As mentioned last week, Bungie has deployed the hotfix 2.9.2.1 on all platforms today. Bungie has rolled out the Destiny 2 update 1.59 September 22 patch. Head on below for the patch notes.
Destiny 2 Update 1.59 September 22/hotfix 2.9.2.1 patch notes:
GAMEPLAY AND INVESTMENT
WEAPONS
The Refurbished Black Armory shader now drops 100% of the time when dismantling Black Armory Refurbished weapons acquired from completing Forge Ignition activities.
ABILITIES
Fixed a crash that could occur when too many arrows were shot into a Titan’s barricade.
In other Destiny 2 news, don’t forget to check out the new Beyond Light trailer giving us a look at Europa, which is one of the expansion’s new locations. There are also changes coming to the Ghost in Beyond Light, which you can read about here.
While Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is in the horizon, that doesn’t mean Modern Warfare won’t have anything new. Infinity Ward has today released the trailer and the Modern Warfare & Warzone Season 6 release date, which is set for September 29!
More details regarding these two new Operators has been shared by Activision.
The founder and Commander of the Urzikstani Liberation Force, Farah, grew up a fighter after surviving imprisonment by Roman Barkov. She’s an exceptional soldier and leader that’s known a lifetime of war. Her skills have been further honed with additional training with the SAS, and she’s led dangerous missions to fight off Al-Qatala forces and other regimes stationed in her country.
Following the events of Campaign, Farah joins the Chimera of the Allegiance reuniting with Iskra, a former scout of hers. Farah is instantly unlocked at Tier 0 of the Season Six Battle Pass. In addition to Farah’s base skin, players can earn additional skins and other rewards by completing her Operator Missions.
Nikolai is the leader of the Chimera, a PMC within the Allegiance. A long-time friend to Captain Price, Nikolai initially worked with Price, Kamarov, and Kate Laswell to build the Armistice to stop the rise of a new AQ. After the Armisitice collapse, Nikolai now takes the battle in his own hands to stop Zakhaev.
Nikolai is a Russian patriot at heart with a deep love for his country only matched by his love for weaponry. He’s known as a fixer and can acquire most anything, anywhere. Despite his murky background, he’ll always choose what’s right when it counts. Nikolai can be unlocked at Tier 100 of the Season Six Battle Pass. Players can complete Operator Missions to earn additional skins for Nikolai and other rewards.
With the Modern Warfare & Warzone Season 6 release date now known, we’re hoping new weapons and more will be part of the roll out soon.
NFL game fans, EA has released the new Madden 21 update 1.10 September 22 patch, and this brings new abilities, gameplay fixes, and of course, Franchise fixes as well.
New Madden 21 Update 1.10 September 22 patch notes:
Key Highlights:
New Abilities added
Gameplay fixes & tuning
Franchise, MUT, Yard bug and performance fixes
Gameplay Updates:
New Abilities
(NEW) Run Committed – Defenders with this ability will dominantly win run blocks when they correctly use the Guess Play adjustment to predict a run. Incorrect guesses will result in a loss.
(NEW) Pass Committed – Defenders with this ability will win pass blocks when they correctly use the Guess Play adjustment to predict a pass. Incorrect guesses will result in a loss.
(NEW) Deflator – Defenders with this ability will cause increased fatigue penalties when tackling a Ball Carrier with a non-conservative tackle.
Enforcer – Addressed an issue causing CPU-controlled defenders with the Enforcer ability to use hit-stick tackles too frequently, and as a result also cause more fumbles than intended
Ball Carrier
Updated QB-Slide functionality so that a double-tap of the dive button will now always be slide while a single press will always be dive, which will align with the non-QB ball carrier ‘give-up’ functionality
Modified the new ‘Jurdle’ animation to reduce over-steering
Fixed an issue that would sometimes allow the QB to enter a tackle animation while attempting to slide, which could lead to fumbles
Fixed an issue where Ball Carriers would stumble and fall well after having a collision with their legs
Fixed an issue where ball carriers were stumbling and falling too frequently when running through the line and colliding with their blockers
Fixed an issue rarely causing the ball carrier to continuously run after scoring a TD
Fixed quarterbacks pitching the ball with the wrong hand on option plays
Defensive Coverage
Fixed issue allowing the ‘Bunch Verticals Flanker Motion-Snap’ quick-throw exploit vs Cover 3 and Cover 4:
DEV NOTE: A longstanding legacy issue, allowing users to call Bunch Verticals, motion the flanker to the outside, snap while in motion and quick throw to that receiver who would be open against Cover 3 and Cover 4. We have added logic for the Curl Flat and Quarters Flat defenders to cover that throw.
Addressed a Motion issue causing defensive backs in man coverage that were covering a receiver in motion to swap assignments with another defensive back on the other side of the formation, leaving the motion receiver open
Fixed an issue allowing route-swapping out of any passing formation by audible & resetting their play call twice
Addressed an issue with Cornerback Matchups by Route causing linebackers and cornerbacks to switch alignments in pre-play vs. certain offensive formations
Fixed an issue causing man-coverage defenders to get into a bad position vs motion-wheel routes
Fixed multiple defensive alignment issues caused by motioning the Slot Receiver to the inside in Gun Empty Bunch and motioning a HB out wide in Gun Trips, resulting in inverted assignment and alignments
Fixed issues with Defensive Backs reacting too slowly to WR auto-motion and user-controlled receiver motion, leaving the receiver wide open at the snap
Addressed an issue where defenders mirroring a receiver in motion would sometimes stumble on their teammate when the ball was snapped
Fixed an issue rarely causing pass-rushing outside linebackers to flip their gap assignment to the opposite side of the formation when the ball was snapped
Fixed an issue causing a defender in man coverage vs. a screen-blocking receiver would run past the blocking receiver on some RPO Alert plays
Tackling
Tuning for a variety of tackling animation issues that sometimes prevented tackles from triggering vs. ball carriers in Juke moves, and some cases where the ball carrier was not using any special move
Fixed an issue causing an offensive lineman on the ground to warp back up to be part of a multi-player sack interaction between the pass rusher and quarterback
Fixed an issue causing a CPU-controlled defender to celebrate while the ball is still live after a fumble
Catching
Improved multiple issues where the ball was going through players’ torsos on swat and catch attempts
Addressed an issue allowing user-controlled receivers using Aggressive Catch to make catches that they should not have specifically on jumping and diving catch animations. The player ratings will have a heavier impact on the outcome of these specific catch animations
Fixed an issue preventing a teammate from catching a pitch on kickoff returns
Tuning to ball physics to reduce the frequency of footballs consistently/repeatedly bouncing off of moving players and keeping the play live
General Fixes
Fixed an issue with users being able to grief their opponent online by getting endless False Start penalties
DEV NOTE: We have addressed this issue and now 3 consecutive False Starts, Delay of Game, or any combination of those penalties will result in the user committing the penalties getting booted.
Fixed a blocking issue causing the fullback and offset tight end to collide with each other following the snap on certain formations
Fixed an issue causing offensive players to rarely move out of their formation positions in pre-play, such as a QB moving to a guard position or a guard moving to a WR position after an audible:
DEV NOTE:We were able to finally narrow down the steps to identify the cause of this rare bug, based on detailed feedback we gathered from our community. Thank you! While we are confident this specific situation is fixed, there could be other situations that could cause some similar behaviors so we will continue to monitor and address issues here as they come up.
Fixed an issue causing the CPU-controlled offense to call passing plays sometimes when winning late in the game instead of running plays
Fixed an issue causing CPU-controlled quarterbacks to roll out of the pocket but then suddenly stop to try to throw resulting in unnecessary sacks
Madden Ultimate Team Updates:
Improved the accuracy of difficulty descriptions for Challenges
Various quality of life improvements among different MUT UI screens
Addressed an exploit where users could complete one play challenges and get bonus XP
Updated logic to address player feedback that the play clock would wind down to the point where pre-snap adjustments were difficult to execute
Addressed an issue allowing users to intentionally leave certain positions in the depth chart empty to get receivers to auto-sub in at the tight end positions, and then use this to exploit the ‘audibles by personnel’ feature in gameplay; with this change, you will now get defensive players subbed into any offensive position that is left empty on the depth chart, which will prevent any audibles from those sets as the defender doesn’t fit any offensive personnel packages
Addressed a gameplay issue specific to Ultimate Team where specific QB’s would cause bad snaps over his head occasionally on Jet Sweep types of plays
Franchise Updates:
Face of the Franchise Updates:
General stability improvements
Added a new cutscene for users named NFL MVP in The Comeback storyline
Fixed issue with audio not playing correctly in the final Face of the Franchise cutscene at the user’s high school field
Fixed several issues in storylines with branching logic, rewards, ability unlocks, typos, and goal tracking
Fixed performance issues in the 1st High School game
Franchise Updates:
Fixed an issue with users input not working when navigating positions in the Formation Subs screen
Fixed an issue with Slow Sim for PS4 users
General stability improvements
Fixed issue with Veteran players receiving votes for Rookie of the Year awards
Added league names to Franchise cloud save tiles
The following abilities have been added Franchise:
Run Committed
Pass Committed
Deflator
The Yard Updates:
Added visual indicator for whether you are viewing H2H or versus CPU events
Added your own score to Frienderboard display
Fixed issues around player control and loot round drafts
Fixed an issue where abilities would not display correctly if accessed in quick succession
Fixed an issue where maxed out prototypes would display blank rewards
Stability and online connectivity improvements
Fixed an issue where CPU-controlled quarterbacks were always getting sacked when the play matchup was Trips Verts Hook vs Safe Zone Blitz
Fixed the Slot Streak being open every time when running Deep Dish vs 1 Deep Zone Blitz
Fixed an issue causing the ball to warp between the passer’s hands while throwing out of a sack
Addressed an issue causing the offensive receiver icons to sometimes appear after the defense had made an interception in the backfield, which could result in the defender unintentionally passing the ball back to offensive players when attempting skill moves
Fixed an issue preventing players from attempting to recover a loose ball after a fumbled pitch or lateral
Presentation Updates:
Updated helmet and chinstrap placement lots of high profile players who have changed helmets like Derek Carr, Devin Bush, Denzel Ward and Alex Smith to name a few
Fixed an issue with Titans AFL jersey
Updated multiple generic heads with newer high quality ones
User Experience (UX) Updates:
Updates have been made to address general performance that impacted reliability of the kick meter, where it would sometimes hitch during field goal situations.
Hyper Scape players (Hyper Scapers?), Ubisoft has rolled out the Hyper Scape update 1.12 September 22 patch and it’s for fixes. Head on below for the full message from the dev team.
Hyper Scape Update 1.12 September 22 patch notes:
Hyper Scape will briefly be down for maintenance today to deploy a small title update addressing a number of bugs reported by the community. While this patch does not impact overall gameplay balance, we are actively listening and discussing game feedback and suggestions.
SOUND OPTIMIZATION
Simplification of the number of active sounds during a match, reducing occurrences of dropped sound. The change should not generate any noticeable changes in the sound experience for players.
Please note: This does not include a fix for the previously reported Magnet issue. Stay tuned for further updates on this issue and the Magnet hack.
XBOX LAUNCH CRASHING
We have addressed the largest Xbox One-related issue, which was causing crashes at game launch.
ADDITIONAL DEBUG LOGS
To better serve the community, we are adding detailed online debug logs to help us investigate online service experience further.
— Hyper Scape Development Team
That’s about it. Once we get wind of the next update, we’ll let our readers know.
Rogues, First Watch Games has just released the Rogue Company update 1.32 September 22 patch or what the studio calls the Desert Rose update! This brings a new map, ping system and loads more!
Rogue Company Update 1.32 September 22 patch notes:
New Map: Lockdown
Located deep in the jungles of Venezuela lies a maximum-security prison that houses some of the world’s most dangerous threats. Rogue Company has been called in to stop a breakout in progress. This new map features long sightlines for covering fire, contested power positions and intense close-quarter battles inside the prison’s walls.
Rogue Mastery
It’s one thing to play a Rogue, but quite another to master them! With the introduction of masteries, you’ll earn your way to specific sprays, emotes, and more!
Each match in Versus mode will award Mastery Experience based on your match performance.
If you played more than one Rogue during a match (such as Demolition) the experience will be split equally between them.
At each Mastery level you will receive a reward and there are currently 10 available.
Levels 1 and 3 currently have rewards which include a spray and emote unique to that Rogue.
In an upcoming update we’ll 3 additional cosmetic rewards which tie into the Player Identity system.
In the future we’ll also unlock the Mastery page to let you view all the potential rewards.
Any levels you complete will unlock those rewards retroactively once they are introduced.
Note: This is still a system for our Beta and will receive additional improvements and additions
Custom Matches:
The Desert Rose update will introduce a brand new feature allowing groups of players to create their own matches! Whether you want to scrim like pros or simply match up against your friends, this will allow you to provide a more customized experience.
The Match Host will select which mode (Strikeout, or Demolition) will be played and then select the map from the available choices.
Each match will require 2 players to launch.
Next the Host will select players from their friends list and send invites to the Lobby.
Players can be moved from team to team via the Move button or removed from the Lobby.
After each match there will be a Play Again option.
Note: You will not earn Reputation, Experience, or Mastery Experience in a Custom Match
New Ping System:
We know voice chat isn’t for everyone and in a heated battle, text chat may not get the job done. In this update we are introducing a new Ping system that will let you communicate common call-outs that will help your team coordinate.
Open up the communication wheel via the middle mouse button (down on the gamepad) to access the following commands (clockwise):
Defend Here
All Clear
Hold position
Cancel That
Group Up
Understood
Help Me
Enemies Moving
You’ll also have access to a number of quips for Rogues which can be found by using the left mouse button while the Communication wheel is open:
Hello
Thank You
Nice
Good Shot
You Rock
Sorry
I’m the Best
You’re Welcome
General Changes:
We’ve received a lot of feedback around the Text Chat system, and based on that we believe it still needs some work. We disabled this functionality pending further overall improvements to the system.
Rogue Buck/Reputation Prices have been adjusted for Rogue unlocks. These initial prices were introductory and part of our Closed Beta testing. Each of the following Rogues will now be unlocked for either 600 Rogue Bucks or 15,000 Reputation.
Scorch
Talon
Lancer
Phantom
Chaac
Vy
Gl1tch
Friendly Fire
Gadgets and Abilities will deal 75% damage to teammates.
Reverse Friendly Fire will trigger upon dealing 250 Damage instead of 300.
Weapons:
General
Fixed an issue where fractional damage wasn’t rounding correctly.
Arren
Increased body damage from 28 to 30.
Increased headshot damage from 42 to 45.
Fixed an issue where Hit Reactions were causing players to have their aim offset when transitioning into Aim Down Sights.
Executioner
Adjusted the rate at which Tracers are displayed to be aligned with other weapons.
HRM30KS
Increased vertical recoil by 20%.
Adjusted the Recoil Trend to favor the right side more.
LR15 Fullbody
Fixed an issue where Hit Reactions were causing players to have their aim offset when transitioning into Aim Down Sights.
Body damage reduced from 80 to 70.
LW6 Revolver
Adjusted the rate at which Tracers are displayed to be aligned with other weapons.
Mamba
Adjusted the rate at which Tracers are displayed to be aligned with other weapons.
MLX Mark 4
Increased the Field of View when Aiming Down Sights to be less zoomed in.
Fixed an issue where Hit Reactions were causing players to have their aim offset when transitioning into Aim Down Sights.
Adjusted the rate at which Tracers are displayed to be aligned with other weapons.
SL-C
Range increased from 8.5m to 9.5m.
Headshot Falloff 1 Damage increased from 12 to 13 Damage.
Quality of Life
The distance at which players receive Aim Assist when Hip Firing has been standardized for Pistols, Submachine Guns, Assault Rifles, DMRs, LMGs, and Shotguns. This change aims to slightly reduce the efficiency of Aim Assist in close-range engagements and provides a more consistent experience across the board.
Submachine Guns
Hipfire Aim Assist reduced from 10 meters to 8.5 meters.
Assault Rifles
Hipfire Aim Assist reduced from 9 meters to 8.5 meters.
Pistols
Hipfire Aim Assist reduced from 9 meters to 8.5 meters.
Shotguns
Hipfire Aim Assist reduced from 9 meters to 8.5 meters.
DMRs
Hipfire Aim Assist reduced from 9 meters to 8.5 meters.
Gl1tch’s hacking animation now completes before putting his tablet away.
Visual effects have been improved to indicate Spawn immunity where applicable.
Information has been added to the Scoreboard which will provide a reminder of your currently selected Rogue’s abilities.
Reputation is now received the first time you complete the Tutorial.
Jump and mantle animations have received general improvements to their look.
Wingsuit animations have received general improvements to their look.
Capture Points can no longer repeat at half time in Strikeout mode.
Bugs:
Fixed an issue when Dima’s dialogue did not match the text displayed on the screen.
Fixed an issue that allowed players to achieve higher than intended melee attack speeds.
Fixed an issue when logging in on a console and opening a menu, your focus would stay on the Mode selection or Play buttons.
Fixed an issue where Friends would be removed from the players Friends list
The Rogue Company Store will now show Rogue Bucks for Xbox players
Players should now be able to invite friends to a party or add friends from recently played list
Fixed an issue that was preventing the ability to invite friends to a party or add friends from recently played list
Fixed a bush in Favelas that was preventing players from taking damage
Fixed an animation issue with with sprinting diagonally
The Scaducci Dima outfit now has the correct head model
Now that’s one heck of an update! We’ll keep an eye out for the next one in this weekend’s Rogue Company highlights video.
343 Industries has released the major September patch for Halo: The Master Chief Collection (Halo MCC). The Halo MCC update 1.1829 September 22 patch brings Halo 3: ODST to PC, gameplay fixes and more.
Halo MCC Update 1.1829 September 22 patch notes:
New Features
ODST is now available on PC!
ODST Firefight has been added to Xbox, Steam, and Windows Store, included with the ODST DLC package.
ODST Firefight now supports custom game variant options for creating your own Firefight modes.
Season 3 has been added to the collection, featuring ODST Firefight Customization, New Halo 3 Weapon and Visor Skins, and new nameplates including:
12 Halo 3 Weapon Skins.
30 Halo 3 Visor Skins.
10 ODST Character Skins.
4 ODST Character Skins (Unlockable via Challenges).
30 Nameplates.
A new frontend menu has been added to welcome ODST Firefight Customization to the collection.
Halo 2 Anniversary Multiplayer’s Customization has been broken down into per-part pieces.
Added Challenges to the Pause Menu for visibility during gameplay.
Added an option that allows users to disable the Challenge notification.
Added deck progress counter in Challenge Hub.
Progress notifications for featured (golden) challenges now appear gold.
More variety is present for Challenges which reward Season Points from week to week.
Added ODST’s Silenced SMG, Automag, and Brute Plasma Rifle to Halo 3 Multiplayer.
Added Recon weapon set to override all weapons on the map with their ODST counterparts.
Added new option for Halo 3 Grenade Regeneration which includes Firebomb grenades.
Added bottomless clip option for Halo 3 Infinite Ammo setting.
Simplified Chinese Text Language is now supported in ODST.
Flight Improvements Brought into MCC Retail
These improvements came from feedback reported by our community and were resolved during or after the flight period of ODST. Thank you for participating!
Halo 3
We have brought over the improvements made in our last flight patch to hit registration in multiplayer (related to the 60hz and 30hz engine refresh rate as referenced in our development July 2020 blog).
Fixed several issues that caused floating turrets, mongoose falling from the sky, and a series of issues that were identified during the initial flight with Elephants on Sandtrap.
Service ID’s shorter than 3 characters now display in gameplay.
Scoreboard player scrolling is now bound to Up and Down arrow keys.
Updated how the camera intersects with objects in Forge fixing an issue where players would be flung out of the map boundaries and killed when playing or moving objects.
Several improvements to Forge with camera movement, menu navigation, and placing or moving objects.
Halo 3 matchmaking game films no longer prevent players from restarting the film.
ODST
Fixed an issue that caused missing or delayed subtitles during cutscenes.
Detached turrets no longer use lowered crosshairs when Crosshair Position is set to “Centered”.
Players can operate and exit hijacked Ghosts without others seeing them as standing on it.
Resolved several crash issues reported during the flight period.
All the character models have matching hands.
AA Wraith Spawns normally in “Lost Platoon.”
Suicide Grunts now have grenades in their hands.
Projectiles are visible when Wraiths are seen firing.
Players can use health packs in Firefight. Scope zoom sound effects only play once in Firefight.
When the time limit expires the game ends instead of a new game starting before the end of the current game in Firefight.
Front turrets on Phantoms are visible to players in Firefight
The preview images were correct for several reward tiers (Romeo and Buck, Helmets on/off).
Resolved Issues
Below is a breakdown of the specific fixes that have come with today’s update:
General/UI
Exit Experience no longer plays sound effects for 0 Challenge XP.
Post-game and pause menu roster no longer display player names as “Player Found”.
The Refresh Pings button no longer disappears if user passes over Relays option after viewing Network pings.
Players will no longer get a duplicate notification of the same challenge when progress is made.
The player emblem is no longer missing the background image for all users that appear in the pause menu roster.
“Playlist stats” is no longer missing “Max local players” in the “Competitive” game mode selection menu.
The warning when enabling a zero-scoring skull has been updated to define that any “mission completion, scoring, time, Challenges, and par achievements will not be recorded when running campaign with a zero-scoring skull.
Halo 1
The customization menu “Schism” skin texture placement is no longer inconsistent with other Fuel Rod skin textures.
The preview model will no longer show the last visor color highlighted when highlighting “DEFAULT” instead of the default color.
Halo 2& Halo 2 Anniversary Multiplayer
Armor descriptions are no longer missing from Spartan Armor Customization.
In Halo 2 Anniversary Forge, hovering over a different highlightable field before selecting “Yes” on a prompt no longer causes the action to not be taken.
Crosshair no longer moves up when zooming if crosshair position is lowered.
The Edit Mode action “Grab Object” is no longer assigned to a random key every time the game is restarted.
Halo 3
Crosshair no longer moves up when zooming if crosshair position is lowered.
The prompt no longer indicates [Q] (instead of assigned key) to enter edit mode at the beginning of the forge session.
Boot Player prompt no longer contains references to the Xbox One console on PC.
Objects placed when nearing the total object limit are now saved.
Objects no longer despawn when too many are placed on maps with high object density.
Changing to Player Mode while moving an object set to phased physics no longer causes the object to continue moving indefinitely.
Forge object rotation is more responsive with a mouse when using an unlimited framerate.
Objects set to fixed or phased physics no longer maintain momentum when released and changed to normal physics.
Players and held objects are no longer rapidly accelerated when cameras and objects are misaligned.
The callout to Summary now reflects actual key binding.
The picture-in-picture display in the Sniper Rifle’s Scope will now appropriately reflect the player’s view when the crosshair is centered in Halo 3.
The progress bar in Halo 3 Theater is now filled during playback. All weapons, vehicles, and grenades now appear in the appropriate kills category in the Post Game Carnage Report.
Halo 3 armor components now display description strings in the Customization menu.
ODST
Look Inversion set to Inverted no longer overrides Flight Inversion while in Banshee while using Controller.
Updated the Epilogue thumbnail & loading screen image to remove a spoiler.
Excessive flashing no longer occurs in security camera shots in cutscenes in 4K resolution.
Tools of Destruction no longer displays the Halo 3 Magnum instead of ODST Magnum.
Suppressed SMG tool of destruction is no longer displayed as standard SMG.
There is no longer a large visible gap in the center of the Health Bar in 4K resolution.
Com Data UI no longer consistently blinks while viewing any Com Data.
Weapon icons in gameplay have been updated to higher-quality versions.
Fixed an issue where the VISR’s intel menu did not display objectives as individual bullet points.
There is no longer a misplaced period for weapon pickup text in Italian.
Betrayed ODSTs no longer appear as Spartans in the Post Game Carnage Report.
Halo 4
Friendly Fire has been disabled in various Halo 4 Big Team Battle game variants, most notably in Team Heavies.
Halo: Reach
Engineer is no longer listed as Huragok in the Post Game Carnage Report for ODST and Halo: Reach campaigns.
Firefight Matchmaking now gracefully prompts a User without the DLC Entitlement or Campaign Content.
Crosshairs no longer move up when zooming if crosshair position is lowered.
The picture-in-picture display on Covenant vehicle dashboards will now appropriately reflect the player’s view when the crosshair is centered.
Cryptic Studios has released the new Neverwinter update 8.21 September 22 on all platforms, and it brings technical and gameplay fixes.
New Neverwinter Update 8.21 September 22 patch notes:
Known Issues
Mount Update
Due to some late changes, some mount tooltips may be inaccurate in French, German, and Russian locales.
Zariel’s Favor
When opening the reward chest at the end of Valindra’s Tower while it’s a weekly challenge, the error text “You have reached the limit for obtaining: Zariel’s Favor” appears. This does not prevent the character from gaining the appropriate value of Favor.
Highlights
The Mount Upgrade Pack should once again be available from the Reward Claims Agent after this patch is live.
A crash that was frequently seen when driving between locations in Avernus should now be addressed.
Release Notes
Content and Environment
Rage of Bel
Insurgencies should once again be consistently, fully playable.
Redeemed Citadel
Characters can no longer incorrectly complete weekly Favor challenges before they’ve completed the quest, A Mote of Virtue.
Combat and Powers
Mounts
Runic Aura: This passive power now properly adds Combined Ratings to the character who equips it.
Items and Economy
Mount Collars
Practical Crescent Collar III now properly gives 6% Gold Bonus, up from 5%.
Mounts
King of Spines: This mount is no longer super noisy, particularly from a huge distance away.
More mounts now properly have an extra prompt upon attempting to discard them.
Redeemed Citadel
High-quality drops from Hunt targets can now properly be assigned when using the “Party Leader Decides” loot mode.
Zen Market
VIP: Players with VIP Rank 8 and above should once again properly be able to post to the Auction House without incurring fees.
For those on PC, PC patch notes can be found here.
Psyonix Studios has kicked out the Rocket League update 1.82 September 22 patch for fixes and then some. This patch is available now on the PS4, Xbox One, Nitntendo Switch and PC.
Head on below for the full patch notes.
Rocket League Update 1.82 September 22 patch notes:
CHANGES AND UPDATES
User Interface
The Play Menu will now close automatically after searching when away from the Main Menu
BUG FIXES
General
The Play Menu will now correctly remember the last chosen Playlist between sessions
Fixed a bug causing team color adjustments to change which preset is being customized
[Steam] Fixed Steam input support for controllers including Sony DualShock 4, Nintendo Switch Pro Controller
Glowing wall cage effect fixed in Mannfield, Farmstead
Fixed a bug preventing successful friend invites to Nintendo Switch accounts on the ‘Recent Players’ list
NBA flags now appear correctly when customizing a car
If you’re curious about the bigger patch that went out last week that preps the game for crossplay, head on over here. In case there are any changes not listed in the notes above, head on below in the comments and let us know. We’ll update the post and credit you once we verify it.
Bungie has released a Destiny 2 Beyond Light new trailer that gives players a peek at moon Europa, a new destination available to Guardians in the upcoming paid expansion this November. Head on below to see what’s in store.
Europa is a desolate frozen moon full of buried mysteries. Guardians will seek out lost Golden Age tech deep beneath the moon’s icy crust. Europa has stunning vistas and dangerous depths. Guardians will be able to visit several new areas on Europa such as:
Eventide Ruins, what remains of Clovis Bray’s colony
Asterion Abyss, the very tip of Vex structures
Cadmus Ridge, the last-known location of the Bray Exoscience facility
Charon’s Crossing, the site of Europa’s communication center
…and more!
Those who plan on playing Destiny 2 on Xbox devices, don’t forget, Destiny 2 expansions are coming to Xbox Game Pass starting today!
Destiny 2: Shadowkeep and Destiny 2: Forsaken expansions will be available to Xbox Game Pass subscribers starting on 22 September.
Destiny 2 Beyond Light will be released this November 11 on all platforms where Destiny 2 is available. Check out the new Stasis subclasses for the Warlock, Titan, and Hunter, here.
Saddle up, as the Red Dead Online weekly update September 22 refresh of activities is now live! There’s also your weekly list of discounts available as well, so head on below for the highlights.
Red Dead Online Weekly Update September 22 highlights:
New Garment Sets and Rewards at Gus’ Store: Bringing Gus the pelts from the Legendary Owiza Bear or the Legendary Ridgeback Spirit Bear will unlock the Owiza and Ridgeback Spirit Garment Sets for purchase, and crafting either will reward players with a free Coat of their choice
A free Treasure Map will be awarded to all Outlaw Pass owners this week
New Discounts: 40% off all Vests,Shirts, and the Advanced Camera
New Prime Gaming Benefits: Rewards for a free Bar Theme and Outfit,Accessory or Emote, plus 5,000 Outlaw Pass XP and 10X each of Gin, Brandy, Rum, Baked Beans and Jolly Jack’s
Ongoing Prime Gaming Benefits: A free Katata Coat, 6,000 Naturalist XP, a free Wilderness Camp, and 5 free Legendary Animal Pheromones
An offer for 50% off an Established or higher Naturalist Role Item will be given to players that complete an act of Rabbit animal control anytime this week
And two new Legendary Animals: The Owiza and Ridgeback Spirit Bears are now available to pursue and were last seen around the Dakota River and the Little Creek River, respectively, while a Reward for a free hat up to Rank 15 awaits players that skin or sample either
As well as the new Rabbit Vitalism Studies Pamphlet, now available to Naturalists that visit Harriet’s shop
Discounts:
Bonuses and Benefits
All Outlaw Pass holders will receive a free Treasure Map to help them pad their coffers.
Players would be wise to utilize this week’s 40% discounts on all Vests and Shirts, as well as the Advanced Camera.
Stay tuned next week for another Red Dead Online weekly update.
Bohemia Interactive has released the DayZ update 1.22 September 22 patch for consoles, and this is the same as the 1.09 hotfix that went out on PC two weeks ago. Head on below for the full changelog.
DayZ Update 1.22 September 22 patch notes:
FIXED
Fixed a server crash
Fixed a crash while loading into the main menu/server (caused by corrupted local cached character data)
Fixed a bug, allowing the player to drag full stacks of stones by using the combine area in the inventory
Fixed an issue resulting in unmounted but attached barbed wire giving a damage
Fixed an issue causing weapons to become stuck when dropped from an unconscious player during reload
Fixed a bug preventing pulling dead players from the Olga in certain cases
Fixed an issue causing items sometimes to get stuck after swapping with a dead player’s inventory
Fixed an issue blocking base building close to other base building objects
Fixed an issue preventing the collision of tent doors/walls from updating until the next server restart
CHANGED
Placement of base building objects was made less restrictive (reducing gaps in between)
The Revolver reload should be more responsive now
Increased the durability of the IJ-70 pistol
If there are any changes in this patch that’s not documented above, share ’em down below in the comments.
With the release of the big SMITE Odssey Reckoning patch two weeks ago, players know that a bonus update is part of the cards for these things and it’s here. Hi-Rez has released the SMITE update 11.55 September 22 bonus update, or what the studio calls the 7.9 Bonus Update.
SMITE Update 11.55 September 22 patch notes:
Gods
AMATERASU
Am I going to have to change my hoodie with all these nerfs?! Amaterasu is continuing to outperform the rest of the solo lane field, especially in pro play. Amaterasu was always expertly designed as a god with strong late game team fight presence, but recently her early game has also been made better in a variety of ways. This has led to her being simply too dominant across the entire match. Her Auras provide a huge benefit to her team, and feel like a defining feature of the goddess, so instead we are tuning down her damage, mostly on the higher ranks of her ultimate.
GLORIOUS CHARGE
Decreased Base Damage from 70/130/190/250/310 to 60/120/180/240/300
DAZZLING OFFENSIVE
Decreased Base Damage from 80/125/170/215/260 to 80/120/160/200/240
CTHULHU
Cthulhu left a large footprint on the battleground of the gods. Players are still banning him at the highest rate among all the gods, even with the recent nerfs. We have seen significant moves in Cthulhu’s win-rate based on the past nerfs, and the god has decreased considerably. We are decreasing his damage output from his Ultimate, especially in the late game, where the great dreamer can run down and kill nearly any opponent.
SEVER (ULTIMATE ABILITY 1)
Decreased Base Damage from 100/160/220/280/340 to 100/155/210/265/320
Decreased Magical Power Scaling from 30% to 25%
CUPID
Everyone’s favorite misshapen little buddy has really skyrocketed in the meta after direct buffs and favorable meta changes. Cupid is a top pick in ranked and pro play for the ADC role, bringing a stronger laning phase than his older days. There are going to be some Hunter item nerfs coming up, and this god has only recently come into the meta with relatively low community frustration, so we are keeping his nerfs light. We are focusing on decreasing the amount of sustain that Cupid can provide to himself or his team now that his lane clear is as strong as his team fights.
SHARE THE LOVE
Decreased Physical Power Scaling of the Heal from 25% to 20% per heart (75% to 60% total)
FREYA
As we look to bring down the top Hunters and Hunter items slightly, we must also look at the top mage ADC. The Hecate’s ring nerfs have settled into a good place, with mage ADCs feeling viable but not overpowering. Freya however continues to be a top pick at competitive levels of SMITE, so we are lowering her ability to chase down enemies and confirm kills with her ult. These multiple shots really add up to a huge amount of damage that make Freya especially hard to deal with.
VALKYRIE’S DISCRETION
Decreased Damage from 100/135/170/205/240 to 90/125/160/195/230
HUN BATZ
We are still monkeying around with the numbers on this one. Hun Batz was recently nerfed, then fell too far so we reverted it. Now, even though his stats had fallen to dismal levels, he was still being considered as a top jungler pick in pro play, with many pros feeling like the recent revert makes him too strong. We are adjusting this one more time (hopefully) to a solid middle ground. Further changes to Hun Batz (if needed) will look at other aspects of his kit.
FEAR NO EVIL
Increased Cooldown from 110/105/100/95/90s to 120/115/110/105/100s
RAMA
Rama is right up there with Cupid as the new meta standard for ADCs. Since he will also be affected by the item nerfs coming up, he is only seeing a small nerf. Currently his ability to nearly perma-slow enemies is too potent, especially in the early game. We are decreasing this slow duration to make sure the enemy hunter has a chance to fight back against him.
ASTRAL STRIKE
Decreased Slow Duration from 2s to 1.5s
There are also new god skins which players can check out here.
It’s finally here, agents! Ubisoft has released The Division 2 update 1.27 September 22 patch that brings the Title Update 11 content and changes. If you own the Warlords of New York expansion, you’ll be able to experience The Summit mode and more.
The Divission 2 Update 1.27 September 22 Title Update 11 patch notes:
Title Update 11 – Patch Notes
New Season – Concealed Agenda
A new season is almost upon us! Starting on September 22nd, Concealed Agenda offers 12 weeks of in-game activities and unique rewards. Season 3 brings a new Seasonal Manhunt, new Leagues, a new Global event and new unique rewards, as well as an Apparel Event.
New Manhunt tasking you to take on 5 rogue agents over a 12-week period starting September 22nd. Bring down all five to unlock the new Shrapnel Trap skill variant.
Bardon Schaeffer, Leader of the BTSU Unit of the Black Tusk is this Season’s prime target.
New Global Event SHD Exposed.
New Apparel Event Last Resort.
New Leagues Shade, Wraith, Dusk & Belfry.
New Rewards
2 new Exotics
1 new Gear Set
2 new Named Weapons
2 new Named Gear
1 new Brand Set
Participating in the activities above will earn players Season experience contributing to their Season level.
Playing Conflict will contribute XP by gaining Conflict Levels beyond 30.
Playing in the Dark Zone will contribute XP by gaining DZ Levels beyond 30.
New PvE Game Mode: The Summit
Title Update 11 introduces the new PvE game mode The Summit for free to all owners of the Warlords of New York expansion. The Summit brings agents to a skyscraper occupied by hostile factions, and as you progress towards the top the difficulty gradually will increase, and you will start seeing more ruthless enemies standing in your way. The Summit is designed to be highly replayable and also meant to offer a challenge to everybody, from our most dedicated agents to our newer agents. Floors will be different each time you fight your way through the building, as floors are randomly selected from a number of preset designs and gets populated by random AI spawns.
Progression throughout the floors is saved at specific rally points, and players can leave and jump back in where they left off without losing their progress. The total time to reach floor 100, and thus unlock all the difficulties, can vary greatly depending on the players skills and equipment as well as their team configuration
Highly replayable PvE game mode
100 floors to fight your way through
Checkpoint system
Unique rewards
Based on PTS feedback, we have made the below improvements for the release of Title Update 11, but work to bring the mode closer to our vision for the mode has already begun for the interim Title Update 11.1 and beyond.
Added greater variety and diversity in objective types as you progress through The Summit.
Changed the Hostage revive timer to be longer, giving more leeway to reach them before the objective fails.
Increased the radius of the hack zone for EMP objectives.
Increased the amount of loot caches scattered around the building, which contents scale with difficulty.
Reduced number of directives on Legendary Floors 91-100. Now has 3 random directives (previously had 4).
We saw the PTS feedback about this and those who prefer the tougher difficulties will not need to grind through the first 50 floors if they don’t want to.
We are by default unlocking Rally Points up to 51 (this is the start of Heroic floors)
In addition to the new objectives added in PTS Phase 2, there are a couple more coming for TU11
Adjusted frequency of certain objective types based on PTS data/feedback
Tuned Drone Ambush objective
Rogue Agent Encounters will be able to occur on Legendary Summit floors (still disabled for DC Strongholds)
Added exotic fireteams for Legendary (so occasionally you will see some unusual and challenging combinations of certain enemy types)
Crew Ambush will no longer occur on Legendary floors
New Feature: Appearance Mods
Appearance Mods (aka Transmog) will become available to you in Title Update 11, allowing for much greater customization of your Agent’s visual look. You will save the appearance of all obtained gear following the release of Title Update 11, allowing you to override your gear’s look with the gear of your choosing.
All gear is supported by Appearance Mods.
Weapons and Exotics are excluded.
Note: When logging in to TU11, you will need to log in to each of your characters to unlock the looks of all owned gear.
This only needs to be done once and you do not need to save the gear to keep their looks available moving forward.
Operation Iron Horse Discovery Mode
Discovery mode of the Operation Iron Horse raid will be available to all players with Title Update 11.
New Exotics
MPX Submachine Gun: Backfire
Dealing damage to enemies adds a stack of +1% critical hit damage, up to 200 stacks, lasting 10s.
On reload, apply a 10s bleed to yourself, which deals 0.5% armor damage per stack.
Backpack: Memento
Enemies you kill drop a trophy on death. Collecting trophies provides both a short- and long-term buff, the first of which scales with the number of core attributes equipped and lasts 10s.
+5% weapon damage per red core
+10% bonus armor per blue core
+5% skill efficiency per yellow core
For every trophy collected, gain an additional +1% weapon damage, +1% skill efficiency, and +0.1% armor regeneration for 300s. Maximum 30 stacks.
Chest: Ridgeway’s Pride
Shooting enemies within 10m applies bleed to the target.
Repair 1-25% of your armor per second for every enemy that is bleeding within 10m.
1 enemy: 1%
2 enemies: 4%
3 enemies: 9%
4 enemies: 16%
5 enemies: 25%
New Gear Set
Hunter’s Fury
An offensive gear set specializing in aggressive close combat.
Core: Weapon Damage (Red)
Set bonuses:
2+ Pieces
+15% SMG Damage
+15% Shotgun Damage
3+ Pieces
+20% Armor on Kill
+100% Health on Kill
4+ Pieces
Apex Predator: Enemies within 15m receive a debuff, increasing your weapon damage against them by +20%. Killing a debuffed enemy with your weapon disorients other enemies within 5m, and amplifies weapon damage by 5% for 10s, stacking up to 5 times.
Chest
Endless Hunger: Increases the duration of Apex Predator stacks from 10s to 30s.
Backpack
Overwhelming Force: Increases the radius of disorient on Apex Predator kills from 5m to 10m.
New Skill Variant
Shrapnel Trap
The Shrapnel Trap scatters a minefield of small explosive devices that can attach to any surface (including enemies) and then detonate based on enemy proximity.
Note: This skill will become unlockable in-game when the Prime Target of Season 3 becomes available but is available on the PTS for feedback and testing purposes.
New Named Items
SIX12 Shotgun: The Mop
+10% Armor on Kill
KARD-45 Pistol: TDI “Kard” Custom
+1 Skill Tier when used
Belstone Armory Chest: Everyday Carrier
Perfectly Efficient: Using an armor kit has a 75% chance to not consume the armor kit. Specialization armor kit bonuses are increased by 100%.
Belstone Armory Backpack: Liquid Engineer
Perfect Bloodsucker: Killing an enemy adds and refreshes a stack of +12% bonus armor for 10s. Max stack is 10
New Gear Brand
Belstone Armory
A defensive brand set primarily focused on self-sustain and efficient repairs.
Core: Armor (Blue)
Set bonuses:
+1% Armor Regen
+10% Armor on Kill
+20% Incoming Repairs
New Weapons
Shotgun: SIX12
A compact, 6-round, cylinder-fed shotgun, optimal for close-quarters urban combat.
Pistol: KARD-45
Prototype semi-automatic pistol, chambered in .45 ACP, utilizing the same technology as the Vector, but in a much smaller package.
New Attribute: Skill Efficiency
Similar to Weapon Handling, Skill Efficiency is a new attribute that modifies multiple skill-focused attribute bonuses at the same time.
+1% Skill Efficiency is equal to:
+1% Skill Damage
+1% Skill Haste
+1% Skill Duration
+1% Skill Health
+1% Repair Skills
+1% Status Effects
Developer comment: Skill Efficiency is currently only available on the new “Memento” exotic backpack.
New Directives
Fragile Armor – (Replaces “Hard to Earn”): Armor breaks apply a stack of “Broken” to the agent up to a maximum of 4. Each stack of broken reduces an agent’s max armor by 20%. Using an armor kit removes one stack of Broken.
Scavenged Skills – (Replaces “Cool Skills”): Skill cooldowns do not progress on their own. Agents must collect Skill Parts as drops from enemies and broken weak points. Each part collected reduces cooldowns.
Gameplay Changes
Global Events
Developer Comment: After reviewing the Global Events as a whole, we decided that the Global Events introduced in Season 1 did not provide the power boost to agents that we desire. As such, the following global events have been re-worked to provide a significant boost to player power.
Guardians – The buff provided from killing a Guardian angel now grants the ability to penetrate guardian protection. In addition, the buff renews its duration with each kill, permitting agents to chain kills throughout an entire fireteam without necessarily defeating all guardians first. Additionally, defeating all guardians in a fireteam now prevents the surviving members from regaining protection for an amount of time based on their veterancy. (Standard enemies will not be able to receive protection for a long time, named enemies can regain protection quite quickly.) Finally, melee attacks against protected enemies will briefly rob those enemies of their protection.
Polarity Switch – The shock for shooting opposite-polarity enemies has been removed. Values for the strength of the stacking buff have been updated to provide a significant power boost to agents.
Reanimated – The green cloud produced by killing enemies with a headshot no longer harms agents. This cloud now heals agents and provides a significant boost to their firepower while standing within it. The green cloud continues to significantly harm enemies.
Mods
Mod slots on backpacks, chests, and masks are now generic, and no longer associated with a specific offensive, defensive, or utility mod type.
Mod slots on gear are no longer able to be recalibrated.
Note: Any existing gear that has had its mod slot recalibrated prior to TU11 will have that recalibration automatically refunded, allowing a new attribute or talent to be recalibrated instead.
Added generic mod slots to all “improvised” crafting high end gear.
Developer comment: Any type of mod (red/blue/yellow) can now be placed in any mod slot, regardless of previous brand/set or exotic gear color association. Ex: You can now place a defensive or utility gear mod into an Airaldi backpack, without needing to recalibrate the mod slot from red to blue/yellow.
Defensive gear mods can now drop with disorient and ensnare resistances.
Loot
Rainbow loot
Introduced weighing to gear attributes to reduce the amount of rainbow loot.
The first non-core attribute has a higher chance to be of the same color as the core attribute
Added all new Season 3 weapons and gear to the general loot pool.
Added the new Season 3 brand to targeted loot rotation.
Season 2 Content
Updated Legacy Season cache to include weapons, gear set and named items from Season 2
Added Season 2 blueprints to general blueprint loot pool
Removed Season 2 level requirements from season 2 Exotics from all sources
Mantis and Vile can now be acquired from general Exotic sources (e.g. targeted loot, Exotic Caches) without any conditions
Balance
Named Items
Deathgrips: Increased the armor on kill from +5% to +10%
Gear Sets
Eclipse Protocol
Lowered Indirect Transmission on kill status effect spread from 15m to 10m
Proliferation now increases the range of Indirect Transmission from 10m to 15m
Increased Symptom Aggravator damage amplification from 15% to 30%
Talents
Obliterate: Increased the number of maximum stacks of total weapon damage from 15 to 25
PvP
Reduced the global PvP damage modifier from 0.35 to 0.3
Reverted previous change to pistol PvP damage modifiers to pre-10.1 values (buff)
Small increase to all shotgun, rifle, and MMR PvP damage modifiers to match global damage reduction and retain pre-TU11 time-to-kill
Slight reduction to overall SMG PvP damage
Lady Death’s Breathe Free weapon damage amplification effect lowered from 75% to 60% in PvP
Developer comment: The above changes should result in a small increase to TTK at medium/close range, while keeping rifles and MMRs deadly at long ranges.
Crusader, Reflector, and Striker shields now take 33% more damage in PvP
Riot Foam Chem Launcher base ensnare duration lowered from 3s to 2s in PvP
Firewall specialization talent Fiery Response no longer applies a 5m burn on armor break in PvP
Eclipse Protocol’s Indirect Transmission on kill status effect spread lowered from 15m to 5m in PvP (7m with Proliferation chest talent)
Headhunter buff duration lowered from 30s to 5s in PvP
Headhunter damage bonus lowered from 40% to 20% in PvP (25% with Perfect Headhunter)
Audio Improvements
Title Update 11 brings significant memory optimizations for audio, which should resolve the audio loss issues reported by players since TU10.
Bug Fixes
Fixed covers in numerous sections of the Summit.
Fixed placement of laptop terminal interaction in various sections of the Summit.
Fixed an issue that occasionally prevented the kill boss objective from completing
Fixed an issue where the 100th floor enemies could end up underneath the room.
Fixed an issue which allowed players to finish the 100th floor in The Summit without actually killing the enemies.
Fixed an issue causing only one type of enemy to spawn in The Summit on Legendary difficulty.
Fixed an issue causing enemies to shoot through walls on the 100th floor in The Summit.
Fixed an issue that caused you to be matched with a The Summit group when matchmaking for main missions.
Fixed an issue causing the SHD crate disappear briefly after completing the “Hold SHD Crate” objective in The Summit.
Fixed missing Specialization Tutorial when boosting a new character to level 30.
Fixed an issue which caused all trap variants to become stuck in the ceiling.
Fixed an issue with the Recalibration Library where the Pistol Damage attribute lowered from 15% to 14% following a maintenance
Fixed an issue causing the Headhunter talents duration to refresh when swapping weapons
Fixed the White House Operation Iron Horse World’s First portraits not displaying correctly on Xbox
Fixed an issue that would cause the bonus armor from the Galvanize talent to apply to rogue agents
Fixed a ladder that couldn’t be interacted with near the Widow’s Web control point
Fixed a ladder that couldn’t be interacted with near The Gate
Fixed Deflector Shield not triggering some Skill Talents
Fixed issues with the Feedback Loop talent sometimes not applying when equipped and something remaining active when unequipped
Fixed In Sync talent activating when killing wildlife
Fixed the Polycarbonate cost for crafting SMG’s being three times higher than intended
Fixed jammers blocking rogue agents from using skills
Fixed the game menu overlapping with the mega map when the player is in a downed state
Fixed Global Event and League menus becoming offset when in the menu and taking a melee attack from a NPC
Fixed UI inconsistencies with the flamethrower’s indicated damage and actual damage
Fixed an issue causing the icon for Makeshift Repairs to not appear under the health bar
Fixed an issue causing league missions scale with global difficulty and not the selected difficulty
Fixed the Riot Foam Chem launcher not applying ensnare on the final boss of District Union Arena under certain conditions
Fixed the Guardians Global Event task “Eliminate hostiles with the Guardian buff” not counting for group members
Fixed the Guardians Global Event task “Eliminate veterans with the Guardian buff” to correctly show 50 enemies
Fixed an issue where agents would clip through the Base of Operations helicopter pilot NPC
Fixed an issue causing Rogue Agents to spawn during League time trials
Fixed an issue causing new characters created during the Double XP manhunt event only to gain the boost for the first 14 levels, instead of 15
Fixed an issue causing the character to equip a grenade when inspecting a specialization weapon and moving the left analog stick left to right
Fixed the Mantis scope incorrectly highlighting enemies
Fixed the Shock Trap affecting players when an enemy trigger it in their vicinity
Fixed the Mantis attributes being extractable at the recalibration station
Fixed agents not respawning in a safe area after changing Global Difficulty in coop
Fixed the molten metal puddles not being visible in Operation Iron horse after a player fast travels out of the raid and back
Fixed the PC chat not being visible or useable when in a downed or dead state
Fixed the Signal Flare emote not removing the flares after the player interrupts the emote
Fixed Conflict XP sometimes not being added to the overall PvP XP in the end of match screen
Fixed the name and health bar being placed too high above the decoy in PvP
Fixed the Hostile Negotiation’s four-piece talent dealing less damage than indicated to other agents
Fixed an issue where being affected by the Full Flag debuff and your skills being destroyed would cause an explosion inflicting damage to nearby players
Fixed the Spotter talent incorrectly doubling damage when used in conjunction with skills
Fixed ISAC not alerting players when encountering hostile NPC’s with shields
Fixed the Double XP levels available not decreasing when gaining a new Season level
Fixed a location in the Operation Iron Horse raid where players could go out of bounds
Fixed an issue in the Operation Iron Horse raid where the sewers objective could be started without all agents gathering up, causing an objective reset
Fixed an issue causing several dyes not being applied to the Striker Gear Set
Fixed the Skill Duration attribute not increasing the duration of the Burn Sticky Bomb
Fixed an issue causing players to be unable to fast travel to the Dark Zones from New York
Fixed Keener’s remaining immune to bullets after his drone self-destructs
Fixed an issue causing the “Premium Access” and “Discover Pass” screens overlapping after switching between them
Fixed the Crossbow signature weapon incorrectly triggering ammo bonuses
Fixed the Liberty exotic to not trigger from ricochets
While the studio has just released Title Update 11 today, the studio is already looking ahead to TU1.1!
We’ll post more details once we know more about any upcoming updates or expansions.
While Xbox (or video game) fans in general might still be reeling with yesterday’s megaton Microsoft announcement that it would be acquiring Bethesda, there are still current games to be bought and played. Microsoft has rolled out the new Xbox Store sale this week September 22 or more commonly known as Deals With Gold and Spotlight sale.
New Xbox Store Sale This Week September 22 – Deals With Gold and Spotlight Sale Titles:
EPOS has released yet another new gaming headset, though this one is a little bit more premium than others. We take a look at EPOS | SENNHEISER GSP 601., the newest color variant in their GSP 600 line and check whether there are improvements to this and whether it’s worth the $200 price tag. Head on below for our EPOS GSP 601 review now!
A Step to Perfection
A couple months back we had the opportunity to review the GSP 300, and before that the GSP 370. While the latter is an exceptional wireless version of its predecessors, the GSP 300 was easily one of my favorite wired headset and at a great price. There was little to really complain about it, so when we were again tasked with diving into another GSP model, the GSP 601, a question that had surfaced was; How does one improve on what we considered to be an already amazing headset? Well quite a lot actually.
For starters, in my GSP 300 review I mentioned how the 3.5mm cable was always attached to the headset. A minor annoyance for some, though that has since been resolved in both the 500 and 600 series.
Then there’s the overall style and design of the GSP 601. While I enjoyed the snug fit offered in the 300 series, the 600 dials it up to a new level. Ear pads are significantly larger, almost double in size and with the casing now featuring two connection joints (one previously) to allow far more flexibility. The difference in ear pad sizes allow a more tighter, yet comfortable fit for wearers, especially for those with large ears. This isn’t the only change done to the padding either and there are now three different kinds of stitches found on the pads. The exterior is padded with the normal leather like material that EPOS have used in past headsets, while the part that actually sits on users is a much softer, matted material that is more resistant to wetness for those who sweat a lot. As for the inside, it uses a much lighter material that most likely allows the sound to travel better within the pads.
Moving up we have the headband, which like many other headset features size adjustments and a soft pad underneath the top portion. One major change up though is that there are now pressure controls located in the gaps of the band on top. These allow you to adjust how much pressure is applied on the ear cups, which is very noticeable in both feeling and how sound gets blocked, delivering the perfect closed acoustic experience.
Compared to previous iterations, when you look at the GSP 601 you know your getting a headset dedicated for gamers. I’m quite fond of it myself, and the two tone colors really make it pop, though if you aren’t one to fancy that, it does come with two side panels that match the color of the whole headset to provide a one color set-up.
Living In The World Of Sound
Honestly, there isn’t a whole lot I can say that I haven’t already said in my past GSP reviews when it comes to sound quality. Everything just sounds great with these headsets as they offer a high level of clarity, creating a deeper immersive experience. However seeing that this is a higher tier headset of the GSP line, it would be ashame if it didn’t boast any improvements in the sound department, and thankfully it does and it’s quite noticeable.
The level of clarify has been amplified, as with the level of bass output. Music, movies, and video games, all offered a superbly cripse sound. Compared to the GSP 300, there just seemed to be a bigger boom to the 601, one that just makes the experience overall far more enjoyable.
Comfortability also helps immensely, and despite sporting a more bulkier design, the EPOS | SENNHEISER GSP 601 are very much comfortable. I mentioned before of all the design changes and while they were steered to offer a more better feeling, in the end it helps the sound surpass its predecessor. The pressure sliders allow you to seal in and block out more sound, as with the different size of ear padding and material used. They may seem like minor changes, but the end result is one keen on offering total immersion.
The microphone itself is very well made as it’s design to only pick up sound from the user while limiting everything else in the background. Compared to the 300 series, there’s further clarity in users voices, which honestly was already pretty damn clear from the 300 series. There doesn’t seem to be much of a difference in the arm itself other than that there is now less resistance when moving it up and down, but the overall movement is still restrictive to most just that. It does feature the same middle rubber piece that lets you slightly move it in other directions, but not as much as some may want.
One of the better features of this headset though is the fact that it’s wired, versus being USB or wireless. While the latter is without a question the more appealing option, the wire set-up is just a great one to have as it allows users to use legacy equipment. In my case, this headset was fully compatible with EPOS | SENNHEISER GSX 300 external sound card. A big plus for a set that doesn’t come packed with it’s own software, as this connection type allows better customization and control of sound.
Heart Beating Like a Drum
Honestly, if your someone looking to up their game and level up their current headset, then the EPOS | SENNHEISER GSP 600 (600, 601, 602) series is truly the way to go. It’s hard to find flaws in something that works so well, and as a higher model it delivers on perfecting on the past flaws before it. They are exactly the kind of headsets engineered to meet gamers needs, offering the full confidence in audio sound that we all strive for. Beautiful, vibrant designs matched with durable comfortability, as with all other EPOS gaming headsets, this is one I highly recommend to any shopper. And even if you aren’t a huge fan of the whole wired connectivity, EPOS does go the extra mile to ensure that there are options, offering this set in a complete wireless variant known as the GSP 670.
PROS
Ear pads are large, with different kinds of material stitched together which make it very comfortable
Closed acoustic is fantastic
Design is flashy, offering a stylish gamer look
Microphone designed to hone in on your voice
CONS
Microphone would pick up own voice that could be heard through the headset a times. Some people like this others don’t
Hardware was provided for review purposes by the publishers. We do not assign numerical value to our hardware review, and if you are interested you can read SP1st and MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here. The EPOS | SENNHEISER GSP 600, 601, and 602 are now available for purchase with MSRP of $219, with the wireless version (GSP 670) costing $319.
A gamer at heart, James has been working for MP1st for the last decade to do exactly what he loves, writing about video games and having fun doing it. Growing up in the 90's gaming has been in his DNA since the days of NES. One day he hopes to develop his own game.
Serious Sam 4 story trailer has launched, giving fans of the new first-person shooter installment something to anticipate as the game prepares to launch this week.
Here’s the summary about the game via press release:
Humanity is under siege as the full force of Mental’s hordes spread across the world, ravaging what remains of a broken and beaten civilization. The last remaining resistance to the invasion is the Earth Defense Force led by Sam ‘Serious’ Stone and his heavily-armed squad of misfit commandos.
Croteam returns with a high-powered prequel to the Serious Sam series that scales up chaos to unprecedented levels. The classic Serious Sam formula is revamped by putting an unstoppable arsenal up against an unimaginable number of enemies that requires players to circle-strafe and backpedal-blast their way out of impossible situations.
Published by Devolver Digital and originally announced as Serious Sam 4: Planet Badass before it was dropped, Serious Sam 4 is a prequel to Serious Sam 3: BFE and was slated for release on 2019 before being delayed and retitled due to problems with localizing the subtitle with other languages. The game is scheduled to be released on September 24 for PC and Google Stadia, with PS4 and Xbox One releases to follow in 2021.
On the eve Xbox Series X/S preorders go live, Microsoft pulled off an absolute stunner.
In a press release, Microsoft announced that it has acquired the entirety of Bethesda (its internal studios, IPs and more) for $7.5 billion. This is the type of power move Microsoft absolutely had to make to silence the unrelenting chatter surrounding Xbox’s lack of exclusive games. Now, Microsoft adds the likes of Doom, Elder Scrolls, Wolfenstein, and Fallout to its arsenal.
What does this mean moving forward? Well, the immediate reaction will surely be a net-positive for Microsoft, as this should help pump up the early numbers on their next-gen consoles. But this move is more about the long-term than short. Not only does this add a slew of critically acclaimed franchises, it also takes them away from Sony’s playbook. Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda is the rare win by addition and subtraction. On top of that, there’s plenty of crossover ideas already beginning to take shape. Always envisioned Master Chief ripping out demon eyes alongside the Doom guy? Maybe thought about B.J. Blazkowicz traversing the sad, empty landscape of Fallout with dragons flying overhead? OK, so maybe not that last one, but it’s possible!
Microsoft desperately needed something like this to jumpstart the next generation of Xbox. Many might look at the deal and gasp at the price tag (fun fact: Microsoft paid $3 billion more for Bethesda than Disney paid for Star Wars), but right now, I don’t think Microsoft higher ups are sweating that much. The acquisition delivers instant positive coverage, excites the current Xbox fanbase, and piques the interest of many non-Xbox players. Before, it was looking as though Microsoft would be content serving the role as “secondary console” or the one with pretty graphics. If we’re to take anything from this acquisition, it’s that Microsoft is done being second fiddle.
With a seemingly more powerful console than Sony and hands down the best deal in games with Xbox Game Pass, it would be foolish not to integrate yourself in the Xbox ecosystem. There’s going to be plenty of questions regarding this move, like what happens to Deathloop and GhostWire: Tokyo? According to reports, the acquisition of Bethesda will close sometime in the first half of next year, which will may not affect Deathloop’s release, currently set for Q2 2021.
Microsoft expects the Bethesda acqusition to close between January and June of 2021 fyi
To answer the question everyone is asking: Phil Spencer tells @dinabass that Xbox plans to honor the PS5 exclusivity commitment for Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo.
Future Bethesda games will be on Xbox, PC, and "other consoles on a case by case basis." https://t.co/Agyttr53LO
However, Microsoft’s swift acquisition of Bethesda definitely flips the script on next-gen and firmly moves the needle in their favor. At the current juncture, I don’t think Microsoft is necessarily trying to outdo Sony in the exclusive department, but rather gain some ground.
As stated in Jason Schreier’s above tweet, Microsoft could have something else up its sleeve. Now owning Bethesda and all its subsequent titles, Microsoft acts as a glorified middle man. If the company chooses to allow Bethesda to continue to offer their games on different platforms *cough* PlayStation 5 *cough* then Microsoft would reap the rewards. Use Minecraft as an example. In 2014, Microsoft purchased Minecraft for $2.5 billion, but the game is still accessible across all major platforms, ensuring that Microsoft profits as much as possible. If Microsoft elects to go down this route, they could still maintain their “play anywhere” mentality and also come out better financially on the other end. And even if they fully embrace this role, Microsoft can also request special timed exclusive content like how Sony users will received Spider-Man in Marvel’s Avengers.
Regardless of what road Microsoft ultimately embarks on, the acquisition of Bethesda opens up a door of possibilities that will surely benefit the Xbox brand greatly. The smart bet is Microsoft finds a middle ground that will continue to see Bethesda develop games for all platforms, while Xbox users receive some form of exclusive content.
Xbox owners need something to feel special, and now, Microsoft has about $7.5 billion worth of love to give.
Editor’s Note: Views expressed here are solely that of the author’s and doesn’t represent the entirety of MP1st and its staff.
To the delight of Call of Duty fans (at least those who owned a PS4), Treyarch launched the Black Ops Cold War alpha as a surprise treat for gamers this weekend as part of Sony’s PS5 showcase event. After spending a few hours with it during the weekend, we’re here to share our Black Ops Cold War alpha impressions!
Note that there is a beta happening this October, wherein certain changes based from the alpha have already been confirmed.
Sliding Into Action
Right off the bat, the first thing players will notice is how faster the game feels in terms of movement. One might daresay that it’s a little too fast given how sliding was super integral in mid to close range gunfights. Treyarch has confirmed that this has been tweaked, which we’ll see how in the beta.
Aiming down sight (ADS) is noticeably faster in Cold War than in Modern Warfare by a wide margin. And this alone makes gameplay way faster and gunfights more “snappier,” which is a good thing if you’re an SMG (submachine gun) user like myself. Another part that makes the game feel faster is the return of the old mini map! Old school COD fans will be delighted to hear that the mini map is back to normal, meaning we’ll see red dots on it when unsuppressed shots are fired, which helps in the game’s overall faster feel.
However, there is a negative to all this (well, it depends on which side you’re on), and that’s quickscoping and snipers. In the alpha, sniping is way too easy, and quickscoping is rampant enough that it can be a problem. That said, Treyarch has confirmed that it is getting nerfed in the beta, given it was buffed in the alpha so the studio can collect feedback.
Back to Basics…Sorta
Some of the big changes Treyarch is bringing to the table in Cold War is how loadouts work. It now feels like a mix of Modern Warfare 2019, and then infused with Treyarch’s own system of mixing and matching perks and other stuff.
The Pick 10 system is gone, though the loadout system is considerably more customizable than the one in Modern Warfare. Gunsmith from Modern Warfare is back, though with considerable changes. Players can now equip five attachments to their guns, and thankfully, almost none of the gun attachments slow down movement speed or ADS speed contrary to Modern Warfare.
As for perks, there are three tiers, and act like they do in your standard Call of Duty game. Wildcards are back as well, though this time, these are mandatory, and give off a wide list of extras. One Wildcard lets you equip six perks instead of six, while another one lets you have two weapons and max starting ammo. Obviously, since this is just an alpha, the amount of perks, guns, weapon attachments, Wildcards and so on are limited, but it does give a good preview of what’s going to be available in the final game.
As a whole though, the loadouts system feels more personalized than in Modern Warfare, and even past Treyarch titles.
Regarding the map design, it’s a mixed bag so far for me. While there’s Moscow that feels like your traditional Treyarch-developed map, the other ones in the beta (particularly Miami) gives off Modern Warfare vibes in spades. In the Miami map, players can hang back and pick people off to their heart’s content, and there are loads of hide-y holes to sneak into for when someone is rushing at you. It makes for some uneven gunfights, as I’ve found that most players just used sniper rifles or assault rifles and hung back to pick people off. It’s one thing to give players the freedom on how they want to play, but it’s an entirely different take if you’re going to penalize movement since you can be seen sprinting a mile away. Some of the maps give off long sightlines without any real cover that it’s suicide to run through them.
Hopefully, the final game will have more map variety, or players will find themselves in a similar situation to Modern Wafare minus the doors.
Sights and Sounds
While the loadout system is way better in Cold War than in Modern Warfare, the same can’t be said about the graphics. Sure, this is an alpha and all, but textures seem washed out, animations and the overall fidelity is definitely a step down from Infinity Ward’s latest title.
That said, I don’t want to harp on Treyarch too much about this given this is an alpha after all. Hopefully, the final game (or even the beta) shows us a much better looking game.
As for the audio work, it’s also a bit of a step down compared to Modern Warfare as well. Guns sound more tinny and less booming, though it’s at par to past Treyarch-developed COD games, so I guess there’s that. Speaking of audio, while footstep sounds make less sound in Cold War than in Modern Warfare, it’s still a notch above your standard COD game. Even when using Ninja, which seems to be the game’s version of the Dead Silence perk, expect enemies to hear you coming unless you’re crouch walking, as I find that even walking drums up a lot of noise that will give away your location. This is one of my main issues in the game that I hope gets fixed, as I find that it limits run ‘n’ gun action a lot given you can’t really run without being heard two rooms away.
We’re Going Streaking!
Possibly the biggest change in Black Ops Cold War that’s noticeable in the alpha are scorestreaks. In this year’s COD, scorestreaks do not reset upon death. Rather, there are now multipliers in play that will let good players earn team-wiping streaks, though at the same time will give average/mediocre players a chance to call their own within the game. While the idea behind it is commendable, this is a system that can easily be abused, with hints of it already being felt during the alpha.
Prepare for UAV spam, Napalm Strikes and more to plague matches, as everyone will somehow earn these during the course of the match and will unleash them one by one. Thankfully, Treyarch has already said they are tweaking this based on data, which hopefully means that we’ll get proper adjustments. On a related note: why on earth doesn’t taking objectives give multipliers? I mean, isn’t the whole purpose of scorestreaks is to incentivize objective play?
Army of One
There’s a lot to like in the Black Ops Cold War alpha, and at the same time, there’s a lot left to be desired as well. Stuff like Combined Arms, which is Treyarch’s replacement for Ground War, feels and plays like a discount Battlefield needs more time in the kitchen given the oddly designed maps, and poor engagement layouts. But at the same time, the gunplay feels tight like it always does in Treyarch-developed titles.
And again, it’s important to note that this is an alpha, and Treyarch themselves have said that they have made changes from this build to the beta. Once the beta rolls around this October, we’ll do another pass-by of the same stuff. As it stands now, Black Ops Cold War’s multiplayer (based on the alpha), feels tight, but also left a lot of questions hanging on whether it’ll bring back the traditional Call of Duty experience of old, or more of Modern Warfare 2019.
Here’s your megaton news for the month: Microsoft has just acquired Bethesda! Yes, the same Bethesda that publishes iconic franchises such as DOOM, The Elder Scrolls, Fallout and more!
In the press release, it mentions that Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax Media, which is the parent company of Bethesda, amounts to $7.5 billion under the terms of the agreement. Here are some of the keypoints:
Creators of critically acclaimed and best-selling gaming franchises including The Elder Scrolls and Fallout among many others, Bethesda brings an impressive portfolio of games, technology, talent, as well as a track record of blockbuster commercial success, to Xbox.
The cultural phenomenon of gaming has made it the largest and fastest-growing form of entertainment in the world—an industry that is expected to be more than $200 billion in annual revenue in 2021.
Games are the primary growth engine in gaming and games are fueling new cloud-gaming services like Xbox Game Pass, which has reached a new milestone of over 15 million subscribers.
With the addition of Bethesda, Microsoft will grow from 15 to 23 creative studio teams and will be adding Bethesda’s iconic franchises to Xbox Game Pass. This includes Microsoft’s intent to bring Bethesda’s future games into Xbox Game Pass the same day they launch on Xbox or PC.
With unique investments in content, community, and the cloud, Microsoft’s gaming strategy differs from others by empowering people to play the games they want, with the people they want, anywhere they want.
Bethesda has over 2,300 people working within the company worldwide and this acquisition means the following studios now fall under Microsoft’s first-party portfolio: Bethesda Softworks, Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse Studios.
No mention of how this will faffect Bethesda’s games on Sony, Nintendo platforms, but we’ll keep an eye out.
Update: Bethesda boss Todd Howard has issued a statement and has seemingly confirmed that Bethesda games will continue to be multi-platform! Per Howard’s statement:
Microsoft and their new Xbox crew had a view, that I came to share completely. Shouldn’t we allow anyone to have this experience? Why does it matter where the screen is or what the controller is? There are many people without the same access, and we can bring it to them.
Ever wanted to try Anthem? If so, you might want to jump in now, as you can get the game brand new for less than a cost of a fast food meal!
Retailer GameStop is selling the game for just $2 as part of the store’s Cyber Weekend in September! This is marked down by 90 percent from its original price of $18!
This might be a good time to get the game, as there is a reboot incoming from BioWare, though we don’t know when exactly this will happen. We are slated to get an update from the studio about the project this month, though so that’s something to look foward to.
For those still playing Anthem, how’s the game these days? Is it hard to get into matches and more importantly, do you think it’s worth getting the game for $2?
