Epic Games has taken the Fortnite servers down this November 3 where players will see patch v27.00 be released. For those wondering why we’re getting the update and downtime now instead of a Tuesday, it’s due to this being a major update for a new season.
v27.00 downtime begins at 3 AM EST and matchmaking will be disabled shortly beforehand.
Downtime: 3 am EST/12 am PST/3 pm HKT
Duration: Not specified but usually it takes 2-3 hours, but given this is a new season, it might go past that.
Expect a title update to be released on all platforms, and according to Epic Games, the file size will be larger than usual. Once the patch is out, we’ll post it ASAP along with the datamined content.
We’ll be updating this article with the latest server notices and a link out to the patch once it’s live.
We’re getting a bunch of compelling content for Persona 5 Tactica ahead of its November 17 release date. Today, ATLUS shared a Persona 5 Tactica Dev Diary that gives us a little more insight into the themes behind the upcoming strategy RPG spin-off and its new character, Erina.
In the video, Producer Atsushi Nomura gives us some insight as to why the team chose to make an SRPG spin-off game:
For this title, we wanted to show off the Phantom Thieves as a team. As a team, the members will clear missions as they strengthen their bonds. We thought the best way of showing off their teamwork was to make this title into an SRPG. The SRPG genre is one that has not been tackled by the Persona series before. We’ve had many requests from our fans in the past and thought this was our best opportunity.
Nomura also dove a little into the background of series newcomer Erina:
In Persona 5 Tactica, the story begins with the Phantom Thieves wandering into a world that is different from Palaces or Jails. Joker and friends are deemed to be rebels, but Erina, the leader of the revolutionists, comes to their rescue. Erina asks the group to help with the revolution, and the Phantom Thieves comply. An overarching theme in Persona 5 was revolting against adults but the theme of Persona 5 Tactica is revolting against an unjust ruler.
The player will be able to play the new character, Erina, really early on. This might be relatively rare in the Persona 5 series. Please see how Erina, the leader of the revolution, and the other new character, Toshiro Kasukabe, are involved in the story.
It sounds like there will be enough story content in this game for fans of the series to sink their teeth into. The change-up in the gameplay format should be a refreshing change of pace for most Persona lovers.
If you’re interested in seeing the entire cast of characters coming to Persona 5 Tactica, take a look at the latest character spotlight here.
Persona 5 Tactica releases on November 17 for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Fntastic has finally announced The Day Before release date, and it’s official: the game will be launching in early access on December 7. This news comes alongside a brand-new final trailer for the game that showcases its mechanics and world, as well as confirmation that the game will get to keep its name after all the concern.
The trailer (and its oddly GTA-esque tone) show off the game’s character creation, central hub, looting mechanics, and combat. Additionally, we learned that players will have their own personal lodge to customize and relax in, complete with a building mode full of furniture and decorations.
Developer Fntastic also released a press release after the trailer’s initial premiere. In the press release, the team explained that they were able to secure the original title, The Day Before, following a lengthy copyright battle. They also thanked players for their patience and explained that the game would release in Early Access for $39 USD, with the full game launching down the road for $49 USD. You can view the press release here:
The game’s Steam page has also been restored. Seeing as it was the most wishlisted game on Steam prior to its removal, we imagine the team is happy to have their top spot back. We can only hope that the game receives positive feedback upon its release, though seeing as how the release date’s been pushed back many times, we can only hope that it finally lands this December.
Are you excited for The Day Before? Let us know down in the comments.
The Day Before releases in Early Access on December 7 for PC.
4J Studios has pushed out Minecraft update 2.76 on all platforms, and this is for patch version Bedrock 1.20.41. Players can expect this title update to house a few fixes for issues brought on by last week’s update. Read on for the official Minecraft patch notes for November 2.
News of layoffs at Bungie broke last week, and now the studio has finally taken the time to address this, as well as concerns around the future of Destiny 2 and Bungie.
In an open letter issued by Bungie, the team confirms the reports of the layoffs and acknowledges their lack of acknowledgment to the community over recent seasons in Destiny, as well as concerns for the Final Shape.
“This has been one of the most difficult weeks in our studio’s history, as we’ve parted ways with people we respect and admire. We’ve spent this week supporting one another, including those who are at the studio, as well as friends and colleagues who no longer are.
We want to acknowledge the feedback and concerns you have about Lightfall and recent Seasons, as well as your responses to the reveal of The Final Shape. We know we have lost a lot of your trust. Destiny needs to surprise and delight. We haven’t done this enough and that’s going to change.
To us the path forward is clear: We need to make The Final Shape an unforgettable Destiny experience. We want to build something that will be regarded alongside the best games we’ve ever made – a fitting culmination that honors the journey we’ve been on together for the past ten years. Forsaken, The Witch Queen, and The Taken King – these are the standard bearers we aim to live up to.
We are intensely focused on exceeding your expectations for The Final Shape. Destiny 2 has more than 650 dedicated teammates pouring all their energy and expertise into delivering this epic moment and its subsequent Episodes.
In the weeks ahead, you’ll be hearing more from us about what’s next on the short-term horizon, beginning with our next Season in late November. Afterwards, we’ll begin to unpack our team’s bigger, bolder, and brighter vision for The Final Shape, as well as the bridge we plan to build to take us all out of this Darkness and into the Light.
See you starside,
The Destiny 2 Dev Team”
There are no mentions of delays for either Destiny 2’s Final Shape expansion or their new game, Marathon, something that was reportedly happening due to the layoffs, though that news may arrive later. We’ll continue to monitor the situation as it continues to develop, but don’t expect to hear much from Bungie on this matter any time soon.
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.
Exoprimal next major title update is arriving this January, and as previously announced, it’ll introduce a collaboration with Monster Hunter! Prepare your Exofighters, as you’re about to battle with one of the deadliest beasts, the Rathalos.
Exoprimal Monster Hunter Trailer
Players will take on the King of the Skies in a 10-player co-operative boss battle. But the Rathalos isn’t the only Monster Hunter content coming to Exoprimal, as there will also be new collaboration skins for certain Exofighters, much like the Street Fighter ones.
Rathalos armor skin (Murasame)
Kirin armor skin (Skywave)
Nergigante armor skin (Barrage)
Rajang monster skin (Roadblock)
Title Update 3 will also feature new content for everyone, as listed below.
Neo Triceratops
Four new Beta variant Exosuits
The Jungle map
New rigs
Modules
And more.
This isn’t the only news we got from Capcom on Exoprimal either, as they’ve also begun teasing what’s to come for Season 4. A new 10-player co-op challenge mode called “Time Loop Rebellion” as well as custom matches. There will be more than that, too, as the teaser at the end of the Monster Hunter collaboration trailer only showed half of what’s coming to Season 4. All that will be revealed as we inch closer to next year, following the release of Season 3.
Exoprimal Monster Hunter collaboration launches with Season 3 on Jan. 18, 2024.
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.
While Activision seemingly integrating all its Call of Duty games into one launcher with Call of Duty HQ seems like a good move to consolidate everything into one, there’s bound to be issues that arise because of it, and one such thing has surfaced today, as Call of Duty players across Warzone and Modern Warfare 2 have seen their stats, progression and even COD Points reset all due to pre-ordering Modern Warfare 3!
Call of Duty Warzone, Modern Warfare 2 Stats, Progression Reset Bug:
Multiple reports on the Modern Warfare 3 subreddit have surfaced, with some gamers hopping on to Modern Warfare 3’s campaign early access and when they loaded Warzone and/or MW2, saw their stats reset, their progression lost (back to Level 1), and in some cases, even their Call of Duty Points are missing.
We are investigating a service outage impacting multiple titles. During this time, Campaign Early Access, account ownership checks, and progression systems may be temporarily unavailable.
This isn’t the only issue affecting Call of Duty currently, as players who pre-ordered the game to play the campaign early was met with “disc required” errors earlier today.
Once more news about this is know, we’ll update the article. Sit tight! This seems to be a bug more than anything else, so your progress and stats should be safe.
Tekken 8 draws ever closer, and as we near its January release date, we’re one step away from seeing the full roster. Since yesterday, four new fighters have been revealed, including fan favorite Lee Chaolan and Jin Kazama’s devil form.
Here’s the reveal trailer for the first three characters, as well as our first proper trailer for Panda, who was revealed at TGS:
Additionally, Victor Chevalier received his own reveal trailer this morning:
Let’s break down a brief description of each of these fighters:
Tekken 8 New Characters:
Lee Chaolan – Raised in a harsh environment as Heihachi Mishima’s adopted son, Lee Chaolan now manages the global humanoid manufacturer, Violet Systems. Lee also wears the Violet Suit, a marvelous creation that utilizes sophisticated technologies and is equipped with numerous features that reflect Lee’s own aesthetics.
Alisa Bosconovitch – Alisa Bosconovitch is an android built for the sole purpose of protecting Jin Kazama, the former head of the Mishima Zaibatsu. However, thanks to the efforts of Lars and others, Alisa is miraculously rebooted and is now a member of the rebel army.
Zafina – Zafina is a warrior born into a family of exorcists whose lineage dates back to the time of ancient dynasties. In her day-to-day life, however, she uses exceptional spiritual abilities to earn a living as an astrologist. She currently holds the devil Azazel’s spirit within her left arm, though she fears his escape.
Devil Jin – Devil Jin is another form of Jin Kazama—one that has lost all reasoning due to the devil blood that controls his mind. With the way he glides through the air on jet-black wings, “devil” is the perfect word to describe his appearance and abilities that lie beyond human capabilities.
Victor Chevalier – Victor Chevalier is a living legend who founded the UN’s independent forces. Descended from a lineage of distinguished knights, with a dream to rescue those in need, he followed the footsteps of his father and enlisted in the French Navy before joining the UN. Armed with an haute couture suit and the latest optical weapons, Victor takes up the mantle as leader of the UN forces and readies himself for the fight.
There you have it. One more character reveal is planned for November 12, after which we’ll know the whole starting roster for Tekken 8. We’ll be sure to let our readers know about that reveal as soon as it drops, so stay tuned in to us here at MP1st.
Tekken 8 launches on January 26, 2024 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Sony is gearing up to significantly improve their video and cloud streaming service in the future, as they have announced an acquisition agreement with UK-based company iSize, which specializes in deep learning solutions for video delivery.
As outlined in the announcement on the SIE site, acquiring iSIZE will benefit SIE in a range of streaming services while cutting down on bitrate.
“We are thrilled to announce that Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (“SIE”) has entered into an agreement to acquire iSIZE, a UK-based company specializing in deep learning for video delivery. iSIZE builds AI-powered solutions to deliver bitrate savings and quality improvements for the media and entertainment industry. The acquisition provides SIE with significant expertise in applying machine learning to video processing, which will benefit a range of our R&D efforts as well as our video and streaming services.
Founded in 2016 and based in London, iSIZE has a team of talented engineers and technical experts who have developed a suite of software solutions to optimize video. For example, the company built an AI-based perceptual preprocessing solution that allows conventional, third-party encoders to produce higher-quality video at a significantly lower bitrate.
We look forward to welcoming the iSIZE team to SIE.”
iSIZE currently has three available products, those being BitSave, BitClear, and BitGen, all of which offer bitrate reduction. What this all essentially means is that these types of solutions will lead to the better image quality of streamed content, including gaming over the cloud, without needing to use higher bandwidth. More data can be sent over a smaller bitrate, all thanks to AI and deep learning.
It’ll be interesting to see how Sony used this with PlayStation, though we suspect that’ll mostly center around Cloud gaming.
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.
IO Interactive has big plans for the James Bond IP, as they hope to make multiple games following the first one.
Speaking in the latest issue of Edge Magazine (Nov. Issue 391), IO Interactive’s CEO and co-owner Hakan Abrak, was questioned briefly about Project 007, stating that the team would love to have multiple Bond games that players can look back to.
“I would love players to look back on multiple Bond games by IO and go, ‘Wow, that was quite a journey!’”
He clarified that working on the 007 IP wasn’t some sort of IP cash grab either, as the team was approached with several offers from other IP holders that they rejected. This may be due to Abrak’s vision on the game, where he sees 007 following a similar path as the latest run of Hitman games.
“There’s one final connection to Hitman we need to investigate. Given that Abrak and Elverdam’s big idea for World Of Assassination – and the thing that, ultimately, rescued the whole operation – was to deliver it gradually, over multiple years, do they have a similar vision for 007? “Yeah, absolutely,” Abrak says. “I mean, that’s the dream. That’s the ambition. And it’s also how we always talked about it.” IO isn’t interested in making a licensed game just “to score some money”, he says, adding that it’s turned down offers from “several other IP holders.”
Other tidbits revealed about Project 007 in the interview, was that it was pitched as “the ultimate spycraft fantasy,” with their version of Bond being closer to Daniel Craig’s than Roger Moore’s. Otherwise, outside of that the team has been rather tight lips.
Project 007 was announced three years ago this month, with the teaser trailer being the only thing shown for it. Though there are no signs of it resurfacing anytime soon, The Game Awards 2023 is next month and maybe a perfect time for an update on the project. Our fingers are crossed!
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.
For those who can’t wait to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the game’s early access is now live — at least for the campaign. However, there seems to be an issue plaguing some players, as there is a Modern Warfare 3 campaign early access “disc required” error that has surfaced for some players.
Thankfully, there seems to be a workaround spotted by the community, though it is not a fool-proof method that will work for everyone.
Modern Warfare 3 Campaign Early Access Disc Required Error Fix:
The error players will see is the same as the one shown in the image above. Would-be players of the campaign via early access will see the message “You own the Cross-Gen play disc version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II for PlayStation 4, which requires a playdisc to play the game on your PlayStation 5 console. Please insert a playdisc for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and retry.”
For those wondering why it shows Modern Warfare II as opposed to “Modern Warfare III,” it’s due to how Activision changed it so that there is a “Call of Duty launcher” where everything stems from.
How to Fix the MW3 Disc Required Error?
Here’s a workaround from Reddit user Juhhelihha. Note that it doesn’t seem to work for everyone, but some tried it and it worked for them.
An update has gone live to address an issue causing some Players to encounter a "disc required" error. Please restart the game for the update to take effect. https://t.co/6lFdnV8ZUH
Regardless if you’re a RoboCop fan or just entering the franchise fresh, who wouldn’t want to see the cyborg in his best version, right? We walk you through RoboCop: Rogue City’s best settings so that you can have a smooth experience, coupled with the best visuals for the action game.
RoboCop: Rogue City Best Settings – Graphics
NVidia RTX 4080/4090 GPU
If you have any of these cards, your system should be capable of running RoboCop: Rogue City with its highest options turned on, even at native 4K. I’ve played through the entire campaign with everything running at max, though I locked my framerate to 60 FPS for recording purposes. With DLSS frame-generation, you can easily expect performance to hit above the 100 FPS mark.
Field of View: 90-100
V Sync: On to avoid screen tearing
Window Mode: Fullscreen
Resolution: 3840×2160 (4K) scale down as needed.
Upscaling – DLSS for Nvidia cards, FSR for all other cards.
Nvidia DLSS Super Resolution: Depends on what you want, but balance is a good place to start.
Nvidia Sharpness: 1
Nvidia Frame Generation: 4000 series cards only – ON
AMD FSR 2.2 – Performance or balanced if you are using this mode.
Intel Xess – Another optional upscaling, though I’d recommend FSR 2.2 over this.
Graphics: Epic
View Distance: Epic
Anti-Aliasing: Epic
Post Processing: Epic
Shadows: Epic
Texture: Epic
Effects: Epic
Chromatic Aberration: OFF
Motion Blur: OFF
Framerate – Limited to 60 for capture cards, unlimited otherwise.
High Quality Lemen Reflection: ON
With a 4090, 4080, and possibly even a 4070, you should be able to run RoboCop: Rogue City without any issues relating to hardware. You may still encounter some dips, and crashes, though that seems to be the case for the game itself as even on the lowest settings I’ve ran into issues.
NVidia RTX 3080/3090 GPU
Field of View: 90-100
V Sync: On to avoid screen tearing
Window Mode: Fullscreen
Resolution: 2560×1440 scale down as needed.
Upscaling – DLSS for Nvidia cards, FSR for all other cards.
Nvidia DLSS Super Resolution: Performance
Nvidia Sharpness: 1
Nvidia Frame Generation: OFF – Not available for this care
AMD FSR 2.2 – Performance or balance if you are using this mode.
Intel Xess – Another optional upscaling, though I’d recommend FSR 2.2 over this.
Graphics: Epic
View Distance: Epic
Anti-Aliasing: Epic
Post Processing: Epic
Shadows: Medium
Texture: Medium
Effects: Medium
Chromatic Aberration: OFF
Motion Blur: OFF
Framerate – Limited to 60
High Quality Lemen Reflection: ON
A 3080 and 3090 card can also handle the game pretty well, though there are some settings you may want to scale back on, as listed above. We noticed more dips in frames due to the lack of frame generation on these cards, so it may be wise to lock the frames to 60.
On both PS5 and Xbox Series X, RocoCop Rogue City offers a Quality and Performance Mode. Quality has increased resolution, targeting 30fps, while performance reduces resolution to 60fps. But which one is best? Well, that depends on you, but I’d go with the Quality mode here.
The image quality is higher, giving you a sharper and cleaner image, and the game is a relatively slow-paced shooter compared to others, so 30 FPS holds consistently throughout the game.
Performance, on the other hand, can be a bit blurry, but that’s the sacrifice many have to accept. The problem is that 60 FPS doesn’t hold steadily, dipping in cutscenes to the low 40s and even during gameplay. This, in my opinion, hurts the general experience, as it can get pretty severe during the action sequences in the latter portion of the game.
Again, it’s personal at that point but just be warned that this is not a stable 60 FPS on consoles.
There are other gameplay options available, but nothing major that needs to be changed outside, maybe the UI if you want less clutter. Otherwise that’s really all there is to the best settings for RoboCop Rogue City.
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.
What happens when the warriors of Earthrealm and Outerworld collide with a full-blooded Viltrumite? Death, and not a pretty one as the latest Mortal Kombat 1 Omni-Man gameplay trailer shows him at his utmost worst.
Mortal Kombat 1 Omni-Man Gameplay Trailer
What an absolute powerhouse. Putting how you may feel about Mortal Kombat 1 aside, there’s no denying that Netherrealm Studios has done their homework for Omni-Man, as there are countless callbacks to the show. Not to mention some of the smaller details, such as his movement and animations, that really add that layer of cold-blooded personality to the character.
Omni-Man will punch his way into Mortal Kombat 1 on November 9. He’ll be the first character of Fighter Pass 1, along with Tremor who is joining the roster as a Kameo.
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.
The Invincible is a retro-futuristic story-driven adventure set on planet Regis III. Happily flirting between choices that matter and walking simulator boundaries, it’s a mysterious journey with a fair amount of twists, but also some navigation quirks and long walks on the beach… I mean, on the dusty surface. This work based on a classic novel has enough grit to lure players looking for a rich science-fiction tale with some food for thought, even if the gameplay mechanics aren’t the most stimulating.
Stranger in a Strange Planet
The player steps inside the hardened spacesuit of astrobiologist Yasna, who is in for quite a ride as she starts exploring Regis III. You can think of The Invincible as Firewatch in space, as most of your dialogues will happen via comms, Yasna trading intelligence and occasional friction and humor with astrogator Novik. Her slow and weighed movements in face of the vastness of the seemingly desolate planet are both a blessing and a curse, enhancing the feeling of being minuscule before the unknown, but also being unnerving when we find ourselves lost and searching for the next objective.
Despite the vast landscapes, The Invincible keeps you under a tight and invisible leash for most of your travels. It’s a game about discovery but under some well-defined constraints, where waist-high rocks can’t be climbed unless the game wants you to and shows a prompt for it. The sooner you realize this, the more you will focus on the goal at hand, realizing that you can’t stray too far from the predicted path, any significant choices and different paths coming from the branching dialogue options – this is where you carve your trajectory, deciding to investigate this place over going to another one.
The replay value in the game seems to be commendable. Your first playthrough may take you around 10 hours, and during this time you have forsaken countless opportunities to experiment other options, some of them visibly taking you through distinct paths. Any players who love soaking in the atmosphere and discovering all the options are in for a treat, knowing that there’s no option to save the game – the only resort is a full restart, again filled with some slow walks and a fair bit of invisible walls as you attempt to descend from a rock, but that’s a sign you’re looking where you shouldn’t, even if sometimes the margin for error is excessively small. The journey will be immortalized via a comic book, crafting our own story, a fun way of summarizing your decisions.
The Invincible is a slow burn, an adventure with a target audience that must know beforehand what kind of experience it is. Gameplay is standard fare, mostly comprised of interactions consisting of pressing buttons and rotating knobs in the expected order, using the gadgets at your disposal to find hints in your surroundings, but nothing that goes deep into emergent gameplay, since things are pretty much locked down to specific actions or areas of the planet.
These gadgets very much speak for themselves, with a tracker to warn you of important items in the vicinity, while the telemeter allows you to zoom into the distance and identify objects and places. Lastly, the detector shows points of interest ahead of you as you aim forward.
A map system in the shape of a notebook is available and expands as you explore your surroundings, but it’s not the most intuitive one. With the many locations divided into several pages, it’s often complicated to understand where you are meant to go and all the page turning doesn’t help, so it’s advisable to try and make sense of it as soon as possible, as it is going to be needed later on.
A Feast for the Eyes
While most of your exploration is done on foot, a rover will come in handy. This quaint vehicle with its dials and switches is a great representation of the retro futuristic approach the game is going for, but interactions are sadly limited to what the game expects you to do. Again, a showcase of a potential that unfortunately was restrained behind a rigid design that just wants to keep the story flowing and doesn’t offer room for trial and discovery.
Using the rover is a joyful experience, saving us a lot of aimless wandering but restricting our sights and constantly forcing a few stops to better investigate our surroundings. It is, in fact, when we use the rover that the risk of wandering increases, the areas now bigger and the goals often depending on our sense of orientation and patience to find the spot that triggers the next part.
Then we have the story, which is the one thing that The Invincible boasts alongside its design. The journey is intriguing, parts of it are predictable but it keeps you guessing for the major twists and it does take some interesting detours, even if in places there seems to be some unnecessarily long exposition. Yasna and Novik are a chatty duo and this is one of the elements that raises the most comparisons with Firewatch, as they are concerned about their fates but don’t disappoint with the occasional wit and chemistry.
Without being the most impressive trip to another planet that you are going to take, it is a pretty planet filled with interesting sights, some of them breathtaking. Combined with the atompunk design that is visually at odds with the advanced technology, this is a game that delivers on the artistic side of things. However, visual design shouldn’t get so much in the way of navigation, as you may end up bumping onto rocks frequently, searching for the single move forward prompt that could easily be available a few steps to the side as well. Not the most friendly choice, but one you’ll have to live and survive with.
Astronaut Simulator
The Invincible isn’t fun in the proper sense of the word, and is definitely dull for players who need some action in their games; immersive would be a better label, intriguing being another one that seems more suited. This isn’t a game that you play for playing sake, it is one that you experience because there’s a mysterious story unfolding in front of your eyes and you can influence it with your choices. It’s Stanislaw Lem’s novel in interactive form, realized in a way that is closer to a walking simulator than a freeform explorative adventure.
That’s all you need to know before embarking on this journey. If you’re a fan of slow-paced, story-driven games, this is a good place to be, with robots small and large, friend and foe waiting for your arrival, and quite a few landscapes to explore and instill a certain sense of dread, even if the layout design is excessively on the inflexible side. The Invincible may not mark a leap for the genre, but it is a well-rounded and interesting step for walking simulators.
Score: 8/10
Pros:
It’s a narrative-driven experience with significant choices
HexWorks has pushed out Lords of the Fallen update 1.013 on all platforms, and this is for patch v1.1.282! This brings over 100 improvements to the game, with all the details listed in the official LOTF update 1.1.282 patch notes.
Lords of the Fallen Update 1.013 Patch Notes | LOFT Update 1.1.282 Patch Notes:
Greetings Lampbearers,
Thanks to all of you who took part in our “Season of the Bleak”, your journey through this dark and mysterious event has been nothing short of incredible to see. The questline and the secret mask hidden within it have captivated many of you, so due to popular demand, we’ve decided to keep these active even though Halloween is over so that you can earn this unique loot with all your characters. However, please be aware that we’ll be bidding farewell to the Halloween decorations that adorned vestiges and revenges.
In this patch, we’ve enhanced the visual quality of HDR, added extra savegame safeguards, done good performance improvements and addressed rare crashes. We’ve also improved co-operative play, made PVP more diverse, buffed some bosses, refined AI behavior, and balanced spells and items, just to name a few. You can dive into the details below.
HDR
Instead of using Engine standards, we have established our own custom range for HDR max luminance to enhance the visual quality of the HDR output in all platforms.
Savegame
An additional failsafe has been added to save games to try to avoid the extremely annoying issue that a few players experienced with corrupted saves.
Thanks for sending those saves over, they’ve helped us identify why this issue happened. If this ever happens to you, and of course we hope it doesn’t, please immediately send us your corrupted save so we can identify the potential origin of the issue.
Stability
A very rare crash reported in sentry where faction wars AIs casting certain abilities could crash in some GPUs under specific circumstances.
A rare crash that could happen when nanite was sending certain data to GPUs.
A very rare crash that could happen when AIs and players were targeting each other with specific abilities. Not reported in Sentry yet.
A rare crash that could happen when activating a revenge and the selected AI was a specific one, already dead. Not reported in Sentry yet.
A very rare crash that could happen when the player is aiming in ranged mode, under very specific circumstances. Not reported in Sentry yet.
Performance
Fixed an FPS degradation issue that occurred when opening and closing the in-game menu more than 50 times in one session, followed by a stamina-consuming action just afterward.
Conducted collision optimizations throughout Lower Calrath to achieve an overall improvement in framerate.
Implemented a shadow optimization pass in Spurned Progeny’s arena.
Optimized several smoke VFX used globally.
Enhanced target system performance when players or enemies target abilities toward each other.
Conducted a cast shadow optimization pass and beautification in Upper Calrath, resulting in some additional frames while navigating the area without sacrificing visual quality.
Optimized Skyrest Bridge by rearranging assets that cast shadows, maintaining the same quality while gaining additional framerate.
NG+
Now clients won’t be able to “Restart Current Game” and “Start NG+” in the Host world, as intended.
Co-op
In certain edge cases, the client could enter an “Ignore Move Input” state in the UI if interacting with the Vestige at the same time as the host.
It was reported that sometimes, when creating a co-op session, it could happen that you cannot create a second match after a disconnect of one of the two parties. We’ve identified the potential issue and added a failsafe.
Fixed an issue where the client would sometimes stop receiving sounds from the host when entering spectator mode far from the client’s dead body.
Under certain circumstances, the Client’s gesture UI becomes partially unresponsive and remains on the screen after transitioning when the Host rests at a Vestige, warps to another Vestige, or dies.
For a clearer user experience, we’ve updated the session password introduction process to display the 8-character limit and prohibit spaces. Please note that passwords for PVP sessions expire after a few minutes if you do not enter a PVP invasion area. This change is aimed at preventing the abuse of passwords for blocking PVP while still allowing for friendly sparring.
Fixed Black material in Umbral that could happen in co-op for clients when the host transitioned from Axiom to Umbral.
Fixed an issue in which the co-op helper could enter the host’s world with reduced mana, ammo, or HP if the level disparity between the two players was too high.
PVP
Boss Weapons
We’ve observed that some players have heavily relied on specific boss weapons and spells for PVP, which has led to a less diverse gameplay experience. To address this, we’ve made quite a few adjustments to these items:
Boss weapons will now have 10 levels instead of 5, and we’ve modified their upgrade curves. While they remain potent, they are no longer overpowered in PVP.
The mana costs for Pieta’s Blessed Reflections and Infernal Hounds invocation spells have been significantly increased.
Exploding bolts and shattering bolts now require more ammunition to use.
The usage cost of Corrupted Banner Javelin has increased, and its damage output has been nerfed.
To facilitate this transition, we’ve temporarily reduced the cost of Deralium Chunks at the shrine, making it easier for players to get their boss weapons from 5 to 10, but also to make it easier to try out different weapons and create more varied builds.
Our goal is to foster a more varied and enjoyable gaming experience for all, while avoiding overpowered weapons. We appreciate your understanding and ongoing support.
Other Tweaks
Additionally, we’ve made these additional adjustments for PVP:
The host is now unable to return to the Main Menu while the Crimson Ritual is in progress.
We’ve made adjustments to the invasion volume boxes, increasing their size slightly to help reduce disconnections. This is an ongoing process, so you can expect to see further improvements in this patch, with additional enhancements planned for the next week.
We have enhanced the visual feedback for player eliminations in PvP to provide a more rewarding experience.
Fixed an issue in which the invader could enter the host’s world with reduced mana, ammo, or HP if the level disparity between the two players was too high.
Revenge
We have enhanced the visual feedback when avenging another fallen Lampbearer.
Bosses
Taught a new trick to the Sanctified Huntress, allowing her to use her dash-teleport when cornered against a wall by the player or an NPC helper.
Griefbound has been adjusted to be more aggressive in her boss fight, as well as her minions.
When killing the Lightreaper at a specific frame of one of his specific attacks, it could interrupt his death animation, leaving him unanimated for a few frames.
We’ve increased the challenge for a boss at the bottom of a very dark place. That aberration born from love now has higher pacing and a bit more punch.
We’ve intensified the Sundered one’s aggression and behavior, making him angrier and more formidable, despite his sadness.
We’ve noticed that some players have been struggling with Kinrangr Guardian Folard and his hounds, particularly when it comes to his frostbite projectile attack. To help players anticipate this attack more effectively, we’ve enhanced its visual feedback.
Abiding defenders now use their abilities more efficiently and frequently, making the fight significantly more challenging.
AI
The Scarlet Shadow has received a few improvements to make it more dangerous and harder to “cheeze”:
The Scarlet Shadow could sometimes receive fall damage. Not anymore.
The Scarlet Shadow has learned a few new tricks to react to some trolling players. Now, you can’t hide from him by taking an elevator or get on top of some assets to shoot him without being touched. He’s more resourceful. You’ve been warned.
The Scarlet Shadow has now a few more navlinks to be able to jump up and down some platforms. Running away from it is now even more challenging.
Other AIs have also received a pass of additional polish:
Additional refinement of enemy spawns in Upper Calrath, Sunless Skein, Depths, Cistern, Fief, Manse, Path of Devotion, Abbey, and Bramis Castle.
An additional navlink has been added on Skyrest Bridge to help a specific AI navigate the intricate geometry when fighting.
An Umbral Sparrow at Fitzroy’s Gorge cave has had its spawn position adjusted to trigger its jump better.
The ground stomp animation for Deep Sparrows has been tweaked to reduce the body’s rotation on the ground.
Mendacious Visage now has an additional EQS check to find a better path towards hitting the player with its run. It’s still avoidable with a dash/roll.
Navmesh has been tweaked in Bramis Castle’s Donjon to help AIs navigate faster through one of its gates.
Now, when a Deep Sparrow attacks the player with its flying attack, it will knock down the player in Umbral but only do a heavy hit in Axiom. Transitioning to Umbral is already a significant penalty, and sometimes players could fall through a ledge, instantly dying without even seeing the attacking sparrow.
Some Umbral Sparrows in the levels had “Allow Lock On” disabled when starting their idle-breaker animations. It has been reactivated.
Tweaked the behavior of quadrupeds when surrounding the player to look more menacing (and cooler).
Adjusted AI spawns to leave more space for the flowerbed – so they do not attack you if you just remain idle there.
Fixed a navmesh issue when transitioning from Axiom to Umbral several times that could block a specific Umbral zombie in a specific spot in the Forsaken Fen town.
Adjusted existing leashing volumes and added a few more in Upper Calrath for AIs to pursue the player as long as intended.
Additional polish and adjustments to the leashing volumes of AIs in the Forsaken Fen.
Tweaked leashing volumes for all enemy groups at the Path of Devotion.
Adjusted and added additional leashing volumes to AIs in Upper Calrath.
Tweaked leashing volumes for some enemies in Pilgrim’s Perch.
Adjusted leashing for enemies at the entrance of Sunless Skein.
Adjusted and added leashing volumes in Redcopse Village.
Adjusted leashing for enemies at Fitzroy’s Gorge.
Balancing
Briostones’ healing speed has been slightly increased to improve their effectiveness in battle. It now takes 12 seconds instead of 20 seconds for the full Briostone effect to apply.
Curse of Adyr has seen its duration increased from 10s to 30s, and its damage per second from 2 to 5.
Barrage of Echoes cost has been increased by around 25% and damage decreased by 20%.
Defensive Aura has been nerfed by increasing its maintenance cost by 20%.
Fixed Holy Slash being easily destroyed upon physical collisions.
Fixed Rain of Thorns not causing the Smite status effect sometimes. Also, increased damage by almost 50%. It’s a great tool to fight abundant regular mobs, especially in co-op or when helping other people.
Fixed tick damage invulnerability on the following spells: Sliding Swords, Sacred Ground, Dark Mass, Poison Mist, Umbral Mist, Holy Beam, and Umbral Nail.
Healing Aura has been nerfed with a decrease in its base healing per second from 8 to 6.5, which is approximately a 20% nerf.
Increased the visceral damage multiplier on Umbral Assassin swords by 15% to make them a more attractive choice for parry players.
Lowered the bonus damage from Pendant of Burden from 0.1 to 0.07. Stacking status effects are highly efficient and fairly powerful on their own. As such, we’ve slightly nerfed this pendant to balance it with other combat options.
Manastones’ prices have been reduced in vendors: small from 300 to 200; medium from 600 to 400; large from 900 to 600.
Nerfed Enhanced Throwables by 30%. Pretty much all of them were overperforming, especially Enhanced Hammer.
Radiant Orb decreased healing and started deceleration earlier to make it easier to aim for mid-distance.
Sovereign Protector’s Ring Poise has been increased from 10 to 25 to boost its effect and make it more attractive to use.
Swapped Dunmire’s Cane to having 3x Meta rune slots instead of 3x Square rune slots to treat it like other staves and give it the potential to be much more powerful.
The Umbral Eye of the Pale Butcher secondary effect has been changed from “Recover soulflay while in umbral” to “+25% damage to enemy soul,” so it can be combined with Umbral Eye of Olleren for devastating effects.
Three faction-focused pendants: Faceless Carving, Empyrean Pendant & Rhogar’s Delight; are keeping their faction (god) empowerments but have seen their protection effects buffed against their respective rival factions. We believe this adapts better to how players are using the strengths and weaknesses of each magic school.
Removed poise damage from AOE spells such as Graveyard Fog, Putrefaction, and Consecrate to prevent weird looped flinch animations on any enemy with >0 Poise.
Swapped a duplicated spell “Putrefaction” in Revelation Depths with 3x Poison Salts, as the spell can also be retrieved in the fen. Note that when picking an already-earned item, you get a reward, but we are just granting now a better one.
Level Design
We’ve polished an Umbral Puzzle at the Abbey of the Hallowed Sisters to prevent players from interacting with the soulflay from a wrong spot.
Added Umbral flowers signaling and an Umbral decoration layer for a new only-Axiom wall at Skyrest.
A lava killing area has been adjusted in Bramis Castle as we saw some players getting killed without noticing they were stepping on the lava. Now feet will burn for a longer time before getting killed in that corner.
Collisions
Added an additional failsafe to an Umbral wall in an encounter happening at the abandoned outpost at Fritzroy’s gorge. Being pushed back could block the player inside the wall.
Adjusted the Cleric cape to work in multiplayer.
Adjustments to collisions in the Abbey of the Hallowed Sisters to smoothen player navigation.
Fixed a collision bug at the ceiling of the alehouse at Lower Calrath that could lead to an unintended beam-navigation.
Fixed a collision near the Vestige of the Numb Witch in Calrath.
Fixed a hole at Bramis Castle that could lead to a fall if jumping over the barbican.
Fixed a wall in Bramis Castle that let audio pass through. “The walls have ears” – Don Juan. Well, not anymore.
If the player rolled against two specific beams in Pilgrim’s Perch, it could sometimes get trapped in a collision, with Byron staring at the scene.
Removed the collision from a small rock that could prevent players from falling at the Sunless Skein, but no exit was available.
We’ve buffed a pot in the Abbey of the Hallowed Sisters so the ray of the Abbess now does not go through it. So players can hide behind the almighty pot.
Collision adjustments in the whole Lower Calrath for smoother navigation of players and AI.
A bridge in Lower City could block projectiles on the edges although visually it was weird since it has only strings on the sides (custom collision added).
Fixed some collisions in the Fritzroy’s Gorge cave to avoid the player getting stuck under certain circumstances.
Adjusted an Umbral mesh in Pilgrim’s Perch that had collisions for projectiles in axiom.
Added blocking volumes in Forsaken Fen to prevent players from performing an out of bounds and skipping mini-boss fight or getting stuck.
Added blocking volumes to prevent the player from getting stuck when attempting to jump up some rocks in Forsaken Fen.
Added blocking volumes to prevent the player from climbing a wall in Forsaken Fen.
Collision added to prevent escaping the Blessed Carrion Knight boss fog walls.
Tweaked collisions in two spots at Pilgrim’s Perch to make player movement and camera smoother.
Fixed a navmesh inside Bramis Castle that could prevent a Ruiner from pursuing the player along the whole 1st floor.
Fixed a collision in the Sunless Skein that could prevent players from falling into the void, as intended, forcing them to dash to the pit.
Fixed a collision to prevent the player from getting stuck with a specific set of crystals at Bramis Castle, after doing a certain action and getting hit by the Conflagrant Seer.
Adjusted some collisions on the big marketplace plaza at Upper Calrath to better support the big enemy AI there.
Visuals
Improved the decoration for the last Umbral bedflower added on the way to the Fief.
Tancred’s chest armor has been tweaked to avoid some visual glitches in extreme player poses.
Lowered flail hitstops slightly as we felt it was a bit too much for the nature of its weapon.
Replaced two old paintings at the Penitent Tower and changed them for new (cooler) ones.
Tweaked a burnt ground tile texture to look better.
An Umbral giant has been moved for purely cosmetic reasons (better framing).
Done some lighting improvements in 2 corners of Redcopse Church fixing 2 spots found by Digital
Foundry where GI is barely noticeable.
Post-process exposure fix for a transition in Lower Calrath, when exiting a building, right before the Alehouse.
Cinematics
After last week’s optimization on it, we’ve now polished the transition from “awaken lampbearer” intro cinematic to in-game.
Cleansing the beacon at the Tower of Penance now always triggers the proper Umbral lamp VFX.
VFX
Completely removed collisions for some cockroaches and bat VFX that could block some spell effects.
Additional optimization (and beautification) passes on several VFX.
UI
Gamepad could sometimes get out of focus in the UI, especially after several ALT-TABs. We’ve added an additional failsafe.
Sometimes an EPIC Online System pop-up could appear in some loading screens. We’ve deactivated all non-requested pop-ups from EOS.
Lock-on was sometimes targeting an AI capsule instead of its center, leading to a slightly displaced lock-on HUD element.
Fixed infinite item stock in vendors that could not be purchased infinitely.
Fixed an issue where the language setting would reset after a game client update.
Audio
We have new updated parry sounds (regular and stun) based on player feedback.
We’ve also improved stab sounds.
Whew! This is the game’s biggest patch to date! It looks like more are on the way, and once we get wind of a new one, we’ll be sure to let our readers know. Bookmark our Lords of the Fallen game hub for the latest news on the game.
Dead Island 2 update 1.07 (PS5 version 1.000.007) is now out on all platforms, and this ushers in the Haus DLC! Note that this is premium (read: paid) story-related DLC, even if you need to download the data, that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to play it without ponying up the cash.
Dead Island 2 Update 1.07 Patch Notes | Dead Island 2 Update 1.000.007 Patch Notes:
Unfortunately, Dambuster has not released any patch notes for the title update just yet, other than acknowledging the Haus DLC is releasing today.
Same as always, if we do get a proper changelog, we’ll update the article to reflect the changes made.
If you’re on the fence whether to get the Haus DLC, go read our review of it here, where we state, “Inventive during its first half, delivering a solid serving of horror and humor combined, Haus unfortunately fails to maintain the pace when it should have upped the ante. It’s still worth a teleportation trip to Malibu even if only to experience the grim and enigmatic Deeper and the events surrounding this cult supported by a trio of talking heads.”
Ubisoft has deployed (Rainbow Six) R6 Siege update 1.000.065 on all platforms during today’s maintenance period. This aims to resolve the bathroom tactic players have been exploiting in the Doktor’s Curse event.
So far, that’s about it. For those not familiar with the move, this strategy makes it so that a team holing up in that bathroom’s corner make it very, very hard to penetrate. Let’s hope this fix for it does the trick to make it more fair for everyone.
If there are more fixes and other notes released, we’ll update the article. If you spot any changes or adjustments, leave a comment below and let us know.
Good news, Siege players! Ubisoft has released Rainbow Six Siege update 2.61 during today’s maintenance, and this patch aims to remedy the bathroom “strategy” in the ongoing Doktor’s Curse event.
Rainbow Six Siege Update 2.61 Patch Notes | Rainbow Six Siege November 2 Patch Notes:
Here’s the announcement from Ubisoft:
🛠Y8S3 Maintenance🛠
Maintenance will take place today, November 2nd.
💻PC: 09:00 ET / 13:00 UTC 🎮Xbox: 09:00 ET / 13:00 UTC 🎮PlayStation: 09:00 ET / 13:00 UTC
So far, that’s about it. For those not familiar with the move, this strategy makes it so that a team holing up in that bathroom’s corner make it very, very hard to penetrate. Let’s hope this fix for it does the trick to make it more fair for everyone.
If there are more fixes and other notes released, we’ll update the article. If you spot any changes or adjustments, leave a comment below and let us know.
💻PC: 09:00 ET / 13:00 UTC
🎮Xbox: 09:00 ET / 13:00 UTC
🎮PlayStation: 09:00 ET / 13:00 UTC
The announcement from Ubisoft actually mentions how servers will be out at 9 am ET and last for 60 minutes. HOWEVER, multiple reports have surfaced on the game’s subreddit that the servers still aren’t working!
Techland has released Dying Light 2 update 1.41 (PS5 version 1.041), and this is for Community Update 3! Aside from the introduction of the weapon repair option, this also ushers in The Frightening Part 2: Slashing Pumpkins event too. Read on for everything new in the DL2 patch notes for November 2.
Update: The complete patch notes for what the studio calls Dying Light 2 update 1.13 is now out!
Weapon improvements
With the Community Update #3 we’ve taken weapons onto our workshop, and we are introducing a set of changes that will help Pilgrims diverse their arsenal ecosystem.
Weapon Repair system is the first aspect we’ve taken into the consideration – we understood that there might be weapons you don’t want to let go easily and they are just trophies in your inventory – so you don’t need to rely on Korek’s Charm or keeping weapons hidden anymore – swing them as much as you like and visit your local Craftmaster to repair them with couple of original crafting resources and old world money. Keep in mind that price might be higher depending on lost durability.
Enemies dropping their weapons is next on our checklist! There will be a chance for enemies to drop weapon after being defeated, which gives you another trick in the sleeve in combat. Those are mostly simple weapons, but depending on the group of enemies you will face, the rarity of items might change!
Mods dismantling feature will help you receive some resources back and free a mod slot – you don’t need to wait to make your weapon slightly more powerful, you can improve your weapon every step now!
A new weapon rarity is cherry on top! Exotic tier weapons will be distinguished by crimson red color, and increased damage and durability is not the only thing that comes in the package! Those items might have unique affixes like increased damage done if an attack hits the enemy’s head, a chance to deal double damage, a chance to deal double damage on POWER ATTACK, or a chance to stun enemies on attacks. Exotic weapons can be found in Pilgrim’s Outpost loot boxes, Daily/Weekly bounties loot boxes, Legend Levels Progression, and Replayable GRE Anomalies. Since they are extremely powerful, there is a small chance for them to drop!
Korek Charm Rework
Korek charm was always a big part of the game, proving its usefulness in The City. As you’ve might figured it out based on the weapons changes, we want to still make it useful by adding an unique modifier. Korek’s Charm will give players an increased damage, when the weapon is at 15% or less durability – balancing on the edge will give you an extra payoff!
Replayable GRE Anomalies
Yes, you heard it right! Now, you can repeat fights with Revenants at night to hoard loot! After completing the GRE Anomaly, it can be activated via the on-spot panel that will begin the encounter again, but this time with GRE Aberration, a stronger version of the previous enemy! Try it out and give yourself some challenge!
New enemy variants
After Good Night Good Luck update Howler did not serve any purpose, and we did not want to leave him hanging for too long. We are introducing a following changes to our fellow: Howler will be present during the day, and his scream attracts Virals to your position! Due to the debuff that his scream applies, it’s better to handle him from a distance!
The improved arsenal of weapons brings more versatile enemies! The first to mention is Armored Viral! When meeting this type of Viral, make sure to equip yourself with a little bit more patience as he will be tough! The second variants we introduce is Electric Viral, and Electric Biter – those fellows with a transformator in the chest will make sure to shock you and bring some thunder to the casual encounters. Virals will spawn occasionally during in-game actions that bring attention, like making noise or attracting enemies by, in example, making car explode. The new variants mentioned above are just a warm-up before next, upcoming zombies that we will introduce to the game!
Don’t be surprised when some enemies might be scared of you, or try to speak on the brink of death – their humanity might want to take control.
Finishers
Enemies deserve to go out in style! In the Community Update #3 we are introducing part of those gory, brutal executions that are a spectacular way to kill someone. Sometimes, when the enemies are stunned, you will be prompted to perform a Finisher – don’t be shy and give it a go! Finishers is a feature that will be explored further in the upcoming updates!
FOV Slider on Xbox Series S
This feature was in your field of view for a long time, and we are happy to introduce FOV Slider on Xbox Series S! Use peripheral vision to the fullest and confront your enemies with an advantage!
Halloween Event
All Hallow’s Eve is back! Get ready to hunt Pumpkintiles, Banshee Witches and other, new unworldly nightmares during the Halloween event! We couldn’t miss the opportunity, and Baka the Unfortunate makes a comeback to lead you through the spooky challenges. The survivors in The City decorated their safe spots so make sure to create memories with Photo Mode!
For completing the Community Goal, you will receive Nightmare Claw Blueprint – 1, 2, Aiden’s coming for you!
Highlights
In addition to the aforementioned changes, we are thrilled to introduce several significant features: Knives, knives, knives – In the previous update we’ve introduced custom animations for knives that were available in the in-game events or bundles, now find 4 new knives in The City! Transmog improvements – It’s understandable that some Pilgrims want to slay in style. We are going one step further, with an ability to hide visuals for specific gear pieces (Basic rags are the MINIMUM you will wear). Additionally, we want to highlight a Community Ideas candidate right here – you are able to hide paraglider’s backpack! Gear dismantling – same as the feature we’ve introduced while back, now you are able to dismantle gear to get those sweet scraps into your hand. Personal buffet – need a quick snack on the run? We got you covered! The food can be found in The City. Grab halva, chocolate bar, or pierniczki to regain a part of your health instantly! Rain improvements – we’ve improved both the rain, and storm effect in the audio and visual way, making it more distinct, and unique. Carrier, and Carrier Leader outfit – everyone knows that postal service in the post-apocalyptic world full of zombies can be hard – that’s why adding outfits for the effort you made to deliver those parcels needs to be rewarded! By completing the first quest for Carriers, you will receive a basic Carrier outfit, and by finishing the entire quest chain you will receive a Carrier Leader outfit! Legend Levels tweaks – We want to make Legend Levels more accessible and rewarding, that’s why we’ve introduced a series of smaller changes. Feel like you’ve made a grave mistake with distribution of your Legend Levels? Don’t worry! With this update we are giving an option to reset your LP for a fee of 5000 gold coins. From the technical point of view, we are introducing a following changes:
• Increased LL XP gain from different sources
• Increased buffs from LL skills
• “Joker” damage increase now applies to throwing weapons
• You can exchange Trophies for LL XP
• On top of that we’ve introduced Legendary Thursdays where you can earn 2x Legendary experience! Stash sorting options – no more items cluttered in your personal stash! We’ve added some sorting options, so navigating through items will be easier and more comfortable. You just need to sort it out and try it out yourself! Color grading improvements – with the introduction of Darker Nights the differences in color grading were too close to each other. Now, Harran and Gritty nights is tweaked according to the community feedback. Text Chat (PC Only) – due to the popular request, we are introducing a Text Chat on PC platform, that you will be able to use during your co-op sessions! Feel free to tell us how you like that feature and we will further look into it!
PS. do not use text chat during night chase, unless you want to be teleported back to the safe house by a hand of random Volatile. Bloom effect – community was vocal about a possibility to turn off that visual effect, and we’ve decided to introduce this option in Community Update #3. We improved the lighting model to rebelance the “bloom” effect according to community expectations plus we introduced three additional advanced lighting options to aloof for further configurations by players – Glow, Light Streaks, Lens Flare
Thank you, Pilgrims for your feedback and ideas passed down by Community Ideas website! Many changes have been, and will be implemented thanks to your voice and support!
Game Update
Apart from all the big news from the Communtiy Update #3 above, we’ve also introduced the following fixes and improvements to the game:
Co-op
Synchronized animation and timing of Volatiles shooting projectiles at the player.
Gameplay
• Hag reacts to being hit properly.
• Added a “charge” time required for the Weapon Throw. Your items shouldn’t slip from your hands anymore.
• Adjusted time needed to receive Gold Medal in Prim-ate Challenge.
• Fixed some instances in which the final boss was stuck idling.
• Fixed an issue where NPC character would clip with Frank in the Fisheye.
• Player can pick up thrown weapons that land on lab crystals.
• Patched up exploit that allowed player to “farm” infected on level 4 Chase in a certain spot.
• Tweaks to auto aim on bow introduced.
• Changed the speed of stabs in takedowns, not player should faster move to back to the gameplay after animation.
• Fixed flashlight behaviour during cutscenes.
• Lowered the value of magnetic leap during combat.
• Reduced the amount of barks in the safety hubs.
• You can now overpower Volatiles with powerful weapons, reducing the amount of hits required to kill them.
• Changed the FX on the enemies that are under toxic effect.
• Fixed an issue where weapons crafted with Craftmasters had lower damage values than intended, effectively increasing damage.
• When grabbed, player can detach from falling zombie to a free-fall.
• Weapon damage rebalancing for previous in-game events and paid bundles.
• Added affix to Dying Laugh Charm, now granting +4% Base Damage Bonus.
Technical
•Due to stability issues, we have temporarily disabled the Quality game mode on XSX until they are resolved. If you played on Quality before, the game will run in Balanced mode now. We will update you on the further progress with that case.
• Switching from DX12 to DX11 correctly applies all the specific settings.
• Fixed an issue where players could get stuck in between rocks inside Prologue cave.
• Fixed the texture of the water that is seen from a certain distance.
• Controller vibrations should work on all platforms.
• Optimization of 3D assets of some buildings, interiors, wind turbines, and others.
• Fixed missing textures while looking at the buildings from a certain distance.
• Moving items to the stash will no longer reset the inventory list to the top.
UI
• Fixed localization text on timers.
• Adjusted localized text in dialogues.
• Adjusted the size of blueprints icons.
• While the compass visibility is off, it will be visible on extended HUD
• Added an option to disable bows’ and crossbows’ reticule in HUD settings.
• Added an option to disable “hit mark” while hitting enemies.
So far, Techland hasn’t released the complete patch notes just yet, but the studio did send us the press release detailing the new stuff incoming in today’s patch.
THE FRIGHTENING Part II: Slashing Pumpkintiles Event
The spookiest season is in full swing, and zombies can feel right at home. To make the most of the eerie vibes, Dying Light 2 Stay Human debuts the Slashing Pumpkintiles Event – the second part of THE FRIGHTENING, a follow-up to Part I, Vampire: the Masquerade Event. Techland is also releasing the Plague Bundle (available for free for the duration of the event) and the Scarecrow Bundle (available for purchase via the online store). Last year’s Pumpkintiles and Pumpkintile Tyrants will be back, along with newcomers: Banshee Witches and Haunted Biters. Players looking for Treats can also expect the return of Baka the Unfortunate and his seasonal Bazaar stall, filled with freaky Masks as well as new weapons and items, including plenty of Trick-or-Treats – chocolate bars with special effects. The event will last from today, November 2, at 8 am PT / 11 am ET, until Thursday, November 16, 2023, at 8 am PT / 11 am ET.
Community Update #3
Community Update #3 is built around players’ feedback, mostly submitted via the Community Ideas feature in the Pilgrim Outpost. It introduces improvements across categories such as weapons, inventory, enemies, and missions. This update kicks off the process of implementing all features promised in the earlier Sneak Peek.
Weapons and gear
Perhaps the most anticipated change is the introduction of the weapon repair option. Now, the Craftsmaster can help fix up all favorite tools of destruction, even if they’re completely broken. To make matters even more convenient, players can now dismantle gear as well as mods, and receive some resources back to allow more space for experimenting. Adding to that, human enemies can now drop weapons; with the introduction of new knives and a new weapon rarity, this aspect of the game allows for even more experiments.
Enemies and missions
New challenges await with new enemy variants, and the spookiness gets turned up to eleven, as some Virals may begin to show glimpses of their former humanity. In this terrifying atmosphere, players will be able to replay GRE anomalies as well as look for the Carrier missions – and get rewarded with Carrier and Carrier Leader Outfits. To dial up gore and brutality, the game will also introduce finishers – gory and spectacular ways to kill off weakened enemies.
Bits and bobs
Details matter and can have a huge impact on the quality of play. This is why a simple chat for co-op will now be available on PC. Players will also be able to come across consumables to heal them instantly. What’s more? There is a bunch of visual upgrades coming, including weather improvements. There’s something for the consoles as well: the introduction of FOV slider for Xbox Series S.
Once the official patch notes are out, we’ll update the article.
Update: Techland has released the official patch notes and we’ve updated the article accordingly.