Siliconera

In various The Legend of Zelda games, we end up meeting all sorts of allies, enemies, and folks just hanging around, and shortly after the introduction Tears of the Kingdom introduces the Constructs. After awaking on Great Sky Island, a number of helpful ones like Stewards and on alert Soldiers can appear. But what especially struck me is just how personable they are, even if they’re on the attack.

When I first met the friendly Steward Construct after coming out of the game, I was struck by how novel their design is! It’s expressive, even though the face is motionless. The extended arms and neck allow for these exaggerated movements that lend additional personality to them. Whether it was one I was approaching to learn more about this area and perhaps what I should do next or one that wanted to bop Link on the head with wooden stick, I loved seeing these animations that made them both goofy and a bit of a threat.

[caption id="attachment_963056" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot by Siliconera[/caption]

As far as four-star damage dealers go in Honkai: Star Rail, Serval is one of the more enjoyable. Unlike a more single-target fighter like Dan Heng, she works best on groups of enemies. Using an electric guitar as her weapon, she can deal out the Shocked status then use that to create chains of further damage across entire groups. With the right Light Cone and Relic setup, someone's Serval build can shred through groups of enemies in Honkai: Star Rail with little effort.

What are the Best Light Cones for a Serval Build in Honkai: Star Rail?

With Serval, you want to maximize her ATK stats as much as possible. Not just for her standard attacks, but to boost the damage over time (DoT) caused to Shocked enemies.

For five stars, Night on the Milky Way is ideal. It grants her a stacked ATK boost in large group of enemies, and massively boosts her ATK when she inflicts Weakness Break. Serval is already excellent at dealing with crowds with her Skill and Ultimate, and these boosts make her even more effective.

For a four-star choice, I’ve personally found The Seriousness of Breakfast to be useful. It increases DMG by 12%, but the ATK boost she gains from defeated enemies makes her stronger the longer a fight goes on. I found this to be especially useful in fights against the Automaton Grizzly in Belobog. It’s already weak to Lightning, but it also loves summoning allies which end up becoming fodder for this ATK boost.

There’s a new Tekken 8 character trailer, and it shows that Hwoarang will return to fight. He’s referred to as the “Blood Talon” in his debut trailer. He’s been a fighter in the series since Tekken 3 and hasn’t missed an appearance in a mainline entry since.

Here’s the full Tekken 8 Hwoarang character trailer. In it, he faces off against already revealed fighter Nina Williams. His new character design also shows that despite incurring an injury to his eye during the events of Tekken 8, he’s recovered now. Following the match with Nina, we get to see him face his rival Jin Kazama, with a brief exchange between them at the start of that fight.

It's time to kick it up a notch.
Hwoarang is back on his feet in #TEKKEN8!

Join the official TEKKEN server https://t.co/yG3JKx1ETF pic.twitter.com/JAV3pnhS7A

— TEKKEN (@TEKKEN) May 13, 2023

In case you missed some of the additions prior to Hwoarang being confirmed for Tekken 8, here's the list of past character trailers.

The flagship event for Genshin Impact Version 3.7 will be a Genius Invokation TCG-themed one, and we can take part when its release date comes on May 24, 2023. Its name is “Duel! The Summoners’ Summit.” Completing the event will net you the free 4-star Bow, Ibis Piercer. Aside from mini-games to play when the event is running, there will also be a major update to the existing Genius Invokation game.

For starters, during Duel! The Summoners’ Summit, there will be some new games and altered rules to previous ones. A Tour of Wonders is a tour where you can parkour and fly around to collect stamps. Evermotion Mechanical Painting will return but with a Genius Invokation twist. There will also be the combat-focused Heart of the Dice. In this one, you collect dice from defeating enemies, which will offer different buffs depending on how many Elemental Dice you match. As for Zero Hour Invokation, the game will offer you a specific group of cards for you to make a deck and duel with.

During the Genshin Impact 3.7 special program, HoYoVerse revealed upcoming banners, as well as the release date, and the only new character who will appear in this version will be Kirara. She is a 4-star. The second part of Yoimiya’s story quest, as well as Kaveh’s Hangout Event, will also debut in Genshin Impact 3.7.

Kirara is from Inazuma and is a 4-star Dendro Sword unit in Genshin Impact. She will be a support character in your party, both as a combatant and explorer. With her Passive, she can approach animals on the overworld without startling them. Her Skill is a shield and holding it down will transform her into a cat under a cardboard box. It increases her speed, jumping height, and climbing ability. As well, you can deal Dendro DMG when you slam into enemies. Her Burst deals AoE DMG and creates Dendro bombs that act like Dendro Cores from Bloom.

The first half of this version of Genshin Impact will re-run the Yoimiya and Yae Miko banners. Kirara will also debut in those. The second half will be Kazuha and Alhaitham. With the exception of Alhaitham, all of the event wishes are Inazuman (including Kirara). Yoimiya's return is likely due to the fact that she will have her second story quest in this update. It will focus on her and the Traveler visiting Sumeru together, and her English voice actress hinted that the story will have a very upbeat vibe.

Another Genshin Impact Special Program means more codes for Primogems, and the 3.7 ones are live now. As usual, all of the typical rules and conditions apply. The three codes are only available on May 13, 2023. They can only be used a certain number of times before they run out. However, if you do get to redeem them, you get some nice freebies.

Here is the full list of the new Genshin Impact codes from the 3.7 special program.

• 2SRKFQ2YSMVV: 100 Primogems, 5 Hero’s Wits
• 5A92W9JZBLCH: 100 Primogems, 50,000 Mora
• XT82F8JZS4TR: 100 Primogems, 10 Mystic Enhancement Ores

In case you want to have the images to double check, or so you can just see the artwork for this latest update, here are the three released. Since Kirara is our newest character, she shows up on one of them. The others show other focus cast members who will feature prominently in banners and events.

As for redeeming codes, it varies depending on the device. PS4, PS5, or mobile players will want to go to the Settings/Account section of the menu. There will be an Account area. You need to select Redeem Code there to enter them one by one. On a PC, you can basically copy and paste the codes into the official website. Once you enter them all and they redeem, then you’ll find the items in your in-game mailbox.

A new character name Charlotte will show up in Genshin Impact, but she won’t be playable just yet. During the 3.7 Special Program, “she” appeared as a host alongside Lumine and new playable character Kirara. While people won’t be able to pull for her on the banner, they will see her appear as a major character during the upcoming Genius Invokation TCG event storyline.

A few details did come up about what Charlotte will be like as a character in Genshin Impact when the new 3.7 update arrives. She’s a journalist from Fontaine. That’s why she’s showing up at the Genius Invokation TCG event in Mondstadt. She’s covering it for The Steambird newspaper. This means she travels all around Teyvat for work.

We also knew some details about who plays her. In Japanese, Charlotte is voiced by Azumi Waki. She’s also a major character in Uma Musume Pretty Derby, Special Week. People might also have heard her as Peony in Fire Emblem Heroes, Olive in Astral Chain, and Sanae in The Idolmaster: Cinderella Girls.

【声優発表】

「ん～？お二人は何かとんでもない特ダネを画策してるのかな？」

Ahead of his official playable debut, HoYoVerse uploaded a new character trailer and biography for Jing Yuan from Honkai Star Rail. He is one of the Charioteers on the Xianzhou Luofu and appeared occasionally in the story so far. As a playable character, he will be a 5-star Lightning unit.

Unlike Genshin Impact, the character teaser posts on HoYoLab do not give much information on the character’s kit. More information about Jing Yuan might appear closer to the release of the new Honkai Star Rail banner though. Instead, his character update focuses more on Jing Yuan as a character. It looks like an interview, in which he answers questions. For example, one of the questions is regarding his age, but Jing Yuan spouts off a lot of fanciful trivia about the Xianzhou residents and does not actually answer the question. March 7th points out this last part as well.

There is also a character trailer for Jing Yuan. Yanqing makes an appearance in it as well. It shows off both Jing Yuan’s military strength, as well as his intelligence. You can watch the Jing Yuan trailer (as well as an animated short featuring him) via the Honkai Star Rail YouTube channels:

As expected from a major release like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, there's already a lot of merchandise available at launch alongside the game's debut. Third and first-party items are all available. Many of the items are directly tied to playing the game, what with there being a themed console, controller, and amiibo. However, there are also some complementary items that also appeared.

[caption id="attachment_957338" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Nintendo[/caption]

What sorts of Switch-related items can I find?

If more functional The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is your style, there are a lot of practical items. Here’s what you can get:

The fan-made Hololive game HoloCure will be officially available to download via Steam. Developer Kay Yu's announcement was made via a document in English and Japanese posted on the game’s Twitter account following the same style as a VTuber agency’s official statement. In addition, the existing game launcher will no longer be supported.

Take a look at the official HoloCure statement in English from the game’s Twitter account below.

https://twitter.com/HoloCureGame/status/1656778815102914560?s=20

Kay Yu explained that the Hololive fan-game launcher will be discontinued, in exchange for Steam being the main storefront for downloading and updating the game. On the same note, the Steam release will arrive when update 0.6 is finished. Additionally, all progress made prior to the relocation will be carried over to the Steam version.

Before the game launcher, updates for HoloCure would mean going to the game’s official itch.io site and downloading them separately. With the Steam version, updates will be downloaded and installed automatically like other games on the platform. However, players can copy and back up the “save_n.dat” file from the game folder as a precautionary measure. The itch.io portal will also keep posting each new update as per usual.

In a Financial Results
for FY2023/3 report, Cover revealed how much money its Hololive VTuber talents are making for the company. It saw exponential financial growth over the past few years, as well as seeing more and more subscribers to its various channels. In particular, it made almost 50% more money in March 2023 compared to the previous fiscal year.

For FY2023, Cover reported a revenue of 20.451 billion yen. That would be about $150.8 million. After all of its expenses, its net profit was around 2.5 billion yen, which is around $18.4 million. Most of this money came from merchandise (8 billion yen) and streaming (6.342 billion yen). Cover has contracts with 75 VTubers as of March 31, 2023, who have 75.58 million subscribers between them all.

The main Hololive channels are still the most popular in terms of subscribers, with 46.82 million new ones in 2023. In terms of revenue, there was a huge increase of revenue between Q4 and Q3 of FY2023/3. Though only four new VTubers joined the group, Cover saw an increase of 31 million JPY in revenue between the two quarters. It attributes this to talent debuts in new areas, as well as putting more money into its current talents. It highlights Hoshimachi Suisei’s singing career as an example.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom The Complete Official Guide strategy guide is now available for pre-order both in standard and collector’s editions. The book consists of 496 pages full of complete walkthroughs and maps of all places across this game’s iteration of Hyrule. The guide is scheduled to launch on June 16, 2023.

Piggyback is in charge of the publishing rights for the book. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom The Complete Official Guide will feature annotated maps and notes regarding how to solve all of the game’s puzzles and mysteries. In addition, explanations on how to beat all of the enemies and how to gather necessary items will also be included.

The book will be available as a softcover in the standard edition for $29.99. The Collector’s Edition is a hardcover book for $44.99. Each edition will feature different cover art reminiscent of the style of Tears of the Kingdom.

Take a look at the cover art for the standard and collector’s editions of the Tears of the Kingdom Official Guide here below.

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The Pokemon Company will release plush toys of Miraidon and Koraidon from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. They’ll be available in physical Pokemon stores in Japan from May 20, 2023. However, if you plan to buy them online, then you can start purchasing them from May 18, 2023. They cost 5500 JPY (~$41) each. While they aren't available worldwide yet, Pokemon Center plush due tend to appear in the online storefronts after a time.

Both of them are in their Ride forms, which is the appearance they take for the majority of a player’s time in Paldea. Unlike most Legendary Pokemon in the long-running series, Koraidon and Miraidon are allies of the player trainer from the start, serving a fast and convenient way to travel around the map. Koraidon moves around on four legs, whereas Miraidon is closer to a motorbike.

Koraidon and Miraidon, who essentially look like giant big lizards, may not resemble a typically “cute” Pokemon. However, The Pokemon Company has been releasing quite a few toys of its more non-standard critters. For example, Armarouge and Ceruledge were the poster Pokemon for their own collection of Pokemon Kids snacks back in March 2023. This line also included conventionally cute Pokemon such as Fidough and Jigglypuff.

For years, Sony’s been releasing all sorts of consoles and handhelds worldwide. Each one does something special. From the beginnings with the PlayStation, all the way up through the PS5, there are plenty of reasons why each one could be consider “the best” by the players who loved them. Not to mention what the handhelds are capable of as well. So this week, let’s talk about them and which ones we love the most.

These days, consoles are a mishmash of a gaming machine, a YouTube machine, and a Blu-Ray player. You know, back in my day, consoles were just consoles. And that's why I think the PS2 was the perfect one. (Yes, I'm aware that the PS2 doubled as a DVD player but did anyone use it as that?) Honestly, I just like the PS2 because in my opinion, it had the best range and offering of games. No one does horror like how PS2 games did horror, and all of the best RPGs came out on it. Also, I really liked the little animation with the cubes whenever you started up a game. That little bit of whimsy was so early-2000s and we need to bring back that kind of aesthetic. — Stephanie

Good Smile Company announced exactly when the Yotsuba Winter Clothes Nendoroid will appear. The fact that she is in her coat, hat, and scarf is appropriate, as she’ll be around this winter. She’ll launch in Japan in October 2023 for ¥6,600. In North America, she has a Q4 2023 launch window and costs $47.99.

While she is a little less expensive than most Nendoroid figures, the Yotsuba one has the same amount of parts. You get three face plates, which feature a big, open smile, one where she’s shocked with wide eyes, and a third where she’s upset. She comes with her teddy bear Juralumin (Julietta), which she can hold or have posed beside her. You can also have her scarf on or off. However, her hat can’t be removed.

Here’s a closer look at Yotsuba and Juralumin.
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There is also a Good Smile Company Store promotion in effect. If you buy the figure directly through them, you'll get one random pair of hands holding some kind of food and drink with her.
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Proof shared new details about its upcoming Fullmetal Alchemist Edward and Alphonse figure. It will debut in Japan sometime in November 2023. It features the two brothers together. This is a static figure with no additional parts or poses. It will cost 39,600円 (~$292) once it launches. It is Proof's first figure based on characters from the series.

Here's a closer look at Edward and Alphonse in some of the official photos. The figure will be about 240mm (over 9 and a half inches) tall. This is mainly due to the Alphonse portion of the figure, due to Edward being shorter even with his standing on the rocks.

〇。　新商品情報　。〇

『鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST』

フィギュア「エドワード･エルリック&アルフォンス･エルリック -兄弟-」

背中合わせの二人が見せる、重厚で迫力ある造形です。
＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿
■価格：39,600円(税込)

絶賛予約受付中です！#鋼の錬金術師FA #ハガレン #hagaren pic.twitter.com/JeGogKexap

Square Enix shared its Consolidated Financial Resultsfor the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2023 going over its sales. According to the official document, the company saw a decrease in net sales from games released compared to the previous fiscal year. On the other hand, merchandise sales increased greatly. In addition, the company showed more interest in investing in AI, blockchain, and cloud-based projects.

In the earnings report, Square Enix stated that the net sales in High-Definition (HD) game releases decreased between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023, compared to the same period in the previous report. For context, some of the games released this last fiscal year were Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion, Forspoken, and Octopath Traveller II.

The MMO segment also saw a decrease in net sales, which Square Enix pointed out could have been caused due to the lack of a new expansion for Final Fantasy XIV. As for the sales decline in games for smart devices and PC browsers, the company only said it was because existing titles showed weak performance. All of these areas summed up a decrease of 12.2% compared to the prior fiscal year.

Other areas such as book publication and merchandising, saw a sales increase of 0.5% and 11.9% each, respectively. However, there was a decline in operating income also for both areas with a decrease of 4.8% and 6.5% each. This could have been caused due to higher production costs, advertising expenses, and changes in expected income from the various products.

Monolith Soft announced that it was part of the development team for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Specifically, it worked on the game design, programming, and graphics. Monolith Soft is a video game development studio that became part of Nintendo in 2007.

Though Monolith Soft was not the sole developer for Tears of the Kingdom, it worked on the game in a supporting capacity. This is what it also did with Skyward Sword, A Link Between Worlds, and the prequel game Breath of the Wild. Monolith Soft is a studio that used to work alongside Bandai Namco before Nintendo bought it in 2007. Non-The Legend of Zelda titles the studio has developed in the past include the Xenosaga series, the Xenoblade series, and the Project X Zone games.

As mentioned earlier, Monolith Soft helped to develop Breath of the Wild. Both Breath of the WIld and Tears of the Kingdom are open-world adventures in which Link roughs it out in Hyrule in order to defeat the evil spreading across the land. He can use various gadgets and tools to help him on the journey. The prequel also introduced the cooking mechanic, which Tears of the Kingdom also has.

We can find The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on the Nintendo Switch now.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will cost people quite a bit, as this is the first Nintendo Switch game with a price of $69.99. While there aren't any major sales at launch, it is possible to pay less for it. There are a number of promotions and means of getting it for around $10 less than usual.

If you’re okay with a digital copy, then a Nintendo Switch Game Voucher would work! (If your memory card has enough room, I recommend it.) For $99.98, Nintendo will give you two vouchers that can be used to acquire select games. the Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is eligible, even though its price is $69.99 and most of the other applicable titles cost $59.99. Since you’d be getting two games for basically $100, that means you’d be getting it for about $50.

Yet another company banned AI art, with this time Pixiv FANBOX disallowing illustrations made with outside assistance. The company statement noted this applies to all works “for the time being.” As a result, it will change its Terms of Use and Guidelines and eventually make some items content or even suspend people for using the technology.

Pixiv in general is often used by people to share original and fan art. The Pixiv FANBOX option involves specific, sometimes notable, creators sharing their art in exchange for monetary support. However, said artists may also share some pieces for free. Fire Emblem Engage Main Character Designer Mika Pikazo is a good example. Her page allows people to support her for a fee. However, she also shares art for everyone to see, like this free update with Hakos Baelz and Apex Legends character art of Ash, Wattson, and Revenant.

Here is the full Pixiv FANBOX statement on AI art as taken from its official announcement.

As part of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launch, Nintendo announced My Nintendo Reward items like a keychain. Four different sorts of items are available. The only one that involves a physical product being mailed to our homes is the keychain. The stationary and envelope sets are things people print out after purchasing. Meanwhile, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom wallpapers entirely digital downloads.

First, here’s The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom keychain. It is made of rubber and glows in the dark after being exposed to light. It costs 550 Platinum Points. After purchasing it, you will have to pay shipping and handling for it. However, if you are already spending $50 or more at My Nintendo Store, then shipping is free.
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Meanwhile, the stationary downloads are available as two options. The four different sorts of paper designs are 30 Platinum Points each. The 30 Platinum Points envelope set gives you two designs. You will need adhesive to finish the envelopes.
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As for the three The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom wallpapers, each one costs 50 Platinum Points to acquire. Once you do, you get PC and mobile versions of them. The options include Ganondorf, some of your companions who can join Link in battle, and a Construct.
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There's a new update on Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections, and this one led off by showing the Naruto, Hinata, and Boruto's Uzumaki family and Sasuke, Sakura, and Sarada's Uchiha family combination technique attack. Bandai Namco's announcement explained how each one works and showed screenshots from it. It also went over the online versus mode options, as well as showed the cat ear customization players can earn.

When it comes to the Uzumaki and Uchiha family combination secret techniques, Naruto’s is far sillier. It doesn’t feature the full family, as Himawari is absent. Rather than all three attacking, it’s really just Hinata doing the damage. This is because Boruto brought along X Cards, including one that embarrassed her, and the ensuing “assault” involves her feelings about the situation. Conversely, the Uchiha family’s attack is far more serious, involving each family member doing their part before Sarada performs Chidori.

Here's Naruto, Hinata, and Boruto Uzumaki performing Uzumaki Double Palm Strike.
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And this is how Sasuke, Sakura, and Sarada Uchiha look when using Uchiha Cherry Blossom Shock in Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections.
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As part of the Final Fantasy XIV Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LXXVII, Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida and Global Community Producer Toshio “Foxclon” Murouchi revealed that Fan Festival 2023 attendees at the Japanese, European, and North American events will get the opportunity to fight a new boss named The Gilded Araya. The announcements came after detailing some of the upcoming content in patch 6.4. The boss is planned to enter the game as part of a Duty, though a date was not specified.

The Gilded Araya in Final Fantasy XIV takes the form of a feminine figure in a golden dress with multiple arms and faces, evoking Hindu mythology like previous boss Lakshmi.

[embed]https://twitter.com/FF_XIV_EN/status/1657018213740208133[/embed]

The North American Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival is set to run across two days starting from July 28, 2023. The UK one will start on October, 21 2023. The Japanese Fanfest will begin on January 7, 2024. Tickets for the UK and US fests were being sold via a lottery system. Stage events and presentations will be streamed online.

New mounts and minions are a part of every major Final Fantasy XIV update, and the Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LXXVII showed an axolotl mount and ninja dog minion will be a part of the 6.4 patch. Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida and Global Community Producer Toshio “Foxclon” Murouchi showed a number of the new additions. While extra footage of those two initial characters appeared, there were also peeks at bed and mandragora mounts and monkey and odder otter minions too.

First, here’s the axolotl mount in action in Final Fantasy XIV. It greatly resembles the Axolotl Eft minion already present in the game.

Next, here’s the ninja dog minion walking around Yoshida’s character in Final Fantasy XIV.

Patch 6.4 will introduce several new minions, including this very good boi pic.twitter.com/XiDxDalROV

— FINAL FANTASY XIV (@FF_XIV_EN) May 12, 2023

New details for the upcoming Final Fantasy XIV Patch 6.4 appeared in the Live Letter from the Producer Part LXXVII (77). The patch was first detailed in a previous presentation, during which the title was revealed as The Dark Throne. Director and Producer Naoki "Yoshi-P" Yoshida and Global Community Producer Toshio “Foxclon” Murouchi hosted and announced that it would go live on May 23, 2023. Yoshida was also seen playing the newly released Tears of the Kingdom during the opening. From there, they offered more intense details about the game's update.

The biggest new additions are the new Dungeon, Raid and Trials. The Aetherfont was first detailed detailed in the previous Live Letter and is the new Dungeon. The new trials include The Voidcast Dais in Normal and Extreme difficulties, and Containment Bay Z1T9 trial with its Unreal difficulty. The new raid will Pandaemonium: Anabaseios at Normal difficulty, with the Savage difficulty to be added a week after the patch first goes live.

As part of the Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LXXVII, Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida and Global Community Producer Toshio “Foxclon” Murouchi went over Island Sanctuary updates. As expected, there will be a number of typical additions. For example, you can build new structures, grow new crops, raise more animals, have more isleworks handicrafts, gather from more places, and earn new rewards as you do things like go through new Sanctuary Ranks and Visions. However, there will also be new display options. Most notably, the Final Fantasy XIV Island Sanctuary will support outdoor furnishings.

The outdoor furnishings support is probably the biggest Final Fantasy XIV Island Sanctuary change. You can have up to 90 places for items. You won’t have access to all 90 right away. These need to be earned via playing. You can place them anywhere, even near a structure like a house. However, you can’t place a garden or striking dummy.

The update also went over additional furnishing glamours as well. Doing so binds them to you and your character. These can be dyed as well. One item can have a single glamour. The final point in this discussion’s slide also noted, “Island prisms may be used to register furnishings, allowing you to place them even when not held in your inventory.”

As for other 6.4 updates to the Final Fantasy XIV Island Sanctuary beyond outdoor furnishings, you can expect more of the following:

As part of the Final Fantasy XIV Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LXXVII detailing the upcoming patch, Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida showed off some of the designs for the new weapons and gear. The weapons are all past weapon design contest winners. Meanwhile, the gear concept art shared are ones designed by the development team.

Yoshida displayed the weapon designs by holding up print outs to the camera for us to see. Global Community Producer Toshio "Foxclon" Murouchi assisted and offered additional commentary. Among them are an umbrella for the Blue Mage and an enormous, mechanized pizza cutter.

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Yoshida also showed off some upcoming armor sets:

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Final Fantasy XIV is immediately available on the PC, PS4, and PS5. Patch 6.4 The Dark Throne is set to arrive on May 23, 2023.

The post See Previews for New Final Fantasy XIV Weapons appeared first on Siliconera.

Once Final Fantasy XIV Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LXXVII got going, Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida and Global Community Producer Toshio “Foxclon” Murouchi offered more specific details about various additions and changes. Among these were updates about Dungeons and Raids. Specifically, they showed off some of the FFXIV Pandaemonium: Anabaseios Raid and went over the Savage reward changes coming in patch 6.4.

The FFXIV Pandaemonium: Anabaseios Savage Raid reward changes all have to do with treasure coffers and the Mythos exchange. In terms of the treasures, you will see less if people completed the Duty before. The announcement noted that if over five people already did it, then you don’t get anything. However, if only between one and four of the players did, then you will still get rewards. There will just be fewer than usual. The slide going over things said that one treasure offer will appear at the end. Yoshida and Foxclon’s slide also noted the following two exact changes:

• Coffers will not reward duplicate armor pieces for the same slot.
• Body gear can be earned from Anabaseios: The Eleventh Circle.

The updated Mythos exchange rate can also be seen in the following slide from the showcase.
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Ahead of the Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LXXVII broadcast, there was a brief segment where Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida and Global Community Producer Toshio “Foxclon” Murouchi talked and prepared. However, when one showed up on-stream, it involved another game. When Yoshida showed up for the presentation, he was carrying a The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom OLED Switch and playing the game.

When Yoshida sat down to appear on FFXIV Letter from the Producer LIVE, he had his The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Switch with him. He was very obviously playing during part of it. He then turned the system around and showed it to the audience, showing he was in the midst of actually playing the game.

As pointed out by Aitai Kuji CEO Audrey Lamsam, the fact Yoshida played The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom ahead of the FFXIV presentation is now trending in Japan. People are sharing comments and screenshots under the hashtag #吉田ゼルダ.

Japanese clothing company Cospa announced the release of two new Hawaiian shirts inspired by Evangelion. There will be two models available, one based on Rei Ayanami & Unit-00, and the other inspired by Asuka & Unit-02. Each shirts costs 14,080 JPY (roughly $105 USD). The expected release date of the shirts is early August 2023. Pre-orders for the shirts are now open from the Cospa online store, and they will close on June 11, 2023. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]

The Evangelion Hawaiian shirts will be available for a limited number of units. After the initial pre-orders period ends, reservations will close once stock is depleted. The shirts are available on sizes M, L, XL, and XXL. The pattern in each shirt displays either Rei or Asuka, alongside their respective EVA unit.

You can take a better look at the new Cospa Evangelion Hawaiian shirts in the gallery below.

[gallery columns="4" ids="962642,962635,962636,962637,962638,962639,962640,962641" link="file"]

In other Evangelion news, Good Smile Company recently announced the release window for two Plamax figures of Asuka Shikinami Langley based on her appearance in the Rebuild of Evangelion movies.

During the Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LXXVII, Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida and Global Community Producer Toshio “Foxclon” Murouchi went over the patch 6.4 Final Fantasy XIV job adjustments we can expect. In general, Yoshida explained there would be damage output rebalancing and party buff radius changes. However, both the Dragoon and Paladin in Final Fantasy XIV will see more specific changes.

First, Yoshida and Foxclon went over the more general updates. They noted there wouldn’t be “large-scale changes” to how much damage every job will inflict on enemies. However, every role will be rebalanced. They didn’t note if this will mean more or less damage, however. They also noted that buffs that increase damage inflicted or taken will have a larger radius. No specific ones were mentioned, but affected ones will now be 30 yalms.

As for the more focused Final Fantasy XIV job adjustments, two Dragoon attacks and one Paladin move will be changed. Here are the exact descriptions shared by Yoshida and Foxclon on a slide during the presentation.

The release date for Final Fantasy XIV Patch 6.4 has been revealed as May 23rd in the 77th Live Letter from the Producer stream. During the stream, Producer Naoki 'Yoshi P' Yoshida and Toshio 'Foxclon' Murouchi also presented a new trailer. Patch 6.4 promises new main scenario quests, the continuation of Tataru's Grand Endeavour, and more of the Hildebrand Adventures quests The previous major update, Patch 6.3, went live on January 10, 2023.

Here's the full trailer for the new patch. As you can see, Golbez features prominently during parts of it.
[embed]https://youtu.be/U6CILDMm9Xw[/embed]

As usual, this means new Main Scenario Quests. There will also be a continuation of Tataru’s Grand Endeavor, though you need to have finished “Small Business, Big Dreams” and other related quests first. The Aetherfront Dungeon will appear, and there will be The Voidcast Dais and its Extreme Trial. Containment Ray Z1T9 (Unreal) will appear as the new Unreal Trial as well. When it drops, people will also be able to go through Pandaemonium: Anabaseios and Pandaemonium: Anabaseios (Savage) too.

People can also expect Somehow Further Hildibrand Adventures, Further Manderville Weapons, and Splendorous Tools in 6.45.

Final Fantasy XIV is immediately available on PC, PS4, and PS5, and the release date for patch 6.4 is May 23, 2023.

The Gundam Aerial from Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury is now available as DLC for SD Gundam Battle Alliance. The downloadable pack will also bring Suletta Mercury as a new pilot, along with expansion parts and Level Uncap Materials. In addition, it also includes the GM (Gatheroad) Gundam Game Collaboration BGM with 4 songs. This DLC pack is available across all platforms for $7.99.

Check out the announcement for the Gundam: Witch from Mercury DLC for SD Gundam Battle Alliance from the Bandai Namco SEA Twitter account here below.
https://twitter.com/BandaiNamcoSEA/status/1656615264371494912?s=20

The Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury Pack includes the Aerial as a new playable unit and the anime series lead Suletta Mercury as a recruitable pilot. The DLC also features references in the form of the expansion parts for the unit such as the “Emblem of the Holder,” a “Miorine’s tomato,” and a “GUND-ARM Inc. Clip,” all of which offer bonus effects in-game. Moreover, the pack also includes three 100.000 CAPITAL tickets, along with 1st and 2nd Level Uncap Materials as well.

Additionally, the Witch from Mercury DLC also adds a set of BGM soundtracks from two previous Gundam video games: Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation 2 and Mobile Suit Gundam U.C. Engage. The bonus songs are as follows:

MegaHouse announced a new collection of Kaitai Fantasy Sanrio figures is on the way, featuring beloved Sanrio characters with their skeletons on display. The new collection includes Hello Kitty, My Melody, Kuromi, and Cinnamoroll. The collection is available in a box set including all four figures, and it costs 4,356 JPY (roughly $32). The expected release date is September 2023. Pre-orders are now available from the Chara-Ani online store, and they will close on June 19, 2023.

The new collection of Kaitai Fantasy Sanrio skeleton figures brings four new characters in a pastel color scheme. All four figures can be freely disassembled and assembled, or simply displayed as is. The different body parts that make out each figure include an exterior body frame, the skeleton, and a jewel located beneath the skeleton with a different shape for each character.

You can take a better look at the new Kaitai Fantasy Sanrio character skeleton figures in the gallery below.

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As a reminder, Sanrio recently opened the polls for the annual Sanrio Character Ranking of 2023. Voting closes on May 26, 2023.

Hololive announced three talents from the Japanese branch (JP) will be joining the first Hololive English (EN) 1st Concert: Connect the World. The guest VTubers will be Hoshimachi Suisei, Tokino Sora, and Houshou Marine, as stated by the official Hololive JP Twitter account. Additionally, more concert merchandise pre-orders opened.

Take a look at the official announcement for the Japanese guests at the concert from the Hololive Twitter account here below.

https://twitter.com/hololivetv/status/1656494695986663427?s=20

The Japanese talents invited to participate in the Hololive EN concert are the 0th generation’s Hoshimachi Suisei and Tokino Sora, along with the 3rd generation’s Houshou Marine. Furthermore, fans expect that each member will join in singing and talking in between songs, following the style of previous live concerts. Previously, Hololive also revealed that Ayunda Risu, Moona Hoshinova, and Pavolia Reine from the Indonesian branch will be performing at the concert as well.

A new event quest headed to Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak will let players craft a new cat outfit. The quest called “A Mysterious Purr-esent” will pit hunters against a Somnacanth, a Mizutsune, and an Almudron in the Flooded Forest. The craftable set appears to be inspired by the classic Alice in Wonderland story, as the in-game name for the layered armor is “Alice.”

Take a look at the cat and Alice layered armors in Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak from the official Twitter account below.

https://twitter.com/monsterhunter/status/1656464369813684224?s=20

This event quest’s name is “A Mysterious Purr-esent." To claim it, you just have to select Add-on Content via the Courier either in Kamura Village or the Elgado Outpost. Once accepted you will have to hunt three monsters: Somnacanth, Mizutsune, and Almudron. Completing the mission will reward you with Charming Foreign Drawings, which in turn you can use to craft the “Alice” layered armor at the Smithy.

Curiously enough, this isn’t the first time this armor set has appeared in the Monster Hunter series. The “Alice” costumes first appeared as unlockables in the now out-of-service MMORPG Monster Hunter Frontier. Rise Sunbreak has received other armor sets from that same game such as the “Reflet” and “Lennigan” maid-like layered armor.

Arlan is a four-star Honkai: Star Rail character with a risk-reward mechanic. His Shackle Breaker Skill lets you deal damage in exchange for sacrificing his health, and his Pain and Anger Talent increases his damage even further based on how low his HP gets. Which means for the best Arlan Honkai: Star Rail builds, you want to load him up with a Light Cone and Relic set that increases his attack, hopefully also boosts his health, and helps him survive long enough to deal tons of damage.

What are the best Light Cones for a Arlan build in Honkai: Star Rail?

In my mind, there’s only one possible three-star Light Cone for an Arlan build in Honkai: Star Rail. That’s Mutual Demise. We already know his health is going to be low. Shackle Breaker is going to take 15% of his health for each use. Once he gets below 80% health, this one guarantees at least a 16% buff to his critical hit rate. Since it’s a three-star, you won’t have any problem Superimposing it. That could mean hitting the up to 28% bonus like I did in my game. It’s fantastic and a relatively low investment.

With a four-star one, I’d say try going with Nowhere to Run for Arlan. If he defeats an enemy, he’ll restore a percentage of his health. It also boosts his attack by at least 24%.

Given he’s Peppy’s caretaker, it’s a crime Woof! Walk Time! doesn’t work for him.
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Koei Tecmo announced a new free update for Atelier Ryza 3 that lets players change the game’s background music (BGM) to many different songs from the whole Atelier series. This follows an earlier update that unlocked the option to change the BGM via the in-game diary. Among the songs available are the main themes from Atelier Marie, Atelier Iris, and Mana Khemia.

This new free update for Atelier Ryza 3 is called the “Atelier Series Legacy BGM Pack,” and it’s available across all platforms. The songs included range from Atelier Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg to Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness and the Secret Hideout, totaling over 1,000 tracks. To change the soundtrack, you just have to access the in-game diary on the desk in the atelier and select the BGM option.

[caption id="attachment_962569" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Koei Tecmo[/caption]

EISYS Inc announced that DLsite will temporarily suspend the distribution and sale of AI works like manga and art on their website as of May 11, 2023. In the announcement, the company said that sales of AI-generated works in some genres will be suspended, while those works that partially use AI will continue to be offered in the platform. The decision was taken to protect the impact that AI-generated content had on artists. [Thanks, Game Watch!]

The DLsite restriction on AI-generated works includes manga, CG illustration art, videos, and other audiovisual resource collections. However, DLsite will continue to offer some works that contain some extent of AI-generated content when it comes to novels and games.

Additionally, EISYS also announced its decision to restrict the submission of AI works on Ci-en, a creator support platform service operated by the company. The AI ban on Ci-en applies to AI-generated manga, art, videos, and audiovisual resource collections.

DLsite is one of Japan’s biggest digital distribution websites, founded in 1996 by EISYS Inc. The platform specializes in the distribution and sale of manga, games, image sets, and audio distribution, with a particular focus on doujinshi (self-published content.) DLsite offers some content in English as well. While the site has come to be known for the distrubution of content aimed at adult audiences, there is also an All-Ages section available.

Hoshimachi Suisei of Hololive will take a break and start a streaming hiatus in order to focus on other projects. In her announcement, she listed that she will be working as a lyricist, a designer, and a planner. She will also debut her new cover song “Ikizama” on May 12, 2023.

As of the time of writing, “Ikizama” has still not premiered. It will debut at around 3am PT/6am ET. This is a cover of “Ikizama,” which Chiaki Natsume wrote and used with vocals from the Vocaloid Hatsune Miku. This song first debuted in April 2022.

Suisei ended her announcement of her hiatus with “VTubers are so interesting!” The majority of the replies to her tweet are positive. Many are praising her for her multiple talents, as well as expressing excitement for her future projects. Some others joked that she is an artist rather than a VTuber at this point.