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Payday 3 dev promises 200+ quality-of-life fixes & thanks players amid rough launch Deep SilverStarbreeze Studios’ latest update promises more Payday 3 improvements are on their way following the matchmaking issues players faced at launch. Following a messy launch, Payday 3 looks to be moving forward. In addition to a launch week marred by matchmaking issues, the game itself has been criticized by players for generally feeling like a step backward from its predecessor. Fortunately for players, developer Starbreeze Studios is promising lots of fixes that are coming to the game soon. In a statement, Starbreeze announced four updates are planned for the rest of 2023 that include quality-of-life improvements, new content, and more. Payday 3 has four updates planned for the rest of the year After “partially pausing” development on Payday 3 updates to deal with the matchmaking issues, Starbreeze is working on several updates set to release between now and the end of 2023. The first of these should release in the next couple of weeks. While they didn’t give specifics, Starbreeze outlined the following updates: Early October: 200+ QoL-improvements for all platforms – October/November: QoL-improvements, new content and new functionality – November: QoL-improvements, new content and new functionality – Winter 2023: The DLC “Syntax Error” on sale (included in Silver and Gold Edition) – Additionally, players can expect “platform-specific updates” that address other issues. Starbreeze CEO Tobias Sjögren also thanked Payday 3 players “for the patience they have shown us” and promised to “tirelessly continue to build PAYDAY 3 bigger and better to deliver the greatest possible value for our players.” What these updates will actually entail is unknown, but Payday 3 players shouldn’t expect major changes right away. For example, the developers have already said they have no plans to revise the controversial leveling system, and the possible offline mode is definitely a long-term change rather than an immediate addition. If you enjoyed this, check out the rest of our Payday 3 content, which includes the latest news, guides, and more.

Payday 3 dev hints dropping controversial online requirement amid server issues Deep SilverFollowing a messy launch marred by server and matchmaking issues, Payday 3 developer Starbreeze Studios has addressed what caused these problems and indicated it may drop the game’s widely criticized online requirement. Payday 3 is off to a pretty rough start. While the heist shooter’s gameplay itself has generally been praised, server and matchmaking issues have made the game difficult, sometimes impossible, to play. These issues have contributed to overwhelmingly unfavorable player reviews on Steam and Metacritic, with gamers particularly frustrated with the fact that, at times, Payday 3 was entirely inaccessible for large portions of its launch week. Developer Starbreeze Studios has responded to these concerns in a statement explaining why Payday 3’s matchmaking infrastructure has been such a big problem and indicating that it may eventually drop the online requirement altogether. Payday 3 server issues prove fans were right to criticize the online requirement In a statement released on September 25, Starbreeze discussed the server issues Payday 3 players have been encountering and shared some thoughts on its short and long-term approaches to the game. While Starbreeze is currently focused on improving the player experience, in the long term, it is “evaluating a new [third party] partner for matchmaking services” and, perhaps more interestingly, considering “making PAYDAY 3 less dependent on online services.” This implies Starbreeze is considering dropping the controversial requirement that players have a consistent online connection at all times, even when playing solo. Since before launch, players have criticized Payday 3’s online requirement. The developers previously defended the decision, including in an interview with Dexerto, but the game’s launch issues have made it clear the requirement comes with issues outside of game preservation and DRM concerns. According to the developers, Payday 3’s matchmaking issues stem from “an unforeseen error” that caused it to struggle with the sheer number of users trying to play at launch. While they were able to release a new version of the game’s matchmaking software, a separate update on the partner’s side made things again unstable. All this makes it pretty clear that player criticism of Payday 3 being online only was more than justified. Though the change probably won’t be coming anytime soon, the fact that Starbreeze has gone from defending the online requirement to possibly dropping it is a good sign for fans who want to make sure they can play Payday 3 regardless of server issues. If you enjoyed this, check out the rest of our Payday 3 content, which includes the latest news, guides, and more.

Payday 3 dev blames “player progression wipe” for long day one patch delay Deep SilverThe Payday 3 studio says the monthlong day one patch delay is due to concerns about a “player progression wipe.” Payday 3 launched in late September, though it did so in a state of disarray. The rocky release was beset by server troubles, crashing, audio-related issues, and myriad other issues. Developer Starbreeze Entertainment promised to deploy a major patch packed with over 200 fixes. The update was meant to arrive on October 5, then got postponed to mid-October. On October 16, Starbreeze shared a message saying the day one patch needed more time in the oven because of newly identified issues. The studio’s back in the news once again, this time offering players an explanation for the unfulfilled promises. Payday 3 dev explains the day one patch’s lengthy delay In a “Quick Update” post on the Payday 3 website, Starbreeze apologized for being radio silent for the last several days. The team does have a small update to offer now, however – the long-awaited day one patch is currently making its way through a “testing and certification process.” It still lacks a firm release date, but the Starbreeze post explains what’s been taking so long. The reasoning is “very long and complicated,” the post says; the short of it is this – after launching Payday 3, the team uncovered “critical errors” affecting its update pipeline. Their findings revealed that player progression was at the risk of being wiped, meaning holding onto the day one patch represented the best path forward. The message reads in part, “…we discovered critical errors with our update pipeline shortly after the game released. There was a significant risk to player progression being wiped if we didn’t address this and ensured a solid test environment.” Discussions about the message on Reddit show most players are just happy the update is finally on its way. And they now have a better understanding of the need for repeated delays. As one user put it, “…can you imagine if they dropped the patch and everyone’s progression got wiped? That would do more damage to the community than continuing to delay it.” Still, others wish this information would’ve been relayed much sooner. One such comment reads, “I’m glad they were able to tell us at the very least. Had they told us sooner, we wouldn’t be doomposting, probably.” Hopefully, in taking their time, the Payday 3 developers will be able to deliver a patch that truly turns things around for the shooter.

Payday 3 open beta: Release date, start time, how to enter Overkill SoftwareStarbreeze is bringing back Payday 3 and if you’re interested in taking a test drive for the new release, a Payday 3 beta is coming so you can see if crime really does pay. The multiplayer series synonymous with co-op action geared toward explosive heisting is back. Payday 3 continues on the franchise’s legacy with another round of elaborate bank raiding and Hollywood-esque shootouts. Ahead of the game’s anticipated release date is the now-confirmed closed beta. With the aforementioned launch day not actually that far away, here’s a quick hub telling you everything you need to know about Payday 3 and its closed beta. Contents Payday 3 closed beta: Release date & time – Payday 3 closed beta: Platforms – How to play Payday 3 closed beta – Payday 3 open beta: Release date & time After an initial beta back in early August, Starbreeze has confirmed that the Payday 3 open beta release date is locked in for September 8, 2023, and will finish up on September 11, 2023. The beta is slated to begin at 00:00 BST on September 8, and will expire at 17:00 BST on September 11. So that’s plenty of time to pop those helmets. Payday 3 open beta: Platforms Xbox and PC users will be thrilled to know that the open beta will be arriving on their platforms. Even though the game is set to release on PlayStation 5, unfortunately, the beta will not be available for PS users. You never know, this could be subject to change, so stay tuned. How to play Payday 3 closed beta To get involved with the Payday 3 beta, curious players need to visit the official closed beta page and sign up. Here’s a quick set of instructions to get yourself in with a chance of taking part: If you’re an Xbox player looking to access the beta, you need to ‘go to the Xbox Insider Hub, navigate to previews, and select PAYDAY 3.’ – If you’re on PC, the devs say that you should head to the game’s official Steam page and press on Request Access. – The devs will then randomly select players on a day-by-day basis. – We’ll be updating this with all the latest information regarding the Payday 3 beta. We imagine there will be plenty more to come, so keep coming back for the newest scoops. In the meantime, check out some of our other Payday 3 guides to tingle your tastebuds: Will Payday 3 have microtransactions? | Every playable character confirmed so far | Every heist confirmed for launch | Pre-order bonuses & every edition explained | Will Payday 3 be cross-platform? Crossplay for Xbox, PlayStation & PC explained | Is Payday 3 coming to Xbox Game Pass? | Will Payday 3 have single-player? | Payday 3 PC requirements – Minimum & recommended specs | Is Payday 3 coming to Nintendo Switch?

Payday 3: How to stealth 99 Boxes Starbreeze StudiosThe 99 Boxes heist in Payday 3 is one best recommended to complete in stealth. But how do you do that exactly? Here’s how to finish the level without raising an alarm. In Payday 3’s 99 Boxes heist, the gang is tasked with sneaking into a cargo dock and stealing a shipment of experimental electrical equipment. While the heist can be completed in the classic guns-blazing way the game is known for, you and your team also have the option to stealth it. Before any good heist, remember to take our recommended stealth loadout for an easier time. Here’s how to stealth 99 Boxes in Payday 3. How to stealth 99 Boxes in Payday 3 99 Boxes is separated into three general areas: the warehouse exterior, warehouse interior, and storage yard. We’ve noticed the following guards posted on Normal difficulty: 3 in the warehouse exterior, with one on the east side, one on the west side, and a third in the back area – 2 inside the warehouse, one patrolling, and one in the camera room – 2 patrolling the storage yard – When you immediately spawn, you’ll first want to approach the guardhouses which are blocked off to you by a gate. There are side gates on each side of these areas which will allow you to sneak into the private area around the back. Pick the locks while remaining unmasked. Something you can do while you’re here is find the guard posted at each end of the warehouse exterior and hack his phone. This requires staying in a circular radius around him. However, if you get caught the guard will simply escort you out, so you’ll have ample time to complete both hacks. Once these are done, you’ll have two codes that you’ll need for later. The next thing you’ll need to do is enter the warehouse. The best way in while still being unmasked is to head over to the left-hand side of where you spawn and enter through the gate. Head immediately up the stairwell and inside the warehouse from the second floor. Be mindful of cameras, as a couple tend to be posted around here. 99 Boxes warehouse keycard In here is a room that may hold a PC for you to hack. There’ll also be a walkway that spreads across the entire warehouse, with another PC room located at the far end. Hacking the PC isn’t necessary right now, but it’ll come in handy to do ahead of time. The camera room is also located in the warehouse, but you’ll need a blue keycard to get in there which is held by one of the guards in the storage yard area. Right now there exists a bug where you can open the camera room door without the keycard, but expect this to be fixed in a future patch. Your main goal is to find the refrigerated truck which is where you can store the loot later on. It’ll be in the truck on the far side of the warehouse near where you spawn. Mask up and drop down from the second floor to here, watching out for the patrolling guard and civilians inside the warehouse. Once you’ve found the truck you’ll also need to find liquid nitrogen coolant, which will help to keep the truck cool during transit. This is found in one of the boxes located inside the warehouse. Check the wooden crates until you find the tank of liquid nitrogen coolant, then take it back to the truck and insert it. Next, you’ll need to learn which side of the warehouse the equipment is located. If you haven’t hacked the PC yet, now is the time to do it. Head back upstairs by either using the stairs inside the warehouse or climbing up the crates and hack the PC. It’ll either be the east side or the west side. Inside the warehouse is also a zipline bag, which you’re not prompted to look for until you actually get to the gate. The zipline bag is located on the second floor behind an air vent you’re able to open. Set the zipline up on the roof which will allow you to enter the storage yard without opening the gate. 99 Boxes find the right container Inside the storage yard are two guards patrolling as well as cameras and civilians. You can use the tops of containers for cover and mobility, as well as hiding bodies should you kill any guards. The correct container with the equipment will be white and marked with a Wixia company logo. Search around until you find them. There will be four in total, with two having the main items and two others containing additional loot. Once you’ve opened the container and interacted with the terminal located inside, you’ll need to bypass the internal security. Similar to Gold & Sharke and Under The Surphaze, this means standing in specific circular objectives located across the map. Fortunately, many of these are located on the top of shipping containers where guards can’t see you. Once you’ve hacked into enough hotspots, the equipment inside the Wixia container will be available to grab. You’ll need to do this a second time for the second container too. 99 Boxes loot value Now here comes the tricky part. As soon as you pick up the equipment and remove it from the container, the loot begins to lose value. You need to move it quickly to the refrigerated truck back in the warehouse. To do this quickly, we recommend jumping across the storage yard along the tops of containers to get back to the main warehouse area. Look for a part of the fence that has a yellow covering, as this is the part that will allow you to climb back over. The best way to get back into the warehouse from here is to head towards the front of the building and enter using the back of an empty shipping container. If you can avoid the guards and cameras posted by the guardhouse you’ll have a much easier time getting the bag to safety before it loses any substantial value. Once you’ve done this for both of the main loot, an option to prepare the truck for transport becomes available. When you’re happy with the amount of additional loot you’ve secured, close the back of the truck and head round to the front driver’s seat to trigger the escape. And with that you’re ready to head to Payday 3’s final core heist, Touch The Sky. For more heists in Payday 3, look at the full mission list. Be sure to also see the best heists for easy money, as well as details on when the next DLC will launch.

Pathfinder Humble Bundle offers exciting D&D alternative for 2024 PaizoNow’s your chance to pick up a huge bundle of Pathfinder RPG books for a fraction of their regular price for a great alternative to D&D. Humble Bundle has long been renowned as a way to pick up a huge selection of games, comics, and more at a hugely reduced cost, with a portion of the proceeds going to charity. While video games often see massive savings through Humble Bundle, tabletop game Humble Bundles often receive less buzz but are just as valuable. As if to illustrate this point, Humble Bundle is partnering with Paizo, developers of Pathfinder. It provides hundreds of dollars worth of Pathfinder books and supplements for a minimal fee. Check out this Humble Bundle right now, and you’ll have an excellent new TTRPG to dive into in the New Year. What is Pathfinder? Pathfinder is a fantasy adventure TTRPG in a similar vein to Dungeons and Dragons. Featuring mechanical depth and deep roleplaying potential, Pathfinder has been touted by many as the true contender to D&D’s fantasy TTRPG throne and has gone from strength to strength in its second edition. What’s in the Pathfinder Humble Bundle? As with past Humble Bundles, the selection on offer in the Pathfinder Second Edition Legacy Bundle doesn’t disappoint. From sourcebooks to monster guides and multi-part campaigns, the books and other items that comprise the bundle are listed below: Age of Ashes Player’s Guide – Hellknight Hill (Age of Ashes 1 of 6) – Cult of Cinders (Age of Ashes 2 of 6) – Tomorrow Must Burn (Age of Ashes 3 of 6) – Fires of the Haunted City (Age of Ashes 4 of 6) – Against the Scarlet Triad (Age of Ashes 5 of 6) – Broken Promises (Age of Ashes 6 of 6) – Age of Ashes Pawn Collection – Pathfinder Second Edition Beginner Box – Pathfinder Second Edition Advanced Player’s Guide – Pathfinder Second Edition GameMastery Guide – Pathfinder Second Edition Core Rulebook – Pathfinder Second Edition Bestiary – Pathfinder Second Edition Bestiary 2 – Pathfinder Second Edition Bestiary 3 – Lost Omens World Guide – Lost Omens Character Guide – Crown of the Kobold King – Crown of the Kobold King Flip-Mat – Lost Omens Legends – Lost Omens Monsters of Myth – Pathfinder One-Shot: Mark of the Mantis – Fall of Plaguestone – Fall of Plaguestone Flip-Mat – Why Pathfinder deserves your attention While D&D’s next major update in 2024 – with a whole new range of manuals and sourcebooks – is cause for excitement, there is also reason to be hesitant. Hasbro’s controversies in 2023, including the OGL drama and AI art, dominated the D&D conversation. This has put the venerable RPG in a more precarious place than expected going into its big One D&D release. While the launch of One D&D may yet escape Hasbro’s questionable decisions more or less unscathed, it’s still a prudent time for TTRPG players to expand their options. There are dozens of excellent RPGs available to suit any player’s taste, from Vampire the Masquerade to Blades in the Dark. But for those looking to hew as closely as possible to D&D’s fantasy framework, Pathfinder absolutely fits the bill. With excellent mechanical depth and flexibility, Pathfinder builds on and deepens D&D gameplay while retaining its fantasy flair. You can find the Pathfinder Second Edition Legacy Bundle right here.

Pathfinder grapple exploit takes players to the sky in Apex Legends Respawn EntertainmentPathfinder’s mobility is already unmatched in Apex Legends but a new exploit makes the gap between the robot and any potential runner up even wider than before. Grappling hooks are a staple of the modern FPS genre and few characters have ever wielded one better than Apex’s Pathfinder. While his prowess was notable before, Season 11 is only making the distinction more clear as a new exploit allows Path players to go soaring through the air in a nearly unlimited capacity. There’s a good amount of setup involved, but the potential payoff could be worth it as players are already putting together some devious plans to apply it in their games. Pathfinder grapple exploit in Apex Legends In the clip, we see Pathfinder grappling a death box that is locked in place on an Octane pad by a teammate. As the rogue MRVN unit lands his grappling hook on the box, the teammate jumps off and lets the box fly into the air bringing the robot with it. Since Pathfinder’s hook doesn’t release its grasp until players let the grappled object stray too far from their line of sight, the combination of the box and the player creates an almost infinite wave of momentum as they pendulum around each other in the air. This clip instantly sparked discussion about how to best apply the trick and whether it does more harm than good. One user instantly provided a picture of how it could hurt teamplay, saying: “I’m imagining my team flaming me as I fly 2 miles into the sky and they are being finished by the last squad. It will be glorious.” Other players have a more positive expectation for the game though, with another commenter adding: “Need to see a kraber trickshot with this.” There have been several tricks and exploits involving death boxes discovered this season but it remains to be seen if Respawn will make any adjustments to nerf the odd amount of power held by those inanimate objects.

Pathfinder 2e Fighter guide: Best options for Dexterity & Strength builds PaizoWhat should be Pathfinder 2e’s most basic class is actually surprisingly complex. Here are the best builds for the Fighter in Pathfinder 2e. Fighters used to get a bad rap in tabletop RPGs, as they were seen as a class with little imagination in their design or scope for their concept. The Fighter just fights, which means there can’t be more to them, right? It turns out that the Fighter is the most liquid class, as the concept of “someone really good at fighting” can be applied to many different characters. The more basic ruleset also means they’re surprisingly good for dedicated roleplayers, as they don’t have to keep track of as many powers. In Pathfinder 2e, the Fighter is a great class for beginners, as they are easy to pick up, can be durable, and are often in the thick of the action. Here are the best builds for the Fighter in Pathfinder 2e. Contents The different Fighter builds in Pathfinder 2e – Best Ability Boosts for the Fighter – Best Ancestries for the Fighter – Best Backgrounds for the Fighter – Best Skills for the Fighter – Best Fighter class Feats – Best General Feats for the Fighter – Best weapons, critical specializations & armor for the Fighter – The different Fighter builds in Pathfinder 2e Broadly speaking, there are a handful of archetypes that players will find themselves in when playing a Fighter. These all have individual strengths and weaknesses. Weapon & Shield – You use a one-handed weapon with a shield, giving you better defensive options, but lowering your damage output. Single Weapon User – What you lack in defense, you make up for with special debuff attacks in combat. Heavy Weapon User- You use a two-handed weapon with the intent of dealing as much weapon damage as possible. Dual-Wielder – You use two weapons to perform flurries of attacks, with abilities that reduce or ignore the multiple attack penalty in Pathfinder 2e’s rules. Archer – Best used in a party with a separate melee warrior who can tank, these fighters strike foes from afar with volleys of ranged attacks. Best Ability Boosts for the Fighter The two main builds you want to go for Fighter are Strength-based or Dexterity-based. Strength-based characters can deal a lot of damage while hiding behind strong armor, while Dexterity-based Fighters are better at dishing out multiple attacks and using ranged weapons. Ideally, you’d want both scores to be decent. Depending on your build, Strength should be your first choice and Dexterity your third choice, or Dexterity should be your first choice and Strength should be your third choice. In either scenario, Constitution should be your second choice. After that, Wisdom should be fourth, as it’s tied to the Will saving throw, which protects you from being mind-controlled in battle, as well as the Perception score, which is used for determining Initiative in combat. After that, Intelligence and Charisma can be distributed however the player likes, depending on their character concept, as they’re mostly tied to skills. Best Ancestries for the Fighter For the Fighter, it helps to have an Ancestry that provides at least one Strength Boost and a few extra powers to aid you early on in the campaign, though Consitution is also really useful. Having some extra abilities from your Ancestry also helps. These are the best Ancestries and low-level Feats: Dwarf What dwarves lack in movement speed, they make up for in durability. The best heritages are the Elemental Heart Dwarf (grants an elemental attack that can strike all adjacent foes), Forge Dwarf (offers useful fire resistance that scales with level), and Strong-Blooded Dwarf (extremely resilient to poison.) These are the most useful low-level Dwarf Feats: Dwarven Doughtiness – Reduces the incredibly frustrating Frightened condition by 2 at the end of turns, instead of 1. – Vengeful Hatred – This provides a number of bonuses against a chosen type of foe. By far the best pick for most campaigns is Giant, as they are consistent threats at every challenge level. – Unburdened Iron – This reduces the speed penalty for wearing armor, which is amazing for a class that often wears the heaviest gear possible. – Nagaji The serpent people of Golarion make for great warriors with a Strength Boost, a bite attack, and naturally high hit points. The best Heritages are Venomshield (poison resistance that scales with level) and Titan Nagaji (you always have a suit of armor on, which works well for short-term campaigns.) Cold Minded – Offers a bonus to saves against emotion spell effects, which includes turning a successful save into a critical success. – Serpent’s Tongue – Gives you imprecise scent, which is useful for fighting invisible foes or enemies hiding in darkness, as it’s much more difficult to hide your scent. – Water Nagaji – Gives the Breath Control feet and a short swimming speed, both of which can be useful in outdoor adventures & dungeons with environmental hazards. – Orc Like Pathfinder 2e’s Barbarian class, the Orc is a great choice for the Fighter, helped by their natural Strength boost and Darkvision. The best heritages are Grave Orc (more resistance to necromancy) and Hold-Scarred Orc (more hit points and you die on dying 5 instead of 4.) These are the most useful low-level Orc Feats: Orc Ferocity – Makes it a lot harder to kill you in combat, as you can spend your Reaction to survive a lethal blow (though you take points in the Wounded condition). – Orc Warmask – On its own, Orc Warmask only offers skill bonuses and access to the Dubious Knowledge Feat. However, it’s the stepping stone to better Feats, such as Mask of Rejection at Level 5. – Tusks – Ensures you always have access to a weapon, thanks to your sharpened tusks. – Best Backgrounds for the Fighter In Pathfinder 2e, Backgrounds give you Ability Boosts, skills, and Feats. When it comes to the Fighter, there are a few Backgrounds that stand out as ideal choices. Martial Disciple – Provides a Strength or Dexterity Boost, a Free Pick. You can pick Acrobatics skill training to gain the Cat Fall Skill Feat, allowing you to take less damage from falls. You also gain the Warfare Lore skill. – Relentless Dedication – Has the Strength or Constitution Ability Boost, a Free Pick, and gives you the Canny Acumen Feat, instantly making you an expert in Perception or one of the three save stats. – Squire – Has the Strength or Constitution Ability Boost, a Free Pick, and provides the Armor Assist Feat, drastically reducing the time it takes to put on armor. – Tomb Born – Has the Dexterity & Constitution Ability Boosts, a Free Pick, and provides the Final Spite Reaction, allowing you to hit an enemy when you’re knocked to zero hit points. – Warrior – Has the Strength or Constitution Ability Boost, a Free Pick, and provides the Intimidating Glare Feat, allowing you to demoralize foes in combat. – Best Skills for the Fighter While the Fighter is not a skill-focused class, it still helps to pick a few skills and focus on them, for the moments when you need to do things other than fight. Acrobatics or Athletics – Depending on whether you’re a Dexterity or Strength-based character. Acrobatics is great for avoiding hazards and is used with the useful “Tumble Through” action, while Athletics is commonly used in tandem with Strength for physical activities that Fighters tend to excel at. – Crafting – This will let you fix your shields and broken items for much cheaper than paying a professional to do it. – Intimidation – Rather than blowing your third action on an attack that’s likely to miss, you can attempt to demoralize your foe instead and potentially lower their stats via the Frightened condition. – Medicine – You can’t always rely on a healer to fix things with magic, so having points in Medicine is useful for moments when you need to use old-fashioned healing techniques. This is especially helpful for when the healer is downed and needs aid. – Best Fighter class Feats Most Fighters are based on a few different concepts, including weapon & shield users, single weapon users, heavy weapon users, dual-wielders, and archers. These are the best Feats that go with these styles of play. Weapon & Shield User Reactive Shield (Level 1) – Allows you to use your Raise a Shield Action as a Reaction in response to an attack, letting you take more actions on your turn. – Sudden Charge (Level 1) – Let’s you quickly close the distance on an enemy and get one good attack in. – Aggressive Block (Level 2) – When used in conjunction with the Shield Block Reaction, it forces the enemy back 5 feet or makes them flat-footed, both of which can be favorable outcomes. – Lunge (Level 2) – Lets you strike outside of your normal short range. – Quick Reversal (Level 4) – Lets you Strike two enemies who are flanking you without increasing the multiattack penalty. – Shielded Stride (Level 4) – When your shield is raised, move half your speed without provoking Reactions. – Single Weapon User Snagging Strike (Level 1) – If this attack hits, it causes the target to be flat-footed, not only lowering their AC, but letting any Rogue allies unleash their Sneak Attacks on them. They can remove this effect by getting out of your melee range, risking an Attack of Opportunity, or forcing them to blow an action on a Step. – Sudden Charge (Level 1) – Let’s you quickly close the distance on an enemy and get one good attack in. – Combat Grab (Level 2) – If you hit a foe, you grab them, forcing them (or their allies) to waste time trying to break free from your grip. – Duelling Parry (Level 2) – Forego a final attack that will likely miss for a +2 AC bonus. – Dual-Handed Assault (Level 4) – You can grip your weapon with both hands to briefly increase its damage die, before returning to single hand use. – Quick Reversal (Level 4) – Lets you Strike two enemies who are flanking you without increasing the multiattack penalty. – Heavy Weapon User Power Attack (Level 1) – This is best used as your second attack, as it combines the damage of two hits into one without giving you the massive penalty of a third attack in one round. – Sudden Charge (Level 1) – Let’s you quickly close the distance on an enemy and get one good attack in. – Brutish Shove (Level 2) – If this attack hits, the target is flat-footed and you can shove it. Even if you miss, the target is still flat-footed. – Sleek Reposition (Level 2) – If you’re using a polearm, it let’s you move an opponent after a successful hit, likely putting them at a disadvantageous position. – Powerful Shove (Level 4) – A better version of Brutish Shove that affects creatures up to two size categories higher than you. – Slam Down (Level 4) – Make a Strike, then attempt to Trip the foe without increasing your multiattack until after the actions are taken. – Dual Wielder Double Slice (Level 1) – An essential Feat that makes two attacks without the multiple attack penalty, though any additional hit would suffer from the third attack penalty. – Sudden Charge (Level 1) – Let’s you quickly close the distance on an enemy and get one good attack in, setting you up for the following round. – Lunge (Level 2) – Let’s you strike outside of your normal short range. – Sleek Reposition (Level 2) – Let’s you move an opponent after a successful hit, likely putting them at a disadvantageous position. – Quick Reversal (Level 4) – Lets you Strike two enemies who are flanking you without increasing the multiattack penalty. – Twin Parry (Level 4) – Can increase your AC by +1 or by +2 if you’re using weapons with the Parry trait. – Archer Point-Blank Shot (Level 1) – Reduces the penalty for firing close to enemies and increases the damage when using a ranged weapon that lacks the volley trait. – Exacting Strike (Level 1) – Let’s you reduce the multiple attack penalty. – Assisting Shot (Level 2) – If it hits, your next ally to hit the same enemy gets +1 on their attack roll or +2 if it was a crit. – Lightning Swap (Level 2) – If an enemy gets in melee range and you can’t pull out, you can switch to a melee setup for a single Action. – Double Shot (Level 4) – Gives you two attacks with only a -2 multiattack penalty. – Parting Shot (Level 4) – Lets you step and attack with two Actions and puts the enemy off-guard. – Best General Feats for the Fighter You won’t just be unleashing Fighter Feats on your enemy in Pathfinder 2e, as you can also benefit from General & Skill Feats as you level up. If you’re able to acquire a General Feat at level 1, these are the best options: Battle Medicine (Level 1) – If you’re concerned about healers going down in combat, it’s worth having some points in the Medicine skill, so you can bring them back up without the help of magic. – Combat Climber (Level 1) – Let’s you fight one-handed while climbing. – Diehard or Toughness (Level 1) – As a frontline warrior, you’ll be at the most risk from enemy damage. These Feats will keep you alive for longer. – Fast Recovery (Level 1) – Helps you restore health and recover from debilitating effects. – Incredible Initiative (Level 1) – Provides a bonus to your Initiative score in combat. – Fighters gain a General Feat at Level 3, with all of the Level 1 Feats still being good options, as well as the following: Ancestral Paragon (Level 3) – Receiver another Level 1 Ancestry Feat. – Prescient Planner (Level 3) – There’s a chance to have a piece of gear you might need in a given situation. – Pick up the Pace (Level 3) – The group can Hustle for longer when exploring. This is more useful in campaigns that involve a lot of travel. – Best weapons, critical specializations & armor for the Fighter Depending on your build in Pathfinder 2e, some weapon & armor configurations are better than others. Your armor choice depends on whether you’re a Dexterity or Strength-based character, as the type of armor you can cap the maximum bonus your Dexterity can add to your Armor Class. As such, leather and chain shirts are usually the best for Archers, Dual Wielder, and Single Weapon. For Strength characters, you should balance the armor with your current Dex bonus while upgrading to better/more expensive sets whenever possible. Weapon & Shield – Steel shield (upgrade to tower shield when possible) alongside a bastard sword, battleaxe, or flail. Single Weapon – Get a katana if your DM will allow it. Chances are, you’ll be using the Aldori dueling sword, longsword, or rapier. Heavy Weapon User – Go for the war flail for its various traits and for its eventual critical specialization bonus at level 5. Dual Wielder – There are a few decent combinations based on whether you’re going for Dexterity or Strength. For Dexterity, use rapier with a shortsword or Aldori dueling sword with a shortsword. If you’re Strength-based, use a bastard sword with a shortsword or battleaxe with a hatchet. Archer: Use a Longbow if you’re going to be fighting enemies in wide open areas, or a shortbow if you’re in a dungeon. Get composite versions if you have a Strength bonus. Keep some finesse weapons (like a dagger) and a shield aside in case you’re forced into melee. When a fighter reaches Level 5, they can use the critical specialization of any weapon with which they have Master rank proficiency. These are extra effects that activate when they perform a critical hit with the chosen type of weapon. A few standouts among these may influence your choice of weapon. Bow – Can pin enemies to the ground, forcing them to burn Actions while attempting to free themselves. – Hammer & Flail—These can knock an enemy prone, a powerful status effect that is extremely detrimental to foes in melee combat. Thus, they are great choices for one-handed weapon users. – Sword – Makes an enemy flat-footed until your next turn. – If you click on a product link on this page we may earn a small affiliate commission.

Pathfinder 2e Beginner Box review: An excellent intro to D&D’s biggest rival The Pathfinder 2e Beginner Box is the perfect introduction to the fantasy tabletop RPG, as it lays out its more complex rules in an easily digestible way. The Pathfinder 2e Core Rulebook is notoriously dense with content. The massive tome is packed full of rules & options for players to use, to a degree that can be off-putting to people who are completely new to the game or to tabletop RPGs in general. Those coming from more rules-lite RPGs like D&D 5e or Vampire: the Masquerade 5e might also be scared off by the sheer amount of numbers, rules, and effects that need to be kept track of while playing Pathfinder 2e. This is where a starter set is ideal, as it helps introduce the game to everyone, including GM and players. The Beginner Box does this amazingly well, even if I had a few issues with the adventure that comes with the set. Pathfinder 2 Beginner Box: What’s in the box? Those who purchase the Pathfinder 2e Beginner Box will receive the following: Hero’s Handbook – Game Master’s Guide, containing the “Menace Under Otori “ adventure – Set of 6 color-coded polyhedral dice – 124 cardboard character & monster pawns – 13 plastic bases for the pawns – 6 blank character sheets – 4 pre-generated character sheets – 6 player reference cards – Double-sized map for the “Menace under Otori” adventure – The Hero’s Handbook contains rules for the Dwarf, Elf, and Human Ancestries; the Acolyte, Criminal, Deckhand, Farmhand, Gambler, Scholar, and Warrior Backgrounds; and the Cleric, Fighter, Rogue, and Wizard classes, with abilities and spells that go up to level 3. The Game Master’s Guide features a brief adventure called “Menace under Otori,” as well as details for monsters, dungeon hazards, magic items, and a more in-depth explanation of the rules. The Menace under Otori is a great intro to Pathfinder 2e Menace under Otori is a brief adventure that can be finished in a 5-6 hour setting, making it an ideal choice to run as a one-shot or at conventions. As a taster for Pathfinder 2e, it does an excellent job of breaking down the rules and gradually introducing the concepts to the game. See, Pathfinder 2e involves a lot more resource management than its contemporaries. During combat in Pathfinder 2e, characters need to balance 3 Actions and a Reaction, which can be used for multiple things, such as moving, attacking, and casting spells, giving players tons of options during their turn, even at low levels. Not only that, but Pathfinder 2e is big on recurring status effects that can last over several turns, as well as temporary effects that can raise/lower dice roll results. These additions/subtractions seemingly crop up every turn, so you’re always juggling numbers. Those coming from D&D 5e’s “just give Advantage/Disadvantage to the roll” mindset might be shocked by how much more math is involved with Pathfinder 2e’s combat. A character’s position in combat is also much more important, making all of your movements & actions important. This is where Menace under Otori comes in, as it operates similarly to a video game tutorial, gradually showing how the game is played through carefully planned encounters so that the players can acclimate to its various systems. As a mechanical tutorial, it does a masterful job of showing both players and GMs the ropes of play. While Menace under Otori is great at introducing the mechanical aspects of Pathfinder 2e’s rules, it’s not quite as good at the overall fun of RPGs. This is because it lacks any roleplaying-specific encounters where players would be encouraged to talk their way out of a problem, and while this can be shoe-horned into the existing parts of the adventure, the game mostly encourages violence as a solution. Part of what makes tabletop RPGs so popular is the ability to get into character and interact with strange and wonderful NPCs. If you’re a more experienced GM, you might want to add a more dialogue-friendly encounter, but it’s a shame there isn’t one already present. The other disappointing aspect of Menace under Otori is that it doesn’t go to level 3, despite the rules reaching that point in the Hero’s Handbook. Indeed, the adventure ends shortly after the players reach level 2, preventing them from using their new abilities for long. GMs of a brand new group might want to ignore the experience point mechanic and just have the characters hit level 2 when they reach the second level of the dungeon and get to level 3 just before the final boss, even if that will make things easier, as they’ll get to see more of what their characters can do. What else is useful in the Pathfinder 2e: Beginner Box? Once the Menace under Otori is finished, what else does the Beginner Box offer? The map is mostly used for the adventure, so it doesn’t have much use outside the Beginner Box, even though individual rooms can be repurposed for other places in different campaigns. The cardboard pawns are an amazing addition, especially as they contain many common monsters in the game, along with plenty of things that don’t appear in Menace under Otori. These little cardboard figures can substitute 90% of the enemies you’ll meet in the rest of your tabletop RPG life, with only truly giant monsters missing from the set. The pawns alone are one of the best reasons to buy the box due to how much use you’ll be getting out of them, especially as using a map & figures is so much more important in Pathfinder 2e than its contemporaries. Outside of the Menace under Otori, the Game Master’s Guide also has some amazing advice and not just for running the game. There are great tips for planning adventures, how to deal with players, and offering guidance for creating adventures. This greatly expands the scope of the content of the Beginner’s Box for those who want to put the effort into creating a level 1-3 mini campaign. The character reference cards and the specially made pre-gens are also amazing for helping new players, as they keep all of the info they need in one place. The character reference cards are so useful that I’d consider keeping them for a full campaign, as they have so much helpful info in one place. Pathfinder 2e Beginner Box review score – 4.5/5 While Menace under Otori could have been expanded a little, it still works as a great introduction to the world of Pathfinder 2e. The rest of the Beginner Box also provides a ton of material that will remain useful to those who want to move onto the Core Rulebook and continue their adventures in Golarion, making this a must-buy for anyone looking to try Pathfinder 2e. If you click on a product link on this page we may earn a small affiliate commission.

Pathfinder 2E Barbarian guide: Best options for melee builds The power of pure anger is a great ally in combat, which is why the Barbarians of Pathfinder are so feared. Here are the best low-level builds for the Barbarian in Pathfinder 2E. The Barbarian is a staple of fantasy media, with Conan and Red Sonja being some of the prime examples of warriors from a more savage age, where sharp steel is the solution to most problems, and physical strength is a prerequisite for leadership. In Pathfinder 2E, the Barbarian uses their Rage Ability to provide temporary boosts in combat. This increases your damage output and grants temporary hit points but lowers your Armor Class score and makes it impossible to concentrate. As such, playing a Barbarian is all about knowing when to use Rage rather than spamming it. The Barbarian walks a line between swiftness and savagery. They also have some interesting ways of shutting down enemies before combat begins, which players shouldn’t ignore, as dealing with foes without bloodshed might be the best course of action. Best Ability Boosts for the Barbarian Barbarians are frontline fighters who specialize in dishing out damage. As such, the Strength stat should be your highest priority, as you’ll need it for hurting enemies. Your next priority should either be Constitution or Dexterity. As a frontline fighter, you’ll be taking lots of hits, so Constitution will help you tank them, while Dexterity boosts your Armor Class and Reflex scores, making it easier for you to avoid damage. Dexterity has the lead in this case, as you’ll have lots of hit points anyway, but Constitution should be your next choice. In terms of the mental stats, Wisdom is the top priority due to how it boosts the Will save. The last thing your party needs is you getting confused or mind-controlled into hitting them, so a strong Will is a great choice. After that, Charisma and Intelligence are a toss-up, as you’re not particularly suited to using either of them. Best Ancestries for the Barbarian For the Barbarian, you’ll want an Ancestry that provides at least one Strength Boost and a few extra powers to aid you early on in the campaign, some of which belong to the monster races. The Human, Gnoll, Lizardfolk, and Orc are the best options available. The Half-Orc should also be mentioned, as it can choose Feats from both the Human and Orc lists. The best Human Feats for Barbarian are: General Training or Natural Ambition – These provide either a General or Class Feat, giving you an extra selection from the powers listed further down the article. – Haughty Obstinacy – Drastically improves your Intimidation abilities, hopefully allowing you to prevent combat from occurring. – Viking Shieldbearer – Gives you the useful Shield Block Reaction in case you want to boost your defenses as a frontline fighter. – The best Gnoll Feats for Barbarian are: Crunch – Greatly improves your unarmed Jaw attack, ensuring you’re never without a weapon. – Hyena Familiar – Provides access to a familiar with useful abilities that the player can tailor. – Sensitive Nose – Grants Imprecise Scent at 30ft, which is incredibly useful when facing invisible enemies or fighting in magical darkness. – The best Lizardfolk Feats for Barbarian are: Lizardfolk Lore – Trains you in Nature and Survival, two of the best skills for a Barbarian to have. – Reptile Rider – Provides the Ride Feat for free and a bonus for Handle an Animal checks for certain creatures. It’s especially helpful if you want to ride a dinosaur. – Sharp Fangs – Gives you a powerful unarmed attack, ensuring you’re never without a weapon. – The best Orc Feats for Barbarian are: Orc Ferocity – Makes it a lot harder to kill you in combat, as you can spend your Reaction to survive a lethal blow (though you take points in the Wounded condition). – Orc Superstition – Provides a bonus to saving throws against most spells and magical effects. – Orc Warmask – Trains you in a skill and gives you the Dubious Knowledge Skill Feat, while also providing a bonus to the skill. The mask can be improved with Feats at later levels. – Best Backgrounds for the Barbarian Character Backgrounds provide Ability Boosts and give access to useful skills & Feats. While the Barbarian might not seem like it can come from a range of varied backgrounds, there is a ton of scope for coming up with interesting reasons why a character walks the path of rage. Bounty Hunter – Provides a Strength Boost and a Free Pick, as well as the Survival skill and the Experience Tracker Feat, both of which are useful in groups without Rangers. You also get Legal Lore, for those who want to play a Barbarian inspired by Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men. – Guard – Provides a Strength Boost and a Free Pick, as well as the Intimidation and Legal Lore/Warfare Lore skills and the Quick Coersian Skill Feat. This choice is ideal for those who want to play a more charismatic and forceful Barbarian, rather than just an axe swinger. – Martial Disciple – Provides a Strength Boost and a Free Pick. You can pick Acrobatics skill training to gain the Cat Fall Skill Feat, allowing you to take less damage from falls. You also gain the Warfare Lore skill. – Tax Collector – Provides a Strength Boost and a Free Pick, the Intimidation skill and the Quick Coersian Skill Feat. You also get Lore for your settlement, making it ideal for campaigns where you use a central location. Who knew tax agents were just as scary in Golarion as they are in the real world? – Best Skills for the Barbarian Barbarians are trained in the Athletics skill as well as three additional skills + intelligence modifier. You gain skills from several sources, like Ancestry and Background, and there are a few that will be more useful in most campaigns. Acrobatics – Makes it easier to use the Tumble Through ability in combat, allowing you to avoid counters, and is often used to avoid hazards in dungeons. – Intimidation – While Barbarians generally aren’t known for their Charisma skills, they can boost their Intimidation abilities through various Feats, preventing combat before it starts. – Nature and Survival – Barbarians are known as outdoor types, so having access to these skills is useful, especially in parties that lack a Ranger. – Stealth – Barbarians aren’t exactly known for being stealthy, but they do know the benefit of getting the jump on the enemy. Stealth helps considerably in this regard, allowing you to surprise foes and get the first attacks in. – Best Barbarian class Feats The Barbarian uses its class Feats to improve its combat abilities or to gain new Actions that can be unleashed against foes. These are the best level 1 Barbarian Feats: Raging Intimidation – Lets you use Intimation abilities (like Demoralize) while raging, giving you more options in combat outside of multiattack. – Raging Thrower – Adds your Rage damage bonus to thrown weapons, drastically improving your ranged options in combat. – Sudden Charge – Let’s you perform two Strides and a Strike for two Actions as your opening move (as it has the Open trait). This is the perfect opener for combat encounters and lets you perform an extra Action on top. – These are the best level 2 Barbarian Feats: Furious Finish – A risky attack Action that lets you add your remaining Rage rounds to damage, hopefully finishing the fight, as your Rage ends when you use it. – No Escape – A useful Reaction that lets you follow enemies trying to escape from combat without burning your regular Actions. – Shake it Off – Removes Frightened 1 and can remove 1-3 Sickened, all for the cost of an Action. – These are the best level 4 Barbarian Feats: Fast Movement – If you’re playing an Ancestry with a shorter movement speed, then this can help you keep up with the rest of the party. – Oversized Throw – Useful when combined with Raging Thrower, as you can turn the scenery into powerful weapons, truly living up to the Barbarian name. – Swipe – Strike two opponents with one attack without inflicting the multiattack penalty (though it will be applied to future attacks in the same round.) – Wounded Rage – Lets you enter Rage as a Reaction to damage, so you don’t need to do it on your turn. – Best General & Skill Feats for the Barbarian General Feats are mostly used to improve the Barbarian’s combat skills, rather than giving them fresh new powers, while Skill Feats tend to be more useful. If you’re able to acquire a General Feat at level 1, these are the best options: Armor Proficiency – If you want to eschew Dexterity and go for a heavy armor build, this Feat is essential, as it will provide heavy armor proficiency. – Combat Climber – Let’s you fight one-handed while climbing. – Diehard or Toughness – Barbarians have a ton of hit points, but they also take a lot of damage. These Feats help your chances of surviving. – Incredible Initiative – Going first in combat is always a plus and this provides a bonus to your initiative score, regardless of what stat is being used to roll for it. – Titan Wrestler – Gives you more combat options against larger foes. – There aren’t many great Level 2 Skill Feats (the reason why is explained below), but you can take an additional choice from the Level 1 list instead, should you meet the prerequisites. The best level 3 Feats are technically available at level 2, but it’s harder for Barbarians to meet the prerequisite (Expert in specific skills) than other classes. The best level 3 Feats are: Armored Stealth – This Feat reduces the Stealth check penalty for armor, which is extremely useful for sneaky warriors. – Intimidating Prowess – Gives you a bonus to certain Intimidation Actions based on your Strength modifier, which is ideal for Barbarians. – Lasting Coercion – You’re able to keep people you intimidate on your side for up to a week. – Terrifying Resistance – If you’re able to Demoralize an enemy caster, this provides a bonus against their spells. – Best weapons & armor for the Barbarian Barbarians start with trained levels in simple and martial weapons, unarmed attacks, unarmored defense, light armor, and medium armor. When it comes to Armor, a Barbarian player can go the heavy route by gaining heavy armor proficiency via the Armor Proficiency Feat. If Dexterity is a low priority, then heavy armor is the way to go, as you’ll have the Strength to avoid penalties. If so, then try and buy some splint mail or half plate as soon as possible. Barbarians tend to work better in the light/medium group, where they can balance use of their Dexterity. If you have a high Dexterity (+3 or more), go for a chain shirt. If your Dexterity is lower, go for scale mail. For weapons, go for the biggest damage die possible by choosing the greataxe (which has the Sweep trait for multi-attacking), the maul (which can Shove), and the greatsword (which can switch between Slashing and Piercing damage). The javelin is a great choice for ranged weapons, as it has the Thrown trait, allowing you to add your Strength modifier to damage. It’s also handy to have a longbow or shortbow in case you need to fight foes from afar. Best Instincts for the Barbarian Barbarian players choose an Instinct at level 1, which comes with a downside called an Anathema, where you lose the Instinct’s ability if you perform certain actions. These Anathema can really hurt the Instinct’s viability, as is the case with Dragon and Superstitions. These are the best Instincts to choose from: Elemental Instinct The Anathema (disrespecting elemental creatures) is something that will rarely come up, unless the DM is out to mess with you. Meanwhile, your Rage damage increases and switches to an elemental type, and you can shroud yourself in energy that offers concealment against ranged attacks. Giant Instinct The Anathema about failing to meet a challenge of strength shouldn’t be too hard to avoid for a strong character. Meanwhile, you get the Titan Mauler ability, letting you use a bigger weapon and upping your Rage damage from 2 to 6 at the cost of -1 to hit. Spirit Instinct The Anathema about disrespecting the dead means you might have to keep the party in line sometimes when exploring, but the ability to strike incorporeal enemies is worth it, especially in campaigns where you know a lot of undead will be faced. If you click on a product link on this page we may earn a small affiliate commission.

Path of Exile trading explained: How to trade with other players Grinding Gear GamesSelling and buying items from other players in Path of Exile might be different from other RPGs, but it’s still a big part of the game. Here’s everything you need to know to get started trading. Trading with other players works very differently in Path of Exile compared to say Diablo 3. There’s no centralized currency like gold for players to trade back and forth for items. PoE uses several different types of crafting material that also double as currency instead (commonly scrolls and orbs). The barter system can be a bit of a trip if you’re coming from a game like WoW, so let’s go over everything that makes it tick. How to trade in Path of Exile There is no in-game Auction House or trading plaza in Path of Exile as there are in games like Diablo 3 or WoW, instead you have to just trade directly with other players. This means it’s up to you to find a player with the item you want and manually initiate a trade. It’s easier than it sounds because you can use sites like Poe.trade, which is run by the game’s devs, to find players selling the item you want to buy. This is the easiest site to use, since you can message players and set up the trade directly. Once you’re all ready to go, players drag the items they’re willing to exchange onto a shared screen. After everything’s agreed upon, both players accept and the trade is completed. Trading process explained The full process should go something like this: Use Poe.trade to find the item you want – Click the ‘whisper’ button next to the player’s name who’s selling the item – After you click whisper, a line of text will be copied you can paste into game chat to contact the player directly in-game – If they players online, they’ll hopefully message you back – Set up a place to meet (typically your Hideout, or theirs) – Make sure to bring the agreed upon currency with you – Once you meet up, finish the trade – Path of Exile currency There are a massive amount of items that can be used as currency in PoE. There are literally hundreds of these items, with of the basics being Scrolls of Wisdom, Chaos orbs, shards, vials, or Mirrors. For a full list of potential currencies in PoE, you can check out the full list here, along with conversion rates and all of that good stuff. But, in general, any item that can be stacked and used somehow in crafting could qualify, though Chaos orbs are usually the most common denominator. That should be enough to at least get you familiarized with the market in Path of Exile. As with other online RPGs it’s possible to make quite a bit of money just by buying and selling items, but there’s plenty of possibility for casual players to make a score as well.

Path of Exile Scourge Season patch notes: Blood Crucible, Scourged items, skill tree rework Grinding Gear GamesPath of Exile Scourge is finally upon us — the October 22 update for the RPG added the Blood Crucible allowing you to upgrade items, as well as a full passive skill tree rework to add “Masteries”. Scourge is the latest Path of Exile update, and after being teased for weeks it finally kicked off on October 22 for PC players. There’s a ton of new content coming, including the Scourge challenge league, new skill gems, a reworked passive skill tree, endgame improvements, new unique items and a whole lot more. Upgrade items with The Blood Crucible After you acquire the Blood Crucible, it will fill up with the blood of the countless enemies you slay. Once it reaches a certain level, you’ll be able to activate the device, which transports you into an alternate Wraeclast overrun by demons known as The Scourge. The more blood you collect, the longer you can stay shifted into the parallel world. But the longer you stay, the more damage you’ll take. Why would you want to stay in this nightmare realm? To upgrade items, of course. You can also place items inside of the Blood Crucible, and after enough kills in the more-evil Wraeclast, it will be upgraded with a pair of “Scourged” modifiers. One of these is a beneficial mod and the other is a detrimental mod that could really affect your build. Items can be re-rolled by killing even more monsters, which will give a new set of modifiers. You can also upgrade the Blood Crucible, which has it’s own passive skill tree, to give it more item slots, faster item transformation, and more. Passive skill tree rework: Passive Skill Masteries For Scourge, the PoE devs have rebalanced all passive skills, focusing their power around a primary function and moving many niche stats to a new system called “Passive Skill Masteries.” When you assign your first Notable passive skill in a cluster, a Mastery will appear. Putting a skill point into this Mastery will allow you to pick from a list of more advanced stats that match the overall theme of the cluster. This new system should help to make the tree more understandable and less intimidating, and give us more freedom for how to plan our passive skill mapping as we level up. New Path of Exile Skill Gems Path of Exile: Scourge introduces a ton of new skill gems to help create even more new builds than ever before. Some of these will allow you to convert your Energy Shield into Energy Blades, summon a deadly Tornado that’s powered up by your own projectiles, and even send your character back in time with Temporal Rift. That’s just the tip of the iceberg though, as there will be many, many more new skill gems in Scourge than we can list here. Path of Exile: Scourge full patch notes Scourge is basically a full-on expansion for the game, and there are literally hundreds of patch notes to go along with it. If you want to see the full list of notes, which goes into detail about every bit and piece of this massive update, you can check them out on Path of Exile’s official site.

Path of Exile mocks Blizzard and Diablo during mobile announcement Developers of Path of Exile took a dig at Blizzard’s botched Diablo Immortal announcement from 2018 when announcing their own mobile version at ExileCon. The Diablo Immortal announcement will probably be remembered forever for giving fans something almost no one in attendance at BlizzCon 2018 actually wanted. The announcement and the infamous “don’t you guys have phones?” line seemed to be everywhere after it all went down, and there’s been so sign of Diablo Immortal either, despite a supposed 2019 release date. At ExileCon 2019 on November 15, Path of Exile developers joked that the controversy surrounding Blizzard’s announcement caused them to delay a mobile announcement from 2018. PoE takes another shot at Diablo Grinding Gear CEO Chris Wilson announced a mobile version of Grinding Gear’s RPG dungeon crawler on November 15. “So needless to say, about a year ago it became real difficult to announce that,” Wilson joked on stage to laughs from the crowd of fans. The CEO said developers thought fans would be more receptive to a mobile version if they announced a sequel, Path of Exile 2, first. It seemed to go over much better than the Diablo Immortal announcement did, but Wilson also said the game is currently “experimental,” and development will continue based on fan feedback. Grinding Gears has said they want to stay away from current trends in F2P (free-to-play) mobile gaming like microtransactions, and the like, while bringing a true version of Path of Exile to mobile. Path of Exile surprises players with new campaign Other big news out of ExileCon in 2019 was the announcement of Path of Exile 2 – a new campaign with new classes, challenges, and features for players to dive into. Armor, weapons, character models and animation have also been completely redone, but all previous microtransaction purchases will still carry over from PoE 1. There’s no release date for PoE 2 yet, but Grinding Gear did say they don’t intend to start a beta until very late in 2020. In the meantime, they will continue to release regular expansions every six months.

Is Path of Exile cross-platform? Crossplay & cross-progression on Xbox, PlayStation, PC, Mac Grinding Gear GamesPath of Exile is an action-packed ARPG but does the game support cross-platform play? Here’s everything you need to know. For many players, Path of Exile is a great free-to-play alternative to Diablo, thanks to its fast-paced action-focused gameplay and countless loot to collect. While the upcoming Path of Exile 2 is massively anticipated, many players are still enjoying the original game every day whether it’s solo or with friends, but you may be wondering if it has cross-platform features. After all, being able to play with your friends on every platform is extremely convenient so here’s everything you need to know about whether or not Path of Exile has cross-platform play. Contents Does Path of Exile have cross-platform play? – Does Path of Exile have cross-progression? – Will Path of Exile have crossplay in the future? – Does Path of Exile have cross-platform play? Path of Exile does not have cross-platform play, but the title’s crossplay system is a little confusing. Users playing on Mac and PC can play with one another, but not with other consoles. On the other end of the spectrum, PlayStation and Xbox players have no cross-platform system. Does Path of Exile have cross-progression? As you can imagine, the parameters for crossplay are the same as those for cross-progression. The general answer is no, unless you are playing on Mac and PC. Will Path of Exile have crossplay in the future? While it may seem unlikely that Path of Exile will have crossplay in its base game, this feature may arrive in Path of Exile 2 and, from there, be implemented in Path of Exile itself. However, we’ll just have to wait and see. In a 2018 tweet, the developers responded to a Tweet asking for cross-platform play, writing that “players on the two different console platforms play on their own separate servers.” This is probably why players on different devices can’t play with each other at the moment. Players on the two different console platforms play on their own separate servers. — Path of Exile (@pathofexile) November 5, 2018 So, that’s everything you need to know about whether or not Path of Exile is cross-platform. For more content on the game, check out our guides below:

Path of Exile 2: Everything we know – Trailer, early access & more Grinding Gear GamesPath of Exile 2 is the next iteration of Grinding Gear Games hit dungeon-crawler and is something Diablo 4 fans may be interested in. Path of Exile 2 was announced at the publisher’s annual ExileCon back in 2019. Since then, the developers have drip-fed news to us about the game. While Grinding Gear Games has been fairly open with how development is going, there’s still much that is shrouded in mystery. The original game was a top-down hack-and-slash adventure a lot like Diablo 2 and 3, and the sequel looks set to push the envelope further and serve as a fitting alternative to Diablo 4 or even games like Lost Ark. Here’s everything we know about Path of Exile 2 so far. Release date The Path of Exile 2 early access launches on November 15, 2024, as announced by the developer on Steam. However, there’s been no word on a release window for the 1.0 version as of yet. Trailer So far in the previews, we’ve had a look at the new character selection, in which your chosen hero is the only survivor of a mass public hanging – setting that dark, hopeless tone the series is known for. We also got a look at some of the new environments coming for Path of Exile 2, including a stage that’s entirely on the top of a giant Mad Max-like vehicle. The gameplay also looks like it’s smoother than the first game – but equally addictive. The release of a second trailer in 2021 gave us even more of a look at the new world, the Vastiri Desert region, dungeons, and enemies as well, but still no hint at a full release date. Is it an expansion or a sequel? The game was originally set to be a stand-alone expansion to the first game, sharing its campaign and endgame content. Now, Path of Exile 2 will be a true sequel and a separate entity, with its own story and endgame activities. For more on the biggest upcoming releases, check out our pages on some of the most-anticipated games that have been announced, such as The Elder Scrolls 6, Space Marine 2, and Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred.

Path of Exile 2 devs learn from Diablo 4’s Season 1 balance criticism Grinding Gear GamesLearning from the experiences of its competitors, the developers behind Path of Exile 2 (PoE2) have expressed their empathy for the Diablo 4 team after they recently faced backlash over a controversial balance update. Grinding Gear Games co-founder Jonathan Rogers recently discussed the challenges of managing game balance in an interview with IGN. “I mean, ultimately, the learning process for running a live game with Seasons like this is a hard one,” Rogers stated. “We’ve learned our lessons about how to do this stuff. Honestly, when I look at that, all I can think is, ‘Man, it’s tough. It’s a real tough situation to be in.’” “I feel very bad for the developers because I’m sure that they mean well, but yeah, it’s a hard lesson to learn,” Rogers continued, conveying his empathy towards the Diablo 4 team. The comments followed Blizzard’s Diablo 4 Season 1 patch controversy, which saw a wave of criticism over drastic reductions in player power and an imbalance among classes. The update has been deemed as a hard lesson by the Diablo 4 team, who have pledged to revert some of the changes and work on better communication with their player base. In contrast, Grinding Gear Games appears to be taking a proactive approach to balance in PoE2. Rogers emphasized the importance of getting the balance right at launch: “I think that you get the balance correct at launch because once you have something a certain way, players are very resistant to changing it, in particular in a downwards direction.” The PoE2 devs are planning a lengthy beta as a mitigation strategy. Rogers believes this will provide the necessary feedback to fine-tune the game balance before its launch. “That’s going to be a challenge and with a lengthy beta, we should be able to achieve that.” Moreover, Rogers also mentioned that PoE2 aims to offer a deep and complex gaming experience, catering to players’ craving for in-depth character customization and build experimentation. These remarks could reflect their desire to offer an alternative to the design choices that stirred controversy in Diablo 4. Stay tuned for more updates regarding both Diablo and Path of Exile.

Path of Exile 2 announced out of nowhere at ExileCon Path of Exile developer Grinding Gear Games announced a surprise sequel to their popular dungeon-crawler RPG at the annual ExileCon event. Seen as a spiritual successor to the Diablo franchise for some, the game’s loyal fanbase had received no word about the new campaign. The trailer and gameplay footage were both released by Grinding Gear at ExileCon on Friday, November 15, without any previous mention from the company about an announcement this big in the days leading up to the reveal. So, what are in the previews? The cinematic trailer starts out with a look at the new character selection, in which your chosen hero is the only survivor of a mass public hanging – setting the tone that PoE is known for. We also got a look at some of the new environments coming for PoE 2, including a stage that’s entirely on the top of a giant Mad Max-like vehicle. PoE 2 will have a new seven-act storyline that is available alongside the original Path of Exile campaign. Both storylines lead to the same shared Atlas endgame and PoE 2 retains all expansion content that has been created over the last six years while introducing a new skill system, ascendancy classes, engine improvements and more. There are 19 new ascendancy classes in PoE 2 alongside the original classes, that will still be available in the old campaign. The game’s skill system is also getting updated to make it less frustrating to use, while still keeping the depth that PoE is known for. In this sequel, it will be possible to six-link every skill your character uses. Armor, weapons, character models and animation have also been completely redone, but all previous microtransaction purchases will still carry over from PoE 1. There’s no release date for PoE 2 yet, but Grinding Gear did say they don’t intend to start a beta until very late in 2020. In the meantime, they will continue to release regular expansions every six months.

What is Paralives? New-gen Sims clone explained: Release date & everything we know Paralives StudioParalives is a life simulation that offers players the chance to live their dream as Parafolk in the game’s open world. Here’s everything we know about the game’s release date, gameplay, platforms, and more. When Paralives, a life simulation game that features open-world and in-depth character creation, was first announced in 2019, the Sims community was thrilled. After all, there’s no denying that EA has been known to be “milking” players with constant DLCs and packs. So, when a new life simulation game showed up, players were happy that there’s finally some potential competition going on. Since then, many players have been looking forward to the launch of Paralives, and after about five years of development, devs have spoken up about the game’s launch. Here’s everything you need to know about Paralives’ release date, gameplay, platform, and more. Contents Paralives release date – Paralives gameplay and features – What platforms will Paralives be available on? – Gameplay Overview – Will Paralives have DLCs? – Paralives release date Early access for Paralives is set to release next year in 2025, as shown in the game’s latest overview video and devs’ Q&A page. The exact date for the game’s launch is currently unknown, but according to devs, it will be announced later as we near the early access launch. Paralives gameplay and features Paralives feature an open-world life sim where players can exist as “Parafolk.” These are characters in the game that can be customized in terms of personality, appearance, and so much more. The latest gameplay overview shows that players have options to shape their Para through Vibe, Social Perk, Talent, and Lifestyle options, which affect how they interact with others in their surroundings. And depending on the player’s choice, they can develop a “secret crush” too! Jobs are also present in the game, given that Parafolk need to pay their bills. At the end of the work day, players can spend upgrade points to let their Para gain access to more advanced skills, allowing them to perform better and rise above the ranks. Players may be offered jobs by other Parafolk depending on their relationship. This seems to be influenced by the game’s “Together Cards” social system that tailors the way Para interacts with their peers according to their personality. Aside from that, there’s also the building aspect of the game, with the options to create curved walls, split levels, stacking objects, and many other features. What platforms will Paralives be available on? Paralives will be released on Steam for both PC and Mac. As for console players, unfortunately, devs have mentioned that console versions are not planned at the moment. The same goes for mobile devices as well. Though that could always change in future if the game is wildly successful. Paralives Trailer: Gameplay Overview Will Paralives have DLCs? Regarding extra content, devs have confirmed that there will be no paid DLC in Paralives. Updates in the game will be free. In the future, players can also expect more features to be added, such as seasons, basements, swimming pools, bikes, pets, and weather. All in all, it seems that there’s a lot to look forward to in Paralives. While the game is still a year away from launch, we’ll keep an eye out for more information and update more sections once more information is available. So, make sure to keep checking back.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door review: A cut above At this point, Paper Mario isn’t a new concept to anyone familiar with the limber Italian and his Mushroom Kingdom-dwelling cohort. Paper Mario originally debuted on the N64, after shifting development from a sequel to the Super Mario RPG into something very different. Then, a sequel called Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door graced the Gamecube in 2004, twenty years ago. Taking the best elements of the original Paper Mario, such as the engaging active combat, sense of humor, and zany cast of characters. It’s been a long twenty years since the original release, especially for people who played and loved the game at the time like this 34-year-old gamer. One of the GameCube’s greatest games has escaped any re-release, remaster, or remake for nearly two decades despite a lot of fan requests. Well, until now. This particular remake is a case of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” as the Switch release of this iconic and beloved entry in Mario’s RPG oeuvre now looks like the game many people imagined back on their CRT TV’s back in the days of Beyonce’s Crazy In Love. So, whether you’re a returning gamer or a new recruit to the Paper Mario cause, is this an adventure you should pay to unfold? Or, does it feel like it’s been cut short of greatness? Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Key Details Price: $59.99 | £49.99 – Developer: Nintendo – Release Date: May 23, 2023 – Platforms: Nintendo Switch – A4-mative Mario RPG that set the Paper tone If this is your first Paper Mario rodeo, you’ve picked a great place to start. Working somewhat like a traditional RPG, Mario explores a new world on a quest to collect the seven Crystal Stars, open the Thousand-Year Door, and discover the secrets hidden within. Oh, and save Princess Peach. As he explores this wild new world, Mario picks up a plethora of fun partners with their own story and personality, each also with unique abilities not just in battle, but also in the overworld. Plus, Mario is set to learn a few paper-based tricks of his own. A seemingly small world and quaint adventure soon opens up, as the threats escalate, but so does Mario’s arsenal of abilities. Within the first few hours, you can use a friendly Koopa’s shell to break blocks, fold into a paper airplane to cross large gaps, and use the breeze to blow things in the overworld with a sentient cloud. What sets it apart, however, is that Paper Mario TTYD is as much about exploration and abilities as it is those turn-based RPG battles. In fact, the battles aren’t even strictly turn-based, as attacks depend on well-timed reactions and button presses to hit hard or defend Mario and the team. Paper Mario TTYD can occasionally feel like a rhythm game. While you’re the one choosing the moves, it’s vital you hit those buttons at the right time to win, as they bolster your attacks and defense when it’s the opponent’s turn. For those who just want to switch off when playing an RPG, the Paper Mario system can feel demanding, as it doesn’t allow you to simply select your moves and sit back. But, for me, I think it’s one of the most engaging and satisfying battle systems I’ve ever used. I adore this twist on RPG battles. Not only does it keep you switched on and aware while you’re fighting, but there are more threats than just your opponents. TTYD’s battles take place on a stage in front of an audience, and as such, the crowd can throw rocks (or helpful items), lights can fall from the rafters, and so much more. An adventure that never stays stationary From start to finish, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is probably around a 30-40 hour game, and the mixture of overworld exploration and turn-based battling helps to keep every chapter satisfying. There are some wild bosses that force you to pay attention and adapt your tactics like the screen-filling terror of Hooktail, and a particularly demanding Ghost Pirate. But there is a steady introduction of new partners and some fresh battle options thanks to those handy Crystal Stars. It has always felt like an extremely well-paced game, and 20 years later, that still stands. It helps that each of the seven distinct areas that Mario must explore offers a separate vibe, and the personalities of each world’s denizens help to develop this further. Humor is another key factor for this Paper Mario title, as the writing is stellar, offering not just plenty of jokes but also a quirky twist to the Mario world that feels sometimes unsettling and at other times almost mischievously un-Nintendo. Each new chapter is a joy to explore thanks to the hilarious characters, new wrinkles to battles and some increasingly difficult opponents, and the gradual increase in our favorite plumber’s bag of tricks. Mario’s time as a wrestler is a particular highlight, as is the young Yoshi companion found there thanks to their Scrappy Doo-esque pint-sized attitude. While the pace does slow dramatically for a particular train-based chapter, it’s a nice opportunity to let the game’s writing breathe and show off just how funny it can be. It comes off the back of a separate chapter that is almost entirely battling as well. Slicing through the filler Another great strength of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is that it doesn’t feel like you ever have to grind. It’s certainly an RPG at its core, but the progression system allows you to choose between HP, FP (Flower Points, which let you pull off more powerful moves), and BP. Now BP is the key here, as it means Badge Points. Mario can equip several Badges that augment your gameplay. They provide a wide range of benefits, like unlocking new moves or increasing attack power, with some particularly powerful ones letting you use two items in one go or eliminate spike damage. Increasing your BP and getting more of these badges is crucial, as while more HP and FP will help you stay alive and get more attacks out, BP changes how you approach each battle. Investing in BP gives you almost all the tools you need to take on any enemy; you just have to pay attention and plan your strategy. This ties perfectly into exploration, as while helpful things like items and badges can be bought in many shops dotted around the world, they can also be found tucked away. You’d better believe those aforementioned overworld abilities help players find hidden badges and secrets, and there is so much to find. At points, Paper Mario TTYD can almost feel like a Metroidvania, as you use your new moves to return to previous areas, now able to properly scour them for every single thing you missed. It’s incredibly rewarding as the first trip to any location you find plenty of secrets already, but a return often holds something else. To ease the burden of backtracking, this remake adds some much-welcomed pipes near the hub area of Rogueport, plus the map shows exactly how many of the game’s main collectibles you have found in each area. Previously, some chapters demanded backtracking and it could feel tedious. That isn’t entirely solved here, but the new pipes make things a lot easier, and the backtracking occurs at a time when you have so many new abilities, that it is well worth returning to previous areas to uncover previously unfindable secrets. A reprint that feels mint After reaching the credits in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door on Nintendo Switch, my existing belief that this is the definitive Paper Mario game is only emboldened. TTYD far exceeds any other Paper Mario offering, and can easily be argued to be among Mario’s best games. I took my time, ensuring not to rush so I got frustrated, I reached credits and explored far beyond, checking out some of the new content, and my love for this game has only grown. Plus, there are even a couple of fantastically tongue-in-cheek new bosses that offer a worthy challenge to those who can find them. Nevertheless, this is a remake, meaning even existing fans like myself are having to pay all over again. Still, the fresh purchase does feel justified. TTYD on Switch does the thing that few remakes can achieve: It makes the original feel redundant. The Switch seems to be mustering up every ounce of processing power it can to give this already gorgeous game a beautiful modern makeover. Visuals are crisp throughout, the environments play with light and shadow well to add depth and some stunning environments, and load times feel minimal. This is all bolstered by the fantastic visual design of the original, as a game that was originally a saturated marvel is now a visual showcase for the OLED Switch’s screen. Thousand-Year Door is genuinely stunning, and it’s a testament to the original’s choices. Sadly there is one concession, as while the GameCube original ran at a silky smooth 60fs, here Nintendo has opted for a stable 30fps instead. It is noticeable, which is a shame, but for me, it didn’t affect the heavily timing-based battles in any way, which was my main concern. I still found myself easily hitting the right timing for inputs, even in some of the most difficult segments later in the game. The natural rhythm remains intact, and if the framerate drop is what allows it to look so stunning, then I support the decision. Other improvements include the aforementioned pipes to reduce backtracking, a partner ring to quickly switch between teammates while exploring the world, a hint button to help anyone lost, and some smart increases both to the maximum amount of coins Mario can hold as well as how many items. Possibly the most impressive change however lies with the soundtrack, as the new fully orchestrated renditions of the existing songs are phenomenal. There is simply no going back, as an already great soundtrack is given life and personality on a whole new level, and the energy added helps keep battles entertaining and exploration interesting. Verdict – 5/5 Back in 2004, I thought Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door was one of the best games on the Gamecube. Now, the remake is one of the best games on Nintendo Switch. A treasured childhood memory has decades later become one of my favorite Switch experiences in years. Building on its predecessor, TTYD uses fantastic characters and writing to endear you to this world. Then, a dangerously addictive and satisfying battle system drives you through the stellar narrative, consistently testing you to stay engaged, and offering enough fresh challenges without ever feeling unfair. It’s clear that Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door on Switch is the best version of a masterpiece, and it’s thrilling to know a whole new generation gets to play this for the first time. Smart changes help make things better for returning players, but ultimately, everybody wins as this quirky RPG with a charming heart is a joy to play in every single moment. Reviewed on Nintendo Switch If you click on a product link on this page we may earn a small affiliate commission.

Paper Mario The Thousand-Year Door remake: Release date, trailer & more NintendoThe September 2023 Nintendo Direct had fans in a frenzy with the announcement of a Paper Mario Thousand-Year Door remake. Here are all the currently known details. The beloved Paper Mario franchise first began in 2000 with the release of the eponymous game for the Nintendo 64. The series’ popularity continued to grow when The Thousand-Year Door launched on the GameCube in 2004. However, players started to complain about the removal of several elements after the release of Sticker Star on the Nintendo 3DS. Similarly, the 2020 game The Origami King was criticized for its lack of role-playing features. Fans of the classic Paper Mario games are overjoyed following the announcement of a Thousand-Year Door remake. Here’s everything we know. Contents Paper Mario The Thousand-Year Door release date A special video celebrating MAR10 Day 2024 announced that The Thousand-Year Door remake would be released on May 23, 2024. Paper Mario The Thousand-Year Door platforms Paper Mario The Thousand-Year Door is a Nintendo exclusive. Therefore, it will only be available on the Nintendo Switch. Paper Mario The Thousand-Year Door trailer The September 2023 Nintendo Direct unveiled the first trailer of the Paper Mario remake. The footage included heavily enhanced graphics and Mario adventuring with partners like Goombella, Madame Flurrie, Koops, and Yoshi Kid. The second trailer for the upcoming game was released on March 26, 2024. The video sets the scene for the story’s beginnings in the sea town of Rogueport. Paper Mario The Thousand-Year Door gameplay It is expected that the remake will feature the same storyline and feature identical gameplay elements as the original. The Thousand-Year Door follows Mario on his journey to gather Crystal Stars and rescue Princess Peach from the X-Nauts. The game includes a turn-based battle system where players can control Mario and their chosen partner. You can also equip badges to earn various perks like different sound effects and increasing Mario’s defense. That’s everything you need to know about Paper Mario The Thousand-Year Door remake. Check out our other video game hubs below: The Elder Scrolls 6 | GTA 6 | | Wolverine | KOTR Remake | Wonder Woman | DokeV | Dragon Age 4 |

Palworld Zoe & Grizzbolt guide: Strengths, weaknesses & how to win Zoe and Grizzbolt are the first major boss encounters you’ll come across in Palworld, so here’s a guide on how to beat them, including a full rundown of their strengths and weaknesses. Palworld has already become a massive hit, topping the Steam charts just a matter of hours after its release on January 19, 2024. With a lot of Pals to collect, a big open world to explore, and a unique blend of monster-taming and survival mechanics, it’s no wonder players all over the world are eager to dive into the game. Similar to Pokemon, Pals in the game wield different elements that dictate their move types and which Pals they will be strong and weak against. Understanding how these elements interact with each other is vital to progressing to defeating bosses and the first boss you’ll fight is Zoe and her trusty Grizzbolt. If you’re struggling with the encounter, however, here’s a rundown guide on how to defeat Zoe and Grizzbolt in Palworld. Palworld Zoe and Grizzbolt tower encounter guide Where to find Zoe & Grizzbolt Zoe and Grizzbolt are the first major tower bosses encountered in the game, and they present a significant challenge to the unprepared. The pair occupy the Tower of the Rayne Syndicate, found to the Northwest of the starting location. Just follow the path all the way up and it’s pretty impossible to miss. Character build & Grizzbolt mechanics The fight is a tough one, and it’s important to bring the right team makeup to counter Grizzbolt’s strengths well. When we approached the fight for the purposes of this guide, our character was Level 12, with a full team of Level 11 Pals to back it up. Going into the tower earlier than this is not recommended. When it comes to the player character, the three-shot bow, pelt armor and plenty of arrows are the best play here. Grizzbolt’s attacks are potent but relatively easily avoidable at range, meaning the bow is the ideal choice for laying down damage while avoiding incoming attacks. The first major attack to watch out for is a sniped electric shot. Watch out for the laser guide and hide behind a pillar until the shot has been fired. It’s relatively slow to launch and should be easy enough to avoid. Additionally, Grizzbolt casts a straight-line attack of electric explosions which rise up out of the floor. The best strategy for stopping those is to simply roll out of the way when it’s on the way. It isn’t able to change direction, and it’s not particularly quick either. The last major attack mechanic is an up-close melee that sees Grizzbolt stamp on the floor, causing an electrical pulse to emerge in a circle around him. The best thing to do here is to stay out of the way and simply sprint off if Grizzbolt heads toward the player character. Make good use of the pillar again to hold up the boss, who is quite quick once he gets moving. Ideal Pal choices & abilities to counter Zoe and Grizzbolt Grizzbolt is an Electric-type and is therefore weak against Ground-type Pals and abilities in Palworld. As the encounter comes relatively early in the game, there are limited full Ground-type options available to the player. That said, there are plenty of Pals that can be caught with at least one Ground attack, despite it not being their main type. That said, there are a couple of Ground-type pals to pick up before heading into the battle. The first is Rushoar, a boar with some nice baseline stats and attacks. Additionally, a Gumoss at the appropriate level is a particularly potent choice. In the other squad slots, it’s worth bringing other types (aside from Water) that have Ground attacks. The big ones to look out for are Sand Blast and Stone Blast, and in our case, we took an Eikthyrdeer, whose powerful knockback attack is hugely useful for interrupting Grizzbolt and providing a distraction to open up damage windows. Tanzee is another nice choice, particularly when equipped with the special machine gun and we went with Depresso in the last slot for the poison effect and ground attack combo. With all that in mind, defeating Grizzbolt should be a relatively approachable proposition. As the first of five Towers, the challenge only increases from there, and you’ll need a new, more powerful squad as you go on. For more Palworld content, check out our guides below: Palworld Fusion guide: Best Fusion breeding combos | Palworld Paldeck | Does Palworld have multiplayer or co-op modes? | How to get and farm High-Quality Pal Oil in Palworld | How to get & farm leather in Palworld | Best ways to level up fast in Palworld | How to get & farm honey in Palworld | Palworld Zoe & Grizzbolt guide | Palworld complete weapon list | Does Palworld have mod support? | Do Pals evolve in Palworld? | Are there Shinies in Palworld?

Is Palworld on Xbox Game Pass? PocketpairThe latest creature collecting game to hit the market is Palworld, and if you’re curious to check out this darker take on the beloved genre you may want to know if it’s available to play on Xbox Game Pass. Palword is a brand new monster taming title that’s been dubbed ‘Pokemon with guns‘. The action-packed release from Pocket Pair provides a dark twist on the genre that has made it extremely popular upon release. The has already game become a big hit on Twitch following its launch and it’s out on on PC and Xbox Series S/X and Xbox One. If you’ve seen gameplay clips online and are curious to check out Palworld for yourself then you’ll want to know whether or not it’s available on Xbox Game Pass. With that in mind, here’s everything you need to know about Palworld on Xbox Game Pass. Is Palworld on Xbox Game Pass? Yes, Palworld is on Xbox Game Pass. The game was released on January 19, 2024, on Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One. So, if you’re already subscribed to Xbox Game Pass, you can download and play Palworld right now. When you’re not busy monster-collecting and petting your Pals, it’s surprisingly apparent that you can also assign them to work in labor. “Build a factory, place a Pal in, and they’ll keep working as long as they’re fed–until they’re dead, that is,” as stated in the game’s description on Steam. But that’s not all. Outside of the usual leveling up and learning new skills for your Pals, you’ll also be challenged to make important decisions throughout the game, and this can include eating them when things get scarce (or if you just want to see what happens). All in all, Palworld is a great choice for those who enjoy crafting, monster-collecting, and open-world multiplayer elements. Palworld Fusion guide: Best Fusion breeding combos | Palworld Paldeck | Does Palworld have multiplayer or co-op modes? | How to get and farm High-Quality Pal Oil in Palworld | How to get & farm leather in Palworld | Best ways to level up fast in Palworld | How to get & farm honey in Palworld | Palworld Zoe & Grizzbolt guide | Palworld complete weapon list | Does Palworld have mod support? | Do Pals evolve in Palworld? | Are there Shinies in Palworld?

Palworld system requirements: Minimum & recommended PC specs PocketpairThe highly anticipated creature collecting title Palworld has just arrived in early access, and if you’re planning to play the game on PC, here’s a rundown of all the system requirements needed to have a smooth gameplay experience. Pocket Pair’s Palworld has just launched in early access for PC and Xbox consoles, and before its release, the game had been lovingly called ‘Pokemon with guns‘. It’s already become hugely popular on both Steam and Twitch and if it’s piqued your interest you can jump straight into the game now. Before you boot Palworld up on PC however, you’ll want to know what system requirements are needed to get the best possible performance out of the chaotic monster-taming title. So, we’ve got you covered with a rundown of the recommended and minimum PC specs for Palworld right here. Palworld Minimmum PC system requirements Palworld recommended PC system requirements Does Palworld have DLSS? Yes, Palworld does have DLSS capabilities, meaning that players using Nvidia cards can take advantage of this upscaling capability. DLSS allows improves game performance by rendering games at a resolution that the display can handle, but uses AI to convert the picture into an upscaled version of that result. With DLSS, players can get optimized visuals on Palworld without sacrificing performance. Those are the PC specs for Palworld. Fortunately, the game doesn’t seem too demanding which hopefully means that its multiplayer servers will be nice and populated. For more Palworld content, check out our guides below: Palworld Fusion guide: Best Fusion breeding combos | Palworld Paldeck | Does Palworld have multiplayer or co-op modes? | How to get and farm High-Quality Pal Oil in Palworld | How to get & farm leather in Palworld | Best ways to level up fast in Palworld | How to get & farm honey in Palworld | Palworld Zoe & Grizzbolt guide | Palworld complete weapon list | Does Palworld have mod support? | Do Pals evolve in Palworld? | Are there Shinies in Palworld?

Palworld streamer devastated after learning bases aren’t invincible PocketpairIn Palworld, players are required to defend their base to survive. However, it looks like those jumping in early may need to go the extra mile to ensure they don’t learn this streamer’s lesson the hard way. As Palword‘s early access launch gets underway, streamers have been showcasing the game on Twitch and giving a glimpse of what the world has to offer. Other than taming and collecting Pals, it’s apparent that players have to put in effort in building their own base which essentially functions as their home. Every now and then, enemies will attempt to attack the base, and it’s up to the player to defend it. Sure, the game does offer players the ability to set up their defenses, but one streamer in particular has learned a lesson regarding protecting their own base in perhaps the most unexpected way. In a short clip he posted on X, BurkeBlack was seen defending his base with a friend as hostile Pals kept swarming the area. At this point, a few parts of the base already seemed to be burning from fire, likely coming from the Pals’ attacks. What seemed to be a small fire quickly spread to the rest of the base, leaving the streamer to helplessly watch his precious base engulfed in flames. “Oh no… Oh my god,” he said as chaos ensued. It certainly didn’t take too long until the front part of the base disappeared into thin air, leaving the insides exposed. “We did not anticipate this, the consequences of our actions!” he said by the end of the clip. Seeing what the streamer went through in the clip, people couldn’t help but express their concerns and opinions regarding the game’s mechanics. “Isn’t there a setting to turn this off?” one person asked, to which a reply said, “Yes, but the raids add an air of excitement.” Outside of that, some players seem not to be surprised, given that Palworld is, after all, a survival game. One user even mentioned, “After LEGO Fortnite, it should be expected, lol.” Palworld’s early access has yet to launch at the time of writing, but this surely gave others more insight into what to expect in the game’s vivid world.

Palworld smashes records to place in Steam’s top 10 highest concurrently played games Pocket PairJust when it seemed like Palworld couldn’t get any bigger, the game has broken yet another record. Beating Baldur’s Gate 3, Elden Ring, and Hogwarts Legacy to become Steam’s 7th highest concurrently played game of all time. Palworld has captivated players worldwide with its adorable “Pals” and lethal spin on gameplay. Over the last few days, social media has been saturated with clips and comments as fans share their thoughts, hilarious game glitches, and more. Sales of the game have been skyrocketing too, with two million copies sold. The game’s been so unexpectedly popular it even required an emergency meeting with Epic to deal with the surge of players. Now, Palworld developers, Pocketpair, can add yet another accolade to their list of impressive achievements this weekend. According to YouTuber Benji Sales, Palworld’s concurrent players have now overtaken records set by Baldur’s Gate 3, 2023’s Game of the Year. It’s also left Hogwarts Legacy and Elden Ring behind now too. After crossing the 900,000 concurrent players threshold, Palworld is sitting in the 7th spot on Steam’s most concurrently played games of all time. No mean feat for a game that’s only been available in early access since January 19. As industry veteran, Mat Piscatella, amusingly pointed out, if it continues its “current player count growth rate” Palworld “will have been played by every human on Earth at hour 267 of distribution.” Although it isn’t likely every person on Earth is going to play Palworld by the end of this weekend, or at all, there’s no arguing the game is attracting a staggering number of players. The game’s meteoric rise has already broken numerous records, including selling over a million copies in its first eight hours of release.

Palworld slammed by Pokemon fans claiming devs ‘ripped off’ creature designs Pocket PairPalworld has generated a lot of hype based on its concept of Pokemon-esque creatures with guns, but many Pokemon fans feel the devs have gone too far and claim they’ve copied monster designs. Palworld is a game that almost immediately caught the moniker “Pokemon with guns” following its reveal, with many excited to see how the game expanded upon Pokemon’s concepts and took them to new heights. The game gives players survival and base-building mechanics to put their Pals to work and the ability to enslave and sell humans (yes, actually). And, that concept alone has been enough to propel the massive hype that’s been built up behind the game. However, some Pokemon fans are rebelling against Palworld and calling for boycotts after claiming that many of the Pal’s designs are “blatant” copies and rip-offs of beloved Pokemon. Pokemon fans call for Palworld boycott With the popularity of Pokemon over the years, it unsurprising that other devs have tried to create the experience of capturing and training monsters and repackage it with new and innovative ideas. However, while Palworld has a compelling concept behind it, Pokemon fans are convinced that they’ve flown a bit too close to the sun and have “blatantly” copied and ripped off classic creature designs. This post would prompt another user to post dozens of Pals new to Pokemon, claiming that each one has an uncanny resemblance to certain Pokemon. They even claimed that the devs have taken designs from Pokemon fan games and projects as well to bolster the roster of creatures. The devs have yet to respond to these allegations in particular, though they’ve gone on the record clarifying their game is “not a scam” ahead of release.

All Skill Fruit Tree locations in Palworld Skill Fruits are vital for team building in Palworld, offering a reliable method to enhance your Pal’s Active Skills and movesets. Find out the location of every Skill Fruit Tree in Palworld for easy farming. Constructing an optimal team involves considering several crucial elements. These include ensuring adequate type coverage, selecting powerful Pals, and devising an effective moveset tailored to your team’s strengths and weaknesses. While Pals do learn Active Skills naturally these don’t necessarily create optimal movesets. Be it starter Pals or end-game powerhouses, you’ll need to intervene and use Skill Fruits to get the most out of your Pals. To do though you’ll need a reliable method of finding them in the first place. With that said, here are all of the Skill Fruit Tree locations in Palworld, plus exactly what Skill Fruits do and which are available. Contents Where to find Skill Fruit Trees in Palworld Skill Fruit Trees can be found scattered across the Palpagos Islands with at least one appearing in each major biome. They stand out from regular trees thanks to their unique appearance with Skull Fruit Trees emitting a bluish glow. To collect Skill Fruits from a Skill Fruit Tree all you need to do is walk up and pick them. Each tree will produce three Skill Fruits of varying rarity with trees in higher level areas more likely to produce higher rarity Skill Fruits. Here’s a map of all Skill Fruit Tree locations in Palworld: How to use Skill Fruits in Palworld Similar to TMs in Pokemon, Skill Fruits can be used to teach a Pal a new Active Skill for them to use in battle. To do this all you need to do is open your inventory, locate the correct Skull Fruit, and use the Skill Fruit on a Pal in your active party. Unlike TMs, any Skill Fruit can be used on any Pal. It does not need to match the Pals type or be a designated move that the Pal can learn. If you have a Skill Fruit at hand it can be given to any of the 111 Pals currently available in Palworld. The only catch is that each Pal can only know three Active Skills at once. If you try to use a Skill Fruit on a Pal that already knows three Active Skills, you will need to pick one to be replaced. All Skill Fruits types in Palworld These are all the Skill Fruits you can find in Palworld, including their rarity and the Power rating of each associated Active Skill: Dark Skill Fruits Dragon Skill Fruits Electric Skill Fruits Fire Skill Fruits Grass Skill Fruits Ground Skill Fruits Ice Skill Fruits Neutral Skill Fruits Water Skill Fruits That’s everything you need to know about Skill Fruit Tree locations in Palworld. For more Palworld content, check out our other guides below: Palworld Fusion guide: Best Fusion breeding combos | Does Palworld have multiplayer or co-op modes? | How to get and farm High-Quality Pal Oil in Palworld | How to get & farm leather in Palworld | Best ways to level up fast in Palworld | How to get & farm honey in Palworld | Palworld Zoe & Grizzbolt guide | Palworld complete weapon list | Does Palworld have mod support? | Do Pals evolve in Palworld? | Are there Shinies in Palworld?

Palworld Sakurajima Update patch notes: New pals, weapons, and locations PocketPairPalworld’s first major expansion, the Sakurajima update, is finally here! With it comes a brand new island to explore and plenty of new Pals to capture as explained in the DLC’s lengthy patch notes. The monster-catching survival game, Palworld, first took the gaming community by storm on January 19, 2024, through Early Access and has held on to a loyal following in the months since. Though it has received smaller updates since launch, Palworld fans are eager for new content. Thankfully, the Sakurajima update, first revealed during Summer Game Fest 2024, is finally here. This major update brings plenty more to Palworld, like the new Sakurajima island, a player level cap raise, new resources, events, and much more. Here are the full patch notes. Patch notes for the Palworld v0.3.1 Update The official Palworld X account posted the full, official patch notes on June 26, 2024. Palworld players can read the full patch notes below: New Island – Sakurajima A new island has appeared! Sakurajima! – Take control of the tower protected by a new faction ‘The Moonflowers,’ and free this beautiful island from their control! – Sakurajima is home to many new Pals! Explore and find new species! – Arena An arena has appeared in the Desiccated Desert! Battle against other players to assert your dominance! (Multiplayer exclusive content) – Stronghold – Oil Rig An oil rig controlled by the Rayne Syndicate has appeared in the ocean! Work together with your friends to defeat powerful enemies and claim valuable resources such as crude oil! – Player level cap raised to 55! Players can now adventure to level 55! – New technologies available – Upper limit for Pal’s capture bonus has been increased from 10 to 12 – New Resource – Crude Oil You can extract crude oil by unlocking and placing a new building, the crude oil extractor, in certain spots around the world – New high-tier equipment and spheres can be crafted using the new material Plasteel which can be made from crude oil – New Raid – Blazamut Ryu Blazamut Ryu has arrived! The strongest Dragon Pal in the game! Meteorite Event Meteorites or supplies will fall from space sometimes! There may even be an unknown Pal from outer space too…!? – Tower Boss Hard Mode Each tower boss now has a hard mode, allowing you to face them in their ultimate form! – New Merchant – Medal Merchant A merchant who will exchange a new item Dog Coin for rare items! – New Items Mysterious Accessory Box – Permanently increases the number of accessory slots by 1 – Concentrated All-Purpose Pal Extract – Increases the rank of a Pal by 1 when used – Ring of Freight – Increases your carrying weight when equipped – Vital Remedy, Stamina Remedy, Might Remedy, Speed Remedy, Burden Remedy – These new remedies permanently strengthen the player’s base stats. Until now, players could only increase their stats when levelling up, but now you can reach MAX stats! – New Weapons Laser Rifle – Flamethrower – Gatling Gun – Grenade launcher – Guided Missile Launcher – Multi Guided Missile Launcher – Meteor Launcher – New NPC cosmetic hats! Dress up like your favourite bosses! Zoe Hat – Axel Hat – Lily Hat – Victor Hat – Marcus Hat – Saya Hat – New Pal cosmetic hats! Dress up like your favourite Pals! Lyleen Floral Cap – Sibelyx Hat – Leezpunk Hood – Killamari Cap – Cawgnito Hat – Ribbuny Headband – Lamball Helm – Dumud Helm – Swee Cap – Dazzi Hat – Cattiva Hat – New Buildings Cold Food Box – Feed your Pals while keeping your food nice and cool – Sulfur Mine and Coal Mine – Gather valuable resources at your base – Pal Disassembly Conveyor – Get rid of unwanted Pals automatically! Your heart will hurt less this way… – Wall-Mounted Sign – Make notes without taking up too much space – Refrigerated Crusher – An upgraded Crusher that can break down various items into different items – New Feature – Lockpicking You can now attempt to open locked treasure chests with the new lockpicking mini-game. Requires a Lockpicking Tool! – New Feature – Pal Skins! (Cosmetics for Pals) You can now change Pal’s skin at the new Pal Dressing Facility! – The “Sunglasses Cattiva” skin is now available for everyone! More skins will be added in future updates – Player Pal Box capacity increased from 480 Pals to 960 Pals – Increased the maximum amount of power that can be enhanced by Lifmunk Effigies from 10 to 12 – Added a setting that prevents items from being automatically picked up if it will overencumber the player – Base Related The building system has been reworked and improved! Basic construction is now much more intuitive and smooth! – Pillars have been added. The days of accidentally demolishing a supporting wall and the entire 2nd flood collapsing are over! – Axis alignment function added – Defensive walls can now be connected – It is now possible to connect from the roof, walls, stairs, and pillars to the foundation (previously, connections could only be started from the foundation) – New building material “Glass” has been added. Keep an eye on your cute Pals from inside with glass walls! – The maximum base level has been increased to 25, and the number of bases allowed has been increased from 3 to 4 at level 25 – You can now change the maximum amount of guild bases from the game options ※Note: Too many bases may lead to performance issues – You can now change the maximum amount of base Pals from the game options ※Note: Too many Pals at one base may lead to performance issues – Implemented a private lock function for chests. Your friends won’t be able to steal your metal anymore! – It is now possible to permanently assign a Pal to a specific facility from the Monitoring Stand – Cakes will now be transported to chests as a priority – Readjusted the work priority order for Pals – Changes to defense facility specifications. Work pals will use them automatically even if they are not assigned to a specific facility – Measures and mitigation for base pals getting stuck when a route cannot be taken – UI Added a lock function in the Pal Box menu – Player crosshair colour can now be adjusted and fixed an issue where the crosshair would get stuck behind the player – You can now craft items in units of 100x – Added more types of custom map markers, and increased the placement limit to 300 – Statue of Power UI has been improved – Improved sorting function of Pal Box, making it easier to find the Pal you want – World Junkyards have been added around the world! You might find some valuable items there… – A new random event has been added. Find and steal eggs from “Monster Nests” hidden around the islands! – Pal New Pal Skills! Unique Skills Jumping Stinger (Menasting) – Rocket Slam (Chillet) – Protection of Fertility (Lyleen) – Raging Flame Wave (Faleris) – Thunderbolt Heavy Tank (Grizzbolt) – Polyceraunos (Orserk) – Divine Disaster II (Shadowbeak) – – Neutral Skills Air Blade – Holy Burst – Star Mine – – Fire Skills Flame Wall – Volcanic Rain – Flame Funnel – – Water Skills Splash – Wall Splash – – Grass Skills Circle Vine – – Electric Skills Thunder Rain – TriSpark – Thunderstorm – – Ice Skills Icicle Line – – Ground Skills Rockburst – Sand Twister – – Dragon Skills Beam Slicer – Comet – – New Passive Skills Philanthropist – Greatly reduces the time required to produce eggs – Impatient – Reduced cooldown on active skills – Infinite Stamina – Increased stamina (Only on mountable Pals) – Noble – Pals with this passive will give you an advantage when trading with merchants – Nocturnal – Pals with this passive become nocturnal and will work throughout the night – – Multiplayer Added a new setting that always rejects guild invites Balance Adjustment Due to the increase in accessory slots, accessories with the same name have been changed so they cannot be equipped more than once – Defensive accessories have been balanced due to the increase in accessory slots. – Due to the addition of many new Pals, some Pal breeding combinations have been changed – Adjusted the selling price of all Pals. The selling price of Alpha Pals is now about twice that of the original species – Bug Fixes Mitigations have been added for an issue that caused PCs to freeze when closing the game – Changed the grappling gun behaviour to make it less likely to get stuck – Many many many other minor bug fixes – Other A warning will now be displayed if the GPU driver is too out-of-date Soundtrack 6 new songs have been added to soundtrack. If you have already purchased the game, please update the soundtrack. *Please note that the soundtrack update may be delayed by about a day. While the v0.3.1 update is installing, be sure to check out our full Palworld Sakurajima walkthrough or our Palworld breeding guide. Additionally, players can look into our breakdown of every Technology Level and crafting blueprint in the game.

Is Palworld coming to PS5 & PS4? POCKETPAIRPalworld has become a massive hit on Steam and Xbox Game Pass with its unique blend of monster-taming and survival gameplay but will the game be coming to PS4 and PS5 in the future? Palworld, often referred to as ‘Pokemon with guns’ quickly rose to the top of Steam Charts when it first released in early access on January 19, 2024. With 100 Pals to collect and battle with, unique base-building mechanics, and a vast open world to explore, there’s a lot of great content to enjoy in Palworld. Moreover, with the addition of a new island called Sakurajima along with new Pals, it’s clear that players have a lot to look forward to the game’s next major content update for PC and Xbox. That said, those playing on PlayStation may be curious to know if they’ll be able to jump into the fun anytime soon. So, here’s everything we know about whether or not Palworld will be coming to the Sony devices. Is Palworld coming to PS5 & PS4? Palworld seems to be dropping hints regarding its launch on PlayStation, as revealed in a post on X. Community manager Bucky started the post with black, green, and white hearts surrounding the “Palworld” text, followed by a separate text below with an additional two blue hearts. Of course, this could mean anything, but given that Palworld devs have previously announced that they’ll consider bringing the game to PlayStation 5 during development, it’s likely that players may be getting an update regarding this soon. Currently, the game is only available to play on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S in early access. So, those looking to delve into the open-world survival game will need to pick up a copy on the above platforms. It’s important to note that Palworld is still in Early Access, meaning the game is not fully complete and could receive several changes upon its full release. In fact, the devs have already stated that certain features like PvP and more Pals will be added later in development.

Palworld players shut down criticism of game being “reskin” of Pokemon and Ark PocketPairPlayers of Palworld have rallied in support of the game that sold 1 million copies in just eight hours, following waves of criticisms that is has copied Pokemon and Ark. Palword has instantly captured the attention of the gaming community following glowing reviews from players and streamers. In just a matter of days it has dramatically risen and become the best-selling game on Steam, as well as reaching heights of over 500 thousand players at one time. However, some people have been blasting the game for being “Pokemon with guns,” in relation to its many quirky Pals in the game. As well as this it has been accused of “copying” various other games such as Ark and Craftopia. Now, Palworld players have had enough. One player has shared a typical meme that has been making the rounds online against the haters of the game, as legions of players have chimed in to hit back at criticism. Palworld players rally to support game after Pokemon and Ark criticism Palworld player Ares_carries posted: “Game is pretty fun if you asked me,” alongside a meme depicting what haters have been saying about the game. “You know it’s just a reskinned Ark right? It’s just a scam look at Craftopia. Quit having fun,” each of the three sayings read. Despite the backlash from some in the gaming community, many quickly flooded in to praise the game and shut down the criticisms. “I can’t even see the haters because I play in full-screen lmao,” the top comment read, as another stated: “Fortnite was early access for years while being the most played and profitable game. It’s just people mad to mad, with zero understanding for why they believe what they do.” Others revealed how they found Palworld after playing Ark, stating that “every single game session we had together ended with me dead and too far away from literally all my stuff and it was the least fun I’ve had in a long time, this game I’ve actually made a house, caught some pals and enjoyed myself.” Some addressed the comparisons to Craftopia: “The fact is that even after spending 170+ hours on Craftopia the game feels really chunky and cheap. I bought the game a week after the release, played for 15/20 hours and then literally abandoned it.” “If Pokemon company does not see this as a wake-up call to create a game like Ark and Pokemon, but official Pokemon and make it cross-platform, they would make so much damn money,” as more addressed the famous pocket monster comparisons. As various players alluded to, the game has launched as an Early Access game, therefore developers have stressed that it is not yet “complete.” With Palworld’s remarkable rise straight out of the blocks, it will be certainly interesting to see how the game evolves and in which direction it goes over time.

Palworld players mortified as people realize they can profit by selling human beings PocketpairPalworld is getting into the minds of gamers before its official release thanks to the help of some content creators, and players were mortified when they realized what they could do in the black market. Palworld is a multiplayer, open-world survival and crafting game from Pocketpair. The game is releasing in early access on January 19 and has been in the hands of some content creators who have posted gameplay to social media. The gameplay has created somewhat of a mythos about the experience, with some even saying it looks too good to be true. The essence of Paworld is Pokemon with guns; however, it does go deeper, and darker, than just its Nintendo inspiration. One content creator discovered that, similar to Pokemon games, players can catch people in balls and sell them on the black market. In Palworld, everyone can be captured Zak ‘Coney’ Zeeks, posted gameplay of the new title on social media and tested out what would happen if he threw, what appears to be Palworld’s version of a Pokeball, at an NPC. The human was sucked into the ball in a flash of blue light and eventually caught after a short struggle period. The creator also found that players can butcher the caught NPC, and then sell them on the black market for a significant sum. Social media users have since been mortified that the mechanic is in the game. “Oh great, now this game is also a human trafficking simulator?” One social media user said. Others, however, seem excited to try out Palworld now that they know it features something so taboo. “Probably the fastest I’ve ever gone from complete indifference to day-one-purchase,” another user said. Gamers will have to see for themselves whether the survivor game is worth playing when it comes out in a few days.

Palworld players left baffled after glitches send them flying through the air PocketpairPalworld may have only been released recently, but some players have already managed to find glitches within the game. There’s no doubt that Palworld has been well-received by a massive number of people, considering the game managed to surpass 500,000 concurrent players and sell over a million copies just hours after its launch. Regardless of how popular a game is, glitches or bugs are likely to occur at some point. Even more so when the game is being released during its early access state, such as in the case of Palworld. Some players have shared their experiences regarding glitches that sent them soaring in the air. In a post on X, one player showcased a short video detailing how this bug can happen. The clip started with the player approaching a Lamball and hitting it with a wooden baseball bat. Once the fluffy Pal was defeated, a Pal Sphere was thrown in its direction, trapping the creature inside the ball. The sphere was then seen briefly floating in the air while showing the Pal’s capture progress. During this short time frame the player quickly hopped onto it and, all of a sudden, they were launched into the air before using the glider to land safely on the ground. Others posted a similar clip, though they were not as lucky to survive the fall without a glider. That said, this bug has garnered quite the attention, with people sharing their opinions in the comments. “This is f****ing hilarious,” one user commented. Another suggested, “It could be called something like Getting On The Ball, but this’ll almost definitely be fixed in a patch lol.” On the other hand, a different player discovered one hilarious bug that sent them flying while “asserting air dominance.” Instead of using a glider, their character instantly snapped into the classic T-pose as they descended to the ground. Needless to say, this was met with a “Who needs gliders when you can T-pose glide” response. One user also said, “This is my personal [favorite] glitch next to ball hopping.” There’s a chance these glitches might get patched, but at the moment, it seems that players are enjoying the game regardless.

Palworld players left baffled after discovering game’s morbid secret PocketpairPalworld may have only been out for a few weeks, but people have already claimed to see some unthinkable things. Palworld shoves a bunch of adorable creatures at you. Just as soon as you set foot on the island, you’re greeted with an abundance of fluffy Lamballs, mischievous Tanzees, and other Pals you can capture to aid you at your base. However, don’t let that facade trick you. After all, the game’s trailer did show Pals working in a factory-like setting, suggesting a darker theme to the gameplay. On top of overworking these creatures and capturing humans to sell at the market, apparently the game takes things one step further when it comes to the dark side of Pals. A player on Reddit has claimed that they witnessed the gruesome sight of a Pal eating a human. They explained, “I actively saw a Pal not only kill a syndicate thug but then eat the body after. It made swinging head motions, and then the body disappeared, and it walked away.” Assuring they’re not alone, the user also asked, “You guys have seen it too, right?” And based on the replies, it’s clear that this isn’t something that the user just imagined. “I’ve watched Direhowls eat syndicate members and Pals,” one player said. On the other hand, another player claimed that the Relaxaurus Pal won’t hesitate to eat anything that dies nearby, even if that’s another Relaxaurus. This seems to align with their Paldeck entry being “remarkably ferocious.” Others claimed that they’ve caught Cognito and Anubis showing this behavior as well. “A guardian got to survive too, ya know?” one user chimed in. Meanwhile, in a different thread, one person managed to get this disturbing Pal behavior recorded. This clip, of course, shocked players who had not yet seen it happen in their game. But others weren’t too surprised. One user explained that this was hinted in the opening cutscene, claiming it showed the player “almost becoming a meal” and that people washing up on the shore were eaten by Pals, just like an NPC told.

Palworld players claim CEO’s old tweets prove Pals are being AI-generated PocketPair / NianticPocketpair’s Palworld has faced further allegations of using AI within their record-breaking game, after old tweets have resurfaced from the CEO regarding using AI to create Pokemon lookalikes and avoiding copyright infringement. Palworld has shocked the gaming community since it released. It remarkably surged to the top of the Steam charts and has broke records by peaking at over 1 million concurrent players in just a few days. However, the survival-based game that instantly got the nickname “Pokemon with guns” has been constantly hit with waves of backlash regarding claims of “plagiarism”. This has not just been with Pokemon, but also over similar games of Ark and Rust. Palworld’s main and arguably the most questionable case in regards to “copying” surrounds the Pals in the game. They have sent the internet into a frenzy over their distinct likeness to various Pokemon, and now many believe that “evidence” proves they are being created with the use of AI. In particular, Palworld’s CEO Takuro Mizobe’s old tweets that have resurfaced surrounding AI and Pokemon, as well as how they believed that one day AI would be capable of avoiding copyright infringement. Palworld players convinced “evidence” shows Pals are being created with AI Many gamers and players of the game have spoken out and made side-by-side comparisons with many Pals in the game and the different Pokemon across socials. However, it is Pocketpair’s own CEO Takuro Mizobe, who has came underfire after a series of old tweets going back to 2021 have resurfaced. “The AI has evolved so much that I can no longer tell which one is a Pokemon,” the tweet read from their official Twitter/X account, which was paired alongside various Pokemon and AI-generated lookalikes. Fast forward to November 28, 2022, they tweeted: “If you pass it through the filter of AI, the image is often not of a specific thing, so maybe the copyright issue will be resolved?” Before ending with: “In about 30 years, the general public’s perception of copyright may have changed considerably.” Backlash has since flooded in regarding the tweets, as one user has commented: “I was super excited to jump into Palworld but all the evidence I’m seeing makes it pretty probable that the game is using AI generative imaging to create the designs for their monsters.” While others have highlighted that Pocketpair’s “AI: Art Imposter” game already has been shown “utilizing an AI image generator” in the game itself, as well as including AI generated assets. At the time of writing, Pocketpair and CEO Takuro Mizobe has not adressed the claims that AI is being used in Palworld.

Palworld players being destroyed by early-game boss fight that’s just like Elden Ring POCKETPAIRPalworld is filled with plenty of deadly Tower Bosses for players to defeat, but it’s this early-game encounter that has the community hyped. Palworld Tower Bosses pose some of the biggest challenges in the game. Not only do these NPCs have some incredibly strong Pals, but defeating them will reward you with Palworld Ancient Technology points, which can be used to unlock items like the Grappling Gun. After all, building new Technology will drastically improve both your survivability and ability to capture more Pals. However, it’s the game’s first Tower Boss that is surprising Palworld players, with many loving the challenge she poses. Palworld players are in love with Zoe and Grizzbolt Tower Boss Zoe and Grizzbolt are the first Tower Boss players encounter in Palworld, with the pair being found in the Rayne Syndicate. However, despite this dynamic duo being the first boss, their power is nothing to laugh at. Palworld players have even likened the fight to the likes of Dark Souls and Elden Ring. “She made me realize I’m playing pokesouls,” joked one player. Others noted how her arena looks similar to another FromSoftware game. “Considering the land design looks similar to Elden Ring, it’s not too far off,” replied another commenter. So far, Zoe and Grizzbolt have been destroying under-leveled players who dare to walk into their arena unprepared. “It was pretty funny,” noted one player. “I went in there at like level 5 thinking I was going to dominate……needless to say, it didn’t go down like that.” “I went at like level 11-12 with 2 bows and got my ass nuked,” commented one player. “Yeah she’s pretty tough, I ended up not coming back to get until I think level 22-23,” responded another. It’s not just the challenge of the Zoe and Grizzbolt boss fight that has captivated the game’s community, players have also noted how cool her design is, with one adventurer even noting how they purchased the game for her design alone. “I bought the game after seeing her because I thought she was a character made in the character creation. Lo and behold my disappointment. The game’s still great, though. Hope outfit mods come quick. Need me some dress up” Zoe and Grizzbolt use a mixture of ranged electric sniper shots, AoE electrical explosions, and deadly stomps from Grizzbolt. It’s this combination and overall level that can make taking them down rather tricky. So, if you, like many in the Palworld community are having trouble taking down the first Tower Boss, then our Zoe and Grizzbolt guide has you covered.

Palworld player creates a “sick” floating-like “Pal Sphere” base PocketpairA Palworld player has managed to build a base shaped like a Pal Sphere that looks like it’s floating in the sky, leaving other players impressed. Since Palwolrd‘s launch in January, some players have managed to pour out their creativity skills to create some of the stunning bases in the game. From an “unraidable base” hidden in a waterfall to a massive Attack on Titan-inspired “Palcity,” the list goes on. Despite Palworld still being in early access, these skillful players have shown that as long as the intention is there, building whatever you dream of seems to be possible. Granted, there are a few quirks when it comes to building, and bases requiring structure to support them is one of those. However, one player has somehow managed to build a base shaped like a Pal Sphere that looks like it’s floating in the sky. What’s more impressive is that this base was made in the middle of an ocean, adding to the challenge. And inside the base, lies a futuristic-looking interior showcasing the player’s Pals. This creation was shared in a Reddit thread, which left other players impressed by the player’s building skills. Given the base’s outer appearance, some players couldn’t help but get reminded of the Death Star from Star Wars. “That’s no moon…” commented one user, referring to the movie’s quote. “That’s f****in sick,” praised one user. Meanwhile, another user is convinced that this base is what inside a Pal box truly looks like. “Bro, HOW? I had difficulty trying to make a tower look good, and you built a f****ing sphere?!! IN THE SKY?!” a different user wrote. Some players were also curious as to how building this base was possible. One person explained: “You see right in the middle of the base on the bottom? There is a structure going up from the ground. That’s the only support you need. Everything else is roofs and walls.”

Palworld full Paldeck: Every Pal & their element DexertoWith 126 Pals currently available to catch in Palworld, our handy Paldeck can give you an overview of each and every creature in the survival title. Palworld is packed full of unique monsters to collect that you can either use in combat, put to work at your base, or use as Mounts to traverse the world. Without taking Fusion Pals into account that you can get by breeding, there are plenty to catch. Here’s everything you need to know about all the creatures in the base game and Sakurajima update, including their element, Paldeck number, and work suitabilities. Complete Paldeck list Pals 1 – 30 Pals 31 – 61 Pals 62 – 80 Pals 81 – 100 Pals 101 – 126 Now that you know all of the 126 Pals in the Paldeck, for more on the game, check out all the Passive Skills, and where you can get Coal, Leather, Ore, and Pure Quartz.

Is Palworld on Nintendo Switch? Pocket PairWondering if Palworld is available on Nintendo Switch? We’ve got everything you need to know about whether or not the new creature collecting game in on the portable console right here. Seen as what is essentially ‘Pokemon with guns‘ Palworld boasts a completely new way to look at the popular pocket monster game. This highly anticipated multiplayer open-world survival game explores some rather familiar creatures in a much more sinister light and looks to be a pretty chaotic experience that many fans can’t wait to dive into. Naturally, the game is inspired by tons of popular titles, with similar multiplayer and crafting styles to Ark, the cute collection of Pokemon, and the open-world exploration many have loved from titles like Zelda. However, with its similarity to Pokemon, many are wondering whether they can take it on the go. So, with that in mind, here’s everything you need to know about whether Palworld will be available on the Nintendo Switch. Is Palworld available on the Nintendo Switch? Unfortunately, Palworld is not available on the Nintendo Switch right now. The game is currently only available on PC Xbox Series S/X and Xbox One during its early access period which began on January 19, 2024. There’s always a chance the game may come to Nintendo Switch in the future, however, especially with how popular it’s proved to be so far. For now, though, there’s no official news on whether or not Palworld will be coming to Nintendo’s hybrid console. As soon as anything is confirmed though we’ll be sure to update this page. There you have it, that’s everything you need to know about whether Palworld will be coming to Nintendo Switch. While loading up a different console or PC to play the game, take a look at some of our other handy Palworld guides and content: Palworld Fusion guide: Best Fusion breeding combos | Palworld Paldeck | Does Palworld have multiplayer or co-op modes? | How to get and farm High-Quality Pal Oil in Palworld | How to get & farm leather in Palworld | Best ways to level up fast in Palworld | How to get & farm honey in Palworld | Palworld Zoe & Grizzbolt guide | Palworld complete weapon list | Does Palworld have mod support? | Do Pals evolve in Palworld? | Are there Shinies in Palworld?

Does Palworld have multiplayer or co-op modes? POCKETPAIRPalworld is the latest monster-taming game to take Steam by storm but does it feature multiplayer and co-op modes? We’ve got everything you need to know about whether it’s possible to play with your friends right here. Monster collecting games are hugely popular, and the newest game to provide a unique twist on the genre is Palworld. The open-world survival title from Pocket Pair was lovingly dubbed ‘Pokemon with guns’ before the game was released, and it’s already become a big hit on Steam following its early access launch on PC and Xbox consoles. You can catch and battle creatures known as Pals in the game and it also features base-building mechanics, item crafting, and raids but you may be wondering if you can experience all the content with friends. So, here’s everything you need to know about whether or not Palworld features multiplayer and co-op modes. Does Palworld have multiplayer co-op? Yes, Palworld does support co-op multiplayer. Palworld allows up to 4 players to play together. This means you can invite your friends into your world, which is great for taking down tough enemies and defending your base from unwanted attacks. Additionally, you’ll also be able to trade Pals with one another. As well as online co-op play, there’s also a dedicated server option that enables adventurers to host up to 32 players in multiplayer. It’s important to note that PvP is not currently supported in Palworld. However, the developers are testing PvP functionality and it’s expected to arrive in the future. During the official Q&A, Pocketpair said the following: “We want to find the right type of PvP that fits Palworld and when it is ready, we will share news with you all.” The maximum number of players on a server will also be increased in a future update, which means there will be even more chances to flex your skills against other players. So, there you have it, that’s everything you need to know about Palworld multiplayer co-op. Be sure to check out our other Palworld guides below to get the latest tips and tricks for your monster-collecting adventure. Palworld Fusion guide: Best Fusion breeding combos | Palworld Paldeck | Does Palworld have multiplayer or co-op modes? | How to get and farm High-Quality Pal Oil in Palworld | How to get & farm leather in Palworld | Best ways to level up fast in Palworld | How to get & farm honey in Palworld | Palworld Zoe & Grizzbolt guide | Palworld complete weapon list | Does Palworld have mod support? | Do Pals evolve in Palworld? | Are there Shinies in Palworld?

Palworld hits massive player count within just 8 hours of release POCKETPAIRA majority of the gaming community is in love with the new Pokemon-like survival game, Palworld, as it has sold over 1 million copies in just eight hours! Palworld is a brand-new title in the market where you can befriend Pokemon-like creatures flocking over its entire world with guns, creating a unique experience for all the survival game lovers out there. At the time of writing, it has been a little over only eight hours since Palworld was released and it has already hit a massive player count, with over a million copies sold. Some other games from the same genre like Minecraft and Rust also involve a huge open-world with multiplayer support, and it’s no different for Pocketpair’s newest survival game. Even popular content creators like Asmongold heaps praise on the game saying “I’ve been enjoying this a lot.” At the time of writing, Palworld is boasting over 322K viewers on Twitch, which means people are eager to know more about Pocketpair’s latest release. The characters in Palworld resemble Pokemon where you have to choose starter Pals who will be your companions for most of its early game. Since the game is new with numerous things to take care of, you can check our Palworld coverage here to know everything you need.

Palworld gameplay trailer shows more not-Pokemon getting shot with guns Palworld, the Pokemon-with-guns game that was revealed in 2021, has a new trailer that shows more not-Pokemon getting shot with an assortment of weaponry. Pocketpair Games is a studio known for its rather interesting ability to mesh several different games into one. Craftopia, the developer’s latest release, drew comparisons to The Legends of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Pokemon, Horizon Zero Dawn, and more. However, the developer’s latest project has caught the attention of many gamers because of how closely it resembles Pokemon. Palworld lets players capture, ride, shoot, and eat creatures that only resemble some of your favorite Pocket Monsters. And the latest gameplay trailer for Palworld shows even more zany sequences from creatures getting blasted with a double-barrel shotgun to a giant Pikachu-esque monster wielding a minigun. Palworld trailer shows not-Pokemon getting shot The new Palworld trailer dropped on May 22 with a horde of viewers, once again, commenting on its likeness to Pokemon. And rightfully so, as more than one of the creatures highlighted in the trailer looks very similar to existing Pokemon. In the first moments of the trailer, the character is seen running up to a sheep-like creature that could be mistaken for a Wooloo. They then throw an orb-shaped device to capture the sheep before pulling out an assault rifle. In a later scene, the player pulls out a bow and shoots an arrow into the face of a deer creature (Cobalion?). The bowstring must have weighed a lot as the arrow sent the deer tumbling several feet back. And just moments later, the player wields a shotgun and commands their not-Sawsbuck to take down what can only be described as a Lapras standing upright. But the best moment from the trailer is when the player hops atop a large electric-type bear-rat wielding a minigun during a fight with Anubis, a creature not dissimilar to Lucario. Palworld! The latest gameplay moments is revealed! Have a happy easy-going lifestyle while farming & building with cute Pal💖 Let’s try not to force them into labor or eat them alive!🥺Plz Retweet & Like, also add to your Steam Wish List to support us!!https://t.co/vO9X6YlwFN pic.twitter.com/Si8iIRWTv2 — Pocketpair – Craftopia (@PocketpairGames) May 22, 2022 The trailer is a thrill ride from start to finish, and gamers seemingly love the wacky FPS monster collector. Some went as far as to claim Palworld looks more interesting than the upcoming Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. Pocketpair’s Craftopia has already amassed a cult following, and Palworld could do the same. Make sure to follow Pocketpair on Twitter for the latest Palworld updates.

Palworld: Release date, platforms, trailers, more PocketpairPalworld is a popular open-world survival game where players can collect monsters, farm items, craft deadly weapons, and hunt mysterious creatures. Here’s everything you need to know about the game. Dubbed as “Pokemon with guns”, Palworld brings a more gung-ho focus on creature-collecting games. While players can catch and befriend the game’s mysterious monsters, there are a number of creatures that can prove extremely dangerous. The world of Palworld may look incredibly cute and colorful, but don’t be mistaken – this title features much darker themes. In fact, adventurers will often be faced with life-and-death battles, food shortages, harsh weather, and illegal poachers. Whether you’re interested in Palworld or just wish to know more about this game, then our handy hub has you covered. Contents What is Palworld? Palworld is an open-world survival game that puts a heavy emphasis on exploration and catching mysterious creatures, known as Pals. According to the official description, Palworld is a game about “living a slow easy-going happy life with mysterious creatures or throwing yourself into life-and-death battles.” Adventurers can freely choose how they wish to use their Pals. Whether utilizing their skills to craft various buildings/items or taking down villainous poachers, there seems to be plenty of freedom on offer. Is there a Palworld release date? Palworld entered early access on January 19, 2024. Developer Pocketpair has confirmed that in this early access period, the game will support full 32-player servers with 4-player co-op. Unfortunately, PVP won’t come with the launch of early access. Players will have to wait an indeterminate amount of time for it. Palworld platforms Palworld is currently available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. The game is also available on PC and Xbox Game Pass. The developers of Palworld have announced that they’re in talks to bring the game to other platforms. Considering its success at launch, it’s likely that we’ll see more console ports in the future. As of the time of writing, there is currently no word regarding a release date for a PlayStation or Nintendo port of the game. Palworld gameplay trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gawVHMoQUEk During the Palworld gameplay trailers, players got a glimpse of the game’s colorful creatures, vibrant open-world, and action-packed combat. According to the official Steam Store page, players can ride atop their monsters in order to traverse the overworld. However, if flying and swimming weren’t enough, adventurers can also use their Pals to drive cars, dig holes, and even aid them with crafting various constructions. There’s also a heavy emphasis on third-person shooting, with adventurers able to utilize guns and equip their Pals with them. That’s everything we know about Palworld so far. If you’re already adventuring in Palworld, here are some guides to help you on your way. Palworld Fusion guide: Best Fusion breeding combos | Does Palworld have multiplayer or co-op modes? | How to get and farm High-Quality Pal Oil in Palworld | How to get & farm leather in Palworld | Best ways to level up fast in Palworld | How to get & farm honey in Palworld | Palworld Zoe & Grizzbolt guide | Palworld complete weapon list | Does Palworld have mod support? | Do Pals evolve in Palworld? | Are there Shinies in Palworld?

Palworld devs have emergency meeting with Epic as concurrent players surge PocketpairPalworld has been smashing records left, right, and center since its launch. In fact, its concurrent player number reached such an unprecedented height that an “emergency meeting” was called with Epic Games to provide a quick fix to the problem. Palworld has been hard to miss since it dropped on January 19, selling over a million copies in the first eight hours alone. Players have praised both the concept and the gameplay in the self-described “multiplayer, open-world survival and crafting game.” The game’s unexpected popularity has thrilled Palworld developers, Pocketpair. But things haven’t been completely smooth sailing during its debut. Most notably, issues with Xbox’s game pass and connectivity problems have arisen; especially with the game’s co-op mode causing some minor frustration over the weekend. Now, Epic Games is stepping in. Many players found themselves running into errors trying to connect and play with friends as the game’s concurrent player number surged well above expectations. As the Pocketpair devs explained on Twitter; “the number of players exceeded 700,000 concurrent players, and a problem occurred in the Epic Games backend.” However, “emergency meetings” held with Epic managed to provide a swift solution to the problem. “You should notice an improvement in connectivity and the errors should start to disappear shortly,” the devs said on Twitter. Since the fix, Palworld reached a peak concurrent player count of over 850,000 according to Steam Charts. That puts it in the top ten most-played games of all time on Steam, and its player count doesn’t show any sign of slowing down. It looks like Palworld’s breakout popularity is set to keep shattering records for the time being.

Palworld devs assure players the game is “not a scam” ahead of launch PocketpairPalworld devs are gearing up for the game’s early access launch. As part of the build-up, they’ve gone out of their way to assuage any fears by stating the game is definitely not a scam. Just in case you were worried. Palworld is so close we can taste the Lamball kebabs. It heads into early access in a matter of days with this early version promising over 100 Pals to collect and tame. The game’s unique blend of creature collection, survival, and crafting mechanics have prospective players referring to the game as ‘Pokemon with guns’. Palworld definitely has creatures like Pokemon, and some of them do have guns, but there’s a bit more going on than that. Now that Palworld is nearly here, Pocketpair has updated the game’s Steam page with an oddly defensive change to the Q&A section. Devs have gone out of their way to communicate to prospective players that there’s no funny business going on. “Is this game a scam? Or is it a money-making MMO or virtual currency game?” Pocketpair asked themselves in imitation of someone who might wonder. “It is not a scam, and will definitely be released on January 19,” it responded. “Palworld is a typical Steam game, you buy it once and it is yours forever,” it continued. This might seem like a weird thing to qualify but they’re likely expressing confidence that the game performs well enough not to get taken down like a certain zombie survival game. It might appear a little preemptive on Pocketpair’s part but when the game was initially revealed, there were some accusations that it was a scam or misrepresented. Something about forcing adorable creatures onto production lines so you could craft munitions to shoot more adorable creatures looked too good to be true. Earlier footage of Palworld did call to mind those ‘totally legit’ mobile games that use footage from Final Fantasy games in their social media ads. We can understand why Pocketpair may have felt a little self-conscious. The good news is, Palworld is 100% legit. Multiple publications and content creators have received early copies and the footage floating around the internet shows that the game is everything it promised to be. Microsoft acquiring the game for Xbox Game Pass also doesn’t hurt its legitimacy. You can play Palworld on Steam and Xbox Game Pass when early access begins on January 19.

Palworld dev responds to “death threat” claims from Xbox vs PlayStation console war fans POCKETPAIRA Palworld dev has responded to rumors that “death threats” have been sent to the team from ‘console war’ fans of Xbox and PlayStation. Pocketpair’s latest survival game Palworld became an overnight success, breaking records and becoming one of the most-played games on Steam of all time. Along with this huge success, drama has also encircled the game. After release, there have been several claims that Palworld artists were getting “death threats” from Xbox vs PlayStation console war fans, but a dev has cleared the air. Palworld dev responds to console war claims Palworld’s Community Manager, Bucky, said on January 23 that they “have received no death threats from anyone in regards to console support. No threats from any Xbox, PlayStation, or PC player about anything console or platform related.” Bucky further clarified that “it’s not real” and nothing but just “a boring narrative”, urging everyone to “stop trying to perpetuate a console war”. Earlier, Takuro Mizobe, a representative of Pocketpair, said they received multiple slanderous comments against Palworld artists with some posts that appear to be death threats. However, Takuro did not suggest that these threats were coming from Xbox or PlayStation fans specifically.

Palworld creator debuts roguelite title Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse SteamPalworld’s creators are already locked in on its next big project, a roguelite titled Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse. After years of hype, Palworld launched in early access and took the gaming scene by storm. Since its January 19 arrival, it’s sold over 8,000,000 copies and reached an absurd player count of over 2,000,000, surpassing Counter-Strike and even Cyberpunk 2077. Safe to say, Palworld has opened the eyes of the gaming industry, as not every game has to be a complex work of art to capture the attention of many. The developer has shared a roadmap of what’s to come, with plenty of fixes and additions that’ll make players happy. The publisher aims to keep the hits rolling, with a surprise debut of its upcoming roguelite, Never Grave: The Witch and the Curse. Pocketpair debuts Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse looks to build on the popular Metroidvania formula with roguelite elements. Boasting a similar art style to Hollow Knight, players assume the role of a witch on a quest for revenge. Expect to gain skills and access to magic galore while progressing through the game. As the description states, “Death is only the beginning,” as it’ll likely take some time to complete your objective. However, Never Grave separates itself from fellow Metroidvanias with base building, something Palworld has a large amount of. There’s also coop, as shown in the trailer, where three other players join and control fallen foes, help with village rebuilding, and more. There’s no release date for Never Grave, but the Steam page lists a Q1 2024 early access release window. The demo is up for grabs now via Steam as well. Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse clearly showcases its Palworld influences, and with a release somewhat imminent, it’ll be interesting to see if magic strikes twice for Pocketpair.

Palworld becomes Steam’s best-selling game with over 500k concurrent players PocketpairNot only does Palworld have massive viewership numbers on Twitch, but “Pokemon with guns” continues to impress players by hitting over 500k concurrent users just a few hours after release. Palworld — or as people commonly refer to as “Pokemon with guns” — has been stealing the spotlight as of late, garnering a whopping 723k total hours of watch time on Twitch in its first day alone. In fact, at the time of writing, it is now sitting in the first spot of most trending games, according to Twitch tracker site Sullygnome. And if that’s not impressive enough, devs have shared that the game sold over a million copies in just eight hours after its launch. The game combines monster-collecting, survival, crafting, and exploration with some twists, like being able to sell humans and assign Pals into labor. This premise has caught the interest of many players as the game has become Steam’s best-selling with over 500k concurrent users. According to SteamDB, the game has hit a remarkable amount of 557,143 concurrent players, making it the second most-played game right now just after Counter-Strike 2. SteamDB also shows that Palworld has surpassed Dota 2, PUBG, Apex Legends, and Baldur’s Gate 3 in terms of concurrent players, despite these titles usually seen dominating the platform. It’s clear that aside of all the ‘ripped off’ creature design drama, Palworld has received an overall positive feedback, even getting praised by popular streamer Asmongold. If you’re looking into jumping into Palworld yourself or with friends, it would be best to first find out if your system can run it and which starter Pals are recommended.

Palworld and Baldur’s Gate 3 prove we need more from AAA publishers POCKET PAIR / The Pokemon CompanyThe last few years have seen indie games reaching unprecedented levels of success, with the likes of Palworld and Baldur’s Gate 3 skyrocketing to the top of players’ wishlists. It’s these achievements that have proved one thing — AAA publishers just aren’t giving players enough. Whether it’s through controversy, an extended early access period, or just quality gameplay, indie games have taken over the industry in the last few years. We’ve seen titles emerging from smaller developers and watched as they’ve outsold iconic games that have been adored for decades. So, when you take a look back at these successes and the failures of many AAA titles, it’s hard to ignore how rapidly the community has changed. Now, as we roll into 2024, many are waiting to see whether those AAA publishers will end up matching the new standard, but is that standard unprecedented? Popularity airs on the side of caution The seismic shift in indie popularity is nothing new, with the likes of Stardew Valley, Hades, Cuphead, Undertale, and more retaining their spots as some of the most beloved titles of all time. However, Baldur’s Gate 3 and Palworld feel different. Their close proximity to each other and long-running periods of success are highlighting a colossal change in community sentiment, with an aura of frustration being aimed at the AAA publishers for their quality and quantity of releases. It’s no secret that popular AAA games are facing a need for change. One look into the communities of Diablo, Call of Duty, Pokemon, and even the upcoming Skull & Bones title, and you’ll see players slamming certain features, creative choices, bugs, and the overall quality of the game. With the introduction of Baldur’s Gate 3 and Palworld, that frustration is only growing, leaving many gamers wondering how these indie titles manage to ‘outdo’ their AAA counterparts. That answer lies in caution and circumstance. Take Baldur’s Gate 3 for example, which was in early access for three and a half years and in development for over six years. During this period, Larian Studios had the time and resources to finely craft the story, companions, and everything that makes the game great. They could be cautious and garner popularity through their attention to detail and care for community thoughts, rather than dealing with yearly demand or expectations. Then there’s Palworld. Interestingly, along with a genuinely enjoyable gameplay design, this game has garnered most of its love and support from controversy. They alternatively had the luxury of a lack of caution, allowing them to almost retrospectively lean into the similarities and take ideas from AAA games they knew were popular to create a game many have and are continuing to fall in love with. That caution, controversy, and time to polish may feel like an obvious step in crafting a popular game, but it’s just not always possible for some AAA games that have to be released once a year, have a large team, or are facing some unreachable standards. Unfair advantages meet a contrast in desires It’s those standards that we must delve into when looking into AAA games, along with how easy it is to dislike something rather than love it. When experiencing a game you’ve grown up with, like Call of Duty or Pokemon, it’s practically impossible to match that level of nostalgia you experienced years before. As such, Indie games seem to receive an unfair advantage thanks to the lack of expectations and a collaborative desire to just enjoy the game and see what it brings. Whereas AAA games like the aforementioned titles are at a distinct disadvantage, with fans expecting an improvement on what came before. Sure, certain AAA releases in 2023 felt underwhelming due to their many bugs, problematic launches, and constant delays, but that doesn’t just echo those larger games. It’s just the notion that those are the ones people focus on, rather than the smaller indie games that flop unless they bring intense controversy along with them. Essentially, AAA games do need to bring in more of a focus on their quality and polishing, but it’s almost impossible to hold indie games to the massive franchises due to a contrast in desires, alternative style, and distinct differences in how they’re brought to market. Not all games are created equal While the rise in indie success didn’t start with Baldur’s Gate 3 or Palworld, the two coming to such popularity so close to each other highlights the community sentiment, with many choosing to praise the aforementioned games, while slamming the likes of Pokemon, Call of Duty, Diablo, and more. Naturally, the different styles are hard to compare due to the contrasting practices, goals, and gameplay — but one thing is certain, many AAA publishers would do well to learn from their indie counterparts.

Palia beginners guide: Best tips for new players PaliaThe newest open-world cozy farming sim, Palia offers a ton of choices to new players and our beginners guide will help you navigate those first days. The fantasy open world offers a variety of ways to earn a living, from farming to foraging to insect catching and even furniture making. With so many quests, skills to level up, and NPC neighbors to meet, it can be very difficult to figure out where to start or the best moves to make serious progress early on. In this beginners guide, we will discuss some of the best early-game tips for Palia and how to make the most of your playthrough from the moment you step foot into the cozy simulation game. How to get started in Palia At the beginning of the game, players will create their very own custom character and be given a beautiful plot of land to begin their journey. Once you have completed the opening quests, you will want to begin working towards making gold, hunting, gathering, and cooking up some delicious meals to make progress. Here are some of the best tips and tricks for learning the ropes in Palia and exploring the world. Complete the opening story quests Completing the beginning storyline is not only a great way to learn the ropes and how the game itself works as a whole, but it unlocks several useful tools and villagers you’ll need later on. The main storyline introduces you to the core group of villagers that help you with farming, mining, bug catching, fishing, hunting, and more. These villagers offer upgrades to you as you progress the skill they are proficient in, making the story imperative to success. You will level up your different skills as you complete these quests, as well as learn about the different shrines in the area that give helpful boosts. Get your hang glider early on The hang glider gives some serious Zelda vibes, and it is a great way to get from one area to another quickly. Not only does the glider help with fast transportation, but your character will not have the ability to swim. With the hang glider, you can traverse a deep river with ease by simply gliding over the top of it! This tool will also help you cover more distance when quests take you to large peaks of the mountains, as you can simply glide down and cover more ground to reach your end destination say, after picking up a quest item that was very high off of the ground. Visit the shrines every 100 renown There are currently two shrines for players to interact with in-game: the Dragon Shrine and the Phoenix Shrine. Both are extremely important, especially as you are starting out, so you will want to get an idea of their locations early on and go back to one or the other each time you reach 100 Renown points. The Phoenix Shrine will give players an increase in their Focus Generation Bonus each time 100 Renown points are donated. The Dragon Shrine increases the amount of Focus players have in total, meaning you will have the ability to eat higher-level foods that will give you large amounts of focus. It helps make focus last longer so that you can continue doing tasks such as foraging and farming without having to pause to eat in between to keep your focus bar full. Since focus is almost like a boost to your experience level for every one of your skills, having the highest amount of bonus possible helps blast through skill levels to get you working toward end-game upgrades. Hunt animals to sell off their loot Hunting Sernuks is one of the best ways to bolster your gold amount early on. Their antlers sell for a pretty penny, but so do their meat and hides. Their hide is also used to create leather which sells for a little bit more than the base hide, but it isn’t a great farm for the sheer fact that leather takes a while to create on the Loom once you unlock it. Selling the raw materials you get from hunting animals can make you some quick cash to purchase ingredients for meals and upgrades to your items, but it also increases your Hunting skill level! Its a win-win to hunt and gather as much as you can early on, as you will be able to unlock better bows and arrows and sell off whatever you don’t need from the never-ending amount of Sernuk you can find in the Whispering Banks area of the Kilima Village. Clear out your plot ASAP When you are given your humble little plot right at the start of the game, you will notice there are massive amounts of rocks, trees, mushrooms, and more in the way. Just like Stardew Valley or Coral Island, you will want to clear these all out not only to make space for more land later on but to gather the most necessary beginning resources. Wood and stone are vital early on, as most early game recipes use them. With a great amount of each of these resources inside of your plot, it just makes more sense to gather all of those up first before venturing out to find more in the open world. Crafting chests and placing the stockpiles of wood and stone within them early on can give you a much-needed boost as you are starting out. This way, you never have to worry about not having enough wood to make planks or stone to make stone blocks later on down the line.

Pacific Drive: Release date, trailer, platforms & more Ironwood StudiosDeveloped by Ironwood Studios as their debut title, Pacific Drive is a stunning survival game set in the heart of an exclusion zone, where your only companion is your car. Here’s everything we know about Pacific Drive so far. Described as a road-lite, Pacific Drive takes on a new combination of a driving simulator and survival games, prompting players to upgrade their vehicles while unraveling the mysteries of their location. While unique, not much is widely known about the game’s details. With that in mind, we’ve compiled everything you need to know about the upcoming title as well as what the game’s about, the trailer, platforms, and if it has a release date. Contents Pacific Drive release date – What is Pacific Drive? – Pacific Drive trailer – What platforms can you play Pacific Drive on? – Pacific Drive release date Yes, Pacific Drive will be released on February 22, 2024. This comes after the game was pushed to early 2024, after previously having a scheduled release in 2023. Nevertheless, there’s now not long to wait until it comes out. What is Pacific Drive? Pacific Drive is a survival driving experience set in the Olympic Exclusion Zone, a location filled with mystery, dangers, and not a person in sight. Essentially, you go on long drives filled with challenges and mysteries to unravel through a beautiful but deadly wilderness where even nature is out to get you. It feels much like a rogue-lite, with the developers technically defining Pacific Drive as a “road-lite”, allowing you to go on different runs, collect items, and upgrade your car from your home base. Pacific Drive trailer While Pacific Drive may not have a full release date yet, there is a trailer, which aired in September 2022 and depicts the setting, gameplay, and style. You can watch it below. On February 9, 2023, a new gameplay trailer was released for Pacific Drive, detailing a glimpse into the game’s driving mechanics, the garage, and how the game will run. You can watch it below: What platforms can you play Pacific Drive on? Pacific Drive will be available to play on PlayStation 5 and PC. It’s unclear if the game will ever arrive on Xbox consoles. That’s all we currently know about Pacific Drive. While waiting for more information, be sure to take a look at some of the other upcoming games to look forward to: The Elder Scrolls 6 | GTA 6 | Wolverine | KOTR Remake | Wonder Woman | DokeV | Dragon Age 4 | The Witcher 3 next-gen patch | Avatar Frontiers of Pandora | Phantom Blade Zero | Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2

Pacific Drive preview: Excellent driving – if you can control it Ironwood Studios LLCEmploying a unique driving style complete with thrilling rogue-like elements and all set within a beautiful yet deadly exclusion zone, Pacific Drive embodies a driving game like no other. Pacific Drive is a self-proclaimed ‘Road-like’ experience where you and your trusty station wagon escape the Olympic Exclusion Zone, avoiding the intense anomalies along the way. It’s complete with challenging runs, hilarious quirks, and plenty of creativity, but will its complicated controls cause the game to stall? At an online preview, we were given the opportunity to witness 20 minutes of gameplay for Pacific Drive including a glimpse into the crafting, missions, and home base. Needless to say, I left feeling impressed yet concerned for the game’s controls. One of the primary aspects that truly drove this game forward was its immersive visuals, sound design, and attention to detail. The gameplay saw the car being thrown about in seamless anti-gravity all while expertly driving away from an incoming storm. Along with the visuals came a combination of intense and almost calming sound design, with little but the faint fast-paced music and the roar of your station wagon’s engine to keep you company. However, visuals and sound design aside, my main concern was the controls of Pacific Drive. Shown during the preview, a rather complicated set of buttons pushed players to actively needing to select their wipers or the handbrake for it to engage — often causing the driver to completely look away from the chaotic scenes in front of them to actively change gears. Upon speaking to the developers, it was made clear that the controls are directly inspired by active driving, which could be a huge positive for lovers of such an activity, but can quickly become a frustrating hindrance for gamers looking to master the controls without learning an entirely new system. Nevertheless, from the 20-minute glimpse into gameplay, I left thinking this game undoubtedly has promise. Its replayability and skill-based gameplay bring an exciting adventure every time you step out of the garage. It truly feels like car fans and lovers of driving games will be slow to tyre (get it) of the game’s combination between car management, exploration, and fast paces escapism. Final Thoughts Although still early in its development phase, Pacific Drive has a full gas tank of potential and feels like an experience made by car lovers for car lovers. The premise is unique, thrilling, and feels as intense as any popular rogue-like, but the complicated controls could potentially sully the driving experience many are anticipating.

PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC Remake: Release date, trailer, platforms & more Namco BandaiPAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC is an upcoming remake of the 1999 platformer, so here are the latest details on this cult classic platformer. Certain game mascots are instantly recognizable and bring a smile to your face and Pac-Man easily falls into that category – so it’s no surprise to see that PAC-MAN WORLD is getting a remake. People are familiar with the traditional version of Pac-Man in which everyone’s favorite yellow character bounds around a maze, evading and chomping ghosts whilst munching on pellets and fruits. However, PAC-MAN WORLD went under the radar a bit more and few people are aware that he’s also had a foray into the world of platforming. PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC looks to recapture all the magic of the original and this is what we know about the remake. Contents PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC release date The reveal of PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC came during the June 28, 2022, Nintendo Direct Mini and it was declared that PAC MAN WORLD RE-PAC would be dropping on August 26, 2022. It already seems like the game is well on its way to being complete, so we’d expect the title to drop on its established release date. PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC trailer So far, the game’s announcement trailer is all we’ve seen of the game, but it looks absolutely spectacular and it looks like a great reimagining of PAC-MAN WORLD. You can check it out here. PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC platforms Even though we learned about PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC during a Nintendo event, we know that it’s going to be released on multiple platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC is one of many games coming out, so here are a few more gaming hubs for you to check out: The Elder Scrolls 6 | GTA 6 | Overwatch 2 | Assassin’s Creed Infinity | Wolverine | Spider-Man 2 | Forspoken | KOTR Remake | Wonder Woman | DokeV | FFXVI | Avatar Frontiers of Pandora | Sonic Frontiers | Dragon Age 4 | Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild sequel | The Witcher 3 next-gen patch | The Last of Us Part 1 Remake | God of War Ragnarok

OWL champ Super reveals his Overwatch 2 wishlist Blizzard Entertainment / Robert Paul for Blizzard EntertainmentAfter winning his second consecutive Overwatch League championship with the San Francisco Shock, the ever-opinionated Matthew ‘Super’ DeLisi revealed what he’s hoping for in Overwatch 2 during an episode of the Plat Chat podcast. [jwplayer 91I9RIGm] Ranked in the top 10 of the North American ladder and fresh off yet another infallible OWL campaign, Super isn’t the world’s greatest main tank but he is one of its premier Overwatch players. While he wasn’t a yearlong starter for the Shock, his game sense and mechanics span a preferred Reinhardt role all the way to his infamous Genji play. As such, his perspective is intriguing with regards to 2, a title that millions have been eagerly, sometimes confusedly anticipating for a couple years now. After Blizzard Entertainment gave the world a major tease of OW2 during 2019’s BlizzCon, little has been revealed about the sequel’s progress and eventual release date. With many hoping that more news about the title will come during February 2021’s virtual BlizzCon, the Plat Chat boys got together with Super and, at one point, discussed their wishlists for the game. Easily the most talented player of the group, DeLisi’s perspective on the campaign and hero additions runs strikingly similar to casual hopes. Conversely, his thoughts on shields and modes bear some interesting contrasts. Plat Chat typically boasts a stacked cast of Overwatch aficionados, featuring four of the OWL’s casters and analysts: Matt ‘Mr.X’ Morello, Joshua ‘Sideshow’ Wilkinson, Jonathan ‘Reinforce’ Larsson, and Brennon ‘Bren’ Hook. But for this episode, they replaced their former OWL player, Reinforce, with a current champion in Super. Then, they asked what he cares most about for OW2. “I know this is kind of funny because I’m a pro player, so I’m supposed to think the opposite. But, dude … give me a fully fleshed out story.” From high-quality cinematics to a campaign that lasts over 20 hours, Super’s main hope for OW2 is an all-encompassing PVE story mode. Further, in another note that professionals and casuals will agree upon, he mentioned that he is desperate for as many as “three new heroes per role.” Later, Super was asked about core mechanics of the game that he might want to see changed. When asked about the new mode, Push, DeLisi likened it to Team Fortress 2’s Payload Race mode and suggested that it was intriguing, but does deserve concern about snowballing. In a stark departure from most players’ sentiments, he expanded that 2CP (or Assault) is, in fact, not the worst mode in Overwatch. Instead, he believes that Control maps are “busted” and deserve some rethinking. Super’s last point regarding mechanics touches on a hotly contested subject: shields. While developers have echoed fans’ concerns with shields in the game, Super professes that it’s not the shields that are the problem, instead the problem is when “the game revolves around the shield.” Comparing Reinhardt’s comfortable place within a game to Orisa’s oppressive gameplay, DeLisi explains that shields can work well in Overwatch. But when a hero is too dependent on their shield and their team is forced into stagnantly working around said shield, that’s when the game suffers. So, a fat, fully fledged campaign, new heroes, some map rethinking, and some shield reworking are all on Super’s wishlist for one of the gaming community’s most highly anticipated sequels.

OW2 players label Olympus as “worst” event in Overwatch history BlizzardOverwatch 2’s Battle for Olympus event failed to resonate with community members, as players bashed the new limited-time game mode. Overwatch 2 Season 2 embraced a mythology theme centered around Greek gods. Junker Queen received a Zeus Mythic skin, and other heroes represented different gods. Some examples include a Poseidon skin for Rammattra and Hade’s outfit for Pharah. Season 2 also introduced Battle for Olympus, a limited-time FFA mode, giving heroes “special powers” and “divine ultimates.” Blizzard designed the mode so players could learn and use ultimate abilities differently than ever seen before. The eight-player free-for-all mode looked appealing on paper, but users bashed the lackluster experience after giving it a test run. Overwatch 2 players slam Battle for Olympus game mode The Battle for Olympus LTM gifts heroes limited-time unique abilities, tying into the Greek mythology theme, such as Widowmaker turning enemies into stone like Madusa. An Overwatch 2 player claimed, “The Olympus event is possibly the worst event in Overwatch history.” Most of the user’s frustration stems from Battle for Olympus, which didn’t provide anything “unique” or suitable enough rewards to justify completing challenges. Players can only choose between Reinhardt, Roadhog, Junker Queen, Rammatra, Pharah, Widowmaker, and Lucio in Battle for Olympus. Roadhog dominates OW2’s current meta, and players were disappointed when the hero didn’t receive a nerf in the Battle for Olympus update. Players also called for a massive nerf to Widowmaker, so the inclusion of both overpowered heroes in Battle for Olympus raised eyebrows. One player responded, “I think free for all in overwatch is one of the worst types of modes because there’s like one or two heroes that are clearly the best pick and just roll every other hero, making the mode not fun.” A second user added, “The custom ultimates are really cool, but the mode just feels so boring and unbalanced that after a few games, it’s not fun at all and feels like a chore if you actually want to get any rewards.” Battle for Olympus goes down as a swing-and-miss for some players, but give the mode a try for yourself and decide.

Overwatch’s Winter Wonderland map makeover creates secret spots to abuse Blizzard EntertainmentOverwatch players have been discovering all kinds of new spots and perches on King’s Row since the Winter Wonderland update dropped, and, lucky for you, we’ll be taking a look at some of the best ones so you can try them yourself. One of the best parts of the Winter Wonderland event, apart from all of the new skins, are all of the makeovers that a few, select maps receive. The first-ever map to get this treatment was King’s Row all the way back in 2016, and it seems there are still a few tricks and secrets to be uncovered. Reddit user ‘Vexor474’ is the one we have to thank for putting together the following short video showing the various spots that aren’t normally available in the normal map. Starting off on Point A, both the tree in front of, and behind, the point are now able to support the weight of a Bastion in Turret form, a crouching Widow, or any hero really, as long as they’re capable of getting up there in the first place. A useful spot for attackers is the tree just outside of the entrance to the theatre, which can, again, be stood on, but is easier to reach than either of the spots closer to Point A. Several trees close to the first attacking spawn are now “climbable” as well if you want to try and hold up close, and there’s even one facing the route the payload takes once Point A has been secured. If that weren’t enough, Baptiste can also perch himself on the high ground further down in the second stage, in the area leading from the high ground around Point A basically to the start of the third leg of the map. It’s currently unknown whether or not other winter maps like Hanamura have secret spots like this that have yet to be discovered, so if you know of one or even have a clip, hit us up on Twitter @Dexerto. Overwatch’s Winter Wonderland event runs until January 5, so there’s still plenty of time to collect all of the skins you want, play on the winter maps, and maybe even discover a new secret or two while you’re at it.

Overwatch players frustrated over lack of new heroes as Paladins keeps delivering Blizzard Entertainment, Hi-RezOverwatch players have become increasingly dissatisfied with its post-launch content. Over a year has passed since the addition of another hero, while rival titles have thrived exponentially. Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch originally launched back in 2016 and is still going strong. Managing to permanently beat out potential rivals like Lawbreakers and Battleborn, the hero shooter has become a competitive staple. Offering players a focus on communication and teamwork, Blizzard’s shooter has survived on the goodwill of its loyal fanbase. However, loyalty can only go so far. Launching with 21 heroes out of the box, Overwatch has received an additional 11 heroes since July 2016. Yet, fans have begun venting their concerns as no new heroes have entered the arena since April 2020. Paladins is thriving and players are noticing The gaps between each hero initially weren’t as long. Unfortunately, as time marched on the wait for new playable characters has become significantly increased. Since April 2020, while Overwatch has ceased to introduce new heroes, rival shooter Paladins has thrived with additional 7 heroes in that time, as Overwatch streamer Hoshi pointed out. That set some fans off into a debate about the two games, with frustrations from OW players about a lack of new stuff. “Overwatch’s lack of content caused me to start playing world of warcraft out of pure boredom,” said one. Others pointed out that Overwatch 2 is going to have a story mode, so Blizzard’s focus has shifted to that game, leaving the original Overwatch behind and just cleaning up issues with bugs rather than brand-new content. While Paladins may boast a notably higher character count, some fans are concerned about the game’s reliability first and foremost. Paladins has some annoying bugs though, it’s definitely not as polished or “professional” as Overwatch, and it’s obvious,” said one fan. “The thing about Paladins is that they care about quantity more than quality. So it’s genuinely nothing to be happy about when looking at the amount of champions they release,” added another. I play both, have more hours on Paladins. The game really takes no skill because someone like me hardstuck diamond in OW, got GM in Paladins a lot sooner. Game is a lot easier and has plenty of bugs everywhere. Really doesn’t matter if it has more champs when you can’t even play — Hmmm (@miguel41598139) August 21, 2021 https://twitter.com/paxlm_/status/1429345123075338242 “The abilities that the heroes have, combined with the lore and vibe of the game in general just made me like it so much,” commented user Cloud_Supreme when it came to Paladins’ approach to new content. Blizzard Entertainment are currently working on Overwatch 2, though the next step in the franchise has encountered several delays since it’s first reveal. That could obviously factor into things, but it’s clear that Overwatch players just want to have more heroes.

Overwatch players discover World of Warcraft’s Pepe bird easter egg Blizzard EntertainmentOverwatch players have discovered an older easter egg from Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft franchise: Bastion’s Ganymede cosplaying as WoW’s infamous Pepe bird. Around 2015, Warcraft’s Pepe, a chestnut-colored bird with a little blue beak, became a cultural sensation — first showing up in the Garrison and soon making additional appearances in various expansions and other Blizzard titles. While Pepe has been seen in Heroes of the Storm and Hearthstone, it’s not until now that a majority of Overwatch’s fans realized that the little, winged celebrity exists in Blizzard’s FPS title as well. As Reddit’s ‘Classic_Lee’ just recently noticed, Bastion’s BlizzCon 2016 skin features a subtle easter egg. Always joined by his trusty bird companion, Ganymede, it appears that the avian friend is cosplaying as Pepe in the Blizzard-centric skin. Aside from the obvious chestnut colorway with beige accents, Ganymede also features Pepe’s patented blue beak and feet. While not as infamous as Sigma’s toes, Pepe’s blue talons are an easy giveaway for a Ganymede cosplay. This is far from the only disguise for Bastion’s bird buddy, as the little character has been redesigned in different colors and even in LEGO blocks. Instead of the patented yellow and green, the tiny bird enjoyed a red and blue colorway joining Bastion’s LEGO-inspired “Brick” skin. This is also far from the only easter egg between Blizzard’s World of Warcraft and Overwatch titles. Back in November 2020, Warcraft fans discovered a casual nod to Torbjorn in the Halls of Valor — where two non-playable characters (NPCs) are named “King Torb” and “King Bjorn.” And, as for other Blizzard titles, Overwatch’s aptly named Blizzard World map contains a sneaky Diablo 3 easter egg. Back in May 2020, Redditors realized that the barrels in Blizzard World can be broken to hear the Diablo 3 “legendary drop” sound effect. While this Ganymede cosplay of Pepe the bird dates back to 2016, it’s nice to see it finally noticed and getting some love. If anything, fans can hope that Overwatch 2 brings more diverse outfits and appearances for Bastion’s beloved bird friend.

Overwatch players discover how terrifying Ana is with a jetpack Blizzard EntertainmentThankfully, Ana lacks the ability to fly in Overwatch, because we now know if she could, it would be absolutely horrifying. Blizzard doesn’t have a Support hero in Overwatch that’s fully capable of flight… Yet. Yes, Mercy gets close, but she still needs something to float towards, she can’t fly around on her own. As far as healers come, Ana is at the bottom of the list when it comes to mobility, with no movement abilities to speak of (even Zen’s ultimate makes him a faster). Sensing this injustice, Overwatch workshop guru ‘andygmb’ decided to see how it would play if Ana could fly around, similar to her daughter Pharah. To be fair, it could be the fact that Andy decided to test out Ana’s new ability with an entire swarm of the hero carpet-bombing their way through Volskaya, which would send anyone running for cover. Just like Pharah, there’s a bar indicating how much longer you can fly around for, because you can’t just float forever, that would just be ridiculous. “Something about a fleet of Ana’s tossing nades from above is terrifying,” Reddit user Frozewind said in the comments, and we would have to be inclined to agree. On Twitter, Jupit compared andy’s clip to an AC-130 gunship, a plane used by the U.S. military, and one of the most memorable killstreak rewards from Call of Duty. https://twitter.com/Jupiiit/status/1335967246481551364?s=20 The ability to fly would, obviously, make it much easier for Ana to flank, and reach areas she otherwise wouldn’t be able to. It would also make it much easier to heal teammates since you could just rise above any obstacles. Sleeping enemies would also become much easier, as it’s a bit tougher to dodge the dart when it’s coming from a higher angle. Thankfully, we probably don’t have to worry about the grandma of Overwatch taking flight anytime soon, now or in 2 — whenever it comes out. If anything, Blizzard is more likely to just give us brand a new Support hero who can fly to join Echo and Pharah above everyone else, before they’d give Ana a hilarious buff like this.

Overwatch player rages at Sony for not fixing Watchpoint Pack glitch in time for beta An Overwatch player released a full rant on Reddit detailing their elongated issue with the Overwatch Watchpoint Pack. The second Overwatch 2 beta concluded on July 18, giving players reason to be cautiously optimistic. However, the second beta addressed many of the problems raised by the first beta. Ahead of Overwatch 2’s official release, Activision released the Watchpoint Pack that guaranteed access to the Overwatch 2 beta. The pack awards players two Overwatch 2 Legendary hero Skins, the Premium Battle Pass for Season 1 with 2000 virtual credit, and an exclusive icon. But one player who purchased the Watchpoint Pack but allegedly encountered a glitch. Overwatch player rants over Watchpoint Pack Reddit user TKobs posted on Reddit discussing their frustrations over an alleged Watchpoint Pack glitch. They claimed to purchase the Watchpoint pack on the first day it was available, but a glitch occurred that didn’t register the purchase. They could not buy again, so they contacted Sony and received a refund for the initial purchase. When the beta was released, the user tried to access it but were denied entry. They received an error code saying, “you already own this.” The Overwatch player says they contacted Sony several times but never received any help accessing the beta. The user contacted Blizzard, but they couldn’t help either. In frustration, TKobs stated, “I have never heard of a company in an industry with so little sympathy or understanding for situations that aren’t the customer’s fault.” Unfortunately, TKobs is not the only one experiencing this glitch, as one user said they were in the same situation, but managed to get a refund. But others in the comments said they had a similar experience to TKobs. A second user added, “They (Sony) probably set the bar for the industry’s most rigid, anti-consumer, gaming platform customer service.”

Overwatch, FIFA, other gaming loot boxes avoid UK ban after consultation Blizzard EntertainmentThe UK Government has decided against taking harsher action against loot boxes in video games despite finding evidence to suggest a “consistent” association between the gaming feature and problem gambling. A 22-month investigation into loot boxes has just come to an end in the UK, with no restrictions being made to reduce or minimize them. The official response to the consultation has just been released. Within, the local Government talks at large about how a ban could actually do more harm than good. “Legislation to introduce an outright ban on children purchasing loot boxes could have the unintended effect of more children using adult accounts, and thus having more limited parental oversight of their play and spending,” stated the Government in response to the decision. They then went on to add that, “our view is that it would be premature to take legislative action without first pursuing enhanced industry-led measures to deliver protections for children and young people and all players.” And while nothing is being done at the moment to combat the growing issue that loot boxes pose, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) is calling on the gaming industry to work with countries and organizations to make loot boxes a safer feature in gaming. The DCMS stated how they “expect games companies and platforms to improve protections for children, young people and adults, and for tangible results to begin to be seen in the near future.” UK Culture Minister Nadine Dorris has ruled out a proper ban on loot boxes in the UK. Instead, Dorris has reiterated that “industry-led” protection is the path the UK will focus on. Loot boxes have become the center of many discussions in regards to if and how these in-game items promote gambling habits and addiction. Almost all big free-to-play games include them. The gaming community has expressed their dissatisfaction with these popular titles gouging extra money. However, devs still manage to include them without any real repercussions for the time being. Some franchises do have plans to move away from the system. For example, the upcoming Overwatch 2 has been confirmed to not include a loot box system in favor of a Battle Pass system instead. Many countries across the world have begun focusing their attention on combating the phenomenon. In 2018, Belgium banned loot boxes altogether and declared them to be “in violation of gambling legislation.

Overwatch fans somehow create functional McLaren Senna supercar in-game Blizzard Entertainment / McLarenWhile the world waits for Overwatch 2, the game’s fans have gone to new lengths with the Workshop Mode’s functionality to do things like… create a functional McLaren Senna supercar to drive around King’s Row. A British automotive manufacturer, a Brazilian racing driver and an American gaming company all join globalized forces in the latest fanmade Overwatch creation: an in-game car modeled precisely after the McLaren Senna. As part of an ongoing project, “Streetwatch,” Peter (also known as ‘GraczCourier’ on Twitter) created a version of the speedy, sleek vehicle using Overwatch’s continually evolving Workshop Mode offerings. This comes less than a month after he brought a Lamborgini Aventador to the game. Noting inspiration from Forza, GraczCourier debuted the new PTR creation on YouTube and announced that fellow fans can go ahead and hop behind the wheel on the test servers before it’s launched on the live client. Unveiled in 2017, the McLaren Senna is a sports car named after one of the British company’s greatest drivers ever, Brazilian World Champion Ayrton Senna. According to McLaren’s website, the Senna “is the personification of McLaren’s DNA at its most extreme, creating the purest connection between car and driver.” Built entirely around speed, the car is McLaren’s lightest racer ever and, fittingly, possesses their “most powerful road car engine.” While it remains unknown just how fast and road-ready the car will be in Overwatch, it somehow appears to drive around pretty quickly. And that might be a little surprising, considering the creation is composed entirely of rudimentary shapes and lights available in the Workshop mode. Noting that this is part of the Streetwatch project, it appears that Gracz, possibly with collaborators, intends on bringing other cars to the Overwatch world. The game already contains some vehicles, including the renowned payload on Hollywood and the deadly traffic on Oasis. An exact purpose of bringing a McLaren Senna to King’s Row remains unknown, but fellow fans have appeared delighted to see just how innovative creators can be with the Workshop offerings. With Dota 2’s origins coming from fanmade mods for Warcraft 3, it’s obvious that there is a precedent for success when players have the ability to play around with a Blizzard IP. As everyone awaits Overwatch’s sequel, it’s encouraging that fans are still getting creative with the current game.

Overwatch fans fall in love with D.Va main’s beautiful custom Nerf button Blizzard EntertainmentAn Overwatch player’s awesome D.Va ultimate controller is making waves online, and it’s one of the best, most fitting ways we’ve ever seen to play the tank. Crazy custom Overwatch controllers are nothing new, we’ve seen everything from playing Ana with a Teapot, Brigitte with a baguette, and even more, but a new creation for D.Va might be one of the most satisfying yet. As far as Ultimate abilities in the game go, D.Va’s is pretty simple: it makes her MEKA self destruct, dealing 1000 damage within 20 meters and dropping off at further ranges. There are a few ways to spice it up with boosts and fakeouts, but at its core, it’s just a nice, simple, powerful ability, which makes this Nerf button from Reddit user PhyrexianSpaghetti completely unnecessary, but incredibly awesome. As far as custom Overwatch controllers go, this one is extremely straightforward: it’s just a giant button you press when D.Va has her Self-Destruct that activates the ability…that’s it. The physical button itself has Hana Song’s trademark bunny logo on it, along with her ult catchphrase of “Nerf This!” on the base. It was all 3D printed, except for the single USB key input from an old keyboard, programmed to activate the ability. Despite it being pretty simple, it looks extremely satisfying to just punch, bop or slam a giant, custom made D.Va-specific button as you toss your ultimate onto a helpless enemy team and secure another POTG for your collection. More than four years after release we’ve seen Overwatch played with almost everything you could possibly think of at this point, but leave it to the game’s creative player base, and they’ll probably keep coming up with new, more ridiculous ways to play their favorite game. Overwatch 2 should (hopefully) be coming out sometime in 2021 as well, and we can’t wait to see what fans come up with when the new game finally does arrive.

Overwatch fans discover you can earn other heroes’ achievements as Echo Blizzard EntertainmentMonths after Echo was released into the world of Overwatch, more players are beginning to discover that you can earn other heroes’ achievements using her shape-shifting ultimate ability. When Echo launched as a playable character in April 2020, the Overwatch community was as excited as it was intrigued by her potential. Not only could the evolutionary take flight and blend both hitscan and projectile abilities, she could also use her “Duplicate” ultimate to become any enemy player’s hero for a short period of time. The opportunities appeared endless and, by all means, they are. First, everyone struggled to master her unique flying style, which feels markedly different from Pharah’s jet-powered flight. Then, within weeks, she powered a return to an amplified “moth” meta and surged into the Overwatch League’s limelight. Now, Echo’s potential continues to be realized, as some fans are just now discovering that players can successfully use her ultimate to unlock achievements for other heroes. As shown in a clip shared on Reddit, this can be very useful for trophy collectors. Many of Overwatch’s achievements can be hard to unlock and require unique circumstances. For Junkrat’s “Roadkill” achievement, you need to kill four enemies with one RIP-Tire. This requires that four of the six opponents are grouped together when you’re nearby enough to capitalize. In the clip shared by ‘fielus’ on Reddit, they’re able to fly above the enemy team, duplicate a Junkrat, and quickly secure five kills — including four with a RIP-Tire. Without even realizing they could get his achievement by doing so, they easily secured it. It takes Echo 1.35 seconds to transform into an enemy hero she has chosen and then she is able to play as that hero for 15 seconds (or until her health runs out). Additionally, Echo is able to build her duplicated hero’s ultimate 6.5 times faster than normal while transformed. All of these factors combine with Echo’s flight to make her a fantastic candidate for players who want to unlock achievements. Using the Junkrat example, fielus was able to drop onto enemies from the skies as Junkrat, charge the ultimate almost instantaneously, and hit a big bang for an easy achievement.

Overwatch devs explain delay in McCree’s name change Blizzard EntertainmentBlizzard Entertainment confirmed they would be changing the name of hero Jesse McCree, pending the dismissal of an employee sharing the same namesake. Now, the developer has provided an update on the name-changing process. Overwatch players are hungry for new content but plan to expand the longevity of the game are on hold. With story beats and additional DLC planned to expand on the cowboy-inspired character, fans were initially skeptical towards Blizzard’s approach. However, the importance of delaying further additions comes as a result of McCree being subject to a name change, as it was inspired by a now-former employee fired amid the ongoing Blizzard controversy. Blizzard devs have now addressed the progress of changing McCree’s name head-on. McCree name change is a “complicated project” Overwatch launched back in 2016, with Jesse McCree among its base-game character roster. Due to the character’s long-standing presence within the game, this has become an “undertaking” for the Blizzard development team to action. Speaking on the progress of retrofitting McCree’s future in the franchise, one of Blizzard’s community management team offered an update on the “meaningful” yet “complicated project.” As the project will require multiple assets across every facet of the game to be changed, the devs said “change like this takes *some* time to achieve. I do not currently have an ETA I can share with you, however, I can assure you that work is underway on this task.” Read More: Overwatch 2 devs reveal Brigitte rework – “I can understand why you may worry that this decision was made in a rush (especially given the whirlwind of surrounding news)” the developer added on the spontaneity of the change. While a specific date for the change hasn’t been detailed, we will be tracking this news as it develops. Make sure to stay updated with all our Overwatch coverage here.

Overwatch best friends complete 5-year grind to Diamond after meeting in-game BlizzardOne member of an Overwatch duo shared a wholesome post about their journey with the game and the community loved it. Sometimes the wholesome stories centered around video game communities are the ones fans need to read most. Stories like the Pokemon Go player getting good news from their Ukrainian friend or a proud dad recounting his daughter’s insane Overwatch play really highlight just how powerful video games can be. Now, another wholesome Overwatch story has captured the community after one half of a duo team shared the story of their 5-year grind to Diamond. Overwatch duo shares wholesome story The post comes from Reddit user IHaveNoIdeaSoThere on the team-based shooter’s subreddit. They made a post that said, “My best friend and I met on Overwatch 5 years ago. We were bronze and stupid but boy did we like the game.” The Overwatch fan goes on to say that after over 500 hours spent grinding in competitive play, the duo “finally achieved the goal” they set for themselves when they first met online. They attached a picture showing the duo achieved 3,025 SR, which put them at Diamond rank. The post received plenty of congratulations and kudos from the community, with many players complimenting their commitment to the grind for so long. “500 hours of mental trauma is notting to laugh at. Nah but seriously good job [dude],” said user XnenoVenom. The duo’s story also inspired other players to share similar stories about the game helping them to meet important people in their lives. “Such an awesome story. I still to this day say my wife and I had our first date on Overwatch. When she found out I played she immediately bought it and a gaming computer to be able to have time together,” said BoldWarSeer. Hopefully, this best friend duo remains continues their grind whenever Overwatch 2 launches later this year.

Overwatch Anniversary 2021 event: Legendary skins, weekly challenges, more Blizzard EntertainmentIt’s time for Overwatch’s 2021 Anniversary event and you know what that means — a whole lineup of new skins out there to add to our collections. Let’s take a look at the new Legendaries, and the exclusive Epics. The big draw of every Overwatch event is of course, all of the new skins that get released. Of course during Anniversary you can also unlock any skin from the past (barring exclusive weekly challenge ones). We’ve already seen the skins for Baptiste, Moira, and Sombra previewed, and there are three other Legendaries for Junkrat and Doomfist. There’s also the Epic challenge skins that come with twist this year though, which could mean they take a bit longer to finish. Overwatch Anniversary Weekly Challenge skins Instead of having to win 3-6-9 games respectively over the course of a week to unlock all of the rewards, you now have to play, not win, a total of 9-18-27 games to unlock each tier of rewards broken down as seen below: Nine played games — Player Icon – 18 played games — Spray – 27 played games — Epic Skin – With that out of the way, let’s take a look at what’s on offer for each week of Anniversary 2021. Week 1 — Cybermedic Ana Ana is the first hero on deck for the weekly challenges during Anniversary 2021, and her Crybermedic skin does not disappoint. As the name suggests, this look would be right at home in a dystopian future like Blade Runner or Cyberpunk 2077. Her eyewear resembles something out of Soldier: 76’s ensemble and the inside of her cloak is actually animated with some Matrix-style falling text design to really complete the look. 9 played games — Cybermedic Player Icon – 18 played games — Sentinel Spray – 27 played games — Cybermedic Ana Epic Skin – Week 2 — Bird of Paradise Echo Filling out the second week is an absolutely gorgeous skin for Echo called Bird of Paradise, and the DPS does look like a Tropical bird showing off her plumage mid-flight. If you like playing Echo, or enjoy extremely colorful skins, you won’t want to miss your the chance to unlock this one during Week 2. 9 played games — Bird of Paradise Player Icon – 18 played games — Flutter Spray – 27 played games — Bird of Paradise Echo Epic Skin – Week 3 — 8 Ball Wrecking Ball Finally, in week 3 we see an idea that’s been suggested countless times since Hammond joined the Overwatch roster: Wrecking Ball as a Billiards ball. And not just any Pool ball either, he’s the legendary eight ball, but we’re not sure if Blizzard included a feature to answer your random questions. His mech is definitely cool, but Hammond might steal the show with his adorable little tuxedo vest and bow tie. He looks like he’s all ready to play a little game of pool. Wrecking Ball fans, you’ll want to pick this one up. Nine played games — 8 Ball Player Icon – 18 played games — Corner Pocket Spray – 27 played games — 8 Ball Wrecking Ball Epic Skin – Overwatch Anniversary new Legendary skins Now that we have the weekly challenge skins out of the way, let’s take a look at the five new Legendary skins that will be available to purchase or unlock in loot boxes throughout the event. Funky Baptiste – 3,000 Coins Now for what is undoubtedly the grooviest skin ever introduced into Overwatch: Funky Baptiste. This skin basically takes the healer back in time to that magical time known as the 1970’s. Read More: Overwatch fans rave over Funky Baptiste Anniversary skin and find possible crossover link – Rocking a fro, some bell bottoms and a funky swagger only Baptiste could pull off, be sure to put some George Clinton, Parliament, or any other acceptably funky beat to throw out some fat heals to your teammates. Venus Moira — 3,000 Coins Moira’s Anniversary skin this year was one no one saw coming, but it’s honestly one of the coolest one’s she’s ever gotten just because it’s so different and out there compared to her others. All kinds of leaves and Venus flytrap teeth are covering the skin, and Moira even has a flower on her back instead of all that machinery. This is definitely one you’ll be seeing a lot of throughout this event. Black Cat Sombra — 3,000 Coins Now for what is arguably the most popular skin among fans for the Anniversary event: Black Cat Sombra. Like D.Va’s Black Cat skin, Sombra now has an adorable pair of cat ears. That’s not all, she’s also got a lone-ranger mask, a whip, and some catlike nails for curious Supports who happen to get too close. Along with D.Va, Lucio, and Zarya, Sombra’s skin means we’re only two heroes away from being able to put together a full team of animal heroes. Junkfood Junkrat — 3,000 Coins For all of those of you out there with a sweet tooth, you’ll love Junkrat’s new Junkfood skin. Besides taking the record for the pinkest Junk skin yet (minus some OWL teams) his tire is practically a work of art. The ultimate is now made out of a giant lollipop, with candy corn (arguably the worst candy in existence, so who cares if they get blown up?), and covering it all is a shiny sheet of cellophane that should look cool rolling around the map before it kills you. Gladiator Doomfist — 3,000 Coins Last, but certainly not least we come to the awesome Gladiator skin for Doomfist. It’s a fitting theme for the clobbering DPS, but we’re not so certain fighters in Ancient Rome used giant, bionic fists as weapons, but we’ll let that slide. It might have come a bit early, but this skin seems tailor-made for the new Rome map coming to Overwatch 2. We haven’t seen too many previews of the map yet so we don’t know if you’ll actually be able to inside the famous Colosseum, but with this skin, we sure hope so.

Overwatch and Diablo come together in demonic Brigitte cosplay Twitter: KamuiCosplay, Blizzard EntertainmentBlizzard entertainment have released a host of amazing games, but Overwatch and Diablo stand out among the crowd. This player has combined both games to create an insane demon inspired Brigitte cosplay. It’s safe to say that Blizzard has dropped some of the gaming world’s most iconic titles. From World of Warcraft to Overwatch, the Blizzard universe is filled to the brim with a whole host of awesome characters that cosplayers are just dying to transform into. The release of Shadowlands saw cosplayer Cinderys literally become Sylvanas Windrunner, and a recent genderbend by Zibartas showcased an insane animatronic based Mercy outfit. What we haven’t seen so far in 2021, is a crossover. Well, we’re in luck! This cosplay sees a fusion of Diablo and Overwatch into one stunning idea: Demonic Brigitte. This demonic Brigitte cosplay is on fire While Brigitte is seen as a virtual devil to a lot of Overwatch players, a cosplay by KamuiCosplay (inspired by artist Zach Fischer’s concept) has put a Diablo twist on the iconic Swedish hero. Writing that the cosplay was “over 16 months of work” and contains “over 1000 LEDs and a buttload of foam,” this outfit really is one for the cosplay history books. It sees a ruby skinned Brigitte adorned in red and bronze armor that looks as though it could easily have been forged in the fires of hell itself. There are a lot of Diablo style traits about this cosplay, seen in the somewhat regal feel her armor has, as well as in the iconic shield that takes up the majority of the portrait. Featuring a recreation of the Diablo logo as the heart of the shield, the devil’s head has been masterfully recreated to look almost like a skull. The glowing body of the shield both channels hellfire and the neon glow of Brigitte’s futuristic mechanical shield, making it the perfect centrepiece to define this cosplay. My Demonic Brigitte costume is done! 16 months of work, over 1000 LEDs and a buttload of foam… But it was WORTH IT! 😆 HOPE YOU LIKE IT! @PlayOverwatch @Diablo @Blizzard_Ent Original design drawing commissioned from @ZachFischer ❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/xPu8fXTfsY — Kamui 📚 (@KamuiCosplay) January 10, 2021 The cosplayer has also released a video breaking down this insane cosplay’s creation, and it shows just how much work goes into the creation of art like this. Fans love this crossover cosplay There’s nothing but love in the comments for this devilish Brigitte design, and fans of both titles have come together to praise this awesome amalgamation of the two franchises. One fan writes that they’d been following Kamui’s creation from “the very beginning on Instagram. Now… I see the finished piece and I’m speechless.” i’ve followed the project since the very beginning on instagram. now… i see the finished piece and i’m speechless. what an insane job!!! 💞💞💞 congratulations!!! — ★Fio / artist playing Destiny 2 (@atmosfioric) January 10, 2021 Another commenter was totally gobsmacked, writing “Wait ?!?! This is a cosplay?!?! Not a picture out of the game!!” Wait ?!?! This is a cosplay?!?! Not a picture out of the game!! Holy shit. Awesome work!!!!!! I have respect that you did it till the end. 16 months. Wow. — Kumiko_Yuki (@Kumiko__Yuki) January 11, 2021 A final response points out the detail in the aforementioned shield, writing that “everything is amazing in this, but my eyes keep gravitating to the shield…” DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN. The everything is amazing in this, but my eyes keep gravitating to the shield… Amazing work, hope it was time well spent and you had tons of fun making it and what not! ^^— Angel (@GamingAngelus) January 11, 2021 It’s pretty clear that fans are obsessed with this insane crossover. All of the hard work that Kamui put into creating the outfit hasn’t gone unseen. We can’t wait to see if 2021 (or 2022 as it so happens) holds even more magic. So rally to Kamui, she’s doing some crazy work bringing our favorite heroes to life.

Overwatch 2’s Top 500 rank includes Diamond players as community fears game is now “dead” BlizzardOverwatch 2’s Top 500 rank now features players in Diamond and the community is fearing Blizzard’s hero shooter may be all but “dead.” When it comes to Competitive play in Overwatch 2, there’s no bigger accomplishment than reaching the Top 500. As the label implies, this spot is reserved for the 500 best players in a given role in a certain region. The cream of the crop, if you will. Throughout the game’s history, climbing to this echelon hasn’t been easy. Former Overwatch League pros and content creators alike all but dominated the top ranks season over season, though that no longer appears to be the case. Players ranked in Diamond, the game’s fourth highest tier, are now cracking into the Top 500 as the player base evidently declines. Overwatch 2 player Remy first circulated the discovery on July 4, sarcastically stating Overwatch 2 isn’t a “dead game.” The post shows the very bottom of the highest rank with 10 Diamond players among the 500 very best in the game. With Master, Grandmaster, and Champion ranks all ahead of it, Diamond isn’t exactly the sign of one of Overwatch 2’s top performers. At least, it never used to be. The Diamond rank sits in the very middle of the ranking system, yet with fewer players engaging in Competitive play, this ‘middle’ has now been pushed to the top. It’s worth noting this particular set of players specifically falls under the Top 500 leaderboard for the Tank role in the Americas region. It’s not representative of all Top 500 leaderboards around the globe, purely the least-desired role in Overwatch 2 today. Not to mention, some regions are more populated than others. Nonetheless, the revelation has sparked a wave of concern for the hero-shooter once again. “Someday it’ll be studied how Blizzard could fumble this IP so badly,” one player said. “Time for Overwatch 2: 2,” another player joked. Though plenty of others fired back at the claims of Overwatch 2 being “dead,” arguing the Top 500 threshold is only so low at this point in time as Season 11 is relatively fresh. Furthermore, these days, players are required to get 50 wins, not just 50 games played, but 50 wins, in order to earn their rank. “Not everyone has the luxury to no life 50 wins,” other players chimed in.

Overwatch 2’s Hero Mastery mode won’t be available until September Blizzard EntertainmentOverwatch 2’s Hero Mastery mode has been delayed to be a part of a mid-season update in September rather than launching in August with the rest of the Season 6 features. In an update to their blog post about Season 6, titled “Invasion”, Blizzard stated that they would be delaying the hotly-anticipated mode until some time in September, so they could guarantee its quality. The delay comes after the announcement that Season 6 would be the “biggest in Overwatch 2’s history“, including the Hero Missions that evolved from the original PvE concept the game was envisioned as. Overwatch 2 Hero Mastery delayed for “best possible experience” In an update to the blog, Blizzard said: “In order to deliver the best possible experience for the new Hero Mastery mode, we are postponing the launch of the mode to our Overwatch 2: Invasion mid-season update in September. Thank you for understanding.” Hero Mastery mode won’t launch with all the heroes in the game available. Instead, a “selection of heroes” will be available to master in Season 6, with more being added in future updates. There will be global leaderboards for hero mastery, which will display the most talented player for each hero available. Season 6 will also bring a revamped firing range, which has the chance for players to test out their accuracy, a new “Flashpoint” game mode, and a new support hero, who we know surprisingly little about. There’s going to be a lot of new content, for sure, but only time will tell if it will fix some of the problems the community has with how Blizzard has been managing the game and the development of the PvE. For more Overwatch 2 news and updates, check out the hints we’ve been given about the new support hero’s kit.

Overwatch 2’s April Fools patch gives Ramattra “hilarious” detail BlizzardOther than getting the usual googly eyes treatment during April Fools, Ramattra also got this funny detail added in Overwatch 2. April Fools in Overwatch 2 is a lot more than just wacky ultimate voice lines and giggles. Players can also jump into a limited-time arcade more, where regular abilities and ultimates get tweaked to spice things up. While these are fun additions to the game, one change you’ll instantly notice when you first load into a match or even just check the hero gallery is the heroes’ appearances. Everyone gets a special makeover during April Fools that makes them have googly eyes. Needless to say, this also affects the villainous omnic, Ramattra. What makes things even more interesting, though, is how his weapon looks up close. As it turned out, one player in a Reddit thread found out that the orb on Ramatra’s weapon also gets its own set of googly eyes for the occasion. This is a detail that’s not noticeable when playing in first person, but if you look at Ramattra’s weapon via replay from a free-cam view, you’ll see a pair of small googly eyes glued to his orb. “Discovered this a few days ago, it’s f****ing funny,” one person commented in the thread. “Great googly moogly,” another chimed in jokingly. Meanwhile, other players pointed out that you can see googly eyes in other hero abilities too, such as Lifeweaver’s tree and platform, as well as Reinhardt’s shield. Heroes and abilities aside, assuming you’ve been sticking to the payload this whole time, you should be able to notice googly eyes on it as well.

Overwatch 2: What does main & flex support mean? BlizzardThe term main and flex support in Overwatch 2 have been around for so long that their meaning has almost completely changed and can be confusing to many new players. With that being said, here’s what you need to know about the in-game lingo. From when it was first released to the modern era of Overwatch 2, a lot has changed in the game, especially when it comes to its roles. However, as time passes by and the game fundamentally changes, the terms we use to describe roles have largely stayed the same. Tanks saw the idea of main and off-tanks die with 5v5 while supports saw the concept of flex and main supports get very murky, to the point its meaning is lost on many new players. Don’t fear as we’ll help you understand just what it means to be a flex and main support, and why its meaning has deviated so much since 2016. What is main and flex support in Overwatch 2? Main support is generally seen as Support heroes that focus on providing non-cooldown utility. This can be utility like speed boost, damage boost, Inspire, or Discord orb. This includes heroes such as Lucio, Brigitte, Mercy, and Zenyatta. Flex support meanwhile is seen as the most mechanically demanding role, needing to balance their cooldowns to help the team while at times doing the most healing in the team. This includes heroes such as Ana, Baptiste, Illari, Kiriko, Lifeweaver, and Moira. However, these terms should be used loosely, with hero categorization often highly contested. The main problem with the terms main and flex support is that they were initially established in 2016 before role lock and when teams needed a player to always play a certain support hero for the meta, and thus lost much of their original meaning. To some players, Baptiste is a main support while Zenyatta is a flex. And to some, Baptiste can switch between both depending on the team composition, especially when Baptiste Illari was meta. Generally in team compositions, it’s best to have a main and flex support to complement the team. Currently, Lucio Kiriko is meta. Other duos like Ana Brigitte, Zenyatta Baptiste, and Lucio Moira are quite common. Origins of main and flex support in Overwatch 2 Back in the early days of Overwatch in 2016, Lucio was so good that you needed a main Lucio while another player could flex to different supports or roles depending on what the team needed. Which is where the term main and flex support came from. As the meta evolved, Mercy became a main support during the Moth Meta, then Brigitte during GOATS. In fact, during GOATS, we saw mostly main supports becoming meta. However, when role lock came around thanks to GOATS and the meta changed drastically, the terms almost became irrelevant from their original meaning, as teams could see Baptiste Ana or even Mercy Lucio played. Nowadays, their roles are separated based on which character focuses on providing non-cooldown utilities to the team. It’s important to note that these terms have become very loose in the modern era of Overwatch, to the point it’s hard to solidify their meaning, so do take all of this with as just a general guideline.

Overwatch 2 teases new Junkenstein PvE mode details with cryptic letter Blizzard EntertainmentOverwatch 2 devs Blizzard have given fans their first real hint at what the upcoming Junkenstein PvE mode will be ahead of the start of their Halloween event, Junkenstein’s Revenge: Wrath of the Bride. In celebration of Halloween, Overwatch will be once again running a special event during the holiday. And while this may not be the first Halloween event for the Overwatch series, Junkenstein’s Revenge: Wrath of the Bride marks the first big event since Overwatch 2 went live at the beginning of October 2022. While the Halloween special brings with it new skins and cosmetics, the biggest drawcard to Junkenstein’s Revenge is the new PvE mode that will debut with it. As a way to further build excitement for the game mode, Blizzard have posted a new blog post on the Overwatch website. The post, written from the perspective of the Lord of Adlersbrunn, provides some context and background to the narrative of Junkenstein’s Revenge. The beginning of the post reads: “Today, I note with great relief that the wounds Doctor Junkenstein left upon the town of Adlersbrunn have, at last, begun to heal. Our people know peace again, and once more do laughter and light fill the streets. News of our prosperity has spread afar, and travelers from all walks of life have come to partake of it. The chapter of misfortune, it seems, has finally come to a close.” The letter then goes on to hint at the return of Junkenstein in light of the one year anniversary of his death, with the Lord adding “I must ask one of the guards to look into the strange noises coming from the old quarters of the castle. I pray the rats have not made another nest!” As well as this, Blizzard President Mike Ybarra confirmed on Twitter it will be a completely new game mode, serving as a sequel to the original Junkenstein’s Revenge. Exact details of the new Overwatch 2 Junkenstein PvE mode are still unknown, but this letter is first big tease as to what players can expect from the upcoming Halloween event. Junkenstein’s Revenge: Wrath of the Bride is set to begin on October 25, 2022 and will run right up until November 8, 2022.

Overwatch 2 tank mains claim their role is ‘misunderstood’ by players Blizzard EntertainmentOverwatch 2 tank mains have taken to social media to defend their ‘misunderstood’ role to some members of the player base. In Overwatch 2, every Hero falls into one of the three main roles: DPS, Support, and Tank. While some Heroes blend elements of each role, all of them specialize in one key pillar. As a team-based hero shooter, having a good mix of Heroes in each role is a must for a well-rounded team. This means players need to understand the ins and outs of the role they’re playing. However, it seems some Tank mains still think the community has misunderstood how the Tank role works in Overwatch 2, even after all these years. Overwatch 2 tank mains feel misunderstood by the community A post on the Overwatch subreddit titled, “A lot of people don’t understand tank in this game,” sparked an interesting discussion among members of the community. The OP said, “I see a lot of people think tank is just a big damage and cd sponge, but that isn’t true at all. I don’t know where this misconception of the role comes from, but I really wish it wasn’t so believed in.” They go on to explain that Tanks are “aggressive space takers” first and foremost. “They don’t sit around, hold your hand, and take all the enemy’s crap for you. They push in, kill things, force engagements and cooldowns, and allow their team to push forwards.” The player used Reinhardt’s shield as an example of a common misconception. “Reinhard’s shield for example isn’t for his team to stand behind so they can be safe from damage, it’s for Rein to use for himself to push up without taking too much damage.” Many fellow tank mains commented on the post in agreement with the points made. “You’re completely right, but you’re about to get a lot of comments from people not ready to hear this yet…,” said one player. Others mentioned that it’s not entirely some player’s fault as Tank is a complex role in Overwatch 2. “I don’t blame people who think tanks are just supposed to stay in the objective or to be a meat shield. It’s way easier to understand a Support or a DPS job in this game than the Tank job,” said another fan. Of course, others in the comments expressed why they tend to steer clear of the Tank role for one reason or the other. Needless to say, Tank is not the easiest role to fulfill in Overwatch 2. For more news and updates on Overwatch 2, check out the balance changes made to Roadhog’s Take a Breather ability.

Overwatch 2 Push glitch causes players to get stuck in map Blizzard EntertainmentA potentially game-breaking Overwatch 2 map glitch in the Push game mode is causing players a lot of frustration as they can’t move. Overwatch 2 welcomed a lot of new stuff to the franchise. It features new maps, new Heroes such as Kiriko, and the Push game mode. For those unaware, Push sees both teams squaring off in an effort to advance a giant robot across the map until it reaches the enemy team’s spawn zone. It results in many topsy-turvy, back-and-forth affairs. There’s a real sense of danger if you get wiped out though as it can give the opposition the impetus to make a real charge. According to recent reports though, there is a completely different danger in the mode altogether – the maps themselves. Overwatch 2 map glitch getting players stuck in Push In Push, players will be inserted into one of many different maps. As OW2 player -BuckyBarnes discovered, if you’re unlucky, maps can be detrimental to your team’s success. “Be careful on Push Maps – You can get stuck now,” they claimed, and to prove they weren’t lying, they attached a video of themself getting stuck in one of the game’s maps. Rolling out as Bastion, the user walked over one of the maps checkpoint spots and immediately got stuck. One commenter jokingly said that they’ve “turned the checkpoints into permanent Junkrat traps,” and another person commented: “Happened to me as well, exact same spot.” The OP added: “Posted it on the bug report Overwatch forums as well, but wanted to share the word because I really think this cost my team a win in comp. You can see I get stuck and am just floating indefinitely. My bouncy bombs won’t dislodge me, turret form, nothing. My duo (Ana) temporarily gets stuck but my little Bastion body was so fat it launched her out. DO NOT walk close to the edges of the blue pushbot end zone!” Presumably, there’s a slight hitch in the game’s code that can be easily rectified. The devs certainly have their work cut out for them right now as they have only recently banned over 250,000 Overwatch 2 accounts.

Overwatch 2 players spotlight Reaper for next overhaul but not everyone is convinced BlizzardOverwatch 2 players are suggesting Reaper should be in line for the next hero overhaul as many feel his kit is “outdated”, but not everyone is convinced. Come Season 7 of Overwatch 2, the devs have revealed they are reworking Sombra’s kit with a whole new ability. This rework comes as the devs slowly overhauled many heroes’ abilities to shake up the meta. However, after Sombra, no other hero rework has been announced or even so much as teased yet. But some Overwatch players are suggesting that Repear should be in line for the next big update, whenever that may arrive. This was the suggestion of a player on the Overwatch 2 subreddit who explained why they believe it’s not time to show some love to our spooky shadowy friend. “I don’t want to say he’s awful, I make him work in the majority of cases, but god it feels like his kit is hard countered by the majority of the cast now,” the player wrote. Further arguing that ever since his Wraith was nerfed to deactivate when CC’d, Reaper has been lacking. Another player suggested that overall Reaper’s kit is alright, rather the devs should add an alt-fire as most other DPS have some sort of alternative damage, or at least another ability to mix up their gameplay. This was also suggested by the original poster, as they recommended a sort of slug shot that could give Reaper some long-range capabilities to make him more viable. However, not everyone agrees Reaper should get an overhaul. As explained by another commenter, “The problem with him is that he’s always been a menace to low Tanks and fell behind at higher ranks. I’m really not sure what you can do with him that’d make him consistently good across every rank without being OP.” Many other commenters agreed with the sentiment that an overhaul is not needed, rather he simply needs a buff. “He needs a buff rather than a rework. Faster Wraith form, less vulnerable during teleport, more consistent damage.” As for if Reaper could be in the dev’s sights for a buff or rework, players will need to wait and see. Things have been fairly quiet since Season 6, but that’s sure to change in the coming weeks.

Overwatch 2 players slam “unimpressive” rank-up content Blizzard EntertainmentThe Overwatch 2 community has criticized highly skilled players for “smurfing” in lower ranks in order to make YouTube content, typically by starting new accounts and ranking up as high as they can. Overwatch 2 content creators, similar to other competitive titles, often do ‘rank up’ challenges, where pros and high-ranked players play on a fresh account, while giving tips and explaining their thought process as they progress through ranks. But now some players are starting to grow frustrated with how Overwatch 2 content is produced on YouTube, and they have a particular problem with a specific type of video: the “Unranked to Grandmasters” formula. In these videos, content creators open a new account and start playing Competitive, in an attempt to reach where they were on their main account. But this formula has been described as “unimpressive” by many Overwatch 2 players, and it’s also being criticized for increasing the number of smurf accounts in the game. In a popular post on the Overwatch subreddit, one player noted: “There’s nothing educational about Top 500 players playing in Silver, there’s nothing to learn. It’s just 1000s of hours of mechanical skill against casual players. “So many YouTubers do this and it’s ruining a lot of Overwatch content, at least for me. I don’t support smurfing and “unranked to GM” is the worst form of it. “YouTubers try and make it sound like it’s not smurfing by saying it’s “educational” but it doesn’t matter. It’s pretty much game over right when the match starts. “Seeing a top 500 players go from Unranked to GM isn’t even impressive. Like wow, you played against players SIGNIFICANTLY worse than you and got to your normal rank. Congratulations for ruining countless low elo games.” Several other players agreed with the post, and said that it was a kind of content that no longer appealed to them. Another player pointed out that the advice provided in these videos didn’t even help lower-ranked accounts, saying: I watched a Bronze to Grandmasters video where the guy literally just melted everyone he looked at. He was insanely aggressive because his mechanics were so perfect. “A metal player trying to emulate this playstyle is going to be useless because you can’t kill players that quickly.” Another said they would prefer it if Overwatch content creators made it significantly harder for themselves to rank up, or spent more time reviewing footage from other people so they can analyze it in the moment. I agree, the videos would be better if they just reviewed real Gold players. The issue is a Top 500 player will do things a Gold player cannot. “Alternatively, they should handicap themselves so they actually lose or struggle with games in some way so people can learn.” Blizzard has said they are committed to reducing the number of smurf accounts in the game as they gear up for significant changes to the competitive system. For more Overwatch 2 news, check out our coverage of the plans to rework Mercy.

Overwatch 2 players slam Mauga as “boring” to play against BlizzardOverwatch 2’s Mauga is coming under criticism from players who say that his kit is a little one-dimensional and even “boring” to play against. Overwatch 2’s tank roster grew in Season 8 with the release of Mauga. The Samoan did have a weekend for players to get to grips with during BlizzCon, but at that time he was quite weak. However, with his full introduction to the game, he saw some enormous buffs, making him much more viable. Some might even say too powerful. While debates rage as to whether Mauga is overpowered or not, it’s clear he’s shaken the game up. This is not a Lifeweaver situation where he’s arrived in a weak state. If you don’t respect Mauga, he can run you over with his enormous damage potential at short range. It’s clear he has a viable place on the roster, but is he any fun to play against? Some fans aren’t so sure, even going so far as to call him boring. Is Mauga too one-dimensional? In a Reddit thread that has garnered 1.8k upvotes at the time of writing, user Falcrus wrote a sarcastic title, saying “Mauga is a peak Overwatch gameplay. So fun to play against him, will definitely try more!”. In the post, they shared a video of a Ramattra facing off against Mauga inside Mauga’s Cage Fight ultimate. It’s a fairly uneventful fight with Ramattra standing there, forced to take the Samoan’s frontal assault until he whittles away and dies. It highlights just how sometimes, there is nothing you can do against the tank. One user argued, “Peak Mauga gameplay is just boring. Even if he hadn’t Ulted, the fight would be similar. He’s just Bastion with no tempo and way to disengage.” Another player thinks Mauga has brought back a hyperfocused energy. They said: “All Mauga has done since release is give everyone “FOCUS THE TANK” energy instead of take out the healers and DPS and it’s kinda funny” However, others think the interaction is perfectly reasonable. A poster sarcastically posted, “I didn’t survive getting solo Ulted, Mauga broken blizzard pls fix”, imitating the original poster. Others pointed out that other heroes are getting a chance to shine because of this. In particular, the once notoriously weak Lifeweaver. A user said: “Lifeweaver is getting his shine these days. Easy to yank the tank out this Ult” It’s hard to say how Mauga will be viewed in the long run. He does feel a little one-dimensional right now but as strategy, counters, and balance changes evolve, perhaps some more nuance will to the fore. Here’s hoping, that after he’s had some time to settle, players can find more fun ways to interact with the big guy.

Overwatch 2 players discover unreleased Junker Queen & Ramattra skins BlizzardUnreleased Legendary skins for Junker Queen and Ramattra were uncovered by Overwatch 2 players shortly after the new Season 3 update went live. In Overwatch 2 Season 3, there has been a new crop of skins that has brought a lot of hype for its the latest content drop. With a first-time collaboration skin with One Punch Man, dressing Hanzo up as cupid, and Kiriko even getting a new Mythic skin, there’s plenty for fans to be excited about. Season 3 also includes major updates to its ranked system, new PvE events, and a new map set in Antarctica. But what the devs might not have anticipated is that players would quickly uncover unreleased skins shortly after jumping into the update. Upon the release of Season 3 on February 7, players have already found unfinished Legendary skins for both Junker Queen and Ramattra. The Junker Queen skin, named Mob Boss, is most likely an Overwatch League skin. It explains why the skin is so brightly colored as it is meant to have as plain a texture model as possible so the devs can insert team colors onto it. And the Ramattra skin, named Necromancer, is most likely a skin available to be purchased through the in-game store. The skin is also clearly unfinished as it lacks the polish many purchasable skins have. The Junker Queen skin was quickly found in Overwatch’s menu by just filtering the Hero’s skins by Overwatch League. But it is unclear how the Ramattra skin was first uncovered. It could possibly have been through the menus as well, or through uncovering it in the game’s files. As of writing, both skins have since been removed from their respective Hero’s menus in the live build of Overwatch 2. It is unknown if the early discovery of these unreleased skins will have an impact on their eventual release. But we’ll be sure to update you here as any further details emerge.

Overwatch 2 players debate the best skin since sequel launch Blizzard EntertainmentOverwatch 2 players have been discussing their favorite skins of the sequel era, and which ones stand out. Overwatch 2’s skins have been a pretty controversial topic since the game’s release in 2022. In Overwatch 1, if you played enough, you could get the skins you wanted for free by earning currency to buy them from events. That said, you couldn’t spend real money on the one you wanted, as you had to buy enough loot boxes to either accrue the currency you needed or you just had to get lucky and get it in a box. Overwatch 2 tried to make that process more streamlined by allowing you to buy skins directly so you could get the one you wanted right away. The catch was that now they more or less had to be bought for $20, as earning the coins you need to get one for free takes a really long time. This has made skins far less accessible than previously, at least for those not included in the battle pass (which to be fair have introduced amazing customizable Mythic skins). That’s a shame because some of the new skins have been total bangers. On that, players have been discussing their favorites of the Overwatch 2 era. What is the best Overwatch 2 skin? In a Reddit thread, players have been discussing their favorite skins since Overwatch 2 came out. In it, there are several suggestions for memorable ones that released over the last year or so. The top comment reads: “Cardboard Reinhardt cause that’s how useful his armor actually feels”. While obviously joking about how Reinhardt can struggle in the meta at the moment, this is a reference to an awesome skin that turned Reinhardt’s massive glistening armor into cardboard. Another comment suggested: “Mob Boss JQ [Junker Queen]. Like they really gave her a exotic [Mythic] battle pass skin which was great in its own right. But then the very next season they drop this banger of a skin.” This skin turns Junker Queen into a suit-wearing mob boss and it’s hard to deny it looks amazing. One player posited “Star Sheep Orisa”, which turns the hulking Tank into a beautiful cosmic sheep. Another player added “That was my favorite one until the Rubber Ducky skin dropped”. This is in reference to a brand new skin that transforms Orisa into an enormous rubber duck in amazing, if not terrifying fashion. One thing is clear – while the issue of their accessibility remains contentious, the skins in the game remain amazing. The art team at Blizzard does an awesome job with these. Here’s hoping that beautiful skins from the past find their way back into the game and are easier to get your hands on in the future.

Overwatch 2 players debate if Lifeweaver should be the first support with 250 health Blizzard EntertainmentOverwatch 2 players are still getting their bearings in regards to new Support hero Lifeweaver, with Reddit users debating whether or not the new hero should be the first Support to have 250 health. The Overwatch community is always active when it comes to debating the changes and improvements to the game they believe would elevate the experience. And with Overwatch 2 having gone live at the end of 2022, players have been more active than ever in this regard. The most recent debate to spark within the community is in regards to the Support hero role. Specifically, if Lifeweaver should be the first Support hero to have 250 hp. In a new Reddit thread, players began discussing whether or not this change would be beneficial to the game and to Lifeweaver. In a new Reddit thread titled, “Make Lifeweaver the first 250 health support”, One Overwatch player argued their case on why they think Blizzard should make this change to the newest Support hero to be added into the game. “Reaper, Mei, Torb, and bastion (300hp) all have an increased health pool mainly because of their larger/wider hitboxes. I always wondered if we would ever see a 250hp healer, and I think if it were to be anyone, it would be lifeweaver. His pick/”winrate is still awful. His output numbers are just okay with his main perk being his utilities. I would say increasing survivability is a fair hypothesis without changing his kit to being a curb stomper. Is there a reason why Blizzard won’t do this?” Players have since commented on the post, sharing their thoughts on the matter and whether or not they agree with this potential change. One commenter went in depth as to why they think the change would not be a good idea for Lifeweaver. “I don’t think they will give him 250 health because he has high Survivability, in contrast to Reaper, Torb and Mei who have to stay in the front lines (or back lines, depending on how you play Reaper) to be effective, despite having surviving abilities of their own, or a massive Hitbox like Bastion. If they gave him 225 health and maybe added a shield, this can give him a large amount of regeneration that would make it even harder to kill him. Overwatch 2 players weigh in on if Lifeweaver should have more health In my opinion, they should keep the 200 health, make 50 of it shields, and lower his Hitbox a small amount. I think it makes him more survivable, but not to the point where trying to kill a Lifeweaver is impossible.” However, another user wrote that “It’s just lazy to make him a good pick by increasing the numbers on all his stats till he is busted. They need to change him into an actual support that does something.” Do you think Lifeweaver should be the first Support to have 250 health? Or would this change only encourage players to use him in a more aggressive manner and essentially make his status as a Support hero? For all the latest Overwatch news and updates, be sure to check out Dexerto’s full coverage here.

Overwatch 2 players claim their skins are still missing over a month after launch Blizzard EntertainmentOver a month after the launch of Overwatch 2, some people who earned skins in the original game claim they’re still missing those cosmetics and are being charged to re-purchase what they already owned. Overwatch 2’s launch had its fair share of issues. Between players having a hard time getting onto servers due to repeated DDoS attacks and bugs that caused Torbjorn and Bastion to be disabled, the launch hasn’t exactly been flawless. However, most of those issues have since been sorted, and Overwatch 2’s technical state has been improved from patch to patch. That said, there’s a major problem from day one that is still affecting some players. Some of those who owned certain skins in the original Overwatch have made claims that their cosmetics hadn’t fully transferred over to Overwatch 2. And, in the case of one Redditor’s account, he would have to pay $40 USD to get a skin that he already owned. Some Overwatch 2 players don’t have all their skins yet For some Overwatch players, all of their cosmetics have transferred seamlessly from the first game to the sequel. With Overwatch 2 being on the same engine and framework as the first game, skins have been directly ported over, and the vast majority of people still have all their cosmetics. But, for a select few, they claim that they still don’t have skins they owned for years before the sequel’s release. And, just to prove their point, one Redditor posted an image of his account without the skin that came with his collector’s edition goodies all the way back in 2016. This image posted by reddit user bruh8248 started a conversation where several Overwatch players shared their experiences and many of them claim to have had similar issues. And, to back up his claims, the same person made another post with proof that he’d been playing since 2016 and had transferred his account from Xbox to PC. Any comments telling the original poster to contact support were eaten alive by others who had contacted Blizzard support and, according to their accounts, had little success with getting back the skins they purchased. Blizzard has yet to comment on the matter at the time of writing.

Overwatch 2 players call Season 4’s meta the “worst” since launch BlizzardOverwatch 2 players are calling Season 4’s meta the “worst” since the game’s release, with Junker Queen taking over the tank role, and sniper DPS heroes like Widow and Hanzo taking center stage. When Season 4 rolled into Overwatch 2, it sought to shake the meta considerably with the release of Lifeweaver and a rework to Brigette’s Rally. When the midseason patch came, it threw a wrench into the meta with the numerous buffs to Junker Queen. However, it seems the changes were not for the better. During the ending weeks of Season 4’s meta, certain heroes seem to dominate lobbies. With Junker Queen being an obvious pick with her big buffs, as well as Lifeweaver failing to shake up the meta in a meaningful way. The changes were so drastic throughout Season 4 that even the Overwatch League announced it would stay on an earlier patch of Season 4 until the end of Midseason Madness. And it seems players are upset by it as well, as they are now calling Season 4 the “worst season” so far since Overwatch 2’s launch. In a Reddit thread, a player heavily criticized Season 4’s meta as “stale”. Saying the same rotation of Junker Queen, Widowmaker, Hanzo, Mei and Sombra is making the current meta boring. It seems a lot of players with the current mixture of brawl and poke meta. One player commented, “The Widow/Hanzo meta f***ing sucks. By the time I go Sombra just to deal with her, she’s picked off three of [my] team members.” Other players proposed that the change to 5v5 rather than 6v6 has only benefitted sniper heroes, as now the lack of a second tank leaves the back line vulnerable. Despite the focus on Widow and Hanzo, heroes with high damage like Ashe and Cassidy are also dominating competitive lobbies. The double sniper meta has long been a boon to Overwatch, even before its transition. With it being so prominent in higher levels of play that the comp helped the San Francisco Shock win the 2020 OWL Championship. The devs have teased potential “nerfs” to sniper heroes with one-shot capabilities like Widowmaker and Hanzo, but we are yet to see it.

Overwatch 2 players brand support abilities as stronger than most ultimates BlizzardAfter listing some of the strongest non-ultimate abilities in the game, the Overwatch 2 community has clocked that one role in particular seems to benefit from some of the strongest cooldowns in the game. Overwatch 2 has quite a few abilities that players need to keep track of if they want to consistently win. Even after the move to the 5v5 format, there are still ten heroes and all their key cooldowns to remember at any given moment. Not every ability is going to be the same, and they don’t need to be. Lifeweaver’s little dash doesn’t have to be as impactful as something like a Genji deflect, or a Mei ice wall. Still, players have noticed that supports are the recipients of some of the strongest abilities in the game, even including quite a few ultimates. Overwatch 2 players determine the strongest non-ult abilities The conversation began when one player asked the community to find the three strongest non-ultimate abilities in the game. It wasn’t long before people realized all the top contenders were primarily support abilities. The most frequently mentioned abilities included Baptiste’s immortality field, Kiriko’s suzu, and everything that Ana can do, though most of the focus was on her nade. Mercy’s rez was also up for consideration, along with the ever-controversial discord orb from Zen. One player in the comments said: “Healers are not allowed to complain because they have ultimates on cooldown.” However, the strength of these abilities doesn’t mean that they’re necessarily overpowered. Supports lack the traditional damage output of the other classes, and while you might be able to pick up kills with Zen or Ana from time to time, they lack utility and mobility from weapons and passives. This means abilities are scaled up in power to compensate, but Blizzard has often introduced changes in cases where supports are a little too overtuned. For more news and updates on the state of abilities in Overwatch 2, check out what we know about the new abilities that could be on the way for Roadhog as part of his rework.

Overwatch 2 players aren’t happy with the state of “healing creep” BlizzardThe average game of Overwatch 2 is going to put a lot of focus on the supports. Ever since the switch to 5v5, and the removal of one particularly large health bar, Support players have had one less thing to worry about. This, combined with Blizzard’s ongoing commitment to making the role more appealing to other players, means Support has been getting a lot of love recently. They got Kiriko at the beginning of the game, who was incredibly strong on release and remains a very solid pick, and then got two hero releases in a row with Lifeweaver and Illari. All this means there’s a lot more healing in the game, and with Season 6 close to wrapping up, players are starting to wonder if there might be a bit too much. Overwatch 2 heroes debate state of healing in Season 6 One player took to the Overwatch forums to share a particularly egregious clip of what can happen when healing gets out of control. In the clip, a Zarya, who is notably at full charge, tries to beam down a Soldier player caught in her ultimate. A Cassidy can also be seen hitting multiple headshots in the background. Most players would bet on this Soldier 76 being dead pretty quickly, but he miraculously stays alive thanks to his healing field, a fully committed Kiriko player, and an Ana nade which boosts all the healing. This begs the question: Should supports be able to out-heal a fully-charged Zarya and a Cassidy combined? To be fair, Soldier has some healing of his own, and the Kiriko likely had her ult buff increasing her healing output. Still, it must feel extremely frustrating to commit all those resources and not securing a single elimination. For more news and updates on Overwatch 2, check out the backlash to the recent Diablo crossover skins, which are a bit too pricey for many players.

Overwatch 2 player fools lobby with “ingenious” Prop Hunt tactic Blizzard EntertainmentOverwatch 2 has welcomed Prop Hunt to its ever-growing list of game modes. It hasn’t taken long for the community to find some truly incredible tactics to use to trick other players in the match. If you’ve never played Prop Hunt, then you’re missing out. Overwatch 2 gives players the chance to experience the chaos and confusion of Prop Hunt. Quite simply, one team becomes props commonly found in OW2 and must disguise themself as the map. The other team must hunt them down and shoot anything they deem suspicious in the hopes of eliminating them. It becomes a true battle of wits as the defending team also gets to morph into new objects. Prop Hunt is a relatively new addition to the game, ahead of the hotly anticipated Season 6, and one play has certainly captured the imagination of the player base. Overwatch 2 Prop Hunt play “is so smart” “To hide as a prop, you must become the prop,” said Reddit user SammyIsSeiso. They were certainly not wrong either. Showcasing how to become a sleuth in Prop Hunt, the OP attached a video of themself blending into the Blizzard World map during a game. In the clip, they became one of the eagle train cars you see circling around a fixed circuit. Needless to say, it did a good job of fooling the opposition! The enemies had no clue that the user was essentially an impostor, and one commenter said: “That’s actually ingenious.” Whereas another player added: “This is so smart lmao. Gotta try it.” Another user offered another way to confuse your foes: “I’ve been using the shark prop and sticking on the pole next to the actual shark and it looks perfect. I have yet to be spotted and it’s hilarious. Took me a minute to realize I can freeze on higher surfaces and it seems since it’s new, not a lot have figured that out yet.” As with many things, Prop Hunt won’t be around forever, so we advise getting into it ASAP. It’s helping to take away from some of the more negative issues in the game right now such as the game’s Battle Pass and also the “lazy” Ana skin model.

Overwatch 2 leaker reveals worrisome details about OW2 development Blizzard EntertainmentEver since Overwatch 2 was announced Blizzard has basically been dead silent on anything and everything related to the new game, and it could stay like that even after BlizzCon 2021 if new rumors are to be believed. To be fair, Jeff Kaplan and the other members of the dev team did say they would basically be practicing “radio silence” on all things Overwatch 2 until it was ready, but that hasn’t stopped players from seeking out any shreds of information they can. During a stream on January 15, Overwatch leaker Metro — who correctly predicted the new game’s announcement at BlizzCon a few years back — told Dexerto that in his opinion, we shouldn’t expect any huge news on the game at this year’s event when it happens February 19-20. After Dexerto asked Metro if he had heard anything about Overwatch 2 news in Twitch chat, the leaker replied that we may be in for an even longer wait. “I heard things, I heard that they’re really f***ing slow and that they’re delaying it, I heard they’re really slow at developing it,” he said. “From what I heard, it doesn’t sound good at all, it sounds like it’s very far off.” While a release date at BlizzCon this year might be wishful thinking, Metro did add we could see some new heroes revealed and shown off over the weekend. “They’re probably going to show a few new heroes at BlizzCon, that’s the main thing we’re going to get in terms of multiplayer, because there’s not much else to show,” he continued. “But, they’re definitely not coming for Overwatch 1, unless they change plans, but it doesn’t look like it, you know?” Again, while Metro has been right in the past, it is wise to take what he says with a grain of salt since it isn’t an official announcement from Blizzard. As for what heroes we could see revealed this year, Sojourn is obviously in the mix, along with a potential new Japanese hero a lot of players a cryptic teaser for with the Kanezaka mini-event for Hanzo was hinting at. It’s easy to be torn on Overwatch 2, especially with this leak. On one hand, we all want the game to come out soon so we can play it and experience the new content. On the other, as fans, none of us wants to see the new game be the Cyberpunk 2077 of its launch cycle. Either way, we seem to be in for a wait no matter how you look at it so, at this point, any update on new content come BlizzCon in February will be a breath of fresh air.

Overwatch 2 gives John Cena his own Hero Abilities after “Enigma” reveal Blizzard EntertainmentFollowing the revelation of “Enigma” in Overwatch 2, Blizzard has humorously imagined a hero ability kit for WWE legend John Cena. In a whirlwind of speculation and guesswork, fans decoded the cryptic hints dropped by Overwatch’s developers, leading to the much-anticipated announcement. The “Enigma” turned out to be none other than John Cena, contributing to the hype for the upcoming Overwatch 2’s Invasion update. In a video uploaded to Overwatch’s YouTube channel, Enigma is seen uploading a video message, warning of the imminent “Invasion” and calling on heroes to defend the cities of Rio, Gothenburg, and Toronto against the villainous forces of Null Sector. Cena, voicing Enigma, calls for reinforcements saying, “Together, we will fight for the future. Answer the call, heroes. It’s time to fight back. Prepare for the Invasion.” Following the big reveal, Overwatch had another surprise up its sleeve. In a playful tweet, the team released a fake — yet entertaining — ability kit for Cena. The first ability, ‘Can’t See Me,’ would allow Cena to wave his hand in front of his face and become invisible to the enemy team, a nod to one of his popular WWE catchphrases. The ‘invisibility’ would last forever, with the character being able to use other abilities simultaneously. A second ability, ‘The Dance From That Clip,’ references Cena’s internet-famous dance and would force enemies to stop attacking their target, redirect their attention to Cena’s character, and appreciate the reference with a chuckle. His Ultimate ability, aptly named ‘And His Name Is,’ would involve canceling the next enemy Ultimate by loudly reminding everyone of his name and blaring his theme song at dangerously high volumes. Cena’s Passive ability, ‘Are you sure about that?’ would leave enemies second-guessing their attacks. Those who attempt to damage Cena’s character would be met with a pop-up window questioning their decision, leaving them immobile until they confirm their intention. It’s clear that the Overwatch 2 team has had some fun creating this fictional hero kit, balancing humor with clever references to Cena’s WWE career. And fortunately, these humorous abilities won’t be making an actual appearance in the game. Overwatch 2: Invasion goes live on Thursday, August 10.

Overwatch 2 fans think they’ve spotted a new hero in Rome map screenshots Blizzard EntertainmentAfter getting some more intel on Overwatch 2, fans think they’ve spotted signs of a brand-new hero in fresh screenshots of the upcoming Rome map. Fans have been on the edge of their seat waiting for Overwatch 2-related announcements. The biggest Overwatch 2 news of 2022 so far is that the game will be going into closed beta in late April. In addition to that massive news though, some sharp-eyed fans found what might be an easter egg for an unannounced hero in new screenshots. New Overwatch 2 hero hint found on Rome map Along with the announcement on the closed beta, Blizzard also released a number of new screenshots of the upcoming game, including the Push map Rome. One screenshot of Reinhardt, Genji, and Hanzo has caught players eyes because of a conspicuously placed statue in the background. If you look closely at the picture just above Rein, you’ll see what looks like a gladiator sculpture inside the building. The full shot doesn’t give us much detail, but thanks to fans on Reddit who zoomed in to the statue, we know there are a lot more there than what it seems. Under the statue is the name “Magnus,” which some fans think just might be a new unreleased hero coming to Overwatch 2 sometime down the line. New hero or not, the statue does also bear a very strong resemblance to Reinhardt, except with a sword instead of his typical hammer. Magnus, whether he’s an upcoming hero or just a new Reinhardt skin getting released for Overwatch 2, has definitely done one thing: finally given Overwatch fans something to speculate over instead of wondering when the next update will drop.

Overwatch 2, Diablo 4, & more return to China as Blizzard partners with NetEase again BlizzardBlizzard titles are returning to China as the publisher announces a renewed publishing deal has been signed with NetEase. In November 2022, Blizzard announced that most of their game services would be suspended in China as their publishing agreements with NetEase fell through. And on January 23, 2023, Chinese gamers had to say goodbye to Blizzard titles in the region. But after a year and a half since Blizzard’s servers were shut down in China, their titles are coming back with a renewed publishing deal with NetEase. “Our legendary worlds are for all to share and that includes our passionate Chinese community,” Blizzard announced. “We are pleased to announce a new agreement with NetEase to bring Blizzard games back to mainland China.” In Blizzard’s press release on the new deal, they announced that beginning this summer, Blizzard’s titles will be returning to China. This includes titles such as Overwatch 2, Diablo 4, World of Warcraft, Starcraft, and Hearthstone, all of which have a sizable fanbase in the country. Johanna Faries, Blizzard’s President, said of the new deal, “We at Blizzard are thrilled to announce a new partnership with NetEase to bring Blizzard’s incredible games back to mainland China. Grateful to the hard work and dedication put forth to once again serve our players in the region under a renewed agreement.” The re-partnering was first reported back on Christmas 2023 in which Chinese news site 36Kr reported that Blizzard was in talks with various domestic game publishers in China, however, chose to partner with NetEase again. Blizzard’s year-and-a-half departure has caused some issues for the publisher, particularly in Overwatch, as its newly established Overwatch Championship Series had to leave out China as a competitive region entirely, despite the region’s long history in the scene.

Overwatch 2 devs reveal Wrecking Ball dating sim was on the table during the making of Loverwatch BlizzardIn Overwatch 2’s new dating sim, Loverwatch, Wrecking Ball was actually once considered a choice as a potential dating partner for one of the writers. Loverwatch, the exclusive Valentine’s day dating sim based on Overwatch, gives you a choice between Mercy and Genji to potentially fall in love with, with a secret ending also included, as players can wind up with the Cupid, AKA Hanzo. Of course, the choice of Genji and Mercy was an easy decision for the devs as both have been fan favorites as a non-canon couple which Overwatch has only ever teased at. Lovingly named Gency. But in an interview with the devs behind Loverwatch, Dexerto was able to confirm there were many other candidates left who were not picked for the dating sim experience. Writer Kyungseo Min revealed pretty much every single hero in Overwatch was heavily considered at one point or another. “I mean as far as who was in the running, the entire roster was in the running” Min said with a laugh. “We had ideas for all of them really.” But Min revealed she had quite an unorthodox choice which she pushed for specifically. Min wanted to include Wrecking ball in Loverwatch. But not Hammond, the Hamster which sits in the cockpit, rather the mech which he pilots named Wrecking Ball. Technically, in the lore, the mech is not sentient, unlike another character such as Bastion. Rather it is just a mech that Hammond sits in to fight others, and also translates his hamster speak into English. But that did not stop Min from crafting ideas for how it would play out. “I had this whole outline in my head where you help the mech sort of understand what human emotion is,” she said with a laugh. Unfortunately, Wrecking Ball is not available to swoon just, but you can always talk your way into love with either Genji or Mercy. Who knows, perhaps we’ll see this robot love story come to life one day soon if Overwatch fans are lucky.

Overwatch 2 devs plan more role experiments amid 6v6 arrival BlizzardOverwatch 2 devs have brought up a new format they’re looking to experiment on, which involves giving a certain “bonus” to a player. Overwatch 2’s July 25 developer blog touched on the 6v6 format, explaining the reason behind the transition to 5v5 and how the team plans to explore how they can “test different forms of 6v6 in-game to gauge the results.” But with all the challenges that come with 6v6, they wanted to focus on making 5v5 “the best experience possible” while also remaining open-minded to players’ feedback. Hence, they’re looking into running a “series of events to try out different core team composition formats in Overwatch 2.” Though this was not specified in the blog, a recent developer interview with Overwatch 2 streamers Flats and SVB provided more insight into what players can expect next – a two-player per role experiment in 5v5. In a 5v5 format, this means that a team can run two tanks, two DPS, and one support. Alternatively, they can run two tanks, a solo DPS, and two support. No matter what though, one of the team members will be the solo role – but there’s a catch. When asked about exploring the hybrid open queue system for Overwatch 2, Lead Hero Designer Alec Dawson mentioned experimenting with a “format where that solo player actually gets a bonus or some sort.” “If you are that – say, you’re the solo tank, and you play 1-2-2 again, but that’s open queue format, you’re playing as two tanks, it’s rather difficult. Do we need to give you something? Or you’re the solo support in a 2-2-1 team, and yet you have to do the healing. Do you need something too?” he said. What kind of “bonus” this would be wasn’t mentioned, but it’s safe to assume it’s likely a buff for the player with the solo role. So far, it’s been made known that another Quick Play Hacked will be coming in Season 13, and it’ll be interesting to see how a change like this would affect the game.

Overwatch 2 devs give Dr Disrespect his own custom hero abilities Instagram/DrDisrespectIn a fun little nod to one of gamings most popular streamers, Overwatch 2 developer Blizzard has turned Dr Disrespect into an Overwatch hero, making up an outline of what a hero based on him would be like. While the initial launch of Overwatch 2 was less than perfect, the game has been widely popular nonetheless. It has been breaking records for player count and has also had some of the biggest gaming streamers playing when creating content. One such name who has been diving into Overwatch 2 is Dr Disrespect. Doc has been playing through Overwatch 2 lately, with the content creator getting big praise from his audience for his skills using damage hero Sombra. As a way to celebrate Doc’s Overwatch play, developer Blizzard has chosen to pay homage to the popular gamer. On the official Overwatch Twitter page, the team shared an image of Dr Disrepect and wrote how they are happy to hear he’s “having fun” with Overwatch 2. The image includes a series of abilities for the gamer as if he was a hero in the game. Acknowledging his history as the two-time Blockbuster gaming champion, and even paying mind to his iconic vertical leap, the devs are clearly fans of the streamer. After Blizzard sent out the tweet, players were quick to comment and suggest that they go the extra mile and include a Dr Disrepect skin in the game. While Blizzard is yet to acknowledge this idea, there’s no reason why it can’t be made a reality at some point in the future. Overwatch 2 has been live for almost a month now. The game is still filled with bugs and glitches, with certain heroes being pulled from the game completely due to game-breaking issues.

Overwatch 2 beta update turns Mercy into a surprise Pharah counter Blizzard EntertainmentOverwatch 2 players are thanking the developers after making Mercy somewhat of a counter to a Pharah in the skies with the addition of new ability. The Overwatch 2 July 11 Beta patch reworked Mercy’s Guadian Angel Super Jump. Before the patch, some Overwatch players complained that Mercy felt “clunky” compared to other heroes. Overwatch 2 developers stated, “our goal with the next change is to give players even more, control over Guardian Angel while also its flexibility. “After the patch, Guardian Angel will not automatically launch Mercy into the air, but it will now have a meter that charges while the ability is active.” Mercy’s controlled jumping capabilities now even allow her to compete in the air with Pharah. Overwatch players utilize Mercy’s rework. Shortly after the patch went live, an Overwatch 2 player posted a clip showing the support hero killing Pharah twice in a row by making use of the new ability. The patch adds a meter that charges up while Guardian Angel is active. Players can now cancel the ability with a jump, and she can change direction mid-air. The longer the charge, the further Mercy will travel when jumping. Essentially, Mercy has more maneuverability in the air but needs to rely on teammates’ positioning for timing a jump correctly, but if done right, it can pose a major threat to Pharah. One Reddit user researched the pros and cons of the new Mercy update. They stated, “Being able to change direction and maintain your momentum instantly is a big deal, and it opens up many possibilities for fun interactions, mind games, and counterplay.” The user also noted, “for now, this change feels somewhat uncomfortable and foreign to me, but I expect the feeling will go down in the next few days.” Another person added, “the changes look so smooth and intuitive. I know short-range mechanics got sacrificed, but it seems like an overall upgrade to her design.” Players uniformly agree that this change requires a slight learning curve, but overall the reception to the new Guardian Angel mechanics is positive.

Overlooked Weapon set to rule Monster Hunter Wilds meta CapcomThe humble Hunting Horn looks set to dominate the Monster Hunter Wilds meta thanks to the new weapon swap system. Despite the lack of a release date, hype for Monster Hunter Wilds is reaching a fever pitch after its Gamescom 2024 showing. Outside of new monsters and changes to weapons, Capcom revealed that they’re finally removing the gender-lock on armor. There’s a tonne of stuff to be excited about and Monster Hunter fans can’t wait to get their hands on the next major installment of the franchise. For some lucky content creators, they’ve already had the chance to wade through the game’s early hours and one of them made a pretty shocking discovery. Piller of the Monster Hunter community SuperRAD has made a case for one of the series’ most overlooked weapons becoming the king of the Monster Hunter Wilds meta. The era of the Hunting Horn is upon us according to the YouTuber. In some brief footage that Capcom allowed them to share, SuperRad broke down how the Hunting Horn can be used to break your hunts. Thanks to the new weapon-swapping mechanic introduced in Monster Hunter Wilds the musical maul may become an auto-include for players looking to optimize their runs. The Hunting Horn is the Monster Hunter franchise’s only dedicated support weapon and as such, it’s less popular than big damage dealers like Greatsword or Hammer. Through carefully strung combos, players can use the hunting horn to play melodies that buff themselves and their fellow hunters. In Monster Hunter Wilds, these self-buffs will carry over even after you’ve swapped to your other weapon. This means you can increase your own attack, defense, stamina, and more before swapping out to your preferred weapon to whale on your target. For players concerned with shortening their hunts for speedrunning or farming, this is going to be tough to turn down. Get ready to hear a lot more doots in your multiplayer hunts because, with no perceivable drawbacks so far, everyone’s going to be a musician in Monster Hunter Wilds.

Hideo Kojima’s OD: Everything we know about Overdose so far Kojima ProductionsHideo Kojima is working on a new game called Overdoes or just OD, here’s everything we know about the game so far. As well as an alleged sequel to Death Stranding, Hideo Kojima is also working on a new horror game called OD or Overdose which is said to explore the true nature of fear. The game is being made in partnership with Xbox Game Studios and aims to blur the line between video games and horror movies. Like Death Stranding before it, the game looks to recruit actors, writers, and other creatives from Hollywood and the TV industry to create a new experience. Legendary horror film director Jordan Peele is also attached to the project, so expect some frights and thought-provoking social commentary in OD. Contents Does OD have a release date? No, we expect that OD is years away from release. Hideo Kojima is likely still focused on Death Stranding 2, so we’re a while away from even a release window. What platforms will OD be on? It’s far too early to know, but due to Microsoft’s involvement, the game could end up being an Xbox/PC title only. We expect it will land on current gen, but it all depends on how long development takes. OD trailer Check out the creepy trailer for OD from the 2023 Game Awards: Setting & gameplay At this stage we know very little about OD’s setting and what gameplay will look like. Hideo Kojima’s games don’t always end up looking like we expect them to, so prepare for anything. However, what we do know is OD is going to be a truly frightening experience and may not be a traditional game at all. We also expect it will include Kojima’s unconventional style when it comes to gameplay and storytelling. Of course, this isn’t Kojima’s first foray into horror and we’ll be interested to see if the legendary developer recycles any ideas from P.T., the playable teaser for the canceled Silent Hills. There are even some who whisper that OD is secretly a Silent Hill game and that Konami’s involvement is being kept quiet, but there isn’t any solid evidence to support this theory so far. The trailer shows actors Sophia Lillis, Hunter Schafer, and Udo Kier reciting a poem after hearing a Geiger counter as a strange symbol appears in their eyes. As they do, something beats on a door, seemingly trying to get to them. The poem, involving adjectives and animals becomes steadily more creepy as Lillis screams in terror, as presumably, the thing that was beating on the door reveals itself. Quite what any of this means is anyone’s guess, but the trailer ends with the text, “For all players and screamers,” suggesting that OD will cater to gamers and horror movie/TV fans. For more news on upcoming games, check out some of our other guides below: The Elder Scrolls 6 | GTA 6 | Assassin’s Creed Infinity | Wolverine | KOTR Remake | Wonder Woman | Dragon Age 4

Outriders Worldslayer: Release date, platforms, trailer, everything we know Square EnixOutriders Worldslayer is on the cusp of release and Square Enix have finally announced all of the key features, so here’s everything that you need to know about it. Since its release all the way back in April of 2021, Outriders has garnered a dedicated fanbase of players who love the action-packed and explosive gameplay that Square Enix’s looter shooter offers. While the devs have regularly pushed out fresh content since launch, the upcoming Worldslayer expansion is by far the most significant and ambitious update yet. With an entirely new campaign, powerful Apocalypse items and mods, additional skills trees, and of course, more endgame content, Worldslayer is setting up to be an expansion to remember. Contents Outriders Worldslayer Release Date – Outriders Worldslayer trailer – Outriders Worldslayer new features – Outriders Worldslayer price – Outriders Worldslayer platforms – Outriders Worldslayer Release Date Square finally announced at the Summer Game Fest that Outriders Worldslayer is scheduled to release on June 30, 2022. It’s worth noting that if you pre-order the expansion you’ll receive 48 hours of early access to give you a head start over the competition. Outriders Worldslayer trailer The Outriders Worldslayer trailer showcases some of the enemies and areas you can expect to be exploring in the new expansion. Outriders Worldslayer new features For starters, Outriders Worldslayer will introduce a brand new campaign to complete with a fresh storyline and characters. All of this will take place in the region of Enoch, a snow-covered location that’s prone to blizzards and filled with unknown dangers. Next, Square Enix has of course catered to the veterans and dedicated players with the Apocalypse tiers that will be replacing Challenge tiers in Worldslayer. As expected, these will be significantly harder but provide a lot more loot and at tier 40, players will be able to earn powerful Apocalypse-grade gear. Loot is one of the most important aspects of Outriders and Worldslayer isn’t failing to deliver on that front with over 100 new Legendary items being added to the game. These will be immediately accessible for high-level players and for anyone beginning their journey, there’s an optional level 30 boost to get them up to speed. Finally, Worldslayer is adding a brand new progression system to Outriders in the form of the Power of PAX and the Path of Ascension. Both give players the ability to open up new skill trees and progress their characters longer-term past level 30 by collecting XP. Outriders Worldslayer price The Outriders Worldslayer expansion is available to purchase or pre-order for $35.99 or £29.69 and will give you access to all of the new content. Outriders Worldslayer platforms Outriders Worldslayer is available to play on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The only platform Outriders isn’t available on just yet is the Nintendo Switch. So, there you have it, that’s everything we know by Outriders Worldslayer expansion that drops on June 30, 2022. Make sure you mark the date on your calendar and remember if you pre-order, you can jump in on June 28.

Outriders post-launch patch notes: Inventory wipe fixes, Bullet nerfs, loot changes Square EnixOutriders first week on the market was met with a ton of controversy but the developers have just revealed initial patch notes looking to address the most glaring issues. While server issues kept players locked out of Outriders for a good chunk of the first week, those that were able to sink their teeth into Square Enix’s new third-person shooter were hit with dozens of critical bugs. From performance issues to more devastating inventory wipes, there’s been a good amount of backlash online. Just days after release and the developers even announced an ‘Appreciation Package’ to make things up for players enduring early stages of the launch. One week removed from the global release and the very first patch notes have now arrived too. With plenty of fixes on the way, here’s a rundown on what the Outriders community can expect in the coming weeks. Outriders stability improvements across the board The first component to Square’s April 8 developer update outlined new details on the first proper patch. Outriders is set to receive its initial update at some stage next week, they confirmed. “We are doing our utmost to deliver you a stable patch as soon as possible,” the devs explained. “This is why we are not yet committing to a patch release date. We will let you know as soon as we have a confirmed release schedule.” The contents of this update focus primarily on performance. A handful of hard-crash fixes are being implemented, along with “many other minor fixes and improvements.” Once the first patch goes live, matchmaking should feel smoother than ever. Additionally, cross-play will be re-enabled as soon as all systems are on the same patch version. Every fix expected to ship with the first patch can be seen below. PC & Console Platforms: Once platforms have been updated to the same patch version, cross-play across platforms will become viable again – Overall stability improvements for the matchmaking service – Crash Fixes Will Fix a multiplayer crash that could result in client players having their inventory wiped – Will fix the crash when completing the “A Bad Day” side quest. – Will fix the crash that occurs in No Man’s Land when your language is set to Spanish (Yes, we know. Video game code is a magical thing). – Will fix crash on launch issues – Will include many more “random” crash fixes We are confident that these fixes will address the majority of crashes reported, as there are only a handful of root causes but the crashes they generate appear in a number of places. – – – Will fix the HUD disappearing in certain cases – Will fix bugs that interfere with players re-spawning in multiplayer Expeditions – Will fix bugs with players getting stuck on geometry (including when using Gravity Leap) or falling out of the world. – Will change the default matchmaking setting from “Open” to “Closed”. You will still be able to manually change this setting to “Open” through your game settings – This change will prevent players from joining games where the host didn’t intend to play in multiplayer. It will also cut down on AFK lobbies – This will also help improve matchmaking times, as the queues will be less likely to be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of constant matchmaking requests generated by “open” games. – – Many other minor fixes and improvements – PC Specific: Will Fix a performance issue where GPU is not being fully utilized. This should help with stuttering and DX11/12 issues – Outriders Inventory Wipes being fixed soon When the first patch arrives, players can expect a “one-time” event that aims to restore lost inventories. An exact date isn’t quite locked in just yet, but “the most valuable tiers of items lost” should be recovered through this sweeping update. Therefore, any Epics or Legendaries you may have lost in the first week could soon be returned to your inventory. Any gear lower than that and it’s “unlikely” you’ll see it back anytime soon. For higher-tier items that might be missed by the restoration, developers will “help on an ad hoc basis.” While the devs are aiming for this one-off fix to take place in the near future, they addressed a scenario where it might not occur at all. “We will try our hardest to make things right, but we unfortunately cannot make guarantees,” they said. “We may run into technical difficulties that delay our work.” So if you’re hoping to have your inventory restored over the coming days, it might not be wise to hold your breath. Balancing updates in new Outriders patch Outside of bug fixes, a separate team has been hard at work on balance adjustments. These changes don’t require a proper patch, so expect to see them implemented fairly soon. For starters, historian, bounty hunt, and monster hunt quests will be different moving forward. Each subsequent completion will no longer reward Legendary items. This tweak aims to prevent “exploit behavior” as players repeated these activities a great deal throughout the first week. Moreover, specific enemies have also had their rewards adjusted. Tooka Beast, Splittooth, Sandshifter, and Coldclaw will be less “generous” moving forward. Bullet-based builds are being scaled back immediately in Outriders. These setups have dominated the first few days of play due to their easier paths to the ‘top tier.’ From ability cooldown increases to massive power reductions, bullet abilities will no longer be anywhere near as effective. General Balance Notes: Historian, bounty hunt, and monster hunt quests no longer grant Legendary items for each subsequent completion – Adjusted loot on specific enemies: Tooka Beast, Splittooth, Sandshifter, and Coldclaw – Chem Plant – Expedition time for Gold/Silver/Bronze adjusted to 650 / 1150 / 1500 seconds (Previously: 957 / 1303 / 1650) – Boom Town – Expedition time for Gold/Silver/Bronze adjusted to 390 / 589 / 776 seconds (Previously: 422 / 607 / 792) – Critical Rating Damage Multiplier on Tactical Assault Rifle reduced to 165% (Previously: 175%) – Critical Rating Damage Multiplier on Marksman Rifle reduced to 250% (Previously: 300%) – Duration of the Massacre AP buff has been reduced to 3 seconds – Bullet abilities (Twisted Rounds, Blighted Rounds, and Volcanic Rounds): The base cooldown of the Twisted Rounds skill has increased to 25 seconds (Previously: 16 seconds) – The Trickster’s Hero Tree nodes: – Disruptive Firepower, Scion of Power, Outrider Executioner – have had their power reduced to 35% (Previously: 50%) – “Vulnerable” status – Power reduced to 15% (Previously: 25%) – The Technomancer Hero Tree node -“Damage Against Poison” – has had its power reduced to 15% (Previously: 30%) – The Pyromancer Hero Tree Node – “Trial of Ashes” – has been reduced 15% extra damage (Previously: 30%) – On top of the specific changes outlined above, a series of “upcoming patches should help alleviate crashes and improve stability.” Expect a much smoother experience in Outriders with each and every update.

Outriders ‘no HUD’ bug can be fixed with a few simple steps Square EnixA lot of Outriders players are having issues with a bug that makes their HUD disappear whilst in-game. Luckily, there’s a strange but easy solution that’ll instantly fix the display after a few simple steps. Outriders has officially arrived and players are loving Square Enix’s fast-paced third-person shooter. With so much loot, gear and, interesting abilities to make use of, it’s no wonder the game has garnered so much attention at release. Of course, as with any new title, Outriders isn’t without its flaws and one particular HUD issue is causing the community a lot of problems. Seemingly out of the blue, a player’s HUD will disappear, meaning they cannot see their health or ability cooldowns. Luckily, there’s a simple fix for this bug that may seem a little strange at first, but it’ll get you back into the action in no time. How to fix Outriders HUD bug No one likes to have their gameplay experienced ruined by a bug, especially in a brand new title like Outriders. While you can continue to play the game without the game’s HUD, you’ll be at a significant disadvantage and won’t even be able to track your health. Read More: Everything you need to know about Outriders – So, let’s check out a method that players are using consistently to make their HUD reappear in-game. How to bring back your missing HUD in Outriders Open the menu and head into the Options – Navigate to the HUD tab and manually turn off every single option (Avoid changing HUD Scale Value) – Head back into the game – Go back into the HUD options and switch every setting back on again – Leave the options and ‘Return to the lobby’ – Once you re-enter the game your HUD will be fixed – Hopefully, this guide has helped you fix the issue and your HUD has now re-appeared. Although it may seem like a strange fix, this method has been working for the majority of Outrider players. If you’re looking for more Outriders news, consider checking out our list of the best Legendary weapons in-game.

Outriders loot & gear guide: Best ways to farm Legendary weapons and armor People Can Fly / Square EnixIf you’ve been grinding Outriders since release, chances are you’re looking for the best ways to farm those sweet Legendary drops needed to perfect your build. Here are the best ways you can farm for Legendary gear in Outriders’ endgame. People Can Fly’s new looter-shooter, Outriders, has taken the gaming world by storm (despite some ongoing server issues) since its release on April 1. In only a few days, dedicated players have breezed through the game’s story content and are now reaching the Outriders’ endgame. Legendary gear (the highest rarity of weapons and armor in Outriders) is the ultimate prize when it comes to min-maxing your character’s potential for wreaking havoc on your enemies — but it’s not always easy to come by. We’ve put together a list of all the best ways you can farm for those coveted Legendary drops. Best ways to farm Legendary gear in Outriders Increasing World Tier for Legendary Outriders gear The easiest, although not the most reliable, way to increase your chance of receiving Legendary drops is by upping the World Tier level while playing. In Outriders, the World Tier system is a way to manually increase the game’s difficulty, while also increasing your potential for powerful rewards. World Tiers range from 1 (the easiest, ‘Story’ level) to 15 (the game’s hardest difficulty setting, known as ‘Madness’). If you push your World Tier higher, your chance to receive Legendary drops will also soar. Here’s a breakdown of how each World Tier affects your Legendary drop rate: It goes without saying that each time you increase your World Tier, the game’s difficulty will increase proportionally, but as your character continues to gain more power and you’re ready to farm for more Legendary gear, kick your world Tier up and watch the loot flood in. Farming Wanted & Hunt Missions for Legendary Outriders gear In addition to kicking up the game’s general difficulty, there are also several activities you can grind that provide guaranteed Legendary drops as their reward. These include two specific types of activities: Wanted missions and Hunt missions. Read More: How to farm Epic gear quickly in Outriders – In order to claim your Legendary gear, you need to complete ten of each specific mission type. Once each set of ten is completed, you’re guaranteed a Legendary drop for all of your trouble — the ten Wanted missions net you a Legendary weapon, while the Hunt missions give you a Legendary armor piece. These sets of activities are repeatable once they’ve been completed, so players can farm them infinitely. While this method does take a significant amount of time, it’s a reliable way to target farm if you’re specifically hunting a Legendary weapon or an armor piece instead. Farming Side Quests for Legendary Outriders gear In addition to the Wanted and Hunt Missions, you can also replay Outriders’ side quests as a way to farm Legendary gear. This method for farming has been present since the game’s demo, and is still a viable way to farm Legendary gear in the full game. Read More: How to mod weapons and armor in Outriders – As noted by content creator ‘KackisHD’ in his Legendary farming video, simply select one of the game’s side quests that reward you with Legendary gear — such as the Big Iron or The Outriders’ Legacy missions — and complete them, receive your reward, then rinse and repeat as needed. Farming Expeditions for Legendary Outriders gear The final, and most challenging method for farming Legendary loot revolves around Outriders’ true endgame content: Expeditions. These are a set of unique activities that you can only unlock after completing the game’s main campaign, so make sure you’ve done that before jumping in. Expeditions are Outriders’ version of endgame content in other looter-shooter/MMO titles (think Raids in World of Warcraft, Destiny, the Division 2). Expeditions are extremely challenging, and the rewards are based on how quickly you’re able to complete each activity (the faster you clear the Expedition, the more rewards you receive). Read more: Best Outriders Legendary weapons, ranked – These activities also come with their own set of Challenge Tiers (1-15) that up their difficulty in exchange for more rewards, including a higher chance of Legendary gear drops. Challenge Tiers are completely separate from World Tiers, so expect to face some serious resistance if you increase them for a chance at more loot. A helpful video from YouTuber ‘ImPwnstar’ breaks down the best strategy for farming Expeditions, but the general idea is to find a sweet spot in the Challenge Tiers that rewards extra Legendary drops while still being easy enough to complete without taking too long and losing out on rewards. Farm bosses with a high-level players This method from DPJ is currently the fastest way to farm Legendary weapons in Outriders, but you’ll need to squad up with a player who has finished the campaign and use a low-level character. Once you’ve done that, simply follow the tips below: Get the high-level account to invite any low-level players to their game. – Have the host select the Forest Enclave and load up the Chrysaloid Story Point. – Quickly one-shot the Chrysaloid boss. – Pick up the Legendary weapon. – Head over to the Caravel and select Defeat Yagak. – One-shot the boss again and claim the Legendary. – If you don’t get a Legendary with the mods you want, simply create a new account and go through the above process until you get your desired Legendary. All Outriders Legendary Weapons As expected with any looter-shooter, Outriders is filled to the brim with gear for players to collect, and when it comes to Legendary weapons People Can Fly have spared no expense. Here’s a breakdown of the nearly 30 Legendary weapons players can obtain right now. All Outriders Legendary Armor Sets Outriders is also full of Legendary armor pieces with insane mods that modify your playstyle. Acquiring these armor pieces, and eventually completing the full set for each of the game’s 4 classes, should be high on the list for any endgame grinder. Here’s all of the Legendary armor sets we know about so far. Devastator Legendary Armor Set Deathproof: Reduce the cooldown of Boulderdash by 90 percent – Marshal: Endless Mass pulls enemies together and makes them share damage – Seismic Commander: Increases damage by 150 percent against enemies inflicted with Bleed – Statue: Using Golem/Tremor doubles your firepower and weapon Skill Leech. This affects you and the rest of your squad – – Pyromancer Legendary Armor Set The Acari: Every enemy damaged by Heatwave will give you a 25 percent Anomaly Power bonus for 10 seconds – Lava Lich: Decreases your Eruption cooldown and increases damage – Reforged: Increases Feed The Flames damage and Thermal Bomb damage by 50 percent. – Torturer: Triples the size of Volcanic Rounds’ damaging aura that surrounds each bullet – – Technomancer Legendary Armor Set Borealis Monarch: Increase weapon damage on frozen enemies by 80 percent. Critical damage is also increased for all party members by 10 percent for eight seconds after you activate Cold Snap – Grim Inventor: While Tool of Destruction is active, a confirmed hit with the Pain Launcher will refill 20 percent of your ammo for both the RPG and Minigun (does not stack) – Plague Sower: After inflicting the Toxic status on an enemy, gain five percent damage reduction for five seconds. This can stack up to five times – Torrential Downpour: Scrapnel creates additional cluster bombs after an explosion – – Trickster Legendary Armor Set Chronosuit: Reverting time replenishes ammo in your magazine – The Edge of Time: Increase damage for both Temporal Blade and Cyclone Slice – Trespasser: You cannot die while inside your Slow Trap – Ugake Otarah: Hunt The Prey doesn’t consume cooldown when teleporting behind an enemy marked with Venator’s Knife – – That’s everything you need to know about the best ways to farm Legendary gear in Outriders, and what gear you should be on the lookout for if it hasn’t dropped already. Make sure to dive into some Expeditions on Enoch and check back in for any Outriders news or updates.

Best Outriders Technomancer builds for Pestilence, Tech Shaman & Demolisher Square Enix, DexertoSo you’ve chosen to master the Technomancer class in Outriders, but do you want to build Pestilence, Tech Shaman or Demolisher? We’ve got everything you need to know in this guide. Square Enix’s newest title, Outriders, blends the franchise’s fantasy aesthetic with a neo-dystopian universe. On Enoch, chaos rules supreme, so it’s important to be ready to taken on the world’s challenges. We already know everything there is to know about the best Legendary weapons, but what’s the point in having a good gun if you don’t have the abilities to use it? Let’s take a look at how to build the best Technomancer, the game’s long range marksman class that utilizes a host of gadgets to take down their enemies in style. Best Beginner Technomancer build The Technomancer skill tree can be a bit of a difficult one to get to grips with if you’ve never played a game like this before, especially considering most of their damage comes from devices instead of raw firepower. Below we’ve got a list of the best abilities to have under your belt: Best Outriders abilities for Technomancer Chaining all of these together creates a perfect but deadly combination. Drop your Scrapnel where you suspect enemies will be trying to flank from to keep your squad safe, then use your Cryo Turret and Pain Launcher to blow those running straight at you back to Earth. Best Pestilence Technomancer build Pestilence Skills Sure, the Technomancer might not be a damage oriented class, but the Pestilence build will give DPS the opportunity to still cause some havoc. The most important element of this build is the “Blighted Rounds,” because these inflict insane amounts of damage due to Toxin. The same is true of the “Blighted Turret.” If you want to become one of the horsemen of the apocalypse, you’ll need these two. The best Pestilence skillset it: Pestilence Class Tree Nodes When it comes to your talent build, you’ll be maxing out everything to do with your range, toxins and weapon firepower. After all, the whole point of Pestilence is making sure you hit hard from afar. The best node path to follow for Pestilence Technomancer is: Best Tech Shaman Technomancer build Tech Shaman Skills One of the beauties of the Technomancer is their ability to play completely defensively. If you’re more of a team oriented support player, then the Tech Shaman build is for you. Read More: How to mod weapons and armor in Outriders – In order to do this, you’re going to be building an ice focused skillset. With Cold Snap immobilizing enemies, then your Pain Launcher and Cryo Turret shooting away, you’ll be a defensive monster that provides easy targets for your team. The skills you’ll want to get are: Tech Shaman Class Tree Nodes As became clear with the Pestilence build, the best plan is to go all in. In this case, it means buying anything that can enhance your Freeze, Health and CDR. Best Tech Shaman build The best build tree for the Tech Shaman is: Best Demolisher Technomancer Build Demolisher skills Stuck between Pestilence and Tech Shaman? Then Demolisher is the build for you. Dealing equal parts DPS and support, the Demolisher is the best of both worlds. Read More: How to farm Epic gear quickly in Outriders – Your skillset should reflect this by being a mix of attacking and defensive choices. Scrapnel is perfect for defending your allies from flanks, and then your Blighted Rounds and Blighted Turret can layer up those DPS stats from afar. The best skills are: Demolisher Class Tree Nodes When building towards Demolisher, you want to focus your build around those Scrapnel mines. It’s worth picking up anything that helps with armor penetration and reduces the cooldown for your ordinances. Best Demolisher build The best build tree for Demolisher is: So, that’s our guide to how to build the three different Technomancers! If you’re looking to slay from far away in Outriders, this class is for you.