Insomniac Games has remained silent on Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 PC version, last mentioning it 10 days ago. With the title releasing tomorrow, there have not been any official PC requirements and specifications, nor has there been a PC-featured trailer. What in the world is going on?
Discussing the greatest superheroes of all time might be a difficult conversation to have, but one consensus nominee should be Spider-Man.
PC Players Still Don’t Know What They’re Getting With Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 PC Version
After over a year of being exclusive to the PS5, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is finally launching on PC tomorrow. While there’s much to be excited about, the PC release of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has been rather odd. Normally, whenever a game is about to launch, studios and its publishers will market the title in whatever way is possible. Yet, with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, things have been pretty quiet for its PC release.
What makes things even stranger is that months after its announcement, we still don’t know what exact new features are included in this PC port. Typically, PlayStation would release a PC-specific trailer showcasing some of the improvements and features, but they’ve yet to do that in this case. On top of that, and being unable to pre-order, we still don’t know the exact system requirements for the game. A day before release, players don’t know if their PCs can handle the game or not.
Earlier this week, Insomniac Games announced that its founder, Ted Price, will retire after over 30 years of running the company.
It’s not a great sign, which is surprising considering Nixxes Software, the developers porting the game to PC, has a track record of delivering some of the best PlayStation PC ports. They did wonders for both God of War games and worked on the original Marvel’s Spider-Man PC Remastered. I suppose if we look at those titles, at least in terms of features, we can probably expect support for widescreen, DLSS, 120 FPS, and more.
Still, it does worry us that the PC port of the game will have much more demanding requirements than the first game. That, or the game isn’t fully optimized yet, which may indicate a rough launch for tomorrow. We’ll find out soon enough unless we get lucky and the specs drop later today.
While Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth just launched on PC, it seems to have already established a new record and is already faring better than its predecessor, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade.
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.
Exporession Games has released a new patch for Hell Let Loose on all platforms this January 29, and this is a minor update that resolvs a few nagging technical issues. Console players will see this as Hell Let Loose update 1.041, and given the last patch released in November added a slew of new stuff, don’t expect anything major from this.
The European Union is considering a ban on the sale of video game controllers and consoles to Russia amid concerns that they are being used for military purposes.
Hell Let Loose’s VOIP Disconnecting Fixed in Latest Game Update
According to the devs, here’s what got fixed in today’s patch:
[VOIP] Disconnecting and Reconnecting the headset will cause the Voice Channels to lose the functionality
[EGS] The Invite Menus from the pause menu are incorrectly placed
[EGS] The game has the EAC icon as the Desktop Icon
Sadly, some other issues like invisible walls and barriers that have been irking players for quite some time now remain unresolved. The good news is, the devs also mentioned that a new roadmap will be revealed soon. Once we know more about that, we’ll let our readers know.
Hell Let Loose is a tactical multiplayer first-person shooter, where players fight in iconic battles of teh Western, North African and Eastern Fronts of World War 2. It was released on July 27, 2021 as a premium title, and has been getting steady support throughout the years.
Xbox Series S continues to spark debates among gamers and developers, with some developers often pointing out the limits of the entry-level hardware from Microsoft.
Wrestling fans patiently awaiting the next iteration of WWE 2K wait no longer, as WWE 2K25 has officially been announced! Set to arrive this March, WWE 2K25 is bringing a whole bunch of new content and features, along with a showcase centered around perhaps one of the sport’s biggest stars, Roman Reigns.
So get ready because it’s time to acknowledge your tribal chief.
Released in March 14, 2023 on the PS4, Xbox One, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, Visual Concepts' WWE 2K23 is already set to offline in about three months' time, which means the game's online component would have been available in less than two two years.
WWE 2K25 Different Editions Detailed
Below is the announcement trailer, which is all about The OTC. Not only that, but a new mode dubbed “The Island” is also teased, which is said to be an open-world mode built for this year’s release. You can probably take a guess what The Island is going to be themed around, considering where Roman Reigns and the rest of the Samoan warriors are from.
Alright, so what if you aren’t a fan of The OTC? How about you shut your yapper, find the nearest trash bin, and throw yourself away? Don’t ever disrespect The OTC!
But seriously, if you aren’t a fan of him, 2K Games and Visual Concepts have something else you might be interested in, as they’ve detailed the different editions for WWE 2K25, with one featuring The Phenom himself. Oh, that’s right, I’m talking about The Undertaker!
WWE 2K25 Standard Edition Content
Format: Physical and Digital
Cost: $69.99 PC: $59.99
WWE 2K25 Standard Edition includes the following items:
Base Game
Pre-Order Bonus*:
Wyatt Sicks Pack includes:
MyFACTION Persona Cards for:
Uncle Howdy
Dexter Lumis
Nikki Cross
Joe Gacy
Erick Rowan
The Island Cosmetics (PS5® and Xbox Series X|S only):
Uncle Howdy Mask
Nikki Cross Mask
WWE 2K24 Standard Edition (Digital)**
WWE 2K25 Deadman Edition Content
Format: Digital Only
Cost: $99.99
In addition to launching 7 days earlier than the Standard Edition, WWE 2K25 Deadman Edition includes the following items:
Base Game
Pre-Order Bonus:
Wyatt Sicks Pack includes:
MyFACTION Persona Cards for:
Uncle Howdy
Dexter Lumis
Nikki Cross
Joe Gacy
Erick Rowan
The Island Cosmetics (PS5® and Xbox Series X|S only):
The Island Cosmetic (PS5® and Xbox Series X|S only):
Undertaker ‘95 Mask
Wyatt Sicks Pack
MyFACTION Persona Cards:
Uncle Howdy
Dexter Lumis
Nikki Cross
Joe Gacy
Erick Rowan
The Island Cosmetics (PS5® and Xbox Series X|S only):
Uncle Howdy Mask
Nikki Cross Mask
15,000 VC
All editions of WWE 2K25 are available for pre-order on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam). WWE 2K25 will officially be available to play on March 7 for Deadman and Bloodline Editions, with the standard edition launching March 14.
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.
Even if it’s an old game, Ubisoft is still pushing out patches for The Crew 2. Today, players on all platforms will be able to download The Crew 2 update 1.35, and this fixes crashes, and decouples The Crew 2 Hub.
Don’t expect any new content for this, as this is a minor patch that was release during server maintenance this January 29.
Fixing various issues and decoupling The Crew 2 Hub.
Fixed “Continue” button crashes
Decoupled the The Crew 2 Hub.
Reactivated toggle recommendations for all players
Summit fixes:
Rabbid Summit error code 3_c7c8dd3a_340 resolved Corrected vehicle restrictions in “A World of Cars”
The Crew 2 Hub Decoupling:
Decoupled due to crashes
In-game gallery photos will be unavailable on PlayStation but will still be available on the native console gallery.
Photo Quest thumbnails won’t transfer between consoles
Web sharing disabled
Given Ubisoft has essentially moved on from The Crew 2 to the latest game, The Crew Motorfest, don’t expect a lot of patches for the racing game. That said, if we do get one, we’ll let our readers know.
Xbox Series S continues to spark debates among gamers and developers, with some developers often pointing out the limits of the entry-level hardware from Microsoft.
The European Union is considering a ban on the sale of video game controllers and consoles to Russia amid concerns that they are being used for military purposes.
According to reports from the Financial Times, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stated that officials are reviewing various products that could be assisting Russia in its war efforts and plan to include them in the sanctions list. Among the items under scrutiny are gaming consoles and controllers, as evidence suggests they are being repurposed to operate drones.
California is taking bold steps with a new law that changes how digital purchases are sold.
EU Considers Blocking Sale of Gaming Controllers to Russia
The proposed ban would cover not only controllers but also flight simulator joysticks and other input devices capable of drone operation. While this plan is meant to limit Russia’s access to this technology, experts say it might not make a big difference because many people in Russia already use Chinese-made controllers that can be easily bought online.
This comes after Russia’s unsuccessful attempt to create its own gaming system. In March 2024, Russian officials announced plans to compete with Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S by making a local gaming console and cloud gaming service. However, according to TechSpot, the Russian government has admitted that its homegrown console will not be on the same level as current-generation systems like the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S.
At the moment, the ban is still a proposal and must be approved by all EU countries before it can take effect. In the coming months, it remains to be seen whether the European Union will formally enforce the ban or if it will undergo further revisions.
CD Project Red has apologized to the Russians for several lines of dialogue and graffiti found in the Ukrainian localization of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty.
KT Racing has pushed out a new patch for Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown this January 29 on all platforms, and this is to implement a new anti-cheat system alongside various bug fixes.
Players on consoles will see this as Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown update 1.007, and given the new anti-cheat, the leaderboads have been reset! Read on for the full details on what’s in the patch outlined below.
The latest content drop for KT Racing's Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown is here, and it ushers in Season 2! Players can expect a new map, new vehicles, gameplay adjustments, and more details in the complete Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown update 1.
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown’s Latest Update Adds a New Anti-Cheat System as Part of Patch 1.007
Leaderboards reset
KT Rcing states, “We believe it’s important to reset the race leaderboards as soon as possible to ensure fairer competition and provide a clearer comparison among the best Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown players. Many race times set during Season 1 have become unbeatable for two main reasons:”
Several Hong Kong Island race restrictions were reworked at Season 2 launch
Some car performances and upgrades were adjusted in Season 2 to improve overall car balance
The studio adds, “there are also impossible times set by cheaters on both Hong Kong Island and Ibiza races. The introduction of the new anti-cheat system is the perfect opportunity to reset the leaderboards and give everyone a fresh start.”
Moving forward, players can expect the leaderboards ot be reset periodically, as car balancing and race restrictions may evolve in future seasons. KT Racing says implementing periodic resets will ensure “fair competition in the race leaderboards.”
A new anti-cheat system
For the new way to combat cheaters, KT Racing outlines, “Some cheaters have significantly impacted race leaderboards, negatively affecting other players’ experiences, particularly on PC. With the upcoming update, we are introducing the SARD Anti-Cheat system for PC players: a well-known solution that has proven its effectiveness in many games. Over the past few months, we worked closely with the SARD team to adapt their technology to Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown and deliver a fairer gameplay experience.”
The dev team is now focused on Season 3, which will introduce new features and significant quality-of-life improvements that the community has been looking forward to. More news about these improvements will be shared by the studio leading up to the patch’s release in March.
Just days after the news about the cancellation of the God of War live-service project by Bluepoint, a new rumor has surfaced about the future of the popula Santa Monica series, bringing excitement to fans.
Team Ninja has begun rolling out Ninja Gaiden 2 Black update 1.002 across all platforms. This update appears to add some new options to the Game Pass Windows version of the game, though what it does for other platforms is yet to be confirmed.
Here’s everything we know included in today’s Ninja Gaiden 2 Black update.
Fixed an issue where the options for DLSS and XeSS would not appear when selecting super resolution type on the Microsoft Store version of the game.
Fixed an issue that in rare cases made it impossible to progress after defeating certain bosses.
Original Story:
Since the update is being pushed to every platform (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC), we don’t know much about it beyond what we’ve spotted, as Team Ninja has not published any official patch notes. However, we do know that the PC Game Pass Windows version of the game now supports DLSS and XeSS upscalers, along with Nvidia Reflex, all of which were missing in the original release of this version.
Considering the download sizes on the other platforms, we expect this update is likely related to bug fixes. As for which bugs, well, that’s anyone’s guess, though based on some of our testing and feedback from the community, we know the following issues have not been fixed or improved:
Controller vibration bug where it does not vibrate when ray-tracing is enabled on PC.
120 FPS stutters – Still present, doesn’t appear to have been improved.
No noticeable image quality improvements were made to the 120 FPS mode on consoles.
Input lag – More testing is needed with it; it may be improved, though we aren’t noticing a massive difference on the Steam version of the game.
There’s still no option to turn HDR off without manually going into the console settings.
HDR coloring still appears broken.
That’s all we know so far. We’ll update the information above if Team Ninja releases any official patch notes. Otherwise, we’ll continue to monitor for any other changes added or bugs fixed.
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.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 update 3.001 has been released! This is the first update that Dragon’s Dogma 2 has received this year, and it’s focused on fixing a few recently reported bugs.
With game development and marketing budgets ballooning to astronomical proportions that just seem fiscally unsound, one company that doesn't seem to have this problem is Capcom.
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.
Last year in June, Ubisoft revealed the Year 6 roadmap for The Division 2, which confirmed new story DLC is planned to be released sometime this year. This would have made the wait for The Division 3 a whole lot easier. Well, unfortunately, that’s not happening anytime soon.
Ubisoft has just delayed The Division 2 story DLC, and what’s worse, there’s no timetable on when we’ll see it.
In an effort to regain player trust following several financial setbacks and the delay of Assassin's Creed: Shadows to 2025, Ubisoft is looking for ways to reconnect with its fanbase.
The Division 2’s Story DLC Postponed and There’s No Timetable for It
New announcement came from the official The Division 2 Twitter/X account where the studio said, “Our team is dedicated to continuing to build the future of The Division 2. We have exciting updates in store including the new season we can’t wait for you to play starting on February 25th. We know you are eagerly awaiting the release of the upcoming DLC. To ensure we deliver the best possible experience, we’ve decided to take a little extra time to refine it, therefore the DLC will not ship during Year 6.”
The wording of “will not ship during Year 6” is kind of vague. Does this mean we can’t expect it at all this year? Or will we see it sometime this year? It’s hard to say, but given it’s been delayed indefinitely, don’t expect it anytime soon.
There is one glimmer of light though, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is said to be getting a remake, and based on the early info we reported on, it’ll be more than a visual upgrade.
As for The Division 2, expect more seasonal content to be released, though given the past few seasons, we’re not expecting much outside of recycle missions and a new cosmetic or two.
Back in September 2023, a Bethesda release schedule was leaked, mentioning Dishonored 3, a new DOOM game, and even a remake/remaster of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
Two weeks ago, Maxis released the first patch for The Sims 4 that refreshed the main menu and added in performance improvements and more. While it’s a pretty significant patch, there were a few issues that surfaced because of it. Thankfully, a new patch is out today on consoles and PC, which gamers will see as The Sims 4 update 2.06.
Given that this is a follow-up patch, don’t expect any new content from this outside of fixes.
Just days after the news about the cancellation of the God of War live-service project by Bluepoint, a new rumor has surfaced about the future of the popula Santa Monica series, bringing excitement to fans.
The Sims 4’s Latest Update Released This January 28 Delivers Host of Fixes
PC: 1.112.519.1020 / Mac: 1.112.519.1220
Console: 2.06
Bug Fixes & Updates
Base Game:
[EA Forums] Addressed multiple cases where festival objects from different events (Romance, Flea Market, Spice, and Humor and Hijinks) overlapped on lots in San Myshuno. Additionally, rogue objects such as coffee cups, plates, flowers, cupcakes, crates, and boxes will no longer appear randomly floating or scattered around the city.
Fixed an issue where the full-body outfit (ymBody_SP60RobeBoxers) was wearable for female Sims.
[AHQ] Casanova Cave Top (ymTop_SP60Vest) now tucks in properly.
We missed these in the last patch notes!
Hovertips will show up a bit quicker when moving your mouse around the HUD.
Lessons Improvements: fixed side bar indentation and linking issues.
You can now update traits and aspirations after finishing Create a Sim Stories.
A couple of travel improvements! You can click on your Sim to travel, and the interaction has been moved up in your phone.
Grim has a new ghastly look! His tattered robe has additional detail, exposing his skeletal ribcage, and he has skeleton fingers to match.
Base Game & Affecting Multiple Packs:
[EA Forums] Clutter items that were not showing up under the clutter tag in Build Mode have been fixed. Let there be clutter!
That’s about it for this update.If we get another patch from Maxis, expect it up here on MP1st.
Xbox Series S continues to spark debates among gamers and developers, with some developers often pointing out the limits of the entry-level hardware from Microsoft.
Developer id Software has released DOOM + DOOM 2 update 1.04 (PS5/XSX version 1.000.004) this January 28, and this is to implement various changes to mods on all platforms.
Those on PC, this might not be something you’re going to like, as this mod stealthily also removes a few things as well.
As it was already obvious that more information about DOOM: The Dark Ages would be shared during the Xbox Direct, it finally happened, and now we finally have the release date of the title and much more.
DOOM + DOOM 2’s Latest Update Adds in Mod Improvements
Improvements
All Platforms
Multiplayer Mods
Hosts need to activate the mod before entering the multiplayer menu
Players will need to subscribe to the same mod before joining a match
We recommend using room codes to join modified matches
Mods must be authored with Vanilla DOOM, DeHackEd, MBF21 or BOOM to be compatible
General
Resolved an issue in which some red doors did not display as red on the automap
Fixed multiple crashes reported by the community when loading game saves
Improved text line wrapping legibility for mod descriptions in Asian languages
Removed map prefix from intermission screen to be consistent with original game behavior
Multiplayer
Items can now be picked up by all players in co-op mission play
Added spectator mode when players are dead and waiting to respawn in co-op mission play (it can also be initiated manually from the scoreboard button)
Fixed an issue in which disabling the crosshair would also turn off player name and co-op respawn text display
There are now more than 4 player colors available in game and on scoreboards
Resolved an issue in which players would lose weapons when respawning in co-op using modern rules
Fixed an issue in which the cross-platform friends menu could not be properly backed out of when no friends were available
Further optimized multiplayer networking code
Addressed crosshair centering issue in certain splitscreen configurations
Intermission animations now run at the correct speed in splitscreen mode
Mods
The mod downloader can now process more than the first 100 subscribed mods
Nintendo Switch
Mods
Mod subscriptions will now work between multiple user profiles
For Mod Creators on PC
Mod screenshots with spaces and other non-alphanumeric characters in their file names will now upload correctly in most cases
Mod Compatibility Updates
MBF21 instant kill sectors were incorrectly killing non-enemy actors
MBF21 instant kill sectors will fire immediately when a monster enters them, instead of waiting
BOOM and MBF21 effects that kill monsters will deal 1 million damage instead of 10000 damage in order to fix mods that used monsters with high HP values to create an invulnerable enemy
BOOM generic floor actions were not selecting the right neighbor when finding which sector ceiling or floor height they needed to move to
Players can hurt and shoot projectiles at their own voodoo dolls (aka player model / clone), to be consistent with the original game
ENTERPIC in UMAPINFO is correctly shown for the map you are entering instead of the map you just left
DeHackEd strings for BOOM keys can now be replaced through DEH patches
BOOM line action 242 (Deep water) will now transfer ceiling and floor lighting
Now avoids crashing for invalid sized demos when playing the demoloop
Maps using DMAPINFO will print the map name on automap, level select, and savegames
Changing DeHackEd ammo type will now actually change the ammo type
Fixed Berzerk Factor not calculating correctly in the A_WeaponMeleeAttack MBF21 codepointer
Fixed BTSX Episode 1 and Episode 2 demo playback not rendering fullscreen
Mods that override DOOM (1993) Episodes 1-3 will use the correct intermission screen
MBF21 A_Lower codepoint now checks for an invalid weapon before changing weapons if out of ammo
A new report claims that several Xbox titles might be coming to the Nintendo Switch 2.
DOOM + DOOM 2’s Update for January 28 Removes DOS Functionality
While most patches are greeted with warm hugs by the player base, the same can’t be said for today’s latest update for the classic shooter. Over on the game’s Steam discussion board, multiple players have confirmed this patch removed DOS and original IWADs from the game’s files.
While players can find the WADs in the re-release folder, and the DOSBox can be installed manually, it’s an added inconvenience that shouldn’t have happened in the first place. It looks like this was an accident, as someone from the dev team posted on the members-only Doomworld forums and said, “Looking into it, should be fixed shortly. Sorry about that!”
Chances are, PC players should get another update soon, or perhaps this is something id Software can insert via server-side. Once we know more, we’ll either update the article or if it warrants a separate one, we’ll post it on the site.
Microsoft recently held its Xbox Developer Direct event, revealing exciting games like DOOM: The Dark Ages and Ninja Gaiden 4, set to release this year.
Activision has released Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone update 1.68 on consoles and PC, and this is to bring the Season 2 content drop! Players can expect new maps, modes, weapons and a ton more to be available today, with some released through the mid-season update.
Given the scope of the patch, expect this to be one big changelog. We’ve outlined the new content first, and then dived into the changes in the second part for Black Ops 6.
Xbox Series S continues to spark debates among gamers and developers, with some developers often pointing out the limits of the entry-level hardware from Microsoft.
Black Ops 6 and Warzone’s Season 2 Patch Notes for Update 1.68 Now Available
New Multiplayer Maps
Bounty (6v6)
Deploy at sunrise to the top of an Avalon skyscraper, surging into the penthouse suite of a local crime boss. The Rogue team are here to celebrate their previous victories, but the party is short-lived, as friends turn into enemies, and chaos reigns.
Dealership (6v6)
For Avalon’s wealthy clientele, nothing compares to the luxury vehicles on display at the Pallasar car dealership. However, this dealership is a front, and in reality serves as a lucrative black market for the criminal underworld where vehicles are traded for guns, ammunition, and other unsavory valuables.
Lifeline (6v6, 2v2)
Expect high stakes on the high seas as Rogue team focus on escaping by boat, and battle onto the aptly named Lifeline, a small, high-end yacht still ablaze after a successful boarding by Sev and her allies.
New Multiplayer Modes
Season Launch
Overdrive
Kick into Overdrive in this charged-up twist on Team Deathmatch. Teams compete to be the first to reach the maximum number of stars. For more details on this new mode, check out the Multiplayer Modes section of the patch notes.
Gun Game (Week 2)
The fan-favorite Gun Game returns! Compete in a free-for-all mode where all Operators begin the match with the same starting weapon and cycle through the same set of 20 weapons, varying from match to match. Eliminate enemies to advance to the next weapon, testing your skills across a variety of weapon types.
In-Season
Valentine’s Day Limited Time Modes
Third Wheel Gunfight
Not everyone’s hungry for love. Some people just want to do things their own way. In Third Wheel Gunfight, you can now bring along that untethered friend and duke it out 3v3.
Couples Dance Off
This one’s strictly for duos. Compete in a moshpit of 2v2 Face Off modes including Face Off Team Deathmatch, Face Off Domination, and Face Off Kill Confirmed.
New Weapons (Multiplayer & Zombies)
PPSh-41 – SMG (Battle Pass)
Full-auto submachine gun. Fast fire rate with impressive damage and high recoil. Moderate handling.
Cypher 091 – Assault Rifle (Battle Pass)
Full-auto assault rifle. Slower rate of fire balanced by great handling and excellent mobility.
Feng 82 – LMG (Battle Pass)
Full-auto light machine gun. Very slow rate of fire with great damage and handling.
TR2 – Marksman Rifle (Event Reward)
Semi-auto marksman rifle. Great rate of fire and respectable handling.
New Attachments (Multiplayer & Zombies)
Crossbow Attachment (Battle Pass)
Add some flare to your Primary Weapon with the Crossbow Underbarrel Attachment. The three explosive tipped bolts detonate shortly after impact for an explosive finish, even if you hit just wide of the mark.
AEK-973 Full Auto Mod (Event Reward)
Convert the AEK-973 into a fully automatic weapon chambered in 5.45x39mm. The change gives the Marksman Rifle a steady upward kick; press slightly downward through sustained fire to stay on target.
Tanto .22 SMG Binary Trigger (Event Reward)
Alter the weapon’s typical full-auto firing mode to a specialized semi-auto function that fires a bullet when the trigger is pulled and when it’s released for rapid fire capabilities. Blocks Barrel and Underbarrel attachments.
New Multiplayer Perks
Season Launch Window
Slipstream – Enforcer (Event Reward)
Raises your base sprint speed at the cost of removing Tac Sprint.
New Scorestreak (Multiplayer & Zombies)
War Machine (Event Reward)
Available In-Season, equip this powerful burst-fire grenade launcher with grenades that explode on impact.
The War Machine can also be accessed in Zombies at the Crafting Table under Support.
Microsoft recently held its Xbox Developer Direct event, revealing exciting games like DOOM: The Dark Ages and Ninja Gaiden 4, set to release this year.
New Zombies Map: The Tomb
Following the events at Citadelle des Morts, Weaver, Maya, Carver, and Grey must take the amulet secured at the Citadel to a cursed dig site and the ancient catacombs within. Professor Krafft indicated that the elusive Sentinel Artifact may be found in the tunnels below. Reports of paranormal phenomena go back centuries, possibly related to the presence of the artifact. If the team can secure it, there may yet be hope in releasing Samantha Maxis from her imprisonment in the Dark Aether.
New Events
The Terminator (MP, ZM, WZ: February 6 to 20)
Collect skulls to unlock rewards. Skulls are earned via eliminations in Multiplayer and Zombies, and by eliminating players and opening caches in Call of Duty: Warzone. Earn bonus skulls for eliminating enemies with explosive or fire damage.
Shadow Hunt (MP, ZM, WZ: February 13 to 20)
To join Nocturne, you must first complete the challenges he has laid out before you. Don’t fail him.
New Operators (Multiplayer & Zombies)
Vortex (BlackCell, Crimson One, Launch)
There’s no escaping this master assassin, known only under the alias Vortex. All biographical information for this Operator has been redacted.
Nocturne (Battle Pass, Crimson One, Launch)
A bounty’s been activated on the Rogue Black Ops team, and Nocturne is here to collect. Other than his incredible lethality on display, all biographical information for this Operator has been redacted.
The Terminator (Bundle, Crimson One, In-Season)
The ultimate killing machine arrives as The Terminator deploys from the future to decimate its enemies across Season 02. This brand-new Operator comes with two Ultra Skins inspired by the original movie. Take control of the cyborg assassin who first crashed onto the silver screen in 1984, releasing as a Store Bundle shortly after Launch.
GLOBAL
PROGRESSION & PRESTIGE
Addressed an issue that was causing the “Congratulations, you’ve Mastered Prestige” screen to appear after every match for some Prestige Master players.
Addressed an issue that would occasionally occur after Quick-Resuming Black Ops 6 that would incorrectly display all other players as Level 1 with default customization.
Players who’ve reached Max Level will now see a reminder that they have a Prestige available after each match.
Players who’ve reached Max Level will now see a “Prestige Available” treatment on the Prestige Tile in the Barracks Progression menu.
Prestige Master Ribbons will now display in the player details when inspecting a player from the Lobby.
Players can now tab between individual Prestiges (L1/R1 on PlayStation, LB/RB on Xbox) when viewing an individual Prestige’s rewards via the Prestige screen.
The player’s current Prestige Master Ribbon and Icon milestone will now be highlighted by default whenever they enter the Prestige Master screen.
CHALLENGES
Challenge Tracker & Near Completion
We know our Challenge chasers have been asking for the ability to track Challenges, and we’ve been hard at work to add that functionality with Season 02. The Challenge Tracker makes it easy for players to manually track up to 10 Camo and 10 Calling Card Challenges they’re actively working toward, but there’s another element of this system that we think players will find useful on the journey to Dark Matter, Nebula, and 100 Percenter: Near Completion.
Players who don’t manually fill their Tracked Challenge lists will see Challenges auto-populate that they are close to completing, making it easy to discover Challenges you might not be aware of yet or give you a goal to go after in your next match.
Your top Tracked or Near Complete Camo and Calling Card Challenge can be seen in the Lobby by cycling the Daily Challenge widget (via Right Thumbstick on console, or the “R” key on PC). From this view, players can enter each Challenge type’s Tracked & Near Complete list to see the full list of Tracked & Near Complete Challenges.
We’re hopeful the Challenge Tracker & Near Complete system will help shortcut players to their Challenges and make it easier to keep tabs on the Challenges you’re pursuing, both in-and-out of game.
Manually track up to 10 Camo and 10 Calling Card Challenges.
Untracked Slots (out of the 10) will automatically display Camo and Calling Card Challenges closest to completion.
The Top Tracked (or Near Complete) Camo and Calling Card Challenge can be seen in the Lobby by cycling the Daily Challenge display panel The Top Tracked (or Near Complete) Camo and Calling Card Challenge can also be seen in-game by bringing up the Options Menu and cycling the Daily Challenge display panel.
When tracking a Camo, the Weapon’s next Camo Challenge is automatically tracked and displayed. You do not need to re-track each individual Camo Challenge as you progress through Camos for a single Weapon.
Access the “Tracked & Near Complete” list for Camos and Calling Cards from the Lobby panel
The Calling Card Challenges “Tracked & Near Complete” list can also be accessed via the Calling Card Challenge menu.
Addressed an issue where XP would not be rewarded Armory Challenges before opening the Armory for the first time.
This feature is planned to arrive in Warzone at a later date.
Camos & Camo Challenges
Players can now equip any unlocked Special Camos to a Weapon as soon as they’ve unlocked any 5 Military Camos for that weapon. Previously, players needed to unlock all 9 Military Camos for at least 1 mode to equip Special Camos.
Challenge progress bars now appear below Special Camo and Mastery Camo swatches on the Camo tab in the Gunsmith.
The currently equipped Camo will now be highlighted by default when entering the Camo tab in the Gunsmith (if applicable).
SOCIAL & CHANNELS
Added a “Favorites Only” Filter to the Friends List that can be used to display only Favorite Friends.
Player mic indicators will now appear when viewing the Party Channel or Game Channel.
“Sort by Progression” and “Sort by Rank” will now display the applicable Level or Rank icons in the Friends List, regardless of which mode the player is viewing the Social menu from.
Dark Ops Calling Cards that you haven’t unlocked yet yourself will no longer appear as “Classified” when viewed in another player’s Calling Card Showcase.
Earlier this week, Insomniac Games announced that its founder, Ted Price, will retire after over 30 years of running the company.
Multiplayer Changes Made in Season 2
WEAPONS
Addressed an issue where Akimbo Attachments did not properly display Pros and Cons.
Addressed an animation pop when using certain muzzle attachments with the GS45 Pistol.
All Weapons
We have a few global changes landing with the start of Season 02 that will affect all weapons. The first is an improvement to the weapon motion reduction on the Dexterity Perk, which will make weapons feel even more stable while jumping, sliding, and diving. The second is a response to feedback that the weapon animations on respawn can get in the way of combat. These animations are now immediately interruptible when firing, aiming down sights, sprinting, or performing other gameplay actions.
Lastly, we are tuning down bullet penetration significantly, as we have continued to see cases where bullets are passing through too much cover. Our first step in addressing this is to decrease the maximum depth that bullets can pass through for all materials. We have longer-term plans to make bullet penetration more intuitive and consistent, and will be introducing further improvements in future updates.
Weapon motion reduction from the Dexterity perk improved from 60% to 70%.
Weapon raise animations that play on respawn are now fully interruptible.
Reduced bullet penetration on all surface types.
Magazine Attachment Changes
Another large-scale change we are making is speeding up Fast Mag reload times. Our goal is for every magazine attachment to have a role across the many playstyles in Call of Duty, but we recognize that it can feel hard to trade away the larger mag sizes. We want to avoid adding more penalties to Extended Mags, so we are instead focusing on improvements to Fast Mags to make the selection more enticing. We’re starting with reload time adjustments, but we’ll continue to assess magazines to make sure players have more interesting choices and build potential with this node.
Fast Mag I, Fast Mag II, Fast Mag III, and Flip Mag reload times improved by 10% on all weapon classes but pistols.
Fast Mag I and Fast Mag II reload times improved by 5% on Pistols.
All LMG magazines with 50 rounds or less have had reload times improved by 5%.
AS VAL default magazine reload time improved by 10%.
Addressed an issue with Swat 5.56 Fast Mag I, it will now improve reload times as intended.
The following magazine attachments have had their ammo add times updated to match the intended timings. The overall reload times and interrupt times remain the same.
C9 Extended Mag I: from 1.933s to 2.267s.
Model L Extended Mag II: from 2.133s to 2.433s.
GPMG-7 Extended Mag II: from 5.2s to 5.6s.
GPMG-7 Extended Mag III: from 5.7s to 6.07s.
GPMG-7 Extended Mag IV: from 6.13s to 6.47s.
SVD Extended Mag 2: from 2.63s to 3s.
Melee
Removed screen flash from taking frontal bullet damage while holding a melee.
Assault Rifles
Goblin Mk2
The Goblin Mk2 may be the most divisive weapon out there in the community. Some players absolutely love it, and a lot of players… strongly prefer other weapons. We’re making a number of small improvements to help overall usability and consistency without affecting the weapon’s identity. In particular, the maximum damage range increase will help with mid-range engagements, and we’re giving it a bit more inflicted flinch than the average Assault Rifle to reward players who land that first hit.
SMGs
Kompakt 92
Our design intent for the 3-Round Burst Mod on the Kompakt 92 is to give the weapon an alternate playstyle that trades some raw upfront power for more consistent mid-range performance. The upside wasn’t as strong as we wanted it to be, so we’ve adjusted the range slightly and made some significant recoil reductions.
3-Round Burst Mod:
Shotguns
With this update, we are improving ranges and Sprint to Fire speeds on all Shotguns. We know that some of these adjustments may look inconsequential, but Shotgun balance in particular tends to live on a knife’s edge. We want Shotguns to play a greater role outside of our very smallest maps, and we’ll keep adjusting until we’re happy with their usage.
The Maelstrom has received some more pronounced changes, as it was lagging behind the Marine SP and ASG-89. It is now capable of a one-shot kill at very close proximity, and all its other ranges have received a larger boost than the other Shotguns. We’ve also given it a small Fire Rate improvement to help its firepower without further changes to pellet damage.
LMGs
PU-21
The PU-21 is intended to be a more lightweight LMG with build opportunities skewing towards Assault Rifle handling and mobility. We are reducing the pre-fire delay by a little more than half to help fit the more aggressive playstyle, and are reducing deviation in its recoil to help with consistency in gunfights.
Marksman Rifles
DM-10
The Gain-Twist Barrel improvement to Bullet Velocity was unintentionally low on the DM-10. There will now be an advantage to using it over the Reinforced Barrel.
Sniper Rifles
We saw a lot of positivity surrounding the AMR Mod 4 when it launched in Season 01, in no small part due to the consistency it has with its hit location multipliers. With Season 02 we are increasing the one-shot hit locations on the launch snipers, with the goal of giving all of them a similar feeling of consistency and opening the doors to more weapon variety.
We are also making some small reductions to the Aim Down Sight speed bonuses on Quickdraw Grips. There were a couple considerations that went into this change. The first was the general power level of snipers, as the body multiplier changes are a big buff. Another consideration was our Fast Mag buffs, which we hope will enable players to comfortably take builds that stack multiple sources of ADS speed improvements.
Pistols
Stryder .22
The Stryder .22 launched with a smaller Bullet Penetration profile than the other pistols. The distinction is hard to read as a player and offers little to weapon identity, so we’re bringing it up to parity with the rest of the class.
Special Weapons
Sirin 9mm
We’ve addressed an issue causing unintended Sprint to Fire modifications with the magazine attachments on the Sirin 9mm. We have updated the attributes on these magazines so that they’re in line with the tradeoffs that appear on other weapons.
Launchers
Last but not least, launchers are receiving some major handling improvements to help with general usability and responsiveness.
While Dragon Age: The Veilguard might have gotten decent review scores when it was released last year, it seems that didn't translate to sales, so much so, that publisher Electronic Arts' stock has dropped because of it.
HUD
Addressed an issue that would occasionally incorrectly display the Field Upgrade “READY” state after respawning.
Addressed an issue where player names would not display beside the speaker icon when speaking in a match.
HUD Presets can now be set separately for Zombies and Multiplayer.
PROGRESSION & XP
Search & Destroy
Addressed an issue that was preventing the end-of-game Match Bonus XP payout from being awarded in the following situations:
The entire enemy team quit, ending the match
The player did not deal any damage in the final Round
CHALLENGES
Black Ops 6 launched with more Calling Card Challenges than any recent Call of Duty, brought the return of “100 Percenter” Cards for Multiplayer and Zombies, and brought a deep Calling Card grind to Warzone with its own “100 Percenter” Card for the first time. It has been very exciting to see players strategizing over and unlocking all the various Calling Card Challenges in the game since launch.
Some Multiplayer Challenges, however, have been either a bit on the frustrating side, or have had bugs and other issues that have prevented some players from completing them on the path to “100 Percenter”.For Season 02, we’ve put a big focus on fixing these Challenge bugs and smoothing over the key frustration points players have been experiencing as part of the Multiplayer Calling Card Challenge grind since launch. We hope these fixes and updates help players stuck in their Challenge journey and unblock their progress toward 100% completion.
Scorestreak Destruction Challenges
Addressed an issue that was not awarding Challenge progress towards Scorestreak Destructions in cases where players didn’t perform the final blow on the destroyed enemy Scorestreak.
Players will now earn progress for Camo Challenges that require destroying Scorestreaks even if they do not deal the destroying final blow. This impacts the following content:
Camo Challenges for the CIGMA 2B and HE-1
Mastery Badges for the CIGMA 2B and HE-1
“Hot Lead”, “Air Control,” and “Field Work” Calling Card Challenges
We made this adjustment to ensure that Challenge progress for destroying Scorestreaks is made whenever you earn Scorestreak Destruction Medals like “Flyswatter” and “Downed,” and to make challenges that involve destroying Scorestreaks much more consistent. This should make the grind for Diamond Launchers smoother and less random or frustrating for players.
Calling Card Challenges
“Redemption Arc” Going Ham Challenge: Removed the time requirement of needing to get a kill shortly after being revived. Players can now make progress by earning a Kill anytime after they revive themselves with the Morphine Injector.
“Tick Tock Boom” Humiliation Challenge: Semtex sticks that do not result in a kill for the sticking player will now also progress the Challenge.
“On Point” Prestige 1 Challenge: The Challenge now uses the same Dive detection as the “Dive Shot” Medal, allowing for a grace period shortly after landing from a Dive where the Challenge can still be progressed.
“Squint Test” Prestige 1 Challenge: Moonshot requirement reduced from 100m to 75m to make completing this Challenge possible on more maps.
“Explosive Plays” Prestige 4 Challenge: Addressed a bug that was displaying the wrong Calling Card name.
“Hot Dawg” Prestige 4 Challenge: Reduced the Molotov or Thermo Grenade Kills without dying requirement from 4 to 3.
“Headhunter” Prestige 5 Challenge: Addressed a typo in the Challenge description that specified the incorrect Barrel needed to progress the Challenge. The CHF Barrel and Muzzle Brake Attachments are what need to be equipped to progress the Challenge.
“Speed Demon” Prestige 6 Challenge: Reduced the Kills-while-activated requirement from 3 to 2.
“Score Collector” Prestige 6 Challenge: Now only requires 5 Scorestreak Kills in a single game to progress, instead of 10.
“Deep Cover” Prestige 7 Challenge: Added the ability to earn progress with Kills while disguised by the Sleeper Agent Field Upgrade, in addition to Bomb plants and defuses.
“Switchblade” Prestige 7 Challenge: Players can now make progress when Melee killing an enemy affected by their Tactical Equipment, in addition to the existing gunfire requirement.
“Ripped Up” Prestige 8 Challenge: Converted challenge from Guns Blazing Medals (3 rapid Kills with the Chopper Gunner) to tracking individual Kills with the Chopper Gunner Scorestreak.
“Devastating Force” Prestige 8 Challenge: Converted challenge from Death From Above Medals (3 rapid Kills with the Dreadnought) to tracking individual Kills with the Dreadnought Scorestreak.
“Hunt Them Down” Prestige Master Challenge: Removed the Acoustic Amp requirement, the Challenge now only requires Point Blank Kills with the specified Perks equipped.
“Hard and Fast” Prestige Master Challenge: Addressed a typo in the Challenge description that incorrectly referenced the Ghost Perk instead of the Double Time Perk.
Global Camo Mastery: Calling Card is now correctly granted when completing the final Camo in all 3 modes. Any players who completed this Challenge prior to this update should now see the Calling Card in their inventory (Added on Jan. 24).
We know the “Flowing Low” Prestige 1 Calling Card Challenge is top of mind for many players, and the team is working on a fix for an upcoming update. Thanks for your patience on this one.
Camo Challenges
AK-74 “Vengeance” Special Camo: Addressed an issue where the AK-74 Drill Charge Underbarrel Launcher would not count toward the unlock requirement.
Daily Challenges
Reduced the requirements for the following Daily Challenges:
Get 3 Headshots with Pistols (was 5).
Get 5 Kills with Melee Weapons (was 10).
Get 3 Kingslayer Medals (was 10).
Get 5 Kills while diving or sliding (was 10).
With the Danger Close Wildcard equipped: get 5 Kills with Lethal Equipment (was 10).
Intercept 5 enemy projectiles with the Trophy System Field Upgrade (was 10).
Removed the following Daily Challenges from the game:
Eliminations with Full-Auto Weapons.
Eliminations with Semi-Auto Weapons.
Eliminations with Burst-Fire Weapons.
Destroy Enemy Scorestreaks.
Get Kills with the Combat Axe Lethal Equipment.
Get Kills with the Drill Charge Lethal EquipmentKill enemies that are disoriented by your Neurogas Field Upgrade.
We’re always actively monitoring Daily Challenge completion rates, as well as the feedback we see from players. With Season 02, we wanted to remove or update some of the more frustrating Dailies to ensure that players are always receiving Challenges that are approachable and straightforward. Our goal with Daily Challenges is to encourage players to try out various items and strategies, without making them too restrictive or frustrating for players to complete in a single session.
Addressed an issue that was preventing the following Daily Challenges from tracking properly:
Get 50 Eliminations with a Suppressed Weapon.
Get 50 Eliminations using a Weapon with 5 or more Attachments.
The “Get Eliminations with Secondary Weapons” Daily Challenge will now track Eliminations earned with the Sirin 9mm Special Weapon.
A new report claims that several Xbox titles might be coming to the Nintendo Switch 2.
Mastery Badges
Tactical Insertion: Addressed an issue that was causing the Tactical Insertion Mastery Badge from only progressing via Revenge Kills. It will now progress when any enemy is Killed by the player shortly after they’ve respawned via a Tactical Insertion.
The Mastery Badge for the used Weapon, Scorestreak, Field Upgrade, or Equipment will now appear correctly in Killcam and Best Plays.
Spawns
Spawn logic has been adjusted to continue our efforts to reduce proximity to enemies when respawning.
We have also added the ability to conduct live A/B testing with spawn changes to evaluate on a smaller scale, and if results are positive, we will roll those changes out globally. This will allow us to be more agile with spawn changes.
Modes
Overdrive (LTM)
Rack up stars to unlock special Operator abilities that will greatly aid you in battle and keep that streak going to reach Overdrive! If you get eliminated, or the elimination timer runs out before you take out another target, you’ll start the process over again. Operators “attempting Overdrive” can expect the following improved capabilities:
1 Star: Awakened Senses: See enemies through walls and replenish your health after eliminating a target.
3 Stars: Physical Enhancements: Increased movement and reloading speed.
6 Stars: Augmented Handling: Improved hip-fire accuracy and improved sprint-to-fire and ADS speeds.
Earn all three buffs to activate Overdrive! This allows you to earn double the stars when eliminating enemies.
Search and Destroy
Addressed an issue where XP could not be rewarded if no damage was dealt in the final round.
Kill Order
Addressed an issue where the HVT icon would follow a Dreadnought called in by an active HVT.
Free For All
Addressed an issue where final placements were being incorrectly calculated.
Addressed an issue where the Winner’s Circle would not consistently display the Top 3 players.
Kill Confirmed
Reduced the height of dog tags that are dropped in Kill Confirmed to improve player visibility.
Control
Protocol B zone has been moved to where Hardpoint P2 is located. After consideration, we have found this to be a more competitive location for engagements with both Attackers and Defenders.
Equipment, Perks, Field Upgrades, and Wildcards
Addressed an issue where Lethal and Tactical Equipment inventory was reduced when using Danger Close or Tactical Expert Wildcards and resupplying with the Scavenger Perk.
Reduced additional Smoke Grenade given to +1 from +2 with the Tactical Expert Wildcard. (Yes, we’re annoyed by the smoke too, and will continue to evaluate.)
Addressed an issue where Field Upgrades could not be deployed in certain scenarios while using the Prepper Wildcard.
Addressed an issue where Gearhead Perk would not decrease the time to earn Field Upgrades.
Decreased the amount of weapon motion when jumping, sliding, and diving with the Dexterity Perk.
Addressed an issue where the Ninja Perk could lose functionality between respawns and round transitions, resulting in footsteps not being quieter.
Addressed an issue where the Ninja Perk was not being applied to enemy players when spectating a teammate.
Headshots will no longer skip Last Stand when using the Morphine Injector Field Upgrade.
Scorestreaks
Addressed an issue where Care Packages could be captured by teammates at the same capture rate as the owner.
Addressed an issue where the SAM Turret could target enemy Scorestreaks that were leaving the airspace.
Addressed an issue where the SAM Turret’s targeting laser would not be visible when tracking a target.
Medals
Adjusted the “Dive Shot” Medal (Kill an enemy while or shortly after diving in any direction) to be more forgiving so that Kills earned just after diving will award the Medal more consistently.
Tuned the “Snaked” Medal (2 rapid weapon kills against enemies in different directions while on your stomach, back or side) to be more forgiving and be awarded in more situations that match the intent of the Medal.
General
Detailed Weapon Stats Improvements: Added new stats & refactored the layout to be data-driven.
Addressed an issue in Theater where thrown projectiles could not be seen.
Addressed an issue where vehicles could visually disappear for some players during gameplay.
Training Course entry point has been moved from the playlist selection to the top right navigation panel.
Movement
We are continuing to monitor Omnimovement feedback, and of course playing the game ourselves. We are currently testing slight reductions to initial slide speed and duration to improve predictability of engagements when opponents enter with a slide.
Additionally, we are always evaluating areas for improved fluidity, whether those are specific to movement mechanics or other mechanics like the ability to interrupt weapon raises during respawns that we highlighted above.
Reduced collision with teammates. This should improve the ability to maneuver around tight spaces like doorways with nearby teammates.
The Chinese-developed action RPG Phantom Blade Zero has unveiled new details about its gameplay and story length.
RANKED PLAY
Cross-Play
The following changes are being implemented at the launch of Season 02 to provide players on console with the option to select the platform pool(s) they wish to matchmake with:
PlayStation – In-Game Options
Ranked:
On: Enables matchmaking with all gaming platforms when playing in Ranked playlists.
On (Consoles Only): Enables matchmaking only with other consoles when playing in Ranked playlists.
May negatively impact matchmaking queue times.
Off: Restricts Ranked matchmaking to your current gaming platform only.
Will negatively impact matchmaking queue times.
Xbox – In-Game Options
Ranked:
On: Enables matchmaking with all gaming platforms when playing in Ranked playlists.
On (Consoles Only): Enables matchmaking only with other consoles when playing in Ranked playlists.
May negatively impact matchmaking queue times.
Off: Restricts Ranked matchmaking to your current gaming platform only.
Will negatively impact matchmaking queue times.
Season 02 Weapon Evaluation
At the start of Ranked Play Season 02, the new PPSh-41 SMG and Cypher 091 Assault Rifle will both be unrestricted in Ranked Play for a minimum of one week. This one week evaluation period will give players a chance to experiment with the weapons in a competitive environment, provide feedback, and help Treyarch and the CDL determine whether they should remain unrestricted in CDL and Ranked Play.
Season 02 Rank Setback
Competitors who are continuing their conquest in Ranked Play from Season 01 will notice that their accounts may have been set back as outlined in previous notes.
Every new Season, your Rank may be rolled back based on where you ended the previous season, as follows:
Bronze or Silver Rank players are not impacted by the Seasonal setback and will be able to pick up where they ended Season 01 with no SR deduction.
Gold or Platinum Rank players will start Season 02in Tier I of Gold or Platinum respectively.
Diamond Rank and above players will start the Season 02 at Diamond I.
We’ve made the Ranked Play Seasonal setback more forgiving in Black Ops 6 as we observed it to be too punishing in previous installments, especially for players still early in their Rank journey.
Demotion Protection
Demotion Protection will be active for everyone’s first 3 Ranked Play losses in Season 02, and players can expect 1 free loss per day via Daily Loss Forgiveness like in Season 01.
Ranked Play Season 02 Rewards
Rank Camos: Each Rank Gold and above has a unique animated Camo you can earn to show off your rank:
Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Crimson & Iridescent: Start in (or above) or reach the applicable Rank anytime in Season 02 to earn.
Top 250: Finish Season 02 in the Top 250.
Rank Calling Cards: Each Rank Silver and above has a unique Calling Card reward:
Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Crimson, Iridescent (Animated): Start in (or above) or reach the applicable Rank anytime in Season 02 to earn.
Top 250 (Animated): Finish Season 02 in the Top 250.
Top 250 Champion (Animated): One-of-a-kind Calling Card awarded to the single player who finishes Season 02 in the #1 position on the Top 250.
Pro Issue Jackal PDW Blueprint: Unlocked by winning 10 Ranked Play matches in Season 02
Muzzle: Compensator
Barrel: Long Barrel
Underbarrel: Ranger Foregrip
Rear Grip: Ergonomic Grip
Stock: Balanced Stock
100 Season 02 Wins Decal: Unlocked by winning 100 Ranked Play matches in Season 02.
Veto Vote
The Veto Vote before Ranked Play matches will now occasionally present a choice between the 3 Ranked Play modes (Hardpoint, Control & Search and Destroy) on the same map.
This new addition to the Ranked Play Veto Vote gives players the occasional choice over which Ranked Play mode they want to avoid in their next match, while ensuring that all the maps in the CDL map rotation get playtime in Ranked. We look forward to seeing how players react and vote when this Veto type occasionally appears before Ranked matches. Please let us know what you think.
SR Gain & Loss Adjustments
Players will notice that their personal match performance has a bigger impact on their SR gained or lost after Ranked Play matches in Season 02, especially for the lower Ranks. This should help players early in their Ranked Play Rank journey more consistently earn bigger SR payouts when they perform well, and reduce SR losses incurred after a strong personal performance in a losing effort. While this tuning will impact all Ranks, team performance and the margin of victory are still the primary consideration for SR gains and losses in Ranks Crimson and above.
General
Addressed an issue that was causing all Reticles to appear unlocked in Ranked Play.
RC-XD is restricted in Control/Hardpoint, only allowed in S&D
Fixed instances of restricted weapons appearing in the melee slot
NOTE: Due to both the RC-XD being added back in, and the fix regarding weapons appearing in the melee slot, we had to reset players Ranked loadouts to the default Ranked AR/Ranked SMG classes.
If you’re in the market for a pro-level video game controller, but mostly or only game on PC, your best bet was typically to piggyback off of something made with consoles in mind first.
Zombies Season 2 Black Ops 6 Changes
Maps
Citadelle des Morts
Addressed a server stability issue that could occur when Zombies continue to spawn when no players were present during an active Incantation Ritual.
Addressed a rare issue where players could be downed during the Main Quest outro.
Addressed an issue where The Guardian could get stuck between phases longer than intended.
Addressed an invulnerability exploit when using “Nowhere But There.”
Addressed an issue where the Mystic Orb could be placed again after opening the Secret Study.
Disabled the option to fast travel when voting to Final Encounter to prevent players from getting stuck.
Addressed an issue where loading a save after opening the castle doors would repair some environmental damage caused by the cannon.
Addressed some more locations in the Dungeon where the Lightning Rod dropped by the zombie carrying it could be unreachable.
Addressed an issue where the Welding Torch would clip into the nearby crate.
Addressed an issue where being hit by the Cannon could activate the Dying Wish Augment for Quick Revive.
Addressed an issue where Vermin would continue to spawn each round if the player had gone down during Maya’s Revenge Quest.
Addressed an issue that prevented Maya’s Revenge Quest from ending properly when a player uses the “Nowhere But There” GobbleGum to exit the event.
Addressed an issue where interacting with the Radio then dying would prevent entry into Maya’s Revenge Side Quest.
Krafft will no longer have a blood effect when being punched with Melee Macchiato.
Addressed an issue causing the Kompact 92 wall buy interact to be offset.
Addressed some visual issues when looking out the Tavern windows.
Addressed some visual issues when on the Ramparts.
Improved lighting near Jugger-Nog to avoid a tripping hazard.
Addressed an issue where players could get stuck getting through the East entrance to the Town Square.
Addressed an issue where Zombies could climb through the railings to get on the Tavern stairs.
Addressed an issue where joining in progress would not highlight the locks on the Pack-a-Punch crate.
Addressed an issue that caused Parasites to clip into the wall when exiting a spawn closet in the Hillside Ramparts.
Training Course
Addressed an issue where players could not buy a weapon a second time at Station 5.
Armor will now be reset when starting Station 5 to prevent the player from being blocked from continuing if they had already purchased tier 2 Armor.
Terminus
Addressed an issue where an Amalgam could get stuck in a spawn area during Exfil.
Addressed an issue where the Tactical Raft could become stuck on a pillar when piloting near the boss arena.
Addressed an issue that caused reticles on certain weapons to change position after using the Oscillation Calibrator.
Addressed an issue with a floating shovel on Castle Rock Island.
Addressed an issue that prevented the Node Connection repair interface from appearing during split-screen games.
Addressed an issue that caused missing geometry in the Sea Caves after loading a save file.
Liberty Falls
Addressed an issue that caused a loss of functionality when a bowling event is started while holding a Sentry Turret.
Addressed an issue with the Aether Canister visual screen VFX while the player is on a ladder.
Modes
Directed
Addressed an issue where the Crafting Table menu could remain open when dying at round cap.
Automatic Exfil will now begin after the current Round ends instead of immediately.
Automatic Exfil has been adjusted to trigger after six hours instead of five.
General Playlist Updates
Closed an exploit where disconnecting right as the player died would keep their saved game.
Addressed an issue where joining after being kicked for AFK could give the player two of the same GobbleGum.
Gameplay
Players who are kicked for inactivity in co-op games will have their loadout, Essence, and Salvage restored upon rejoining the match.
Weapons
Addressed an issue where Single Fire mode would not count toward Slaughter Medals.
Added a warning for players when purchasing a Wall Buy if it will replace one of their current weapons.
Addressed an issue where interacting with quest objects with long hold times would reload the held weapon when using a controller.
Perks
Aether Shroud
Adjusted the Aether Dash Augment to prevent players from being stuck in unintended locations.
PhD Flopper
Improved PhD Slider to work with Omni-directional slides.
Field Upgrades
Tesla Storm
Static Discharge
Addressed an issue where kills from Static Discharge would not award Essence to the player.
Scorestreaks
Chopper Gunner
Addressed an issue where the player could continue to shoot the Chopper Gunner weapon after the streak has ended.
Hand Cannon
Addressed an issue where attempting to pick up an Aether Tool while wielding a Hand Cannon would consume the Aether Tool without applying it to a weapon.
Loot
Addressed an issue where Intel for Obscurus Altilium was not unlocked after completing the Citadelle des Morts Main Quest.
Added Season 01 Reloaded weapons to the Mystery Box.
Enemies
Amalgam
Addressed an issue where rarely the player would be let go immediately after being grabbed.
Vermin
Addressed an issue where Vermin could hit twice with one attack.
Vermin will now ragdoll properly in the air when killed mid-leap.
Activities
S.A.M. Trials
Addressed an issue where crafted Scorestreaks would be removed at the end of a trial if they matched the one used for the trial.
Scaled the Hand Cannon Trial time based on the current Round up to 100 Seconds at Round 31+.
Addressed an issue preventing S.A.M. Trials from being completed in Splitscreen.
GobbleGums
Dead Drop, Modified Chaos, and Quacknarok now available via in-game GobbleGum drops and the Season 02 Battle Pass.
Addressed an issue where restocked GobbleGums would not be immediately available for use.
Addressed an issue where the “Exit Strategy” GobbleGum would not be usable when the Exfil Radio was present.
Addressed an exploit that allowed players to keep timer based GobbleGums after they have been consumed.
Challenges
“Box Addict” Dark Ops Challenge
Added a hard cap of 37 different weapons required, which matches the amount at launch so that weapons added post-launch do not increase the difficulty of this challenge
“Gladiator” Fresh Meat Challenge
Will now track for exfils at or above round 11.
Daily Challenges
Addressed an issue where the “Get Zombie Eliminations with Pistols” challenge could be progressed with Brain Rot kills.
Surveyor Challenge
Random Perk Power-up now applies progress to this challenge.
UI
Players will now see an in-game notification whenever they complete an Augment Research step and unlock a new Augment.
Addressed an issue where the Elemental Swords would be vertical in the Wonder Weapon preview.
Aligned the GobbleGum prompt in-game.
Updated the In-Game Pause Menu Augments research progress, along with other visual improvements.
Added visual improvements to Boss HP bars.
Addressed an issue where placeholders would appear momentarily when entering the Audio Logs in the Intel menu for the first time.
Added a location to view Cinematics in the Intel menu.
The GobbleGum HUD widget will now be hidden while spectating.
Addressed an issue that allowed damage feedback to remain active during in-game cinematics.
Improved visual information when editing GobbleGum Packs.
Addressed incorrect navigation button text in the Intel Menu.
HUD Presets can now be set separately for Zombies and Multiplayer.
Graphics
Addressed an issue in 3rd Person where Elemental Sword effects would be misaligned when attacking.
Addressed an issue with the Solais Elementa Sword where the visual effects of the charged ability would play longer than the actual effect.
Addressed an issue where the glow effects from the Crown would persist after dying and respawning.
Addressed a typo on the soda cans inside the Stamin-Up Machine.
Removed fire effects from Vermin legs when Arachnaphobia mode is toggled.
While Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth just launched on PC, it seems to have already established a new record and is already faring better than its predecessor, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade.
Warzone Season 2 New Content and Changes
GLOBAL
As previously discussed in our recent Community Update blog, we are ramping up our fight against cheaters across both Multiplayer and Warzone with new security measures deploying throughout the coming seasons. Updates include enhanced detection models for behaviors like aim botting, stricter account trust and hardware identification to target repeat offenders, and new tools to combat dishonest behavior such as playing with cheaters or attempting to spam report innocent players. We are also focusing on more precise tools, including major upgrades to the kernel-level anti-cheat driver and server-side systems starting this season and continuing into Season 03. These measures, combined with ongoing improvements and legal actions against cheat sellers, aim to deliver a more secure and enjoyable experience for everyone.
EVENTS
The Terminator Skull Drop Event (Feb. 6-20)
Collect skulls to unlock rewards. Skulls are earned via eliminations in Multiplayer and Zombies, and by eliminating players and opening caches in Call of Duty: Warzone. Earn bonus skulls for eliminating enemies with explosive or fire damage.
Shadow Hunt (Feb. 13-20)
To join Nocturne, you must first complete the challenges he has laid out before you. Don’t fail him.
PROGRESSION & PRESTIGE
Addressed an issue that was causing the “Congratulations, you’ve Mastered Prestige” screen to appear after every match for some Prestige Master players.
Addressed an issue that would occasionally occur after Quick-Resuming Black Ops 6 that would incorrectly display all other players as Level 1 with default customization.
Players who’ve reached Max Level will now see a reminder that they have a Prestige available after each match.
Players who’ve reached Max Level will now see a “Prestige Available” treatment on the Prestige Tile in the Barracks Progression menu.
Prestige Master Ribbons will now display in the player details when inspecting a player from the Lobby.
Players can now tab between individual Prestiges (L1/R1 on PlayStation, LB/RB on Xbox) when viewing an individual Prestige’s rewards via the Prestige screen.
The player’s current Prestige Master Ribbon and Icon milestone will now be highlighted by default whenever they enter the Prestige Master screen.
CAMOS
Players can now equip any unlocked Special Camos to a Weapon as soon as they’ve unlocked any 5 Military Camos for that weapon. Previously, players needed to unlock all 9 Military Camos for at least 1 mode to equip Special Camos.
Challenge progress bars now appear below Special Camo and Mastery Camo swatches on the Camo tab in the Gunsmith.
The currently equipped Camo will now be highlighted by default when entering the Camo tab in the Gunsmith (if applicable).
SOCIAL
Added a “Favorites Only” Filter to the Friends List that can be used to display only Favorite Friends.
Player mic indicators will now appear when viewing the Party Channel or Game Channel.
“Sort by Progression” and “Sort by Rank” will now display the applicable Level or Rank icons in the Friends List, regardless of which mode the player is viewing the Social menu from.
Dark Ops Calling Cards that you haven’t unlocked yet yourself will no longer appear as “Classified” when viewed in another player’s Calling Card Showcase.
WARZONE
Urzikstan
Buy Stations
Buy station locations have been updated across Urzikstan.
Gulag
Gulag loadouts have been refreshed with new weapons and equipment.
Train
The automatic brake release timer has increased to 240 seconds, up from 60.
The train was a bit too eager in getting back into motion, disallowing some interesting plays with both hijacking the train, or intentionally parking it in a power position.
Area 99
Buy Stations
Two additional Buy Stations have been added to Area 99.
PLAYLIST
RANKED PLAY
For the second season of Warzone Ranked Play, we’re deploying adjustments to restrictions, SR gains, and deployment fees. Notably, the Tracker perk, which now outlines enemies in line-of-sight without live pings, has been removed from the list of restrictions. New SR adjustments aim to streamline progression, helping players quickly align with skill-appropriate divisions while addressing barriers when bridging the gap between key ranks. Placement and elimination rewards have been fine-tuned to encourage competition and skill diversity in higher ranks, while also ensuring players in top tiers like Crimson and Iridescent face greater challenges to maintain their status. In addition, deployment fees have been rebalanced to ease progression in lower ranks and increase the prestige of reaching top tiers. See the full details below:
Cross-Play
The following changes are being implemented at the launch of Season 02 to provide players on console with the option to select the platform pool(s) they wish to matchmake with:
» PlayStation – In-Game Options «
On: Enables matchmaking with all gaming platforms when playing in Ranked playlists.
On (Consoles Only): Enables matchmaking only with other consoles when playing in Ranked playlists.
May negatively impact matchmaking queue times.
Off: Restricts Ranked matchmaking to your current gaming platform only.
Will negatively impact matchmaking queue times.
» Xbox – In-Game Options «
On: Enables matchmaking with all gaming platforms when playing in Ranked playlists.
On (Consoles Only): Enables matchmaking only with other consoles when playing in Ranked playlists.
May negatively impact matchmaking queue times.
Off: Restricts Ranked matchmaking to your current gaming platform only.
Will negatively impact matchmaking queue times.
Restrictions
Tracker perk has been removed from the restricted items list in WZ Ranked Play.
The Tracker perk no longer live pings players and instead applies an outline to enemy players that is not visible through walls. In addition, fixes to Cold Blooded now allow the footsteps to be appropriately countered.
Skill Rating
Ranked SR adjustments are a challenging task. Everything has a cascading effect, especially when modeling consequences across different types of match outcomes. Our approach to these adjustments aims to achieve several key objectives:
One major objective is to onboard more players into the early ranks and help them progress toward divisions that better represent their skill sets more quickly. We aim to adjust the rewards for SR in a way that allows players performing above their skill division to accelerate into higher divisions and remain there, where their skill matches the other players. This should, ideally, lead to greater player and skill diversity in the mid and higher divisions.
There is also a very clear set of plateaus or walls that players encounter in the ranges of Silver III through Gold I and Platinum III through Diamond I. There are several reasons for this, but we aim to address these issues in a few critical ways. By adjusting the “team remaining” rewards to smooth out the curve, we hope players on the upper borders of these skill bands will be nudged more frequently into higher divisions. This will provide them with opportunities to play with and against stronger players, helping to improve their skills rather than leaving them in a division where they feel their abilities are underrepresented.
Additionally, these changes are designed to ensure that players without access to the upper bands of division delta bonuses for eliminations (e.g., players in Crimson and Iridescent) cannot easily maintain their positions just because the delta rewards for +1/+2/+3 have increased. These players will still need to work hard to remain in these divisions, and the influx of new players into higher divisions should foster more competition and diversity in gameplay.
Deployment Fees
The adjustments to deployment fees align with the overall goals of Ranked Play. We aim to make accessing certain divisions less frustrating by reducing barriers and smoothing out the progression experience. Reaching the Iridescent rank will become slightly more challenging (partially offset by the SR changes for the +0 delta and teams-remaining rewards) due to increased deployment fees, requiring more effort from players to maintain their position in this elite rank. For reference, less than 0.1% of players achieve Iridescent or Crimson status.
Fee reductions at lower division levels encourage players to re-enter and play more frequently, ensuring a smoother and more enjoyable progression experience. However, once players reach Iridescent—especially those competing for a spot in the top 250—we want to ensure that achieving and maintaining this level truly reflects exceptional skill and is something players can proudly showcase.
Rewards
Compete in a second season of Battle Royale Ranked Play, earning the following seasonal rewards as you progress:
First Season Win: Elimination Charm
Get 25 Eliminations: Elimination Sticker
Get 100 Eliminations: Elimination Weapon Camo
Get 250 Eliminations: Elimination Weapon Blueprint
Silver: “Ranked Season 02 – “Silver” Emblem
Gold: “Ranked Season 02 – “Gold” Calling Card, Emblem, and Weapon Camo
Platinum: “Ranked Season 02 – Platinum” Calling Card Emblem, and Weapon Camo
Diamond: “Ranked Season 02 – Diamond” Calling Card Emblem, and Weapon Camo
Crimson: “Ranked Season 02 – Crimson” Calling Card Emblem, and Weapon Camo
Iridescent: “Ranked Season 02 – Iridescent” Calling Card Emblem, and Weapon Camo
Top 250: “Ranked Season 02 – Top 250” Calling Card Emblem, and Weapon Camo
GENERAL
Buy Stations
All Buy Stations, including deployable and standard ones, now close at the beginning of the “Final Circle” announcement.
Deployable Boxes
Utility boxes, such as munition boxes, armor boxes, and others, can no longer be placed in the gas.
We’ve noticed an increase in buy backs during the final circle, sometimes even after the gas has completely consumed the map. While we appreciate resourceful plays, the tactic of a team camping a Buy Station to secure a win doesn’t align with our vision for “last team standing wins”. To address this, we’re making changes to encourage more meaningful and intense engagements in the final moments – the way we believe most matches are meant to end.
We remain committed to identifying and addressing other “cheese” strategies in the game. Regardless of how long a mechanic has been around, we’re dedicated to refining systems to enhance the game’s competitive integrity.
Score Events
Added a new “Splat” score event in Battle Royale, which triggers when a player is eliminated while parachuting or skydiving.
Experience Balance
Battle Royale
Player XP increased by +7%.
Weapon XP increased by +10%.
Resurgence
Player XP decreased by -8%.
Weapon XP increased by +10%.
Plunder
Player XP increased by +22%.
Weapon XP decreased by -13%.
Quality of Life Highlights
Advanced UAV
Advanced UAVs now display elevation arrows to indicate player altitude.
Warzone Barracks
The button layout in the Warzone Barracks has been reorganized to match the structure used in Multiplayer and Zombies.
Ammo Caches
Ammo Cache Depots now function like Munition Boxes, dropping additional ammo and equipment on the ground.
Pinging Buyback Flares
Players can now ping the flares from buybacks to better alert their teammates.
Match Stat Tracker
The font used in the match stat tracker has been adjusted for improved readability, especially at lower resolutions.
Detailed Weapon Stats
New stats have been added, and the layout has been redesigned to prioritize data clarity and accessibility.
Some stats adjusted by the attachments were not represented. The new stats better reflect reality.
Fade Distance
The fade distance for loadout and cash drop crates while parachuting has been reduced to 300 meters for improved visibility.
Naoki Hamaguchi, the director of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, had previously requested PC players to avoid creating offensive and inappropriate mods for the game.
COMBAT
Body Shield
Victims are no longer automatically released mid-air.
The outline of the victim, previously visible through walls, has been disabled.
Players can no longer release a victim without executing them first.
The body shield was incorrectly releasing your victim when attempting to take someone with you to a plummeting death, resulting in your own death but not your victim’s.
Additionally, we are removing the griefing mechanic of repeatedly releasing, downing, and releasing the same target. Going forward, if you choose to body shield a player, it must now culminate in an execution.
MOVEMENT
Jumping
Increased both jump speed and successive jump height with one unmodified successive jump
We’re reverting some jump penalties to the values used last year. This marks the first step in our jump evaluation, and we’ll revisit this topic again in the future.
Parachute
Increased the speed of the parachute cut animation, making cutting a parachute and readying your weapon significantly faster.
Increased player velocity when landing from a cut parachute land, for smoother transition into full sprint.
The recovery time after landing from a parachute has often felt overly punishing, both for players trying to evade and those looking to engage. This adjustment aims to make the action more fluid and balanced, preventing it from feeling overly restrictive.
PERKS
Reactive Armor Perk Slot 2
• Your armor will regenerate up to 50% if you have not taken damage in the last 5 seconds.
• Available via Event Reward
Adjustments
Tracker
Pings have been replaced with an outline that is not visible through walls but will still appear on targets through smoke.
Tracker can now mark up to five targets simultaneously. Engaging a sixth target will remove the outline from the first target.
Tracker, Spy Camera, and Proxy Alarm have been adjusted to balance their usage. These changes address the over-reliance on intel systems that provide vision through walls. By scaling this back, we aim to align these mechanics with systems like UAVs while offering additional visual feedback. Our goal is to make highlight interactions more consistent, grounded, and balanced across engagements.
Dexterity
The weapon handling component of Dexterity has been enhanced and is now a default perk for all Warzone players
This will result in smoother weapon handling for jumping, sliding and diving as a default change to all players.
Mountaineer
This perk returns in Slot 1, replacing Dexterity. Fall damage reduction has been significantly improved compared to the current version with Dexterity, though it’s not as powerful as its iteration in Modern Warfare III.
Veteran
Now provides significant damage reduction against the effects of Gas Grenades.
EQUIPMENT
Munitions Satchel
Now only provides 1 additional item, down from 2, to address overstocking and spamming equipment.
Tacticals & Lethals
Maximum deployed tacticals and lethals reduced to 2 each, down from 3, to make more purposeful trap plays.
Impact Grenade
Default stack size increased from 2 to 3.
When equipped with a Munitions Satchel, the max stack size increases to 4.
Impact Grenades occupy a unique niche between Semtex and Frag grenades. A direct hit significantly boosts its damage while also bypassing some of the mitigation provided by Bomb Squad, making it a more skill-based option. We’ve made the choice to retain its max stack size at 4, due to it underperforming quite significantly in metrics previously. Perhaps this makes it more IMPACTFUL.
Thermobaric
Inner radius increased from 25 to 50.
Inner damage increased from 190 to 220.
Outer damage increased from 48 to 55.
The Thermobaric grenade has been adjusted to improve its usability by increasing the inner radius, making it easier to deal higher damage. The slight damage boost complements this change.
Frag Grenade
Inner damage decreased from 250 to 240.
Middle damage decreased from 170 to 120.
Outer damage increased from 48 to 55.
Frag grenades are a staple in combat, known for their reliability. Following adjustments in Black Ops 6, they’ve become easier to use. These changes aim to align their damage output with their ease of use, and we will continue to monitor their effectiveness.
Experimental Gas Grenade
Slightly increased the trigger height of the gas effects to better match visuals.
Movement reduction from gas decreased:
Without resistance: from 60% to 50%.
With resistance: from 60% to 25%.
Gas damage against resistant targets reduced from 8 to 5.
Gas grenade usage has increased, and these changes ensure proper counters are in place. The Veteran perk remains the best option to counter negative equipment effects. These adjustments aim to balance the grenade’s effectiveness while keeping counters viable.
Stim Shot
Strafe slide velocity with stim slightly reduced.
The combination of stim and omni-directional slides exceeded normal velocity thresholds. This adjustment brings it back in line with regular gameplay metrics.
Spy Camera
Updated the outline visual to no longer display through walls.
Effect duration increased from 7 seconds to 10 seconds.
Proxy Alarm
Updated the outline visual for better clarity.
KILLSTREAKS
Advanced UAV
Advanced UAVs now display elevation arrows to indicate player altitude.
Bunker Buster
Gas damage against targets with gas resistance has been reduced from 8 to 5.
FIELD UPGRADES
Loadout Drop Marker
The bounce factor for Loadout Drop Markers has been reduced by 50%.
It’s not uncommon to see Loadout Markers bouncing far from their intended drop location. By halving the bounce factor – which was previously comparable to that of a smoke grenade – we aim to maintain the grenade-like behavior while minimizing the frustrating, unintended movement. We’ll continue to monitor player feedback on this adjustment.
Portable Decontamination Station
The ability to re-enable closed Buy Stations or Deployable Buy Stations by dropping a PDS nearby now works as intended.
However, to align with the previously outlined Buy Station changes, this is not possible during the final circle of a match.
LOOT
Lootable Perks
The available perks from ground loot have been updated to include:
Shrouded, Irradiated, Veteran, Reflexes, Sprinter, and Tempered.
Lootable Weapons
All ground loot weapon builds have been refreshed for the new season.
Semi-auto rifles, burst rifles, and common through epic handguns have been removed.
New Season 2 weapons have been added to the ground loot pool.
We’ve all been there – you pick up a rifle expecting it to be automatic, only to discover it’s semi-auto or burst when you fire. While we work on improving fire mode visibility, we’ve simplified the ground loot weapon pool to create a more predictable and consistent experience for all players.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's roadmap for 2025 has officially been released! While fans will have plenty to look forward to when the game releases next week, Warhorse Studios has given us a glimpse of what's to come post-launch.
WEAPONS
General
Reload Speeds
Reload speeds have been improved across all weapons, with increases ranging from 5% to 20%, depending on the weapon class.
Modern Warfare 3
Assault Rifles (ARs): 15% faster
Marksman Rifles (MRs): 5% faster
Submachine Guns (SMGs): 10% faster
Sniper Rifles: 12% faster
Handguns: 5% faster
Battle Rifles: 10% faster
Modern Warfare 2
Assault Rifles (ARs): 12% faster
Marksman Rifles (MRs): 10% faster
Light Machine Guns (LMGs): 15% faster
Submachine Guns (SMGs): 22% faster
Sniper Rifles: 15% faster
Handguns: 5% faster
Battle Rifles: 10% faster
Black Ops 6
Assault Rifles (ARs): 5% faster
Marksman Rifles (MRs): 5% faster
Light Machine Guns (LMGs): 10% faster
Submachine Guns (SMGs): 10% faster
Sniper Rifles: 10% faster
Handguns: 5% faster
Reload speeds for Flip and Fast Mag attachments have been increased by an additional 5%.
We have increased reload speeds to help make combat feel more fluid and decrease overall downtime. This should get it closer to previous iterations when using sleight of hand.
Bullet Penetration
Adjusted bullet penetration across most materials resulting in a more consistent experience for thicker walls in particular.
Weapon Swap
Increased swap speed by 10%, effectively replicating the effect of the Quick Grip Gloves Perk from Modern Warfare.
Sprint-to-Fire
Reduced sprint-to-fire penalty when jumping from 35% to 10%.
Aim-Down-Sight
Reduced the aim-down-sight (ADS) jump speed penalty by 25%.
We want to allow different play styles and movement mechanics to feel viable and smooth to perform. We will continue to monitor how these are playing out and adjust accordingly.
New Weapons
PPSh-41 Submachine Gun
Full-auto submachine gun. Fast fire rate with impressive damage and high recoil. Moderate handling.
Available via Battle Pass Page 6 HVT Tier Reward, Page 14 Battle Pass Blueprint
Cypher 091 Assault Rifle
Full-auto assault rifle. Slower rate of fire balanced by great handling and excellent mobility.
Available via Battle Pass Page 8 HVT Tier Reward, Page 11 Battle Pass Blueprint
Feng 82Light Machine Gun
Full-auto light machine gun. Very slow rate of fire with great damage and handling.
Available via Battle Pass Page 3 HVT Tier Reward, Page 10 Battle Pass Blueprint
TR2 Marksman Rifle
Semi-auto marksman rifle. Great rate of fire and respectable handling.
Completing Intel contracts now has a very low chance to reward a Durable Gas Mask.
Signal Intelligence
Cash rewards for Signal Intelligence contracts, which were previously $7,500 per player, have been reduced based on squad size as follows:
Solos: $7,500 per player ($7,500 total).
Duos: $4,500 per player ($9,000 total).
Trios: $3,500 per player ($10,500 total).
Quads: $3,000 per player ($12,000 total).
Signal Intelligence contracts were providing an excessive cash payout, especially for larger squad sizes. These adjustments, while significant, still offer high rewards compared to other contracts.
Scavenger
Distance between scavenger crates has been reduced, requiring less of a marathon between objectives.
The majority of the time, objectives will prioritize remaining within the same point of interest.
PUBLIC EVENTS
Runaway Train
This event now has a 10% chance to occur in the 5th circle of Battle Royale.
CHALLENGES
Warzone Tactician
Bunker Busters and Cluster Strikes no longer count toward progress for this challenge.
Deadeye
The requirement to ping an enemy before eliminating them has been removed for challenge progression.
VEHICLES
Damage Adjustments
C4 and IED damage have been slightly adjusted to ensure greater consistency when destroying vehicles.
UI/UX
Post-Match XP Widget
Updated XP widget to provide more information after a match.
AUDIO
Third Party Reverb
Reducing reverb effects to improve directionality of movement audio produced by other players (footstep, ascenders, parachutes).
Parachute
Adjusted parachute audio being louder than intended at farther distances.
Self-Revive
Players will now hear the enemy self-revive sound.
BUG FIXES
Fixed an issue where the Ghost perk would persist from the pre-match lobby into the match.
Fixed an issue where Cold Blooded did not properly counter Tracker.
Fixed an issue where Quick Fix health regeneration did not activate correctly while plating.
Fixed an issue preventing Quick Fix health regeneration from functioning when eliminating an enemy with the Combat Axe or Throwing Knife.
Fixed an issue where the Survivor perk prevented players from reviving downed squad members.
Fixed an issue where weapons became inaccessible near interactable areas.
Fixed an issue causing weapons to fall through Buy Station models.
Fixed an issue where the Experimental Gas Grenade gameplay effects lingered longer than the visual effects.
Fixed an issue causing weapon tooltips to incorrectly display as “common” when dropped.
Fixed an issue where MWII and MWIII weapons were missing Black Ops 6 weapon stats, including slide-to-fire time.
Fixed visibility issues on Rebirth Island.
Fixed an issue causing parachutes to deploy when jumping off ladders.
Fixed an issue where players were not always able to go prone while reviving a teammate.
Fixed an issue where bounty contracts displayed a delay in showing completion in the UI.
Fixed an issue causing players to spectate an enemy who did not eliminate them.
Fixed an issue where Most Wanted contracts did not override respawn timers as intended.
Fixed issues preventing selected operators from properly applying in the front-end menu.
Fixed an issue where the PRD audio sounded similar to zipline audio.
Fixed an issue causing players to redeploy without weapons and preventing loot interactions.
Fixed an issue preventing auto-pickup functionality when items were on lower shelves.
Fixed an issue where the Scrambler effect persisted on the map throughout the match.
Fixed an issue allowing players to launch themselves off a ladder using a Stim Shot.
Fixed an issue where attempting to pick up one of multiple guns on the ground caused players to juggle them.
Fixed additional cases where UAVs and Advanced UAVs did not trigger as expected.
Fixed an issue where the Precision Airstrike notification failed to appear on the player’s location.
Fixed an issue where icons for off-screen enemies were not displaying properly on the mini-map.
Fixed an issue preventing the self-ping icon from appearing.
Fixed an issue where the loadout selection UI displayed placeholder icons and white boxes in the live lobby.
Fixed an issue where the killfeed overlapped with the active contract widget.
Fixed an issue where users were kicked from the menu when trying to prestige.
Fixed an issue where the Armory introdutory sequence (FTUE) replayed when returning from CoD HQ.
Fixed an issue where the enemy voice chat icon displayed as friendly instead of red.
Fixed an issue where KBM (keyboard and mouse) buttons for emotes in the Winner’s Circle did not function.
Fixed an issue where duplicate armor satchels did not trigger the “inventory full” notification.
Fixed overlap issues with the Prestige Master screen.
Fixed an issue where private lobby codes did not always display properly.
Fixed issues with parachutes during the Jailbreak public event.
Fixed an issue where players only had one Gulag Rock instead of five in the Gulag.
Fixed an issue causing players to spawn in the Gulag with Gulag Rocks in Warzone Ranked.
Fixed an issue causing players to lose Tac Sprint functionality after using a zipline.
Fixed a camera issue during infil sequences on Rebirth Island.
Fixed an issue where crates could spawn out of bounds during the High Stakes public event.
Fixed an issue causing MWII and MWIII loadout weapons to disappear when dropped.
Fixed an issue where grabbing a loadout with a Baseball Bat caused it to appear as a Throwing Knife when equipped.
Fixed an issue causing the Spy Camera to consume multiple charges when activated once.
Fixed an issue allowing players to call in more Care Packages than intended during a match.
Fixed an issue where Squid Games finishing moves did not consistently execute the enemy.
Fixed an issue where the “Zipped Up” score event medal did not trigger in BR when a player killed someone while on a zipline or ascender.
Fixed an issue where the “Hot Potato” grenade throwback medal did not trigger if the grenade downed the enemy instead of fully eliminating them.
Fixed an issue preventing the elimination card from appearing when eliminating an enemy in the Gulag.
Fixed an issue causing the primary weapon in a loadout to reset after a match.
Fixed an issue where the player’s HUD disappeared when redeploying.
Fixed an issue where the Recents tab in the Add Friends menu did not function properly.
Fixed an issue causing the Recon Drone to appear invisible while in use.
Fixed an issue where eliminations did not track properly for the player who downed an enemy taken hostage by a teammate.
Fixed an issue where team colors in the killfeed were inconsistent with the actual player colors.
Fixed an issue where contract icons occasionally disappeared from the map.
Fixed an issue causing the typing sound to persist after using a UAV Tower.
Fixed an issue with the “Bombshell” challenge where kills were not tracked correctly.
Fixed an issue where some Dark Ops challenges did not grant XP properly.
Fixed an issue where wins were calculated incorrectly in the “In Resurgence or BR, finish Top 10” challenge.
We expect a follow up patch to fix whatever gets broken here to be released via server-side or as a client download before we get the mid-season patch.
The first patch for Dead by Daylight is now live on all platforms as mid-chapter patch 8.5.0. Those on last-gen ‘ll see this as update version 3.35, while PS5/XSX gamers will see this as download version 8.500. Players can expect perk updates, killer rework, and many more improvements.
Read on for the complete list of changes made by Behaviour Interactive in the official Dead by Daylight patch notes for January 28, which are available below.
Just days after the news about the cancellation of the God of War live-service project by Bluepoint, a new rumor has surfaced about the future of the popula Santa Monica series, bringing excitement to fans.
Dead. by Daylight’s First Patch of 2025 Brings a Killer Rework and Various Fixes
Content
Killer Rework – The Nightmare
Base Changes
Dream Snares and Dream Pallets are both part of the base kit
Tap the Ability button to swap between Dream Snares and Dream Pallets
Dream Snares are now a ground projectile (more details below)
Dream Pallets can be Ruptured from a distance (more details below)
Dream Projection can now be used on completed generators (and more!)
Dream World
Minor visual improvements to the Dream World
Improved clarity when the nearest Survivor is asleep
Survivors in the Dream World are Oblivious, but hear his Lullaby
Survivors performing a healing action on a Sleeping Survivor or while being Asleep are revealed with Killer Instinct
Survivors wake up when put in the Dying State
Dream Snares
Press the Power button to charge a Dream Snare over 0.35 seconds
While charged, tap the Attack button to launch the Dream Snare forward
Dream Snares move at 12 m/s
Dream Snares have a maximum range of 18 meters
Dream Snares go through walls and follow slopes, but do not go off ledges (such as a 2nd-floor dropdown)
Dream Snares add 30 seconds to an awake Survivor’s Sleep Meter
Dream Snares inflict a 12% Hindered penalty for 4.5 seconds on Sleeping Survivors
Dream Snares have a 7-second cooldown
Dream Pallets
Press the Power button to enter Pallet focus mode
Tap the Attack button to spawn a Dream Pallet at valid Pallet locations up to 24 meters away
The Nightmare can create up to 8 Dream Pallets at a time
While in Pallet Focus mode, target a Dream Pallet within 24 meters and tap the Attack button to Rupture it
After a 1.5-second delay, the Dream Pallet Ruptures in a burst of blood
Rupture adds 60 seconds to an awake Survivor’s Sleep Meter
Rupture injures Sleeping Survivors
Rupture has a range of 3.5 meters
Rupture has a 1.5-second cooldown
Rupture cannot be cancelled by any means
Dream Pallets can be dropped by Survivors and can stun The Nightmare, but will explode in blood
Improved visibility on Dream Pallets
Dream Projection
Dream Projection can be used on unrepaired, partially repaired, completed, and blocked generators, at any moment during the trial
Dream Projection can be used on Sleeping Survivors healing in the Dream World (any of the healers, or the one being healed. The Nightmare appears within 12 meters of their location.)
Press and hold the Ability button for more than 0.5 seconds to perform Dream Projection
While charging Dream Projection, The Nightmare’s movement speed is decreased to 3.86 m/s
While charging Dream Projection, The Nightmare can see the aura of the husk to which he will teleport
Dream Projection takes 2.5 seconds(was 4 seconds)
Dream Projection can be cancelled by releasing the Ability button early
Cancelling early incurs the full cooldown
Upon completion, Survivors within 8 meters are revealed with Killer Instinct for 3 seconds, and gain 15 seconds on their Sleep Meter
Dream Projection has a 30-second cooldown (was 45 seconds)
Alarm Clocks/Wake up
Sleeping Survivors can use any Alarm Clock to wake up (was a specific Alarm Clock, usually on the other side of the map)
Using an Alarm Clock grants Sleep Immunity for 30 seconds
Using an Alarm Clock causes it to go on a global 45-second cooldown, which prevents anyone from using it
The Wake Up interaction (snap snap, clap clap) always takes 5 seconds(would increase with each Wake Up interaction)
The Wake Up interaction has priority over the healing interaction
Addons
Garden Rake:
Increases the size of the Dream Snare by 10% (NEW)
Wool Shirt:
Decreases the Dream Pallet Rupture delay by 10% (NEW)
Kid’s Drawing:
Increases the amount of Sleep gained from Dream Abilities by 10% (NEW)
Sheep Block:
Increases the Alarm Clock cooldown by 10% (NEW)
Prototype Claws:
Decreases Dream Snare charge time by 10% (NEW)
Cat Block:
Decrease Dream Projection’s Cooldown by 10% (NEW)
Outdoor Rope:
Increases the speed at which Dream Snares travel by 15% (NEW)
Green Dress:
Increases the time it takes for Survivors to perform the Wake Up action by 2 seconds (NEW)
Nancy’s Sketch:
Decreases the Sleep Immunity by 20% after a Survivor uses an Alarm Clock (NEW)
Unicorn Block:
Increases the Dream Pallet Rupture range by 0.5 meters (NEW)
Blue Dress:
Dream Snares no longer move (NEW)
Dream Snares have a lifetime of 8 seconds (NEW)
Only 1 Dream Snare can be placed at a time (NEW)
Nancy’s Masterpiece:
Decreases Dream Projection’s cooldown by 10% after hitting a Survivor with a Dream Ability (NEW)
Jump Rope:
Increases the Hindered penalty duration when a Survivor is caught by a Dream Snare by 0.5 second (NEW)
Paint Thinner:
When a Survivor drops a Dream Pallet, reveal them with Killer Instinct for 6 seconds (NEW)
Unlocks the ability to use Dream Projection on that Survivor while they are revealed (NEW)
This Dream Projection charges 100% faster (NEW)
“Z” Block:
Survivors hit by a Dream Snare or Dream Pallet Rupture are revealed for 3 seconds (NEW)
Swing Chains:
After using Dream Projection, block all window vaults within 16 meters for 6 seconds (NEW)
Class Photo:
Survivors in the Dream World are revealed with Killer Instinct while opening Exit Gates (NEW)
Grants the ability to use Dream Projection on Exit Gates (NEW)
Pill Bottle:
Each time a Survivor wakes up, they fall asleep 10% faster, up to a maximum of 50% (NEW)
Red Paint Brush:
Reveals the aura of Survivors in the Dream World when they are further from 32 meters away (NEW)
Increases each Survivor’s Sleep Meter by 50% (NEW)
Black Box:
Exit Gates are blocked for Sleeping Survivors for 15 seconds after they are opened (was applicable when recently opened. This update also makes it trigger when they fall asleep after the Exit Gates have been opened
The Chinese-developed action RPG Phantom Blade Zero has unveiled new details about its gameplay and story length.
Features
Deep Wound Visibility Improvements:
Added a Deep Wound progress bar under the Mending progress bar for better visibility
Removed the darkening vignette of the Deep Wound Effect
Added a setting to disable the new Deep Wound progress bar
Characters default and prestige cosmetics now have outfits in the outfit tab
Normalized action progress bar behavior
Hooking a player no longer uses a progress bar
Deathslinger’s reload no longer uses a progress bar
Cenobite’s teleport no longer uses a progress bar
Clairvoyance no longer uses a progress bar
Smoke effect added to the change of certain cosmetics that have unique lobby animations
Smoke effect added to the Play Mori button of Visceral rarity cosmetics
The colour of a completed generator was updated to better differentiate them from yellow highlighted generators
Various perk tags added to aid in searching
Generic perks can now be searched with “Generic”, “General”, “Universal”, or “Global”
Shoulder the Burden can now be searched with “STB”
Bite the Bullet can now be searched with “BTB”.
Perk Updates
Killer
Beast of Prey:
When you gain Bloodlust for the first time, gain Undetectable for 30/35/40 seconds(NEW)
Gain 30/40/50% more Bloodpoints for actions in the Hunter Category (REMOVED)
Fire Up:
For each generator completed, gain a 4/5/6% stackable speed bonus to picking up, dropping, vaulting, damaging generators, and breaking pallets and breakable walls for the remained of the trial (was 3/3.5/4%)
Remember Me:
Each time your Obsession loses a health state, gain 1 token, up to 3/4/5(was 2/3/4)
For each token, increases the opening time of Exit Gates by 6 seconds, up to a maximum of 18/24/30(was 12/18/24)
Survivor
Vigil:
Affects Survivors within 16 meters(was 8 meters)
Recover from Blindness, Broken, Exhausted, Exposed, Haemorrhage, Hindered, Mangled and Oblivious 30/35/40% faster (was 20/25/30%)
Wake Up!:
For each Survivor still alive, increase the speed at which you open Exit Gates by 8/10/12.5%(NEW)
Archives & Events
Tome 22 ANGUISH – Level 1 opens January 28th at 11:00am Eastern
While Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth just launched on PC, it seems to have already established a new record and is already faring better than its predecessor, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade.
Bug Fixes
Audio
Fixed an issue that caused the harpoon and breathing SFX to be heard when entering the tally screen as the Deathslinger.
Fixed an issue where the Spirit’s audio could be heard from the husk as she begins phasing.
Fixed an issue where Technician and the Spring Clamp Toolbox add-on did not stack the range of which the Killer can hear generator repair noises.
Fixed an issue where the Houndmaster wouldn’t whistle when attacking a survivor and immediately charging her power afterwards.
Fixed an issue where Survivors wouldn’t scream when hooked after being downed by the ”Plot Twist” perk.
Fixed an issue where the Victor’s Pounce attack would fail to make Survivors scream when injured or downed.
Fixed an issue where the Technician Perk and Spring Clamp Toolbox add-on fail to stack the range of which the Killer can hear the noise of the generator repair.
Fixed an issue where the Huntress’s lullaby on her Were-Elk Cosmetic is lower than her base audio with other outfits.
Bots
Fixed an issue that caused bots to gain Haste indefinitely when Sprint Burst is activated.
Fixed an issue that caused bots to try walking over a tree stump in Mother’s Dwelling.
Fixed issues that caused bots to always look down while walking.
Fixed issues that caused bots stay stuck in one location when they run out of immediate objectives.
Characters
Fixed an issue that caused the wind and snow VFX from the Ormond Lake Mine map to be missing when the Knight was in path drawing mode.
Fixed an issue that caused the Knight’s Guards to be unable to hit Survivors that went on a specific rock in the Rotten Fields map.
Fixed an issue that caused the Knight’s Guards to prioritize reaching windows instead of hitting Survivors during chases.
Fixed an issue that caused the Clown’s Spirit of Hartshorn add-on effects to apply to the Afterpiece Tonic.
Fixed an issue that caused the Good Guy’s Slice & Dice progress not to show the debuff effect from the Silk Pillow add-on.
Fixed an issue that caused multiple Killer powers to miss if a Survivor crouched where there was only slight elevation.
Fixed an issue that caused Victor to be visible in Charlotte’s chest cavity after having been stomped by a Survivor.
Fixed an issue that caused the Trickster to throw a single blade during Main Event if the interaction to activate it is held down.
Fixed multiple issues that arose from the Knight’s pathing mechanics.
Fixed an issue that sometimes caused the Huntress and Trickster to reload instead of grabbing Survivors.
Fixed an issue that caused the Skull Merchant intro animation to be missing.
Fixed an issue that caused certain Killers to play the incorrect pick-up animation.
Fixed an issue that caused the Legion’s Susie, Julie, and Hunk sets to experience a minor animation hitch while strafing.
Fixed an issue that caused the Executioner’s camera to move up and down abruptly when using Rites of Judgment.
Fixed an issue that caused the Lich to stop moving when opening the menu while using the Fly spell.
The Houndmaster
Fixed an issue that caused the Houndmaster to be able to move Survivors while holding the Dog Command input.
Fixed an issue that caused healthy Exposed Survivors not to have the healthy version of Houndsense removed when downed.
Fixed an issue that caused the Dog to teleport and get stuck outside the exit.
Fixed an issue that caused the Dog not to affect Survivors with Houndsense when the Survivor is in the search radius as the ability starts.
Fixed an issue that caused the Dog animations to break when grabbing a Survivor as they bleed out from Deep Wound.
Fixed an issue that caused the Houndsense Killer effect not to be removed after the Mori.
Fixed an issue that caused the Chase Command to be activated from a high ledge.
Fixed an issue that caused the Search Command ground target to appear bigger than normal when quickly moving between different elevations.
Fixed an issue that caused the Dog to remain in the pet command animation when the Houndmaster is stunned during the pet interaction.
Fixed an issue that caused the Survivors camera to clip when crouching inside the Dog.
Fixed an issue that caused the Houndsense killer effect timer not to increase on Mettle of Man’s hit protection.
Fixed an issue that caused the Dog not to be able to chain vault two windows in Chase Command.
Fixed an issue that could cause the Houndmaster to jitter when walking in the Dog’s Search Radius.
Fixed an issue that caused the Search Command ground target to briefly appear further ahead while charging the Search Command.
Fixed an issue that caused the Search Command ground target to appear bigger than normal when quickly moving between different elevations.
Fixed an issue that caused the Dog not to catch up to the Houndmaster after a patrol if the Killer was still actively moving.
Fixed multiple instances where the Dog could get stuck or not be able to pass through places where the Killer could.
Fixed multiple navigation issues with the Dog.
Environment/Maps
Fixed a collision issue on the Realm of Autohaven Wreckers on the side of the crane.
Fixed multiple issues where the starting camera rotation clipped through the character of the Houndmaster.
Fixed an issue on Léry’s Memorial Institute where a closed door would spawn next to a window in the main room.
Fixed an issue on Crotus Prenn Asylum where Killers were not able to break a pallet if they were close to a wall.
Fixed an issue on Crotus Prenn Asylum where the Nurse could blink on top of the roof.
Fixed issues on Midwich Elementary School where survivors would clip into piles of gore.
Fixed an issue on Nostromo Wreckage that caused the Chest to be fully unlocked at the start of a trial.
Fixed an issue in The Temple of Purgation where Houndmasters Dog was unable to navigate
Fixed an issue in Torment Creek where the camera fades through the ground
Fixed issues with areas of various maps where the Survivors could pass through, but Killers could not
Fixed an issue with adding collision to the mop trolley near a fence in Raccoon City Police Station to prevent stepping on it
Fixed an issue with adjusting the height of the couch in Mount Ormond Resort to prevent stepping on it
Fixed an issue on the Undergrond Complex to ensure the mori does not get interupted by the environment.
Fixed an issue to prevent getting stuck inside the wall in the Raccoon City Police Station west wing
Fixed an issue with adjusting collision in Yamaoka Estate to avoid hovering in a location
Fixed an issue by adding collision on the bottom of the vault of the main building of Ormond Lake Mine to prevent the projectile from going through it
Fixed an issue with filling in holes in the floor to avoid seeing through the wall
Fixed an issue with separating the silo structure to make it easier to navigate nearby
Fixed one-sided texture issue in Badham Preschool by splitting assets and adding proper texture
Fixed an issue with adding a missing part to the mesh to fix a hole in Gideon Meat Plant
Fixed a broken collision to prevent the player from hiding in the walls of the Gideon Meat Plant control room
Fixed a missing window on the Badham Preschool house
Fixed an issue with adding collision to fill the gap where the bat could stand on the door frame of the Thompson farmhouse in Coldwind
Fixed the house appearing white from a distance in Raccoon City Police Station by changing the fog diffusion color
Perks
Fixed an issue that caused Mettle of Man’s aura reading to have no range limit against Lethal Pursuer.
Fixed an issue that caused Survivors to be unable to place a Chemical Trap on a pallet that previously had one installed.
Fixed an issue that caused the Chemical Trap and the destroyed pallets aura to remain visible when the pallet is destroyed by Spirit Fury.
Fixed an issue that caused the Exhausted status effect from Genetic Limits not to be applied onto a Survivor that uses Plot Twist.
Fixed an issue that caused Survivors not to scream when hooked after using Plot Twist.
Fixed an issue that caused the aura from Camaraderie to stay on the Survivor after getting unhooked.
Fixed an issue that caused Dance With Me to be activated by any Survivor in the trial.
Fixed an issue that caused Survivors with a hooked state not to receive the Exposed status effect from Shoulder the Burden.
Fixed an issue that caused Boil Over to give double wiggle progression when dropped from a height.
Fixed an issue that caused held items to be dropped at the players last safe position instead of their current position when hit with Franklin’s Demise during a fast vault.
UI
Fixed an issue where placeholder text was showing.
Fixed an issue that causes infinite match loading when opening the Auric Cells Store via top right Currency button on online lobby by disabling the button.
Fixed an issue where lobby side panel blocks the left side of scrollbar in the character tab.
Fixed an issue where after watching a Mori preview on a selected locked customization, the purchase prompt of the selected outfit disappears.
Fixed an issue where the equip button and collection list were not updated after equipping in the store collection tab.
Fixed an issue with scrolling the character list tab.
Fixed a potential crash from season end rank rewards popup.
Misc
Fixed an issue that caused the Honor the Bloodline achievement/trophy to be unlocked when taking control of Victor when playing as the Twins.
Fixed an issue that caused the exit gates to power on when the last Survivor escapes through the hatch.
Fixed an issue that caused the Unhooking and Self-Unhooking animations to be interrupted by a Killers basic attack.
Fixed an issue that allowed players to reach areas which they were not supposed to by changing an in-game setting
Once another patch is released, we’ll be sure to let our readers know. Stay tuned for the latest Dead by Daylight updates here on MP1st.
With Microsoft's Xbox division now a bonafide third-party publisher on other platforms, some might be wondering why would gamers want to buy an Xbox console in the first place, if they can play the company's games on competing platforms.
GIANTS Software has released the first patch of Farming Simulator 25 for the year! This brings technical improvements to the console versions, which should appear as download version 1.080. Those on PS5 Pro, this patch should increase performance by default.
The developers tag this as patch 1.5, and this also improves water simulation, as well as squashes a good number of bugs.
Just days after the news about the cancellation of the God of War live-service project by Bluepoint, a new rumor has surfaced about the future of the popula Santa Monica series, bringing excitement to fans.
Farming Simulator 25’s First Patch of 2025 Improves Console Performance
New Additions & Improvements
Increased performance on PS5 Pro by default
Added performance modes for PS5 and Xbox Series X
Enabled water reflections on PS5 platforms
Added shader generation step when loading into a savegame without or mismatching shader cache
Added small cementFactory
Added foam to water simulation
Fixes & Changes
Various technical changes to significantly improve performance
Various stability improvements to prevent crashes
Various text / translation adjustments
Various visual adjustments on several models
Improved advanced settings do not require a game restart anymore.
Improved behavior of Go To helper
Improved collision checks against the ground (less objects falling through / getting stuck in the ground / bouncing mowers)
Improved generated collisions of cut trees
Improved color reproduction in HDR mode
Improved HDR activation does not require a game restart anymore
Improved quality of AMD FSR 3 rendering
Improved quality of TAA rendering
Improved soft shadows casted from various sources
Improved sugarbeet leaves on the ground
Improved UI slider behavior with controllers
Doubled harvest rate of grapes and olives
Reduced planting costs for grape and olive orchards
Reduced vehicle paint damage accumulation speed
Fixed multiplayer sync of ground tire deformation
Fixed placeable extensions losing connection after reloading a savegame
Fixed capello diamant8 corn header lowered too far
Fixed chicken barn small and from Rudolf Hörmann being unable to add custom pasture
Fixed front axle not being limited on a few tractors when frontloader is attached
Fixed grain elevator museum interactions and collisions
Fixed issues with shader cache when it gets corrupted (e.g. crash while saving or some external tool, like Cloud Sync, breaking it)
Fixed missing collision on husbandries with lely vector
Fixed momentary hangs when cables on winches are created or removed
Fixed obsolete great demand on debris cutter and train selling stations
Fixed placement area’s of 250kW BGA
Fixed Pöttinger SERVO T 6000 P working behavior
Fixed sound beep on Hutan Pantai in spring
Fixed wheels on bomech machinery not being declared as care wheels
Fixed wild animals behavior with various obstacles
Modding
Added maxHeight user attribute to splines to limit the vehicles that will use it with GoTo AI
Adjusted color and material of rearLight30
Fixed loading of mod vehicle types from vehicle type configs
Added command descriptions in console
Improved scrolling behavior within the console while typing is disabled.
scroll to to top’ (home) and ‘scroll to bottom’ (end) (when typing is not enabled)
scroll 1 page by holding shift while pressing page up or down (when typing is not enabled)
Additional notes
As with all major updates, you may experience stuttering on the first game launch after updating. Especially when using mods or custom graphics settings due to shaders being recompiled.
That’s it for this patch. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait long for the next significant update from the devs.
Saber Interactive has released the first patch for Expeditions: A Mudrunner game on all platforms this January 28, and this brings qualit-of-life improvements. Console players will see this as Mudrunner game update version 1.14 on PS4/XB1, while those on PS5/XSX version 1.014.
Alongside the changes, there are important technical fixes included as well, with all the info outlined in the official patch.
Just days after the news about the cancellation of the God of War live-service project by Bluepoint, a new rumor has surfaced about the future of the popula Santa Monica series, bringing excitement to fans.
Expeditions: A Mudrunner Game’s First Patch of 2025 Brings Quality-of-Life Improvements via Update 1.14
Critical fixes:
Fixed a number of issues with Scheme C for gamepad
Fixed display of built bridges on the global map
Fixed the performance issue on Xbox Series in co-op mode when one of the players is using binoculars
Fixed the issue with camera inversion in the garage
Fixed the сollision with the Intelligence center base module
UI:
Highlighted quest points on the map when choosing a deployment zone
Added landmark for the drone on minimap
Added icon for installed anchors
Added the highlighting of the gatesOn the deployment screen if the expedition stage leads to another map
Added the honk button to Scheme B
Fixed a number of bugs related to controls in UI
Added the ability to open a map from a drone’s HUD
Additional changes:
Added Support of Map Mods for Coop mode
Added Functionality for Recommended Deployment zone
Added PlayStation Activities for Season 0 and Season 1
That’s about it for the update. While we don’t get regular patches for the game, it’s still being supported well by Saber. Let’s hope more content is on the way soon.
Xbox Series S continues to spark debates among gamers and developers, with some developers often pointing out the limits of the entry-level hardware from Microsoft.
Sega is currently fully committed on bringing back the Virtua Fighter series, starting with the release of Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. on Steam and the announcement of a new main game, though details about it are still unclear. One of the challenges the series will surely deal with is competition from other fighting games.
Automaton-Media recently spoke with Seiji Aoki, producer of Sega’s Legacy Virtua Fighter project, who said that Virtua Fighter should aim to stand on its own as a unique style of game, instead of trying to compete directly with others.
A few weeks ago at The Game Awards, SEGA surprised gamers by announcing that a new game in the Virtua Fighter franchise is being developed at RGG Studio (Yakuza, Like a Dragon).
Virtua Fighter Doesn’t Want to Compete With Other Fighting Games
“The first Virtua Fighter wasn’t created as a fighting game,” Aoki explained. “It was developed as part of a realistic human body simulation.” These unique roots are part of what makes Virtua Fighter “distinct from today’s fighting game scene and genre,” which Aoki considers the franchise’s strength.
Instead of aiming to compete with or surpass other fighting games, Virtua Fighter’s aim is to stand out as a distinct genre, Aoki elaborated. He pointed to features such as the series’ three-button controls, the absence of special effects, and its general simplicity as its standout features.
According to Aoki, Virtua Fighter “feels like a fighting game, but also feels different from a fighting game.” That said, he admitted that developers will need to find ways to communicate the series’ uniqueness effectively to players in order to distinguish it from competitors.
SEGA may be very open about their ongoing relationship with Microsoft, with recent years seeing more and more of SEGA titles on Game Pass and other partnerships, but that doesn't mean they plan on being bought out by the mega-corporation or any third-party company.
The next major content drop for Call of Duty is here, as Treyarch has pushed out Black Ops 6 download version 1.068, which brings in Season 2! Note that given Call of Duty has a unified launcher, those who own Modern Warfare 3 and other older Call of Duty games housed in the app will be mandated to download the patch as well.
There’s a slew of new content and also various changes included in the patch, which are all detailed below.
Xbox Series S continues to spark debates among gamers and developers, with some developers often pointing out the limits of the entry-level hardware from Microsoft.
Season 2 of Black Ops 6 Brings New Maps, Guns and More
Deploy at sunrise to the top of an Avalon skyscraper, surging into the penthouse suite of a local crime boss. The Rogue team are here to celebrate their previous victories, but the party is short-lived, as friends turn into enemies, and chaos reigns.
Dealership (6v6)
For Avalon’s wealthy clientele, nothing compares to the luxury vehicles on display at the Pallasar car dealership. However, this dealership is a front, and in reality serves as a lucrative black market for the criminal underworld where vehicles are traded for guns, ammunition, and other unsavory valuables.
Lifeline (6v6, 2v2)
Expect high stakes on the high seas as Rogue team focus on escaping by boat, and battle onto the aptly named Lifeline, a small, high-end yacht still ablaze after a successful boarding by Sev and her allies.
New Multiplayer Modes
Season Launch
Overdrive
Kick into Overdrive in this charged-up twist on Team Deathmatch. Teams compete to be the first to reach the maximum number of stars. For more details on this new mode, check out the Multiplayer Modes section of the patch notes.
Gun Game (Week 2)
The fan-favorite Gun Game returns! Compete in a free-for-all mode where all Operators begin the match with the same starting weapon and cycle through the same set of 20 weapons, varying from match to match. Eliminate enemies to advance to the next weapon, testing your skills across a variety of weapon types.
In-Season
Valentine’s Day Limited Time Modes
Third Wheel Gunfight
Not everyone’s hungry for love. Some people just want to do things their own way. In Third Wheel Gunfight, you can now bring along that untethered friend and duke it out 3v3.
Couples Dance Off
This one’s strictly for duos. Compete in a moshpit of 2v2 Face Off modes including Face Off Team Deathmatch, Face Off Domination, and Face Off Kill Confirmed.
New Weapons (Multiplayer & Zombies)
PPSh-41 – SMG (Battle Pass)
Full-auto submachine gun. Fast fire rate with impressive damage and high recoil. Moderate handling.
Cypher 091 – Assault Rifle (Battle Pass)
Full-auto assault rifle. Slower rate of fire balanced by great handling and excellent mobility.
Feng 82 – LMG (Battle Pass)
Full-auto light machine gun. Very slow rate of fire with great damage and handling.
TR2 – Marksman Rifle (Event Reward)
Semi-auto marksman rifle. Great rate of fire and respectable handling.
New Attachments (Multiplayer & Zombies)
Crossbow Attachment (Battle Pass)
Add some flare to your Primary Weapon with the Crossbow Underbarrel Attachment. The three explosive tipped bolts detonate shortly after impact for an explosive finish, even if you hit just wide of the mark.
AEK-973 Full Auto Mod (Event Reward)
Convert the AEK-973 into a fully automatic weapon chambered in 5.45x39mm. The change gives the Marksman Rifle a steady upward kick; press slightly downward through sustained fire to stay on target.
Tanto .22 SMG Binary Trigger (Event Reward)
Alter the weapon’s typical full-auto firing mode to a specialized semi-auto function that fires a bullet when the trigger is pulled and when it’s released for rapid fire capabilities. Blocks Barrel and Underbarrel attachments.
New Multiplayer Perks
Season Launch Window
Slipstream – Enforcer (Event Reward)
Raises your base sprint speed at the cost of removing Tac Sprint.
New Scorestreak (Multiplayer & Zombies)
War Machine (Event Reward)
Available In-Season, equip this powerful burst-fire grenade launcher with grenades that explode on impact.
The War Machine can also be accessed in Zombies at the Crafting Table under Support.
Microsoft recently held its Xbox Developer Direct event, revealing exciting games like DOOM: The Dark Ages and Ninja Gaiden 4, set to release this year.
New Zombies Map: The Tomb
Following the events at Citadelle des Morts, Weaver, Maya, Carver, and Grey must take the amulet secured at the Citadel to a cursed dig site and the ancient catacombs within. Professor Krafft indicated that the elusive Sentinel Artifact may be found in the tunnels below. Reports of paranormal phenomena go back centuries, possibly related to the presence of the artifact. If the team can secure it, there may yet be hope in releasing Samantha Maxis from her imprisonment in the Dark Aether.
New Events
The Terminator (MP, ZM, WZ: February 6 to 20)
Collect skulls to unlock rewards. Skulls are earned via eliminations in Multiplayer and Zombies, and by eliminating players and opening caches in Call of Duty: Warzone. Earn bonus skulls for eliminating enemies with explosive or fire damage.
Shadow Hunt (MP, ZM, WZ: February 13 to 20)
To join Nocturne, you must first complete the challenges he has laid out before you. Don’t fail him.
New Operators (Multiplayer & Zombies)
Vortex (BlackCell, Crimson One, Launch)
There’s no escaping this master assassin, known only under the alias Vortex. All biographical information for this Operator has been redacted.
Nocturne (Battle Pass, Crimson One, Launch)
A bounty’s been activated on the Rogue Black Ops team, and Nocturne is here to collect. Other than his incredible lethality on display, all biographical information for this Operator has been redacted.
The Terminator (Bundle, Crimson One, In-Season)
The ultimate killing machine arrives as The Terminator deploys from the future to decimate its enemies across Season 02. This brand-new Operator comes with two Ultra Skins inspired by the original movie. Take control of the cyborg assassin who first crashed onto the silver screen in 1984, releasing as a Store Bundle shortly after Launch.
GLOBAL
PROGRESSION & PRESTIGE
Addressed an issue that was causing the “Congratulations, you’ve Mastered Prestige” screen to appear after every match for some Prestige Master players.
Addressed an issue that would occasionally occur after Quick-Resuming Black Ops 6 that would incorrectly display all other players as Level 1 with default customization.
Players who’ve reached Max Level will now see a reminder that they have a Prestige available after each match.
Players who’ve reached Max Level will now see a “Prestige Available” treatment on the Prestige Tile in the Barracks Progression menu.
Prestige Master Ribbons will now display in the player details when inspecting a player from the Lobby.
Players can now tab between individual Prestiges (L1/R1 on PlayStation, LB/RB on Xbox) when viewing an individual Prestige’s rewards via the Prestige screen.
The player’s current Prestige Master Ribbon and Icon milestone will now be highlighted by default whenever they enter the Prestige Master screen.
CHALLENGES
Challenge Tracker & Near Completion
We know our Challenge chasers have been asking for the ability to track Challenges, and we’ve been hard at work to add that functionality with Season 02. The Challenge Tracker makes it easy for players to manually track up to 10 Camo and 10 Calling Card Challenges they’re actively working toward, but there’s another element of this system that we think players will find useful on the journey to Dark Matter, Nebula, and 100 Percenter: Near Completion.
Players who don’t manually fill their Tracked Challenge lists will see Challenges auto-populate that they are close to completing, making it easy to discover Challenges you might not be aware of yet or give you a goal to go after in your next match.
Your top Tracked or Near Complete Camo and Calling Card Challenge can be seen in the Lobby by cycling the Daily Challenge widget (via Right Thumbstick on console, or the “R” key on PC). From this view, players can enter each Challenge type’s Tracked & Near Complete list to see the full list of Tracked & Near Complete Challenges.
We’re hopeful the Challenge Tracker & Near Complete system will help shortcut players to their Challenges and make it easier to keep tabs on the Challenges you’re pursuing, both in-and-out of game.
Manually track up to 10 Camo and 10 Calling Card Challenges.
Untracked Slots (out of the 10) will automatically display Camo and Calling Card Challenges closest to completion.
The Top Tracked (or Near Complete) Camo and Calling Card Challenge can be seen in the Lobby by cycling the Daily Challenge display panel The Top Tracked (or Near Complete) Camo and Calling Card Challenge can also be seen in-game by bringing up the Options Menu and cycling the Daily Challenge display panel.
When tracking a Camo, the Weapon’s next Camo Challenge is automatically tracked and displayed. You do not need to re-track each individual Camo Challenge as you progress through Camos for a single Weapon.
Access the “Tracked & Near Complete” list for Camos and Calling Cards from the Lobby panel
The Calling Card Challenges “Tracked & Near Complete” list can also be accessed via the Calling Card Challenge menu.
Addressed an issue where XP would not be rewarded Armory Challenges before opening the Armory for the first time.
This feature is planned to arrive in Warzone at a later date.
Camos & Camo Challenges
Players can now equip any unlocked Special Camos to a Weapon as soon as they’ve unlocked any 5 Military Camos for that weapon. Previously, players needed to unlock all 9 Military Camos for at least 1 mode to equip Special Camos.
Challenge progress bars now appear below Special Camo and Mastery Camo swatches on the Camo tab in the Gunsmith.
The currently equipped Camo will now be highlighted by default when entering the Camo tab in the Gunsmith (if applicable).
SOCIAL & CHANNELS
Added a “Favorites Only” Filter to the Friends List that can be used to display only Favorite Friends.
Player mic indicators will now appear when viewing the Party Channel or Game Channel.
“Sort by Progression” and “Sort by Rank” will now display the applicable Level or Rank icons in the Friends List, regardless of which mode the player is viewing the Social menu from.
Dark Ops Calling Cards that you haven’t unlocked yet yourself will no longer appear as “Classified” when viewed in another player’s Calling Card Showcase.
Earlier this week, Insomniac Games announced that its founder, Ted Price, will retire after over 30 years of running the company.
Multiplayer Changes Made in Season 2
WEAPONS
Addressed an issue where Akimbo Attachments did not properly display Pros and Cons.
Addressed an animation pop when using certain muzzle attachments with the GS45 Pistol.
All Weapons
We have a few global changes landing with the start of Season 02 that will affect all weapons. The first is an improvement to the weapon motion reduction on the Dexterity Perk, which will make weapons feel even more stable while jumping, sliding, and diving. The second is a response to feedback that the weapon animations on respawn can get in the way of combat. These animations are now immediately interruptible when firing, aiming down sights, sprinting, or performing other gameplay actions.
Lastly, we are tuning down bullet penetration significantly, as we have continued to see cases where bullets are passing through too much cover. Our first step in addressing this is to decrease the maximum depth that bullets can pass through for all materials. We have longer-term plans to make bullet penetration more intuitive and consistent, and will be introducing further improvements in future updates.
Weapon motion reduction from the Dexterity perk improved from 60% to 70%.
Weapon raise animations that play on respawn are now fully interruptible.
Reduced bullet penetration on all surface types.
Magazine Attachment Changes
Another large-scale change we are making is speeding up Fast Mag reload times. Our goal is for every magazine attachment to have a role across the many playstyles in Call of Duty, but we recognize that it can feel hard to trade away the larger mag sizes. We want to avoid adding more penalties to Extended Mags, so we are instead focusing on improvements to Fast Mags to make the selection more enticing. We’re starting with reload time adjustments, but we’ll continue to assess magazines to make sure players have more interesting choices and build potential with this node.
Fast Mag I, Fast Mag II, Fast Mag III, and Flip Mag reload times improved by 10% on all weapon classes but pistols.
Fast Mag I and Fast Mag II reload times improved by 5% on Pistols.
All LMG magazines with 50 rounds or less have had reload times improved by 5%.
AS VAL default magazine reload time improved by 10%.
Addressed an issue with Swat 5.56 Fast Mag I, it will now improve reload times as intended.
The following magazine attachments have had their ammo add times updated to match the intended timings. The overall reload times and interrupt times remain the same.
C9 Extended Mag I: from 1.933s to 2.267s.
Model L Extended Mag II: from 2.133s to 2.433s.
GPMG-7 Extended Mag II: from 5.2s to 5.6s.
GPMG-7 Extended Mag III: from 5.7s to 6.07s.
GPMG-7 Extended Mag IV: from 6.13s to 6.47s.
SVD Extended Mag 2: from 2.63s to 3s.
Melee
Removed screen flash from taking frontal bullet damage while holding a melee.
Assault Rifles
Goblin Mk2
The Goblin Mk2 may be the most divisive weapon out there in the community. Some players absolutely love it, and a lot of players… strongly prefer other weapons. We’re making a number of small improvements to help overall usability and consistency without affecting the weapon’s identity. In particular, the maximum damage range increase will help with mid-range engagements, and we’re giving it a bit more inflicted flinch than the average Assault Rifle to reward players who land that first hit.
SMGs
Kompakt 92
Our design intent for the 3-Round Burst Mod on the Kompakt 92 is to give the weapon an alternate playstyle that trades some raw upfront power for more consistent mid-range performance. The upside wasn’t as strong as we wanted it to be, so we’ve adjusted the range slightly and made some significant recoil reductions.
3-Round Burst Mod:
Shotguns
With this update, we are improving ranges and Sprint to Fire speeds on all Shotguns. We know that some of these adjustments may look inconsequential, but Shotgun balance in particular tends to live on a knife’s edge. We want Shotguns to play a greater role outside of our very smallest maps, and we’ll keep adjusting until we’re happy with their usage.
The Maelstrom has received some more pronounced changes, as it was lagging behind the Marine SP and ASG-89. It is now capable of a one-shot kill at very close proximity, and all its other ranges have received a larger boost than the other Shotguns. We’ve also given it a small Fire Rate improvement to help its firepower without further changes to pellet damage.
LMGs
PU-21
The PU-21 is intended to be a more lightweight LMG with build opportunities skewing towards Assault Rifle handling and mobility. We are reducing the pre-fire delay by a little more than half to help fit the more aggressive playstyle, and are reducing deviation in its recoil to help with consistency in gunfights.
Marksman Rifles
DM-10
The Gain-Twist Barrel improvement to Bullet Velocity was unintentionally low on the DM-10. There will now be an advantage to using it over the Reinforced Barrel.
Sniper Rifles
We saw a lot of positivity surrounding the AMR Mod 4 when it launched in Season 01, in no small part due to the consistency it has with its hit location multipliers. With Season 02 we are increasing the one-shot hit locations on the launch snipers, with the goal of giving all of them a similar feeling of consistency and opening the doors to more weapon variety.
We are also making some small reductions to the Aim Down Sight speed bonuses on Quickdraw Grips. There were a couple considerations that went into this change. The first was the general power level of snipers, as the body multiplier changes are a big buff. Another consideration was our Fast Mag buffs, which we hope will enable players to comfortably take builds that stack multiple sources of ADS speed improvements.
Pistols
Stryder .22
The Stryder .22 launched with a smaller Bullet Penetration profile than the other pistols. The distinction is hard to read as a player and offers little to weapon identity, so we’re bringing it up to parity with the rest of the class.
Special Weapons
Sirin 9mm
We’ve addressed an issue causing unintended Sprint to Fire modifications with the magazine attachments on the Sirin 9mm. We have updated the attributes on these magazines so that they’re in line with the tradeoffs that appear on other weapons.
Launchers
Last but not least, launchers are receiving some major handling improvements to help with general usability and responsiveness.
While Dragon Age: The Veilguard might have gotten decent review scores when it was released last year, it seems that didn't translate to sales, so much so, that publisher Electronic Arts' stock has dropped because of it.
HUD
Addressed an issue that would occasionally incorrectly display the Field Upgrade “READY” state after respawning.
Addressed an issue where player names would not display beside the speaker icon when speaking in a match.
HUD Presets can now be set separately for Zombies and Multiplayer.
PROGRESSION & XP
Search & Destroy
Addressed an issue that was preventing the end-of-game Match Bonus XP payout from being awarded in the following situations:
The entire enemy team quit, ending the match
The player did not deal any damage in the final Round
CHALLENGES
Black Ops 6 launched with more Calling Card Challenges than any recent Call of Duty, brought the return of “100 Percenter” Cards for Multiplayer and Zombies, and brought a deep Calling Card grind to Warzone with its own “100 Percenter” Card for the first time. It has been very exciting to see players strategizing over and unlocking all the various Calling Card Challenges in the game since launch.
Some Multiplayer Challenges, however, have been either a bit on the frustrating side, or have had bugs and other issues that have prevented some players from completing them on the path to “100 Percenter”.For Season 02, we’ve put a big focus on fixing these Challenge bugs and smoothing over the key frustration points players have been experiencing as part of the Multiplayer Calling Card Challenge grind since launch. We hope these fixes and updates help players stuck in their Challenge journey and unblock their progress toward 100% completion.
Scorestreak Destruction Challenges
Addressed an issue that was not awarding Challenge progress towards Scorestreak Destructions in cases where players didn’t perform the final blow on the destroyed enemy Scorestreak.
Players will now earn progress for Camo Challenges that require destroying Scorestreaks even if they do not deal the destroying final blow. This impacts the following content:
Camo Challenges for the CIGMA 2B and HE-1
Mastery Badges for the CIGMA 2B and HE-1
“Hot Lead”, “Air Control,” and “Field Work” Calling Card Challenges
We made this adjustment to ensure that Challenge progress for destroying Scorestreaks is made whenever you earn Scorestreak Destruction Medals like “Flyswatter” and “Downed,” and to make challenges that involve destroying Scorestreaks much more consistent. This should make the grind for Diamond Launchers smoother and less random or frustrating for players.
Calling Card Challenges
“Redemption Arc” Going Ham Challenge: Removed the time requirement of needing to get a kill shortly after being revived. Players can now make progress by earning a Kill anytime after they revive themselves with the Morphine Injector.
“Tick Tock Boom” Humiliation Challenge: Semtex sticks that do not result in a kill for the sticking player will now also progress the Challenge.
“On Point” Prestige 1 Challenge: The Challenge now uses the same Dive detection as the “Dive Shot” Medal, allowing for a grace period shortly after landing from a Dive where the Challenge can still be progressed.
“Squint Test” Prestige 1 Challenge: Moonshot requirement reduced from 100m to 75m to make completing this Challenge possible on more maps.
“Explosive Plays” Prestige 4 Challenge: Addressed a bug that was displaying the wrong Calling Card name.
“Hot Dawg” Prestige 4 Challenge: Reduced the Molotov or Thermo Grenade Kills without dying requirement from 4 to 3.
“Headhunter” Prestige 5 Challenge: Addressed a typo in the Challenge description that specified the incorrect Barrel needed to progress the Challenge. The CHF Barrel and Muzzle Brake Attachments are what need to be equipped to progress the Challenge.
“Speed Demon” Prestige 6 Challenge: Reduced the Kills-while-activated requirement from 3 to 2.
“Score Collector” Prestige 6 Challenge: Now only requires 5 Scorestreak Kills in a single game to progress, instead of 10.
“Deep Cover” Prestige 7 Challenge: Added the ability to earn progress with Kills while disguised by the Sleeper Agent Field Upgrade, in addition to Bomb plants and defuses.
“Switchblade” Prestige 7 Challenge: Players can now make progress when Melee killing an enemy affected by their Tactical Equipment, in addition to the existing gunfire requirement.
“Ripped Up” Prestige 8 Challenge: Converted challenge from Guns Blazing Medals (3 rapid Kills with the Chopper Gunner) to tracking individual Kills with the Chopper Gunner Scorestreak.
“Devastating Force” Prestige 8 Challenge: Converted challenge from Death From Above Medals (3 rapid Kills with the Dreadnought) to tracking individual Kills with the Dreadnought Scorestreak.
“Hunt Them Down” Prestige Master Challenge: Removed the Acoustic Amp requirement, the Challenge now only requires Point Blank Kills with the specified Perks equipped.
“Hard and Fast” Prestige Master Challenge: Addressed a typo in the Challenge description that incorrectly referenced the Ghost Perk instead of the Double Time Perk.
Global Camo Mastery: Calling Card is now correctly granted when completing the final Camo in all 3 modes. Any players who completed this Challenge prior to this update should now see the Calling Card in their inventory (Added on Jan. 24).
We know the “Flowing Low” Prestige 1 Calling Card Challenge is top of mind for many players, and the team is working on a fix for an upcoming update. Thanks for your patience on this one.
Camo Challenges
AK-74 “Vengeance” Special Camo: Addressed an issue where the AK-74 Drill Charge Underbarrel Launcher would not count toward the unlock requirement.
Daily Challenges
Reduced the requirements for the following Daily Challenges:
Get 3 Headshots with Pistols (was 5).
Get 5 Kills with Melee Weapons (was 10).
Get 3 Kingslayer Medals (was 10).
Get 5 Kills while diving or sliding (was 10).
With the Danger Close Wildcard equipped: get 5 Kills with Lethal Equipment (was 10).
Intercept 5 enemy projectiles with the Trophy System Field Upgrade (was 10).
Removed the following Daily Challenges from the game:
Eliminations with Full-Auto Weapons.
Eliminations with Semi-Auto Weapons.
Eliminations with Burst-Fire Weapons.
Destroy Enemy Scorestreaks.
Get Kills with the Combat Axe Lethal Equipment.
Get Kills with the Drill Charge Lethal EquipmentKill enemies that are disoriented by your Neurogas Field Upgrade.
We’re always actively monitoring Daily Challenge completion rates, as well as the feedback we see from players. With Season 02, we wanted to remove or update some of the more frustrating Dailies to ensure that players are always receiving Challenges that are approachable and straightforward. Our goal with Daily Challenges is to encourage players to try out various items and strategies, without making them too restrictive or frustrating for players to complete in a single session.
Addressed an issue that was preventing the following Daily Challenges from tracking properly:
Get 50 Eliminations with a Suppressed Weapon.
Get 50 Eliminations using a Weapon with 5 or more Attachments.
The “Get Eliminations with Secondary Weapons” Daily Challenge will now track Eliminations earned with the Sirin 9mm Special Weapon.
A new report claims that several Xbox titles might be coming to the Nintendo Switch 2.
Mastery Badges
Tactical Insertion: Addressed an issue that was causing the Tactical Insertion Mastery Badge from only progressing via Revenge Kills. It will now progress when any enemy is Killed by the player shortly after they’ve respawned via a Tactical Insertion.
The Mastery Badge for the used Weapon, Scorestreak, Field Upgrade, or Equipment will now appear correctly in Killcam and Best Plays.
Spawns
Spawn logic has been adjusted to continue our efforts to reduce proximity to enemies when respawning.
We have also added the ability to conduct live A/B testing with spawn changes to evaluate on a smaller scale, and if results are positive, we will roll those changes out globally. This will allow us to be more agile with spawn changes.
Modes
Overdrive (LTM)
Rack up stars to unlock special Operator abilities that will greatly aid you in battle and keep that streak going to reach Overdrive! If you get eliminated, or the elimination timer runs out before you take out another target, you’ll start the process over again. Operators “attempting Overdrive” can expect the following improved capabilities:
1 Star: Awakened Senses: See enemies through walls and replenish your health after eliminating a target.
3 Stars: Physical Enhancements: Increased movement and reloading speed.
6 Stars: Augmented Handling: Improved hip-fire accuracy and improved sprint-to-fire and ADS speeds.
Earn all three buffs to activate Overdrive! This allows you to earn double the stars when eliminating enemies.
Search and Destroy
Addressed an issue where XP could not be rewarded if no damage was dealt in the final round.
Kill Order
Addressed an issue where the HVT icon would follow a Dreadnought called in by an active HVT.
Free For All
Addressed an issue where final placements were being incorrectly calculated.
Addressed an issue where the Winner’s Circle would not consistently display the Top 3 players.
Kill Confirmed
Reduced the height of dog tags that are dropped in Kill Confirmed to improve player visibility.
Control
Protocol B zone has been moved to where Hardpoint P2 is located. After consideration, we have found this to be a more competitive location for engagements with both Attackers and Defenders.
Equipment, Perks, Field Upgrades, and Wildcards
Addressed an issue where Lethal and Tactical Equipment inventory was reduced when using Danger Close or Tactical Expert Wildcards and resupplying with the Scavenger Perk.
Reduced additional Smoke Grenade given to +1 from +2 with the Tactical Expert Wildcard. (Yes, we’re annoyed by the smoke too, and will continue to evaluate.)
Addressed an issue where Field Upgrades could not be deployed in certain scenarios while using the Prepper Wildcard.
Addressed an issue where Gearhead Perk would not decrease the time to earn Field Upgrades.
Decreased the amount of weapon motion when jumping, sliding, and diving with the Dexterity Perk.
Addressed an issue where the Ninja Perk could lose functionality between respawns and round transitions, resulting in footsteps not being quieter.
Addressed an issue where the Ninja Perk was not being applied to enemy players when spectating a teammate.
Headshots will no longer skip Last Stand when using the Morphine Injector Field Upgrade.
Scorestreaks
Addressed an issue where Care Packages could be captured by teammates at the same capture rate as the owner.
Addressed an issue where the SAM Turret could target enemy Scorestreaks that were leaving the airspace.
Addressed an issue where the SAM Turret’s targeting laser would not be visible when tracking a target.
Medals
Adjusted the “Dive Shot” Medal (Kill an enemy while or shortly after diving in any direction) to be more forgiving so that Kills earned just after diving will award the Medal more consistently.
Tuned the “Snaked” Medal (2 rapid weapon kills against enemies in different directions while on your stomach, back or side) to be more forgiving and be awarded in more situations that match the intent of the Medal.
General
Detailed Weapon Stats Improvements: Added new stats & refactored the layout to be data-driven.
Addressed an issue in Theater where thrown projectiles could not be seen.
Addressed an issue where vehicles could visually disappear for some players during gameplay.
Training Course entry point has been moved from the playlist selection to the top right navigation panel.
Movement
We are continuing to monitor Omnimovement feedback, and of course playing the game ourselves. We are currently testing slight reductions to initial slide speed and duration to improve predictability of engagements when opponents enter with a slide.
Additionally, we are always evaluating areas for improved fluidity, whether those are specific to movement mechanics or other mechanics like the ability to interrupt weapon raises during respawns that we highlighted above.
Reduced collision with teammates. This should improve the ability to maneuver around tight spaces like doorways with nearby teammates.
The Chinese-developed action RPG Phantom Blade Zero has unveiled new details about its gameplay and story length.
RANKED PLAY
Cross-Play
The following changes are being implemented at the launch of Season 02 to provide players on console with the option to select the platform pool(s) they wish to matchmake with:
PlayStation – In-Game Options
Ranked:
On: Enables matchmaking with all gaming platforms when playing in Ranked playlists.
On (Consoles Only): Enables matchmaking only with other consoles when playing in Ranked playlists.
May negatively impact matchmaking queue times.
Off: Restricts Ranked matchmaking to your current gaming platform only.
Will negatively impact matchmaking queue times.
Xbox – In-Game Options
Ranked:
On: Enables matchmaking with all gaming platforms when playing in Ranked playlists.
On (Consoles Only): Enables matchmaking only with other consoles when playing in Ranked playlists.
May negatively impact matchmaking queue times.
Off: Restricts Ranked matchmaking to your current gaming platform only.
Will negatively impact matchmaking queue times.
Season 02 Weapon Evaluation
At the start of Ranked Play Season 02, the new PPSh-41 SMG and Cypher 091 Assault Rifle will both be unrestricted in Ranked Play for a minimum of one week. This one week evaluation period will give players a chance to experiment with the weapons in a competitive environment, provide feedback, and help Treyarch and the CDL determine whether they should remain unrestricted in CDL and Ranked Play.
Season 02 Rank Setback
Competitors who are continuing their conquest in Ranked Play from Season 01 will notice that their accounts may have been set back as outlined in previous notes.
Every new Season, your Rank may be rolled back based on where you ended the previous season, as follows:
Bronze or Silver Rank players are not impacted by the Seasonal setback and will be able to pick up where they ended Season 01 with no SR deduction.
Gold or Platinum Rank players will start Season 02in Tier I of Gold or Platinum respectively.
Diamond Rank and above players will start the Season 02 at Diamond I.
We’ve made the Ranked Play Seasonal setback more forgiving in Black Ops 6 as we observed it to be too punishing in previous installments, especially for players still early in their Rank journey.
Demotion Protection
Demotion Protection will be active for everyone’s first 3 Ranked Play losses in Season 02, and players can expect 1 free loss per day via Daily Loss Forgiveness like in Season 01.
Ranked Play Season 02 Rewards
Rank Camos: Each Rank Gold and above has a unique animated Camo you can earn to show off your rank:
Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Crimson & Iridescent: Start in (or above) or reach the applicable Rank anytime in Season 02 to earn.
Top 250: Finish Season 02 in the Top 250.
Rank Calling Cards: Each Rank Silver and above has a unique Calling Card reward:
Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Crimson, Iridescent (Animated): Start in (or above) or reach the applicable Rank anytime in Season 02 to earn.
Top 250 (Animated): Finish Season 02 in the Top 250.
Top 250 Champion (Animated): One-of-a-kind Calling Card awarded to the single player who finishes Season 02 in the #1 position on the Top 250.
Pro Issue Jackal PDW Blueprint: Unlocked by winning 10 Ranked Play matches in Season 02
Muzzle: Compensator
Barrel: Long Barrel
Underbarrel: Ranger Foregrip
Rear Grip: Ergonomic Grip
Stock: Balanced Stock
100 Season 02 Wins Decal: Unlocked by winning 100 Ranked Play matches in Season 02.
Veto Vote
The Veto Vote before Ranked Play matches will now occasionally present a choice between the 3 Ranked Play modes (Hardpoint, Control & Search and Destroy) on the same map.
This new addition to the Ranked Play Veto Vote gives players the occasional choice over which Ranked Play mode they want to avoid in their next match, while ensuring that all the maps in the CDL map rotation get playtime in Ranked. We look forward to seeing how players react and vote when this Veto type occasionally appears before Ranked matches. Please let us know what you think.
SR Gain & Loss Adjustments
Players will notice that their personal match performance has a bigger impact on their SR gained or lost after Ranked Play matches in Season 02, especially for the lower Ranks. This should help players early in their Ranked Play Rank journey more consistently earn bigger SR payouts when they perform well, and reduce SR losses incurred after a strong personal performance in a losing effort. While this tuning will impact all Ranks, team performance and the margin of victory are still the primary consideration for SR gains and losses in Ranks Crimson and above.
General
Addressed an issue that was causing all Reticles to appear unlocked in Ranked Play.
RC-XD is restricted in Control/Hardpoint, only allowed in S&D
Fixed instances of restricted weapons appearing in the melee slot
NOTE: Due to both the RC-XD being added back in, and the fix regarding weapons appearing in the melee slot, we had to reset players Ranked loadouts to the default Ranked AR/Ranked SMG classes.
If you’re in the market for a pro-level video game controller, but mostly or only game on PC, your best bet was typically to piggyback off of something made with consoles in mind first.
Zombies Season 2 Black Ops 6 Changes
Maps
Citadelle des Morts
Addressed a server stability issue that could occur when Zombies continue to spawn when no players were present during an active Incantation Ritual.
Addressed a rare issue where players could be downed during the Main Quest outro.
Addressed an issue where The Guardian could get stuck between phases longer than intended.
Addressed an invulnerability exploit when using “Nowhere But There.”
Addressed an issue where the Mystic Orb could be placed again after opening the Secret Study.
Disabled the option to fast travel when voting to Final Encounter to prevent players from getting stuck.
Addressed an issue where loading a save after opening the castle doors would repair some environmental damage caused by the cannon.
Addressed some more locations in the Dungeon where the Lightning Rod dropped by the zombie carrying it could be unreachable.
Addressed an issue where the Welding Torch would clip into the nearby crate.
Addressed an issue where being hit by the Cannon could activate the Dying Wish Augment for Quick Revive.
Addressed an issue where Vermin would continue to spawn each round if the player had gone down during Maya’s Revenge Quest.
Addressed an issue that prevented Maya’s Revenge Quest from ending properly when a player uses the “Nowhere But There” GobbleGum to exit the event.
Addressed an issue where interacting with the Radio then dying would prevent entry into Maya’s Revenge Side Quest.
Krafft will no longer have a blood effect when being punched with Melee Macchiato.
Addressed an issue causing the Kompact 92 wall buy interact to be offset.
Addressed some visual issues when looking out the Tavern windows.
Addressed some visual issues when on the Ramparts.
Improved lighting near Jugger-Nog to avoid a tripping hazard.
Addressed an issue where players could get stuck getting through the East entrance to the Town Square.
Addressed an issue where Zombies could climb through the railings to get on the Tavern stairs.
Addressed an issue where joining in progress would not highlight the locks on the Pack-a-Punch crate.
Addressed an issue that caused Parasites to clip into the wall when exiting a spawn closet in the Hillside Ramparts.
Training Course
Addressed an issue where players could not buy a weapon a second time at Station 5.
Armor will now be reset when starting Station 5 to prevent the player from being blocked from continuing if they had already purchased tier 2 Armor.
Terminus
Addressed an issue where an Amalgam could get stuck in a spawn area during Exfil.
Addressed an issue where the Tactical Raft could become stuck on a pillar when piloting near the boss arena.
Addressed an issue that caused reticles on certain weapons to change position after using the Oscillation Calibrator.
Addressed an issue with a floating shovel on Castle Rock Island.
Addressed an issue that prevented the Node Connection repair interface from appearing during split-screen games.
Addressed an issue that caused missing geometry in the Sea Caves after loading a save file.
Liberty Falls
Addressed an issue that caused a loss of functionality when a bowling event is started while holding a Sentry Turret.
Addressed an issue with the Aether Canister visual screen VFX while the player is on a ladder.
Modes
Directed
Addressed an issue where the Crafting Table menu could remain open when dying at round cap.
Automatic Exfil will now begin after the current Round ends instead of immediately.
Automatic Exfil has been adjusted to trigger after six hours instead of five.
General Playlist Updates
Closed an exploit where disconnecting right as the player died would keep their saved game.
Addressed an issue where joining after being kicked for AFK could give the player two of the same GobbleGum.
Gameplay
Players who are kicked for inactivity in co-op games will have their loadout, Essence, and Salvage restored upon rejoining the match.
Weapons
Addressed an issue where Single Fire mode would not count toward Slaughter Medals.
Added a warning for players when purchasing a Wall Buy if it will replace one of their current weapons.
Addressed an issue where interacting with quest objects with long hold times would reload the held weapon when using a controller.
Perks
Aether Shroud
Adjusted the Aether Dash Augment to prevent players from being stuck in unintended locations.
PhD Flopper
Improved PhD Slider to work with Omni-directional slides.
Field Upgrades
Tesla Storm
Static Discharge
Addressed an issue where kills from Static Discharge would not award Essence to the player.
Scorestreaks
Chopper Gunner
Addressed an issue where the player could continue to shoot the Chopper Gunner weapon after the streak has ended.
Hand Cannon
Addressed an issue where attempting to pick up an Aether Tool while wielding a Hand Cannon would consume the Aether Tool without applying it to a weapon.
Loot
Addressed an issue where Intel for Obscurus Altilium was not unlocked after completing the Citadelle des Morts Main Quest.
Added Season 01 Reloaded weapons to the Mystery Box.
Enemies
Amalgam
Addressed an issue where rarely the player would be let go immediately after being grabbed.
Vermin
Addressed an issue where Vermin could hit twice with one attack.
Vermin will now ragdoll properly in the air when killed mid-leap.
Activities
S.A.M. Trials
Addressed an issue where crafted Scorestreaks would be removed at the end of a trial if they matched the one used for the trial.
Scaled the Hand Cannon Trial time based on the current Round up to 100 Seconds at Round 31+.
Addressed an issue preventing S.A.M. Trials from being completed in Splitscreen.
GobbleGums
Dead Drop, Modified Chaos, and Quacknarok now available via in-game GobbleGum drops and the Season 02 Battle Pass.
Addressed an issue where restocked GobbleGums would not be immediately available for use.
Addressed an issue where the “Exit Strategy” GobbleGum would not be usable when the Exfil Radio was present.
Addressed an exploit that allowed players to keep timer based GobbleGums after they have been consumed.
Challenges
“Box Addict” Dark Ops Challenge
Added a hard cap of 37 different weapons required, which matches the amount at launch so that weapons added post-launch do not increase the difficulty of this challenge
“Gladiator” Fresh Meat Challenge
Will now track for exfils at or above round 11.
Daily Challenges
Addressed an issue where the “Get Zombie Eliminations with Pistols” challenge could be progressed with Brain Rot kills.
Surveyor Challenge
Random Perk Power-up now applies progress to this challenge.
UI
Players will now see an in-game notification whenever they complete an Augment Research step and unlock a new Augment.
Addressed an issue where the Elemental Swords would be vertical in the Wonder Weapon preview.
Aligned the GobbleGum prompt in-game.
Updated the In-Game Pause Menu Augments research progress, along with other visual improvements.
Added visual improvements to Boss HP bars.
Addressed an issue where placeholders would appear momentarily when entering the Audio Logs in the Intel menu for the first time.
Added a location to view Cinematics in the Intel menu.
The GobbleGum HUD widget will now be hidden while spectating.
Addressed an issue that allowed damage feedback to remain active during in-game cinematics.
Improved visual information when editing GobbleGum Packs.
Addressed incorrect navigation button text in the Intel Menu.
HUD Presets can now be set separately for Zombies and Multiplayer.
Graphics
Addressed an issue in 3rd Person where Elemental Sword effects would be misaligned when attacking.
Addressed an issue with the Solais Elementa Sword where the visual effects of the charged ability would play longer than the actual effect.
Addressed an issue where the glow effects from the Crown would persist after dying and respawning.
Addressed a typo on the soda cans inside the Stamin-Up Machine.
Removed fire effects from Vermin legs when Arachnaphobia mode is toggled.
Now that’s one heck of an update! Don’t be surprised to see a follow up patch to be released if any issues surface from this massive title update by Activision.
With today's Spring Festival patch for Marvel Rivals, not only did NetEase deliver a new mode, hero adjustments, and new cosmetics, but the data also brought in code for a bunch of unannounced heroes and even the abilities.
Just days after the news about the cancellation of the God of War live-service project by Bluepoint, a new rumor has surfaced about the future of the popula Santa Monica series, bringing excitement to fans.
With the Norse saga seemingly wrapped up in the finale of God of War: Ragnarok, fans are now wondering what’s next for Kratos. A new report suggests that Sony is “likely” working on the next God of War game, this time set in Egyptian mythology.
God of War Ragnarok has received mixed reviews on Steam, and many of them are due to one main issue: Players must log in with a PlayStation Network (PSN) account to play the game (though some are not being required to do so, for unknown reasons).
New God of War Game Reportedly Set in Egypt
This information comes from insider Daniel Richtman (more famously known as DanielRPK), who shared the update via a post on his Patreon (via The Game Post). Richtman disclosed that Sony is “casting Middle Eastern actors for an unknown AAA game” and suggested that the project “will likely be the next God of War that explores Egyptian mythology.”
This isn’t the first time Egyptian mythology has been considered for the franchise. In the Making Of documentary for God of War (2018), creative director Cory Barlog revealed that the team initially debated setting the series in Ancient Egypt after God of War 3 and God of War: Ascension. Although the Norse mythology route was ultimately chosen, there’s nothing stopping the series from exploring new mythologies now.
Additionally, there’s no official confirmation about what Santa Monica studio is currently working on. While some rumors and clues point to a new God of War, others suggest the team may be working on a new IP. It’s also possible that the studio is managing multiple projects simultaneously.
However, as of now, there’s been no official confirmation of this rumor, so it’s best to approach it with a huge grain of salt. As we get more information, we’ll make sure to keep you guys informed here at MP1st.
Despite this, Microsoft Gaming’s CEO, Phil Spencer, has made it clear that the Series S will keep getting support and games until the end of this generation.
If you're planning on playing Marvel Rivals and you had a choice on which platform, you might not want to play it on the Xbox Series S, as the hero shooter powered by Unreal Engine 5 is having a few graphical issues when running on the platform.
Phil Spencer Confirms Continued Support for Xbox Series S
Spencer addressed this topic in a recent interview with Destin, responding to concerns about the performance gap between the Xbox Series X and Series S. “With the rise of handheld PCs and the introduction so far of the Switch 2, as developers, we’re building on more device specs, from lower-powered, battery-powered devices all the way through things that plug into the wall. I actually think we have a real advantage because we’ve been targeting S for quite a while, that our games have been built and they’re portable across many different specs.,” the CEO stated.
He also said, “When we look at something like a Steam Deck or ROG Ally, we’ve got this S version of the games, that are more tailored to the device specs of a lot of devices that frankly are getting introduced right now, and I think that helps us.”
After teasing a potential handheld Xbox device earlier this year, Xbox Head Phil Spencer has now shared more details about the device.
Additionally, Spencer reiterated that the Xbox Series S still delivers a high-quality gaming experience. “I’m playing Indiana Jones on S and it looks great, so it’s definitely capable of playing current generation games in a great way,” Spencer added, highlighting the console’s capability to handle next-generation games.
While the Series S offers lower performance compared to the Series X, it seems to meet the needs of a more casual audience and remains an appealing choice for those seeking a more economical console without significantly compromising the gaming experience.
With Microsoft's Xbox division now a bonafide third-party publisher on other platforms, some might be wondering why would gamers want to buy an Xbox console in the first place, if they can play the company's games on competing platforms.
With the release of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 just around the corner, anticipation is building for the next chapter in Warhorse Studios’ ambitious medieval RPG series. Following the first game’s success, this sequel promises to expand on the immersive, historically-driven world that captivated players in 2018. Whether you’re a returning fan or new to the series, our final hands-on preview takes a closer look at what to expect from the game in terms of its narrative, gameplay, and improvements—just days before you can finally dive into the next chapter of this epic journey.
Naoki Hamaguchi, the director of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, had previously requested PC players to avoid creating offensive and inappropriate mods for the game.
Welcome to Thy Kingdom
Like in my upcoming review, I won’t spoil much of the story for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, outside of saying that it’s a direct continuation of where the original game ended. Despite that, even if you didn’t play the first game (which I highly recommend), the sequel does a fine job of setting things up and recapping the events of the first game. It’s not required to be played, and I’d argue that the opening hours of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 establishes itself as a more welcoming experience, as while the original game threw you right into the thick of it, the sequel takes it sweet time to build up its story, but it does so with a cinematic fashion.
It’s quite a slow start, akin to, say, Red Dead Redemption 2 opening, where a good chunk of it is spent learning about the characters as they’re put in a tense dilemma with them making some pretty tough decisions. The opening hours of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 are, in fact, rather “linear.” Not that this is a bad thing, quite the opposite actually as whereas in the first game you sort of have to learn things as you go, Warhorse Studios uses the into of the game to not only tell a story in an engaging way but also to teach players the mechanics in a more structured manner. The pacing is deliberate, allowing you to absorb the nuances of combat, crafting, and exploration without feeling overwhelmed and rushed. Each interaction feels purposeful, setting up the larger world and its complex web of politics and intrigue. It’s a thoughtful approach, ensuring that players are well-equipped before they’re set loose into the more open-ended parts of the game, where the choices are more significant and the stakes even higher.
You’ll hear more about it in my full review, but based on the opening, the sequel feels like the original Kingdom Come: Deliverance, but in a much more refined way. The gameplay has been touched up immensely, and most of the jank (don’t worry—it still has physics-based combat) now feels more in the player’s control. This is a better scene in the game’s combat, which has gone from five directional swing inputs to four. It’s more “accessible” but by no means easier, at least to master, as the combat still takes things such as stamina, distance, and numerous mechanics with several physics tied to them. Of course, like in the original, a lot of things can be countered by leveling up certain skills, such as swordsmanship, but even then, going in equipped into combat, you can find this game to be very challenging and fun.
To newcomers, I may say the gameplay is rough around the edges at first, but if you stick with it for long enough, you’ll appreciate what Warhorse Studios has built. As I said, the opening hours are slow but surprisingly cinematic, and much of the mechanics you’ll learn from those hours only serve to prepare you for what the game truly has to offer. What exactly is that? Well, it’s what I’d best describe as an open-world medieval playground driven by several sandbox mechanics that make for perhaps one of the most interactive RPGs I’ve ever played.
It’s not quite a “true sandbox,” mind you. You have a story quest that follows, for the most part, a set path. But what do you do in between the story feels pretty sandbox. After you’ve gotten through the intro, the game opens up drastically. It gives you a goal that you eventually need to accomplish, but how you get there is really up to you in many ways. You could power through it and get through the early parts that I’m allowed to talk to in this preview in a few short hours. But that’d be doing the game a disservice, and you’d miss out on how much you can experiment with in the open world.
Take the crime system, which has vastly improved from the first game. Towns are littered with folks, and many have valuables you can trade for. But starting early, you basically have nothing to your name to spend. So you can decide to get to work and earn a good reputation amongst the town folk, which comes with stat perks to help you haggle for better prices. Or, you could take a less noble approach, sneak around behind people’s backs, and rob them of their well-earned money and goods. Those goods can be sold off to traders, but if you aren’t careful, traders will pick up on the fact that you’ve stolen the items.
There’s a lot of mechanics that are intertwined when it comes to crime. Those stolen goods might be tracked back to you because you started to earn a reputation for being a thief. People in towns will become wearier of your presence, making stealth harder and haggling and doing business with traders much harder to do.
The Chinese-developed action RPG Phantom Blade Zero has unveiled new details about its gameplay and story length.
Eventually, you’ll get caught by the town’s guards due to all the reports, and if you aren’t versed well enough in your speech, they’ll try and make you pay it all back with money. If you don’t have money, you’ll get put in the pillory, where the townsfolk can spend days and nights heckling you while throwing all kinds of perishables. Commit more crimes; you might get branded, which makes all the townfolks aware of who you are as they yell snarky remarks as you pass them on the street. More heinous crimes could even result in an execution.
However, it’s more than just the crime system that the NPC will react to. Walk into a town that isn’t fond of Cumans wearing Cuman armor, and they might not talk to you. Don’t maintain your hygiene; they’ll call out your location due to the unbearable stench. Keep being good, though, and you’ll find some benefits, such as traders offering you more work and additional dialogue options becoming available that may even lead to some bountiful rewards.
Many mechanics are in place that are superbly reactive to the things you do, giving the world this sense of living, more so than most of your traditional open-world games do.
Though the game revolves around the player, I love how Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 feels like a world that doesn’t care about you. Everyone has their own lives to live, and I could see this as I followed NPCs around to see where and what they were doing. A shopkeeper, for example,e wakes up, puts on their gear, has breakfast, makes chatter with other townfolks, then goes about their day trading, interacting with other NPCs, and then eventually closing shop and repeating the process. Every NPC in the game feels like they have a purpose in this world, and it’s crazy to watch it unfold.
Because of that, the game offers some pretty unique side quests that are scattered throughout the world. And if what we played through indicated what the complete game offers, then you can expect not only quantity but also quality behind every, if not most, of the quests. The cool part is how much of those sandbox-like mechanics transfer into some side quests. Decision-making is a massive part of the game, and several mechanics determine the way outcomes end. I mentioned before that you can increase your stats to have better dialogue options, or more so, more successful ones, such as being able to lie and other things.
Failing a sidequest doesn’t result in a game over, and unless you save scum, some of the decisions you make in the game will be ones you have to live with.
A Promising Start
There’s a lot to talk about when it comes to Kingdom Come: Deliverance, some of which you can read in my review next week. But, what I will say, based on my playtime from the preview section, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is shaping up to be quite the worthy successor. With a bigger focus on creating a richly immersive world filled with history and choices that actually matter, it’s clear Warhorse Studios aimed big with this one. Just how that will translate into the final game? Well, you’ll have to see next week when our full review is up, but so far, Warhorse Studios has already crafted what feels like is going to be an unforgettable journey.
While Dragon Age: The Veilguard might have gotten decent review scores when it was released last year, it seems that didn't translate to sales, so much so, that publisher Electronic Arts' stock has dropped because of it.
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.