveal at the Tokyo Game Show this week as the developer downplayed those rumors earlier. Some online sleuthing has claimed that the person in the photo is actress Elle Fanning, and other people have pointed out that Norman Reedus--who played Sam Porter Bridges in Death Stranding--has begun following her recently on Instagram.

The rabbit hole goes even deeper, as Kojima also shared a recent image of himself, Geoff Keighley, and Jordan Peele on a video call together. Kojima worked with a number of big names on the original Death Stranding, including Mads Mikkelsen, Guillermo del Toro, Lea Seydoux, Margaret Qualley, Troy Baker, and Conan O'Brien amongst several other people.

After a year of being a PS5 console-exclusive, Deathloop is officially headed to Xbox Series X|S this month. Microsoft announced at the Tokyo Game Show that the critically acclaimed game will arrive on its current-gen system on September 20 and will feature a number of upgrades, tweaks, and a new extended ending.

These extras will also be added to the PS5 and PC versions of the game, but Xbox fans can grab a pre-load right now for Deathloop. The Golden Loop update will add new enemies, a new weapon to experiment with, and cross-platform matchmaking for PvP.

While Deathloop won multiple game of the year awards in 2021--and a rare 10/10 score in GameSpot's Deathloop review--its sudden ending was seen as one of the few flaws in its otherwise excellent design. The extended conclusion will aim to rectify that fault when the game receives its Golden Loop update.

PlayStation fans who haven't had a chance to try out Arkane's excellent time-traveling first-person shooter won't be left out either, as Deathloop will be coming to the PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium tiers on September 20.

A new support hero is coming to Overwatch, and she's full of life, cheeky remarks, and some seriously game-changing abilities. Revealed at Tokyo Game Show, Kiriko is the newest addition to Overwatch 2's roster, and while her formal title might be "Protector of Kanezaka," she might also be the most clutch player on your team.

First and foremost, Kiriko's primary ability is to heal. She does this by sending ofuda--paper talismans offering the wielder protection--to her teammates. These ofuda hone in on their desired recipient, making them perfect for healing teammates who are airborne or far away. Her secondary ability sees her precisely aim and throw her kunai, giving her an edge of lethality that rivals actual DPS characters. In fact, Kiriko joins Genji and Widowmaker as one of the few characters who has a higher crit multiplier than the rest of the Overwatch roster, which is an impressive feat for someone who's chiefly a support character.

Coming in with a 14-second cooldown is Kiriko's Protection Suzu ability, which sees her ring a Suzu--or Shinto bell--and "cleanse" an area of debuffs and potentially devastating attacks, including Sombra's hack, Reinhardt's Shatter, Ashe's Burn, Ana's Sleep Dart, and Junkrat's RIP-Tire. This paired with Kiriko's next ability--Swift Step--makes her a support hero who can quickly change the trajectory of a match. Swift Step allows Kiriko to see her allies through barriers in order to teleport beside them, making her the first character in Overwatch who can phase through walls. This ability was created so the game would have a healer with unparalleled mobility, and who could bring the healing to the fight rather than rely on their allies to come to them.

In addition to new Overwatch 2 hero Kiriko, Blizzard has also revealed its next map for the upcoming shooter: Esperança. Set in Portugal, Esperança is the latest Push mode map to come to the game, and features more opportunities for flanking than any map before it.

In a recent press junket detailing the new map, art director Dion Rodgers stated that Esperança will feature a winding path with gradual inclines on either side and plenty of openings for hero mobility. Rodgers explained this design is due to Esperança's nature as a Push mode map.

In Push mode, teams are tasked with guiding a robot placed in the middle of the level to either side in order to win the match. By having a spiral-shaped map with plenty of paths cutting through it, players are relieved of the frustration that comes with having to take a long, quiet walk back to the battle if they are killed.

Additionally, Rodgers elaborated that Esperança will also be fairly symmetrical in order to keep the playing field even. The two sides of the map will still be distinct from each other thanks to slight variations in their color scheme, however, as well as slight changes in architecture--this will ensure players are aware of what side of the map they are on.

Billed as a way to "deliver more content to the game, more regularly, all while helping more players than ever before experience the Overwatch universe," Overwatch 2's pivot to a battle pass model marks a big change for the series. While the original Overwatch provided players with free updates so long as they owned the game, and gave players the option to purchase Loot Boxes when longing for cosmetic changes, Overwatch 2 is adopting a free-to-play model and doing away with the chance-based reward system. While these changes are exciting--and after reviewing them, I believe they will genuinely benefit players--they do raise a lot of questions. Fortunately, Blizzard has now shed some light on what this all means.

A seasonal model

Starting with the release of Overwatch 2 on October 4, the game will enter a seasonal model that will deliver a unique theme and over 80 tiers of new content to the game every nine weeks. This new content can then be attained by the player through a battle pass.

With this seasonal model, you can count on major patches and updates rolling out every nine weeks. Additionally, a new hero or map will arrive every nine weeks on a rotating basis.

Also updated with the seasons is the Overwatch shop, which will feature a new "Just For You" section tailored with items related to the heroes you most frequently play as. The shop is also where you can purchase the Premium Battle Pass. However, before you pick one up, let's talk about the game's free battle pass. That's right. Free.

While crunch has often been spun as a necessary evil in developing video games, one of the industry's biggest companies is taking a stand against it. Embracer Group, which came into the spotlight earlier this year after a massive round of acquisitions, has shared a video from one of its studio's HR heads explaining why crunch in the games industry should be a thing of the past.

The video comes from Dambuster Studios, the developers behind Dead Island 2, which is due to release soon, on February 3, 2023. As the studio enters what may be considered a crunch period at other studios, Dambuster's HR head Helen Haynes has shared why she thinks crunch shouldn't be necessary.

Coming from working HR in other industries, Haynes explains that plenty of other industries work to deliver projects on important deadlines without having to resort to "ridiculous" crunch practices. "The games industry is not that special," she says, denouncing crunch as a "right of passage, ego, machoismic rubbish [that] doesn't have to happen."

Bob Marley's World Tour is a mobile rhythm game that lets players perform Marley's music and manage his band's progression to stardom. The game is being developed by LBC Studios, who focus on making games about the rapidly expanding culture of legalized cannabis--however, their Marley game doesn't have any mention of weed in it.

In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, studio founder Solon Bucholtz has explained why the game about Rastafarian icon Bob Marley is their first not to feature any kind of marijuana. Their previous games are Hempire, a weed-growing management sim, and Tasty Buds, a match three game that sees players creating new strains of cannabis.

It was their success with these games that led to a partnership with Marley Merchandising, the company that licences Bob Marley's image, for the development of Bob Marley's World Tour, but everyone involved decided that, in this case, it would be better to leave cannabis out of the picture.

"When we decided to develop the Marley game, we wanted to make sure we were building a game not just for Marley fans and music fans, but really gamers alike," Bucholtz explained. "And we wanted to make sure it was accessible to as many as possible. One of the challenges we faced with Hempire is there are countries where we aren't able to distribute that game, strictly based on the content."

LBC's game Hempire is rated M, restricting it to audiences over 17 years old, while Bob Marley's World Tour has received a rating of E for everyone, showing the impact drug references can have on a game's rating. Concerns about drug references in games also impact where and how the game can be advertised, an issue which has impacted LBC's previous games.

Despite the exclusion of any themes involving marijuana, Bucholtz still believes they've been able to honor Marley's legacy with the upcoming mobile game.

One of the appeals of Disney Dreamlight Valley is getting to live in the same village as a bunch of Disney and Pixar characters. However, early on in the game there are only a handful of characters living in the Valley. In order to populate the Valley with all of the Disney characters you will need to complete a variety of quests and tasks to bring them back. Here's how to unlock all characters currently in Disney Dreamlight Valley.

Merlin

Merlin from The Sword in the Stone is the first character you will meet after beginning Disney Dreamlight Valley. The wizard is available from the moment you start the game.

Wall-E

Wall-E, the lovable Pixar robot, can be invited to the Valley by entering his realm once you unlock the Magic Castle. It costs Dreamlight to enter his realm. After meeting Wall-E, you will need to complete a quest for him, which involves cleaning up garbage cubes, planting some plants, and acquiring some knick-knacks for him. After placing his home, he will move to the Valley.

Another leak for Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile points to the return of Verdansk, having up to 120 player lobbies, and shared battle pass progression with Modern Warfare II. While this information had been previously leaked, a second source provides further evidence that Verdansk could be returning for Warzone Mobile.

As reported by Leakers On Duty, some people have been able to access the Warzone Mobile store listing on the Google Play Store, which has a bunch of information about the upcoming mobile release. The store listing states that Verdansk, the original Warzone map that was swapped out upon the release of Call of Duty: Vanguard, will be in the mobile version.

The leaked store listing also includes information about the shared progression between Warzone Mobile and Modern Warfare II. The games will reportedly share progression across the gunsmith and battle pass, similar to Warzone and Call of Duty: Vanguard. It does not explicitly state if Warzone Mobile will have shared progression with the current Warzone or the upcoming Warzone 2.

Another part of the store listing states that Warzone Mobile will support up to 120 real players in a match. A different part mentions having the lowest bot count out of any mobile battle royales, so the total player count for each match could be higher.

The settings in the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 beta on PS5 reportedly contains an option that refers to a third-person mode. The settings reportedly contain a separate FOV slider for third-person mode, suggesting that the game might have third-person game modes.

As reported by CharlieIntel, the Modern Warfare 2 beta includes a setting option for "3rd Person Field of View" which appears under the regular FOV slider option. It was also reported that there are mentions of a launcher for Call of Duty in the beta on PS5, although it's unclear exactly what this is in reference to.