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Delta Force Arcade Rush Mid-Season Update Released as Console Patch 1.037.109

Team Jade has released tbe last major update for Delta Force this year, and it brings the mid-season Arcade Rush content to all players.

Those on conosles, you’ll see this download appear as Delta Force update 1.037.109, and this is a hefty download that adds new events, content and gameplay improvements.

Read on for everything new via the official patch notes.

Delta Force Arcade Rush New Content and Events

Warfare Events

● Ahsarah Winter Training

Event Time: 12/19 – 1/15
Event Rules: During Ahsarah’s laid-back winter season, Operators take part in casual competitions and Arcade training! Join the events, earn tokens, and exchange them for Legendary weapon appearances, Epic weapon appearances, vehicle appearances, and other rewards!
Rewards: SKS – Knighthood, K416 – Winter Charm, M1A4 Tank – Reindeer, PSG-1 – Cedar, M250 – Cedar, Pendant – Cedar, Avatar – Landon’s Apple, Calling Card – Festive Red, Armament Voucher, and more.

● Winter Training

Event Time: 12/19 – 1/15
Details: Operators gear up for winter special training. During the event period, special activity modes will go live, featuring limited operators and weapons to put your training to the test!

Operations Events

● NO APPLES, NO GLORY

Event Time: 12/19 – 1/15
Event Rules: Ahsarah’s winter celebration is here! Join the locals in collecting peace apples and complete various missions during the cozy winter season to earn tokens, which can be exchanged for Legendary weapon appearances, Epic weapon appearances, vehicle appearances, and other abundant rewards!
Rewards: SKS – Knighthood, K416 – Winter Charm, M1A4 Tank – Reindeer, PSG-1 – Cedar, M250 – Cedar, Pendant – Cedar, Avatar – Landon’s Apple, Calling Card – Festive Red, Armament Voucher, and more.

● Winter Wishing

Event Time: 12/19 – 1/8
Details: During the event, specially decorated Ahsarah Peace Trees will appear in Operations matches. Place different types of Ahsarah Peace Apples under the trees to receive winter supplies matching the quality you offer!

Cozy Winter Tool

Event Time: 12/19 – 12/23
Details: During the event, Tool Cabinets have a chance to contain Peace Apples and items from the current marketplace!
Event Rewards: Cozy Winter Tokens, Ahsarah Peace Apples

● Winter Market

Event Time: 12/19 – 1/8
Details: Looking for Elite Peace Apples? Head to the Winter Market! Collect low-quality Peace Apples to exchange for high-quality Peace Apples!

Special Drink Tasting

Event Time: 12/19 – 12/25
Details: Try special drinks and enjoy the good life! Log in daily to claim your special drink!
Event Rewards: Highball, Wild Rose, Mountain Crossing, etc.

Weekly Events

● Luck’s Favors

Date: 12/19 – 12/25
How to claim: Just play Operations matches to get rewarded!
Rewards: Random Keycard Copy Pack and Craftwork Lucky Pack.

● Warfare Weekly Supplies

Date: 12/19 – 12/25
Details: Play matches to receive rewards!
Rewards: Play matches to earn Premium Weapon EXP Tokens, Intermediate Weapon EXP Tokens, Warfare 2x EXP Cards (1 Match), and Calling Card: Winter Arrow.

● Operations Weekly Supplies

Date: 12/19 – 12/25
Details: Play matches to receive rewards!
Rewards: Play matches to earn Standard Gear Tickets, Elite Gear Tickets, and Calling Card: Winter Arrow.

● Expert Choice

Date: 12/19 – 12/25
Event Rules: Log in to claim a specific weapon (Compound Bow). Develop the weapon and use it to complete missions for rewards!
Event Rewards: Compound Bow, Craftwork Lucky Pack, Intermediate Weapon EXP Token, Premium Weapon EXP Token, Armament Voucher.

● Tekniq Alloy Store

Date: 12/19 – 12/25
Details: Limited-Time Tekniq Alloy Store.
Rewards: Quantum Keys, Armament Vouchers, and Advanced Safe Box 7-Day Access Cards now purchasable with Tekniq Alloys.

● Final Score

Date: 12/19 – 12/25
Details: Exchange Warfare points for rewards.
Rewards: Earn Warfare points to obtain Quantum Keys and Armament Vouchers.

New Year Login Event – Claim Iron Grim

Event Time: December 17 – January 23 (Activation Period); December 17 – February 6 (Claim Period)
Event Details:
During the event, players can spend 1,080 Delta Coins (Delta Coins only) to unlock reward eligibility;
Unlock instantly to claim Celestial Guardian – QBZ-95;
Log in for 8/14 consecutive days to claim SCAR-H – National Flavor and Operator Appearance Vyron – Iron Grim respectively;
Reward Overview: QBZ-95 – Celestial Guardian, Avatar – Emergency Landing, Calling Card – Competitive Match, Gesture – Hot Tea, Please, SCAR-H – National Flavor, Name Card – Iron Grim, Spray Paint – Iron Grim, Vyron – Iron Grim

Ares’ Wrath launches on Mobile, Console, and in Vietnam

Event Time: 12/19 – 1/15
Bundle Overview: Ares’ Wrath series weapon appearances (Vector, M4A1, Desert Eagle), Ares’ Wrath series Charm, Calling Card, Avatar, and Spray Paint.

Weapon Balance Adjustments

● Both Modes
○ KC-17 Assault Rifle: Handling: 50 → 53; slightly improved base ADS movement speed.
○ MK4 Submachine Gun: Hip Fire Accuracy: 58 → 50; slightly increased base Hip Fire Spread and maximum spread; slightly increased hip fire spread during sustained fire; slightly increased base vertical recoil.
○ MP7 Lunar Chrome Barrel: Removed movement speed bonus while crouching and in Silent Mode; slightly increased spread penalty when jumping;
○ P90 Submachine Gun: Slightly improved base movement speed while ADS.

Warfare
○ M7 Battle Rifle: Base damage: 26 → 25; Range Falloff: 40m / 50m / 70m / 90m → 30m / 40m / 60m / 80m;
○ MK4 Submachine Gun: Damage Falloff: 0.9x / 0.7x / 0.65x / 0.55x → 0.75x / 0.65x / 0.6x / 0.55x;
○ K437 Assault Rifle: Range: 20m → 25m; Range Falloff: 20m / 30m / 50m / 70m → 25m / 35m / 55m / 75m;
○ ASh-12 Battle Rifle: Handling: 52 → 56.

Operations
○ KC-17 Assault Rifle: Base damage: 30 → 31.
○ QCQ171 Submachine Gun: Improved Control stat benefits;
○ SVD Sniper Rifle: Headshot damage multiplier: 2.2x → 2.32x.
○ SCAR-H Battle Rifle: Damage Falloff: 0.85x / 0.7x → 0.9x / 0.75x.

Warfare Balance Adjustments

● Monument A/D Balance Adjustments
○ Expanded the capture area for Objective A.
○ Optimized the defending team’s initial respawn point deployment location;
○ Expanded the capture area for Objective D2.
○ Optimized the playable area range for Sector D.
○ Optimized the defending team’s playable area and right-side respawn point location for Sector D.

● Victory Unite Balance Adjustments
○ Optimized cooldowns for some vehicles.

● Vehicle Deploy Cooldown Adjustments
○ F-45A Fighter: Attack and Defend and Victory Unite modes: reduced to 120 seconds.
○ Assault Helicopter: Attack and Defend and Victory Unite modes: reduced to 120 seconds.
○ Scout Helicopter: Attack and Defend and Victory Unite modes: reduced to 120 seconds.

Operator Balance Adjustments

● Operator – Gizmo:
○ Operations
■ Crawler Nest: Removed spider bot damage to enemy Ballistic Vest, spider HP: 20 → 5, corrosion damage boost duration: 5s → 8s;
■ T.I.M (Tenacious Interception Module): Time to fire Cobweb when locking onto enemies: 0.5s → 0.8s; HP reduced: 150 → 100;

● Operator – Hackclaw:
○ Warfare
■ Signal Decoder: Enemy recon score: 15 → 30;
○ Operations
■ Signal Decoder: Cooldown: 90s → 120s;

● Operator – Shepherd:
○ Warfare
■ Sonic Paralysis: Cooldown: 90s → 70s;

○ Operations
■ Sonic Paralysis: Cooldown: 120s → 90s;

● Operator – Luna:
○ Both Modes
■ Volt Arrow: Duration: 5s → 3.5s;

○ Operations
■ Frag Grenade: Cooldown: 45s → 55s; slightly reduced damage against Level 4+ ballistic vests;

● Operator – Raptor:
○ Warfare
■ Silver Wing: UAV Mark assist score: 20 → 30;

○ Operations
■ Silver Wing: Mark interval reduced: 3s → 2s; time from enemy detection to completed mark: 1s → 0.5s; maximum self-destruct damage: 30 → 40;
■ Trace Tracker: Footprint and container trace duration: 5 minutes → 10 minutes;

● Operator – Toxik:
○ Operations
■ “Dragonfly” Swarm System: Enhanced max HP reduction rate: 7.5 HP/s → 10 HP/s;
■ Swift Healing: Consumable usage time reduction: 30% → 20%;
■ Blinding Gas: Cooldown: 55s → 70s;

● Operator – Tempest:
○ Warfare
■ Combat Roll: Kill score: 100 → 75.
■ Emergency Evasion Device: Kill score: 100 → 75.
■ Drill Charge: Damage dealt: 40 → 60.

Bug Fixes & Optimizations

● Fixed the display issue with GTQ35 Tank – Zero-Grav appearance.
● Fixed the abnormal turret rotation issue with LAV-AA – Timber appearance.
● Fixed the abnormal jump-to-scope speed issue when using MP7 Lunar Chrome Barrel.
● Fixed the issue where the fire rate reduction text was not displayed when QJB201 Light Machine Gun was equipped with Newtype Stable Gas Block;
● Fixed the issue where the scope glint text was not displayed when lever-action rifles were equipped with Watcher Sniper Scope;
● Fixed the abnormal recoil pattern display issue with SVD Sniper Rifle on mobile devices.
● Optimized frame rate performance on PS5 PRO;
● Fixed weapon code import function;

This should be the last update of the year for the game, barring anything gets broken that needs a hotfix. If Team Jade releases more info about the next season, we’ll let our readers know.

Other games such as Dying Light 2, Palworld and more have also received their holiday updates, which is to be expected given most developers will be taking a holiday break soon.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > Title Updates and Patches

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 New Update 1.5.1 Brings Gameplay Fixes via Patch 1.500.100

Following the release of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s “Thank You” update last week, Sandfall Interactive has rolled out a new patch today that aims to fix issues from the content drop.

Sandfall Interactive calls the patch version 1.5.1, while console gamers will see it appear as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 update 1.500.100.

There are various gameplay-related fixes applied by the update, as well as technical fixes included as well.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 New Update on December 19 Applies Patch 1.5.1/1.500.100

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 update 1.500

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Gameplay

  • Fixed Monoco’s weapon “Cannaro” being unobtainable from Chromatic Machinapieds

    • Players who already defeated the boss will automatically receive the weapon in their inventory, unless they started a NG+(+) after that

  • Fixed Esquim not applying Mark to all enemies when a skill had 0 hits.
  • Fixed a targeting issue caused by using a Recoat item followed by ‘Retry Battle’, which resulted in the player being unable to target the middle enemy or character.
  • Fixed a soft-lock when attempting to load a save without hovering any slot while backup saves were displayed.
  • Fixed upgrade of the weapons to level 34 when spamming Upgrade weapon and change character buttons
    • Level 34 weapons have been reverted back to level 33

  • Fixed character being able to use other characters’ weapon when quickly switching weapon tabs after changing weapon

Environment

  • Nerfed the hardest boss in Verso’s Drafts (red lifebuoy) by moving it slightly to make a quest easier.
  • Fixed various environment issues (collisions, misplaced assets, missing or incorrect footsteps SFX) across Verso’s Drafts, the World Map, and other levels.

Audio & Music

  • Improved environmental ambiances and spatial audio for better immersion in Verso’s Drafts
  • Enhanced audio mixes for select characters, combos, and finishers
  • Multiple audio & music issues were resolved, including:
    • Missing music after defeating new Endless Tower bosses.
    • Missing subtitle line for Sciel in one of the new cinematics.
    • Missing Barbapapa status effect SFX when receiving a second stack.
    • Missing some SFX for Licorne enemy in Verso’s Drafts.
    • Missing SFX for Paint Cage explosions in Verso’s Drafts.
    • Music and SFX not pausing when opening pause menu during cinematic sequence with slow motion enabled, resulting in audio desynchronization for the remainder of the cinematic sequence

Localization

Fixed various localization issues, including:

  • Subtitles in Root Of All Evil cinematics disappearing too fast.
  • Overlapping text in Pictos & Luminas lists.
  • Autoplay dialogue options swapped when the title is set to LATAM Spanish.
  • Incorrect text displayed during Flying Manor side quest when the title is set to Vietnamese.
  • Verso’s skill Phantom Stars displaying HTML in combat when the title is set to Vietnamese.

Sandfall has also they are aware of various issues encountered, in particular players launching the game on Windows 11 is something the devs are aware of. The developers added, “One of these issues is caused by Windows Security reporting false positives when launching. This has been fixed as part of the v1.5.1 hotfix as of 17:00 CET.”

According to Sandfall, “The other issue causing this problem is related to the Windows Smart App Control feature. Turning it off to fix it is not recommended as this will remove the feature permanently from your system. We are investigating this issue and hope to resolve it as soon as possible so we suggest waiting for the next hotfix!”

If we get another update, expect it here on MP1st.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > Title Updates and Patches

Monster Hunter Wilds Receives Third Update Ver. 1.040.040 in 3 Days and This Preps the Game for Arch-tempered Jin Dahaad

Following the release of Title Update 4 for Monster Hunter Wilds, Capcom needed to push out a hotfix the following day to fix crashing isues tied to the new content. It seems that’s not enough, as the developers have today released yet another patch.

Players will see Monster Hunter Wilds update 1.040.40 available for download, and this is for what Capcom calls the version 1.040.02.00 patch.

This is another minor update, and was released for technical fixes and to prep the game for the arrival of Arch-tempered Jin Dahaad.

Monster Hunter Wilds Applies Version 1.040.040 Update for Fixes

Here’s what got updated today per Capcom:

Major Additions and Changes

  • – On 12/24 (Wed.) we’ll be making some updates in preparation for the addition of Arch-tempered Jin Dahaad.

Bug Fixes and Balance Adjustments

– Fixed an issue where mission objective markers (red or yellow guild icons) could sometimes fail to display on the map or in the Environment Overview.

Steam

Video Driver Version
  • Please update to the following driver versions to ensure the most stable experience possible.
    – NVIDIA GeForce: 581.57 or newer
    – AMD Radeon: 25.9.1 or 25.9.2
    Note: Some issues have been identified with AMD Radeon drivers versions 25.10.2 and higher.
  • Note: This information is subject to change at any time due to factors such as NVIDIA and AMD support availability.

For reference, here’s what got fixed yesterday:

Bug Fixes and Balance Adjustments

  • – Fixed an issue where Fabius and some Support Hunters would continue to run into the wall when failing to weaken Gogmazios’s special attack.
  • – Fixed an issue where the game could crash after applying the update when accessing the Meld Relics or Artian Materials Box options from the Melding Pot menu, if a specific sort order had been previously set.
  • – Fixed an issue where the game would sometimes crash during fade out transitions when moving between locales, or when withdrawing from the Gogmazios quest.
  • – Fixed an issue where the names of some Gogma Materials were not displayed when the text language was set to Polish.

We’re hoping this is the last hotfix of the year for Capcom devs working on Monster Hunter Wilds, but given the state of the game, we can’t say that for certain.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > Title Updates and Patches

STALKER 2 Update 1.009 Released on December 18 as a Follow-up Fix for Stories Untold Content

With GSC Game World’s release of STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl’s “Stories Untold” content yesterday, the developers added a slew of new content all for free.

However, it appears some bugs have come along for the ride, and the developers are aware of this, as they have released STALKER 2 update 1.009 (complete 1.009.000) for version 1.8.1.

As one might expect, this patch is focused solely on bug fixes.

STALKER 2’s December 18 Update Applies Version 1.8.1/1.009 Fixes

Here’s what got fixrd per the developers:

What’s new :

  • Fixed an issue where a large number of bloodsuckers could spawn near the Old Mill in the Lesser Zone.
  • Fixed an issue where artifacts could still be unreachable in several locations.
  • Fixed a crash related to AI behavior.

If you’re unfamiliar with the new content added, here’s an overview of the new story mission:

NEW STORIES

Over five hours of gameplay have been added, depending on your pace. Discover the mysterious transmission that gives stalkers headaches, nosebleeds, and even hallucinations.

As the story unfolds, you can choose to help the stalkers and scientists figure out what’s going on. Make decisions, fight for what you believe in, search for answers, and more.

You can catch a PDA message anywhere on the map, with the biggest chance around the Burnt Forest. How you deal with it will shape the fates of stalkers you meet. This mission will become available after leaving the Zalissya region in the early stages of the game.

This new storyline brings to life 8 new missions, 7 new locations, 6 new characters, 3 new unique items, unique weapon, and more.

There are also new weapons, locations and more added as well. Don’t be surprised if another hotfix is released, and if there is one, expect it here on MP1st.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > Title Updates and Patches

The Outlast Trials New Update on December 18 Delivers Patch 1.47/1.000.044 Fixes

Another round of fixes to The Outlast Trials has been released via a new hotfix this December 18, and as one might expect, this fixes issues tied to Project Messiah.

Console gamers will see the download appear as The Outlast Trials update 1.47/1.000.044, and this small download applies gameplay-related changes such as improved Imposter knife attack when engaging Reagents at close range.

Read on for everything that got fixed today.

The Outlast Trials Project Messiah Hotfix on December 18 Applies Ver. 1.47/1.000.044 Fixes

Here’s what got fixed today per Red Barrels:

  • Improved Imposter knife attack angles when engaging Reagents at close range.
  • Fixed an issue where the Regroup button could trigger automatically if a player was killed outside the Regroup Room while playing solo.
  • Fixed an issue where Imposters could cancel the end of the Slash animation to bypass its cooldown (again 🤞).
  • Fixed an issue where Task exclamation mark icons could remain stuck on screen.
  • Fixed an issue where Reagents could become unable to complete a Trial after entering the SAS door while downed.
  • Various additional bug fixes and improvements.

There was also a hotfix released last week that included the following fixes:

  • Fixed an issue where the Knife slash cooldown could be skipped by chaining another action/interaction.
  • Fixed an issue where the Rank Points pop-up would stay displayed forever at the end of a match.
  • Fixed an issue where Imposters wouldn’t get their reward when all Reagents left the Trial.
  • Fixed an issue where players with different Invasion Privacy Options could find eachother through the Group Finder matchmaking.
  • Fixed an issue where subtitles were not displayed in some situations.
  • Fixed an issue where the Tasks menu accessed via the Pause screen would become unresponsive.
  • Fixed an issue where the Kress Twins attack wouldn’t trigger correctly.
  • Fixed an issue where the scapegoat wouldn’t do the correct reaction when a light bulb is cooked.
  • Fixed an issue where the Jammer’s pacemaker upgrade was still activate even after swapping Rig in the shuttle.
  • Fixed an issue where Liliya would enter a double hidespot where a player could already be standing in.
  • Fixed an issue with Complete Resort and Resort A+ task rewards. (If task was completed, the missing item will now appear in player inventory)
  • Variator “Stay Together” can’t be used in MK-Challenge “Seize the Narcotics” anymore (Trial Maker and Escalation).
  • Other various bug fixes and improvements.

There’s no word yet on whether Red Barrels will release another hotfix befor the year is over, but if we do get one, we’ll have it up on the site.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > Title Updates and Patches

Diablo 4 Version 2.5.1 Released on December 18 as Console Update 1.099/1.99

Following the release of Diablo 4’s Season of Divine Intervention last week, Blizzard has now released patch version 2.5.1 on all platforms, and as one mght expect, this ushers in various fixes and gameplay adjustments.

Console gamers will see the patch appear as Diablo 4 update1.99/1.099, and this includes adjustments to the base game and expansion.

Read on for the complete info on what got changed today.

Diablo 4’s New Update Delivers Patch 1.99/1.099 Changes

Base Game

  • Updated descriptions and tooltips for Heavenly Sigils so the requirements for sanctifying an item are clearer.
  • The Season Rank objective for clearing Pit Tier 40 has been changed to now require a Pit Tier 35 clear instead.
  • Various UI consistency and clarity improvements for Sanctification and Season Rank.
  • An audio cue has been added to further bring attention to the safe zones in the Vault of the Crucible Capstone Dungeon.
  • The altar to summon Azmodan has additional info added to the tooltip to better explain the requirements for summoning Azmodan.

Bug Fixes

Expansion

  • Fixed an issue where Paladins could not get a Strength affix from Sanctification.
  • Fixed an issue where the Extra Damage for Justice Skills Tempering affix didn’t apply properly.
  • Fixed an issue where the damage increase from Judgement Consumption granted by Virtuous Charge didn’t properly apply.
  • Fixed an issue where Arbiter of Justice did not benefit from Reach of the Law when Judgement of Uriel was equipped.
  • Fixed an issue where the Seraph’s Wings upgrade for Arbiter of Justice granted higher than intended movement speed.
  • Fixed an issue where the Resolve Stacks from the Aspects of Dominance and Valiance could fall off randomly.
  • Fixed an issue where the gauge meter for Arbiter of Justice could stop draining, even though the buff itself reduced properly.
  • Fixed an issue where Runes for the Paladin could not be randomly crafted at the Jeweler.
  • Fixed an issue where the initial questline to go through Kurast Undercity couldn’t be completed for players in the eternal realm.
  • Fixed an issue where the Paladin quest, Call of the Paladin could have progression blocked if the associated monsters were slain by nearby NPCs.
  • Fixed an issue where the Herald of Hatred pet would often turn unstoppable and run away from the player.
  • Fixed an issue where the objective to Speak to Sihek during the Deeds of a Champion quest would shift the quest pin location incorrectly.
  • Various fixes and improvements to consistency, accuracy, and clarity for tooltips, descriptions, and icons for the Paladin.

Base Game

Accessibility

  • Fixed an issue where the Screen Reader did not read all information in the Ensembles Tab in the Wardrobe.

Capstone Dungeons

  • Fixed an issue where the boss in the Hellish Descent could fully reset if the player entered specific locations in the boss arena.
  • Fixed an issue where the player could get stuck between the wall and the barrier in Enclave of Darkness.
  • Fixed an issue where the player respawned at the previous floor when dying during the boss encounter in Enclave of Darkness.
  • Fixed an issue where Azmodan’s demon gate attack could spawn outside the boss arena in Breach of Sin.
  • Fixed an issue where monsters could infinitely spawn in Breach of Sin.

Gameplay

  • Fixed an issue where monsters spawned by Animus Carriers also dropped Animus.
  • Fixed an issue where Tortured Gifts failed to respawn if Helltide re-appeared in the same region where it was previously.
  • Fixed an issue where access to Divine Gifts could be lost when playing in Local Co-Op.
  • Fixed an issue where Meteors spawned by the Essence of Hellfire could reflect Thorns damage back onto the player.
  • Fixed an issue where the Sanctification Affix for adding quality could malfunction.
  • Fixed an issue where Sorcerer’s Flame Shield Enchantment would fail to activate if Flame Shield was equipped to the Skill Bar and Orsivane was equipped.

Miscellaneous

  • Fixed an issue where the visual and audio effects for the Essence of Squalor Divine Gift persisted in town. – Effects disabled entirely.
  • Fixed an issue where the Spectral Shiver Cosmetic bundle would be missing even if it was properly owned.
  • Fixed an issue where the Leaderboard was viewable, despite having no entries there.
  • Fixed an issue where tempering Legendary Ancestral Armor required more material types than intended.
  • Fixed an issue where the Resolute Defender Challenge could be unlocked when not playing as a Paladin.
  • Various stability, UI, visual, performance, and audio improvements.

While we’re expecting this to be the final update for Diablo 4 before Blizzard goes on holiday, we wouldn’t be surprised if more are released.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Dying Light 2 Winter Update 1.26 Drops Seasonal Content via Patch 1.86/1.086

It’s not just Dying Light: The Beast that’s getting some festive content, as Techland has released Dying Light 2’s Winter update today, and this brings a bunch of new content to chew on.

Console gamers will see this download appear as Dying Light 2 update 1.86/1.086 (complete version 1.086.000), and this should be a relatively small download.

Expect winter festivities and a good host of gameplay improvements to be applied.

Dying Light 2 Update on December 18 Brings Winter Tales

Dying Light 2 Update 1.70

Baka’s Back at the Bazaar

The beloved Winter Tales event is back, bringing festive chaos, icy enemies, and frosty rewards. From December 15 to January 8, join the celebrations, complete bounties, and claim winter-exclusive loot. Baka has returned with his seasonal stall and a fresh batch of bounties. Earn Candies and Reputation to unlock Frost weapon variants, the Skoll Axe blueprint, and more. Each reputation level grants Santa’s Letters-send them to trigger airdrop deliveries filled with rare gifts, guarded by the vicious Uncle Snow and his undead minions.

Festive Fun and Frozen Foes

Snow now blankets Villedor, with trees, lights, and decorations shining throughout the city. Old threats have returned too – Naughty Biters, Virals, Ice Spitters, and Uncle Snows stalk the streets. Defeat them for Winter Tale Boons and spread some holiday fear!

Decorate and Earn

Collect Baubles and Twinkle Lights to decorate the Christmas tree in the Bazaar. As it levels up, it spawns presents and unlocks exclusive rewards like the Murderous Helper Outfit and Bombka Grenade.

Community Goals and new UGC

Map Join global challenges to earn free weapons, charms, and gear:

  • Week 1 (Dec 18 – 23): Defeat Naughty Biters to earn the Glacier Shank Knife and Snow Season Ornament Charm.
  • Week 2 (Dec 23 – 30): Eliminate Naughty Virals for The Guiding Star Mace and Gift Season Ornament Charm.
  • Week 3 (Dec 30 – Jan 8): Take down Uncle Snow to claim the Fractal Frost Axe and New Year’s Ornament Charm.

Moreover you’ll have a new UGC map to explore – ‘Twas The Night Before, and claim bounty connected to it. Meet the targets, and everyone in the community gets rewarded – no one goes home empty-handed!

Evolving Bundle: Night Wolf & Crimson Werewolf

Introducing Evolving Bundles-gear that grows with you! Purchase the Night Wolf Bundle, then complete a four-part questline to evolve it into the Crimson Werewolf set. Unlock stronger outfits, weapons, and paraglider upgrades as you progress.

The winter winds are howling – time to hunt, decorate, and celebrate in Villedor!

Patch Notes for Dying Light 2 (December 18)

dying light 2 update 1.082

Co-op

  • Fixed the issue with ‘Find Games’ matchmaking not working Xbox consoles
  • Fixed the issue when Infected sometimes disappear for Peer upon killing them during the Tower Raid
  • Fixed the issue where Player is loaded into the map first when trying to Quick Join from the Main Menu
  • Fixed the issue with bodies of dead enemies disappearing and reappearing when the Peer joins the Tower Raid, while the Host is already in the run and kills Infected during the joining period
  • Fixed the issue where Host is not able to interact with doors during the “Water Tower” quest

Gameplay

  • Fixed the flashlight behavior during cutscenes
  • Fixed the issue with quest chests being missing through the quest “Getting Stronger”
  • Fixed the issue with possibility to deal damage/kill patrolling Volatiles from a very close range while being in the hiding spot, and not being detected
  • Fixed the issue with Volatiles sometimes not despawning after player’s death

Technical

  • Fixed the issue with some locations where Player is turning on the generators for unlocking Metro Stations are missing
  • Fixed the issue when sometimes when playing as Scrapjaw in Tower Raid the location mesh is missing
  • Fixed the issue with some missing VO
  • Fixed the issue with empty Forsaken Store in Downtown area
  • Fixed the issue with Player not being able to switch tabs in Stash after opening it quickly again

UI

  • Fixed the issue with the names of the UGC maps being incorrectly placed in the UGC menu
  • Fixed the issue with the Tutorial screen not being visible when interacting with Tower Raid posters

Unless something gets broken, this is the last patch for the game this year. Expect Techland to release more updates to the game in 2026.

Another zombie game is getting a major expansion next year and it’s World War Z, which is getting a crossover with The Walking Dead franchise.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > Title Updates and Patches

Hellblade 2 Update for December 18 Delivers Fixes via Patch 1.002

While the Hellblade franchise is purely a single-player, narrative-driven affair, that doesn ‘t mean there’s a bug or two that doesn’t need squashing.

Today, Ninja Theory has released the first post-release patch for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 on all platforms, and this appears as download version 1.002 (complete version 1.002.000).

Not only that, but Senua’s Sacrifice: Hellblade, also recently got updated with bug fixes as well.

Hellblade 2 and First Game Receive an Update on December 18

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (PS5)

• Fixed motion-blur related issues in photo-mode.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II

  • Fixed instances where rain was accidentally removed in the Enhanced Edition
  • Fixed rare instances of projectiles not colliding with Senua
  • Fixed missing distance-fields & lumen-scene on integrated-GPUs

Chances are, we won’t see another patch from Ninja Theory for the games for quite some time, as these don’t really need any major updates to them.

If you’ve yet to play the game, it’s not a long adventure, but our review mentions, “this is a trip that deserves to be experienced – a trip into a gorgeous but dangerous Iceland, but especially into Senua’s dark and twisted psyche.”

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > Title Updates and Patches

Assassin’s Creed Mirage Update 1.1.1 Adds Motion Blur Toggle and Fixes a Myriad of Issues via Patch 1.12/1.012

While Assassin’s Creed Shadows received a major update yesterday, it’s no the only game in the franchise getting a substantial patch before the year is over, as Ubisoft has released Assassin’s Creed Mirage update 1.1.1 on all platforms today.

Console gamers will see this download appear as Assassin’s Creed Mirage update 1.12/1.012, and this adds a motion blur toggle, fixes issues with permadeath mode, alongside a good chunk of bug fixes.

For everything new that got slotted in today, read on for the official patch notes.

AC Mirage’s Latest Update on December 18 Applies New Features and Fixes via Patch 1.12/1.012

Patch Sizes:

  • Xbox One: 3.89 GB
  • Xbox Series X|S: 5.74 GB
  • PlayStation®4: 16.7 GB
  • PlayStation®5: 2.14 GB
  • PC: 4.25 GB

PATCH HIGHLIGHTS

  • Motion Blur Toggle: Console players will now be able to turn motion blur on or off.
  • Permadeath Save Issue: Loading an old permadeath save after the update will no longer reset the difficulty to Apprentice.
  • All players can now purchase upgrade schematics for Nimlot’s Sword or The Abis Dagger.
  • Stolen Goods items and Oud Melodies will now remain in your inventory after creating a new game in New Game+.
  • Added new Codex entries for AlUla.

List of Bug Fixes

General Gameplay

  • Fixed an issue where completing a Permadeath playthrough on Ultimate Assassin difficulty wouldn’t unlock the core challenge “The Color of The Supreme King”

AlUla Region

  • Player will no longer lose tools supplies when traveling between Baghdad and AlUla.

Animus Sequence

  • Deactivated tutorials automatically triggering during the Animus Sequences.
  • Gilded Butterfly“: Fixed an issue where the Animus Sequence of the mission would unlock before completing the mission during the main story.
  • The Treasurer“: The quest notification will no longer appear on screen when starting the mission from the Animus Sequence menu.

Parkour

  • Fixed the diagonal wallrun not being triggered from a beam.
  • When enabling the Free Jump option, the confirmation for the new control preset will no longer apear as a “Hold” when the Hold Atlernative option “Popup” has been chosen.

Trophies & Achievements

  • Playback“: The achievement/trophy can now be unlocked if the last reward is obtained by finishing an Animus Sequence using an Animus Mod.
  • Taste of Your Own Medicine“: Fixed an issue with the achievement/trophy not unlocking when using an upgraded Blowdart with the “Lethal Dose” upgrade.
  • Self-Improvement” : Fixed an issue where the achievement/trophy would not unlock after learning all 23 skills.
  • Unstoppable“: The achievement/trophy will now unlock after killing 6 enemies with a single charge of Assassin’s Focus.
  • Cutting Edge“: Fully upgrading a weapon from Valley of Memory will now properly unlock the achievement/trophy.
  • Thick Skin“: Fully upgrading an outfit from Valley of Memory will now properly unlock the achievement/trophy.
  • Perfect Memory“: Fixed the description text of the achievement/trophy to “Complete all challenges of an Animus Sequence”.
  • Fixed an issue where the achievement/trophy “Bal Kullun Mumkin” was automatically unlocked when starting the Animus Sequence of the contract “The Dancer”.

Stability

  • Fixed crashing issues while replaying missions from the Animus Sequence.
  • Fixed an issue where the game would become unresponsive while replaying a mission from the Animus Sequence when relaunching back into the same mission from the recap menu.

Visuals & Graphics

  • Fixed visual issues.
  • Improvements to HDR.
  • An empty flying scroll will no longer be seen flying around in the desert of Hegra. Do my eyes deceive me? Was that a Mirage?
  • The Obsidian Rayhan Dye will now be the right color. Do you feel bonita? Cause you look bonita!

UI

  • Corrected varying in-game text and images in the Codex.
  • Fixed an issue where the quest notification for “Al-Jahiz – The Bookworm” was displayed when starting any Animus Sequence mission after collecting a Lost Book.

LOCALIZATION

  • Fixed various localization issues.
  • Enkidu was gendered as a female instead of male.

PC SPECIFIC

  • Adjusted default preset key bindings for Parry on Mouse and Keyboard.
  • Fixed stability issues when activating Intel Xess Frame Generation option, Windows HDR and in-game HDR on a system with Intel ARC GPU.

PLAYSTATION 5 PRO SPECIFIC

  • The Heart of Corruption“: Adjusted Basim’s hair to not offset when rotating the camera. This fashionsita is ready for the camera!

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Assassin's Creed Mirage Update 1.009

Quests

  • The Serpent’s Nest“: Fixed an issue where the Animus Sequence of the mission would unlock before completing the mission during the main story.
  • Escape the Prison“: All enemies will now appear when replaying the mission in the Animus Sequence.
  • The Heart of Corruption” Adjusted the volume of prisoner eavesdrop dialogue.
  • In The Vulture’s Nest“: Players will no longer receive an additional Initiate of Alumut dagger after defeating Nimlot.
  • Roman Fort“: Basim will now be able to carry explosives even if the astrologer is knocked out and hidden in a haystack without disguising.

Visuals & Graphics

  • Fixed visual issues on Nimlot’s tower after quitting to the Title Screen during cutscenes.

Don’t expect another patch for Mirage anytime soon. That said, if anything breaks from this update, we expect the devs to release a follow-up patch ASAP.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Steam Reveals That Players Spent Only 14% of Their Time on Games Released in 2025, Preferring Older Titles

As 2025 comes to an end, following the trend of platforms like Spotify and YouTube offering yearly summaries, Valve recently launched Steam Replay.

This feature allows players to review their year on the platform, showing data such as which games they played the most, the number of achievements earned, and much more.

Steam Replay 2025 Shows Gamers Still Prefer Older Titles Over New Releases

steam 2025 games

This year’s summary revealed some interesting data, the most notable being that Steam players spent only 14% of their gaming time on titles released in 2025, just one percentage point less than in 2024.

Looking at previous years, that number was just 9% in 2023 and 17% in 2022. This suggests that, on average, players spend about 15% of their yearly gaming time on new releases.

On the other hand, most players preferred older games. On average, 44% of gaming time was spent on titles between one and seven years old, while 40% went to games eight years or older.

This trend can also be seen in the list of Steam’s most-played games, with Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, and PUBG: Battlegrounds occupying the top three spots.

While these numbers show how well these games have aged and how they continue to maintain large player bases, they also highlight a worrying trend — every year, more games are released, yet fewer players are keeping up with new titles. In fact, over 18,000 games were released on Steam in 2025, but nearly half of them received fewer than 10 player reviews, showing just how hard it has become for new titles to gain visibility.

This trend has become a growing concern among many developers, especially in the indie scene. They not only have to compete with other new releases but also with a massive player base that prefers to revisit older titles, taking advantage of constant discounts and sales periods.

It remains to be seen how the industry will evolve in the coming years. But one thing is clear from Steam Replay that players are showing less and less interest in buying and playing games released in the same year, and so far, it seems companies haven’t figured out how to stop this trend.

In other Steam news, the Steam Machine’s boot-up intro has apparently been leaked.

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Taha

Television kills your vision.

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World War Z “The Walking Dead DLC” Crawls Out in January

Saber Interactive has officially announced World War Z x The Walking Dead, the next campaign DLC for the cooperative zombie shooter World War Z, developed in collaboration with Paramount and AMC.

This new content arrives in January for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It will include three new story chapters set in the TV series.

Paramount and AMC Team Up to Bring The Walking Dead to World War Z’s Next Story Campaign DLC

World War Z x The Walking Dead DLC Features:

  • Experience a new story campaign set in the world of AMC’s The Walking Dead
  • Take on three new chapters: the Prison, Alexandria Safe Zone and Grady Memorial Hospital
  • Four playable survivors: Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, Michonne, and Negan
  • Two new melee weapons: Michonne’s Katana and Negan’s Bat “Lucille”
  • Two new weapon skins: Rick’s Revolver and Daryl’s Crossbow
  • World War Z’s signature Zekes have been transformed into Walkers
  • New special Zeke – Spiked Walkers: An even deadlier variant of Walker with tougher defenses that is impervious to melee until it’s been knocked prone. Force them to the ground with enough damage, then go in for a quick melee kill before it rises again!

The DLC will take players to famous locations from The Walking Dead, such as the Prison, the Alexandria Safe Zone, and Grady Memorial Hospital. Players will fight large groups of zombies like the ones seen in the show. This time, the familiar “Zekes” from World War Z have been transformed into Walkers.

The expansion lets you play as four characters from the series: Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, Michonne, and Negan. Actors Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus return to voice their roles. The DLC also introduces two new melee weapons — Michonne’s katana and Negan’s bat “Lucille,” along with new weapon skins such as Rick’s revolver and Daryl’s crossbow.

One of the key additions is a new special “Zeke,” the Spiked Walker: an even deadlier variant of Walker with tougher defenses that is impervious to melee until it’s been knocked prone. A trailer for the new content has also been released, which you can watch above.

The announcement comes alongside a major milestone for the base game: World War Z has surpassed 30 million players worldwide since launch. The title continues to offer both solo play with AI squadmates and four-player co-op, with full cross-play support between PC and consoles.

This isn’t the first time The Walking Dead has crossed over with other games. The franchise has previously collaborated with titles like Dead by Daylight, Call of Duty, and several others.

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Taha

Television kills your vision.

Home > Title Updates and Patches

Fortnite Update on December 18 Brings Patch 4.96 Winterfest Content

Epic Games has rolled out a new Fortnite update on December 18, bringing the Winterfest 2025 content to gamers. Console gamers will see this download appear as Fortnite update 4.96, and this is a bigger download than usual.

Expect map changes, new rewards to earn, and a lot more. Regarding the larger-than-expected download, Epic notes, “We’re aware that the v39.11 update and install size is much larger than intended for some players on PC who didn’t have some installation options selected, and that those options are missing.” The dev team is investigating this and will offer an update once they can.

Not only that, but we also included the datamined content from the patch, which shows us some of the incoming items planned by Epic.

Fortnite’s Update on December 18 Brings Winterfest 2025 via Version 4.96

Winterfest 2025 kicks off today, December 18 at 9 am ET/6 am PT/10 pm HKT and will last until January 5 (ending at the same time as it starts).

Epic states, “Unwrap presents and shop Sabrina Carpenter’s Santa ‘Brina, Hatsune Miku’s Snow Miku, and Harry Potter Hogwarts house-themed Outfits you can customize to rep Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin.”

Lt. Winter arrives with 14 presents to open this year! You can open one present each day. Unwrap the Glacial Dummy Outfit after you’ve opened seven other presents, and the Cheeks Outfit after you’ve opened 13. You can open the rest of the presents in any order you’d prefer. The cabin refreshes daily at 9 AM ET.

Looking for accessories? Also unwrap presents like the Winterfest Bow Back BlingFestive Gwinny Back Bling, Wrapped Axe Pickaxe, and Festive Bat Pickaxe.

When it comes to datamined info, some of the planned content has been spotted. Needless to say, if you don’t want anything spoiled, turn away now.

Update: Epic Games has released the Battle Royale balance adjustment changes made with today’s patch.

Fortnite Update 4.96 Battle Royale Balance Adjustments

Several weapons have been powered up with new adjustments:

Vengeful Sniper Rifles now deal more base and headshot damage

  • Snipers needed a boost to stay competitive as a long-range option against other scoped weapons. Thanks for the feedback on this!

Sovereign Shotguns have been upgraded with a better spread, faster fire rate while aiming down sights, increased damage, and quicker reloads

  • A holistic improvement to make the Sovereign feel like a stronger pick against the Iron Pump and Twin Hammer Shotguns.

Dual Micro SMGs now reload faster, hold more ammo, and retain damage better at range

  • The damage output felt right, but the close range pressure you can apply while wielding them had room for improvement.

Holo Rush SMG now deals more damage at longer ranges

  • A scoped SMG should perform a bit better at mid-range – this closes that gap.

Deadeye Assault Rifles are now less accurate from the hip with slightly more recoil while ADSing

  • The Deadeye has been the strongest weapon this season, so this brings it more in line with other ARs in the loot pool.

Tactical Assault Rifles now reload faster with reduced recoil

  • Better recoil and reload speed makes this a more ideal pick for fast-paced fights at closer ranges.

Enforcer Assault Rifles now deal slightly more damage with tighter ADS accuracy

  • Improved damage and accuracy gives this a stronger identity against the Deadeye.

Grenades now deal more damage to players, but less damage to structures

  • Grenades now deal more damage to players, but less damage to structures. More effective in fights, less oppressive against builds.

Energy now starts to regenerate slightly faster in both Battle Royale and Zero Build

  • Energy is now synced across modes with less downtime before it kicks in.

Latency Fixes Live Now

We’ve implemented some calculation changes which should slightly decrease latency as part of v39.11. Previously, the in-game latency number included some server processing time, which made it less accurate and harder to diagnose issues. These calculations have been updated so it now purely reflects your network latency, the same way you see it in the menu before a game.

Locker Search Improvements

Some improvements to Locker search just dropped in time for Winterfest. With v39.11, we’ve added new search tags to a good number of holiday-themed cosmetics. These updates should make digging through your Locker for that perfect winter Loadout a little smoother.

Confirmed data spotted in Fortnite Wintrefest 2025 Update

Thanks to reliable dataminer HYPEX, we have a rough outline of what’s incoming for Fortnite players soon!

  • SPONGEBOB COLLAB INCLUDES A SPATULA PICKAXE – “Whosoever shall pull this from the deep fryer grease…”
  • BATMAN & JOKER (BEYOND) x FORTNITE — SOON – “Gotham City’s future hope, trained by Bruce Wayne… And the re-emerged leader of the Jokerz, with a lil birdie’s secret.”
  • FORTNITE JANUARY 2026 CREW SKIN

  • NEW KITSUNE SIDEKICK EMOTE

  • SNOW MIKU’s BACKBLING

  • ALPINE LEXA IN-GAME
  • NEW MEOWSCLES SIDEKICK
  • NEW LLAMA SIDEKICK
  • NEW KITSUNE SIDEKICK
  • SANTA SABRINA CARPENTER INGAME
  • NEW HATSUNE (SNOW) MIKU EMOTE
  • SABRINA CARPENTER’s “MANCHILD” EMOTE
  • BACK TO THE FUTURE CAR MOD
  • BLEACH x FORTNITE MYTHICS
  • FORTNITE WINTERFEST 2025 MAP

Winterfest 2025 Map Changes:

  • THE CRACKSHOT CABIN IS BACK ON THE MAP

Delorean Mythic car gameplay!

If we get a proper changelog from Epic regarding the bug fixes applied, we’ll add it to the article.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > Title Updates and Patches

Fortnite Update 39.11 Brings Winterfest 2025 via Patch 1.000.207

The last major update for Fortnite is here, and it brings the Winterfest 2025 festivities! Epic Games calls this the Fornite version 39.11 update, while console gamers will see this as patch version 1.000.207.

Take note that this is a bigger download than what we’re used to getting, and Epic explains why.

Read on for the new stuff, as well as the datamined content spotted in the game files.

Fortnite Winterfest 2025 Update Now Live on December 18 via Patch 39.11

Winterfest 2025 kicks off today, December 18 at 9 am ET/6 am PT/10 pm HKT and will last until January 5 (ending at the same time as it starts).

Epic states, “Unwrap presents and shop Sabrina Carpenter’s Santa ‘Brina, Hatsune Miku’s Snow Miku, and Harry Potter Hogwarts house-themed Outfits you can customize to rep Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin.”

Lt. Winter arrives with 14 presents to open this year! You can open one present each day. Unwrap the Glacial Dummy Outfit after you’ve opened seven other presents, and the Cheeks Outfit after you’ve opened 13. You can open the rest of the presents in any order you’d prefer. The cabin refreshes daily at 9 AM ET.

Looking for accessories? Also unwrap presents like the Winterfest Bow Back BlingFestive Gwinny Back Bling, Wrapped Axe Pickaxe, and Festive Bat Pickaxe.

When it comes to datamined info, some of the planned content has been spotted. Needless to say, if you don’t want anything spoiled, turn away now.

Update: Epic Games has released the Battle Royale balance adjustment changes made with today’s patch.

Fortnite Update 4.96 Battle Royale Balance Adjustments

Several weapons have been powered up with new adjustments:

Vengeful Sniper Rifles now deal more base and headshot damage

  • Snipers needed a boost to stay competitive as a long-range option against other scoped weapons. Thanks for the feedback on this!

Sovereign Shotguns have been upgraded with a better spread, faster fire rate while aiming down sights, increased damage, and quicker reloads

  • A holistic improvement to make the Sovereign feel like a stronger pick against the Iron Pump and Twin Hammer Shotguns.

Dual Micro SMGs now reload faster, hold more ammo, and retain damage better at range

  • The damage output felt right, but the close range pressure you can apply while wielding them had room for improvement.

Holo Rush SMG now deals more damage at longer ranges

  • A scoped SMG should perform a bit better at mid-range – this closes that gap.

Deadeye Assault Rifles are now less accurate from the hip with slightly more recoil while ADSing

  • The Deadeye has been the strongest weapon this season, so this brings it more in line with other ARs in the loot pool.

Tactical Assault Rifles now reload faster with reduced recoil

  • Better recoil and reload speed makes this a more ideal pick for fast-paced fights at closer ranges.

Enforcer Assault Rifles now deal slightly more damage with tighter ADS accuracy

  • Improved damage and accuracy gives this a stronger identity against the Deadeye.

Grenades now deal more damage to players, but less damage to structures

  • Grenades now deal more damage to players, but less damage to structures. More effective in fights, less oppressive against builds.

Energy now starts to regenerate slightly faster in both Battle Royale and Zero Build

  • Energy is now synced across modes with less downtime before it kicks in.

Latency Fixes Live Now

We’ve implemented some calculation changes which should slightly decrease latency as part of v39.11. Previously, the in-game latency number included some server processing time, which made it less accurate and harder to diagnose issues. These calculations have been updated so it now purely reflects your network latency, the same way you see it in the menu before a game.

Locker Search Improvements

Some improvements to Locker search just dropped in time for Winterfest. With v39.11, we’ve added new search tags to a good number of holiday-themed cosmetics. These updates should make digging through your Locker for that perfect winter Loadout a little smoother.

Confirmed data spotted in Fortnite Wintrefest 2025 Update

Thanks to reliable dataminer HYPEX, we have a rough outline of what’s incoming for Fortnite players soon!

  • SPONGEBOB COLLAB INCLUDES A SPATULA PICKAXE – “Whosoever shall pull this from the deep fryer grease…”
  • BATMAN & JOKER (BEYOND) x FORTNITE — SOON – “Gotham City’s future hope, trained by Bruce Wayne… And the re-emerged leader of the Jokerz, with a lil birdie’s secret.”
  • FORTNITE JANUARY 2026 CREW SKIN

  • NEW KITSUNE SIDEKICK EMOTE

  • SNOW MIKU’s BACKBLING

  • ALPINE LEXA IN-GAME
  • NEW MEOWSCLES SIDEKICK
  • NEW LLAMA SIDEKICK
  • NEW KITSUNE SIDEKICK
  • SANTA SABRINA CARPENTER INGAME
  • NEW HATSUNE (SNOW) MIKU EMOTE
  • SABRINA CARPENTER’s “MANCHILD” EMOTE
  • BACK TO THE FUTURE CAR MOD
  • BLEACH x FORTNITE MYTHICS
  • FORTNITE WINTERFEST 2025 MAP

Winterfest 2025 Map Changes:

  • THE CRACKSHOT CABIN IS BACK ON THE MAP

Delorean Mythic car gameplay!

If we get a proper changelog from Epic regarding the bug fixes applied, we’ll add it to the article.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > News

Steam Machine’s Startup Animation May Have Leaked Online

After the official announcement, many are eager to learn more about the Steam Machine, the new compact gaming PC that Valve plans to launch in 2026. Recently, a possible startup animation appears to have leaked online through a short video.

This isn’t official, but the person who shared the video on X (formerly Twitter) said they found it in the Steam database by searching through the files.

Is This the First Look at the Steam Machine’s Startup Animation?

Since the video was shared by Brad Lynch, a project manager at EOZ VR, the leak seems somewhat credible, though it should still be treated as a rumor until verified.

The video, as seen above, currently has no audio. It seems to be an unfinished version, meaning the animation could still be changed or improved later.

Basically, it shows the short animation that may appear when turning on the Steam Machine — much like what happens with gaming consoles. After a few seconds, the Steam logo appears on the screen.

Valve announced the new Steam Machine last month, along with a new controller and VR headset, attracting a lot of attention but without revealing many details yet. The price remains a mystery and has been talked about a lot. According to Linus Sebastian from Linus Tech Tips, who spoke with a Valve representative, the Steam Machine will cost “like a PC, not a console.”

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Taha

Television kills your vision.

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ARC Raiders Update 1.7.2 on December 18 Re-enables Hidden Bunker via Patch 1.000.016

Following the release of the Cold Snap update the other day for ARC Raiders, Embark Studios has released the first hotfix for the extracton shooter, and this is for patch version 1.7.2.

Console gamers will see the December 18 download appear as ARC Raiders update 1.000.016, and this should be a relatively small download given the nature of the patch.

This re-enables the Hidden Bunker, as well as applies various gameplay-related fixes.

ARC Raiders New Update on December 18 Applies Fixes Post-Cold Snap Patch

Here are the gameplay bug fixes and improvements applied by Embark today:

  • Blueprint drop rates have been slightly lowered, but are still higher overall than before the 1.7.0 update.
  • Hidden Bunker has been re-enabled.
  • Fixed an issue where spamming the interact input while having a bad connection would make players unable to perform the interact action.
  • Added missing volumes to make sure inside areas don’t deal cold damage during Cold Snap.
  • Updated the driver warning for AMD GPUs.
  • Fixed an issue that caused the ‘Unexpected Initiative’ quest to not spawn quest items making it impossible to complete.

This is a pretty short changelog given it is a hotfix. If you haven’t logged in since the Cold Snap update went live, here’s an overview of the new stuff Embark brought it.

    • Cold Snap Map Condition
  • Flickering Flames Event
  • New Free Raider Deck “Goalie”  – coming on December 26
  • New Quests and Items

If we get another patch for ARC Raiders, expect it here on MP1st.

In other ARC Raiders news, Embark has started giving out holiday gifts to raiders, so make sure to check your in-game inbox to snag your freebie.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > Title Updates and Patches

Marvel Rivals New Update on December 18 Ushers in Holiday Event via Patch 1.000.062/1.20

NetEase is taking part in the holiday festivities in Marvel Rivals, as a new game update released today ushers in new events to mark the holidays.

Console gamers will see this as Marvel Rivals update 1.000.062/1.20, and this also applies fixes, new store items and more.

Read on for everything new in today’s patch.

Marvel Rivals Holiday 2025 Update Released via Patch 1.000.062/1.20

All-New: Jeff’s Winter Splash Festival

Last year’s Jeff’s Winter Splash Festival was a hit, and this year we’re turning up the festive fun! The entire mode and scene have been revamped, with new styles and even more ways to play. Gather your friends and dive into Jeffland’s winter wonderland!
Mode Period: December 18th, 2025, 09:00:00 to January 16th, 2026, 09:00:00 (UTC)

New Event: Gone Nutty For Gifts

Complete event missions to claim Magneto’s Black & Gold costume and related bundle rewards for FREE! Unlock premium for Winter Soldier’s Winter Buckaroo costume, Squirrel Girl’s Tinsel Tail costume, and more.

Event Period: December 18th, 2025, 09:00:00 to January 16th, 2026, 09:00:00 (UTC)

New Event: Winter Gift

During the event, visit the Christmas tree in Times Square daily to claim a gift of a random amount of Units!
Event Period: December 24th, 2025, 00:00:00 to December 27th, 2025, 00:00:00 (UTC)

New Event: Pym Test Kitchen – Pym-ini Sandwich


Rumor has it Pym Test Kitchen in Times Square is recruiting taste-testers. Feeling lucky? Head over and try your luck!
Event Starts: December 18th, 2025, 09:00:00 (UTC)

Festive Throwback

As snowflakes fall and bells chime, the warmth of the fireplace brings back beloved classic limited-edition costumes!
Browse the “Festive Throwback” tab in the Store to purchase these returning bundles:
• Storm – Ultimate Wind-Rider Bundle
• Magneto – Binary Sword Bundle
• Venom – Snow Symbiote Bundle
• Magik – Frozen Demon Bundle
• Iron Fist – Lion’s Gaze Bundle
• Black Widow – Lion’s Heartbeat Bundle
• Groot – Holiday Happiness Bundle
• Rocket Raccoon – Wild Winter Bundle
• Hawkeye – Galactic Fangs Bundle
• Captain America – Galactic Talon Bundle
Sale Period: December 19th, 2025, 02:00:00 to January 2nd, 2026, 02:00:00 (UTC)

New In Store

1. Peni Parker – Snow-SP//dr Bundle
2. Star-Lord – Starcracker Bundle
3. Daredevil – Not Daredevil Bundle
Limited Time: December 19th, 2025, 02:00:00 to January 16th, 2026, 09:00:00 (UTC)

1. Take a Seat Emote Combo Bundle
New Animations For: The Punisher, Mantis, Peni Parker
2. Jeff the Land Shark – Blizzard Ball Emote
3. New Jeff the Land Shark – Cuddly Fuzzlefin costume chroma: Powder Pink and Blue Blizzard
Available From: December 19th, 2025 at 02:00:00 (UTC)

Fixes

All Platforms

1. Frostbyte Flaw: Rarely, enabling NVIDIA DLSS Frame Generation could cause pink screen rendering. The glitch has melted away!
2. Talking Troubles: In some cases, squad voice chat would malfunction at match start, preventing mic use. Communication has been restored! Assemble and strategize!
3. Daywalker Drag – Blade’s Frame Drop: Resolved a problem where using Blade’s Blade Of Khonshu – Eclipse Edge Team-Up Ability could lead to extended frame rate drops. The vampire hunter is back to slicing and dicing at full speed; no more lag in the line of duty!

In case you haven’t logged into the game for a while, the Season 5.5 update was recently released, which added Rogue as a new hero and more.

Another online game joining the holiday fun is ARC Raiders, as the developers have given out free in-game currency to players as a holiday gift.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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The Division Receives PS5 Update as Version 1.23 and It Improves Performance

Agents still braving the streets of New York in the first The Divison game, Ubisoft has a sweet little surprise, as the developers have rolled out a surprise update, which makes the game available on PS5.

Players will see this update appear as The Division version 1.23, and while there’s no new story content or anything of the sort, it does make the game perform better.

The Division PS5 Update Released

According to Ubisoft, the PS5 version offers enhanced performance as it can now output at 60 frames-per-second. This is about it, as there are no new story content released or any new graphical settings added.

Mind, we’re not expecting any, and we’re surprised the game even got an update in the first place given the first Division was released almost 10 years ago in 2016.

If you’re unfamiliar with the game, the official description reads, “Tom Clancy’s The Division is a 2016 online-only action role-playing video game developed by Massive Entertainment and published by Ubisoft. It was released on 8 March for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It is set in a near future New York City in the aftermath of a viral pandemic; the player, a Special Agent of the Strategic Homeland Division, is tasked with helping the group rebuild its operations in Manhattan, investigate the nature of the outbreak, and combat criminal activity in its wake. The Division is structured with elements of role-playing games, as well as cooperative and player versus player online multiplayer. This game also marked the debut of Massive and Ubisoft’s Snowdrop game engine.”

While the first game in the franchise might not be getting any new pieces of content, the sequel, The Division 2, is still getting a lot of support. Not only did we get the big Y7S3 Mutiny update this month, but there is a big “Survivors” project in the works, which we should hear more about next year.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Battlefield 6 Is the Best-Selling Premium Game in the US This 2025

Last month, we reported that Battlefield 6 managed to have the biggest launch month in terms of revenue of any game in the last three years.

It seems the game’s success is even bigger than we realized, as the latest sales data in the US has come to light, and it details how big Battlefield 6 is for EA.

Battlefield 6 Is the Best Premium Game of 2025 in Terms of Revenue

battlefield 6 bots

The data comes from firm Circana, whose Senior Director, Mat Piscatella , shared the latest sales data. It mentions how Battlefield 6 is the best-selling premium game of 2025 in the US in terms of dollar sales, physical and digital.

Check out the full list from Circana:

2025 Year-to-Date U.S. Top 20 Games (by dollar sales)
Reporting Period: 1/5/2025 through 11/1/2025

Rank Last Month Rank Title Publisher
1 1 Battlefield 6 Electronic Arts
2 2 NBA 2K26 Take-Two Interactive
3 3 Monster Hunter: Wilds Capcom USA
4 4 Borderlands 4 Take-Two Interactive
5 5 EA Sports College Football 26 Electronic Arts
6 8 Madden NFL 26 Electronic Arts
7 NEW Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Microsoft (Corp)
8 7 Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Microsoft (Corp)
9 6 The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: Remastered Microsoft (Corp)
10 10 Ghost of Yōtei Sony (Corp)
11 12 EA Sports FC 26 Electronic Arts
12 9 MLB: The Show 25^^ Multiple Video Game Publishers
13 11 Elden Ring: Nightreign Bandai Namco Entertainment
14 14 Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Plaion
15 13 WWE 2K25 Take-Two Interactive
16 16 Minecraft^ Multiple Video Game Publishers
17 15 Forza Horizon 5 Microsoft (Corp)
18 17 Split Fiction Electronic Arts
19 20 Helldivers II Sony (Corp)
20 18 EA Sports MVP Bundle (2025) Electronic Arts

While EA hasn’t released any updated sales numbers for Battlefield 6, we all knew it was a massive success. But to be this big that it leapfrogged the other big games that were released earlier this year? Yeah,I don’t think people were expecting that.

This means that Battlefield 7 should be an even bigger game given I have no doubt Battlefield 6 roped in new players to the franchise.

In other BF6 news, DICE recently released patch 1.1.3.1 on all platforms, and this resolves some key issues before the holidays. Next up is Season 2, which we should hear about in January 2026. However, thanks to a datamine, we have early info about it.

How far will Battlefield 6 soar for EA? We’ll know the answer to that in the publisher’s latest quarterly financials, with the next one set for release in early 2026.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Update 1.2.2 Fixes Decal Issue as Console Update 1.22/1.022

Following the release of the content drop for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds two weeks ago, players reported issues with the Sonic Adventure decal. Today, with the release of Sonic Racing CrossWorlds patch version 1.2.2, this should be resolved.

Console gamers will see today’s download as Sonic Racing: CrossWorld update 1.22/1.022 (complete version 1.022.000), and this is a small download that resolves some key problems.

For the complete info, read on.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Decal Bug Resolved in Patch 1.22/1.022

Patch Versions:

  • PS5/PS4: Ver.1.2.2
  • Nintendo Switch/ Nintendo Switch2: Ver.1.2.2
  • Xbox XS/One: Ver.1.2.2
  • Steam Ver.1.2.2
  • Epic Ver.1.2.2

Patch Summary

  • Fixed an issue where the Sonic Adventure decal would disappear after restarting the game.
  • Fixed several other issues.

Sonic Adventure Decal

Players who logged in between 4:00 PM PST on November 20, 2025, and 3:59 PM PST on December 12, 2025 will now be able to use the Sonic Adventure decal.

Previously, players who downloaded the Sonic Adventure Decal would have it disappear from their save file after restarting the game. This has been fixed.

Once you have updated to Ver. 1.2.2, please log in to obtain the decal.

Known Issues

  • Certain tracks in the Jukebox may disappear after inputting specific commands.
    • This issue will be addressed in a future update.

As you can see, there’s still a known issue that affects gameplay. We expect that to be patched out in January 2026 as the developers go on holidays. Once SEGA releases that update, expect it here on MP1st.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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ARC Raiders Holiday Gift From Embark Surprises Players

With ARC Raiders, Embark didn’t just release one of the best games of the year, but the studio’s post-release support is one that we hope other studios follow suit. It seems Embark’s awesomeness doesn’t stop there, either, as the studio has now started giving gamers a freebie just for the holidays.

ARC Raiders players are surprised to see that they have a new in-game message from Embark, and it’s about a holiday gift! It’s not just a free skin or whatever, but actual free Raider Tokens.

ARC Raiders Holiday Gift Starts Rolling Out on December 17

Members of the community (thanks, !) have mentioned how 1,000 Raider Tokens have been given by Embark, which you’ll see in your in-game inbox.

The message reads, “Thank you from the ARC Raiders team and Embark Studios for being a valued part of our community. We’d like to wish you a Happy Holidays, and hope you enjoy this small gift as a token of our appreciation.”

With the in-game gift, raiders can purchase one of the many items in the in-game store. While we’re used to seeing developers/publishers rolling out free gifts, they’re usually in the form of a cosmetic. But as actual in-game currency? That’s very rare, and I admit, is super awesome to see. No word on how long this gift will be acitve, so I suggest logging in ASAP to claim it now before it’s gone.

For those who haven’t logged in recently, the Cold Snap update has been released this week, and this adds a new event, a new map condition, new quests, and more. Not only that, but for those who choose to wipe their character, you’ll be able to do so starting this week, and there are benefits for doing so.

Expect Embark to take some much-needed break, which means we’ll hear more about the studio’s post-release plans in January 2026. Once we know more about that, we’ll let our readers know.

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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.