Battlefield 2042 players will have a lot of new weapons to try out once Season 4 kicks off, though we don’t know exactly when that will be.
In DICE’s latest “Inside Battlefield” podcast, the studio confirmed that there will be four new weapons and two new Vault Weapons set to become available once Season 4 launches. So far, from the datamined info that has surfaced, it mentions that there’s an assault rifle, a submachine gun (SMG), and an LMG (light machine gun) incoming along with a new specialist in Camila Blasco. This leaves one other new weapon that we don’t know about. As for the new Vault Weapons, it’s reported that these will be the SVD marksman rifle. and Type-88 LMG. For those not familiar with Vault Weapons, these are weapons from past Battlefield games that are being brought over to BF2042’s All-Out Warfare with some minor changes to make sure they don’t break the weapon balance.
While we’re already looking ahead to Season 4, Battlefield 2042 will be getting a new patch in update 3.2.1 tomorrow. You can read the patch notes for the gameplay changes (it won’t include new content) right here.
Once we know more about Season 4, we’ll be sure to let our readers know.
Nearly 3 years after the COVID-era player count spike, the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) concurrent player count record has been broken again with a staggering 1.32 million players online on last Saturday. The record beats the previous April 2020 1.30M player count peak by over 11,000 players.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, gamers returned in droves to fan-favorite FPS games as a way to pass time with friends during quarantine periods. Valve’s legendary CS:GO title was the highlight of this mass influx, achieving an unprecedented concurrent player count peak of 1,308,963 players on April 16, 2020.
The game has apparently maintained that resurgent popularity in the time since, with its concurrent player count routinely surpassing one million players during and after the pandemic. The previous record was finally broken at roughly 8am ET on February 11, when CS:GO’s concurrent player count reached 1,320,219 players. This new peak beats the April 2020 one by over 11,000 players, and serves as testament to the timelessness and longevity of CS:GO.
Were you also one of those gamers playing CS:GO during that historic moment on Saturday morning? Do you feel Valve should continue investing into the Counter-Strike franchise? Let us know in the comments below.
With the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 Season 2 content set to drop this week, Activision has brough out the launch trailer to help remind players what’s in store for players. Not only that, but we also get a blowout on Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play details.
Before diving into the Ranked Play details, check out the launch trailer first:
Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play:
Ranked Play is the official competitive 4v4 Multiplayer experience for Modern Warfare® II, using the official rules, restrictions, maps, and modes from the Call of Duty League, which can be read here. Whenever the Call of Duty League rules are updated, expect changes to the Ranked Play rules to follow suit.
Players must be at least Level 16 to access Ranked Play but will have all unrestricted items – including weapons and attachments – automatically unlocked within this mode to ensure that all players are on the same competitive footing.
Just like in the Call of Duty League, each Ranked Play match will take place on a map and mode from the following list:
Hardpoint
Al Bagra Fortress
Breenbergh Hotel
Embassy
Mercado Las Almas
Zarqwa Hydroelectric
Search & Destroy
Al Bagra Fortress
Breenbergh Hotel
El Asilo
Embassy
Mercado Las Almas
Control
Al Bagra Fortress
Breenbergh Hotel
El Asilo
Playing matches grants Skill Rating (SR), which determines what Skill Division out of the eight you belong to:
Bronze – 0-899 SR
Silver – 900-2,099 SR
Gold – 2,100-3,599 SR
Platinum – 3,600-5,399 SR
Diamond – 5,400-7,499 SR
Crimson – 7,500-9,999 SR
Iridescent – 10,000 SR minimum
Top 250 – 10,000+ SR (see below)
Your Skill Rating is based mainly on the result of every match you play – simply put, win the match to gain SR, lose the match and lose SR. Individual performance and your team’s overall performance will impact the amount of SR you gain or lose each match. In higher Skill Divisions, more emphasis will be put on team performance to ensure all winning playstyles are appropriately rewarded.
Every Skill Division below Iridescent has three Tiers to progress through. These Tiers provide additional granularity to each Division and help players feel a sense of progression as they climb. Think of these as additional SR subcategories within each Skill Division, separating the range of SR in each Division into thirds.
In Modern Warfare II Ranked Play everyone will start out as a Bronze Ranked player. That means you will get to play at any time you want with no placement matches, allowing you to compete with everyone else across Ranked Play the second it goes live. Yes, even kings and tiny terrors had to start somewhere — play well enough, and you will move up through the available Skill Divisions in only a few matches. This nets out to a simpler overall experience with the removal of Ladders and Ladder Points, allowing you to just focus on winning and getting that SR up.
As for squadding up, you are allowed to bring up to three squadmates into matches if they fall within a certain Skill Division threshold, with the highest Skill Division in the party determining the restriction rules:
Bronze through Platinum players can party up with no restrictions.
Diamond and Crimson players can only form parties with and play against other players within two Skill Divisions.
Iridescent and Top 250 Players can only form parties with and play against other players within one Skill Division.
At the end of each Ranked Play Season, your highest Skill Division placement for the Season determines what rewards you earn, as well as where you start for the next Season:
Bronze through Crimson players will start one Skill Division back (save for Bronze, which will begin with Bronze Tier I) with Demotion Protection enabled for your first 3 matches (see Additional New Features).
Iridescent and Top 250 will start at the Diamond Tier I Skill Division with Demotion Protection enabled for several matches.
Rank, Seasonal Win Challenges
Winning a Ranked Play match also counts toward two additional systems: your Rank and Seasonal Win Rewards.
The Rank represents your cumulative progress in Ranked Play, starting at Rank 1 and going through Rank 50. Advancing through Ranks is as simple as winning matches – every Ranked Play win awards a Star. Earn enough Stars and you’ll progress to the next Rank in your journey to Rank 50. Every five Ranks awards a new symbol that appears in the color of your Skill Division, such as a Wolf for Ranks 11–15 or the mighty Silverback Gorilla for Ranks 31–35. Unlike Skill Divisions, Ranks do not reset between Ranked Seasons.
Each win also counts toward a Seasonal Win Challenge, which will offer new rewards each Ranked Season.
In other words, no matter your Skill Division, you still get rewarded and the next Rank up is only a few wins away.
Additional New Features
Ranked Play competitors know some of the most frustrating times are when a random teammate decides to quit at the beginning of a match or right in the middle of the action. While it is impossible to prevent players from disconnecting, there are a few new features being introduced with this version of Ranked Play to make those moments more manageable:
First, Ranked Play matches will not start if teams are uneven. If a player disconnects or quits before a match begins, all remaining players will return to the lobby and the match will not count.
Then there is SR Forgiveness: if a player disconnects or quits in the middle of the match, all team membersoutside of that player’s party will not lose ANY SR. Basically, if that 4v4 becomes a 3v4 due to a teammate quitting, SR can still be earned if you manage to overcome the disadvantage and win the match, but losing while shorthanded won’t deduct any SR.
Like previous Ranked Play iterations, penalties and suspensions can be given to those who quit, disconnect, sit idle, or commit friendly fire too often. Players who show repeated bad behavior will be handed more severe punishments. The system used to evaluate repeated bad behavior has been overhauled in Modern Warfare II to punish bad actors and avoid harsh punishments for players who consistently play the game the right way, or who change their ways after being penalized or suspended more consistently.
Another new feature is Demotion Protection, which will help all players avoid immediate relegation after advancing to a new Skill Division. After advancing to a higher Skill Division, players will not lose any SR within the first three games in the new Division. Following that initial protection, if players do lose enough SR to risk relegation, players must lose two consecutive matches to be demoted out of their Skill Division. Demotion Protection also applies to the first three matches of every Season.
Two additional features of note are Hot Streak Flames, which rewards players who can rack up 3+ game win streaks over a 72-hour period, and the addition of Ranked Play Icons in Social Profiles, allowing you to show off that Skill Division and Rank across Modern Warfare II and Call of Duty®:Warzone™ 2.0, no matter what mode you play.
Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play Rewards:
Whether you’re in the Top 250 or have only ranked up a times, there is plenty that comes with winning Ranked Play games. And all of them can be shown off within Ranked Play, in Modern Warfare II Multiplayer, or even in Warzone 2.0.
First, there are several Seasonal Win Rewards for this first Ranked Season, starting with a Sticker at 5 wins and a Pro Issue SMG Blueprint, which includes attachments that are fit for competitive play, that is awarded at 10 wins. Additional rewards up this progression path include a Charm, Decal, and Loading screen all the way up to a Weapon Camo, which can be used on any weapon and is awarded after winning 100 matches.
In terms of Rank Rewards, there are a few key items outside of a new Calling Card every five ranks and some additional, competitive-focused cosmetics:
Rank 5: “Ranked Competitor” Operator Skin Pack, one “Home” version and one “Away” version awarded for both the Male and Female CDL Operators
Rank 15: Pro Issue Sidearm Blueprint, which has similar attachments to what is used at the highest level of competitive play.
Rank 30: New Gun Screen that tracks Ranked Play wins.
Rank 40: Pro Issue Combat Knife Blueprint, which is another popular competitive Secondary weapon.
Rank 50: “Ranked Veteran” Operator Skins (Home and Away) awarded to Male and Female CDL Operators, proof of your commitment to Ranked Play no matter your Skill Division
As for Skill Division Rewards, it’s not about where you finish the season, but rather the highest Skill Division reached during it.
Reaching Bronze and Silver Ranks awards a new Emblem, while reaching any other Skill Division — including the Top 250— grants two new special Operator Skins, an Animated Emblem, and a Weapon Charm. You can earn the other Skill Division rewards by finishing at a higher (or lower) Division in the following seasons.
Iridescent and Top 250 members also get an Animated Calling Card, while the #1 Ranked Play player will receive a special, one-of-a-kind exclusive Animated Calling Card and Emblem, which can be considered the ultimate bragging rights from Ranked Play.
With all these rewards on offer starting in Season 02, you better start up a few new voice channels and start scrimming for Ranked Play — it’s your year, after all.
Once the preload and data download is live, we’ll be sure to let our readers know. Go check out some of the confirmed changes incoming right here. Activision also gave a list of the new content set to be released in Season 2 in the roadmap.
The katana is the first weapon you get to wield in Wild Hearts, and under its simple moveset lies room for skill expression. Though you won’t have trouble getting the hang of its combos at first, you’ll find that it rewards proper use of the right attacks to fully make use of this versatile and stylish weapon. This Wild Hearts katana weapon guide will go over all of its basic moves as well as some combos you may want to try out.
Do note that as with every weapon, you unlock more moves as you progress through the story. As this can be a bit of a spoiler to some, we’ll only cover the karakuri moves that you can pull off via the crate and the spring, which you gain access to fairly early on in the game.
Wild Hearts Katana Weapon Guide
Overview
The katana is a mid-range melee weapon that offers a little bit of everything. You have decent mobility with both quick attacks and movement-heavy attacks that let you reposition mid-fight. Your playstyle with the katana revolves around landing attacks to slowly increase your weapon gauge. Upon fully filling this gauge completely, you can release your katana into its Unbound state, causing it to deal significantly more damage with increased range.
Square Attacks – Regular Slashes
Pressing the Square button will unleash a regular slash. You can chain up to five of these slashes at a time, with the fifth and final slash dealing the most damage. The animation for these slashes is pretty quick, and you can roll out of the streak after a slash when you need to dodge a kemono attack. Do note that this resets the combo, however.
Triangle Button – Iai Slashes
Pressing the Triangle button will unleash an iai slash combo, which can be pressed up to three or more times. Pressing Triangle once will cause your character to sheathe the weapon, then slash. A second press will lead into a vertical slash, and a third will sheathe your katana once again before slashing twice. The last two slashes deal considerable damage. It’s worth noting that the Triangle combo does more damage than the Square combo, but you will be animation locked for a longer duration due to your sheathing/drawing.
It is also possible to extend the iai combo even further. After pressing Triangle for a third time and sheathing your katana, you can repeatedly mash Triangle to unleash a flurry of quick strikes. You can extend this chain of slashes for a few seconds before finishing the combo with a single, heavy-hitting horizontal slash. During this combo, your character will remain stationary. The range of this flurry is fairly short, so be sure you’re right on top of the kemono if you want the slashes to land.
Because the Iai combo starts after sheathing your weapon, you can lead into the first slash much quicker if your katana is sheathed when you press Triangle. As such, make it a habit of sheathing your katana when you’re moving around and not hitting the kemono.
R2 – Special Attacks
The katana also has a few special attacks that you can execute using R2. R2 attacks use up stamina, so while they offer the most damage out of all three attack buttons, you can’t spam them indefinitely. Pressing R2 will cause your character to wind up momentarily before executing a single-handed lunge. The second R2 attack executes “Twin Blade Slash Storm,” a quick flurry of attacks that use both your katana and scabbard. The third and final R2 attack, called “Iai Sunder Slash,” makes your character slash twice in a wide arc while dashing forward.
All three special attacks have their own uses. The lunge from the first R2 attack covers a bit of distance, so you can use it to get close to the kemono while dealing damage. The second R2 attack deals great damage, and the third one is great for repositioning during a fight while dealing damage. The wide slashes from your third R2 attack are especially helpful when dealing with larger kemono, as you’re more likely to land the attacks.
Finally, you can use R2 during your Triangle or Square combos at any point to execute a particular special attack. Using R2 during your Square combo executes Twin Slash Blade Storm:
Whereas R2 during your Triangle combo executes Iai Sunder Slash:
It’s always good to remember when to use the R2 moves mid-combo. If you’re chipping the kemono with Square attacks and it goes prone or you notice that it’s still recovering, pressing R2 will give you more damage output right away. When you’re doing your iai combo and the kemono gets up earlier than expected, you can end it with an R2 to reposition away.
Karakuri Moves
There are a few extra moves that you can pull off with the karakuri, but we’ll just go over the two that you unlock at the beginning of the game. You have the crate-based attack when jumping off crates and the spring-based attack when leaping from a spring.
The crate-based attack causes your character to jump high and slam the katana down, causing a minor shockwave upon impact. This does a lot of damage, so it’s a great way to engage on a kemono from above.
The spring-based attack is more of a lunge and causes you to land two quick slashes after traveling a certain distance. This does decent damage and is great for leaping back into a fight right after disengaging from the kemono.
While you won’t be using karakuri moves all the time, the spring and crate attacks are great for closing the gap between you and the kemono should the opportunity present itself.
Unbound Form
Landing katana attacks slowly fills up your weapon gauge. When this gauge fills up completely, you gain access to the weapon’s Unbound form, which causes the weapon to gain range and damage. While in Unbound form, the gauge will slowly deplete until it’s empty or you exit the Unbound state manually, which then stops the gauge from depleting and returns your katana to its normal state.
To enter the katana’s Unbound form, you must unleash it with R2 + Square or R2 + Triangle. Pressing R2 + Circle cancels this state early, which is useful if you don’t want to waste the gauge after the kemono leaves the area or is out of range. For the most part, your attacks don’t change while in Unbound form, other than the fact that you do more damage and gain a little range. It is worth noting that right after entering Unbound form, you can lead right into the iai attack flurry combo, which is perfect for unloading tons of damage.
You can also enter Unbound form when jumping from a crate or leaping from a spring by pressing R2 + Square or Triangle. Here’s what the crate attack looks like when entering Unbound:
And the spring attack variant:
This executes an empowered attack that also activates your Unbound form, making it a pretty efficient way to enter the state.
In Action
When hunting kemono, you generally want to wait for openings before you unload your attacks on them. As a majority of your damage comes from your Unbound state, you can rely on the weaker Square attacks to get quick hits in and build your gauge. When the kemono is staggered or isn’t moving after recovering from one of its attacks, you can use the iai attacks to deal more damage. Remember to use R2 to execute the Iai Sunder Slash and reposition in case the kemono tries to attack as soon as it recovers.
When the kemono falls prone, that’s you’re chance to unload. Activate your Unbound state and use the extended iai combo to dish out tons of damage while they’re getting back up. If you’re a distance away from them, use the spring or leap onto them to enter Unbound while attacking.
The katana is the iconic Japanese sword, and Wild Hearts has given it justice with its fluid and fun gameplay. It’s easy to get into and even more fun to master, making it the perfect weapon for both beginners and veterans of monster-hunting games.
If you want to check out more Wild Hearts content or guides like this, head on over to our Wild Hearts game hub.
Ahead of the game’s launch on March 17, Visual Concepts has revealed the full WWE 2K23 roster available at launch. 183 playable wrestlers feature in the game, and the roster may expand further post-launch with DLC announcements likely. Check out the full WWE 2K23 roster at launch below, including characters included with the Ruthless Aggression and Bad Bunny Bonus Packs.
WWE 2K23 goes live on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One on March 17. Check out 40+ minutes of gameplay from the title we snagged courtesy of 2K earlier this month, featuring Royal Rumble matches and more.
Respawn Entertainment has released Apex Legends patch 2.17 on PS4, and version 1.000.031 on PS5. This is a preload for the “Revelry” Season 16 content set to become available tomorrow on all platforms. While players will be able to preload the data today, they won’t be able to install it until the season starts tomorrow officially.
Thankfully, we already know what’s in store for the new season, a Respawn has released the patch notes ahead of the data download.
Apex Legends Patch 2.17 and 1.000.031 Patch Notes:
Size: 24GB (PS5), 43GB (PS4)
Apex Legends Revelry Patch Notes and Battle Pass Trailer:
REMASTERED LEGEND CLASSES
In Revelry, Legends have been reorganized on the Legends Screen according to their Class. You’ll be able to see their associated Class perk on top of that Legend’s unique abilities.
This reorganization will help players identify Legends that play or support the team in a similar manner, and help them understand the new roles easier. There will be 5 Classes:
Assault
Recon
Skirmisher
Controller
Support
CLASS PERKS
Every Legend Class also now has an associated gameplay perk that grants the Legends of that class access to new strategic options in the game.
At casual levels of play, these new gameplay benefits will be fun new bonuses to engage with and empower decision-making.
At higher levels of play, a squad make-up now determines what gameplay elements the team will have access to, and what they’re leaving behind.
TEAM DEATHMATCH, PERMANENT LIMITED-TIME MODE ROTATIONS
At the launch of Revelry, we’ll be debuting Team Deathmatch to the Apex Games – a no holds barred brawl between two teams of six – which will be available for the first three weeks of the season. This has been our most requested mode, and we’re excited for players to check in out.
In Team Deathmatch players will be able to select their Legend and weapon loadouts, similar to Control, with respawns occurring automatically after death. The first team to score 30 kills wins the round, and the first team to win two rounds wins the match. Loadouts will shuffle in between rounds, and you can always swap between them and your selected legend while waiting to respawn after death. Make sure to keep an eye out for periodic airdrops throughout the map which come loaded with Care Package and gold-kitted weapons.
MIXTAPE PLAYLIST
Following the first three weeks of Team Deathmatch, we’re thrilled to introduce a brand new way to enjoy some of our more highly requested LTMs on a permanent rotation with our Mixtape Playlist. This new mode queue provides players with the opportunity to jump right into frenetic and engaging combat experiences between our quick respawn modes: Control, Team Deathmatch, and Gun Run. These modes give ample opportunity to experiment and practice with weapons and Legends outside of our core BR experience, with little downtime between fights and respawns.
NEW WEAPON: NEMESIS
It’s been a while since we unleashed a new weapon and the wait will be over when Revelry launches with a new energy weapon: The Nemesis, a new energy class assault rifle that fires four rounds per burst. With a ramping burst delay that decreases the time between bursts and simulates a fully automatic weapon, we’re hoping to see this potentially unseat favorite standbys like the R-301 and Flatline.
ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION EVENT
This month is also the 4th Anniversary of Apex Legends™ and we’re celebrating with the Anniversary Collection Event featuring an all-new community content reward track and lots of celebrations happening in the game including login rewards✝ during the first two weeks of the season, with week one featuring Crypto unlocked and one Crypto Thematic pack for all players that login, and week two unlocking Ash plus one Ash Thematic pack for all players that login. Also, every map in the rotation will have special decorations and we’ll have the return of a fan favorite that we’ll reveal closer to the launch.
FIRING RANGE UPDATES
Added options to customize your firing range experience
Dummies can now strafe left and right! You control how fast they move, whether they should crouch, and their shield level.
Dynamic stats appear any time you deal damage, letting you track your performance.
Hit indicators help you keep track of spray patterns.
Unlimited ammo means no more trips back to the gun racks to reload.
This is the first of several rounds of updates to the firing range, so we will keep an eye on how the community uses the new tools.
ORIENTATION MATCHES
New to the Outlands? Try the new Orientation Match system, meant to create an easy introduction where new players can get their bearings and learn the core mechanics of Apex Legends. To participate in Orientation matches you have to be a brand new player or party up with a new player to take out some bots before joining the regular matchmaking queue.
PATCH NOTES
Legendary Shotgun Bolt
New shotgun bolt rarity tier added to floor loot and crafters
Gold Perk: Automatically reloads rounds while sliding. Activates while equipped or stowed.
Care Package Rotation
Hemlok Burst AR enters the Care Package
Rampage LMG returns to the floor
Weapon Crafting Rotation
Longbow DMR enters the crafter
Volt SMG enters the crafter
G7 Scout returns to the floor
C.A.R. SMG returns to the floor
Gold Weapon Rotation
Nemesis, Rampage, PK, Wingman, R99
Anvil Receiver Hop-Up [R-301, Flatline]
Removed from floor loot and crafting
Hammerpoint Rounds Hop-Up [Mozambique, P2020]
Added to floor loot and crafting
Rarity tier increased to Legendary
C.A.R. SMG
Reduced base ammo capacity to 19 (was 20)
R-99
Increased damage to 12 (was 11)
Assault Rifles
Significantly reduced hipfire accuracy
R-301
Reduced damage to 13 (was 14)
Hemlock Burst AR [Care Package]
Damage increased to 23 (was 20)
Headshot Multiplier increased to 1.8 (was 1.75)
Improved recoil
Integrated Boosted Loader Hop-Up
Boosted Loader: Faster reloads at low ammo that overload the magazine with 9 extra rounds
Mastiff
Spread pattern adjusted to be tighter
Added Tactical Stocks attachment to improve reload speed and handling
Increased projectile size at close range
Peacekeeper
Added Tactical Stocks attachment to improve reload speed and handling
Increased projectile size at close range
EVA-8
Increased projectile size at close range
Rampage LMG [Floor]
Reverted to non-Care Package version
Damage reduced to 26 (was 28 in Care Package)
No longer auto-energizes when picking up
Energy decays slower when not firing
LEGENDS
Seer
Passive – Heartbeat Sensor
Audio from Seer’s passive is now more audible to enemy players
Activation is now delayed to match raise animation of weapon or unarmed
Lock-On indication will now only show on heartbeat cadence of target
Tactical – Focus of Attention
No longer shows full body scan on scanned targets
Ultimate: Exhibit
No longer reveals on initiation
Duration reduced from 30s to 25s
Cooldown increased from 120s to 180s
Bloodhound
Passive – Tracker
White Ravens
Ethereal White Ravens will now occasionally spawn near Bloodhound when no enemies are around.
White Ravens can be interacted with or scanned to trigger them to fly towards the nearest enemy player
The White Raven will leave a misty trail behind for Bloodhound to follow, and will share this direction with their team on the map.
Using a White Raven will recover 25% Tactical / Ultimate charge
Scanning a White Raven will fully refund the Tactical Charge
Tactical – Eye of the Allfather
Reduced full body scan time from 3s to 1s
Diamond target on scanned enemy is unchanged
Ultimate – Beast of the Hunt
No longer recharges or speeds up the cooldown rate of Bloodhound’s Tactical
Will launch a White Raven that flies towards the nearest enemy
Killing an enemy while in Beast of the Hunt will also trigger a White Raven
Mirage
Passive – Now you see me…
Mirage and his ally now remain cloaked after a revive for 3s
Weapons remain stowed while cloaked
Drawing your weapon will remove the cloaking effect early
Mirage Clones
Bamboozles are now only triggered by bullet fire and melee
Enemies who are bamboozled now receive notification on their screen
Bamboozle icon marker now tracks the Bamboozled player’s movement
Bamboozle icon marker duration increased from 2.5s to 3.5s
Pathfinder
Passive – Insider Knowledge
Pathfinder’s passive benefits are no longer gained by scanning Survey Beacons
Pathfinder’s passive benefits (Ultimate charge and 10s Ultimate Cooldown reduction) are now gained by revealing Care Packages with the Skirmisher ability
Ultimate – Zipline Gun
Max Range increased by ~60%.
Max Speed increased by 66%.
Acceleration and exit speed adjustments.
Targeting improvements, including updated visual and audio cues.
Can no longer place the end station on OOB zones.
Wraith
Ultimate – Dimensional Rift
Max Portal Distance has been doubled (~76m to 152m)
Portal Duration reduced from 60s to 45s
Wraith now increases speed over time when creating longer portals
Horizon
Tactical – Gravity Lift
Increased weapon spread in Gravity Lift
Increased vertical speed of Gravity Lift by 10%
Lifeline
Passive – Combat Revive
Reduced the slow penalty on Lifeline when initiating a revive
Ultimate – Care Package
Decreased the drop animation speed of Care Package from 14s to 8s
Increased the deployment range of Care Package
RANKED – MAP ROTATION
Ranked queue will now rotate through all maps in play, 24 hours per map. The maps for the first split are:
World’s Edge
Storm Point
Broken Moon
LIVEAPI 2.0
Official release of version 2.0 of Live API for PC previewed during 15.1.2. The API is a built-in mechanism for listening to gameplay events and programmatically interacting with Apex Legends. This release includes:
Support for WebSockets server connection
Support for Protocol Buffers (protobuf) to send and receive data
Configuration through both command line and JSON
12 new API requests, including
2 gameplay requests: ChangeCamera and PauseToggle
10 lobby requests specifically for Custom Match
More information, including technical documentation, can be found in the LiveAPI folder of the game installation.
QUALITY OF LIFE
Added map rotation previews to the game mode selector in the lobby.
Players can now be any team in Gun Run.
Increased the odds of becoming Team Nessie in Gun Run.
Team Nessie is now viewable for all teams.
Added new indicator on HUD unit frames for the Ratings Leader in Control.
Consumables now show a progress bar for teammates next to their unit frame on the HUD. Similar to reviving.
Added damage to the scoreboard in Control.
Increased the minimum distance between airdropped replicators and other airdrops.
Map Features when accessing the Full Map now reflect currently selected Class Perk info. Additionally, the Hot Zone map feature description is removed from the Full Map while the Hot Zone is hidden from the map.
When in Firing Range, players now regain full health and shields when they reselect their legend in the legend select menu.
Added ability to ping for an optic even if the optic attachment slot is filled.
Slightly increased audio for enemies attaching, riding, and detaching from Ziprails.
Adding Credits to Items inspired and designed by Creators.
BUG FIXES
Fix for Crypto’s drone reticle not being centered when on 16:10 resolutions.
Fix for players not being able to emote if they were dead during the champion sequence.
[Control] Fixed an issue where the MRB disappears if the player holding it leaves the match.
Various UI bugs and improvements to the private match flow.
Various bug fixes to some cosmetic items.
Fix for the weapon camera in the Loadouts tab not resetting to the correct position when exiting a weapon from the Charms subtab.
Fix for footer buttons in the seasonal quest not being clickable.
Fix for the players’ crosshairs being present sometimes during the champion sequence.
The hide hints option no longer hides the waving person icon on items your teammates can use.
Fixed a bug where if a team was empty in Gun Run the HUD would display incorrect information.
[Emotes] fix for emotes camera sometimes passing through walls.
Removed exploit that allowed players to remain out of bounds longer than intended.
[Seer]Fixed an issue where Seer’s ultimate could be crushed by swinging doors.
[Seer]Fixed an issue where Seer’ s ultimate and Crypto’s drones would block large sliding doors.
[Seer] Fix for cases where Seer would have issues scanning Crypto.
[Seer] Fix for when Seer’s passive heartbeat sensor works through Catalyst’s ult when placed on uneven surfaces.
[Seer] Fix for cases here Seer’s tactical can get users stuck if used when they are crafting.
[Valkyrie] Fixed bug where her animation warps in the in-flight meal emote.
[Newcastle] Fixed bug where the Ultimate is not refunded/is not placed if a user is getting hit with Seer Tactical right when using it.
[Crypto] Fixed an issue where Crypto’s drone would be destroyed when he’s knocked but not eliminated.
[Crypto] Fix for bug where Crypto’s Drone scanning can block Catalyst from reinforcing doors.
[Crypto] Fix for cases where his Ultimate stops from deploying if Crypto gets downed
[Catalyst] Fixed bug where their Tactical makes it difficult to interact with ziplines, death boxes, and loot bins.
Fixed bug where the player is unable to use melee attacks through Catalyst’s Ultimate.
Fixed an issue where players could be stuck after being hit by Seer’s tactical while using a crafting station.
Fixed an issue where Seer’s move speed would be higher when in ADS while unarmed with the heartbeat sensor disabled.
Fixed an issue where Crypto would not be scanned by Seer’s tactical while he was piloting his drone and the drone was not also hit by the tactical.
[Vantage] Reduce the number of accidental tactical activations on controller when pulling out or putting away the ultimate with both bumpers.
[Vantage] Increase visibility of Sniper’s mark by adding on-screen prompt, similar to scans.
[Vantage] Using tactical in areas blocked by geo, can result in the player getting launched into the air
Fixed an issue where when Newcastle’s Ultimate was interrupted it would not correctly refund his Ultimate.
Fixed an issue where Newcastle would continue to target allies while phased with his Ultimate.
Fixed a rare issue were Newcastle’s tactical could get hung in the air and not deploy
Fixed an issue with the Black Hole that allowed it to pull players through walls and around corners incorrectly.
Fixed an issue where swapping legends in Firing Range would crash if bleeding out as Revenant.
Fixed an issue where swapping legends in Firing Range while in Crypto’s drone would crash.
Fixed an issue where Newcastle’s ultimate could fail to deploy on landing.
Fixed an issue where a spectator swapping between two players being healed by DOC would crash the spectator.
[Lifeline] Fixed ultimate cooldown appearing to need 101% charge.
Fixed an issue where the Ultimate is ready prompt could appear while the player is still skydiving.
Fixed bug where the previous Season rank is being shown on enemy gladiator cards.
Reduced accidental launches on controller.
[DX12] Fixed missing error popup on launch for unsupported hardware.
[DX12] Fixed an issue where some emissive textures would not appear in third person.
✝ Each week’s rewards are limited to one redemption per EA Account. Offer has no cash value and may not be substituted, exchanged, or sold for cash, goods, or services. May not be combined with other offers or prepaid card redeemable for the applicable content unless expressly authorized by EA. Void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law.
Offers will be available as follows:
Week 1: Offer starts at 10am PT on February 14th and end at 9:59am PT on February 21st
Week 2: Offer starts at 10am PT on February 21st and end at 9:59am PT on February 28th
Once the patch is out on all platforms tomorrow, we’ll be sure to let our readers know.
Good news for those entranced by Jacob’s effortless charm: Dambuster Studios has brought the Dead Island 2 release date forward to April 21 from April 28 this year, as the game has finally gone gold.
For those unaware, a video game is said to have “gone gold” when development has concluded and the title is ready for publication and distribution.
After years of an exceptionally turbulent development process, the Deep Silver-published zombie RPG Dead Island 2 is finally all set to go live on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One. The game is set in a post-Dead Island California under military quarantine, and features six unique characters with fully customizable abilities. The game also allows three-player co-op multiplayer for friends to enjoy the game’s over-the-top dismemberment system together.
Sales data has revealed that Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare 2 remained the best-selling game in the U.S. for the fourth consecutive month in January, while total video game sales declined by 5% year-on-year owing to drops in mobile content, physical console content and gamepad spending. The Last of Us: Part 1 shot up from 36th best-selling game in December 2022 to 11th place in January 2023, owing to the debut of its popular HBO adaptation. Over in the hardware department, the PS5 DualSense Controller in Midnight Black was the best-selling gaming accessory in January 2023.
January 2022 US NPD THREAD – U.S. consumer spending on video game content, hardware and accessories totaled $4.3 billion, a decline of 5% when compared to a year ago. Video game hardware spending was flat, while content (-5%) and accessories (-14%) spending fell. pic.twitter.com/TvmxTayZr6
Total video game spending declined by 5% year-on-year from $4.589 billion to $4.347 billion, attributed to drops in mobile content, physical console content, and gamepad spending. This result is in spite of the upcoming launch of the PSVR2 headset and its Sense controllers, as well as the upcoming DualSense Edge modular PS5 controller.
Jan. 2023 Dollar Sales (in Millions)
Jan. 22
Jan. 23
Change
Total Video Game Sales
4589
4347
-5%
Video Game Content (incl. full games, DLC/MTX, and subscriptions across all platforms
4006
3788
-5%
Video Game Hardware
392
393
0%
Video Game Accessories
191
165
-14%
October 2022’s Modern Warfare 2 remained the best-selling game in the U.S. in January 2023 for the fourth consecutive month. January 2023’s Dead Space remake came in at second place, followed by Madden NFL 23 and then FIFA 23. The Last of Us Part 1 was #36 in sales in December 2022, but rose 25 places to #11 coinciding with the debut of HBO’s adaptation of the original title.
Jan. 2023 Best-Selling Premium Games (Excluding DLC/MTX)
Rank
Last Month Rank
Title
1
1
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
2
NEW
Dead Space (2023)
3
4
Madden NFL 23
4
5
FIFA 23
5
NEW
Fire Emblem Engage
6
7
Elden Ring
7
NEW
Forspoken
8
3
God of War: Ragnarok
9
NEW
One Piece: Odyssey
10
2
Pokemon: Scarlet / Violet
Video game hardware spending remained flat in the U.S. year-on-year, with the PS5 leading the market in both unit and dollar sales followed by the Nintendo Switch. Growth in the sales of both consoles was offset by a decline in the sales of other consoles. Meanwhile, video game accessory spending fell by 14% year-on-year from $191 million to $165 million despite the upcoming launch of the DualSense Edge and the PSVR2 Sense controllers. A drop in gamepad spending reportedly accounted for most of this decline, though the PS5 DualSense Wireless Controller in Midnight Black was the month’s best-selling accessory in the U.S.
If you’re curious about the reasons behind Modern Warfare 2’s invincible streak, check out our review of the game’s Campaign mode, where we felt confident saying “(Infinity Ward) are the very best studio making Call of Duty campaigns.”
Polyphony Digital has revealed that the Gran Turismo 7 PSVR2 update will go live on February 21 on the PS5, bringing support for the virtual reality headset for free as promised. PSVR2 players will also be able to enjoy an exclusive “VR Showroom” accessible from the Garage or the in-game car dealerships, where the aesthetic detail of their cars can be experienced in 4K VR.
In January, Sony promised PSVR2 support in Gran Turismo 7 as part of a free upgrade that would coincide with the launch of the virtual reality headset. That update will now go live on February 21 alongside the PSVR2 launch, and will let players experience all races and game modes (excluding 2P Split Screen) in VR.
Gran Turismo 7 Next Update 1.29 Details for PSVR2:
Gran Turismo 7 on the PSVR2 runs at 120fps and makes full use of HDR tone mapping. It also supports dynamic 3D audio and foveated rendering, which is advanced eye-tracking concentrated on the fovea centralis to render the greatest amount of visual detail exactly where the player is looking. Additionally, Polyphony Digital has added a PSVR2-exclusive “VR Showroom” that can be accessed from the Garage or in-game car dealerships. The VR Showroom allows players to admire the unparalleled graphical detail in both the interior and exterior of their cars, with 12 selectable backgrounds and a variety of angles and lighting conditions.
Though the update is exclusive to the PS5 version, Gran Turismo 7 is available now on both the PS5 and PS4. PS4 players can upgrade to the PS5 version for $10 should they choose.
Koei Tecmo is planning to have some heavy post-launch support for Wild Hearts, as they have confirmed that the title will feature free monthly updates, with the first slated for next month.
During a recent closed-door press presentation that MP1st was invited to, Wild Hearts’ directors, Kotaro Hirata, and Takuto Ed, revealed that while gamers will be able to beat and complete Wild Hearts’ main campaign, their journey won’t end there, as the team has plans for extensive post-launch support. This includes free monthly updates with content already planned for both March and April.
To give you a tease, here’s a breakdown of what you can expect in the next two months.
Wild Hearts March 2023 Update
Subspecies and deeply volatile Kemona.
Weapons variations and armor variations.
Quests and more high-difficulty quests.
Miscellaneous bug fixes.
Wild Hearts April 2023 Update
New Kemono and deeply volatile Kemono.
Weapon variations and armor variations.
New Karakuri.
Weapon and equipment enhance system.
Quests and more high-difficulty quests.
Miscellaneous bug fixes.
In addition, new emotes will be added, as well as other hunting rewards. The team didn’t elaborate on what kind of Kemona we can expect in these updates, nor what this weapon and equipment enhance system was. They also teased that events would be coming to the game. Hopefully, we’ll have more details shortly after the launch.
As for another piece of information regarding features, for those hoping that Wild Hearts would have a photo mode, you’ll be saddened by the news that it doesn’t. However, during our group Q&A, the team revealed that they are currently “thinking” about adding it via a future update. Mind you, that doesn’t mean it’ll happen, just that they’re looking into adding it potentially down the road.
DLSS and FSR support are also absent from the game for PC gamers, and at this time, they have no concrete plans to add those features.
Wild Hearts is launching Friday, February 17, for the PS5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC. Stay tuned for a review, as well as some Wild Hearts guides here on MP1st throughout the week!
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.
Ahead of the game’s launch on Friday, Omega Force and EA have released a Wild Hearts story trailer, introducing fans to the friendly village of Minato and its residents. The Kemono-threatened Minato is home to Natsume, Ushijige, Seren, and Suzuran: uniquely talented and resilient characters who are recruited as crucial allies over the course of the game’s story.
Watch the official Wild Hearts story trailer below:
Wild Hearts’ setting is the fictional land of Azuma, plagued by a resurgent invasion of the mythical Kemono. The player character, a foreigner in Azuma, enters the village of Minato during the game’s story and recruits the help of its hardy residents to hunt down the ancient monsters. Among these are the hardened blacksmith Natsume, the troubled ronin Ushijige, the loyal and dutiful overseer Seren, and Minato’s resident scientist Suzuran. Enlisting their aid as well as that of other hunters and the Karakuri technology allows players to take on the rampaging Kemono and extract their celestial threads to craft improved tools and weapons.
Wild Hearts lands on the PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC this February 17, 2023, and can now be pre-ordered. To see more of the game, check out these seven minutes of gameplay released back in October that showcase Wild Hearts’ combat system and enemy types.
Stay tuned to the MP1st review of Wild Hearts, as well as a plethora of guides hitting the site soon.
Developer KLabGames has released Bleach: Brave Souls update 1.32 on all platforms today. Today’s new update is for several fixes. Check out the Bleach: Brave Souls February 12 patch notes posted down below.
We will be implementing the following during February’s update.
・Adjustments to the UI of the Notices page
We will add a button which allows you to go to the previous page.
・Held Characters Displayed in Packs and Summons
This change will make it easier for players to understand which characters they already own or have already strengthened.
・Adjustments to the “Skip” button in Summons
If you press “Skip” during a Summons, you will still be able to hear the voiced lines of any ★5 characters you obtained.
Measures against in-game cheating
Thanks to your feedback, we have been able to suspend the accounts of players who were reported to have been cheating.
So that we can continue to enforce these new measures, please report any players who you suspect to have been cheating by selecting “Contact Us” → “Other Inquiries” via the Settings menu.
As previously teased, a brand-new commercial debuted during the Super Bowl LVII game. If you missed it, we got you covered!
God of War Ragnarok Super Bowl LVII Live From PS5 Commercial
If you haven’t played God of War Ragnarok yet, be sure to check out our full review, which gave it a perfect 10/10! Here’s a short snippet:
I could spend hours upon hours talking about God of War Ragnarok, but at the end of the day, the only thing that should matter to you is if it’s any good — and it is. It’s better than good; it’s a downright masterpiece. I know that word gets thrown around everywhere, and a lot, but I genuinely mean it. The story is beyond anything I would have imagined, and by the time I finished watching every line of credit roll, I couldn’t help but give everyone a standing ovation. Like the first game, God of War Ragnarok will forever be etched in my memory as a timeless experience, a remarkable, unforgettable journey that I’ll keep talking about for the years to come and probably for the rest of my life.
God of War Ragnarok is currently available for the PS4 and PS5. As for a PC release, there is no news at this time on whether or not PlayStation has any plans on porting the title.
A gamer at heart, James has been working for MP1st for the last decade to do exactly what he loves, writing about video games and having fun doing it. Growing up in the 90's gaming has been in his DNA since the days of NES. One day he hopes to develop his own game.
While Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order saw a release on the PS4 and Xbox One, that won’t be the case for its sequel, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. If you’re wondering why, it’s not because EA ordered it, but rather, it’s more to do with gameplay.
In the March 2023 edition of PLAY magazine, game director Stig Asmussen explained why Star Wars Jedi: Survivor isn’t appearing on last-gen consoles.
[PS5 ALLOWS US] TO CREATE MUCH LARGER MAPS, WITH MORE DETAIL, GREATER DENSITY, BROADER ENEMY/NPC VARIETY, AND OVERALL FIDELITY.” “WE DIDN’T WANT TO BREAK WHAT WE DID IN THE FIRST GAME… WE WANTED TO EVOLVE/ENHANCE THE EXPERIENCE.
Jedi: Fallen Order was a fantastic upgrade that really brought the game into its own. “[That version] was a good proving ground while we were considering how to enhance Survivor…We actually considered ray tracing for the new-gen Fallen Order because we were already building it into Survivor, but we ultimately scrapped it, because the environment art authoring between the generations was pretty different. But the process did help us define how we wanted to approach ray tracing on our modified version of the Unreal 4 engine.
You’ll experience the benefit of the more powerful hardware throughout Survivor. Bottom line, we learned quickly that we could take advantage of the faster processors, larger/faster memory, better loading times, etc, to create much larger maps, with more detail, greater density, broader enemy/NPC variety, and overall fidelity. These features aligned perfectly with how we wanted to push the game. We didn’t want to break what we did in the first game because it was well received, but we wanted to evolve/ enhance the experience. This new generation allowed us to do exactly that, and I believe it translates to a true new-gen experience in the Star Wars universe.
Well, there you have. Mind, this makes perfect sense since forcing the game to work on both last-gen and next-gen platforms would probably gimp the one running on more powerful hardware, thus affecting the overall gameplay.
When it launched, Hogwarts Legacy breached over 1.2 concurrent million watchers on Twitch making it the second highest watched game on the platform. With that much interest, it’s not surprising that it has translated to people wanting to play it, and that’s just what happened, as the Hogwarts Legacy concurrent player count on Steam has breached 850,000!
Peaking at 879.308 today, Hogwarts Legacy managed to crack the top 10 concurrent player count high on Steam! More impressive stats from the game’s Steam performance (via SteamDB):
8th Highest peak ever for any game genre
5th Biggest ever for a paid title (not free-to-play)
2nd biggest ever for a single-player only game
For reference, the only single-player game that managed to get more concurrent players online is CD Projekt RED’s Cyberpunk 2077, which managed 1.054 million concurrent players on the platform.
Note that given this number for Hogwarts Legacy doesn’t even count the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S player bases, this number could easily be double or triple that. Now, when you factor in that the game is also slated for release on the PS4, Xbox One and Switch, then it’s safe to say that WB Games and Avalanche Software has a new franchise on their hands.
If you haven’t picked the game up yet, go read our review here to see what all the ruckus is about! We gave it a 10/10 score, and we think it’s very deserving of it.
There is a chance that Hogwarts Legacy breaches 1M or breaks the all-time mark, and if ever it does, we’ll be sure to let our readers know.
While the name of the new specialist incoming in Battlefield 2042’s fourth season is already known, more details surrounding the upcoming content drop has been unearthed. Details surrounding the Battlefield 2042 Season 4 new gadget and more have surfaced.
Battlefield 2042 Season 4 New Gadget, New Vehicle, Assault Rifle:
Once again, the info for Season 4 was obtained by reliable Battlefield dataminer temporyal. Not only do we get new info regarding a new BF2042 Season 4 gadget, but there are details for a new vehicle, and a new assault rifle too!
This sticky explosives launcher is loaded with a casing housing two projectiles. Once fired and attached, the projectile will explode after a short delay.
Same as always, none of the info comes from EA or DICE, so unless verified, treat it with a grain of salt. That said, temporyal has been very spot-on with his datamined info and whatnot, so we’re expecting some — or all — of these unearthed content will be available in BF2042’s upcoming season.
While Season 4 has no release date just yet, DICE did announce that update 3.2.1 is due this coming week, and will include a host of gameplay-related adjustments, which you can read about here.
The Day Before’s trademark dispute issues are still ongoing, with YouTube removing the recent 10-minute gameplay video uploaded by developer Fntastic due to a copyright claim. Fntastic vows to “fight” to resolve the issue, revealing that the copyright claims are coming from the South Korean developer of calendar app “TheDayBefore.”
The Day Before’s trademark dispute issues began when the game’s Steam page was taken down in January, on the behest of a Lee Sun-Jae from South Korea. Lee filed his US trademark application in 2021 for his phone calendar app “TheDayBefore,” nearly six months after the announcement of the game. Fntastic claims that it was not informed of the trademark application until January 19 this year, and subsequently filed its own application for the name on the same day.
The developer also delayed the game’s launch from March 1 this year to November 10, and stated that it would postpone the release of a “gameplay extravaganza” on YouTube from January to February 2. While the video did release on time, YouTube has now taken it down due to a copyright claim from TheDayBefore.
Fntastic’s statement on the matter reads:
First Steam and then YouTube removed some of The Day Before videos from our channel due to a trademark dispute.
3 facts:
The so-called “owner of the rights to the title is the creator of the calendar app, which has nothing to do with the games category.
After we announced the game in 2021, he also wanted to take over the title and filed for trademarks ahead of us.
He ambiguously offers to contact him to discuss something, but what?
While the trademark dispute remains unresolved, The Day Before is still set to go live on November 10, 2023 on PC through Steam. Stay tuned here at MP1st for further developments in the situation.
Screenshots from an alleged Resident Evil 7 alpha concept have leaked out, showcasing a mock-Venetian setting experienced in third-person and led by series icon Leon S. Kennedy. The original story was supposed to revolve around a water-based bio-organic weapon (BOW) and feature greater player agency in key gameplay scenarios.
The screenshots come from freelance concept artist Sergey Kalinin of design studio VOLTA. Ka has worked for a number of game development studios including Ubisoft and Sledgehammer Games, but has lent his services to Capcom for every Resident Evil game since Resident Evil 4.
Kalinin’s Resident Evil 7 alpha screenshots reveal a third-person Leon-helmed continuation of the Resident Evil 6 story, but set in a Venice-inspired fictional European city. The environments look strikingly similar to the Assassin’s Creed Revelations depiction of Constantinople, likely due to Kalinin’s work with Ubisoft.
Industry insider Dusk Golem has claimed that the original concept of Resident Evil 7, as depicted in Kalinin’s screenshots, featured Leon and the Sherry character, and revolved around a water-based BOW. In a manner similar to Telltale Games’ titles, this RE7 concept let players choose between differing actions in slow-motion “Choice” moments. Dusk Golem further claims that a 30-60 minute playable demo of the concept was made in a late 2012-late 2013 period, but was scrapped in favor of returning to the series’ first-person survival horror roots. Kalinin has previously shared concept art of the Baker House from Resident Evil 7:
While Resident Evil 7: Biohazard began a different story saga with protagonist Ethan Winters in 2017, fan-favorite Leon has been missing from the games since Resident Evil 6. Would you have liked to see the older RE7 concept materialize? Let us know in the comments below.
Hogwarts Legacy’s Talent system offers a fun way to slowly upgrade your character’s spells, potions, and other abilities over time. The Talents are subdivided into five different categories: Spells, Dark Arts, Core, Stealth, and Room of Requirement. Hogwarts Legacy’s best Talent trees, however, can impact your gameplay in surprising ways both in and out of combat.
If you’re not sure which Talent trees are worth picking out, here are the best Talent trees to focus on as soon as you unlock the feature.
Hogwarts Legacy Best Talent Trees | Hogwarts Legacy Best Skill Trees
Core
The Core tree is arguably the best Talent tree to level up, and for multiple reasons. As the name suggests, the Core tree has Talents that relate to some of your core abilities, spells, and more. For example, you get to unlock Swift, a Talent that turns your Dodge into a quick vanishing maneuver when holding down the Dodge action. There’s also Spell Knowledge I, II, and III, which offer a convenient way to save multiple Spell Sets for combat and the like.
Because virtually all of the Core tree Talents significantly affect your gameplay in one way or another, it’s the best Talent tree among the five. You’ll want to unlock as many of the Core tree Talents as possible, especially if you still aren’t sure what sort of build you want to go for in Hogwarts Legacy.
Spells
The Spells tree offers upgrades for many of the spells you’ll unlock throughout Hogwarts Legacy. These upgrades range from giving spells an AoE range to direct upgrades, such as Transformation Mastery, which turns enemies into explosive objects for Ancient Magic throwing.
While the upgrades here are all great, they’re mainly useful for when you want to deal with multiple enemies at once, which can be tricky at times. Often, it’s easier to single out one enemy at a time, so you won’t be missing out as much as you’d think by not prioritizing this Talent tree. Still, upgrades are upgrades, and whenever you do make use of the upgraded AoE effects, you can clean up fights a whole lot quicker.
Room of Requirement
Don’t let this Talent tree name deceive you—the Room of Requirement Talent tree offers combat buffs that will aid you in fights. For example, you can unlock the Edurus Potion Potency Talent at Level 5, which makes you invincible and causes projectiles to bounce back to enemies while the effect of the potion is active. This is great for when you’re in a pinch and need to buy yourself some time. There’s also Focus Potion Potency, which lets you extend the duration of the potion’s effects whenever you cast a spell from the Spell Set.
The only downside to these Talents is that they’re tied to consumable items. In other words, you’ll need to farm the items in order to make use of the Talents. Still, the effects are extremely beneficial and can turn the tide of battle, so they’re worth getting when you’re preparing for difficult encounters down the road.
What About Stealth or Dark Arts?
The Stealth and Dark Arts trees both have their own merits, but they’re not as effective or reliable as other trees for a few reasons. Stealth is only something that you’d want to spec into if you prefer that playstyle, but as Hogwarts Legacy isn’t a stealth-oriented game, not everyone is keen on doing that when you could just be blasting spells in front of enemies’ faces.
The Dark Arts tree is great if you want lots and lots of damage, but you can only turn certain spells into curses, and Avada Kedravra, is only unlockable via a side quest, so it’s possible to miss it unless you comb over every side quest in the game or look up a guide. This means that if you miss the side quest or accidentally turn down the quest (which is possible), you won’t be able to make use of Avada Kedravra Mastery, a powerful Talent in the Dark Arts tree.
While each of the Talent trees in Hogwarts Legacy has its own quirks and benefits, for the average player, there are some that simply offer more. If you want more Hogwarts Legacy content, check out our game hub right here.
CD Projekt Red (CDPR)’s remaster of The Witcher 3 greatly enhanced the visual experience of the legendary title, while incorporating a host of community mods as well. It appears that the developer may have been too eager in doing so, as fans have discovered the accidental bundling of NSFW mods in The Witcher 3’s next-gen update. CDPR has acknowledged the issue, and will shortly be removing the offending textures.
While the original 2015 release of The Witcher 3 did in fact feature nudity, no genitalia textures were included in any instance of full-frontal female nudity scenes. CDPR made the decision to incorporate numerous popular graphics mods from the community with The Witcher 3’s next-gen update, and it seems that a number of unintended, rated AO-for-adults-only inclusions were also made during the process.
Fans on /r/witcher have spotted fully-developed female genitalia and pubic hair textures present on the Crookback Bog crones and bruxae enemies in the next-gen update. In a statement, CDPR has acknowledged that it accidentally included NSFW texture mods with the next-gen update:
The next-gen version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt features several community-sourced mods not created by CD PROJEKT RED, on top of numerous enhancements created and implemented by the studio internally. Merging everything together was a complex process and the textures in question are an unintended result present in the release version. This is something we are working to address.
CDPR has also confirmed that it will be removing the offending textures as these “were not meant to be present in the release version of the game.”
The next-gen update, titled The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition, is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. If you’re looking to pick it up now (for science purposes), check out our review of the next-gen update, where we found it “a vastly superior, definitive version” of the original title.
