In case you didn’t know, Activision’s head cheese Bobby Kotick stepped down from his role in the company this past December 29 as part of the Microsoft acquisition. Finally, with no retribution, some developers who worked on Activision’s biggest games (like Call of Duty) have begun speaking out.
Over on Twitter, Christine Pollock, who worked on the Call of Duty franchise, shared a story on how not only Bobby Kotick’s decisions made their games worse, but the exec event threatened to have an employee killed.
i worked on COD for two years as a programmer at demonware
bobby's decisions made our games worse
in my first month it came out he threatened to have an employee killed. in the all-hands that followed, no-one wanted to speak first. so i demanded his firing in front of everyone https://t.co/yhlM5xqPPg
We’ve compiled the Twitter chain into text below for an easier read:
i get that i am very loud and very annoying and that with my seniority and ease of other opportunities, that affords me certain protections and safety to do such things
but you all need to get on board this train. we all need to revolt against people like this, every time
if i’d been fired i had several other companies hovering in the wings, but that is why it is on senior staff to dig their heels in
juniors will not feel safe doing that until their leaders do it first
we may not have unions but we do have power if we work together
ask the loud annoying question in the all hands
make it short, direct, to the point, and leave no room for waffling in response. make it sharp, direct, and do it with clarity and without anger so they can’t attack your delivery
they won’t answer, but everyone will see it
write down what you said. keep notes in case HR pings you. record yourself saying it in the meeting if you can so that you have evidence of exactly what happened, because pissweak executives will take their exposed failure personally
demonware protected me, but other places wont
early in my career, an engineering manager doing things like this caused discussions that lead to him and his entire team quitting on the same day, and going to a new company
they all got offered $30-50k more to stay and they all said no
soli-fucking-darity 💪💪💪
muting this now due to notification volume
stand up for your fellow workers x
Pollock isn’t the only one speaking out, as Community Manager Andy Belford has also spoken out about Kotick decision regarding Overwatch 2 that didn’t exactly line up for the betterment of the studio.
Breaking my silence to share a fun fact: when we planned OW2’s steam launch, my team warned (months in advance) that we’re going to be review bombed. We begged for more information, more details, and more resources to help us with the anticipated influx, all flatly denied.
Moderation of steam was put on the community team (not a function of community at Blizz), despite my refusal to want to expose members of my team to that level of toxic content/posts. When asked whose decision it was to launch on Steam with no additional help: Bobby
This is only one example of the culture Kotick bred at AB: shit flowed downstream, usually landing on the lowest paid and most overworked individuals. Management was too busy reacting to wildly vacillating direction and decisions that made zero sense.
At the end of everything, player experience/worker meant nothing to CSuite and exec leadership. It was all about that quarters earnings call
Chances are, these won’t be the last horror stories we’ll hear about Bobby Kotick, and hearing what’s out there now isn’t really all that surprising, no?
With the new year finally upon us, Square Enix President and Representative Director Takashi Kiryu has penned a letter stating some of the company’s goals for 2024, and chief among them is implementing AI (Artificial Intelligence) to both development and publishing.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential implications had for some time largely been subjects of academic debate. However, the introduction of ChatGPT, which allows anyone to easily produce writing or translations or to engage in text-based dialogue, sparked the rapid spread of generative AIs. Its release made it apparent that the applicability of generative AI was by no means limited to text, and the subsequent months saw a quick succession of launches of new services and content that expanded generative AI into a variety of domains with close ties to digital entertainment, including images, video, and music. I believe that generative AI has the potential not only to reshape what we create, but also to fundamentally change the processes by which we create, including programming.
We also intend to be aggressive in applying AI and other cutting-edge technologies to both our content development and our publishing functions. In the short term, our goal will be to enhance our development productivity and achieve greater sophistication in our marketing efforts. In the longer term, we hope to leverage those technologies to create new forms of content for consumers, as we believe that technological innovation represents business opportunities.
With the help of AI and focusing more on digital, Square Enix sees 2024 as the “starting point” for further growth.
2024 will mark the starting point for our Group to achieve additional strides forward and further growth. We will articulate our new corporate strategy in the form of a Grand Design and devote ourselves to executing each of our initiatives. Never fearing change and always maintaining a challenger’s mindset, we will work together as one to drive our businesses forward.
You can read the entire letter from Takashi Kiryu here.
Square Enix’s next AAA releases is Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, which launches February 29, 2024 on two discs, exclusively for PS5.
Are you on-board Square Enix adapting AI more into its games business? Sound off and let us know.
KOEI Tecmo has released the Fate/Samurai Remnant DLC 1 teaser trailer today, and as one might expect, this gives us a sneak peek at what’s incoming to the game soon! Titled DLC 1 “Record’s Fragment: Keian Command Championship,” players can expect it to be released in February 2024.
Check out the trailer which gives us a look at what’s incoming.
We’re expecting a new title update to be released alongside the DLC. Speaking of updates, a new one was released this December that included new difficulty modes and more.
Once the new patch is out, we’ll let our readers know.
With Sony not shy on re-releasing some of the company’s biggest gaming hits as a remaster/remake, could a God of War remake be in the cards? Apparently, this is a touchy subject, as Sony has allegedly not allowed this question be asked in a new Q&A session regarding God of War Ragnarok’s recently released Valhalla DLC.
This was revealed by content creator GameBreakerGod in a new video where they had God of War Ragnarok Combat Lead (and Valhalla DLC game director) Mihir Sheth and Bruno Velazquez (also Valhalla DLC co-game director) talk about the free content update and game. In the comments section, a viewer asked why GameBreakerGod didn’t ask about God of War remakes, to which the content creator replied that he wasn’t allowed to ask about it.
For those unaware, it’s not uncommmon for video game PR (public relations) to screen some of the stuff that’s about to be asked or provide a few off-limits stuff. Apparently, asking about remakes is one of those, which means asking about it on-air would mean the content creator jeopardizing their relationship with the studio (and Sony in general).
Does this mean Sony is working on a God of War remake? Not really, but it does make one wonder why the company wouldn’t even want those questions fielded.
Speaking of remakes, we broke a story on how Sony has a Horizon Zero Dawn remake/remaster in the works for the PS5, which you can read about here.
God of War Ragnarok’s Valhalla free content update is out already, and is without a doubt, a must-play experience.
Eclipse Team has announced the Super Mario Eclipse release date for next summer. Super Mario Eclipse is the highly anticipated mod for Super Mario Sunshine that will completely overhaul your experience of the classic title when it launches on June 30, 2024.
Check out the Super Mario Eclipse release date trailer featuring new clips right here:
About Super Mario Eclipse:
Super Mario Eclipse is part beta restoration, part enhancement, port original mod, and all fan service. With dozens upon dozens of new missions, fully custom worlds, challenging secret courses, and an interconnected Isle Delfino to boot, this is the Super Mario Sunshine experience you always wanted- and then some! Isle Delfino is hiding all new secrets just waiting to be uncovered, and with multiple playable characters by your side, there’s nothing you can’t do. Presenting an all-new expanded story, crazy new gimmicks, exciting new moves and abilities, and references to your favorite Gamecube era Mario Games, get ready for the collaborative efforts of the entire Sunshine modding community to finally come together and bring you something special! This Super Mario Sunshine mod is sure to Eclipse the rest!
Eclipse Team has also released the second demo for Super Mario Eclipse, which features:
37 Individual Shinesprites to collect
60 Blue coins
Fully original OST
3 Unique playable characters
4 Fully original main courses to explore
2 Additional level ports Feat. Starshine Beach from Solarshine
Revamped movement mechanics
Vastly improved collision and game engine
To reiterate, Super Mario Eclipse will launch on June 30, 2024.
2023 saw MP1st grow exponentially in staff and not a moment too soon since many consider 2023 to be one of, if not the best, year in gaming. And judging from the stiff competition it’s difficult to argue. Maybe it was the COVID-19 delays finally coming to fruition because a whopping 23 games were in contention for the top games of our 2023 Game of the Year list. But we had to make a lot of tough calls and whittle the list down to just five. Without further ado, let’s get into our top games of 2023!
Before the top five games of 2023, we want to start things off with the rest of the amazing titles that didn’t manage to crack the list (our honorary mentions, if you will).
Kickstarting the deluge of awesome games of 2023 is EA’s Dead Space remake. Not only did Motive manage to deliver a faithful adaptation, but it even manages to surpass the original’s scope and design.
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
Developed by FromSoftware Inc.
Published by Bandai Namco Entertainment
While FromSoftware has shot to prominence due to the Dark Souls franchise and most recently, Elden Ring, the studio has also resurrected a dormant franchise with the release of Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon. Even if the gameplay is far from your typical Souls-like, FromSoftware has proven they are more than just a one-trick pony when it comes to offering engrossing experiences.
Street Fighter 6
Developed by Capcom
Published by Capcom
Who knew Capcom could teach old dogs new tricks? That’s what the company did with the release of Street Fighter 6. Not only did the developers offer something new to the decades-old franchise, but they even managed to integrate modern-day gameplay features into it with the Battle Hub and more.
WWE 2K23 making our list may come as a surprise to many, but fans of the wrestling genre know very well just how incredibly fun this year’s iteration is. It may not move the needle for the franchise, but it certainly brings back the excitement and love wrestling fans have had for it.
“For this is the closet the 2K era of WWE games have come to the glory of PS2’s Here Comes the Pain. With a robust create-a-wrestler that allowed me to pretty much recreate ECW’s locker room from its heyday of 1996-1998 and have my favorite wrestlers from that era go at it with the biggest WWE and WCW stars from the Monday Night Wars. Add in a couple of fun campaigns, the endless My Universe Mode, and more, and WWE 2K23 is almost the total package.” – Sean
Hogwarts Legacy
Developed by Avalanche Software
Published by Warner Bros. Games
Hogwarts Legacy kicked this year off as one of the biggest surprises. Sure, it’s a massive IP when it comes to movies and books, but that popularity has yet to reach video games, as, more times, they were rather lackluster. That all changed with Avalanche’s Hogwarts Legacy, a title based on the world of Harry Potter, but not one set during it. The studio did its homework and managed to deliver a world that stays true to the franchise, with an original story, filled with new characters.
“I have no history with Harry Potter. I’ve never watched any of the films or read any books. But I completely reveled in this 19th century vision of the Wizarding World. I played it longer than any other game released this year. It may be just an open world adventure RPG, but the developers used the license to its full imaginative extent and created something very much like magic.” – Tim
Zelda games are titles that rarely receive direct sequels, which is why it came as a surprise when Nintendo announced the next one would be a follow-up to Breath of the Wild, a game that many already considered the best Zelda game ever. Despite the news that the game would feature the same map, and several mechanics that may have been better suited as DLC, Nintendo managed to break expectations, and even top the previous game in nearly every way possible.
“Breath of the Wild was already one of the best games in the Zelda franchise, and somehow, Nintendo has managed to elevate it further in its sequel. It’s bigger and better, with more emotional tugs than I expected.” – James
“What even needs to be said about this game? Nintendo took a game that some considered the best of all time in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and somehow improved on it. The fuse mechanic is one of the most innovative in all of gaming for how well it was integrated into the core gameplay while not only traversing Hyrule but also the skies above and the ground below it in one of the largest overworld maps that I’ve ever experienced. In pretty much any other year, this would be #1 on my list.” – Dean
Final Fantasy XVI
Developed by Creative Business Unit III
Published by SquareEnix
What makes a Final Fantasy game? A question that Square Enix asked when Final Fantasy 16 launched that many fans debated over. And though everyone’s definition of a Final Fantasy game is different, we think we can agree that Final Fantasy 16 deserves a spot on this list as one of the best games this year.
“Square Enix manages to produce a throwback of an RPG with Final Fantasy XVI, but one with modern-day visuals and gameplay. It’s a compelling story that delivers from start to finish, and the Eikon battles are a sight to behold!” – Alex Co
“The latest entry in the storied series, Final Fantasy XVI tells a thrilling tale about betrayal and legendary power that’s chock-full of incredible cinematic scenes. Saying that the boss battles are epic would be an understatement and can only be truly appreciated with you behind the controller.” – Avery
“Massive boss battles, flashy, beautifully done cutscenes, and a story with dark and emotional twists. It may not follow the traditional gameplay of the series, but it’s still every bit of a Final Fantasy game that you’d expect.” – James
The Resident Evil 4 remake continues Capcom’s trend of remaking the franchise. Thankfully, it not only manages to do it justice but even adds more content to it. Regardless if it’s your first time playing RE4 or someone who has completed it before, the RE4 remake will have something fresh to offer with the gameplay to match.
“How do you improve on one of the best video games ever made? By simply adding the ability to move and shoot. Something we take for granted today but was completely absent from the original Resident Evil 4. By making this simple tweak the gameplay is opened up and makes an already incredible experience better.” – Sean
“While I still think Resident Evil 2 is the best Resident Evil remake of all-time, Resident Evil 4 makes a compelling case on its own. The RE4 remake isn’t just some glammed up port, but one with new scenes, missions and more. Most people consider the original RE4 as one of the best games of all-time, and the remake just one-upped it even more.” – Alex Co
“I didn’t get a chance to play the RE franchise as a kid, so these remakes are the first time I am experiencing these titles. Resident Evil 4’s gameplay mechanic was a highlight for me, with its parry mechanics and the roundhouse kicks. Another thing I really enjoyed in the game was its boss fights, Del Lago being my favorite.” – Ibrahim
MP1st Top 5 Games of 2023 and Game of the Year
Now that the honorable mentions are out of the way, here we are: the cream of the crop! Based on a staff voting system, here are the MP1st top five games of 2023, and of course, our Game of the Year!
5. Hi-Fi Rush
Developed by Tango Gameworks
Published by Bethesda Softworks
“One of the first games I played this year, and it quickly became a stand out title. With an outstanding soundtrack, easy-to-follow heartwarming narrative, and unique artstyle, this rhythm-platformer truly grew on me.” – Ibrahim
“If I had all the money in the world to create the perfect video game for my tastes, it would likely look something very much like Hifi Rush. Between the most beautiful cell shaded graphics I have ever seen, the characters, the setting, the story, the mechanics, the soundtrack, and almost everything really, I was absolutely enraptured from the go. The final boss fight was a bit of let down, especially given the incredible level that proceeds it, but that is my only real critique. I love this game and it is likely in my personal top 10 to 20 games ever.” – Tim
4. Baldur’s Gate 3
Developed by Larian Studios
Published by Larian Studios
‘Perhaps the greatest RPG to ever be released, Baldur’s Gate 3 brings gamers back to a golden era of gaming, playing endlessly into their imagination.” – James
“Baldur’s Gate 3 is more than a game, it’s an experience that seems endless. By that, I don’t mean that the game doesn’t have an ending, but that restarting it and choosing different paths gives you so many new opportunities and results that it’s hard not to see this as the definite game of the year. It honors the original and is so rich yet so accessible that it will haunt your dreams for many, many months.” – Alex X
3. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Developed by Respawn Entertainment
Published by Electronic Arts
“As the Galaxy continues to get dominated by the Empire, Cal Kestis and his band of freedom fighters are still hard at work opposing the evil force. They’ve recruited a skilled bounty hunter in Bode Akuna, who helps Kestis cause more chaos for the Empire. Jedi: Survivor finds Kestis discovering an ancient Jedi mystery that awakens a new evil that can also threaten the Galaxy.” – Avery
“I have never been a Star Wars fan. But funny enough, I love the Star Wars game. Despite its many performance issues on console, the game builds very well upon its predecessor in terms of narrative, and Cal gets a lot of character development in this game. The visuals also keep you glued to the screen, there is just so much attention to detail. One downside I personally felt like was that the gameplay wasn’t vastly different than the first game. I believe that’s an aspect Respawn can improve in.” – Ibrahim
“This game was one of my most anticipated entering 2023 as Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was one of my favorite games of recent years and this one did not disappoint. Respawn really understands what makes Star Wars special and this one captures that same magic. Cal Kestis shines in this game with the relationships across his former and current crew and hits some of the best emotional beats in a game I have played this year.” – Dean
“Respawn continues to prove that they’re one of the best developers in the AAA space with Jedi: Survivor. And improvement on the first game in nearly every conceivable way, if they can manage their technical issues at launch, they will be talked about in the same breath as some of their contemporaries.” – Sean
2. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Developed by Insomniac Games
Published by Sony Interactive Entertainment
“Spider-Man 2 continues Insomniac’s tremendous storytelling of Peter Parker and Miles Morales. After the first installment and the Morales spinoff, the Spider-Men have their toughest battle against Kraven the Hunter and Venom. Insomniac’s take on the symbiote is fascinating and Spider-Man fans will love it.” – Avery
“Few games emanate excitement as well as Insomniac’s Spider-Man games and the fully-fledged sequel upped the ante in nearly every way. Not only do you get to play as Peter and Miles with seamless switching between the two, but you also have a stellar story that includes one of the best renditions of the symbiote and Venom to date. This is the type of game where I finished and was still eager to play more. While this may not be the true best game on this list technically, it was easily my favorite.” – Dean
“Another highly anticipated sequel which would have been among the top 3 on my list, but after taking some time to reflect on and replay the story, I felt like this was what’s known in the games industry as a “safe sequel.” The game was phenomenal to look at, offers compelling gameplay, but falls short in terms of narrative. Miles especially was given the short end of the stick, and the developers focused too much on Peter’s story– which also I lost interest in from time to time. The game is pretty solid, but I expected more from Insomniac. Especially Venom, didn’t feel as dark and gritty as he was advertised.- Ibrahim
“As far as gameplay goes, Insomniac’s sequel to 2018’s Spider-Man is a marked improvement. Combat feels better, traversal is best in class. The story isn’t as strong for me as it was in 2018, however. The decision to split the narrative between Peter and Miles, while understandable, means a split focus and it didn’t connect with me the way the previous two games did when they could focus on one protagonist. It also doesn’t help that much of Mile’s story is low stakes and not at all interesting to me. As such, this sits lower on my personal list” – Sean
MP1st GAME OF THE YEAR 2023:
1. Alan Wake 2
Developed by Remedy Entertainment
Published by Epic Games Publishing
“I’ve been waiting for this sequel for a while now, and its safe to say that it delivered at all fronts. Alan Wake 2 has a unique and gripping narrative, with the ability to make you feel as if you’re a part of the story. Apart from its storyline, the game is also a technical marvel and a treat for the eyes.” – Ibrahim
“How can a niche horror game released over a decade ago come back with a sequel that anyone would care about? It seems like an impossible task, but Remedy nailed it. This is the perfect stew of FMV, gameplay, scares, and narrative all served to (almost) perfection.” – Alex Co
“A creative masterpiece that beautifully blends everything you love about Remedy into one unforgettable experience.” – Jimmy
“Remedy’s history is a testament to maintaining a vision. They have been trying to blend forms between Video Games and Television for nearly 20 years and with Alan Wake II they have absolutely nailed that ambition. Taking the narrative background they established with the first game 13 years ago and the more action oriented Control from 2019, Alan Wake II is a powerful horror experience despite its occasional flaws. The fact that it has underperformed in sales is tragic, because it deserves to be a blockbuster.” – Tim
“A textbook example on how to create a psychological horror adventure that blends movie and game, Alan Wake 2 is Remedy at its best, both in technological terms as in writing and design. It’s a detective story at heart with so many intriguing moments and terrific set pieces that every fan of the genre should not miss it. Despite some references to the legacy of the series, it works nicely as a standalone game, so don’t worry about missing out due to not having played what came before.” – Vitor
There you have it! MP1st’s top 10 games of 2023 and our overall game of the year, Alan Wake 2. Let us know in the comments if your favorites made the list and what other games made your personal top 10 that didn’t make ours!
With the recent release of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, and the upcoming launch of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth in early 2024, one would assume that RGG Studio has its hands full. But, it seems like the Yakuza studio has another ace up its sleeve, as Studio Director Masayoshi Yokoyama has teased another big announcement for 2024.
In a new interview with Famitsu, in which they asked over 150 game creators about their aspirations for the next year. Yokoyama revealed that he hopes to make another big announcement in 2024. Find the full statement below:
What a man for the 4th year (year of the dragon)! I am very happy to be able to release my new work “Like a Dragon: infinite Wealth” in such a year. I’m not looking forward to the release from now on, but I hope I can make another big announcement in 2024! Please look forward to Ryu ga Gotoku Studio in 2024!
We don’t know what this announcement might be but with the Studio Director saying it is a “big announcement”, it sounds very promising. Meanwhile, RGG Studio fans can look forward to Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth which launches on January 26, 2024 across PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.
One massive shock that had fans divided when Santa Monica first announced the God of War reboot was that they were recasting the voice of Kratos. Terrence C. Carson, the previous actor, had provided Kratos’ iconic voice in eight games, that it was hard for many to see anyone else take the mantle. However, when God of War 2018 was released, players soon fell in love with the new voice provided by Christopher Judge, an actor many knew from the Stargate series. His work on Kratos, though somewhat familiar, provided a unique and fresh take on the character that even paid respect to Carson’s voice.
That was something Judge wanted to do very early on, as he recently discussed his version of the voice while speaking on Streamily, noting that he didn’t want to match Carson’s voice. He made sure not to listen to any of the previous God of War games when prepping for his take on the reboot. He was even offered another role elsewhere, where said project wanted him to use a voice similar to the younger version of Kratos, and even rejected that project.
“Even if they asked, I would’ve said no. I was actually offered something not too long ago, and I had to turn it down because they wanted me to somewhat match the voice of that character, and I said absolutely not.”
Spoiler alert for the God of War Ragnarok Valhalla DLC, but this may be why young Kratos is silent when confronted by the older version near the end of the DLC. That, or the studio just decided to keep him quiet. It would have been an incredible moment if they got Carson back to interact with Judge for that scene. It’s still a fantastic scene nonetheless.
Judge took to X/Twitter to say that no one at Santa Monica asked him to do a voice match of Carson and that it was another game.
Just to clarify, NO ONE at @SonySantaMonica asked me to voice match TC. The respect for what he did as Kratos goes from top to bottom. It was another game that asked me to do a voice match (not War for Wakanda) ❤️
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.
Destiny‘s Trials of Osiris weekly PvP mode has returned this Friday with a new map and rewards. If you’re wondering about the current rotation, we’ve got you covered: MP1st’s new Destiny 2Trials of Osiris rewards and map this week December 29, 2023post lists down all that information in full below.
New Destiny 2 Trials of Osiris Rewards This Week December 29, 2023:
Reputation System, Trials Engrams, and Adept Farming
Win individual rounds within each match to gain Trials reputation. The amount of reputation you gain increases with each round you’ve won on your card. Earn enough reputation, and you’ll be able to claim a Trials Engram from Saint-14! This engram can be focused into any currently available trials loot you have previously obtained, or it can be taken to Master Rahool for a random Trials drop. Your reputation increases after every match completion, based on the number of round-wins on your card, regardless of the result of that match itself (win or lose, 0-5 or 5-4).
Once you have gone Flawless, keep playing! Every win you achieve while at the 7-win level, even if you lose your Flawless, has a chance to drop bonus Trials Engrams, adept weapons, prisms, and even Ascendant Shards. There is no penalty for losing once you’ve made it to the Lighthouse!
When you’re done, you can cash in your 7-win passage for one additional adept drop, granted you have gone Flawless that week. This resets your card so you can start anew.
Passages
Name
Perk
Cost
Passage of Ferocity
Your third match win grants a bonus win.
1500 Glimmer
Passage of Mercy
Forgives one loss per run. Forgives a second loss if you have not yet been flawless this week.
Xur is back in Destiny this Friday carrying a fresh set of Exotics, Engrams, and Legendary gear that he will sell only in exchange for Legendary Shards. For those who want to know his current hideout and wares, MP1st’s new Destiny 2 Xur location today, December 29, 2023 post details both his location and full inventory until the next Weekly Reset.
New Destiny 2 Xur Location Today December 22, 2023 (And What Xur Is Selling):
Complete Vanguard or Exotic playlist activities, or win matches in Crucible or Gambit. Extra progress is awarded for more challenging activities and for succeeding with clanmates.
Engrams
Name
Description
Cost
Exotic Engram
An engram with a predestined outcome. Contains a new Exotic if any of the possible rewards remain to be collected. Preview contents for possible rewards.
Xûr, Agent of the Nine, is a strange vendor who randomly appears in a Public Sector on one of the Worlds. Xûr sells Exotic equipment and only takes Legendary Shards in exchange for them.
TL;DR: He’s the Santa Claus of Destiny and every weekend is Christmas. Sometimes he brings you what you want, sometimes he brings you coal. Mostly it’s coal.
When does Xûr visit?
Xûr visits every Friday at 17:00 UTC and departs at Weekly Reset (Tuesday 17:00 UTC). If you would like to see all the live conversions of Time Zones, please follow this link here.
Revealed over two years ago, Bokeh Game Studio, which is led by one of the creators of Silent Hill, has announced that we’ll finally be seeing Slitterhead sometime next year.
Speaking in 4Gamer’s annual year-end developer interview, Bokeh Game Studio’s founder, Keiichiro Toyama has revealed that horror fans can expect to see Splitterhead sometime during 2024.
“2024 will be a decisive year in which our studio’s first title Slitterhead will really begin being shown. Given that it will significantly influence our future, it will be an important year, so I would like to face it with enthusiasm.”
The last we heard about the project was back in 2021 when Toyma offered bits about Slitterhead’s gameplay and what players could expect.
“I can’t go into a lot of details yet, but I can tell you that this will be an action-oriented adventure game from a third-person perspective. However, the game will include many new mechanics that have not been seen so far in other games, so I think it will result in a unique experience.”
The game will have you battling mysterious creatures that can mimic humans, but how can you smoke them out to make them reveal themselves? This will form a major pillar of the adventure and the story. The creatures are named Yakushi, a kind of monster that have their roots in classical theater.”
The team has been working hard on the title since, with them going into full production back in 2022. Based on Toyma’s statement, it sounds like they’ll finally be ready to show it off real soon, and hopefully, a release date isn’t that far away.
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.
Guardians having a hard time connecting to Destiny 2, it’s not just you, as Bungie has acknowledged the Destiny 2 down reports and confirmed that there are issues with the game’s servers this Dec. 28.
Destiny 2 Down With Sign-In Issues Updates for Dec. 28:
Bungie has acknowledged the server issues on Twitter:
We are aware of issues impacting some players' ability to sign in to Destiny 2.
Same as always, once there are new developments on the server situation, we’ll update the article, so refresh it from time to time. If you can connect to the game, leave a comment below and let us know what platform you’re on and where you’re connecting from!
If you’re having issues connecting to Fortnite, you’re not alone, as it seems Fortnite down reports have surfaced this December 28, with players having issues logging in!
Fortnite Down With Server Login Issues Updates for Dec. 28:
Update: Servers should be coming back to normal, if you are still having troubles logging in, wait a few minutes, then try again.
Hey everyone, we've made improvements to fix the issue, and players are able to log in again.
We'll continue to monitor the situation. Thanks for your patience while this was being resolved. pic.twitter.com/yvXoWS26dq
Same as always, we’ll be updating this article as more developments unfold, so refresh this from time to time. If you can connect to the game (or can’t), leave a comment below with your platform and where you’re connecting from, so other players are aware.
Just a few weeks ago, 10 Chambers Collective announced a new heist-driven game titled “Den of Wolves.” This is particularly noteworthy given the game’s Creative Director, Ulf Andersson, was the game designer for Payday 1 and Payday 2.
While the studio is cooking that up, the devs also have another game out and it’s GTFO. Out on PC, we managed to talk to the studio about the chances of GTFO hitting consoles and other questions related to the game (and even Den of Wolves to some degree). Talking to us was Simon Viklund, studio co-founder.
MP1st: (Pertaining to Den of Wolves) How early is development right now.?
Simon: Well, most departments have left the experimentation phase or the pre-production, but I know we’re still experimenting with it. I’m head of the audio team as well. And they’re still experimenting a little bit with what systems to use and what the approach is.
But for the most part, we’re in production now. Trying to create actual locations and tie them together with the storylines and stuff like that. It’s not pretty enough. And it’s not polished enough. And not balanced enough to have people play it yet. Maybe next PR tour.
(Other studio rep): The goal is to have something playable next year. I don’t want to promise anything. We are obviously playing it at the office as well. Sort of like planned. Playable builds. We’re not trying to make an event out of it. But as Simon said, it’s nothing we want to show externally yet.
MP1st: There’s not going to be like any sort of Battle Pass or season progression thing?
Simon: No, I can’t say that it won’t be, but I can say that we haven’t planned it.
MP1st: Yeah, it doesn’t…didn’t give off that kind of vibe.
Simon: We don’t like trying to nickel and dime people and trying to trick people into committing to something before they know whether it’s good because that feels like what Season Passes often are.
Again, it goes into our philosophy to try to under-promise and over-deliver. We’re not the kind of company that would have an open beta a week before release and then not fix the bugs that come up in the open beta.
MP1st: Open beta is essentially just a pre-sale.
Simon: Yeah, it’s like a part of the hype. It’s a marketing tool and if you don’t use it as an actual test, and fix the things that you become aware of when you have the open beta, that feels fooling, try to fool the consumers. We’re not about that.
I’m not saying we’re not for sure not having a Battle Pass or Season Pass. But we’re sort of, if we go with it, it would be nice. Because it just doesn’t feel like us.
MP1st: Have you guys ever considered the free-to-play route?
Simon: Considered, yes. Early on. Maybe this is a free-to-play game. Like, let’s be open-minded, but no. It’s not gonna be free to play.
MP1st: You mentioned GTFO had 80 expeditions. How many are you aiming for here, or you don’t know yet?
Simon: We can’t say a number, obviously.
We’ll start with Early Access, and by then we just have to have enough content to warrant the price of Early Access. Early Access obviously is for the players who want to play an Early Access game, and it’s for us as well, so that we can get them to try it out and we can find out whether the game works the way we want it to work.
But once we’re out of early access, it’s more like yes, we need to, and we need a certain amount of game time to warrant the price obviously, and it becomes more serious, I can’t say now how many maps there are going to be because this is going to be different, some maps are like snack-sized prep missions, where you sort of smash and grab.
Locations in order to get the intel or the data or the gear that you need in order to take on the heist and then the heist is the more complex mission that takes an hour or something. It’s different, missions have different durations and it’s hard to measure. You wouldn’t really be able to measure game time by measuring the amount of maps.
It’s going to be a lot and the replayability is going to be awesome because once you’ve gotten through a storyline, you’re going to see that there were routes that you never took or missions you never took on because you found all the pieces and the gear and the stuff you needed in order to get to the end.
And you can replay it and try a different route. And it’s gonna be a different seed of that storyline that’s slightly different. It’s not like it’s going to be a completely different antagonist or something like that in a different company. But you can find the intel on the gear that you need to find in order to get to the end.
In different maps, we want to create an experience where you can actually go into a map, go into some office building at night and try to scrub the database of some company and then you don’t find the thing that you were looking for and you have to extract without the thing, and have people be more not on edge, but you don’t know for sure, and failure is part of, taking off the, it wasn’t here, then we’ll go over here and try to find the thing in this other building.
Maybe it’s in this branch of the same company. There are some unorthodox sort of approaches to how campaigns work.
MP1st: We’ve played GTFO. When you hacked into the terminals, it actually entered commands. So, is that going to be a part of this? Are there mechanics from GTFO that are going to transfer over?
Simon: Not that in particular, because it’s just hard to make that work on consoles.
MP1st It did make us feel a bit “smart.”
Simon: Yeah, because you know DOS commands.
That’s gonna be one of the challenges of making GTFO work on consoles. It’s just how do you make that work with a controller? That’s gonna be a challenge. We’re not gonna go down that route. Now with that, we’re considering building it from the get-go to work on consoles because it’s going to be something that’s more streamlined.
Something that we think is one of those things we want to refine. Indentables, based on what we did in GTFO is the fact that someone standing by the terminal, the rest of the team doesn’t know what you’re struggling with, what you are doing, what the commands are, what the password you need to find, are you pinging for something, are you having a hard time spelling, what is it, you know, that is taking so long, whatever it might be, and that’s frustrating for the rest of the team, they can’t see what you’re doing, so that’s an approach, we’re thinking about, how we can utilize the science fiction.
And have like AR elements and stuff like that in the world to allow people to know what the other teammates are struggling with or what they’re doing, what they’re trying to accomplish. So that you don’t need to, in DTF talk much and share your information. Like, I’m trying to do this and it’s not working.
Den of Wolves will try to create an experience where that information is shared. The game helps you share that information so that everyone knows what the rest of the team is trying to do. Standing over, huddling over a terminal, wouldn’t be conducive to that experience.
It would be like, if hacking is part of that experience, it would be brought into the 3D space, and then you’d see someone hacking, and you’d see them move around, and see them, see what they’re doing, and think in a different way.
MP1st: What other lessons have you taken from GTFO into this game?
Simon: It’s a lot of confidence in the fact that what we can do is a sort of successful experiment that we tried out in GTFO with mechanics surrounding corporate elements. It has to do with storytelling, it has to do with mission duration and complexity of our tools or the functions of our tools, the preparatory tools that we have.
It’s on every level. It’s on game design. It’s on code. It’s on everything. But a lot of it, on things, darlings, we had to kill doing the development of GTFO. We don’t have the time. We don’t have the resources. Now we’re revisiting those ideas.
MP1st: Still in the Unity engine, yes?
Simon: Yes.
MP1st: It’s always incredible to us every time we every time we play GTFO. Because typically, Unreal is seen as the prettier engine, right? But Unity is clearly capable of the same stuff.
Simon: It’s a tool. It’s how you use it, really. Unity has that reputation of being isometric, side scroller, or Max 3 type. Like, smaller type genres, or game types. But it’s a perfect engine to doodle around in and try stuff out, and that’s our creative process. It’s a lot about experimentation, and creating, quickly, creating prototypes.
Trying stuff out, and it’s a great tool for that. It just clicks well with our approach.
MP1st: Bringing back to the gameplay, do players align with certain companies and earn extra reputation? If you go and assassinate someone at one company, can you no longer do missions for them? Or are you guys too early to really have any of this?
Simon: No, we know exactly how we need to solve this.
Because we don’t want to create problems where it’s like, you’re going up against one, or you’re hired by one company. There’s a company involved in the story, and then you’re about to launch a mission, and then someone joins your server. Who has a bad standing with that corporation that you’re working for.
In order for the standing to matter, obviously, it has to have an effect. On the payout, or the loot that you get, or whatever it might be. We don’t want to create a game where someone ever has a reason to kick someone out because you have a bad standing with a corporation that we’re working for, so we can’t have you on the server and want someone with a good standing, that just doesn’t fly because it makes it unnecessarily complex.
You’re not going to have bad standing with any corporation, maybe you’re going to have good standing, and that allows you to access more, better loot. So it might go from a base level to a positive rather than having it ever be connected to some sort of a punishment.
We want to create a game if possible, Whenever someone joins, it’s like, Oh, you have that bonus? Something that affects the entire team is positive and just makes it, yeah, bring it on, everyone’s welcome.
Creating an experience where it’s like people have more of a reason to come together and to join and play with other people and have random people join rather than the other way around. They are looking for reasons not to have anyone kick them.
You just want to create an experience where it’s all a bonus
MP1st: Accessibility in the game. Obviously, GTFO is very hardcore. What are some more things that you’re doing, to not make it easy persay, but make it a little bit less unforgiving?
Simon: It’s not a high bar to clear.
It’s easier than GTFO, obviously. We found even though GTFO was the only game we’d made so far as Ten Chambers, you shouldn’t think of Ten Chambers as a company that’s founded to make hardcore games like that. Because we have experience with making more broad market type games, when did Payday The Heist and Payday 2.
In terms of difficulty, it is much more comparable to Payday 2. Mechanically, it’s a continuation or further investigation and refinement of mechanics. But GTFO was such a detour into a hardcore world. We’re coming back to something that’s more a continuation that also still has the DNA of mechanics and how things work in GTFO, especially with that sort of struggle for control and the fact that you can get back into stealth again. Elements like that I think it’s really interesting.
It has DNA from GTFO, but in terms of difficulties, much more closer, and should be compared more to Payday.
MP1st: For people who can’t maybe get a full party of four, what are their options?
Simon: We’re really trying to create an experience where it’s easy to play with randoms and make it easier for people to get along with randoms. So that’s a good approach. It’s not a game that’s meant to be played solo. It’s a co-op game; you’re meant to play with at least one other player.
But at this point, we can’t say for sure whether we’ll go the bot route or we’ll go trying to sort of mitigate the difficulty that would be if you’re fewer players, you obviously will struggle if you’re playing at the same level, at a level where the game is expecting the firepower of four players, we can’t answer exactly how we’ll do that right at the moment, but it will be a range.
The game will be, I think, most fun with four players while you can play with two as well. Maybe, maybe even more.
MP1st: What consoles? Are you targeting current-gen consoles, then?
Simon: Yeah. And we can’t say which ones?
(Other Rep) No, not yet. No. Uh, Uh, it’s still in discussions, basically.
Discussions and negotiations. Yeah.
MP1st: For the GTFO console version, you guys were just still kind of testing the waters there?
Simon: We’re looking at options for getting the right tools or help in order to turn it out on consoles. Which we haven’t done before.
We really mean it when we say we’re seriously considering it. We’re trying to get it off the ground.
Den of Wolves has no release date set just yet, but it is planned for release on PC. You can read our early preview of it here.
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.
MystiveDev, an indie studio formed by two brothers, has just published a new trailer for their next-generation horror title, Chasmal Fear.
Chasmal Fear Trailer
It may not be aiming for realistic visuals like some of the other Bodycam games we’ve seen, but I have to say, it certainly uses the effect of it really well where one could easily get immersed.
We’ll know soon enough just how immersive the game can be, as while Chasmal Fear doesn’t have a release date, the studio did confirm a public demo planned for release soon.
“We’re working day and night (full-time devs) to bring you the demo for Chasmal Fear as soon as possible. So far, the development has been going great and we’re nearing the polish phase for our demo. Make sure to Wishlist Chasmal Fear on Steam to be informed when the demo releases.”
Chasmal Fear is a first-person tactical shooter survival horror game that puts players in a mysteriously empty sci-fi underwater facility where something has gone terribly wrong. Ammo is scarce. The odds are stacked against you. Choose wisely between fighting or sneaking past the monstrosities which once killed might mutate into something even worse. Unlock hidden areas and solve puzzles to uncover the truth of what happened in this top-secret facility. Every decision will impact your gameplay experience, some swarming relentless monsters against you while others offering the chance to employ stealth and cunning to survive.
Wishlist Chasmal Fear now to stay up to date with the latest news!KEY FEATURES:
LIMITED RESOURCES
Limited player ammo and scarce ammo boxes will encourage players to think strategically and be cautious while traversing the abandoned steel hallways.
IMMERSIVE BODYCAM
Artistic direction that utilizes the perspective of a bodycam footage. Set in the near future, players are also equipped with an AR Interface to help you through the dark hallways of the Magnus Facility.
MONSTER MUTATION SYSTEM
Some monsters will randomly start to mutate when killed into a stronger form. Do not be surprised when you encounter more dangerous foes in an area you thought you cleaned out. Make sure to end them before the mutation starts.
CHOICES AFFECT YOUR PLAYTHROUGH
Your choices will affect your gameplay experience. Choosing to open one way will close other paths to your next goal. Depending on your choice, you can dive guns blazing or sneak stealthily above a swarm of enemies; hide in the shadows or use your environment to squash the monstrosities.
FULLY RANDOMIZED EVENTS
Randomized events occurring throughout the game that provide replayability from varying sounds, crumbling ceilings, floors and unexpected scares.
ULTRA-REALISTIC ENVIRONMENTS
Ultra-realistic, sci-fi underwater station built underneath the waves and inside a massive ocean cliff. Its hallways seem abandoned. It is up to you to find your way out and survive the things that lurk within.
CO-OP POSSIBILITY
Bring a friend to Chasmal Fear and survive this nightmare together. The difficulty changes procedurally based on whether you play singleplayer or multiplayer co-op.
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.
There’s an ongoing acquisition war in the gaming industry, with the most recent deal closing being the Microsoft-Activision acquisition. Many have been speculating who may be next, with some suggesting that CD Projekt Red, the studio behind The Witcher and Cyberpunk games, is among those potentially being bought out. While it may be a name being thrown around that both Microsoft and Sony are interested in, it certainly isn’t something that CD Projekt Red themselves are considering, as the studio confirmed that they have no interest in joining a larger entity.
Speaking in an interview with the Polish publication Parkiet, CD Projekt Red’s CEO, Adam Kiciński, took to address some online rumors, putting to rest that they may be selling to a larger company.
“These are just rumors. We have always had a clear position, supported by the regulations included in the statute (aimed at preventing a hostile takeover – ed.). We are not interested in being included in any larger entity. We have worked our whole lives to get to the position we have now. And we believe that in a few years we will be even bigger and stronger. We have ambitious plans and we are passionate about what we do. We value independence.”
When asked if the studio would continue to make their own acquisition, Adam did note that they were open to it, but have no plans at this time.
“We do not plan any acquisitions at this time. Of course, we are open to ideas that could accelerate the implementation of our strategy. But we are not interested in purchases that would only aim to include the acquired companies in our group and consolidate their financial results. We don’t see the value in it.”
That’s not surprising considering the success they’ve had with The Witcher franchise, and recently Cyberpunk 2077 and the Phantom Liberty Expansion. This puts to rest any rumors of a buyout, even if Microsoft and Sony may be considering it internally.
That’s not to say it will never happen, as we’ve seen many studios share the same stance, only to be sold decades later. But for now, at least, CD Projekt Red will continue to be a studio that works for themselves.
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 path to Tekken 8’s launch continues, as Bandai Namco has released yet another character trailer! Though the full roster has been revealed already, it seems the game still holds many surprises, proven in the latest Tekken 8 gameplay trailer for Kuma, as the adorable yet ferocious bear that now sports Electric Wind God Fist.
Tekken 8 Kuma Gameplay Trailer
Anyone following the Tekken franchise could probably say this isn’t a surprise, though, considering how long it took for Kuma to get electric abilities. That, and the fact that Bandai has shown the character off prior, even to the press, while withholding this information, yeah, I say it still comes as a massive shock. Get it? Shock, as in getting shocked by electricity? Alright, that was probably a bit unbearable. I’ll stop now.
Tekken 8 releases January 26, 2024 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. A Tekken 8 demo is now available to play on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
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.
Sony has revealed the PlayStation Plus free games for January 2024! Set to become available in just a week’s time, PlayStation gamers will be in for a treat, as two solid single-player games are on the way.
PlayStation Plus Free Games for January 2024:
A Plague Tale: Requiem | PS5
In this sequel to award-winning adventure, A Plague Tale: Innocence, Amicia and Hugo travel far south to new regions and vibrant cities after escaping their devastated homeland. There, they attempt to start a new life and control Hugo’s curse. But, when Hugo’s powers reawaken, death and destruction return in a flood of devouring rats. Forced to flee once more, the siblings place their hopes in a prophesized island that may hold the key to saving Hugo. Discover the cost of saving those you love in a desperate struggle for survival, overcoming foes and challenges with a variety of weapons, tools and unearthly powers.
A dark menace consumes the American frontier. As one of the last agents in a top secret vampire-hunting institute, you are the final line between humanity and a deep-rooted terror that now emerges from the shadows. Unleash hell with your firearms, lightning-fueled gauntlet and gadgets. Kill bloodthirsty monstrosities in style as a lone hunter or in co-op with a friend. Explore and fight in a narrative-driven campaign while upgrading your weapons and hunting tools. Unlock new perks to evolve your monster-slaying mastery, crafting your own playstyle to defeat the supernatural hordes.
When the ancient Calamity re-awakens, who can save the world? Nobody! (That’s you, you’re Nobody.) Master the art of transformation to become a Slug, Ghost, Dragon, and more in this new take on action RPGs from the creators of Guacamelee. Complete quests to discover and swap between 15+ varied and distinct Forms, with each offering its own set of quests, which you can complete in creative ways. Mix and match abilities in unexpected ways to unlock and complete even MORE challenging quests. Explore a vast overworld – on your own or with a friend online – while clearing shape-shifting dungeons in an effort to stop The Calamity and save the world!
Warframe: Syrinx Collection – exclusive PlayStation Plus Pack
In addition to the Monthly Games lineup, January 2 will also see the release of the Warframe Syrinx Collection. This exclusive PlayStation Plus pack contains multiple weapons, armor and items for Digital Extremes’ F2P sci-fi multiplayer action title. Once downloaded, they’ll all be available in your in-game Warframe inventory immediately, regardless of whether you’re a new or returning player.
Wizordum is a throwback to times when Doom was all the rage, a new generation of first-person shooters taking the world by storm, bloody pixels rampant and speedy gameplay delighting players. Incidentally, publisher Apogee Entertainment has strong ties with this era and is responsible for classics such as Duke Nukem, under the guise of 3D Realms. Wizordum, currently in Early Access, opts for a fantasy theme with extremely colorful graphics and a noticeable RPG feel that blends past and present in a promising way.
Magical Doom
This retro FPS comes with fast action and bright colors, a step away from the mostly dull shades of Hexen and Heretic, for those who remember these staples of the genre. The start of this adventure is perchance the worst part, as melee combat doesn’t really feel adequate or exciting enough, collision detection revealing itself to be fairly inaccurate and inapt. You’ll end up learning about proper distances and the hit and run combat, but the enjoyment drastically improves as you start using ranged weapons.
Shooting fireballs from your hands while dancing between the enemies’ projectiles is a blast, pun intended. Their movement patterns are intentionally rudimentary as to mimic old-school FPS behavior, providing no real challenge unless you are surprised by someone spawning around the corner or behind you, simply requiring that you learn each one’s skillsets and keep on the move. Skilled players will lure goblins into shooting their fireballs right when melee enemies stand between you and them, a nice friendly fire touch that is occasionally forgotten amidst retro shooters.
Combat is fast, fun, with limited but always comfortable ammo counts to be found across the stages, one weapon being used when you are about to run out of ammo for the other. Switch to the staff and now you can freeze your opponents, a mace whack instantly turning them into ice cubes. The spellstriker is your medieval fantasy shotgun, quite effective in terms of damage but requiring a reload after every shot, not the best weapon for moments when you’re being swarmed by enemies. There are other weapons to discover, including an exploding orb – the medieval grenade – and it feels like you have enough firepower and diversity to tackle every foe, from pouncing rats to unspeakable green abominations.
Running in Pixelated Circles
Instead of a straight route for every area, Wizordum gates progression behind locked doors and barriers enforcing exploration, with various secrets and many treasures to be found. It’s mostly engaging as you often switch between outdoor environments and inner areas searching for levers and keys to unlock special doors. But in a sense it’s also simple and sticks to the old-school guns somewhat too strictly, without any jumping mechanics or a hint of verticality, apart from the concept of moving between zones via a quick transition.
Exploration can also be a bit confusing, with plenty of backtracking and occasional bouts of frustration as you fail to immediately grasp where you should go next. Sometimes you have a marker on your map, sometimes you don’t, so your only option in the latter case is to explore the same old areas until you see enemies spawning, an indication that this is likely to be the right path, or at least an unexplored section. The Murky Wastes stage is a good example of the occasionally confusing nature of this design, with more levers to find than you would wish for, making this journey through filthy waters overstay its welcome.
Wizordum knows what it is and what it’s trying to achieve, so don’t expect a groundbreaking shooter or the second coming of Hexen. It’s more of a fun, almost casual FPS experience with some basic mechanics and simple enemy AI that won’t pose much of a challenge, and the level editor could extend the enjoyment as you create your own stages. Dial down your expectations and this could be the game to give you a fast and enjoyable taste of the golden age of shooters, but we’ll have to wait for the full launch to see just how gripping and charming the remaining chapters are.
MP1st was given access to a preview build of Wizordum for our hands-on session. Wizordum is currently in Early Access and launches in 2024 on PC.
Cognosphere has released Honkai Star Rail update 1.6 (PS5 update version 1.600) during the game’s maintenance, and this brings the latest major title update to the game titled, “Crown of the Mundane and Divine.” Read on for what’s new in the Honkai Star Rail new update patch notes.
Honkai Star Rail Update 1.6 Patch Notes | Honkai Star Rail Update 1.600 Patch Notes:
Update: Patch notes are now live!
▌Update and Compensation Details
■ Update Time
Begins at 2023/12/27 06:00:00(UTC+8). The update will take approximately 5 hours.
■ Compensation Details
●Server Maintenance Compensation
Compensation: Stellar Jade ×300
Eligible Recipients: Trailblazers at Trailblaze Level ≥ 4 before 2023/12/27 06:00:00(UTC+8)
※ Please claim before the Version 2.0 server maintenance.
●Bug Compensation
Compensation: Stellar Jade ×300
Eligible Recipients: Trailblazers at Trailblaze Level ≥ 4 before 2023/12/27 06:00:00(UTC+8)
※ Please log in to claim the mail before 2024/01/26 23:59:00(UTC+8).
The Crew will issue the above compensation via in-game mail to Trailblazers within 5 hours after the update is complete. Be sure to claim it in time.
■ How to Update
PC: Exit the game, restart the launcher, then click “Update”
Android: Enter the game and follow the instructions in the in-game pop-up window to complete the update
iOS: Enter the App Store and tap “Update”
▌Version Update Details
1. New Area
■ Seclusion Zone
This was once a zone frequently crossed by shuttles during bustling periods but was sealed due to unknown anomalies, quietly becoming one of the few rare spots on the space station not open to the public.
2. New Characters
■ 5-Star character Ruan Mei (Harmony: Ice)
Ruan Mei is a support character capable of increasing allies’ Weakness Break Efficiency, SPD, and All-Type RES PEN. At the same time, Ruan Mei can also deal additional Break DMG whenever any allies Weakness Break an enemy, causing the Weakness Broken enemies’ actions to be further delayed.
■ 5-Star character Dr. Ratio (The Hunt: Imaginary)
Dr. Ratio is a DPS character that deals follow-up attacks after he or his allies attack. He gains bonuses to CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG depending on how many debuffs his enemies have.
■ 4-Star character Xueyi (Destruction: Quantum)
Xueyi is a DPS character that is strongly focused on depleting Toughness. Her Ultimate can deplete enemy Toughness while ignoring Weakness Type, and she Charges whenever an ally reduces an enemy’s Toughness. When her Charges are stacked to their maximum capacity, her follow-up attack can be triggered.
3. New Light Cones
■ 5-Star Past Self in Mirror (Harmony)
Obtainable through the Brilliant Fixation Light Cone Event Warp.
■ 5-Star Baptism of Pure Thought (The Hunt)
Obtainable through the Brilliant Fixation Light Cone Event Warp.
4. New Story
■ Trailblaze Continuance “The Blue — Crown of the Mundane and Divine”
The space station has been bustling with activity lately. With the latest update to the Simulated Universe and the gathering of prominent figures from the Genius Society, everyone seems to have their own agenda. You can’t help but feel that there might be some unexpected events on the horizon.
Availability: Permanently open after the Version 1.6 update
Unlock Conditions: Complete the Trailblaze Mission “Jarilo-VI — Silent Galaxy.”
5. New Events
■ Critter Pick
Delectable little critters zapping all over the space station? Is this a dream? These little cuties are happily bounding around all over the place and now the responsibility of looking after them has fallen on your shoulders.
Event Period: After the Version 1.6 update – 2024/02/05 03:59:00(server time)
Participation Requirements: Complete the Trailblaze Continuance “The Blue — When the Stars of Ingenuity Shine”
■ Virtual Scentventure
The Department of Ecology’s “Unknown Lifeform Smell-Induced Perceptions and Hallucinations” special test has begun. You have been specially invited as a qualified tester… Wait, what’s with these strange fragrances?
Participation Requirement: Complete the Trailblaze Mission “Jarilo-VI — Silent Galaxy.”
■ Proposal from Dr. Ratio
From when the Version 1.6 “Panta Rhei” Event Warp begins to when Version 2.1 ends, complete the Trailblaze Mission “The Blue” — “A Moment of Peace” and unlock the Mailbox function to claim Dr. Ratio (The Hunt: Imaginary) ×1 in the mail.
■ Gift of Odyssey
Log in every day during the event to obtain check-in rewards. Trailblazers can claim Star Rail Special Pass ×10 after checking in for 7 days!
※ Please refer to future announcements for information on other events.
Unlock Requirements: Complete the Trailblaze Continuance “The Blue — When the Stars of Ingenuity Shine”
Location: Herta Space Station — Seclusion Zone
Stage Description: Clear the stage to obtain the Advanced Trace level-up material “Past Evils of the Borehole Planet Disaster,” Lucent Afterglow, credits, and other rewards.
■ Gameplay
Simulated Universe: Gold and Gears
Herta and the others have added a new algorithmic branch to the Expansion Module. This time, they have simulated Nous and selected the time before the demise of #27, Emperor Rubert…
Availability: Permanently open after the Version 1.6 update
Unlock Conditions: Complete Simulated Universe: World 5
Pure Fiction
Mr. Xiyan suddenly contacted you and said that he got a miraculous new pet, and that “you will definitely like it!” Go to Spare Time Book Shop and have a look. Maybe that pet will bring you an unexpected surprise.
Availability: Permanently available after 2024/01/08 04:00:00(server time)
Complete the Trailblaze Mission “Xianzhou Luofu — Demise of Immortality, Finale of Calamity,” be at Equilibrium Level 3 or higher, and read specific Messages.
Clear Pure Fiction stage 2 during any phase to unlock the 4-star character “Lynx (Abundance: Quantum)”
Treasures Lightward
New Permanent Game Mode “Forgotten Hall: Memory of Chaos” and “Pure Fiction” will be alternatively refreshed. Please check out the following for details:
Memory of Chaos — Enigma in Deep Space
After the 1.6 Version update – 2024/02/05 04:00:00(server time)
After an ally Breaks enemies’ Weaknesses or attacks Weakness Broken enemies, add 1 Hit Per Action to Memory Turbulence, up to 10 hits. At the start of every Cycle, every hit will deal DMG based on the enemy target’s Max HP to a random enemy target once.
When allies use an Ultimate to attack target(s), inflicts Shatter to the target(s) for up to 6 stacks. At the start of the target’s turn or when target is eliminated, deals a set amount of DMG to the target and adjacent targets based on the number of Shatter stacks.
At the start of every wave or Cycle, randomly apply 10 debuffs selected from the following: -8% ATK, -8% DEF, -8% SPD, -8% Effect RES, or receive 20% additional DMG from follow-up attacks. Each debuff stacks up to 3 times and lasts for 3 turns. This effect also causes 1 ally following either the Path of The Hunt or Path of Destruction to immediately take action.
Increases DoT taken by enemy targets by 50%. Enemy targets that receive DoT have their DMG dealt greatly reduced by 35%. After they are attacked, their action is Advanced Forward by 35%.
■ Others
Adds some new sticker emotes to Messages.
Adds new photos to the photo wall in March 7th’s room. Trailblazers can check it out after completing the corresponding Trailblaze Continuance.
Added character messages, avatars, messages, chat boxes, readables, Achievements, and loading screen introductory texts.
▌Adjustments and Optimizations
■ Characters and Enemies
Adjusts the text tags from “Impair” to “Single Target ATK/AoE ATK” for certain abilities. This adjustment does not affect the actual effects of the abilities.
Adjusts the logic behind how Argenti (Erudition: Physical)’s Ultimate “Merit Bestowed in ‘My’ Garden” selects enemy targets when dealing damage, resolving the issue where this ability deals abnormal damage against random single enemies. The corresponding visual indications have also been adjusted.
Adjusts some colors shown on the character Argenti and enemy Argenti models when in shadow.
Optimizes the logic of using abilities when auto-battle is on for Pela (Nihility: Ice).
Optimizes certain ability and Eidolon icon display effects in some interfaces for Argenti (Erudition: Physical)
Optimizes the Enemy Info displayed outside of battle, allowing better viewing of enemy details, abilities, and more.
Optimizes the content in the prompts shown when failing to pass stages such as Calyx (Crimson), Stagnant Shadow, and others.
Optimizes the cooldown for Numby to attract Trotters again when Topaz & Numby (The Hunt: Fire) uses their Technique while Numby is in the process of attracting Trotters.
■ Missions
Adjusts the required levels of some Trailblaze Missions and Adventure Missions, as well as the difficulty of some missions and stages.
■ Gameplay
Tales of the Fantastic
Availability: The former Limited-Time Event will be moved to Conventional Memoir permanently after the Version 1.6 update.
Prerequisite: Complete the Trailblaze Mission “Xianzhou Luofu — Obsequies Performed, A Long Road Ahead.”
After “Tales of the Fantastic” becomes a permanent game mode, the previous event challenge progress, points, and reward claim status will be retained. Trailblazers who haven’t completed all the event content or missions can continue to challenge them. Trailblazers who have fully participated in the event and claimed all rewards cannot replay the challenges to receive additional rewards.
The name of the random Occurrence will now be displayed in the Simulated Universe’s open world.
After the update, Simulated Universe Points will be calculated and points rewards granted when you complete Simulated Universe Expansion modes such as Simulated Universe: Gold and Gears and Simulated Universe: Swarm Disaster.
■ System
Temporary Early Access of Calyxes (Crimson) and Stagnant Shadows is now supported. During the Event Warp and until one week after the end of the Event Warp, the stages required for the Ascension or Trace materials used by the limited 5-star character, Light Cone, and any 4-star characters added to the Warp for the first time will become temporarily accessible. Trailblazers who have not unlocked the corresponding stages can enter them through the Interastral Peace Guide during the event.
Some stages such as “Warring Expedition” and “Exploratory Excursion” now support the usage of the Navigation system. Trailblazers can open Navigation during the exploration of instances to view their current location and objectives.
Adjusts Nameless Honor and removed Today’s Missions. This Week’s Missions will get the new “Consume Trailblaze Power” missions. Trailblazers can earn up to 4,900 Nameless EXP through these missions every week. Additionally, This Period’s Missions will have “Pure Fiction” related missions added, and these can be cleared for 1,400 Nameless EXP. Finally, the Nameless EXP for “Forgotten Hall” related missions in This Period’s Missions will now net up to 1,400.
Increases the limit for the number of saved teams in the Team Setup screen, supporting up to 9 teams.
Optimizes the smoothness of the transition frames out of the Real-Time Combat View.
Optimizes the special effects for characters’ standby modes and abilities when characters are riding lifts in the open world.
Adjusts the style of the icon in the upper left corner of the interface in the Forgotten Hall: Memory of Chaos page.
Optimizes how the UI interface is deployed during Ultimate animations. You can call up the UI interface during the Ultimate animation when using buttons aside from ASCII now.
The number of active missions in Interastral Peace Guide — Daily Training will be increased to 8, and its refreshment logic will be optimized.
■ Audio
Optimizes voice quality on PC.
Adds new corresponding sound effects when a character or enemy becomes stunned.
Optimizes English voiceover for Hanya (Harmony: Physical)’s character voice line “First Meeting.”
Optimizes certain English dialogue voice lines when interacting with objects in the “Herta’s Office” map.
Optimizes certain Japanese dialogue voice lines for Huohuo (Abundance: Wind)’s character voice line “Added to Team With Hanya.”
Optimizes certain Japanese dialogue voice lines for NPC Huohuo when she is visiting the Express.
Optimizes certain Japanese dialogue voice lines for the Female Trailblazer during the Trailblaze Continuance “Xianzhou Luofu — A Foxian Tale of the Haunted.”
Optimizes certain Japanese dialogue voice lines for NPCs March 7th and Velite in the Companion Mission “Night of Universal Hallucinations.”
Optimizes certain Korean dialogue voice lines for the NPC Seele in the Trailblaze Mission “Jarilo-VI — Ones Fallen Into the Abyss.”
Optimizes certain Korean dialogue voice lines for NPCs Pela and Serval in the Companion Mission “Farther Than The Snow Plains.”
Optimizes certain Korean dialogue voice lines for NPCs Yanqing and March 7th in the Companion Mission “Frosty Blade’s Trial.”
Optimizes certain Korean dialogue voice lines for the NPCs March 7th, Serval, and Wilder during the Aetherium Wars gameplay.
▌Bug Fixes
■ Characters and Enemies
Fixes the issue where, after Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae (Destruction: Imaginary) uses his Technique or after Hook (Destruction: Fire) uses her Basic ATK or Technique, they are unable to enter battle.
Fixes the issue where, after Seele (The Hunt: Quantum) uses her Ultimate, the enemy’s Quantum Entanglement visual effect has a chance to abnormally not display.
Fixes the issue where, after Welt (Nihility: Imaginary) repeatedly uses his Ultimate, the sound effect will abnormally disappear.
Fixes the issue where, after Fu Xuan (Preservation: Quantum) uses her Skill, some items in the combat scene will display abnormally.
Fixes the issue where Silver Wolf (Nihility: Quantum)’s Ultimate visual effect has a chance to display slight abnormalities.
Fixes the issue where some of Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae (Destruction: Imaginary)’s visual effects will abnormally clip through items in the open world.
Fixes the issue where the visual effect for Sushang (The Hunt: Physical)’s shadow during her Ultimate displays abnormally.
Fixes an issue where buff hints displayed for Seele (The Hunt: Quantum) are abnormal in certain circumstances. This fix will not affect the functionality of the actual ability.
Fixes an issue where Hanya (Harmony: Physical)’s model jitters abnormally when performing idle movements.
Fixes an issue where when Dan Heng (The Hunt: Wind) is the ally adjacent to Huohuo (Abundance: Wind)’s Skill target, his personal Talent will not be triggered.
Fixes an issue where Herta (Erudition: Ice) has a chance of triggering an abnormal follow-up attack in certain circumstances. This fix will not affect the functionality of the actual ability.
Fixes an issue where certain Technique effects do not trigger as per normal when you enter battle using Clara (Destruction: Physical), Hook (Destruction, Fire), or Natasha (Abundance: Physical)’s Technique while no target is selected.
Fixes an issue where Numby’s treasure-seeking hint will abnormally appear when using Topaz & Numby (The Hunt: Fire) to experience certain missions.
Fixes the issue where some characters’ visuals appear abnormally on the Character Details page.
Fixes the issue where, if enemy Cloud Knight Lieutenant: Yanqing is Frozen, his Flying Swords will not display the Frozen special effect.
Fixes the issue where using Huohuo (Abundance: Wind)’s Technique will result in the enemy attacking an abnormal direction in certain circumstances.
■ Combat
Fixes an issue where after Blade (Destruction: Wind) is affected by a Crowd Control debuff, has already stacked his Talent to full stacks, and returns to battle after receiving a killing blow, he would not immediately use his Talent to launch a follow-up attack.
Fixes the issue where the DoT applied by Guinaifen (Nihility: Fire) to enemies cannot obtain the bonus from her Trace “Walking on Knives.”
Fixes the issue where after Argenti (Erudition: Physical) enters the preparation stage to launch his Ultimate, the Ultimate button still visually appears as not having been activated.
Fixes the issue where, in the ability effect description for the Light Cone “In the Name of the World,” the numerical values for Effect Hit Rate boost and ATK boost did not match the actual values boosted. The actual values and the description will match after the fix.
Fixes the issue where, if enemy Warp Trotters and Sequence Trotters are Crowd Controlled by some characters’ Techniques right before they escape, they will not continue to escape after the Crowd Control effects are removed.
Fixes the issue where, if the enemy enters their next phase (or, in the case of enemy Mara-Struck Soldiers, when they restore their HP) while they are Weakness Broken, they will no longer take reduced DMG while their Toughness has not been depleted.
Fixes the issue where using Topaz & Numby (The Hunt: Fire) in the Trotter Catch challenge in the Simulated Universe: Swarm Disaster will result in Trotters not actively approaching Numby and will not escape after they have been attacked.
Fixes the issue where using Argenti (Erudition: Physical)’s Technique in the Trotter Catch challenge in the Simulated Universe: Swarm Disaster to Crowd Control a Trotter then attack it will result in the animation of the Trotter disappearing not to be displayed.
Fixes the issue where, after dealing Weakness Break for the first time in a battle, DMG number pop-ups will abnormally appear at the bottom of the screen.
Fixes the issue where, after characters have seized Performance Points from IPC Employees, the Performance Point effect does not apply to the characters.
Fixes an issue where some model visual effects are displayed abnormally when Huohuo (Abundance: Wind) is Frozen.
Fixes an issue where enemies and Numby will act in an abnormal order when Numby and the enemy target’s action values are both displayed as 0 in the Action Order under certain circumstances
Fixes an issue where, when the enemies “Entranced Ingenium: Illumination Dragonfish,” “Swarm: True Sting,” “Juvenile Sting,” and “Lesser Sting” trigger their Talents, damage dealt to enemy targets will not be able to dispel their Barriers or trigger specific effects.
■ System
Fixes the issue where the stage’s Team Setup interface will not display trial characters in certain circumstances.
Fixes the issue where the Achievement “Heh, Cosmic Big Lotto?” can be obtained when Fu Xuan (Preservation: Quantum) has not triggered her Talent’s HP Restore effect 4 times.
Fixes the issue where selecting the Space Anchor teleport tutorial hint interface will cause abnormal errors in the game process in certain circumstances.
Fixes an issue where music for the “Interastral Peace Broadcast” will be played when entering the primary “Forgotten Hall” menu under certain circumstances.
■ Missions
Fixes the issue where the Adventure Mission “Echo of War” cannot be completed by defeating “Echo of War: Divine Seed.”
Fixes the issue where certain missions in the game modes “A Foxian Tale of the Haunted” and “Aurum Alley’s Hustle and Bustle” cannot be completed in certain circumstances.
■ Gameplay
Fixes the issue where the description for the Curio Vile Mechanical Satellite #900 is inaccurate. This fix only affects the text and not the Curio’s actual effects.
Fixes the issue where using specific exorcismics in “A Foxian Tale of the Haunted” will abnormally change the enemy locked on by a character.
Fixes the issue where Fiendfire has a chance to appear at abnormal locations on the Action Order in “A Foxian Tale of the Haunted” when some characters use their Ultimates.
Fixes the issue where some dialogue trigger conditions do not function as expected in “A Foxian Tale of the Haunted” in certain circumstances.
Fixes the issue where entering battle using Kafka (Nihility: Lightning)’s Technique in specific “A Foxian Tale of the Haunted” stages will cause some of the Technique’s effects to not be applied.
■ Environment Visuals
Fixes the issue where the shadows for NPCs in the Aurum Alley map are displayed abnormally in certain circumstances.
Fixes the issue where NPC models abnormally display black patches in certain circumstances.
Fixes the issue where Trailblazers have a chance of being unable to claim the rewards after defeating enemy Warp Trotters following the V1.5 update, as well as seeing “Warp Trotter 0/1” in the Navigation page. If you have already encountered this issue, please defeat the enemy Warp Trotter again following the V1.6 update to claim the rewards as normal.
Fixes an issue where character models are displayed abnormally for certain characters when they enter the “Roots of the Arbor” map on PC.
■ Audio
Fixes the issue where the sound effect is missing for Huohuo (Abundance: Wind)’s restoration effect when being activated on herself.
Fixes the issue where some idle sound effects for Argenti (Erudition: Physical) and Huohuo (Abundance: Wind) are played abnormally.
Fixes the issue where the sound quality is suboptimal for some of Guinaifen (Nihility: Fire) and Pela (Nihility: Ice)’s combat voice lines in the Character Details page when the chosen voice language is in English.
Fixes the issue where some voice lines are played incorrectly in “A Foxian Tale of the Haunted.”
Fixes the issue where the record Crises cannot be played normally in the Phonograph.
Fixes the issue where some overworld environmental sound effects are missing in the Simulated Universe.
Fixes the issue where the sound effects of entering battle via attacking Physical, Quantum, or Imaginary Weaknesses are missing.
Fixes the issue where some sound effects of entering battle do not disappear as expected in certain circumstances.
Fixes the issue where the voice line for when characters discover enemy targets in the open world will abnormally play when entering battle.
Fixes the issue where some of NPC Giovanni’s voice lines in the Adventure Mission “Aetherium Wars” are incorrect when the Chinese voice is selected.
Fixes the issue where some of NPC Tail’s voice lines in the Trailblaze Continuance “A Foxian Tale of the Haunted” are incorrect when the Chinese voice is selected.
Fixes certain incorrect English dialogue voice lines for the NPC Lynx in the Companion Mission “Farther Than The Snow Plains.”
Fixes certain incorrect English dialogue voice lines for the NPC Hanya during the Trailblaze Continuance “Xianzhou Luofu — A Foxian Tale of the Haunted.”
Fixes certain incorrect Japanese dialogue voice lines for the NPC Antonia in the Trailblaze Mission “Jarilo-VI — Ones Fallen Into the Abyss.”
Fixes certain incorrect Japanese dialogue voice lines for the NPCs Huohuo and Cirrus during the A Foxian Tale of the Haunted gameplay.
Fixes certain incorrect Japanese dialogue voice lines for the NPC March 7th during the Aetherium Wars gameplay.
Fixes certain incorrect Korean dialogue voice lines for the NPC Memory-Arlan in the Companion Mission “Total Recall.”
Optimized the audio effects of some audio files.
■ Others
Fixes the issue where the game may progress abnormally when selecting Notice or viewing details in the Warp page on the PC.
Fixes the issue where, when some Android devices have Compatibility Mode turned on, abnormal colors are displayed during some character’s ability visual effects, some Path Resonance’s visual effects in the Simulated Universe, and some visuals when exploring the open world.
Adjustments, optimizations, and fixes for the in-game text in 13 languages. These changes will not affect the actual in-game effects. Trailblazers can switch language at Phone Screen – Settings – Language Settings, then view corresponding Notices for the details of changes.
Fixes and optimizations in English include the following (they have no impact on the actual in-game effects):
Optimizes the Skill description for Hanya (Harmony: Physical)’s Skill “Samsara, Locked.”
Optimizes certain character stories for the characters Huohuo (Abundance: Wind), Luka (Nihility: Physical), Topaz & Numby (The Hunt: Fire), Guinaifen (Nihility: Fire), Bailu (Abundance: Lightning), Jingliu (Destruction: Ice), and Hanya (Harmony: Physical).
Optimizes certain character voice overs for the characters Luocha (Abundance: Imaginary), Fu Xuan (Preservation: Quantum), Hanya (Harmony: Physical), and Huohuo (Abundance: Wind), and certain combat voice line titles for Kafka (Nihility: Lightning), Luka (Nihility: Physical), Blade (Destruction: Wind), and Huohuo (Abundance: Wind).
Optimizes the hints that appear when the character “Trailblazer” embarks on a new Path.
Optimizes the ability descriptions of the Light Cones “Worrisome, Blissful (The Hunt),” “On the Fall of an Aeon (Destruction),” and “Hey, Over Here (Abundance).”
Optimizes the descriptions related to “Featured character/Featured Light Cones receive a drop-rate boost” in Warp Details.
Optimizes the 4-piece set effect descriptions for Cavern Relic “Thief of Shooting Meteor” and “The Ashblazing Grand Duke.”
Optimizes certain messages and posts in the “A Foxian Tale of the Haunted” and “Ghostly Grove” gameplay modes.
Optimizes enemy ability titles and descriptions for “Maddened,” “Piety,” and “Spear & Shield.”
Optimizes the text for instructions of certain events and game modes, readables, Simulated Universe Blessings and Occurrences and options, names and descriptions of items, cutscene dialogue, messages, stage descriptions, Adventure Mission guides, Guest Book details, and certain descriptions in tutorials.
While miHoYo has yet to reveal the complete patch notes, here are some of the stuff players can expect form this update:
▌Light Cone Event Warp: Brilliant Fixation
●During the event, the drop rates of the limited 5-star Light Cone “Past Self in Mirror (Harmony),” the 4-star Light Cones “Planetary Rendezvous (Harmony),” “Day One of My New Life (Preservation),” and “A Secret Vow (Destruction)” will be boosted for a limited time.
■Event Period
After the Version 1.6 update – 2024/01/17 11:59:00(server time)
■Drop Rate Boost: 5-Star Light Cone
Past Self in Mirror (Harmony)
■Drop Rate Boost: 4-Star Light Cones
Planetary Rendezvous (Harmony)
Day One of My New Life (Preservation)
A Secret Vow (Destruction)
▌Light Cone Event Warp: Bygone Reminiscence
●During the event, the drop rates of the limited 5-star Light Cone The Unreachable Side (Destruction), the 4-star Light Cones Planetary Rendezvous (Harmony), Day One of My New Life (Preservation), and A Secret Vow (Destruction) will be boosted for a limited time.
■Event Period
After the Version 1.6 update – 2024/01/17 11:59:00(server time)
■Drop Rate Boost: 5-Star Light Cone
The Unreachable Side (Destruction)
■Drop Rate Boost: 4-Star Light Cones
Planetary Rendezvous (Harmony)
Day One of My New Life (Preservation)
A Secret Vow (Destruction)
※ Among the above Light Cones, the limited Light Cone will not become available in the Stellar Warp event.
※ During the event, the limited 5-star Light Cone “Past Self in Mirror (Harmony)” can only be obtained from Light Cone Event Warp: Brilliant Fixation while the limited 5-star Light Cone “The Unreachable Side (Destruction)” can only be obtained from Light Cone Event Warp: Bygone Reminiscence.
※ This event is considered a Light Cone Event Warp. The cumulative Warp count for a guaranteed 5-star Light Cone in any Light Cone Event Warp will always be carried over to other Light Cone Event Warps, but is independent of and unaffected by other types of Warps.
※ For more details, please head to the Warp screen.
Simulated Universe: Gold and Gears — Experience new Simulated Universe gameplay
Herta, Ruan Mei, Screwllum, and Stephen have joined forces to bring about the Simulated Universe’s second major update! They’re not only bringing in brand-new Blessings, Curios, and Random Occurrences, but also have all-new Adventure Occurrences.
Simulated Universe: Gold and Gears is about to become available for testing!
▌Availability
Permanently available after Version 1.6 update
▌How to Join
Clear Simulated Universe: World 5
▌First-Time Clearance Reward
▌”Test” and “Conundrum” Rewards
▌Unlock rewards through “Secrets”
▌How to Play
●Simulated Universe: Gold and Gears has updated Blessings, Curios, random Occurrences, and brand-new Path Resonances.
●Custom Dice: The updated version now allows for free assembly and customization of its dice faces. Collect dice faces with various abilities and strategically combine these varied Custom Dice to get more Blessings and Curios.
●Resonance Extrapolation: In the boss fight in the deepest level of the Third Plane, the overflowing Path energy from Erudition will interfere with the Simulated Universe system and extrapolate Path Resonances for different Paths, thereby presenting new challenges for the team.
● Collect “Simulated Universe: Gold and Gears” Secrets to earn collection rewards. Complete “Tests” and “Conundrums” to earn challenge rewards. Clear each difficulty for the first time to earn the first-time clearance rewards.
▌Things to Note
●Simulated Universe: Gold and Gears has 5 difficulties in total, and you can select the difficulty for more advanced challenges after clearing the fifth difficulty. Trailblazers can challenge these stages based on their preferences for difficulty and challenge.
●When challenging Difficulty II or above for Simulated Universe: Gold and Gears, if you haven’t obtained initial clearance rewards from difficulties lower than the current selection, they will be instantly granted at once upon clearing the current difficulty.
●Collect all the Secrets in Gold and Gears and complete the Adventure Mission “Gold and Gears: Finale” to unlock the brand-new Path of Erudition inside the Simulated Universe.
Delectable little critters zapping all over the space station? Is this a dream? These little cuties are happily bounding around all over the place and now the responsibility of looking after them has fallen on your shoulders.
▌Limited-Time Event Period
After the Version 1.6 update —2024/02/05 03:59:00(server time)
※ After the limited-time event concludes, Critter Pick will be moved to Conventional Memoir, where Trailblazers can continue to experience its gameplay.
▌Participation Requirement
Complete the Trailblaze Continuance “The Blue — When the Stars of Ingenuity Shine”
▌Event Rewards
■ Limited-Time Rewards
■ Regular Rewards
▌Event Details
●During the Critter Pick event, Trailblazers can customize and cultivate their own creations.
●Genetic mutations may occur during the nurturing, resulting in new creation traits or rare creations.
●Complete Adventure Mission “Critter Pick” and explore the “Seclusion Zone” for a chance to obtain Base Traits for creations.
■ Regular Rewards
●You can raise your Research Level by obtaining new creation traits and cultivating rare creations.
●You can raise your Research Level to earn corresponding rewards.
■ Limited-Time Rewards
●During the event period, hit designated nurture targets to earn corresponding rewards.
▌Event Notice
●After the Critter Pick Limited-Time Event has concluded, Trailblazers will no longer be able to obtain the limited-time event rewards. However, the “Lifeform Oven” in the Seclusion Zone map will still be available and offer its regular rewards.
