It looks like NetEase has a bonafide hit with Marvel Rivals, as it already garnered over 400,000 players on Steam alone. However, the launch seems not without issues. Sure, the servers are holding up, but PC players are encountering a different problem: the error message “DirectX 12 not supported on your system.”
Thankfully, NetEase is aware of this issue and has provided a workaround.
Marvel Rivals DirectX 12 Not Supported Error Workaround Outlined by NetEase
To help you resolve this issue, we recommend the following steps:
Update Your Windows OS: Please ensure that your Windows 10 64-bit operating system is updated to version 1909 or later. This update is crucial for supporting DirectX 12.
Update Your Graphics Card Drivers: Make sure that your graphics card drivers are up to date. This can significantly impact your gaming experience and compatibility.
Check Minimum Graphics Card Requirements: Please verify that your graphics card meets the minimum requirements. To successfully run the game, you should have either of these: NVIDIA GTX 1060, AMD RX 580, or Intel Arc A380.
This should fix the issues affecting players, though we suspect more issues will surface in the coming days and weeks. Given how well the studio has bee in communicating, we should know the moment a patch is planned to be released.
In other Marvel Rivals news, you can read up on how the game’s monetization works right here in case you’re getting confused by it.
Following the release of Season 2 of The First Descendant yesterday, Nexon has pushed out a new patch for the looter shooter called hotfix 1.2.0b on December 6. This latest patch fixes issues tied to various missions and other adjustments. Players on consoles should see this as The First Descendant update 1.36 on PS4/XB1, while those on PS5/XSX will see this as version 1.036.
The First Descendant’s December 6 Update Fixes “Captured Base” Issues
Fixed an issue where the mission “Captured Base” in Vespers could not be cleared.
Resolved an issue where “Cutlasser” monsters in the “Captured Base” mission in Vespers failed to recognize Descendants.
Fixed an intermittent issue where the mission “Arche Motion Sensor” in Echo Swamp could not be cleared.
Addressed an issue where summoned monsters were occasionally invisible during the Void Vessel progression.
Fixed an issue where some monsters roaming in the Kingston field failed to recognize Descendants.
Fixed an issue where the Inversion Reinforcement would not activate even after completing the “Anais’ Call” quest.
[English] [European Languages] Corrected a naming error in the shop for “Starter Boost Package”.
Don’t be surprised to see another patch be released for more fixes, as the Season 2 update added a whole lot of adjustments and new stuff, and sometimes, things just don’t work as intended. If Nexon releases another one, expect it here on MP1st.
It’s only been a few hours since the release of Marvel Rivals, and it’s already drawing in quite a number of players. While we can’t determine how many are playing on consoles, Steam has already seen the title surpass 400,000 active players. What’s most surprising, though, is that the servers appear to not falter at the mass of players signing up and playinghave everything under control.
Marvel Rivals Boasts Impressive Launch Day Player Count
As of writing, Marvel Rivals has reached a whopping 444,286 concurrent players on Steam since its release four hours ago. Though it’s typical for big titles to see a massive number of players on the day of launch, Marvel Rivals has managed to maintain its concurrent player count above 400,000 since its release. It debuts at #25 most played game for concurrent players on Steam Charts.
An impressive turnout for opening day, and that’s not taking into account players on PlayStation and Xbox, which we wager are well above the 100,000 mark and possibly even more than the Steam numbers on each platform alone.
While the game opened up to a few technical issues that are still being worked on, the one thing that is impressing many players is how the servers appear unaffected by the influx of players. I played a bit myself just a while ago, and I didn’t see any cues to log in, any matchmaking errors, or anything that prevented me from playing. Finding matches has taken literally a few seconds, with everything running smoothly in-game.
That’s quite a feat for a new multiplayer game, especially when looking back at some of the biggest online games that have had launch-day server issues. Only time will tell if the servers will continue to hold steady. With its first weekend coming up and Sundays typically being one of the busiest days on Steam, we expect it’ll be doing a lot more that day.
Marvel Rivals is now available for free on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series consoles.
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.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle marks another exciting chapter in the legendary archaeologist’s career as he embarks on a perilous quest to uncover a long-lost artifact tied to an ancient mystery thought to be of myth. Racing against time, Indy faces a series of heart-stopping challenges, from deadly traps to cryptic puzzles, all while delving deeper into history’s mysteries. With stunning action sequences, sharp wit, and a relentless sense of adventure, Machine Games proves that the spirit of Indiana Jones lives on, delivering a thrilling ride for both die-hard fans and newcomers alike when it comes to Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
Always Knew Someday You’d Come Walking Back Through My Door
The adventures of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle begin a few years after the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Still in his prime youth, Indiana Jones, or as he likes to be referred to, Dr. Jones has taken a break from his globe trekking adventures to continue his teaching work at Marshall College. As you’d expect, it’s a quiet and easy life, but also boring for Indy. It’s a life he loves living when he’s not out raiding tombs for lost treasures. But like so many of those treasures he’s uncovered, it all eventually comes to light no matter how hard he tries to bury his past. In his many years of exploration, Indy has met various people, some allies, while others with sinister intent. His goal has always remained the same, with whatever treasure he finds either returning to the people it belongs with or safely inside a museum, or as he would say, “It belongs in a museum!”
Well, not everything, Dr. Jones, as he often learns, that sometimes discovering ancient treasures thought to be lost forever can attract the wrong kind of person. This is precisely what happens, as one late-night evening while working at the college, Indy discovers an intruder within his midst. Little did he know, this intruder would get the upper hand, knocking him out cold. The next thing Indy knows, countless exhibits have been smashed, and one of the exhibit’s artifacts has gone missing.
Here, Indy finds himself again taking on the role of the adventurer, though little does he know that the artifact he’s chasing has ties to a mystery that he thought to be a myth. That mystery? Why, the mystery of the Great Circle.
Obviously, there are no spoilers here because who likes to have a great mystery spoiled? I know I don’t, but I can say that whether you’re new to the series or a longtime fan, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a thrilling, timeless adventure that captures everything fans love about the iconic series. With a perfect blend of exploration, history, and excitement, the story draws you in from the first moment and keeps a hold of you until the very end. Indiana Jones is the epitome of the classic hero—intelligent, witty, and charming, yet deeply flawed and relatable, which makes him all the more endearing. With a straightforward battle between good and evil, the stakes are high, and every twist keeps you on the edge of your seat. As far as the story goes, I can comfortably say that this is Indiana Jones at his utmost greatest.
We heard similar things about The Crystal Skull and Destiny of Dial. Though I have opinions about those films, the consensus wasn’t very positive with the audience. But if you’re a fan who longs for the glory days that the original trilogy delivered, then the Great Circle has you covered. Machine Games has really taken it home here with the story and the writing, to the point that it might just be up there with the best films in the franchise. It’s impressive how closely written The Great Circle feels to the original trilogy, something that I’ve always felt the newer films could never get right. The franchise has lacked that “Spielberg magic,” as many would call it, with the last one having it (in my opinion) being the Last Crusade, released over 35 years ago.
That might be because Harrison Ford has become too old to play the character. As much as we all love him, seeing an aged Indy on screen always broke my heart. I applaud Ford’s acting regardless, and I’ll always love the character despite his age, but there’s no denying that the new movies can’t quite live up to the magic of the first films.
But a video game? Well, in the right hands, it can, and in this case, the Great Circle picks up right where things left off after Raiders of the Lost Ark and does so without skipping any of the magical beats.
What I love most are all the tiny details that Machine Games have included. Harrison Ford tends to exaggerate certain gestures, but you don’t think much about them because they work so well. For example, has anyone noticed that his character always seems to have a scene where he’s angrily pointing at someone in many of his films? Or, like how in Star Wars New Hope, he has that awkward run he does when chasing down the Stormtroopers? It may all seem silly, but those tiny little things add so much to a character, and it’s something that Machine Games paid close attention to. There will be moments when you’re watching a cutscene, and Indy’s little gestures will just put a smile on your face. It’s a 3D-modeled character that is all scripted to do these things, and yet, there’s a level of improvisation that feels more like something Harrison Ford would help bring out these characters.
I do want to point out that Harrison Ford isn’t involved (to my knowledge) in any capacity in the Great Circle outside of providing the likeness of his younger self. Instead, the voice of Indiana Jones is provided by Troy Baker, who many of you probably know as the voice of Joel from The Last of Us. But he’s voiced plenty of other characters, and time and time again, I’m left completely shocked by just how much range he has. When Arkham Origins needed to find a replacement for Mark Hamill, he stepped up, providing a voice that sounded strikingly similar to Hamill’s, to the point that many thought it was him. He’s a master of not only creating voices for original characters but also imitating that of others, and in the Great Circle, it’s that of a much younger (and less gravelly) Harrison Ford. Honestly, he does sound like Indy from the original films to the point that if you weren’t told it’s not him, you’d probably think it is.
Mind you, there were times when I thought the line delivery sounded a bit off, but credit where credit is due: Troy Baker absolutely nails the voice of a young Indiana Jones. It’s hard to believe this is the same guy who also voiced the Joker, but I was also saying the same thing about his role there. He is a man of many voices, and his performance is one of his best yet.
But the whole cast of characters that you’ll meet during your adventures are all fantastic. Tony Todd, who sadly passed this year, plays a brooding character called Locus, and you can tell he was having a lot of fun with how sinister he makes his voice sound. Marios Gavrilis (Money Heist, Attack on Titan, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure) plays the Nazi archaeologist Emmerich Voss. He serves as Indiana Jones’s villainous equal, obsessed with power and control over others. And finally, we have Alessandra Mastronardi playing Gina Lombardi, an investigative reporter searching for answers behind her sister’s mysterious disappearance. Her personality resembles that of Marion (Raiders of the Lost Ark) in many ways, as she is clever, witty, and charismatic. She’s not just some damsel in distress, as she can hold well in a fight, and her onscreen chemistry with Indiana Jones is just fun to watch.
I don’t think there was a single character in the game that I disliked in terms of performance. I might have found them annoying or hated their guts, but that’s only because those characters called for that. Everyone understood the assignment and delivered it exactly how it was meant. It all comes together beautifully, giving us one of the best Indiana Jones stories to date.
Snakes. Why’d It Have to be Snakes?
As many know, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is played from a first-person perspective. At the time of its announcement, the choice in perspective was shocking, considering that the franchise has inspired countless video games in the third-person perspective, with Tomb Raider and Uncharted being the biggest that comes to mind. However, looking at the developers, Machine Games, and their lengthy history of games, it made sense why it was in the first-person perspective, as that has always been what the studio has been known for. They have decades of experience with the perspective, so if anyone could pull it off, it’d be them.
Still, as a fan of Indiana Jones, to see our first major first-party AAA-produced title in the series be a first-person genre, I didn’t have high hopes it would turn out any good. Thankfully, I was wrong, as Machine Games has proven quite well that an Indiana Jones game can work in the first person; granted, it’s far from perfect.
Growing up and watching the Indiana Jones films, many, including myself, wanted to be Indiana Jones because he was incredibly cool. But looking back at his character years later as an adult, I’ve realized that there was much more to Indy than being a badass treasure hunter. He has tons of relatable qualities as a character, but the ones that stick out and make me appreciate his character are his flaws. He’s not invincible, far from it, as he has a past that constantly haunts him, a fear of snakes, and though he’s the protagonist and is sure to survive, he always has a bit of uncertainty that often gets covered by sarcasm or humor. He’s self-centered and often reckless. Yet despite those flaws, he always manages to overcome them, displaying great heroism when the moment is most needed. It’s relatable, which is why so many feel like they could be him.
Machine Games has driven that here with their version of Jones. I think that’s partly because of its first-person perspective. Traveling the globe to various parts of the world, exploring unknown lands, and looking for lost treasure, I did feel like I was Indiana Jones.
There’s a sense of exploration that the films produce that you get from the game, too: those moments where Indy is exploring a tomb for the first time in thousands of years, uncovering its secrets while avoiding traps and such. It’s thrilling to watch him do it on the big screen and even more so to do it yourself. This is where the adventure part of the game comes in, as a big focus has been placed on exploration, with each location filled with all kinds of stories and hidden secrets to uncover.
One of my favorite things is venturing away from the story to do some side content. Granted, it’s not the most diverse content, but the locations you see while pursuing them make it well worth the travel. The visuals can be jaw-dropping at times, something that many can agree the films have always nailed, especially regarding lighting and visual effects. The general aesthetics in the game feel like they’ve been ripped right from the sets of the films.
I get why Machine Games went with first-person for this. It works really well in terms of adventuring and exploration, and I felt it made the experience more immersive. That’s not to say that playing in third-person can’t do the same, but first-person is one of the strengths that Machine Games are really good at, and the Great Circle really shows it.
The best thing is the history that plays out while you explore and adventure. It’s easily one of the game’s best highlights, going around and learning about these locations, the locals, and the rich history behind all the temples and treasures you find. Puzzles will play a role, and they come in the bountiful. Some are easy, while others are real head-scratchers, as they should be. This is an Indiana Jones adventure, after all, and having a bunch of mysteries that need to be solved is precisely what I was hoping for.
For general combat, you can either go into fights, gun blazing, or, my favorite approach, all-out fist fighting. The melee combat is simple, with left and right punches, a block, and a parry. There’s no combo system, but that doesn’t mean beating up enemies isn’t satisfying. It’s one of my favorite things about the game because I found hand-to-hand combat to be mindless fun. Something about it puts a smile on my face, be it the sounds your punches make or when an enemy rags dolls around after knocking them out. Alerting an entire base and having them all come at me is just stupid and a sure way to die, but it feels like such an Indiana thing to do. I get myself into a dumb and dangerous situation and just wing it and hope I make it out alive. The whip can be used here, letting you stun enemies and knock weapons out of their hands. I mean, I don’t think it gets better than facing off against a bunch of Nazis while the Indiana Jones theme starts playing. You know exactly what to expect when that theme starts to play. If any of you played RoboCop Rogue City, you know exactly what I’m talking about when that theme begins to play. It’s just pure excitement and joy that puts you in such a great mood.
I mentioned before that the gameplay experience is far from perfect because, beyond the scope of exploration, things like stealth, platforming, and other things leave a ton of room for improvement. Platforming is especially important, which I’ll talk about in a bit. But first up, let’s go over the stealth play.
Besides the traditional action sequences that all Indiana Jones movies have, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle can be played entirely in stealth. You can probably get by without killing anyone (except those scripted action parts) if you try hard enough, which is pretty nice as it was the approach I took most of the game. In fact, I didn’t shoot my gun once until almost three-fourths the way done with the story, and again, it only happened because the scene called for it.
But as someone who stuck with the stealth approach, I will say that this style of play can get pretty repetitive rather quickly. That’s because there’s not a whole lot to the stealth mechanics. It’s basically as bare bones as it can get, though it does function enough to be somewhat enjoyable. It’s just that, as a player, I wanted to be able to do more with it than what was allowed. Take distractions, for example. If you want to distract an enemy, you have to throw something like a bottle that will cause them to investigate. Now, if you want to take them down, you need to use a weapon: a broomstick, a fly swatter, a pipe, a shovel, a guitar, or whatever else you can find on the field.
It’s basic stuff, but what makes it lacking is that you can never use these mechanics simultaneously. So, if you’re holding a weapon, you’re forced to drop it if you want to pick up a bottle to distract an enemy, and vice versa. This creates a bit of an awkward stationary style of play where you force yourself to stay in place or within a few steps so that you can pick up the object you just dropped to perform a specific task. You can’t carry the weapons on you (via backpack), so they immediately get dropped whenever you climb something. You have to throw them up. I get that, but I don’t understand why you can’t use a bottle and a weapon at the same time while sneaking around. Indy has two hands, yet he seemingly forgets this unless he’s holding a map or his journal.
This might not seem like a big thing, but it would have been such a good feature to include that it could make a massive difference. Maybe it would have made the stealth too easy, but at that point, balance it out better.
The unfortunate part of this, and I’ve spoken with a few other reviewers on it, is that this choice in gameplay also seems to be conditioning the player into forgetting that they can fight with two fists. When you pick up an object, it’s always in your right hand. Most actions use the right hand, and though it might be embarrassing to admit, I completely forgot that you can punch with your left hand because of how little the trigger gets used elsewhere. You can parry with the left top bumper, which is where I ended up associating the left-handed actions to be. I know Indy is right-hand dominant, so that could be one of those “smaller details” you won’t notice unless pointed out, but that doesn’t suddenly mean he forgot he has a left hand. It’s just an odd design choice not to allow using both hands during stealth.
Your whip also doesn’t have much purpose in stealth, which is a bummer. There are small fruit crates you can pull down from shelving that will cause a stir, but that happens so sparingly. There’s not much else you can use it on unless it’s during combat or traversal. I would have loved to be able to pull down stacks of wooden boxes as an enemy passes by them to knock them out or bring down a heavy object from the ceiling onto them. Maybe even latch onto someone’s foot above me and pull them down, serving as a way to cause a distraction and knock an enemy out at the same time. It’s a missed opportunity that could have made the stealth feel more “special” and interesting, rather than what it is now, which is your basic cookie cutter.
Now, the platforming. I’m just going to be straight and say it’s not very good. It has all the pieces to be so, but it never comes together in such a way that makes platforming fun and exciting. This is crazy, considering it’s Indiana Jones, the franchise that essentially spawned Tomb Raider and Uncharted, both series with incredible platforming. Yet here we are, with perhaps some of the slowest and clunkiest movement I’ve seen for a platformer in a long time. There is an Adventure Book that increases climbing speed, but it really should have been the default. A stamina system also exists. You’ll likely never run out of it when climbing around, so it’s pointless other than to slow you down when it does happen.
I think part of the reason why it feels so clunky is because it switches between the first-person and third-person. Whenever you swing or climb walls, the perspective switches to a third-person, then back to first-person whenever you can stand on your feet or jump. I love that they did this because it helps you see where you need to go. But the transitioning isn’t smooth at all and becomes a distraction. On top of that, it’s easy to die from this accidentally. Jumping to a rope will go from first-person to swinging, then back to first-person when you jump from the rope, making it hard to see the ledge you need to grab. Sometimes, you won’t even jump as far as you thought you would, but by the time you realize it, you’re already dead.
It’s not broken by any means, it’s just a bit too clunky where I wished it got more polishing to make it flow better. I’m sure updates can fix that, but at the same time, it’s not super major where it detracts from the entire experience. Some of the bugs you may encounter will likely hamper your experience. During my 14-hour campaign playthrough (40+ hours with side content and collectibles), I was fortunate enough to be bug-free, but I have some helpful advice for anyone planning to tackle all the side content as you play: Don’t. I recommend playing through all that stuff after the main story, because the side content really showed just how unpolished the game can get.
I’ve encountered all kinds of bugs while exploring the big open zones. Some of these were minor ones, like the occasional clipping and graphical ones, while others forced me to reload an earlier save because my character was permanently stuck in something. One such instance saw me spawn underneath the map. My checkpoint was saved here, and I had to find an opening somewhere that would pop me back up.
Objective markers often get bugged, where they will either display it and take you to a random location or not at all. I’ve gotten a little over 40 hours of playtime in total, and I can’t 100% the game because some of the collectibles aren’t marked as they should be. I had to use a cheat engine at one point to finish the final puzzle in the game because of a bug. If it’s not out the same day as this review, there is a patch in the works, so your experience might end up being a lot better there regarding bug encounters.
At least performance-wise, the game seemed to hold a solid 60fps on my PC. There were occasional stutters here and there due to things loading, but overall, I had little frame drops. Granted, my PC is equipped with an RTX 4090 and a suitable CPU. I did test the game scaling down with an RTX 3060 on a rig that didn’t meet the minimum requirements on the CPU side, and I was still able to push for high settings at 1080p. Hilariously, high, in this case, is more of the middle ground, as there are two ultras presets and a supreme setting that pushes the graphics. I want to point out that while I had DLSS enabled, the performance I got was without frame generation enabled.
Fortune and Glory, Kid. Fortune and Glory
Putting its flaws aside, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a fantastic adventure that delivers everything fans have come to love about the franchise. It’s a thrilling ride filled with action, mystery, and unforgettable moments, capturing the very essence of what makes an Indiana Jones adventure so iconic. From the heart-pounding chase scenes to the witty dialogue and historical intrigue, it’s everything you could dream an Indiana Jones game would be, leaving audiences eager for more. Being Machine Games’ first crack at the licensed IP, they’ve certainly managed to live up to the expectations that fans hold on to for the series; I look forward to what might be a glory-filled future for both the studio and the franchise.
Score: 8.5/10
Pros
A spectacular story that feels like an Indiana Jones adventure.
An incredible cast of characters with excellent voice-acting performances.
World exploration is fun, with plenty of history that can be learned from it.
The visuals are stunning, and some of the exotic places you visit feel like they’ve been plucked right out of the set of the movies.
Combat packs a punch, literally.
Musical scores – I’m a sucker when I hear that Indiana Jones theme, and it gets used so perfectly here.
Cons
Stealth is pretty basic. It’s not terrible, but it could have been better.
Platforming is slow and janky, and it can sometimes feel like a chore.
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.
I Am Cat is the kind of nightmare that all cat haters think cats are like, and you know what? They might be right. After playing through I Am Cat, I now believe my cat is secretly trying to kill me. Why? Read on for my review of New Folder Games LTD’s “cat simulator” to see what I mean.
No Grandmas Were Harmed In the Making of I Am Cat…Least I Think
As the name would suggest, I Am Cat is a game about you playing as an everyday house cat. You live with a harmless old lady who takes good care of you, ensuring you have food daily, a ton of toys to play with, and plenty of love in the form of pets, hugs, and kisses. You could say, for a cat, you’re living the purrrfect life. If you choose, you could live out the rest of your cat days in this virtual reality world as a good little cat, taking naps, being fed, and just lounging around and looking adorable. It sounds like the kind of life my cats live, and after being put in the paws of a cat in I Am Cat, I can understand why they’re so lazy. They’re completely spoiled and have everything they could ever want.
That’s not to say all is well, at least when it comes to some of my interactions with them, as sometimes I’ll walk into my room only to see they’ve knocked everything off a shelf or my coffee table. They’re pretty fond of my gaming desk, too, always knocking over my mouse and gaming controller whenever they want attention. Yet when I give it to them, they scurry off into some dark corner as if they just did it to annoy me.
I can’t explain why cats do the things they do, but I Am Cat is probably the closest we’ll ever get to understanding their feline minds. Hopping into the cozy home this kind of grandma made for me, I decided what would happen if I wasn’t the lovely, tiny, adorable cat she thought I was. What If I decided to be a little demon, the very thing cat haters have nightmares about? To my shock and awe, what you can do as a cat in I Am Cat can only be described as sinister.
The home and the other available spaces you unlock later are essentially sandbox-like playgrounds. While your cat wears a watch with objectives that can be completed and a level system, what you do in the world of I Am Cat is ultimately up to you. Almost everything in the game is interactable. You can pick up any standalone object and use many appliances around the home, such as a TV, power tools, and electric razers. There’s a lot you can interact with, but you’ll quickly learn that a lot of those things you can interact with are more so meant to torture your lovely grandma. I’m not joking. Because she’s old, slow, and frail, she’s easy to knock over, which is precisely what I did very early on as I punched her leg, making her collapse and bang her head against the kitchen counter.
Worry not; she’s not dead, nor can be killed, only knocked out. If you look away from her body, she’ll immediately get up and chase you with a frying pan, though if you keep staring at her, she’ll remain on the floor unconscious. If you have something with, like, say, like, an electric razor, you can go over and shave her entire head. There’s some physics to her, too, as you grab her head and move it around, open her mouth, and steal her dentures. You can leave a bunch of scratches on her face, electrocute, and burn her with the right tools. She has a funny ragdoll effect, too, where you can toss her across the room as if she weighs nothing. When you aren’t being a menace to her, you can do more friendly activities, such as cooking her a meal or sitting and watching TV.
As I mentioned before, there are objectives you can do, which will eventually lead to unlocking the “secret room,” which gives you access to a wardrobe that has new items and skins to wear. There’s also a teleporter here that’ll let you go to other locations beyond the house. A new set of toys, items, and characters are found in the other locations. They, too, can be put through whatever torture your little cat brain can think about in each location.
It’s just dumb fun for you, which is the premise of I Am Cat. There’s not much in terms of a central story; the levels are just a place for you to go around and do as you please. It’s almost like a collection of mini-games (which also exist in the game) that are free to play however you like. It’s a simple game, which also sums up the game’s controls.
Unlike many traditional VR games, where movement is either tied to the joystick or you physically walk, to move in I Am Cat, you have to move your hands as if they were cat legs. The headset and where you look is how you control which direction you move, but to move, you have to lift one hand ahead of the other and alternate, imitating direct registering, the name given to how cats walk. It’s a fun little touch on the studio part, though I do wish there was a joystick movement option, as it can be pretty tricky to get used to. It takes time, and even though I had gotten used to it, there have been plenty of instances where it feels like I’m barely moving because the motion is not tracked correctly. It is almost like running on a loose rug from a cartoon, where you’ll stay in place. But it does feel great once it all works the way it should.
Your paws can grab practically any object in the game, but walking with something like that doesn’t work too well. You can pick up objects and hold them up to your mouth to carry them around. Climbing is pretty simple, too, as all you do is look up at a climbable wall and start walking up it. The cat automatically detracts its claws to grip, so calling walls is easy enough. A pounce can also be performed, involving imitating the motion of a cat pouncing. That’s really about it when it comes to controls. Like I said, I would have loved some stick movement and button options as I found the motion controls to be a bit jankier when playing from a seated position.
Looking Good, Feline Good
For just a measly $20, I Am Cat seems to be the purrfect little VR game that anyone can jump into. It’s loaded with all kinds of hijinx, and the controls can be easy enough to learn with time. It’s a sandbox style of play that lets you be a cat and do different things, including torturing an old grandma and other residents. I don’t condone violence, but it’s all good fun being a video game. Hilarious, nonstop laughing fun, which is precisely what New Folder Games aimed to achieve with I Am Cat.
Now, If you don’t mind, I have some dumbells to drop on a granny.
Score: 8/10
Pros
Gameplay is simple and easy to learn
Lots of crazy hijinx and interactions
Funny physics
You can play as either an evil or a good cat, the choice is yours.
Cons
Sometimes the tracking can be off with movement
Grandma and other NPCs get up instantly if you look away from them
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.
NFL fans, EA has rolled out a mysterious new Madden NFL 25 update for all platforms this December 5, and as one might expect, this is an unannounced patch that was released during today’s server maintenance downtime. This will show up for last-gen players as Madden 25 update 1.09, while PS5/Xbox Series X|S gamers will see this as update version 1.013.
For those hoping this patch fixes the issues with the Field Pass, based on the comments, it’s still bugged. However, one fan has managed to find a potential workaround for it.
Madden NFL 25 New Update for December 5 Drops Without Any Fanfare
While EA did announce downtime as on the way, even after hours of the patch’s release, the developers have not said anything about it. Based on the community’s rants, the update still hasn’t fixed the Field Pass.
Some of the other issues that still aren’t fixed include:
Can you fix this? His Raider chem acts as a Stocking stuffer chem, and shouldn’t do so. Christian Wilkens’ non division team chem doesn’t do this, and I doubt any of the other divisional team builders do either… pic.twitter.com/Z7rOjriHnb
While the Field Pass is still bugged, one Madden gamer might have found a workaround, as they claim that if you select the free pass and continue leveling it up, you will still get your premium rewards, which is something they claim worked for them.
Hey everyone, not defending them because they suck, but if you select free pass and continue leveling up, you still get all of your premium rewards. I was told this and then confirmed it myself. pic.twitter.com/qLQwarAGRI
Hopefully, that works for most of you. If it does, leave a comment below and let us know. If EA ever releases a proper changelog, we’ll update the article with the info.
Just in time for the holidays, Saber Interactive has dropped a massive Insurgency Sandstorm patch which the studio calls “Operation Resurgence.” This brings global crossplay into the shooter, a new limited-time mode, new weapons, and even new free cosmetics.
Players on last-gen consoles will see this as Insurgency Sandstorm update 1.23, while those on PS5/XSX will see the download appear as version 1.011. Read on for the new content released by the developers and a gigantic list of improvements.
Insurgency Sandstorm’s Operation Resurgence Update 1.23 Adds Global Crossplay
Buckle up folks, it’s happening, CROSSPLAY IS HERE! It’s been a long time coming and we are incredibly happy to be rolling this feature out to you! So, without further ado let’s get to the explaining part because we’re sure you have a lot of questions!
What is crossplay?
Well you see, when two people love each other very much, sometimes they……what’s that? Oh not the…..uh-huh…..ok right. Got it. AS WE WERE SAYING, crossplay is a new feature that will allow PSN, Xbox Live, and PC players to play together!
How does it work?
Starting with Update 1.17 Operation: Resurgence you will see a “Matchmaking settings” option in place of the “Region settings” option. By selecting it, you will have the following options to choose from:
Your preferred input device from your connected devices (Mouse & Keyboard or Gamepad).
An option to either enable or disable Cross-Play.
An option to match with players using different input devices.
Your selected regions.
Once you’ve filled in your matchmaking settings, you will be matched according to your chosen options!
NEW LIMITED TIME MODE: SKIRMISH
Skirmish pits two 14-player teams (10v10 on console) against each other as they fight to be the first to capture three objectives and blow up the enemy cache. Each team starts with one owned objective, one cache and 10 spawn waves, with the remaining neutral objective in the middle.
Teams can gain additional spawn waves by capturing an objective, but beware! If your team’s cache is destroyed you will be unable to gain new waves.
Available classes:
Rifleman – unlimited
Breacher – 3
Advisor – 3
Demolitions -2
Marksman – 2
Gunner – 2
Supported maps:
Ministry
Farmhouse
Summit
Refinery
Lastlight
Crossin
Prison
NEW WEAPONS: WCX, AR-7090, & F2000
WCX (SEC)
Paging all gun nuts, Operation: Resurgence comes with THREE new weapons! The WCX and the F2000 for Security and the AR-7090 and the F2000 (Tactical variant) for Insurgents.
The WCX for Security is designed for superior versatility and performance in the face of overwhelming odds. Utilizing its short-stroke gas piston system it delivers reliable control in any environment.
AR-7090 (INS)
Bringing rugged durability to the uncertainty of combat engagements, the AR-7090 is fierce and reliable. It’s sure to strike fear in the hearts of your oppressors!
F2000 (SEC) / F200 Tactical (INS)
Whether you’re snuffing out resistance or fighting off invaders, the F2000 has you covered! Featuring a highly maneuverable compact design and a focus on accuracy, this is one intimidating piece of kit!
NEW FREE COSMETICS: SURVIVOR & REVOLT
Survivor Gear Set (SEC)
Embodying resilience and steely resolve, the Survivor Gear Set for Security is built to endure and crafted for those who refuse to back down. Suit up and survive the fight!
Contains seven different cosmetic gear pieces:
Survivor Helmet (Head)
Survivor Mask (Facewear)
Survivor Glasses (Eyewear)
Survivor Top (Torso)
Survivor Bottom (Pants)
Survivor Boots (Feet)
Survivor Gloves (Hands)
Revolt Gear Set (INS)
Make rebellion look good with the Revolt Gear Set for Insurgents. Defy the opposition in style!
Contains six different cosmetic gear pieces:
Revolt Cap (Head)
Revolt Mask (Facewear)
Revolt Glasses (Eyewear)
Revolt Top (Torso)
Revolt Bottom (Pants)
Revolt Boots (Feet)
NEW FREE WEAPON SKINS: POCKETS & NATIONAL PRIDE
Pockets Weapon Skin Set (SEC)
Pockets of resistance getting you down? Mark your targets and grind them into the sand with the Pockets Weapon Skin Set for Security.
The Pockets weapon skins can be equipped in the Loadout menu for the Security faction for the following weapons where available:
Rifleman: M16A4
Demolitions: VHS-2
Breacher: KSG
Breacher: MP5A5
Marksman: M24
Gunner: Galil SAR
National Pride Weapon Skin Set (INS)
Put your pride on full display and celebrate with the National Pride Weapon Skin Set for Insurgents!
The National Pride weapon skins can be equipped in the Loadout menu for the Insurgent faction for the following weapons where available:
Rifleman: M16A2
Demolitions: AK-74
Breacher: KS-23
Advisor: SKS
Marksman: SVD
Gunner: RPK
Insurgency Sandstorm Operation Resurgence Fixes and Improvements
IMPROVEMENTS
Level of Detail Optimizations
We’ve had reports from players that some lights, objects and textures would flicker in certain areas causing a disruption in the gameplay and immersion. We took a look at this and did a pass to optimize the LOD on the following maps:
Bab
Citadel
Crossing
Farmhouse
Gap
Hideout
Hillside
Last Light
Ministry
Outskirts
Power Plant
Precinct
Prison
Refinery
Summit
Tell
Tideway
Trainyard
Lighting Changes
Lighting adjustments were made on the following maps:
Trainyard
Hideout
Tideway
Tell
Arms Race Changes
We’ve made some changes to the way the limited-time mode Arms Race functions.
Added thirteen weapons, including:
AUG A3
M60E4
TOZ-194
Added an onscreen message when a player reaches the final weapon.
Reduced the number of players to 8v8.
Simplified the HUD.
Tier and Kill Score reworked.
Added variation to how players progress through weapons.
Melee kills now remove two tiers.
Weapon preferences within Arms Race are now saved across matches (fire mode, etc).
RESOLVED ISSUES
Art & Graphics
Fixed an issue where the player’s hand animation was out of sync when throwing a molotov.
Fixed an issue where underbarrel attachments could become misaligned after picking up another weapon when viewed from third person.
Fixed an issue where weapon rails could be invisible when viewed through a scope on “normal” scope settings.
Fixed an issue where SSR was not turned on for water and glass materials.
Fixed an issue where mounting a vehicle or turret from the prone position caused the camera to be positioned incorrectly.
Fixed an issue where the player’s hand could clip through certain scopes on the TAC 338 while chambering a round with the bipod deployed.
Fixed an issue across multiple weapons where equipping the bipod could interfere with the rendering of scopes.
Fixed an issue where if a spectating player had X-ray mode active and the player they were spectating looked at a friendly character that model would appear completely black.
Fixed an issue where the player’s arm could clip through the L96A1’s scope when the bipod is deployed.
Fixed an issue where if a player disconnected and reconnected to a server it could break the animation of another player mounted to a turret when observed from third person.
Fixed an issue where one particularly sassy vase would glow red in Tideway.
Fixed an issue where sandbags near Security spawn had an incorrect surface material applied in multiple levels.
Fixed an issue where the Seasoned Fighter Top colors wouldn’t display correctly in first-person.
Fixed an issue where certain weapons’ magazines could become invisible for a brief period following a reload cancel.
Fixed an issue where a player’s weapon model could appear briefly on their face when equipping or un-equipping a gas mask.
Fixed an issue where the magazine of an SKS would appear rotated incorrectly while performing a full reload when observed from third-person.
Fixed an issue where the player camera could go inside the player model when ducking inside a vehicle.
Fixed an issue where the player’s hand model could become stretched if they were holding a grenade while being blinded in third-person.
Fixed an issue where if a player entered a vehicle from a crouching or sliding position they could become stuck in a crouched position until exiting the vehicle.
Fixed an issue where the “check ammunition” animation could display incorrectly with the MR 73.
Fixed an issue where the player’s arm would be twisted when using certain torso customizations with the TAC 338 rifle.
Fixed an issue where lenses from goggles or gas masks could be visible through smoke.
Fixed an issue where if the Worn Veteran weapon skin was applied to the MDR it would differ in appearance depending on if it was viewed in first or third-person.
Fixed an issue where the player’s character would hold the TAC 338 incorrectly during the round start.
Fixed an issue where scope rings could display incorrectly when switching between first and third-person. This affects the following scopes:
1.5X PK-AS
2X-1X Kobra
1.5X-1X A1 SCOPE
4X PSO-1
3X YMA95-1 SCOPE
3X-1X CH SIGHT BUS
Fixed an issue where the exhaust trail for the rocket barrage would display rotated at 90 degrees.
Fixed an issue where the player’s hand could obscure the scope when using the AS VAL with the loading grip attachment.
Fixed an issue where the second-to-last bullet in a weapon would not have a bolt/slide animation.
Fixed an issue where multi-zoom optics would experience a single frame glitch when switching between hipfire & ADS while in “Picture in Picture” mode.
Fixed an issue where a multi-zoom optic lens would display the wrong color when switching between hipfire & ADS while in “Picture in Picture” mode.
Fixed an issue where a pistol’s optic could be displayed at a player’s feet while in third-person.
Fixed an issue where a player’s ammo carrier or armor could disappear when inside a vehicle in online modes.
Fixed an issue that allowed the Mosin-Nagant to be fired twice before needing to chamber another round.
Fixed an issue where parts of the Brute’s body would turn invisible when first launching into the Main Menu.
Fixed an issue where the female hairstyle “Low Chignon” was not displayed in third-person.
Fixed an issue where the colors of the Mountain Nomad were inconsistent between the Customize menu and gameplay.
Fixed an issue where the Protective Gear Gas Mask clips when equipped with the Brute head.
Fixed an issue where the glass on the S.O.R.T. helmet was not rendered correctly.
Fixed an issue where female hairstyles could clip through the Chemical Combat Helmet.
Fixed an issue where the player could not equip the Gray Man Bottom (Camo) while wearing the Protective Gear Top.
Fixed an issue where Sirwal pants could be equipped with the Protective Gear Boots.
Fixed an issue where the Protective Gear Gloves could be equipped with long-sleeve shirts, leading to clipping issues.
Fixed an issue where the Uniform Camo for the PASGT helmet was selected the helmet would display a solid color.
Fixed an issue where the Revolt Glasses wouldn’t display the correct color in third-person.
Fixed an issue where Climber gear items could clip with other cosmetic items.
Fixed an issue where any triangle-shaped patch would clip with other cosmetics.
Fixed an issue where the Chemical Combat helmet would not display uniform camo correctly.
Fixed an issue where the Protective Gear Gloves would appear differently depending on if they were observed in first or third-person.
Fixed an issue where the Protective Gear boots would clip with the Biker Bottom.
Fixed an issue where facial hair styles would clip through the “Neck Gaiter Low” Facewear.
Audio
Fixed an issue where melee attacks with the Handjar and Shiv weapons would not play any audio.
Fixed an issue where muted players could again be heard after a round change.
Fixed an issue where the sound for changing weapon fire modes could be absent.
Gameplay
Fixed an issue where applying default settings resulted in the player not being able to navigate the menu correctly.
Fixed an issue where a player could pick up another player’s thrown explosive.
Fixed an issue where the M1 Garand couldn’t be reloaded after shooting the Smoke or Explosive Launcher underbarrel.
Fixed a game crash introduced in Update 1.15, Hotfix #3.
Fixed an issue on PS5 where firing a turret could result in the adaptive triggers working in unintended ways.
Fixed an issue where a player mounted on a stationary turret could be kicked for inactivity.
Fixed an issue where using a turret in the warmup phase could result in it becoming unusable upon round start until that player mounts and unmounts.
Fixed an issue where the scaling of the number of bots in a match would not work properly during counterattacks.
Fixed an issue where analog sticks could behave as though receiving input with the deadzone set to 0.0.
Fixed an issue where aim-dampening settings wouldn’t function as intended.
Fixed an issue where the player would respawn faster if they disabled the death camera.
Fixed an issue where some kills wouldn’t allow you to advance through the pool of weapons in the Arms Race mode.
Fixed an issue where players would receive two kills for a single kill achieved with a door.
Fixed an issue where it would be impossible to kill a player with a door if they are from the same faction in the Free For All mode.
Fixed an issue where a player could be the target of auto balance more than once.
Fixed an issue where the “Wallbanger” trophy could be awarded from a regular kill.
Fixed an issue that could cause gameplay to stutter.
Fixed an issue where the party leader status could switch to another party member.
Fixed an issue where a player’s Kill/Assist/Death totals wouldn’t show while in a resupply area.
Fixed an issue where in the Arms Race mode players wouldn’t have enough supply points for a third explosive with the heavy carrier equipped.
Fixed an issue where changing the character’s gender would swap to a previously created preset instead of changing the gender of the selected one.
Fixed an issue where AI wouldn’t run away from IEDs.
Fixed an issue where explosive damage could be blocked by geometry not located in between the player and the explosion.
Fixed an issue where if the Shiv or Baton melee weapons were equipped to the player’s Default loadout, they could revert back to the default melee weapon.
Fixed an issue where some rounds of the A10 support call-in would land at the map origins (0,0).
Fixed an issue in Frenzy mode where AI wouldn’t attack a player if there is a thrown IED or C4 charge nearby.
Fixed an issue where the party leader would be unable to control the party if they close the application and then rejoin the party.
Fixed an issue where the PS5 version could crash on launch.
Fixed an issue where the application could crash after 56 minutes of gameplay.
Fixed an issue where the application could crash after 1 hour and 20 minutes of gameplay.
Fixed an issue where the application could crash after deploying at the beginning of a round.
Fixed an issue where the application could crash when loading a map after 1 hour and 39 minutes.
Fixed an issue where the M1 Garand could not be reloaded after shooting the smoke or explosive launcher under barrel attachment.
Fixed an issue where the explosive launcher for the M1 Garand could be missing in Versus modes
Fixed an issue where the technical vehicle would spin on its axis if a player put an explosive charge in the wheel well and entered the vehicle.
Level Design & Improvements
Fixed an issue where bots could spawn under the map at point G on Trainyard Checkpoint.
Fixed an issue where certain doors would appear to be different colors due to lighting on Prison and Powerplant Night.
Improved the look of some areas where walls meet the terrain on Hillside.
Fixed some areas where objects on the floor were improperly illuminated on Hillside.
Added movement to the leaves on the trees on Hideout.
Fixed a door on Prison at Objective E that was lit too brightly.
Fixed an issue where certain train materials weren’t reflecting properly on Trainyard.
Fixed some of the areas where the road and terrain meet on Hideout.
Added light to an electrical particle on a downed power line in Trainyard.
Added light to a fire particle in Prison.
Fixed an exploit on Crossing.
Added damage to the fire in a burning car on Trainyard.
Fixed an issue where the chemical gas wouldn’t cause damage to the player on point A of Defusal on Last Light.
Fixed an issue where the restricted zone overlapped the unrestricted zone on Crossing, Push Insurgents.
Fixed an area that allowed players to travel outside of the map on Gap.
Fixed an issue where some braziers were lacking flames on Bab and Gap.
Fixed an area on Gap where the player could see through a wall.
Fixed an issue where there was a restricted zone missing between points B and C on Farmhouse Push Security.
Fixed multiple areas where the player could fall through the map on Outskirts.
Fixed an issue where the restricted area was incorrectly displayed on the map when defending point C on Refinery Push Insurgents.
Miscellaneous
Fixed various localization issues.
Fixed an issue where having the privacy setting “ Others can communicate with voice, text, or invites” set to “Friends” wouldn’t apply it to Versus mode text chat.
Fixed an issue where a muted player’s voice could be heard again upon loading a new map.
Fixed an issue where recently recorded replays could have a “Replay Unavailable” status.
Fixed an issue where searching for the game and loading the game would occur only for the Party leader.
Fixed an issue where voice chat could be disabled after opening and closing the scoreboard in any game mode.
Fixed an issue where after the game had been closed the former party leader couldn’t return to the party from Local Play or Matchmaking.
Fixed an issue where player names were needlessly censored.
Fixed an issue where most gun fire sounds were missing from the mod editor.
Fixed an issue where most weapons were invisible in third person in the mod editor
Fixed an issue where Primary and Secondary weapons could be invisible in first person.
Fixed a player desync exploit.
UI/UX
Fixed an issue where mousing over menu items didn’t trigger hints.
Fixed an issue where the title screen hint wouldn’t change according to the input device.
Fixed an issue where if the player modified control layout then canceled without saving, the menu would reflect the unsaved modified layout.
Fixed an issue where the “Customize” and “Select” buttons in the Loadout menu would function differently whether they were interacted with via mouse or keyboard.
Fixed an issue where if the player modified control layout then canceled without saving, the menu would reflect the unsaved modified layout.
Fixed an issue where the “Remove” button in the Loadout menu could not work when interacting via mouse.
Fixed an issue where the player could highlight Main Menu options while the Tutorial pop-up window should have focus.
Fixed an issue where players couldn’t right click on player names in replays.
Fixed an issue where the player could be unable to cancel joining a match using a controller.
Fixed an issue where if the player modified the “Motion Blur” or “Dismemberment” settings then canceled without saving, the menu would reflect the unsaved modified settings.
Fixed an issue where the player would be unable to close the “report Player” or “ Custom Color” windows while on the scenario vote screen.
Fixed an issue where disconnecting and reconnecting a controller while on the “Details” pop-up of game mode selection could result in the “Details” pop-up losing focus.
Fixed an issue where players would not see friendly messages from the Comms menu wheel show up in the general chat area.
Fixed an issue where creating a party with mouse and keyboard while in the game type selection screen would result in the Main menu screen containing a second instance of the word “Play”.
Fixed an issue where when changing the games language the “Cancel” button wouldn’t close the language selection window.
Fixed an issue where the application could crash if Steam accepted an invitation from EGS via the EGS overlay.
Fixed an issue where in the Arms Race mode there were menu elements referencing “Objective Secured” & “Objective Capture Time” and “Kills” was not always accurately displaying the number of kills.
Fixed an issue where on Xbox the “key Bind” window could not be closed by pressing “Cancel” after reconnecting the controller.
Fixed an issue where in the Loadout menu weapon descriptions of rocket-based weapons did not contain information about shell caliber or number of rockets.
Fixed an issue where the Kukri and Combat Knife weapons displayed the wrong icons in the Loadout menu.
Fixed an issue where after saving a loadout with the “Survivor CAMO” Top and Bottom, and then switching to the “Survivor” Top and Bottom , the loadout would switch back to the “Survivor CAMO” Top and Bottom if the player closed and then re-opened the loadout section.
Fixed an issue where the player would be able to change the “Region” preferences after initiating a game search.
Fixed an issue where in Arms Race the second weapon a player achieves would show the incorrect HUD elements unless the player dies and respawns.
Fixed an issue where the female “Low Chignon” hairstyle wasn’t displayed in the Customize menu on consoles.
Fixed an issue where the player could be bound to open All/Team text chat in the settings with M&K.
Fixed an issue where some patches did not have a name.
Fixed an issue where slider settings would not save when using M&K.
Fixed an issue where the “search canceled” pop-up would not disappear after switching party leader.
Fixed an issue where the faction icon would cover the “Camera Height” hint when watching a replay.
Fixed an issue where the input for opening/closing the comms menu would also issue a command when playing in-game.
Fixed an issue where some radial menus were missing the black backdrop.
Fixed an issue where the text in the loadouts screen would get cut off in some languages.
Fixed an issue where the vote-kick window would not be displayed for all players in a match.
Fixed an issue where the “Customize” and “Select” buttons in the loadout screen would not function with a mouse click.
Fixed an issue where the UI icons were missing when doing the “Leaning” lesson.
Fixed an issue on consoles where menu navigation wouldn’t function correctly after closing the bind menu with a mouse.
Fixed an issue on consoles where the “button binding” window would close after any controller input.
KNOWN ISSUES
When first launching Sandstorm on the Epic Games Store, the Basic Training Rewards are given without completing the Basic Training mission.
The muzzle texture for the M4A1 is wrong when viewed in third person.
There is an issue where a bipod’s surface snapping can be misaligned after jumping with already snapped bipods.
The FPS counter in the main menu will always show 60 even when a limit of 30 or 45 is selected.
Appearance presets will sometimes intersect with the heading on different resolutions.
When canceling the reload animation on an empty magazine with the MDR equipped with any grip, the magazine will become invisible after resuming it.
Some images in the purchase pop-up for the The Duct Taped skin set look different than they do in loadout (RPK and AR-7090).
Part of the “Two-Tone Green” skin is not displayed on the M4A1 foregrip.
The “Gunner Top” is sometimes invisible on your character in the main menu on game launch,
The “Long Haircut” clips with character faces when viewed in third person or in the Customize menu.
The party code is displayed by default when a party is re-created. (Should be hidden by default)
The “Handjar” and “Tactical Axe” descriptions are not translated into other languages besides English.
There is an FPS drop when moving near the weapons tables on the Range night map when playing on Xbox.
The game may freeze when exploding a frag in the very first playthrough of Basic Training.
The weapon cache flickers when the defending player throws an attacker’s EOD/C4 at it.
There are differences with the Duct Taped skin set on certain guns when compared to the marketing materials.
The top half of a bot’s model can disappear while putting on a gas mask.
Characters will sometimes spawn on top of each other in 12v12 and 14v14 matches.
Patches are not visible in third person when Insurgents are equipped with Light/Heavy carrier gear.
Some barriers on Summit are not rendered properly when viewed from a distance.
Backpacks disappear when interacting with turrets.
When a Security bot dies with heavy armor it becomes distorted and has a default skin in Local Play.
The 1.5x-1x scope on an AUG will partially disappear when viewed in third person.
The animation for planting on a weapon cache will not play if the player was changing weapons right before interacting with the cache.
Life Is Strange: Double Exposure update 1.005 has been pushed out by Deck Nine on all platforms this December 5, and this brings a short list of fixes, with the most notable one being for achievements/trophies not unlocking properly.
Life Is Strange: Double Exposure Update 1.005 Includes a Short List of Bug Fixes
If you’re still on the fence about the game, go read our review here where we state, ” While a few distinct choices hold it back from reaching any all-time heights, its heartwarming friendships and multifaceted story on love and loss kept me invested all the way through to its conclusion.”
Blizzard Entertainment has rolled out a new Diablo 4 update for December 5 on all platforms, and this is a minor patch that doesn’t bring in any new content. For those hoping to see some holiday-themed fun, that will have to wait. Unless, of course, Blizzard chucked in the data for that with this update, and they will just trigger it when they want to (this happens more often than you think for most games).
For console users, you should be prompted to download Diablo 4 update 1.72 on PS4/XB1, while current-gen owners will see the download as version 1.070.
Diablo 4’s Latest Patch Released This December 5 Brings Stability Improvements
The only thing Blizzard noted for today’s patch is it’s for “Various stability improvements..”
Yep, that’s the lone changelog we got from Blizzard today. The latest developer comment on a fix happened last month, as a Community Manager, filthierich, mentioned a hotfix that “Fixed an issue where certain Tortured chests within Helltides were resetting improperly.”
We are still expecting a bigger patch to be released that should house the holiday-themed events and whatnot, since Blizzard always has something in store for their games for the holidays.
Once another patch is out, we’ll be sure to let our readers know.
HexWorks continues its fantastic post-release support for Lords of the Fallen with yet another title update available this December 5 on all platforms. This brings the Lightreaper encounter back after the change from a previous update, Other than that, this patch improves game inferno progression based on community feedback.
Lords of the Fallen Update 1.060 Patch Notes for December 5
Return of the Lightreaper
In a recent update, we removed the first (of potentially four) encounters with the Lightreper, as the high-difficulty battle just after the tutorial was observed to be confusing for new players. However, it transpired that some of our more seasoned Lampbearers missed the early challenge, and so in response to this, we have added a new option to bring the encounter back. Players who wish to face the Lightreaper earlier in the game (as it was prior to the adjustment) may now do so by enabling the Increased Enemy Density option in the Advanced Game Modifier System, which can be accessed when starting a new game (including NG0) either through the main menu or at any Vestige.
Improved Enemy Encounters
To improve combat realism, we’ve adjusted attack ranges and tracking for some of our enemies. Some enemies could jump unrealistic distances potentially breaking the player’s sense of immersion, while other enemies would occasionally spin mid attack (even mid air) which could feel unfair or frustrating. The level of challenge remains the same following these adjustments, but we hope combat encounters now feel fairer and more realistic. Early Game Inferno Progression
In response to community feedback, early-game progression of the Pyric Cultist class has been altered. Two Inferno-based spells are now being granted earlier in the game through Damarose, giving players more opportunities to explore pyromancy builds early in their journey.
Echoes of Battle for Lightreaper Bug Fix
We’ve resolved a bug where the Lightreaper’s Echoes of Battle was unlocked too early.
While I want to say that this is the last patch of the game for the year, HexWorks has proven time and time again that they are constantly making the game better for all players.. Hopefully, this kind of support is the same when we get the sequel sometime in 2026.
Ballistic Moon has pushed out Until Dawn update 1.008 on PS5 and PC, and this title update brings various fixes related to technical issues and gameplay too. For trophy hunters, you’ll be glad to know this patch brings fixes to various trophy-related bugs.
Until Dawn Update 1.008 Now Out This December 5
Fixes
Disabled the ability to have TAA on when FSR is on
Player choice percentage telemetry is now correctly tracking across all platforms
The It’s Shining trophy/achievement can now be unlocked when gathering the interactions from Episode Select
Symphony of Horrors achievement no longer unlocks early in some instances
Fixes for stuttering issues when Mike is in the Sanatorium in Chapter 9
Fixes for butterfly effects showing the wrong informtion at the end of playthroughs
Josh’s Character screen now appears in Chapter 10
The shader compilation start up process has been changed. There is now a shorter initial compilation screen, with some of it taking place in the menu. If you attempt to start the game during compilation, you will hit a warning screen (You can revert to the old system by launching the game with the command -legacypso via Steam Launcher)
Movement prompt now appears during the deer approach in Chapter 6
Carnival of Solitude achievement no longer requires gyroscope function to unlock on Steam Deck
If experiencing a crash on boot while playing on Steam Deck, please switch to Proton Experimental in the compatibility settings of your device
For those on PC wondering they version number jumped, patch 1.007 was released on PS5 a month ago, which you can read about here.
Compared to previous patches, Ballistic Moon has not included a list of known issues they are currently working on. Does this mean, we won’t be seeing patches in the future? I highly doubt that unless all the bugs have been ironed out.
Before the year ends, Activision is dishing out one more major content drop for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone with Season 1 Reloaded. Players can now download and install COD Black Ops 6 and Warzone update 1.063, bringing a ton of new content and gameplay changes to the game.
We’ve compiled the Multiplayer, Zombies and Warzone patch notes below, and it’s a very long read. In order to make it easier, we’ve added a table, which readers can click that will bring them to their desired area of the patch notes.
COD Black Ops 6 Update 1.063 Multiplayer and Zombies Season 1 Reloaded Details
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Update 1.63 Brings Season 1 Reloaded
Download Size: 16.2GB (PS5)
New Multiplayer Content
New Multiplayer Maps
Hacienda (6v6)
Last seen in Black Ops 4, the iconic competitive map returns, sending Operators back to the infamous vineyard estate. Battle within the open-air, two-story mansion with surrounding views of the pristine courtyard below. From the grand foyer past the lion statue, head toward the showroom garage or move out to the garden to keep the fight outside. On the other end of the estate, marvel at the built-in aquarium above the vault.
Racket (2v2, 6v6)
Time to crack open the heart of the Luttazzi money laundering operation and hit them where it really hurts. Breach the premises in this small-sized underground bank vault, a line of broken tiles marking the path of the center bulldozer placed before the vault of golden bars. Defaced pieces of art and the crossed-out emblem of the Luttazzi family indicate not just greed but malicious intent. In combat, however, leave that all to the side — keep your senses sharp and your head on a swivel while navigating the map’s many tight corners and enclosed spaces.
Nuketown Holiday (6v6)
Nuketown gets a festive makeover for the holidays. Put on your winter gear and grab some snowballs!
New Limited-Time Multiplayer Modes
Ran-Snack (December 12)
Trade gold for sweets in this festive LTM that challenges teams to gather and deposit the most cookies. Grab cookies from the rotating crate and fallen Operators and bring them back to your stash. Impede the enemy’s progress by eating their cookies directly from their cookie box. In honor of the season of giving, your Operator also earns buffs for depositing cookies, including a speed boost, faster reload, and faster health regen. The first team to reach the Score Limit or have the best score when the Time Limit expires wins.
Infectious Holiday (December 12)
Even the undead are getting into the holiday spirit as zombies and fallen Operators don festive clothing in this festive twist on the fan-favorite Infected mode.
New Weapons
Maelstrom – Shotgun (Merry Mayhem Event Reward)
Clear rooms with this fast firing full-auto Shotgun that overwhelms enemies with a hail of lead. The perfect weapon for the new Racket Strike map and in any confined area, the Maelstrom requires getting up close, its heavy recoil and large hip spread quickly losing effectiveness at range. If you can close the distance first, they’re toast.
AMR Mod 4 – Sniper Rifle (Archie’s Festival Frenzy Event Reward)
Down enemies fast with this powerful Sniper Rifle providing a one-shot elimination across the upper body not accounting for armor. Its high damage is balanced by slow aim speed and heavy recoil, though these drawbacks can be alleviated with the right attachments. However you customize it, this thing is guaranteed to hit hard.
Cleaver – Melee (Event Reward)
Go ham with the close-quarters Cleaver Melee weapon. Chop and slice with a mix of heavy and light attacks. Equally useful for enemy Operators and the undead.
New Attachments
3-Round Burst Mod Conversion (Merry Mayhem Event Reward)
Convert the XM4 Assault Rifle’s primary firing mode into a three-round burst, conserving ammo and supporting a steadier aim through sustained combat.
3-Round Burst Mod Conversion (Archie’s Festive Frenzy Event Reward)
Add some control to the rapid-fire Kompakt 92 SMG with a three-round burst primary firing mode. Each burst cycles quickly to the next, allowing you to still pump out damage when it’s needed most.
New Multiplayer Perk & Wildcard
New Perk – Season Launch Window
Shrapnel Radar – Recon
Unlocked reward as part of the Merry Mayhem Event
Blast damage dealt from area-of-effect Lethals, Tacticals and Field Upgrades mark the injured target on your minimap.
New Wildcard – Unlocked In-Season
High Roller
Equip a fourth Scorestreak for use in Core 6v6 Multiplayer matches. Pairs well with Assassin, Dispatcher, and Bankroll.
Zombies New Content
New Zombies Map
Citadelle des Morts
One of Avalon’s oldest landmarks, the Citadel is shunned by locals both for its sinister history and because it is a base of operations for the crime family known as the French Syndicate. The castle was established in the 1100s on the site of a leper colony, and construction was completed a century later. In the 1300s, the renegade knight Guy de Saint Michel and his four enforcers took over the fortress and instituted a criminal reign of terror that birthed the Syndicate.
New Zombies Enemy
Doppelghast (Citadelle des Morts)
Serving as the next stage in the evolutionary chain of Dark Aether metamorphosis, Doppelghasts are violent and display erratic and unsettling movement, as if each head is independently fighting for control of its body. It lurches, randomly knots itself up to perform fast and unexpected maneuvers and tends to outrun its lesser brethren using its powerful, elongated feet.
New Zombies Perk-A-Cola
Vulture Aid
Available for the first time since Black Ops II, consume a can of Vulture Aid Elixir once you find the monstrous avian sculpture of a Perk-A-Cola machine, and you’ll discover an increase in the variety of loot dropped from enemies. Additional loot takes the form of Essence Vials and small Ammo drops. This is only available (and visible) to the player with Vulture Aid active. Then unlock the full power of the Perk by ensuring Augments are added!
Vulture Aid is available on Citadelle des Morts, along with the eight previously accessible Zombies Perks. Note that some of these eight Perks are only available via a Der Wunderfizz machine.
Vulture Aid is available on Liberty Falls and Terminus maps via the Der Wunderfizz machine.
Vulture Aid: Major Augments
Fetid Upgr-aid
On death, zombies have a chance to create a gas cloud that charges your Field Upgrade.
Smell of Death
On death, zombies have a chance to create a gas cloud that conceals you while standing in it.
Parting Gift
Vulture Aid ammo drops give more ammo to Wonder Weapons.
Vulture Aid: Minor Augments
Condor’s Reach
Auto-pickup loot from farther away.
Carrion Luggage
Critical kills have a chance to drop extra Salvage.
Picky Eater
On death, zombies have a higher chance of dropping your current equipment.
New Zombies Ammo Mod
Light Mend
Bullets deal Light (i.e. elemental) damage. Each bullet has a chance to transform a normal or Special enemy’s health into a healing glyph that moves to nearby injured allies.
This Ammo Mod can be used in all three Zombies maps along with the previously accessible Ammo Mods, assuming it is chosen at an Arsenal Machine.
Unlocked reward as part of the Merry Mayhem Event.
Light Mend: Major Augments
Antibiotic
The healing glyph now damages enemies that touch it, but its lifetime is reduced.
Big Game
Light Mend can activate on Elite enemies, dropping three more healing glyphs.
Dual Action
Consuming a healing glyph will temporarily allow you to heal faster.
Light Mend: Minor Augments
Longer Life
The healing glyph’s lifetime is increased.
Extra Strength
The healing glyph replenishes more health when consumed.
Express Remedy
Increase the range that the glyph will move to an ally.
New Zombies Field Upgrade
Tesla Storm
For 10 seconds, lightning connects to other players, stunning and damaging normal enemies.
This Field Upgrade can be used in all three Zombies maps along with the previously accessible Field Upgrades, assuming it is chosen as part of your Loadout, or swapped via the menu during a game.
Unlocked reward as part of the Merry Mayhem Event.
Tesla Storm: Major Augments
Transformer
The field’s damage is increased by the number of allies that are connected.
Shockwave
On activation, stun and damage all nearby enemies.
Static Discharge
On activation, create a lethal surge of electricity around you.
Tesla Storm: Minor Augments
Power Grid
Increase the range the electric tether can connect to allies.
Overclocked
Your movement speed is increased during Tesla Storm.
Lithium Charged
Increase Tesla Storm duration.
New GobbleGums
Power Keg (Rare): Spawns a Full Power Power-up.
Unlocked reward as part of the GobbleGum Mania Event.
Time Out (Ultra): Lasts three minutes. Clear all Normal and Special enemies and end the Round. Normal spawning will not resume during this time.
Unlocked reward as part of the GobbleGum Mania Event.
Holiday Cheer (Whimsical): Zombies have festive decorations.
Primarily unlocked in the Jingle Hells Limited Time Event, potentially whenever you earn GobbleGums by playing. Also unlocked randomly from a successful Exfil. Once acquired, Holiday Cheer GobbleGums can be kept (they do not expire) and used in any of the three available maps. Expect these to be earned even after the Holiday Season.
New Zombies Training Course
Coming in Season 01 at Reloaded Launch, the Zombies Training Course allows you to learn the basics if you’re a new or casual player or refresh your knowledge if you’re a more seasoned player.
Polish your favorite armament and drop into Liberty Falls where the gruff Arsenal Machine Drill Sergeant gives you tough love as you maneuver to a sequence of different “Station” flags dotted around the map. If you’re unsure how to play this game mode, visit the following stations and learn (and perform) a different aspect of the game.
Killing Zombies: Learn how to kill zombies and replenish resources.
Map Progression: Learn how to navigate the world and progress rounds.
Powering Up Players: Buff your strength and survivability with Perks and Armor.
Powering Up Weapons: Increase your lethality with weapon upgrades.
Getting New Weapons: Discover methods to acquire new weapons.
GobbleGums: Learn how to use GobbleGums for unique power-ups.
Exfil: Learn how to exit a match.
New Limited-Time Zombies Modes
Jingle Hells (December 17)
Deck the Falls with boughs of holly, as the Jingle Hells festive Limited Time Mode returns! Last seen in Black Ops Cold War, Jingle Hells drops you in what could optimistically be called a winter wonderland, as the entirety of the Liberty Falls map is festooned with wreaths, ribbons, twinkling lights, Christmas trees, garlands of fir tree bunting, and a thin blanket of snow. Although, something feels a bit off… not least the melting piles of slush stained with bloody entrails…
Black Ops 6 Season 1 Reloaded Gameplay Changes and Adjustments
GLOBAL (MP, ZM)
Camos
CDL, Ranked Play, and Incentive Camos can now be equipped to any Weapon, regardless of whether all 9 Military Camos have been unlocked for that Weapon in one mode
Settings
Controllers
Stick Sensitivity
The controller stick sensitivity sliders system changed from a 1-20 scale to a 0.10-4.00. This will give players finer control over their sensitivity values and more transparency on the effect of their changes. Previously set sensitivity settings will be maintained.
MULTIPLAYER
Maps
New
Hacienda (6v6)
Racket (2v2, 6v6)
Nuketown Holiday (6v6)
Adjustments
Lowtown
Addressed an issue where players could get outside of the intended playspace.
Protocol
Adjusted Search & Destroy A Bombsite location
Modes
Adjustments
Hardpoint
Resolved an issue where zone markers could sometimes disappear when contesting a hardpoint location.
CDL Modes (CDL Hardpoint, CDL Search and Destroy, CDL Control)
Dynamic Map Elements are now disabled by default in CDL game modes.
Secret paths (Skyline bookcase, Hacienda panic room) will be open by default.
Weapons
We will be releasing a large weapon balancing patch shortly after the launch of Season 1 Reloaded. The patch will address some common pieces of community feedback that we have been seeing. Here are just a few of the high level changes, with detailed notes coming later.
Headshot damage improvements on full-auto weapons
Full removal of idle sway at the start of ADS on Sniper Rifles
Reductions to visual recoil, sway, and bob
Gunsmith
Addressed an issue that displayed incorrect movement speed values on some weapons in Detailed Weapon Stats.
Theater Mode
Addressed an issue where HUD effects from a previously spectated player would be shown when in Free Cam in Theater.
Addressed an issue where the Hellstorm intro would not be displayed in Theater.
Addressed an issue where Free Cam would zoom in and out if the last spectated player is ADS.
Addressed an issue where Smoke Grenade VFX were not properly displayed in Theater.
Addressed an issue where a black screen would be present when viewing a file in Theater.
Addressed a crash that could occur when attempting to open a Theater file when another has already been opened.
Free Cam movement bindings for up/down on controllers have been adjusted to L1/R1.
Perks
Recon Combat Specialty bonus of the HUD edge indicator will now only display when an enemy is ADS
Improved Auto-Ping from Tracker in Free For All modes.
Equipment
Resolve an issue where flash and concussion assists could be awarded when hitting teammates in modes with friendly fire enabled
Scorestreaks
Addressed issues where static overlays from various Scorestreaks could persist in the Winner’s Circle.
Sentry Turret will now target enemies in last stand.
Resolved an issue where players firing an unsuppressed weapon with the Ghost perk equipped could be seen by an enemy Scout Pulse.
Addressed an issue where the Archangel Launcher and Hand Cannon would be stowed when performing a high mantle.
Addressed an issue where the player would be unable to use a second Archangel Launcher in one life when obtained by points and a Care Package.
Lobby Vote
Fixed an issue with the Classified vote option that was causing it to frequently select the same map(s) in some playlists. The Classified vote option will now randomly select one of the map (or mode) selections not shown in the 2 visible Lobby Vote options.
UI
Social
Addressed an issue where friends were not showing online when resuming from sleep on consoles.
Addressed an issue where offline players could show as Online Friends in Social.
Challenges
Calling Card Challenges
Fixed an issue that was preventing the “Merciless Killer” Challenge from progressing if any of the 10 Kills required were achieved with a Scorestreak Weapon (Archangel Launcher or Hand Cannon)
Daily Challenges
Reduced the amount of progress needed to complete various Multiplayer Daily Challenges
Camo Challenges
Launcher Gold & Dark Spine Camo Challenges now also award progress when destroying enemy Equipment and Field Upgrades in one match, in addition to destroying enemy Scorestreaks
Addressed an issue where final kills of a match were not consistently being counted toward Camo Challenges.
Ranked Play
New
Updated Restrictions
The following items are now restricted in Ranked Play to match the latest CDL pro GAs:
Assault Rifles:
Krig
Model L
XM4
SMGs
Saug
Snipers
All Snipers (All Modes)
Attachments:
All Assault Rifle and SMG Magazine Attachments
Equipment:
Smoke Grenades (All Modes)
Players who have the above items equipped to their Ranked Play Loadouts will want to manually swap them out for unrestricted items and Attachments. If players select a Loadout with restricted content the restricted items will be automatically removed when the player spawns in-game.
Hacienda
With the return of the competitive staple Hacienda in Season 01 Reloaded, the map will be added to the Ranked map pool for all 3 Ranked modes prior to it being added to the official CDL map pool later in December:
Hacienda Hardpoint
Hacienda Control
Hacienda Search & Destroy
Rewind Control will be removed with the addition of Hacienda Control
Ranked Play Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue that was preventing SR Loss Forgiveness from applying correctly after the player’s first Loss of the Day
Dynamic Map Elements are now disabled by default in CDL game modes.
Secret paths (Skyline bookcase, Hacienda panic room) will be open by default
Stability
Various stability fixes.
ZOMBIES
General Gameplay Updates
General Updates
Reduced the number of Mangler spawns at mid-to-high Rounds.
Implemented a maximum cap on active Manglers in the game, ramping up until the cap is released at Round 100.
Reduced the Mangler’s arm cannon health.
Significantly reduced the length of Special Rounds by reducing the number of spawns and adjusting the spawn delay rate for Special Rounds.
Scaled Parasite damage between Rounds 31-91.
Slightly increased damage scaling for base zombies at Round 150-400.
Addressed an issue that would prevent zombies from spawning normally after loading a save.
Addressed an issue where rarely all players would be downed without a way to revive and have to wait to bleed out before the match would end.
Addressed an issue in splitscreen where Player 1 would not spawn with the correct loadout.
Terminus
Addressed an issue where the AFK timer was not present on Terminus Directed Mode.
Addressed an issue that caused additional Amalgam’s to spawn in when loading a save.
Addressed an issue where using the Beamsmasher alternate fire mode on a camera would display “Immune” text.
Addressed an issue that sometimes caused incorrect iconography on the minimap during the Boat Race.
Liberty Falls
Addressed an issue where an Abomination could spawn outside the Exfil zone during an Exfil attempt.
Addressed an issue where Parasites could spawn in Liberty Falls.
Addressed an issue where Vermin could end up on the roof when attacking the player in some locations.
Addressed an issue where Zombies could get underneath the Forecourt.
Weapons
Added the Krig C, Saug, Sirin 9mm and Power Drill to the Mystery Box.
Addressed an issue where the AK-74 would have downward recoil.
Addressed an issue where some weapons would have the wrong rarity displayed.
Wonder Weapons
Thrustodyne M23
Addressed an issue where the alternate fire could be used without a cooldown.
Perks
Jugger-Nog
Addressed an issue where the Reactive Armor augment would stun Brainrot charmed zombies.
Improved the lighting on the perk machine.
Der Wunderfizz Machine
Der Wunderfizz will now appear on the map when loading a save past Round 25 without needing to progress to the next round.
Field Upgrades
Tesla Storm
Unlocked reward as part of the Merry Mayhem Event.
Dark Flare
Addressed an issue where Dark Flare could be activated without being fully charged.
Quick Revive
Addressed an issue that caused Dying Wish not to account for armor mitigation.
Aether Shroud
Closed an exploit that allowed players to go through doors and barriers without unlocking them with the Burst Dash augment.
GobbleGums
Power Keg
Unlocked reward as part of the GobbleGum Mania Event.
Time Out
Unlocked reward as part of the GobbleGum Mania Event.
Free Fire
Addressed an issue where Underbarrel Grenade Launchers and PaP’d GS45 Pistols would not have unlimited ammo.
Addressed an issue where the player would be unable to use GobbleGums while having a Sentry Turret active.
Scorestreaks
Hand Cannon
Unlock available through the Armory for players that did not already unlock it with The Hit List Event.
Power-Ups
Max Armor Power-Up will now also fill the player’s reserve plates.
Loot
Addressed an issue where picking up a weapon off the ground could swap it with your secondary weapon instead of the held weapon.
Activities
S.A.M. Trials
Addressed an issue where original scorestreaks were sometimes not returned to the player after the trial.
Challenges
Calling Card Challenges
Fixed issues that were preventing the following Zombies Calling Card Challenges from tracking correctly:
“Endless Barrage” Prestige 1 Challenge
“Madness” Career Challenge
“Kunoichi” Dark Ops Challenge
“Sticks n’ Stones” Dark Ops Challenge
“Splash Damage” Trophy Hunter Challenge
“Liberated” Dark Ops Challenge
“Gumption” Kitted Out Challenge
“Hide & Seek” Fresh Meat Challenge
Daily Challenges
Reduced the amount of progress needed to complete various Zombies Daily Challenges
Medals
Addressed an issue that was preventing the Monkey Business Medal from tracking correctly.
UI
Addressed an issue where playlists would sometimes appear locked.
Updated the text below Directed Mode rewards to “Charm reward will also be awarded for completing Standard Mode” to accurately reflect what will be additionally awarded from Standard mode.
Addressed an issue where sometimes the previous GobbleGum name was shown when scrolling through GobbleGum packs in the store.
Addressed an issue in splitscreen where the GobbleGum UI from the previous match would be present at the start of a new match preventing the player from seeing what Gums they have.
Addressed an issue where the Scoreboard would be missing in splitscreen.
Addressed an issue where the Center Dot crosshair would disappear in 3rd person.
Updated the ping icon for the Krig C.
Addressed some text inconsistencies.
Stability
Various stability fixes.
COD Warzone Update 1.064 Season 1 Reloaded Complete Details
MODES
Holiday Rush Limited-Time Mode
Deck the halls of Area 99. Join the festivities in this fast-paced resurgence mode as players compete over valuable presents. Keep an eye to the sky for a special guest and watch out for yellow snowballs!
Player Count: 40
Squad Size: Quads
Map: Area 99
Slay Ride Resurgence Limited-Time Mode
Undead Santa returns to Urzikstan! Battle against players, defeat Undead Santa and his zombie henchmen, capture Codmas trees for powerful loot, and race to control the Urzikstan train in this festive, action-packed game mode.
Player Count: 56
Squad Size: Quads
Map: Urzikstan
PLAYLIST
PERFORMANCE
Server Performance Enhancements
We’ve implemented several updates designed to boost server performance, ensuring a smoother and more reliable experience.
BUY STATIONS
Adjustments
Specialist Discount
Firesale’s discount for Specialist has increased to 50%, up from 30% to be inline with other items.
PERKS
New
Reflexes
• Triggered explosives detonate on a delay when sprinting past them.
• Unlocked via Season 01 Reloaded – Holiday Event Reward
KILLSTREAKS
New
Bunker Buster
Increased Maximum damage from 237 to 300.
Decreased the min damage from 112 to 50.
When the trophy system intercepts the bunker buster it will deal slightly less damage in the area to account for the increased maximum damage.
With the adjustments to how the Trophy System will cause the Bunker Buster to detonate we wanted to make sure that it remained competitive. There is now an emphasis on being accurate with the delivery to maximize the damage. In instances where the Trophy System does not intercept, players can now expect better results for accurate hits and a significant falloff when inaccurate.
WEAPONS
New Weapons
AMR Mod 4 Sniper Rifle (In-Season)
Semi-auto sniper rifle. Very high recoil and slow rate of fire. You can steady your aim while ADSing.
Acquirable via Event Reward
Maelstrom Shotgun (In-Season)
Fully automatic shotgun. Good range and handling. High recoil and large hip spread.
Acquirable via Event Reward
Cleaver Melee Weapon (In-Season)
Short-medium range. Medium attack speed.
Acquirable via Event Reward
New Attachments
XM4 3-Round Burst Mod Conversion (In-Season)
Convert the XM4 Assault Rifle’s primary firing mode into a three-round burst, conserving ammo and supporting a steadier aim through sustained combat.
Acquirable via Event Reward
Kompakt 92 3-Round Burst Mod Conversion (In-Season)
Add some control to the rapid-fire Kompakt 92 SMG with a three-round burst primary firing mode. Each burst cycles quickly to the next, allowing you to still pump out damage when it’s needed most.
Acquirable via Event Reward
Weapon Adjustments
» Assault Rifles «
We want ARs to remain competitive long range options, so we are increasing the velocity of all Black Ops 6 ARs to help with engagements at range. Along with buffing some ARs damage ranges that were underperforming. We will continue to evaluate and adjust as needed.
» Submachine Guns «
All Black Ops 6 SMGs have had their reload speeds increased by 10%
» Light Machine Guns «
The goal of these ADS Speed adjustments is to bring LMG handling more in line with our intended base line values. The location modifier changes make engagements feel more consistent and less punishing if you hit a few lower torso shots mixed in with upper torso. We will continue to monitor how LMGs are fitting into engagements and adjust accordingly.
» Marksman Rifles «
All Black Ops 6 Marksman Rifles have had their reload speeds increased by 12%
We want Marksman Rifles to be better at longer ranges and in order to help achieve this goal we are increasing the velocity of Black Ops 6 Marksman Rifles.
» Shotguns «
All Black Ops 6 Shotguns have had their reload speeds increased by 8%
LOOT
Adjustments
>
Lootable SMGs
Updated SMG magazine sizes to be larger than 30 rounds.
UI/UX
Adjustments
Custom Loadout Colors Quality of Life
Weapons that players infil with or respawn will no longer show as a single custom loadout color. Rather, they will now have a weapon rarity color based on the number of attachments.
AUDIO
Adjustments
Reduced reverb effect volume on Urzikstan.
BUG FIXES
Fixed an issue with Custom Perk Packs where the pack was named “Custom” when it should be named “Custom Perk Pack”.
Fixed an issue with Custom Perk Packs where the pack was showing as “legendary” rarity when it should show as “Loadout” rarity.
Fixed an issue with Scavenger description where it did not call out that it provides cash.
The perk will provide 1500 cash from the packs that drop from enemies.
Fixed an issue with Grenadier description where it made reference to players “removing shrapnel”.
The perk applies a debuff when enemies are damaged by explosives but they are not expected to remove shrapnel.
Fixed an issue with Quick Fix where health was not regenerating on plating and kills.
Fixed an issue with Quick Fix where inserting an armor plate, downing a player, or killing a downed player now correctly starts health regen.
Fixed an issue where the default perk “Quick Swap” was not being applied in Pre-match. This is still applied correctly in a regular match.
Fixed an issue causing the Specialist perk package to be discounted 30% instead of 50% during a Fire Sale.
» Field Upgrades «
Fixed an issue with the Deployable Buy Station Field Upgrade that showed the incorrect icons in some situations.
Fixed an issue preventing the Loadout Drop Field Upgrade icon from appearing in the lower right hand of the screen when players have one equipped.
» Camos «
Fixed an issue with challenges that required tracking kills while under an enemy UAV.
Previously, this only tracked if a player eliminated the enemy who initially activated the UAV, which was not the intended functionality. This affected the Unique Camos for the Tanto, the Bat, and the XM4, as well as the Prestige 10 Calling Card Challenge, “Going Loud.” Now, it correctly tracks eliminations on any player while the attacker is under a UAV activated by any enemy player. After all, the only thing better than taking down enemy operators is doing it while you’re on everyone’s radar.
» Firing Range «
Fixed issue that caused firing range dummies to not trigger armor break sounds when being hit with a headshot as the armor breaks.
Fixed issue that unintentionally caused snipers to not one-shot headshot in some scenarios in the firing range.
Fixed issue that prevented movable dummy from properly moving to the intended weapon damage ranges.
» Gulag «
Fixed an issue causing players to appear to take damage when entering the Gulag.
Fixed an issue causing Gulag events to spawn more cash than intended.
» Other «
Fixed an issue where players would receive incorrect hitmarker visual feedback when viewing killcams.
Fixed an issue that unintentionally made players swap the wrong gun when switching weapons and picking up a weapon at the same time.
Fixed an issue preventing players from leaving the match during exfil.
Fixed an issue causing players to get stuck in a plating animation.
Fixed an issue where players would not be able to use multiple UAVs.
Fixed an issue where the buy station was showing the incorrect icon.
Fixed an issue allowing players to duplicate payouts completing the Signal Intelligence contract.
Fixed an issue with the Ammo Depot Cache’s missing on Rebirth Island.
Fixed issue that prevented players from properly attaching mid air to long ziplines in Urzikstan.
Fixed numerous descriptions on weapon attachments in the gunsmith after the muzzle and underbarrel refactor.
Fixed an issue where the icon for certain public events were flashing repeatedly
Fixed an issue where the Score Feed would persist on the HUD through death and respawn.
Fixed an issue where the attachment swap pop-up will show incorrectly under certain conditions.
Fixed an issue where the “Airspace is too Crowded” message and information would not display correctly when using certain Killstreaks.
Fixed an issue where Tutorial messages and popups would appear even when disabled.
Fixed missing sound when your Squad is wiped.
Fixed an issue with the Plunder scoreboard causing the Cash Banked to display incorrectly.
Fixed an issue that prevented a player from shooting after opening a Loadout Crate when they were previously eliminated from going out of bounds.
Fixed an issue causing the Bounty Contest widget to flash and play sound repeatedly.
Now that’s one insanely big update! Don’t be surprised to see server updates and more to be released before the year is over.
Treyarch has pushed out Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 update 1.63 on all platforms, and this is to bring Season 1 Reloaded! Prepare for new maps, weapons, modes, and more hitting Multiplayer, as well as a ton of new stuff for Zombies.
Alongside the new content, expect weapon balance changes, though the details on that will be released after Season 1 kicks off. There’s a ton of take in here, so grab a cold one, and get ready to dive into the patch notes.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Update 1.63 Brings Season 1 Reloaded
Download Size: 16.2GB (PS5)
New Multiplayer Content
New Multiplayer Maps
Hacienda (6v6)
Last seen in Black Ops 4, the iconic competitive map returns, sending Operators back to the infamous vineyard estate. Battle within the open-air, two-story mansion with surrounding views of the pristine courtyard below. From the grand foyer past the lion statue, head toward the showroom garage or move out to the garden to keep the fight outside. On the other end of the estate, marvel at the built-in aquarium above the vault.
Racket (2v2, 6v6)
Time to crack open the heart of the Luttazzi money laundering operation and hit them where it really hurts. Breach the premises in this small-sized underground bank vault, a line of broken tiles marking the path of the center bulldozer placed before the vault of golden bars. Defaced pieces of art and the crossed-out emblem of the Luttazzi family indicate not just greed but malicious intent. In combat, however, leave that all to the side — keep your senses sharp and your head on a swivel while navigating the map’s many tight corners and enclosed spaces.
Nuketown Holiday (6v6)
Nuketown gets a festive makeover for the holidays. Put on your winter gear and grab some snowballs!
New Limited-Time Multiplayer Modes
Ran-Snack (December 12)
Trade gold for sweets in this festive LTM that challenges teams to gather and deposit the most cookies. Grab cookies from the rotating crate and fallen Operators and bring them back to your stash. Impede the enemy’s progress by eating their cookies directly from their cookie box. In honor of the season of giving, your Operator also earns buffs for depositing cookies, including a speed boost, faster reload, and faster health regen. The first team to reach the Score Limit or have the best score when the Time Limit expires wins.
Infectious Holiday (December 12)
Even the undead are getting into the holiday spirit as zombies and fallen Operators don festive clothing in this festive twist on the fan-favorite Infected mode.
New Weapons
Maelstrom – Shotgun (Merry Mayhem Event Reward)
Clear rooms with this fast firing full-auto Shotgun that overwhelms enemies with a hail of lead. The perfect weapon for the new Racket Strike map and in any confined area, the Maelstrom requires getting up close, its heavy recoil and large hip spread quickly losing effectiveness at range. If you can close the distance first, they’re toast.
AMR Mod 4 – Sniper Rifle (Archie’s Festival Frenzy Event Reward)
Down enemies fast with this powerful Sniper Rifle providing a one-shot elimination across the upper body not accounting for armor. Its high damage is balanced by slow aim speed and heavy recoil, though these drawbacks can be alleviated with the right attachments. However you customize it, this thing is guaranteed to hit hard.
Cleaver – Melee (Event Reward)
Go ham with the close-quarters Cleaver Melee weapon. Chop and slice with a mix of heavy and light attacks. Equally useful for enemy Operators and the undead.
New Attachments
3-Round Burst Mod Conversion (Merry Mayhem Event Reward)
Convert the XM4 Assault Rifle’s primary firing mode into a three-round burst, conserving ammo and supporting a steadier aim through sustained combat.
3-Round Burst Mod Conversion (Archie’s Festive Frenzy Event Reward)
Add some control to the rapid-fire Kompakt 92 SMG with a three-round burst primary firing mode. Each burst cycles quickly to the next, allowing you to still pump out damage when it’s needed most.
New Multiplayer Perk & Wildcard
New Perk – Season Launch Window
Shrapnel Radar – Recon
Unlocked reward as part of the Merry Mayhem Event
Blast damage dealt from area-of-effect Lethals, Tacticals and Field Upgrades mark the injured target on your minimap.
New Wildcard – Unlocked In-Season
High Roller
Equip a fourth Scorestreak for use in Core 6v6 Multiplayer matches. Pairs well with Assassin, Dispatcher, and Bankroll.
Zombies New Content
New Zombies Map
Citadelle des Morts
One of Avalon’s oldest landmarks, the Citadel is shunned by locals both for its sinister history and because it is a base of operations for the crime family known as the French Syndicate. The castle was established in the 1100s on the site of a leper colony, and construction was completed a century later. In the 1300s, the renegade knight Guy de Saint Michel and his four enforcers took over the fortress and instituted a criminal reign of terror that birthed the Syndicate.
New Zombies Enemy
Doppelghast (Citadelle des Morts)
Serving as the next stage in the evolutionary chain of Dark Aether metamorphosis, Doppelghasts are violent and display erratic and unsettling movement, as if each head is independently fighting for control of its body. It lurches, randomly knots itself up to perform fast and unexpected maneuvers and tends to outrun its lesser brethren using its powerful, elongated feet.
New Zombies Perk-A-Cola
Vulture Aid
Available for the first time since Black Ops II, consume a can of Vulture Aid Elixir once you find the monstrous avian sculpture of a Perk-A-Cola machine, and you’ll discover an increase in the variety of loot dropped from enemies. Additional loot takes the form of Essence Vials and small Ammo drops. This is only available (and visible) to the player with Vulture Aid active. Then unlock the full power of the Perk by ensuring Augments are added!
Vulture Aid is available on Citadelle des Morts, along with the eight previously accessible Zombies Perks. Note that some of these eight Perks are only available via a Der Wunderfizz machine.
Vulture Aid is available on Liberty Falls and Terminus maps via the Der Wunderfizz machine.
Vulture Aid: Major Augments
Fetid Upgr-aid
On death, zombies have a chance to create a gas cloud that charges your Field Upgrade.
Smell of Death
On death, zombies have a chance to create a gas cloud that conceals you while standing in it.
Parting Gift
Vulture Aid ammo drops give more ammo to Wonder Weapons.
Vulture Aid: Minor Augments
Condor’s Reach
Auto-pickup loot from farther away.
Carrion Luggage
Critical kills have a chance to drop extra Salvage.
Picky Eater
On death, zombies have a higher chance of dropping your current equipment.
New Zombies Ammo Mod
Light Mend
Bullets deal Light (i.e. elemental) damage. Each bullet has a chance to transform a normal or Special enemy’s health into a healing glyph that moves to nearby injured allies.
This Ammo Mod can be used in all three Zombies maps along with the previously accessible Ammo Mods, assuming it is chosen at an Arsenal Machine.
Unlocked reward as part of the Merry Mayhem Event.
Light Mend: Major Augments
Antibiotic
The healing glyph now damages enemies that touch it, but its lifetime is reduced.
Big Game
Light Mend can activate on Elite enemies, dropping three more healing glyphs.
Dual Action
Consuming a healing glyph will temporarily allow you to heal faster.
Light Mend: Minor Augments
Longer Life
The healing glyph’s lifetime is increased.
Extra Strength
The healing glyph replenishes more health when consumed.
Express Remedy
Increase the range that the glyph will move to an ally.
New Zombies Field Upgrade
Tesla Storm
For 10 seconds, lightning connects to other players, stunning and damaging normal enemies.
This Field Upgrade can be used in all three Zombies maps along with the previously accessible Field Upgrades, assuming it is chosen as part of your Loadout, or swapped via the menu during a game.
Unlocked reward as part of the Merry Mayhem Event.
Tesla Storm: Major Augments
Transformer
The field’s damage is increased by the number of allies that are connected.
Shockwave
On activation, stun and damage all nearby enemies.
Static Discharge
On activation, create a lethal surge of electricity around you.
Tesla Storm: Minor Augments
Power Grid
Increase the range the electric tether can connect to allies.
Overclocked
Your movement speed is increased during Tesla Storm.
Lithium Charged
Increase Tesla Storm duration.
New GobbleGums
Power Keg (Rare): Spawns a Full Power Power-up.
Unlocked reward as part of the GobbleGum Mania Event.
Time Out (Ultra): Lasts three minutes. Clear all Normal and Special enemies and end the Round. Normal spawning will not resume during this time.
Unlocked reward as part of the GobbleGum Mania Event.
Holiday Cheer (Whimsical): Zombies have festive decorations.
Primarily unlocked in the Jingle Hells Limited Time Event, potentially whenever you earn GobbleGums by playing. Also unlocked randomly from a successful Exfil. Once acquired, Holiday Cheer GobbleGums can be kept (they do not expire) and used in any of the three available maps. Expect these to be earned even after the Holiday Season.
New Zombies Training Course
Coming in Season 01 at Reloaded Launch, the Zombies Training Course allows you to learn the basics if you’re a new or casual player or refresh your knowledge if you’re a more seasoned player.
Polish your favorite armament and drop into Liberty Falls where the gruff Arsenal Machine Drill Sergeant gives you tough love as you maneuver to a sequence of different “Station” flags dotted around the map. If you’re unsure how to play this game mode, visit the following stations and learn (and perform) a different aspect of the game.
Killing Zombies: Learn how to kill zombies and replenish resources.
Map Progression: Learn how to navigate the world and progress rounds.
Powering Up Players: Buff your strength and survivability with Perks and Armor.
Powering Up Weapons: Increase your lethality with weapon upgrades.
Getting New Weapons: Discover methods to acquire new weapons.
GobbleGums: Learn how to use GobbleGums for unique power-ups.
Exfil: Learn how to exit a match.
New Limited-Time Zombies Modes
Jingle Hells (December 17)
Deck the Falls with boughs of holly, as the Jingle Hells festive Limited Time Mode returns! Last seen in Black Ops Cold War, Jingle Hells drops you in what could optimistically be called a winter wonderland, as the entirety of the Liberty Falls map is festooned with wreaths, ribbons, twinkling lights, Christmas trees, garlands of fir tree bunting, and a thin blanket of snow. Although, something feels a bit off… not least the melting piles of slush stained with bloody entrails…
Black Ops 6 Season 1 Reloaded Gameplay Changes and Adjustments
GLOBAL (MP, ZM)
Camos
CDL, Ranked Play, and Incentive Camos can now be equipped to any Weapon, regardless of whether all 9 Military Camos have been unlocked for that Weapon in one mode
Settings
Controllers
Stick Sensitivity
The controller stick sensitivity sliders system changed from a 1-20 scale to a 0.10-4.00. This will give players finer control over their sensitivity values and more transparency on the effect of their changes. Previously set sensitivity settings will be maintained.
MULTIPLAYER
Maps
New
Hacienda (6v6)
Racket (2v2, 6v6)
Nuketown Holiday (6v6)
Adjustments
Lowtown
Addressed an issue where players could get outside of the intended playspace.
Protocol
Adjusted Search & Destroy A Bombsite location
Modes
Adjustments
Hardpoint
Resolved an issue where zone markers could sometimes disappear when contesting a hardpoint location.
CDL Modes (CDL Hardpoint, CDL Search and Destroy, CDL Control)
Dynamic Map Elements are now disabled by default in CDL game modes.
Secret paths (Skyline bookcase, Hacienda panic room) will be open by default.
Weapons
We will be releasing a large weapon balancing patch shortly after the launch of Season 1 Reloaded. The patch will address some common pieces of community feedback that we have been seeing. Here are just a few of the high level changes, with detailed notes coming later.
Headshot damage improvements on full-auto weapons
Full removal of idle sway at the start of ADS on Sniper Rifles
Reductions to visual recoil, sway, and bob
Gunsmith
Addressed an issue that displayed incorrect movement speed values on some weapons in Detailed Weapon Stats.
Theater Mode
Addressed an issue where HUD effects from a previously spectated player would be shown when in Free Cam in Theater.
Addressed an issue where the Hellstorm intro would not be displayed in Theater.
Addressed an issue where Free Cam would zoom in and out if the last spectated player is ADS.
Addressed an issue where Smoke Grenade VFX were not properly displayed in Theater.
Addressed an issue where a black screen would be present when viewing a file in Theater.
Addressed a crash that could occur when attempting to open a Theater file when another has already been opened.
Free Cam movement bindings for up/down on controllers have been adjusted to L1/R1.
Perks
Recon Combat Specialty bonus of the HUD edge indicator will now only display when an enemy is ADS
Improved Auto-Ping from Tracker in Free For All modes.
Equipment
Resolve an issue where flash and concussion assists could be awarded when hitting teammates in modes with friendly fire enabled
Scorestreaks
Addressed issues where static overlays from various Scorestreaks could persist in the Winner’s Circle.
Sentry Turret will now target enemies in last stand.
Resolved an issue where players firing an unsuppressed weapon with the Ghost perk equipped could be seen by an enemy Scout Pulse.
Addressed an issue where the Archangel Launcher and Hand Cannon would be stowed when performing a high mantle.
Addressed an issue where the player would be unable to use a second Archangel Launcher in one life when obtained by points and a Care Package.
Lobby Vote
Fixed an issue with the Classified vote option that was causing it to frequently select the same map(s) in some playlists. The Classified vote option will now randomly select one of the map (or mode) selections not shown in the 2 visible Lobby Vote options.
UI
Social
Addressed an issue where friends were not showing online when resuming from sleep on consoles.
Addressed an issue where offline players could show as Online Friends in Social.
Challenges
Calling Card Challenges
Fixed an issue that was preventing the “Merciless Killer” Challenge from progressing if any of the 10 Kills required were achieved with a Scorestreak Weapon (Archangel Launcher or Hand Cannon)
Daily Challenges
Reduced the amount of progress needed to complete various Multiplayer Daily Challenges
Camo Challenges
Launcher Gold & Dark Spine Camo Challenges now also award progress when destroying enemy Equipment and Field Upgrades in one match, in addition to destroying enemy Scorestreaks
Addressed an issue where final kills of a match were not consistently being counted toward Camo Challenges.
Ranked Play
New
Updated Restrictions
The following items are now restricted in Ranked Play to match the latest CDL pro GAs:
Assault Rifles:
Krig
Model L
XM4
SMGs
Saug
Snipers
All Snipers (All Modes)
Attachments:
All Assault Rifle and SMG Magazine Attachments
Equipment:
Smoke Grenades (All Modes)
Players who have the above items equipped to their Ranked Play Loadouts will want to manually swap them out for unrestricted items and Attachments. If players select a Loadout with restricted content the restricted items will be automatically removed when the player spawns in-game.
Hacienda
With the return of the competitive staple Hacienda in Season 01 Reloaded, the map will be added to the Ranked map pool for all 3 Ranked modes prior to it being added to the official CDL map pool later in December:
Hacienda Hardpoint
Hacienda Control
Hacienda Search & Destroy
Rewind Control will be removed with the addition of Hacienda Control
Ranked Play Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue that was preventing SR Loss Forgiveness from applying correctly after the player’s first Loss of the Day
Dynamic Map Elements are now disabled by default in CDL game modes.
Secret paths (Skyline bookcase, Hacienda panic room) will be open by default
Stability
Various stability fixes.
ZOMBIES
General Gameplay Updates
General Updates
Reduced the number of Mangler spawns at mid-to-high Rounds.
Implemented a maximum cap on active Manglers in the game, ramping up until the cap is released at Round 100.
Reduced the Mangler’s arm cannon health.
Significantly reduced the length of Special Rounds by reducing the number of spawns and adjusting the spawn delay rate for Special Rounds.
Scaled Parasite damage between Rounds 31-91.
Slightly increased damage scaling for base zombies at Round 150-400.
Addressed an issue that would prevent zombies from spawning normally after loading a save.
Addressed an issue where rarely all players would be downed without a way to revive and have to wait to bleed out before the match would end.
Addressed an issue in splitscreen where Player 1 would not spawn with the correct loadout.
Terminus
Addressed an issue where the AFK timer was not present on Terminus Directed Mode.
Addressed an issue that caused additional Amalgam’s to spawn in when loading a save.
Addressed an issue where using the Beamsmasher alternate fire mode on a camera would display “Immune” text.
Addressed an issue that sometimes caused incorrect iconography on the minimap during the Boat Race.
Liberty Falls
Addressed an issue where an Abomination could spawn outside the Exfil zone during an Exfil attempt.
Addressed an issue where Parasites could spawn in Liberty Falls.
Addressed an issue where Vermin could end up on the roof when attacking the player in some locations.
Addressed an issue where Zombies could get underneath the Forecourt.
Weapons
Added the Krig C, Saug, Sirin 9mm and Power Drill to the Mystery Box.
Addressed an issue where the AK-74 would have downward recoil.
Addressed an issue where some weapons would have the wrong rarity displayed.
Wonder Weapons
Thrustodyne M23
Addressed an issue where the alternate fire could be used without a cooldown.
Perks
Jugger-Nog
Addressed an issue where the Reactive Armor augment would stun Brainrot charmed zombies.
Improved the lighting on the perk machine.
Der Wunderfizz Machine
Der Wunderfizz will now appear on the map when loading a save past Round 25 without needing to progress to the next round.
Field Upgrades
Tesla Storm
Unlocked reward as part of the Merry Mayhem Event.
Dark Flare
Addressed an issue where Dark Flare could be activated without being fully charged.
Quick Revive
Addressed an issue that caused Dying Wish not to account for armor mitigation.
Aether Shroud
Closed an exploit that allowed players to go through doors and barriers without unlocking them with the Burst Dash augment.
GobbleGums
Power Keg
Unlocked reward as part of the GobbleGum Mania Event.
Time Out
Unlocked reward as part of the GobbleGum Mania Event.
Free Fire
Addressed an issue where Underbarrel Grenade Launchers and PaP’d GS45 Pistols would not have unlimited ammo.
Addressed an issue where the player would be unable to use GobbleGums while having a Sentry Turret active.
Scorestreaks
Hand Cannon
Unlock available through the Armory for players that did not already unlock it with The Hit List Event.
Power-Ups
Max Armor Power-Up will now also fill the player’s reserve plates.
Loot
Addressed an issue where picking up a weapon off the ground could swap it with your secondary weapon instead of the held weapon.
Activities
S.A.M. Trials
Addressed an issue where original scorestreaks were sometimes not returned to the player after the trial.
Challenges
Calling Card Challenges
Fixed issues that were preventing the following Zombies Calling Card Challenges from tracking correctly:
“Endless Barrage” Prestige 1 Challenge
“Madness” Career Challenge
“Kunoichi” Dark Ops Challenge
“Sticks n’ Stones” Dark Ops Challenge
“Splash Damage” Trophy Hunter Challenge
“Liberated” Dark Ops Challenge
“Gumption” Kitted Out Challenge
“Hide & Seek” Fresh Meat Challenge
Daily Challenges
Reduced the amount of progress needed to complete various Zombies Daily Challenges
Medals
Addressed an issue that was preventing the Monkey Business Medal from tracking correctly.
UI
Addressed an issue where playlists would sometimes appear locked.
Updated the text below Directed Mode rewards to “Charm reward will also be awarded for completing Standard Mode” to accurately reflect what will be additionally awarded from Standard mode.
Addressed an issue where sometimes the previous GobbleGum name was shown when scrolling through GobbleGum packs in the store.
Addressed an issue in splitscreen where the GobbleGum UI from the previous match would be present at the start of a new match preventing the player from seeing what Gums they have.
Addressed an issue where the Scoreboard would be missing in splitscreen.
Addressed an issue where the Center Dot crosshair would disappear in 3rd person.
Updated the ping icon for the Krig C.
Addressed some text inconsistencies.
Stability
Various stability fixes.
That’s about it. Don’t forget, according to Activision, weapon-related changes are incoming via a server-side update very soon.
Rockstar Games has pushed out the GTA Online new update this week of December 5, extending the Heist Challenge from last week. Alongside that, there are your usual discounted items, GTA+ benefits, and more, all listed in one place for your convenience.
GTA Online New Update This Week of December 5
Triple GTA$ and RP on the Community Series
Double GTA$ and RP on Standard Bounty Targets
Double GTA$ on Bail OfficeStaff Income
Weekly Challenge: Secure three Bounty Targets of any kind to earn an extra GTA$100,000
Heist Challenge Extension: Anyone who completed an eligible Heist Finale as part of the challenge can claim the Pacific Standard Varsity Jacket this week, while players will also earn the brand-new Police Predator Boat and the NOOSE Law Enforcement Outfit should the GTA$20 trillion goal be achieved by next week.
Premium Deluxe Motorsport Vehicles: The Enus Stafford (Sedan, 30% off) in the Oh Enus! limited-time l ivery, Progen Tyrus (Super, 30% off), Weeny Dynasty (Sports Classic, 30% off), Dinka Thrust (Motorcycle), and Invetero Coquette BlackFin (Muscle)
Luxury Autos Vehicles: The Bollokan Envisage (Sports, 30% off) and Declasse Impaler SZ (Muscle)
HSW Premium Test Ride: The Weeny Issi Rally (SUV)
LS Car Meet Prize Ride: Win in the LS Car Meet Series for three days in a row to walk away with a new Överflöd Autarch (Super)
LS Car Meet Test Rides: The Vapid Peyote Gasser (Muscle, 30% off), Vulcar Fagaloa (Sports Classic), and Lampadati Tigon (Super, 30% off)
Lucky Wheel Top Prize: The classic Declasse Tahoma Coupe (Muscle)
Gun Van Discounts: 30% off the Grenade Launcher and50% off all Weapons and Throwables (GTA+ Members only)
40% off Bail Offices, their Upgrades and Modifications
Vehicle Discounts: 30% off the Bollokan Envisage (Sports), Canis Castigator (SUV), Enus Paragon S (Sports), Vapid Dominator FX (Muscle), Vapid Dominator FX Interceptor (Emergency), Enus Stafford (Sedan), Lampadati Tigon (Super), Vapid Peyote Gasser (Muscle), Progen Tyrus (Super), and Weeny Dynasty (Sports Classic)
GTA+ Benefits: A free Nagasaki Shinobi (Motorcycle), biker-themed apparel, 50% off MC Clubhouses, Double Rewards for LS Tags, and much more
DISCOUNTS
Take advantage of the Bail Enforcement Bonuses this week with 40% off Bail Office Properties and their Upgrades and Modifications, along with a slew of vehicle discounts, all available through December 9:
Bail Office Properties – 40% off
Bail Office Upgrades and Modifications – 40% off
Bollokan Envisage (Sports) – 30% off
Canis Castigator (SUV) – 30% off
Enus Paragon S (Sports) – 30% off
Vapid Dominator FX (Muscle) – 30% off
Vapid Dominator FX Interceptor (Emergency) – 30% off
Enus Stafford (Sedan) – 30% off
Lampadati Tigon (Super) – 30% off
Vapid Peyote Gasser (Muscle) – 30% off
Progen Tyrus (Super) – 30% off
Weeny Dynasty (Sports Classic) – 30% off
Gun Van Inventory and Discounts
50% off all Weapons and Throwables ( GTA+ Members only) | Battle Axe | Precision Rifle | Tactical SMG | Grenade Launcher (30% off) | Sweeper Shotgun | Vintage Pistol | Grenades | Pipe Bombs | Proximity Mines | Armor
GTA+
GTA+ Members can rev it up with a free Nagasaki Shinobi (Motorcycle), biker-themed apparel, and 50% off MC Clubhouses. Further embrace the spirit of rebellion with Double Rewards for LS Tags vandalism, customize your rides with bold new Chameleon Paints, and more.
GTA+ Members also get access to the 100-vehicle storage capacity of The Vinewood Club Garage, a selection of classic Rockstar Games titles in the GTA+ Games Library, special GTA+ Shark Cards with an extra 15% GTA$ bonus, and much more.
Don’t forget, we are getting a major update next week called the Agents of Sabotage, which brings in a slew of new content for free.
NCSoft has released a massive patch for Throne and Liberty, as the studio aims to end the year with a bang. Titled “The Call of the Spear,” players will see the patch as Throne and Liberty update 28.100.921, and it’s live for download now on consoles and PC.
The Call of the Spear introduces a new weapon, a new Two Star Dungeon, Dimensional Trials, and a crapton of gameplay changes too. Read on for the complete patch notes, but I suggest getting a cold drink first.
Throne and Liberty Update 28.100.921 Patch Notes for The Call of the Spear Is a Massive Changelog
Spotlight
New Weapon: The Spear
The Spear specializes in exploiting enemy weaknesses for faster eliminations. Quickly crowd control and render those who stand in your way defenseless with the Spear’s unique abilities. Gale Rush will close the gap on any battlefield, while a well-timed Javelin will finish off any foe. The Spear is a powerful weapon that excels in almost every playstyle.
Defense countering: Certain Spear skills disable defense enemy skills for up to 6 seconds.
Debuff stacking: Stacking damage over time on targets to build up explosive finishers.
Conditional skills: Some abilities have defensive effects when used on a friendly target, or offensive effects when used on hostile targets.
Dimensional Trials
Challenge your favorite dungeons at various difficulty options. Depending on your chosen difficulty, dungeons will have higher enemy stats, harder boss mechanics, and additional effects applied. Clear higher levels to contribute toward leaderboards and seasonal rewards. Dimensional Trials can be challenged repeatedly and do not have a cost to enter.
Two Dimensional Trials are available each week, with the selection changing during weekly maintenance.
To take on a Dimensional Trial, players must have cleared the 2 Star Dungeon of the same name at least once after this content update.
The Party Leader chooses the stage of the dungeon enter.
Party members must meet a minimum Combat Power to enter.
The timer will not begin until players interact with the Time Dice inside Dimensional Trials. There’s no time limit to complete a level, but additional levels will be accessible based on the time taken to clear one.
Future Dimensional Trials can be initiated at higher difficulty levels based on prior completion milestones reached by the party leader.
Clear additional levels to obtain new Runes as rewards as well as progress toward the Dimensional Trials achievements and seasonal rankings!
2 Star Dungeon: Torture Chamber of Screams
Arkeum Legion and the Sylavean Order have joined forces to develop a torture chamber within the Shadow Crypt. Their sinister objective—extract information to destroy the Resistance. It’s up to you to stop Kaligras, the chief torture technician behind this twisted operation.
Brave the darkness, vanquish the swarming nightmarish creatures, and overcome Kaligras’s onslaught for highly sought after items. You’ll need to coordinate and keep an eye on the Vials of Blood in his arena to survive, but the Phantom Wolf Breeches and Shadow Harvester Trousers are worth the challenge.
War Games
Organize your own competitive matches with custom team compositions through War Games. Stage friendly bouts, practice with your guild, or leave an open call for anyone to join the fight. Compete with players from your own server as well as other servers within your region.
Set up private or public matches from your choice of Boonstone and Riftstone conflict maps. Up to 4 teams of custom sizes can go head-to-head. You can also appoint other players to manage individual teams.
View a list of War Games in preparation or already underway, and opt-in to participate. You may only be in one War Game waiting room at a time.
Spectators welcome! Join in-progress game via Spectator Mode where you can observe the match without being seen.
Rune System
A new method to further enhance equipment has arrived: the Rune System!
Rune sockets have been added to Epic grade weapons and accessories. Equip runes that match the type of open rune socket to a piece of gear to grant additional stats to the item. Rune synergies can be activated depending on the order of runes inserted into an item. Rune Synergy effects are triggered when all sockets have equipped Runes matching a synergy pattern. Effects are based on the lowest tier Rune equipped among all Runes on an item.
Access and modify your Runes through the ‘Rune Management’ menu added to the bottom of the context menu on individual equipment items.
Unlock Rune Sockets by paying Sollant and selecting the socket type. Runes must match the type of socket to be equipped, and socket type can be changed later through an additional Sollant fee.
Runes can be obtained from various types of content including the new Dimensional Trials.
Runes of a given type and stat have tier levels, and once you’ve obtained a Rune, additional Runes you acquire are guaranteed to be of the same level or higher if the content, such as Dimensional Trials, provides Runes of equal or higher tiers.
Example: If you obtain a level 5 Necklace Defense type Rune for the Melee Defense stat, all future Runes acquired in Dimensional Trials for the Necklace Defense type, Melee Defense stat will be level 5 or above.
Runes also have Grades, and higher grades increase the maximum level limit of the Rune.
Completing the fifth level of Dimensional Trials may award Chaos Runes, a type of Rune that drops at max effectiveness with stronger bonuses but also drawback effects. Only one Chaos Rune can be placed in a single piece of equipment, and they will act as wildcards for activating rune synergies.
Unused Runes can be Dissolved for Rune Fragments or converted to other items through Material Transmutation. These Rune Fragments can be used to craft additional Rune boxes.
Material Transmutation
Material Transmutation is a new system that converts a variety of items into materials for other items. Bound equipment or runes can be fed into the transformation to increase the potential output item based on the total value of items consumed.
Material Transmutation of equipment items can be used to create other equipment items of a grade determined by the items consumed.
Material Transmutation of Runes can be used to create new Runes or Rune Fragments based on the total value of Runes consumed.
Access the Material Transmutation menu through the Main Menu under the Item section.
New Stat: Fortitude
A new main stat has been introduced: Fortitude.
Increase your Fortitude stat to benefit your vitality significantly, as well as boost your base damage, magic defense, melee/magic/ranged endurance, and CC resistance.
Initially, the primary route to increase the Fortitude stat is through stat bonuses on Spear weapons.
Fishing Codex
Intrepid fishers of Solisium, rejoice! A new Fishing Codex has been added to the game, accessible via the Main Menu under the Content section.
The Fishing Codex keeps track of fish you’ve discovered during your angling adventures and records information about your catches.
The Fishing Codex also offers new rewards for discovering all that the waters of Solisium have to offer – including items, titles, and other new Fishing-related collectibles.
Additionally, improvements have been made to the visual presentation of fishing locations as well as the categorization of Fishing related inventory items.
General
Collection Codex: Improved the Codex interface for collections.
Party Invite Settings: Added options to automatically reject party invitations from various sources. You can restrict party invitations to only players in your guild, alliance, or friends list.
Guilds: Removed the Hostile relationship option and list from Guild relationships.
Dominion events: Joining a Dominion event now enables automatic party matching as the default behavior, to assist with forming groups for these events.
Dungeons: Reduced the amount of Abyssal Contract Tokens awarded from completing level 20-40 dungeons.
Guilds: Corrected the display of Guild levels and experience in the Guild UI.
Event Schedule
Multiple corrections have been made to the schedule of in-game events to fix incorrect event times impacted by daylight savings time changes and issues found in the 1.8.0 updates. Please take a moment to review your in-game event schedule!
Interserver Conquest Battles will now take place weekly at 9:00pm in the local server timezone. The total amount of castle taxes distributed through these events is now split weekly rather than biweekly, with half of the allocation distributed during each Interserver Conquest Battle.
Combat
Weapon Mastery level cap increased from 16 to 20 levels.
Conflict Mode: Players may now initiate combat with other players in Conflict mode areas with abilities, rather than having to enter PvP combat through auto-attacking first.
Arena: Players now recover HP and Mana to full at the start of Arena battles.
Dungeon: Roaring Temple: Fixed an issue where individual players could occasionally become stuck unable to attack King Chimera after executing one of the boss mechanics.
Endurance: A partial fix to prevent extreme low value scaling of Endurance due to debuffs has been implemented, with additional stat debuff calculation adjustments coming in a future update. This temporary fix is intended to address the current issues with Endurance being reduced below zero in some combat situations.
Crowd Control (CC) Immunity: Adjusted the calculation for crowd control immunity based on the type of CC being applied and existing CC effects on the character.
Collision will trigger CC immunity the fastest.
Stun, Sleep, and Fear will cause CC immunity the second fastest.
Other less common effects will trigger CC immunity at a slower rate.
Sword: Increased the amount of contribution gained from several abilities.
Wand: Increased the amount of contribution gained from several abilities.
Longbow
Flash Arrow: Flash Wave specialization: Removed the expanded area of damage granted by this specialization. Now only increases the effective range of healing granted to allies.
Devoted Shield: Added damage reduction effect.
Greatsword
Gaia Crash: Damage against monsters increased by 100%.
Staff
Infernal Meteor: Damage against monsters increased by 40%.
Icebound Tomb: Added the Freeze removal effect from specialization to the base ability functionality. Can now target the caster to apply the freeze removal to yourself.
Icebound Tomb: Ice Armor specialization: Replaces the previous Freeze removal specialization. Ice Armor now grants cooldown reduction to Icebound Tomb.
Serial Fire Bombs: Focused Fire Bombs specialization: Reduced the duration of the Recovery Effect debuff from 6 seconds to 3 seconds.
Wand
Ray of Disaster: Damage against monsters increased by 30%. Fixed an issue where Ray of Disaster VFX could remain on screen after the caster dies.
UI
Guilds: Added 10 new types of Guild pins for map marking.
Chat: The text entry field can now be moved separately from the Chat window.
Rankings: Characters that have transferred servers or are deleted no longer appear on the ranking lists.
UI: Added a new ping meter that can be displayed on the UI, with display options available under the Settings menu.
UI: Removed a misleading ability UI related to future content.
Console
Improved R-stick scroll speed so that it moves consistently across all screens.
Improved acceleration of D-pad inputs.
Adjusted L-stick operations to be more consistent with D-pad inputs.
Improved Auction House search interactions for controller.
Added horizontal looping to Gear Enhancement screen navigation.
Adjusted Title change navigation on the character screen for controllers.
Same as with every massive patch, don’t be surprised to see a hotfix be released as a follow up for any bugs or issues that arise from this update.
Ubisoft has released For Honor update 2.56, which is for Year 8 Season 4! There’s a new hero skin, a new holiday event featuring the return of Ice Brawlers, and more. Read on for what’s new, and of course, the gameplay changes made with this patch.
For Honor Update 2.56 Ushers in Year8 Season 4 Support
What’s New for Y8S4:
New Hero Skin the Zhanhu
Return of the traditional Ice Brawlers as part fo the holiday event starting December 19.
New free Event Pass
New Battle Pass
Ice Brawlers Event:
Ice Brawlers is a returning Throwback Event in which two teams of two players battle on the continually cracking surface of a frozen lake, with death awaiting should they fall through the ice. Ice Brawlers will be available for a limited time, from December 19 until January 8, during which time players can also participate in a free Event Pass and earn a new Battle Outfit, mood effect, and ornament.
Gameplay Patch Notes
IMPROVEMENT
FIGHTERS BALANCING CHANGES
Warden
Feat rework
Body Count has been replaced by Death Toll
Death Toll: Killing Soldiers and Pikemen now grants you 3 Health and 3 Stamina
Fiat Lux has been replaced by Enfeeble
Enfeeble: Hitting an opponent with Shoulder Bash reduces their damage by 10% for 10 seconds
Takedown has been replaced by Total Recovery
Total Recovery: Whenever you revive an ally, they return at full Health instead of Half Health
Catapult has been replaced by Trebuchet
Trebuchet: Call a quick Trebuchet strike to deal 70 damage over an area. There is no fall off damage within the affected area. The damage is dealt 1 second after the Feat is used.
Cooldown: 180 seconds.
Dev comments: We’ve reintegrated Warden’s Feat Testing grounds into the game. The feats remain mostly unchanged from the Testing Grounds except for Takedown which now reduces Attack Damage by 10% instead of 20%.
Sohei
Heavy Opener Attacks now gain Uninterruptible Stance at 400ms during the attack
Mad Monk now gains Uninterruptible Stance at 400ms during the attack
Soul Attacks now have more forward movement and rotation speed
Sohei now gains Souls when a Soul Attack trades on the same frame as an opponent’s attack
Sohei can no longer gain Souls on a successful Bulwark Counter from Black Prior
Dev comments: Sohei’s attacks are slow on purpose; the hero is the largest hero we’ve built, and considering both Guardbreak and Parry chain to the Soul Attacks it is fine that the Heavy Openers are slow. However, this comes at a cost where the attacks are more difficult to use than intended. We’ve thus given them and Mad Monk Uninterruptible Stance to help them trade and lead to Sohei’s Soul Attacks in an easier fashion. We are looking at the hero’s performance further and will adjust more if necessary.
Lawbringer
NEW MOVE: Precise Jurisdiction
Performed after a Front Dodge by pressing Light Attack
Can be performed in all three stances
NEW MOVE: Final Jurisdiction
Performed after a Front Dodge by pressing Heavy Attack
Can be performed in all three stances
Top Heavy Opener now deals 25 damage (up from 23)
Side Heavy Openers now deal 24 damage (up from 22)
Dev comments: Lawbringer needs a way to catch opponents that are running away reliably, but has a unique aspect in his moveset where the hero can perform his Opener Light and Heavy attacks during his Front Dodge, creating unique mixup opportunities with his Front Dodge Shove. We did not want to remove that unique factor from Lawbringer while also giving him a way to chase opponents, and thus we created two new moves, which keep the functionality of the Opener attacks during the Front Dodge but with more forward movement to get up close to opponents. We also adjusted Lawbringer’s Top and Side Heavy openers to deal 2 extra damage, which should help in situations where Lawbringer gets wall staggers and performs these attacks.
Nuxia
Reworked Zone Attack
Attack is now a 2-hit Attack
The first hit is a 500ms attack that deals 11 damage
The second hit is a 800ms attack that deals 24 damage
The second hit can be feinted and can also be soft feinted into Traps
Dev comments: Nuxia’s Zone Attack is a potent mixup with high damage potential, but is difficult to use, especially when outnumbered, due to its slow speed. With this new change, she should have an easier time hitting multiple opponents, and should have an easier time leading to Traps.
Hitokiri
Now has 125HP (down from 140HP)
Now has 120 Stamina (down from 130 Stamina)
Rei Kick and Rei Sweep no longer drain Stamina
Endless Myriad now has less forward movement
Dev comments: Hitokiri is still overperforming after the Trajectory changes, and so we’re targeting some aspects of the hero to make them perform a bit less. We’ve lowered their HP by 15, making trading with the hero less optimal, and lowered their Stamina by 10 to also force them to conserve Stamina more effectively and attack less. Their bashes also no longer drain Stamina, which puts Hitokiri back into Stamina deficit, and Endless Myriad now moves forward less, which should help with target swapping situations and hitting people externally. We’re keeping an eye on the hero still and will adjust as necessary.
Varangian Guard
Standardized Superior Block window on the following attacks to 200ms, down from 300ms
Opener Lights
Finisher Lights
Sellsword’s Bounty
Sellsword’s Valor
Hjaldr Oathkeeper
Dev comment: We initially put Varangian Guard’s Superior Block window on her Light attacks to be 300ms to encourage players to use them and to have more opportunities to properly block with the attacks. While it did have the intended effect, it also came with an unintended side effect being too strong and being able to Superior Block attacks too easily. We are thus changing their timing to be in line with other Superior Block attacks in the game, with a 200ms window, from 100ms to 300ms during their respective attacks’ startups.
Berserker
Fixed an issue that allowed players to dodge sideways in the incorrect direction under certain circumstances
BUG FIXES
CUSTOMIZATION
[Bug Fix] Fixed issue where the game crashes that can occur after updating to Windows 11 24H2
[Bug Fix] Fixed issue where Players having battle bundle purchased does not receive 20% bonus battle Points
[Bug Fix] Fixed issue where the animation of the Respectful Kill execution is offset
[Bug Fix] Fixed a visual issue where the Zhanhu Premium Skin equipped
[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue where a Ornament disappears on Kensei Hero’s Alternate Bodytype FH-5760
[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue where a player can break collision on the Walled City on the Breach map by using a Ballista FH-5199
[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue where the thunderous Rage eyes effect isn’t positioned correctly on some heroes FH-8262
[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue where in the canyon map a dock has floating in mid-air
[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue where Breach Attackers can pass through Hallowed Bastion phase in two FH-8269
Expect another patch from Ubisoft for the game in the coming year.
Marvel Rivals, the team-based shooter developed by NetEase Games in collaboration with Marvel, is set to release on PC and consoles on December 6. For many, this won’t be the first time experiencing the game, as it has previously been available in a beta version. Over the past few months, players have had the opportunity to get a sense of what the game has to offer, and it has often been compared to other titles, notably Overwatch.
While it may seem similar to Overwatch at first glance, Marvel Rivals takes a few steps to distinguish itself. One of the most noticeable differences is that it is a third-person shooter, whereas Overwatch is a first-person game. Additionally, matches in Marvel Rivals feature 6v6 gameplay, whereas Overwatch 2 currently uses a 5v5 format. Another noteworthy aspect is the battle pass system, which is more generous than in many other live service games. Players can continue to progress even after a season has ended, a feature that sets Marvel Rivals apart from many other titles in the genre.
Marvel Rivals Faces Criticism for Being Too Similar to Overwatch
Despite trying to establish its own identity, Marvel Rivals has faced criticism. Mike Ybarra, former head of Blizzard and a key figure behind Overwatch, shared his thoughts on X/Twitter, comparing Marvel Rivals to Overwatch. “Looks like Overwatch Marvel Rivals ships tomorrow. Much like Light of Motiram (a clear copy of HZD) out of China,” Ybarra tweeted, referring to a new survival game that closely resembles Horizon Zero Dawn.
He further noted the similarities between character names, such as Widowmaker in Overwatch and Black Widow in Marvel Rivals, which he found hilarious. Ybarra went on to criticize the involvement of NetEase and Tencent, suggesting that their approach to game design is often similar across different projects.
While there are clear similarities, it’s not uncommon in the gaming industry for new titles to draw inspiration from successful games that came before them. The difference between being inspired by a game and copying it can be hard to see, and many games borrow features from others to make something new, even if they are clearly influenced by older games.
Speaking to MP1st last month, NetEase responded to the comparison with Overwatch, acknowledging the similarities but emphasizing their intention to create something unique. “We are honored to be compared with some of the best games out there in this genre and we feel we offer an experience that builds on some familiar gameplay elements,” said the team. They highlighted that Marvel Rivals aims to offer a faster-paced, more accessible experience, with a focus on “abilities-heavy gameplay” that puts players in control of their favorite Marvel heroes.
Marvel Rivals is almost upon us, and same with every other free-to-play game, NetEase’s hero-focused multiplayer game will feature microtransactions. Thankfully, it won’t lock heroes from a paywall, but there’s still the in-game currency that players will want to know more about, as well as the game’s Season Pass.
MP1st is here to help with our Marvel Rivals monetization explanation and details on the game’s Season Pass for the pre-season, which comes with good news.
How Does Marvel Rivals’ Monetization Work
Marvel Rivals will feature two in-game currencies: “Lattice” and “Unit.”
Lattice (gold currency) is the game’s premium currency that can be obtained via purchasing with real-world money.
Units (blue currency) can be exchanged at a ratio of 1:1 using Lattice. Units can be earned for free in limited quantities via the Battle Pass, Achievements, in-game Events.
Players can also expect Lattice to be available through the Battle Pass, but the main way to acquire it is through direct purchases.
Lattice Pricing (based on Steam and USD):
Standard Price: USD $0.99 = 100 LATTICE
Top-Tier Price: USD $99.99 = 11,680 LATTICE
Pricing on Bundles and the Different Bundles Available
A “Standard” bundle will contain five items: a costume for a hero, MVP animation, emote, spray, and nameplate.
While most skins in the bundles can be purchased individually, buying the full bundle will provide a discounted price.
Bundle Pricing:
Standard Epic-Quality Bundle: 1,600 UNITS (Standard value: 2,200 UNITS, -28% discount)
Standard Epic-Quality MCU Bundle: 1,800 UNITS (Standard value: 2,400 UNITS, -25% discount)
Standard Legendary-Quality Bundle: 2,400 UNITS (Standard value: 3,300 UNITS, -28% discount)
Sample of a bundle contents (Jeff Incognito Dolphin Bundle):
Marvel Rivals Battle Pass Info
While Marvel Rivals’ Battle Pass seems like your standard one that’s in every online multiplayer game these days, the major thing here is: your Battle Pass will not expire! This means that if you don’t need to rush to complete it, since in other games, not completing a Battle Pass before a season is over means you’ll be locked out of the items in it, since it will be replaced by a new Battle Pass. That won’t be the case for Marvel Rivals, which is a massive win for the player base.
Pre-Season Free Battle Pass and Luxury Battle Pass
Like every multiplayer game, Marvel Rivals will feature a free Battle Pass and a premium one, which the studio calls ” Luxury.” The free Battle Pass will feature one epic-quality costume and a host of other items.
The Luxury Battle Pass will be priced at 490 Lattices, which is around $4.99. Bear in mind that this is only the pre-season Battle Pass price, as the pre-season, referred to as Season 0, is shorter than your standard season. Per Netease, “Since S0 is shorter in duration, its Luxury Battle Pass is priced at half the standard rate of future ones and contains proportionally one half of the items”
Will Marvel Rivals Feature Free Cosmetic Items?
According to NetEase, the game will have free costumes and other cosmetic items players can obtain for free. This will be distributed via events, achievements and more. Moreover, free Units will also be given out, so players can buy paid cosmetics without spending real-world money.
As promised last month by Saber Interactive, the big World War Z Sin City Apocalypse DLC is now available on all platforms. While this is premium read: paid) DLC, there’s also some new stuff for base game owners as well. Console gamers on last-gen will see this as World War Z update 1.62, and on current-gen, it’ll show up as WWZ update version 1.000.025.
Check out the launch trailer, patch notes, and info on the new cosmetics for sale below.
World War Z Update 1.62 Brings Sin City Apocalypse Content
Sin City Apocalypse DLC Price: $9.99
Vegas Skin Pack Price: $4.99
New Content
Added the Sin Сity Apocalypse DLC, which includes:
New “Las Vegas” story episode with three new missions.
Four new survivors: Sara Benedict, Izzy Campos, Ed Stone, and Reggie Diggs, JR.
Added new “Las Vegas” skin pack, featuring:
New outfit skin for survivor Sara Benedict.
Four new weapon skins, one each for the 1911 Protector Pistol, PAC-15 Sporting Carbine, WASP-180 Defensive SMG, and 1877 SBL Repeating Rifle.
Added a new weapon: Defensive SMG WASP-180.
Added a new Bells trinket.
Added new customizable portrait frames.
Resolved Issues
Fixed an issue with the Dronemaster perk “Parting Gift” where it did not grant temporary health.
Fixed an issue in which the Myopia mutator had no effect.
Fix an issue in which the Extinction map was not counted as completed after winning.
Fixed an issue in Horde Mode where improving bags stopped working after switching classes.
Fixed an issue where pain sounds did not play when sappers were attacked during the final defense sequence Phoenix Chapter 2.
Fixed an issue where the selection marker in the menu disappeared when scrolling through characters using the keyboard.
Added a sound effect after changing class in Horde Mode.
This is the game’s last major update for the year, and it’s impressive that it’s still receiving support. If you still haven’t bough it yet, go read our review of the Aftermath version right here.
In the press release sent out today about the Sin City DLC, Saber also announced that World War Z has now reached over 25 million players across all platforms since its original release back in 2019.
Visual Concepts has released NBA 2K25 update 1.07 on last-gen (PS4, XB1), and so far based on our manual checks, it’s not available for current-gen platforms. This should fix some of the issues plaguing players since Season 3 started, and in particular, the Santa outfit bug.
NBA 2K25 Update 1.07 Is Now, and Visual Concepts Has Implemented Various Fixes
As expected, Visual Concepts has not shared any actual patch notes. However, the developers have been active on the official NBA 2K Discord, they plan to release a patch to fix the MyPlayer appearance issue when using the Santa outfit.
Issue: Players may experience an error when entering a MyCAREER save that has the Santa outfit equipped.
Today’s patch should resolve that, and the devs mentioned an update is being pushed out for Season 2 winners as well.
We have released an update to resolve an issue with the Season 2 Winners :Rise2: event. Please return to the Main Menu to ensure you have the latest updates. If you already equipped your Season 2 Winners shirt, please un-equip it and re-equip it in the MyPLAYER Appearance menu.
In terms of issues tracked, here are some of the recent issues fixed by the studio:
Category: MyTEAM
We have resolved an issue where some MyTEAM Festival packs did not include the intended cards. We are working on a resolution for affected players who opened these packs already.
Additionally, we have addressed an issue that prevented some players from accessing the Pack Market and the Unopened Packs menu. Thank you for your patience.
Status: Fix released
Category: MyPLAYER Appearance (PC)
Issue: On PC, players may experience an error when entering a MyCAREER save that has the Benny the Bull Holiday mascot equipped.
Status: Fix released
Updates:
[Dec 4, 8 AM PT]
We have released a hotfix update targeting this issue. Please fully restart the game before entering your affected MyCAREER saves again.
Category: MyPLAYER Equipment (PC)
Issue: On PC, 8×8 4-seater vehicle and Mech Helmet may not appear in inventory after unlocked.
Status: Fix released
Updates:
[Dec 2, 9 AM PT]
Please restart your game on PC and check your inventory again. Thanks for your patience.
If a patch is released for the current-gen versions, we’ll let our readers know.
