Tower Bosses in Palworld are tough to take down due to their powerful skills and massive health pools. It sure would be great if you can capture them, right? Actually, as of now, you can use a glitch or exploit to capture tower bosses in Palworld.

The glitch seems to have been discovered by a user on Reddit a few days ago. Following the patch on January 25 for both Steam and Xbox versions, the exploit still exists. I managed to capture two Zoe & Grizzbolt Tower Bosses for my Palworld team using the glitch.

Steps to capture tower bosses in Palworld using a glitch

I would say the best thing about this glitch is how simple it is to pull off. I attempted it four times and managed to capture two bosses, giving me a 50/50 chance to get away with it.

To get a boss on your team, you're going to have to break bad a bit. Your first step should be to go to a human town and assault one of the villagers or guards. This will give you a Wanted rating, making it so hostile PIDF Guards spawn around you. I suggest going to the Small Settlement to the west of the starting area:

Now that you're wanted, use the Fast Travel point to teleport to a Tower Boss and load into the boss fight. It's okay to skip the cutscene! I managed to get the glitch to work without having to watch the whole clip.

Get close to the boss to manipulate the PIDF Guards to shoot the boss instead of you:

If you do it right, the boss' attention will move from you to the guards. At that moment, throw a Pal Sphere (any will do) at the boss' back. Instead of a line saying that the boss is immune to capture, the exact opposite happens:

Congrats! You managed to capture yourself a Tower Bosses in Palworld using a glitch. You can add the boss to your team, and it'll come with the same skills and massive health pool. Zoe & Grizzbolt, for example, have 30,550 health points. Reddit users have claimed you can follow the steps to capture every boss in the game.

You will need to either die or respawn after catching the boss to "reset," so to speak, and then go back and get your stuff. But for the power of catching a brand-new boss? Seems like a decent trade-off.

Naturally, I expect Pocketpair to eventually remove the exploit from the game. It'll probably be wise to do so before the team adds PvP mode. Then again, having a version of PvP with nothing but bosses clashing would be kinda killer.

The post Surprising Palworld glitch lets you catch tower bosses for your own party appeared first on Destructoid.

Naughty Dog's 2020 masterpiece has received a re-release in the form of The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered. It won't turn heads on a technical level, but it does pack some new content that makes it worth considering even if you've experienced the epic tale already.

Some of the features have been advertised by the studio, but there are a few minor additions that you may not be aware of. If you're still on the fence regarding whether you should try out the game, consider whether these features are enough to lure you back in.

All new The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered features

Let's start with the cosmetic changes in TLOU 2's remaster. The remaster introduces the chance to play with different character skins. Some are unlocked through playing the base game while others are obtained by playing the No Return mode. This is the full list of skins available for Ellie:

• Seattle
• Patrol
• B-Day
• Santa Barbara
• Aquarium
• Astronaut
• Astronaut No Helmet
• Pride Tank Top
• Arc the Lad
• Death Stranding
• Destiny
• Mortal Kombat
• Killzone
• Fantasvision
• Siren
• Hotline Miami
• Wipeout Fusion
• Savage Starlight
• Rain Jacket
• Plaid

You also get the following gun skins:

• Astronaut
• Giraffe
• Moth

When it comes to Abby, the following skins are available:

• Seattle
• Jackson
• Salt Lake City
• Santa Barbara
• Coast
• Aquarium
• Eighties
• Genji
• The Getaway
• Syphon Filter
• Jak and Daxter
• The Mask of Kri
• Twisted Metal
• War of the Monsters
• Hotline Miami
• Vintage Naughty Dog
• Bomber Abby
• Badlands

Abby also gets the following weapons skins:

• Zebra
• Eighties
• Wolf Weapon Skin

Technical improvements

The tech improvements in the remaster aren't significant. This includes 4K performance in Fidelity Mode, framerate improvements, and support for Variable Refresh Rate. Other minor additions include improved texture resolution, Level of Detail distances, sun shadow and texture resolution, improved animation sampling rate, and more.

There's also full DualSense support which adds adaptive triggers to weapons, making the overall action experience more immersive. If you're an experienced player, you can enable speedrun mode and track your records.

No Return in The Last of Us Part 2

Perhaps the biggest addition is the No Return mode. It's a roguelike mode that features randomized levels, enemies, and characters from the base game. Consequently, it's best to not touch it until you've completed the main game.

It's a survival mode that culminates in a boss fight if you can live through all the encounters. You're also presented with various challenges, some of which involve taking on certain bosses, and others that involve playing with specific characters.

As you progress and survive runs, you unlock weapon upgrades as well as skins that can be used for characters and weapons in the main game.

Guitar Free Play

In the base game, you'll have the opportunity to play the guitar as a minigame several times. In the re-release, you can now access this feature at any time with the guitar free play mode. You can play as Ellie, Joel, or Gustavo and switch between the following instruments:

• Guitar
• Banjo
• Nylon
• Jazz
• Rock
• Steel Resonator

You're not stuck in one location and can switch between the music store, the theatre, the farm, and Jackson.

Lost Levels

As Naughty Dog has previously discussed, you can explore three "lost levels" which are essentially game segments that never made the final cut. They begin with an introduction from Druckmann to give the levels a little context, and you can turn commentary on if you want. When it's on, there are points you can activate to hear developers discuss a bit about game design and how it fits in with the overall narrative.

The lost levels are rough but not unplayable. There's audio missing in some parts, and the visuals are unpolished, but it looks good enough for you to understand what the developers were aiming for. The three levels are:

1. Jackson Party - You play as Ellie during the Jackson dance. You get an exploration of Jackson and have a chance to spend peaceful time with the inhabitants.
2. Seattle Sewer - This is mostly an environmental puzzle section that has you battling against rushing water. Some parts of this section can be found in the final game.
3. The Hunt - The brief section has Ellie hunting for a boar which turns into a traumatic event when she is suddenly haunted by memories of Joel.

Behind the Scenes

The remaster also gives you some behind-the-scenes looks into TLOU 2's development. It features episodes from the official The Last of Us podcast. The following episodes are available:

• "Take on me" - Behind Part 2
• "They should be terrified of you" - Ellie
• "You're my people" - Abby
• "I would do it all over again" - Beyond Part 2

In addition to the original reveal trailer for the game, you also get a trailer for a documentary titled Grounded 2: Making of The Last of Us. According to the trailer, the documentary was originally abandoned, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but has been revived. It also appears to touch on topics that surrounded the sequel, including the leaks and accusations of crunch.

Whether this will be enough to draw you back in is a matter of personal preference. If you've never touched the sequel before, this is the best way to experience it.

The post Here are all the new features in The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered appeared first on Destructoid.

It's the beginning of a new year, and despite being a weaker month usually for releases, there's a selection of highly anticipated January 2024 games to look forward to. From intense fights in Tekken 8 to the calmer, puzzle-based Another Code: Recollection, there's something for everyone.

Another Code: Recollection (Switch)

Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Price: $59.99
Release Date: January 19
Trailer

It's a delight when a lesser-known game gets another chance on a newer platform. Another Code: Recollection includes two DS and Wii puzzle games (one never released in North America) about Ashley, a 13-year-old girl looking for answers. She's uncovering the truth about her parents as you solve puzzles on the stunning remote Blood Edward Island. There's new voice acting, visuals, and music to make the game feel more modern on the Nintendo Switch.

The Last of Us Part II Remastered (PS5)

Publisher: PlayStation
Developer: Naughty Dog
Price: $49.99 (or $9.99 for the PS4-PS5 upgrade)
Release Date: January 19
Trailer

Naughty Dog, whether you like it or not, is releasing a new remastered version of the PS4 game The Last of Us Part II. Thankfully, it won't be full price. If you have the PS4 game already, the upgrade only costs $9.99.

Despite the apprehension, this game does have a bunch of new features. First and foremost there's the roguelike survival mode called No Return. There will be plenty of enemies in your path, and a return to some familiar settings throughout the series so far. It will be all randomized.

We'll also gain access to the Lost Levels that lets us play early development workings from the game cut from the final product. Another impressive feat is that the game outputs 4K in Fidelity mode, adding higher quality visuals on-screen. Despite it being a remaster, it's arguably one of the most anticipated January 2024 games, due to the series' prestige alone. It's a shame the multiplayer game was canceled, however.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Publisher: Sega
Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Price: $69.99
Release Date: January 26
Trailer

The turn-based RPG antics of Ichiban and his friends return in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. He'll be exploring Hawaii, battling thugs, and starting up a new village in a new Animal Crossing-inspired side mode. It has also been teased that this could be Kazuma Kiryu's farewell to the series as he's battling cancer. Get the tissues ready if you play this game.

As always, expect some drama and some bombastic comedic moments in Infinite Wealth just like past Yakuza and Like a Dragon games. If you play the last entry The Man Who Erased His Name, you can play a demo right now.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC)

Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft
Price: $49.99
Release Date: January 18
Trailer

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is looking like a promising revival of a beloved Ubisoft franchise. This one's taking a 2D Metroidvania route with astonishing bosses, plenty of time powers to unlock, and exhilarating platforming from what the trailers have shown so far. "The combat system in The Lost Crown is extremely fluid and fast-paced," said our preview. Sargon has a quick light attack, a heavy attack that takes longer to perform but deals more damage, a block, and a dash-style evade."

The combat looks fast and deadly with combos that have you soaring across the sky and crushing your foes to the ground. Hopefully, this game will live up to its potential when it releases on January 18.

Tekken 8 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: Bandai Namco
Price: $69.99
Release Date: January 26
Trailer

The epic fighting game series returns for this generation with Tekken 8. The visuals are enhanced, the stages are destructible, and the new Heat system will heighten each battle greatly. There will be 32 characters at launch.

Tekken 8 looks incredible. "The environments are filled to the brim with detail," said our preview. "The puddles in the New York stage reflect the lights from Times Square’s advertisements, and the lighting from the neon signs stands out sharply on screen."

Unlike many other fighting games at launch, Tekken 8 is packed with content from day one. The story continues six months after the events of Tekken 7 as Jin and Kazuya fight it out in an awe-inspiring clash. There's also the all-new Arcade Quest, which has you playing as your own avatar and unfolding a narrative as we battle it out among a series of arcades. It sounds like a great way to learn the game for newcomers to the series.

Honorable mentions

There are even more January 2024 games to expect, including another fighting game and a new Tamagotchi game exclusive to iOS platforms.

• Tamagotchi Adventure Kingdom (iOS) - January 4
• Laika: Aged Through Blood (Switch) - January 11
• Sovereign Syndicate (PC) - January 15
• Bulletstorm VR (PS5, PC, Meta Quest 2) - January 18
• Turnip Boy Robs a Bank (Switch, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S) - January 18
• Enshrouded (PC) - January 24
• Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) - January 25
• Under Night In-Birth 2 [Sys:Celes] (PS4, PS5, PC, Switch) - January 25
• Rugby 24 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC) - January 30
• Palworld (PC) - January

The post Most anticipated games – January 2024 appeared first on Destructoid.

The holidays are here and people -perhaps you- are finally able to buy consoles without jumping through huge hoops. But now the question arises: what games are you going to gift?

After years of waiting for consoles to be easily accessible to purchase, you can get a PS5 on Amazon or an Xbox Series X at Target. Plus, the Nintendo Switch, including its OLED version, has seen some price cuts since its 2017 launch. 

It’s the perfect time to get that gamer in your life a console. Now all that's left to do is to buy some games. I mean, you can't get a console without some games. But what to choose? Well, I'm here to help ease that search and give some of my recommendations for the best games to gift.

PlayStation 5 (PS5)

Marvel's Spider-Man 2

(Amazon|Walmart|Target)

Spider-Man fan or not, Insomniac and Marvel's sequel to the 2018 PS4 epic is not to be missed. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is the ultimate superhero simulator, letting players control two Spider-Men as they swing through New York. It’s the closest you can get to being in the movies with stellar performances all around. While Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 summarizes the other two games, you can always snatch a copy of Marvel's Spider-Man Miles Morales, which comes with a remastered version of Marvel's Spider-Man if they haven't played the previous titles. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a little darker than the others, but it's still a remarkable, fun, and thrilling ride.

Horizon Forbidden West

(Amazon|Walmart|Target)

If you're buying a PS5 bundle, chances are you've seen this title plastered on them, and for good reason. Horizon Forbidden West, the sequel to 2016's Horizon Zero Dawn, is one of the most gorgeous games on the console. Its rich worldbuilding and fun gameplay make this an essential title for PS5 owners. Guerilla Games outdid themselves with the many things one can do within its vast world. The combat is accessible and rewarding, and the narrative is intriguing as it is grandiose. I mean, you get to ride a robot, for goodness' sake! It was one of my favorite titles last year, so I can attest to the fact that whoever you gift this to, they'll be very happy.

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart

(Amazon|Walmart|Target)

For something a bit more family-friendly, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is a must-buy for gamers. It's an easily accessible entry in the series, as you don't have to play past titles to follow the story. Like Horizon, the game boasts some impressive graphics, utilizing the most of the PS5's specs. Its story brings all the charm of a Saturday morning cartoon and amps the action up. It's light-hearted, colorful, and full of fun gadgets to line your arsenal. Our Chris Carter called Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart as close to playing a Pixar film, which is pretty high praise. It's the perfect game for other family members to watch too, and a great title to showcase PlayStation's newest console.

Xbox Series X

Starfield

(Amazon|Walmart|Target)

Want to give someone a video game they can play for days on end? Starfield is the way to go. This open-world RPG from Bethesda is one of its best if our review has anything to say about it. You get to explore tons of planets throughout the game's vast solar system. Actions have consequences, and you get full control of your destiny (and your very own spaceship). It's one of the Xbox Series X's biggest titles and a huge reason many are buying the console, as it’s an Xbox and PC exclusive. If you're gifting a space-lover, Starfield will take them over the moon.

Forza Horizon 5

(Amazon|Walmart|Target)

This is for the car enthusiasts. While there is a more recent Forza title, I chose Forza Horizon 5 due to its critical acclaim and overall experience. With over 520 cars to choose from, you get to ride around Playground Games' version of Mexico. The graphics are gorgeous and it'll feel like you're really driving. It's vibrant and fully embraces the Xbox Series X's power. Even people like myself, who don't like racing games, enjoyed Playground Games' superb gameplay and beautiful scenery. Forza Horizon 5 is the perfect playground for new players to roam around in and have a blast.

Halo: Infinite

(Amazon|Walmart|Target)

Halo is a staple of Xbox consoles. It's only fair to gift the golden goose of the console to a new console owner. Halo: Infinite takes the flagship FPS (first-person shooter) series into open-world territory, letting players roam around a vast landscape. The gunplay is still top-notch, and it's still your classic Halo experience, just a bit bigger. Plus, the multiplayer is one of the series' best, so the giftee can play with their friends and have a great time. This is the definitive Halo game for the console, so this will make for an ideal gift for an Xbox fan.

Nintendo Switch

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

(Amazon|Walmart|Target)

You can never go wrong with Mario. It's actually impossible. The latest entry in the series, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, is no exception. It's the 2D formula of yesteryear turned on its head (literally). As Mario and friends, you get to explore the Flower Kingdom to stop Bowser. Through loads of unique and fun stages, you (and your friends, both local and online) can race, collect coins, and find secrets. The addition of Wonder Flowers opens up new mechanics that manifest new powers or stage attributes.  It’s a ton of fun and delivers that classic enjoyment Mario is known for. If there was a title that would cover all bases, Super Mario Bros. Wonder fits the bill. 

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

(Amazon|Walmart|Target)

Much like Mario, The Legend of Zelda is another flagship franchise for Nintendo. Tears of the Kingdom, the latest title in the legendary series, is worth the price of admission and then some. The game continues the success of Breath of the Wild's open-world gameplay and adds its own take on building and crafting. You can combine weapons and create your own with Fuse, or create flying bikes or bridges with Link’s Ultrahand. The sky, which you can also explore to your heart’s content, is the limit. Playing Breath of the Wild, the game's predecessor, isn't that necessary, but it's fairly cheap if you want to gift that as well. As one of this year's best titles (and one of my favorites), it's the ideal gift for new Nintendo Switch owners.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

(Amazon|Walmart|Target)

Love great family-time games with a dash of competition? Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a surefire way to get the party started. If you’ve owned any Nintendo console before, you’ve definitely played Mario Kart. It has classic racing gameplay with some fun new stages and mechanics. It’s a remastering of the Wii U original but with all the added DLC and gameplay updates. The Switch controls make for a much more smoother and enjoyable experience. It’s the gift that keeps on giving and a perfect family game. 

The post The best games to gift to new console owners this holiday season appeared first on Destructoid.

Vampire Survivors' Adventure Mode just dropped, adding a new reason to drop a couple dozen more hours in. Unlocking it is a little weird and inconsistent between players, but it is a fun time when it's playable.

Although described as a "narrative" mode for the reverse bullet hell, the story's regulated to a short text box shown when selecting a stage. You don't even have to play as the story's protagonist and can choose from a limited roster of the game's cast. Unlocking some of these is important to the story, with others having odd requirements.

Unlocking characters in A Garlic Paradise

A Garlic Paradise is a light-hearted tale of the elderly Poe embarking on a journey to find the titular Garlic Paradise. As overpowered as Poe's default garlic weapon can get, his lower starting health can lead to more deaths that would have otherwise been avoidable.

Thankfully it's easy to get most of the playable characters by his second stage and all by the third. To simplify things, I'll start with non-stage-specific characters before going into the ones locked to certain stages.

The tree Peppino is the first potential unlock that isn't stage-specific but is possible to obtain within the first stage. All players need to do is evolve the garlic weapon, which is conveniently Poe's default weapon. Here's everything needed to evolve it:

• Max-level Garlic (Poe starts with this)
• Pummarola (red heart upgrade that recovers a certain amount of HP per second)

The garlic is now the Soul Eater, and Peppino is unlocked! Zi'Assunta's a bit more involved but not by much. The easiest way to unlock him is by evolving the Vento Sacro which requires:

• Bloody Tear (evolved whip with hollow heart upgrade)
• Max-level Vento Sacro

Together these evolve into Fuwalafuwaloo, which is as useful as it is a mouthful to say. Once it's obtained, Zi'Assunta becomes playable.

Other characters are even easier to unlock, with it being possible to get six in stage two: A Rough Awakening. For most of these characters, the only requirement is finding their default weapon in the stage, and these are all by the stage's starting area.

• Gennero's knife is northwest
• Imelda's magic wand is northeast
• Pasqualina's runetracer is southwest
• Antonio's whip is southeast

Unlocking the other characters doesn't take much more effort either, with six potential unlocks in stage two: A Rough Awakening. Pugnala's in a coffin to the northeast, labeled as a question mark on the map and in-game is presented as an arrow with the coffin's symbol. Last but not least, O'Sole the dog's only requirement is surviving for 15 minutes.

The only character locked to stage three, titled Risky Woods, is Dommario. He's a lengthy trek south in a coffin by a Greed upgrade, and getting him also unlocks the next stage.

Once he's unlocked, there's a decent chance you unlocked all the characters in this adventure. It'll probably only take a few hours, and you don't even need to see all the stages!

Unlocking characters in World of Light and Dark

Vampire Survivors' other base game adventure, called World of Light and Dark, is where it takes time to unlock everyone. It took me a while getting everyone, but honestly, it's a venture worth taking.

Unlocking Suor Clerici is pretty simple. She's in a coffin located in the southwest corner of the stage Deep Lore, and it takes no time getting to her since the stage is small. Giovanna is a similar story since she's located in another coffin east of the player's starting position in Inlaid Library, but is more of a trek. There isn't any need to worry about missing her as the stage is a never-ending hallway.

Pugnala is also in this adventure and is also located in another coffin. Also like A Garlic Paradise, she's in an open forest way to the northeast of the player's position. I'm not sure if it was just me or if it's by design, but I had a harder time getting her here than in A Garlic Paradise.

The ball with character unlocks gets going on the stage after the Mad Forest, called Gallo Tower. Here it's possible to unlock three more characters, but it'll probably take a couple of runs to get everyone.

Krochi's probably the easiest character to get in Gallo Tower. He's in a coffin located south of the starting area and surrounded by crosses.

Further south of him is a weapon called the Song of Mana. Picking this up unlocks Poppea and the Song of Mana for all characters in the adventure.

Concetta is the last character in Gallo Tower, and unlocking her is odd. You need to travel north for a while, and when the coffin is located directly east, you need to go just west toward a glowing mirror. The coffin Concetta is in is just through this magic mirror.

Yatta Cavallo's coffin is similarly confusing to find on first impression but isn't too bad. He's located in the Astral Stair, whose gimmick initially seems to be that its doors send players wherever. Thankfully it's far simpler than that as each door sends you to another room directly east and there's a north and south end.

Where you need to go is the last door on the left when walking north. After taking two more doors on the eastern end of a room, you should end up in a room full of chairs that come to life. The south end of this room is where you'll find Yatta Cavallo's coffin.

There's finally Zi'Assunta in Cappella Magna, otherwise known as World of Light and Dark's last stage. He's just a decent trek south of the player's starting position, so it's a matter of surviving until you get to him.

With that, all characters in Vampire Survivors' base game Adventure Mode are unlocked! Getting everyone isn't too hard, but it is a time investment.

The post How to unlock characters in Vampire Survivors Adventure Mode appeared first on Destructoid.

The December 2023 games lineup involves us turning into blue aliens and harnessing the powers of a flour golem. We'll also be helping our favorite Disney characters with farming and other tasks.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora - PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, Amazon Luna

Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Massive Entertainment
Price: $69.99
Release Date: December 7
Trailer

The Division developer Massive Entertainment is behind the open world of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. You'll be exploring the beautiful Western Frontier, a new area inspired by James Cameron's box office breaking movie series. Available on December 7, this FPS has us playing as a Na'vi raised to be a warrior for the RDA but freed after 15 years. We'll be fighting back as we "reconnect with [our] lost heritage," according to the game's official website.

"It’s clear this is an open-world Ubisoft game, but there’s enough different there to make it feel like a fresh experience as well," writes our own Steven Mills in a preview of the new Ubisoft title.

This game seems similar to the Far Cry series as you craft your own gear, gain access to a variety of weapons like shotguns and assault rifles, and take over outposts. Hopefully the game will be more interesting than the first movie's Unobtanium storyline.

Born of Bread - PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Switch, PC

Publisher: Dear Villagers
Developer: WildArts Studio Inc.
Price: $24.99
Release Date: December 5
Trailer

Getting anxious for the Paper Mario: The Thousand Door remake? You'll want to check out Born of Bread while you wait. It has a vibrant art style, a similar turn-based combat system, and a story that seems just as silly. "Born of Bread puts a twist on turn-based combat tropes with a fun interaction system that will test your reflexes," says the game's Steam page. "This interactive system also features a weaknesss and resistance system that makes battles more strategic."

The RPG seems memorable, as evidenced by our preview from PAX East earlier this year.

The combat system reacts to the timing of your button presses like the Paper Mario games that many enjoy. You'll also be solving puzzles with each character's abilities as you explore this world. It releases on December 5.

Disney Dreamlight Valley (1.0 release) - PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Switch, PC

Publisher: Gameloft
Developer: Gameloft
Price: $39.99 and higher
Release Date: December 5
Trailer

The 1.0 release of Disney Dreamlight Valley and the expansion A Rift In Time is finally arriving on December 5. This game is similar to Animal Crossing, in which you're befriending Disney characters, harvesting crops, and finishing side quests along the way like making dishes for Ratatouille's Remy. You're also upgrading shops and other resources available to you. Somehow, there's an intriguing storyline that meshes all of these Disney icons together and have it make sense.

It's a relaxing adventure, especially for those who love almost every Disney movie like me. You may want to get the Gold Edition, which comes with the DLC A Rift In Time and 5,000 Moonstones, one of the game's currencies. And yes, it won't be free-to-play, unfortunately. I guess it's something else Eeyore can complain about.

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince - Switch

Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Square Enix
Price: $59.99
Release Date: December 1
Trailer

Heading to the Switch exclusively is Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince, the next entry in the long-running JRPG series. Similar to the Pokemon series, you'll be collecting monsters and training them. As the story proceeds, the game's environments will change from Spring to Summer and so on.

Synthesizing two monsters to make more powerful allies returns, too. "Players can experiment and eventually unlock over 500 monsters, including franchise favourites, dark lords, and completely new creatures," says Square Enix in a press release. The game's also online, so you can compete against your friends and foes throughout the world. I'm excited, but man, I'll skip over the Overture theme if it plays after it playing in so many trailers. Nevertheless Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince releases on December 1.

Sonic Dream Team - iOS, Mac, Apple Arcade

Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega Hardlight
Price: Free with Apple Arcade subscription
Release Date: December 5
Trailer

Last up is the Blue Blur himself, Sonic the Hedgehog in Sonic Dream Team. This time, you can play as six different characters, including Sonic, Amy, Tails, Cheese, Knuckles, and Rouge. In this 3D platformer, you're trying to jump and spindash your way through Eggman's nightmare dreamscapes.

From the trailers and screenshots, it looks like a solid 3D entry, despite being exclusive to Apple Arcade. It's far more interesting than Sonic Superstars, that's for sure. It will be available on the subscription service on December 5. Hopefully this game heads to consoles soon after.

Honorable mentions

This month isn't just some RPG goodness and the lightning quick speed of Sonic and his friends. There's far more than that. Who knows? There might be some shadowdrop surprises at The Game Awards. The honorable mentions include:

• Batman: Arkham Trilogy (Switch) - December 1
• SteamWorld Build (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, Switch)- December 1
• A Highland Song (Switch, PC) - December 5
• Enclave HD (PS5) - December 5
• Arizona Sunshine II (PC, PSVR2) - December 7
• House Flipper 2 (PC) - December 13
• Bulletstorm VR (PC, PSVR2) - December 14
• Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising (PS4, PS5, PC) - December 14
• Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero (Switch) - December 14
• Raccoo Venture (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Switch, PC) - December 14
• Paranoid (PC) - December 14
• Trinity Fusion (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC) - December 15
• Resident Evil 4 (iOS) - December 20

The post Most anticipated games – December 2023 appeared first on Destructoid.

Warcraft Rumble has a...lot going on that hampers the overall player experience, but one late-to-endgame design choice really takes the cake. Make sure you pick up one of each leader if you intend to progress in Warcraft Rumble in any meaningful way. Or, you can stop playing, that's fine too.

Endgame is predicated on having one leader of each type

Up until sigil level 75 (sigils essentially serve as your account level/progression marker), the easiest way to progress with the game is to clear every new stage as it is unlocked. Once you get to level 75 (a process we go over extensively in this late game guide), things slow to a crawl, new levels stop opening up, and things get murkier.

From here on out, you'll need to clear each old stage on heroic mode (read: levels are harder with new twists), with a leader from each faction. So that's five clears for any given old stage for one sigil. It sounds grindy, but in theory, since each round only takes a few minutes, you'll be able to grind those sigils out quickly...right? Well, it depends.

As a reminder, here are the different faction types in Warcraft Rumble:

• Alliance
• Beast
• Blackrock
• Horde
• Undead

In case you were wondering: Yes, Blizzard can absolutely lock you out of earning more leaders, and prospective players (fairly easily I may add) can "accidentally" lock themselves out of progressing because they picked multiple leaders in the same faction. Again, you'll need one of each to earn a sigil for those heroic levels: partial progress gives you absolutely nothing sigil-wise.

To make matters worse, earning leaders through the G.R.I.D. (one of the other randomized free-to-play barriers in the game) is tough because they're "family-locked" each week. Meaning, you can only earn Blackrock leaders for a full week, then it'll swap to Horde, and so on.

If the intention was to get people coming back to the game to progress, this system is a failure. Folks are more likely to just uninstall it entirely than put up with it. But if you are intent on playing through it and potentially earning 100 Sigils to unlock Onyxia's Lair (the final endgame stage at launch), keep this PSA in mind!

The post PSA: Warcraft Rumble has a really sleazy late-game progression lock appeared first on Destructoid.

At long last, Starfield has DLSS... so long as you opt into the Steam beta for the update, which is live today.

Bethesda is allowing Starfield's most interested and impatient players to get a taste of things to come with the beta. It brings Nvidia's DLSS technology along with a few choice fixes and changes. And yes, that includes the ability to eat those iconic Starfield sandwiches right off the floor. Like a filthy Spacer.

How to join the Starfield DLSS update Steam beta

The DLSS update will not install automatically for Starfield the moment you check your Steam library. As this is a beta, you need to opt into it and download a new build of the game. To play the beta, open up your Steam library and right-click on Starfield. Select 'Properties' and move to the 'Betas' window. In the drop-down menu, pick the '[beta]' option. You'll download the build from there.

The beta build uses your saves, so you can continue your story with the welcome boost in framerate. But keep in mind that since you're playing the beta, you won't be able to continue progress in the main build since the two versions are incompatible. However, Bethesda notes in the post that the saves made in the beta version of the game should work once the official update is live. Toying with different game versions can be a bit tricky, so keeping a separate save for the beta may be wise.

Let them eat sandwiches

Those with Nvidia GPUs that support DLSS will have a full buffet of options. The update allows you to try Starfield with "DLSS Super Resolution, Deep Learning Anti-aliasing (DLAA), Nvidia Reflex Low Latency, and DLSS Frame generation," according to Bethesda's post. Other than DLSS, Starfield players and Kirby enthusiasts alike should be freakin' overjoyed with the update. It gives you the option to consume food and drink found in the world. Karmic balance has been restored.

There are other notable improvements in the beta update. A major one includes a gameplay change that adjusts "stealth to be a bit more forgiving." Anyone who's been laboring away in the Ryujin Industries questline need take note. It also brings fixes to progression-blocking bugs, Andreja's missing head, and tweaks for the FOV slider. There is a lot to peruse, but keep in mind the majority of players won't see them until the beta period finishes.

The post Starfield DLSS update goes live in Steam beta appeared first on Destructoid.

As food prices rise around the world, it's more important than ever to save money on games. There are a few things you may not consider, which we'll dive into right now.

Check your local library

This might be a shock to you, but there are libraries that let you rent out video games for free. While I was living in Edmonton, I used the library so much because of this. While it took a long time to get new releases (around a month typically), I was able to catch up on franchises like Resident Evil and Fire Emblem because of the library near me.

Look at the deal-searching websites and Reddit groups

If you want to find the best video game deals, you should check out the information available on websites like Cheap Ass Gamer and Game Deals Canada. They can compile great gaming deals for you, especially during Black Friday. There are some Reddit groups, including r/Game Deals and r/NintendoSwitchDeals that provide up-to-date sales info as well.

Facebook Marketplace is fantastic for saving money

You can find some awesome deals on Facebook Marketplace if you're fast enough. New releases can be cheaper used from regular people rather than GameStop. For example, I found Final Fantasy XVI and Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon for $60 Canadian ($45 US) each from one seller a few months after release.

Game bundles can be fantastic

PC gamers might be familiar with Humble Bundle, a retailer that packs a bunch of games together and allows you to save money on awesome games, often while supporting a good cause. During October 2023, there was the Laugh Till You Die: Multiplayer Mayhem charity bundle, including popular games like PlateUp! and Ultimate Chicken Horse in a pack of seven. It also costs around $10; PlateUp! alone costs $19.99 USD usually.

Fanatical is another great option. It offers cheap bundles, and for some, you can actually select what you want. For example, the Build Your Own Play As You Go bundle in October had Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, Doom, The Walking Dead: The TellTale Series The Final Season, and The Ascent, among other high quality games. If you bought three, it would be around $10, but if you get 7, it would total about $20, saving you cash.

Ask a friend to lend you a game

The best way to save money on games is to ask a friend to lend their titles. If you want to check out Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 and see a friend who has it playing Diablo 4 instead, perhaps ask if you could borrow their copy of the latest COD. They might say yes. Just make sure you schedule a time to return the game with your pal.

Check out the thrift stores and pawn shops

Pawn shops are a fantastic way to get modern titles. For example, I saw the often expensive Mario Tennis Aces for $35 CAD ($25 USD) at a pawn shop the other week. If you're lucky, you can also find some retro gems in thrift stores. I found a few rare PS2 games available, including the valuable PS2 port of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Read the flyers and check the deals pages

Try to read the weekly flyers when you can. They offer some surprising deals at times. In Canada, they're still around often, but I found them difficult to find with some American brands, at least online.

Thankfully, you can check the deals sections of these retailers. For example, on Walmart, I found that Yoshi's Crafted World was $10 off, and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening was $20 off on a random October night.

Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus Extra are the best ways to save money on games

Both subscription services Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus Extra offer a wealth of titles to check out for less than $20 a month. Xbox Game Pass is arguably the better of the two with new games like Starfield and Lies of P launching on the platform day one. You can also play the entirety of the Halo and Gears of War series on the service. There are some other standouts like Disney Dreamlight Valley and indies such as Celeste and Inside on Xbox Game Pass.

However, PlayStation Plus Extra has an impressive suite of titles too, such as Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart, Demon's Souls (PS5), and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. You can catch up on the games you've missed as well. For example, I never caught up with NieR Replicant, and now it's available on PlayStation Plus Extra.

Use Bing to get gift cards on Xbox

This might sound like a joke to you, but I use Bing for the majority of my searches rather than Google. Why? Because I can get points towards gift cards on Xbox and other rewards. After a month of searches, this number can increase dramatically, letting you redeem them for a $5 gift card code. You can also answer fun quizzes to get some points. If you're an Overwatch or League of Legends fan, you can get in-game currency with your points too. It's been very helpful for me, and I've probably saved $50 or more with this method.

PlayStation Stars offers up money too

PlayStation Stars can also get you some cash on the PlayStation Store. You'll get points back from your purchases and finishing tasks on the PlayStation App. You can then redeem them for digital gift cards or actual games like Cuphead. Some of these tasks include playing games from the PlayStation Plus lineup that month or checking out new titles in the Store.

The Nintendo eShop also gives you back some cash on your purchases too in the form of gold coins. You'll typically get $4 back on every $80 game you buy, according to My Nintendo. However, there are no additional tasks you complete for more currency.

The post 10 ways to save money on games appeared first on Destructoid.

The best Disney games honor the source material and are exciting to play for all ages. From kart racing, to farming, to platforming, there's a surprising amount of variety. Here are the best Disney games you can play in 2023.

[Note: I'm including games you can easily access on modern platforms. Unfortunately, it's quite difficult to get a copy of Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure in 2023. Otherwise, I'd put it on the list!]

Cars 3: Driven to Win

Cars 3: Driven to Win takes the Mario Kart approach and makes for a surprisingly good Disney racing game. You're driving through locations from the film, and trying to triumph in the race, items included. There's a wide variety of characters to drive as, including Lightning, Cruz Ramirez, and even the unconventional Mater.

There's also a decent drifting and boosting system in place in the game, making it feel high-speed.

Disney’s Aladdin

Disney's Aladdin took "one jump ahead" to the platforming genre with fun platforming levels, groundbreaking 2D roto-scoping animation, and a great recreation of the desert city Agrabah in game form. This game's tough, however, so I'd recommend getting the Disney Classic Games Collection.

It has the function to rewind and even does a perfect playthrough for you. For the latter feature, you can also jump into the game whenever you'd like. The collection can switch between the Genesis and Super Nintendo versions of the game too.

Disney Dreamlight Valley

Disney Dreamlight Valley is an absolute joy for any fan of the House of Mouse. In this relaxing Animal Crossing-like experience, you're rebuilding a town, as well as bringing back old and new Disney characters to the settlement. It's quite satisfying when the town gets busier and busier.

You'll also be cooking a bunch of recipes from the ingredients you grow and collect from around the world. You'll need to have some patience too in this game with the farming elements!

Disney Infinity on Steam

What once was a toys-to-life game (remember those?), Disney Infinity has become a comprehensive package on Steam. You can get all the characters and campaigns through the Gold Collection on Valve's client. You won't need a figure. Within the game are some charming levels, simple Lego-like beat-em-up sections you can play with your family, and great production values all around. For example, in Disney Infinity 1.0, you can explore the Caribbean on a pirate ship.

You can't share your creations online, but there's a pretty awesome toolset for making your own levels as well.

Disney Speedstorm

Disney Princesses don't have to wait for their "prince to come." Instead, they can race around all manner of landmarks throughout the animation studio's history. From Mulan's Great Walls of China to Aladdin's Agrabah, there are exciting places to explore on your kart.

The action's intense, the driving's surprisingly smooth for a tie-in game like this, and the graphics are top-notch. I personally love that each item you use has a second ability from holding down the corresponding button.

The problem is that it's free-to-play and has a lot of barriers in place to unlock your favorite characters. Still, the game itself is thrilling to play; it's worth the headaches. Read my review for more information.

DuckTales

Available through The Disney Afternoon Collection, you can play this platforming classic in 2023. You're using Scrooge's cane as a pogo stick, bumping enemies. The level design is immaculate.

The music is also phenomenal, especially the Moon level's theme, which cover artists still love to highlight to this day. Like Aladdin's port to modern systems, you can rewind the game as well, making this game more accessible to modern players. It might be an NES game, but you might go quackers over it.

"Borrowing a page from Mega Man with its freeing world selection system, the maps themselves are full of twists, turns, alternate paths, and secret areas," Chris Carter says in his Destructoid review for The Disney Afternoon Collection. "Like most of the Afternoon Collection, it stands on its own two feet, free of the shackles of nostalgia."

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX

If you know me, this selection isn't a surprise at all. Kingdom Hearts is near and dear to my heart. The characters are relatable, the storyline is surprisingly deep, and the action RPG combat system keeps me coming back over and over. I've always found it wonderful how the magical worlds of Disney blend with the Final Fantasy-esque storyline and combat.

Mickey flips around like Star Wars' Yoda and uses a golden keyblade, while Final Fantasy X's tough Auron takes on Hercules' Cerberus in the Underworld alongside our heroes Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Kingdom Hearts is bonkers, and I'm here for it. The combat's also top of the line with some stunning abilities at Sora's disposal like Sonic Blade and Ragnarok. The bosses, for the most part, are also well-designed and will challenge you.

It's been said many times, but the fusion of Disney and Square Enix properties shouldn't work. And yet, it's a perfect match. Please get on the gummi ship and take a journey into the wacky chaos, which is the Kingdom Hearts series.

The post 7 best Disney games you can easily play in 2023 appeared first on Destructoid.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is officially out, and it’s downright superb. I absolutely loved playing this one prior to release, and I’m so excited the rest of you can experience this wonderful side-scrolling platformer too. I had to make that pun somewhere. I’m not going to apologize for it.

To be clear, Super Mario Bros. Wonder isn’t a hard game. There are stages you can unlock here that will test your skill, but overall, this one’s 100% casual friendly. That said, as I was playing the game, I did come across a few quirks that I would have liked to know before I started playing. These are, ultimately, rather small things, but honestly, I’m just writing this as an excuse to chat more about this game with you all. So for those preparing for their foray into the Flower Kingdom, here are five spoiler-free tips to kickstart your adventure.

Also, I don't know what spoilers are. That's how you know you won't find spoilers here.

1: A check mark means you’ve 100% cleared a level

For those serious about their Mario games, simply getting to the credits isn’t enough. It’s only when every possible secret is uncovered that the game is well and truly finished. Super Mario Bros. Wonder helps you achieve this goal with a handy course list that shows you what you’ve collected in each level.

You’ll notice that the game records whether you’ve found each Wonder Seed and 10-Flower Coin, as well as whether you grabbed the top of the flagpole in every stage. However, even with seemingly everything unlocked, you may notice that some levels will have check marks on them while others lack them. That means there are things hiding in those stages that you’ve yet to uncover.

What are those things, you might ask? I’m not gonna tell you. You clicked an article called “5 spoiler-free tips for Super Mario Bros. Wonder.” Let me know in the comments if you’d prefer me to write “5 spoiler-ridden tips for Super Mario Bros. Wonder” instead.

2: Badges you unlock later may make earlier secrets easier to find

I don’t want to say there’s power creep in a Mario game, but there’s power creep in a Mario game. The Badge system lets you equip a myriad of abilities, ranging from new moves to passive effects. You’ll have some nifty Badges to try out early on, but some of the late-game Badges are just categorically better than earlier ones. I ranked all of them here, so you can read that if you just want to know what everything is before you even play. I’m totally killing this spoiler-free thing.

Getting back on track, I bring this up because, if you try to 100% the game as you go, you may bash your head wondering where certain secrets are. A full set of Badges will help you out immensely, as even otherwise niche abilities can come in handy.

3: You’ll keep collectibles upon death, but will lose them if you select Restart Course

This is a weird mechanic, but I did run into it on a couple of occasions. In Wonder, any Wonder Seeds or 10-Flower Coins you collect in a stage will stay collected if you lose a life. In other words, if you feel like tossing Mario off a cliff just to get a 10-Flower Coin, that’s technically a valid way to use a life.

However, if for some reason you decide to manually restart a stage in the pause menu, you’ll lose all those pickups. No, you won’t get your lives back, but you will lose everything else you got during that run. A pretty raw deal, honestly, but this fortunately doesn’t cause many problems for the vast majority of the game. Does implying that this could become a problem count as a spoiler? If so, apologies to the Destructoid community.

4: Pits without shadows won’t kill you

Pits are bad in Mario games. I’m sure all of us have fallen down one and lost a life once in our gaming lives. If you tell me you haven’t, then you are lying. And if you continue to insist you haven’t, then I will spoil the entire plot of Kingdom Hearts 4 for you. That game was only just announced, but I know Mickey dies in that one. I know, I know, I can't believe Goofy would do such a thing either.

Anyway, you may very well come across some secrets that you just cannot track down. Some require you to fall down those otherwise dangerous-looking pits, but who wants to keep throwing lives away until they find the pit they want? Fortunately, there’s a subtle tell to help you notice what pits hide secrets or not. If a pit has a light shadow effect on the bottom of the screen, that will take a life from you as usual. However, if a pit has no visible shadow, there’s something for you to find down there.

I mean, if you want to throw Toad into pits indiscriminately because you didn’t approve of his turnpike in Mario Kart 64, I’m not going to stop you. I’m just saying you don’t have to.

5: There’s a late game level that is great for quickly obtaining power-ups.

Okay.

Okay.

OKAY. Maybe this one might count as a spoiler. Spoilers in Mario games are weird, man. I still think this is a really good tip, and I won’t reveal any details about the world itself, so I guess you can decide if you consider this spoilery or not.

Anyway, in World 6, you’ll find a stage called “Search Party: Item Park.” At the beginning of the stage, you’ll have the ability to grab any of the three new power-ups in Super Mario Bros. Wonder. However, in an interesting twist, nothing is stopping you from immediately leaving with your loadout of choice. Typically, you’d have to complete a stage to retain power-ups, but not in this one. Walk in, pick your item of choice as well as one to put in reserve, and be on your merry way.

Most players probably won’t need to farm power-ups like this. However, I did find one occasion where I really appreciated this trick. If I said anything more than that, I’d definitely be revealing spoilers, so I’m going to end this article here.

Why did I start this off so enthusiastic about Mario, only to immediately devolve into a series of gags about spoilers? I wish my brain was normal sometimes.

The post 5 spoiler-free tips for Super Mario Bros. Wonder appeared first on Destructoid.

I technically never stopped playing retro games. When I had my Gamecube, I was still playing games on my SNES. However, around that time, I also bought an NES. The games I got with it – games like Total Recall and Kid Icarus – had me convinced that I just hated games on the NES. It wasn’t until I was introduced to a couple of games on this list, that retro gaming truly opened up to me.

I do believe that games age, but mostly on a technical level. Poor framerates and blurry graphics can make it difficult to return to an early 3D game. Their design, on the other hand, is rarely completely superseded. Video game development really just goes through trends. Right now, there’s a particular style of game that is favored by gamers, but this was different 10 years ago, which was different 10 years before that.

As such, it’s more of a matter of acclimating to the design climate of the time period, which can be difficult if you don’t know where to look. Maybe I can help. The following is a list of games that may provide you with a gateway into retro gaming. These aren’t necessarily what I consider to be the “best” games in general, but they’re ones that, if you’re reluctant but curious to try older games, might be a good place to start.

Ms. Pac-Man (1982, Arcade)

Have you not played Pac-Man? Games of the golden era of video games (before the 1983 crash) can be a little dry for newcomers since they are more about competition through repetition. Whether you’re playing by yourself or challenging others, you’re still doing the same thing repeatedly, building skills, and trying for the best outcome. They tend to lack the progression that helps keep you glued to more modern titles.

Pac-Man is one of the retro arcade titles that are still easy to enjoy today, and that’s partially because, on a surface level, it’s more dynamic and harder to predict. Instead of simply learning patterns and strategies, you’re also decoding the personalities of the four ghosts that chase you.

Ms. Pac-Man is an improvement over the first game in just about every way. There are more mazes, more dynamic ghosts, and a more attractive protagonist. Yum. It’s just too bad it was made without Namco’s permission. Now, because of various rights issues, Namco prefers to pretend it never happened. But we know better. And if you’re able to get your hands on a port of it, it’s a great jumping point for getting into the earliest days of gaming.

Punch-Out!! (1987, NES)

The gameplay in the NES port of Nintendo’s 1984 boxing game is so refined and so unique that it’s timeless. Outwardly, you might be expecting a competitive boxing title, but Punch-Out!! is actually a much simpler game of pattern recognition and reflexes. It’s a series of battles where you must memorize the tells and movements of a progression of stereotypes until you come out on top. Or probably not. I’ve been playing the game for years and haven’t been able to beat it.

If you’re hesitant, there is a less old 2009 version of Punch-Out!! for the Wii. The kicker is that they barely had to change anything aside from the graphics. However, it might give you a taste of what you’re in for.

Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988, NES)

The Super Mario series has long been considered a great entry point for newcomers, not just for the genre but for video games in general. As such, it’s hard to beat Super Mario Bros. 3 when it comes to easing into the bygone generation of platformers.

Quite simply, it hasn’t aged like other platformers of the ‘80s. Nintendo pulled out all the stops when it came to working around the limitations of the NES, which allowed them to become a lot more creative with the level design. There’s an endless amount of variety across the worlds, and while the later stages of the game can get pretty difficult, by then, Super Mario Bros. 3 will probably have its hooks in you.

If I have one reservation, it’s that Super Mario Bros. 3 will only superficially help you get into retro games. Mario 3 is sort of in a league of its own. There’s no real way to gracefully go from this to, say, Castlevania, because, while I consider that to be a better, meatier game, it’s a completely different ballgame.

River City Ransom (1989, NES)

Beat-’em-ups or brawlers are often a safe bet, as the core gameplay of the genre hasn’t really changed much since the beginning. The same is generally true about River City Ransom, as much of the gameplay is largely just throwing fists and feet at your opponents.

The big difference is that River City Ransom puts you in an explorable city and has you level up by eating food. The only real punishment that comes with death is that you lose half of your money and are sent back to the last shopping area. If you’re having trouble in any specific fight, you can always grind out a few coins and improve your stats before trying again.

I often say that River City Ransom is as much about shopping as it is about fighting, and in that way, it’s something of a precursor to the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series.

The Secret of Monkey Island (1990, PC)

The point-and-click adventure genre had its heyday in the ‘90s, died in the early ‘00s, was resurrected a few years later, and now has fallen to the side while more narrative and choice-driven adventure titles take the wheel. One of the best pockets of retro titles you can delve into is the Lucasarts SCUMM adventures of the ‘90s. I’m speaking on anecdotal evidence, but I feel like these games are a sort of pilgrimage for anyone stepping into retro gaming.

The best place to start with these is 1990’s The Secret of Monkey Island. Technically it’s a follow-up to games like Maniac Mansion and Zak McKracken, but here is where I feel they hit their stride. The Secret of Monkey Island is funny, surprising, and doesn’t lean too heavily on cryptic puzzles. As a warning, these sorts of games can be extremely overwhelming when you first drop in and find yourself inundated with all kinds of interactive distractions. However, if you stick with it for just a little while, you’ll most likely grow comfortable.

Street Fighter II (1991, Arcade)

Fighting games changed forever after the arrival of 1991’s Street Fighter II, and they really haven’t changed all that much since then. Because of this, Street Fighter II plays just as well today as it did in the ‘90s.

I’d say it’s impressive that any game got its formula so perfect on the first attempt, but it really didn’t. The original 1987 title relied too heavily on an arcade gimmick where the strength of your attacks relied on how hard you pressed the buttons. As a result, it was really inaccurate and not all that much fun to play. Street Fighter II, on the other hand, made incredible use of its six buttons, giving its handful of characters a varied array of moves. 

Street Fighter II was so popular it kicked off a boom in both arcade titles and fighting games in general. The marketplace was quickly swamped with pretenders trying to live up to this game, and admittedly, some did. But while there are flashier, better-looking, and more advanced fighting games to play, it’s hard to deny that the best place to start is with the Godfather of them all, Street Fighter II.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1991, SNES)

It’s hard to do wrong when picking up a Legend of Zelda game (though, I’d at least recommend you stay away from Adventure of Link), but The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is arguably the entry that is most timeless. The NES titles tend to be unfriendly to newcomers, while the N64 games have the early 3D barrier. Link to the Past, on the other hand, contains everything that makes the series great without compromise.

Moreover, it contains colorful graphics, joyful controls, and one of the best soundtracks of the era. Its presentation is downright legendary. There’s very little to complain about with Link to the Past, which makes it the best way to get into the series.

Mega Man X (1993, SNES)

The NES Mega Man series is the gold standard of platformers, but they can still be a bit intimidating if you’re new to the series. So, instead of jumping into Mega Man 2 (which isn’t a bad choice, honestly), Mega Man X on the SNES is your best bet for not only getting into the greater series but for this particular flavor of platformers in general.

Mega Man X took the hop-and-shoot gameplay of the classic series and made slight tweaks that had significant repercussions. The simple addition of more verticality in stages changes the flow of the game entirely, and the Blue Bomber’s new dash ability makes everything faster.

But, more importantly, it’s less difficult than most of the classic series. This isn’t simply because the bosses are easier or that there’s less instant death; it’s because there are more options for you to get out of trouble. You have more ways to recover from small mistakes. As such, it’s a great way to ease your way into the platforming genre in general.

Banjo-Kazooie (1998, N64)

The early 3D era of video games is arguably the hardest one to get into. While there was a great deal of experimentation as the industry adjusted to the new dimension, it also came with a lot of missteps, technical issues, and intrusive jank. There are some great experiences in that era that don’t get the spotlight very often, so learning to adapt to the shortcomings of the time period can be extremely rewarding.

Banjo-Kazooie is one of the few games of its genre that doesn’t suffer from a lot of control and camera issues. Well, truthfully, the camera isn’t great in the original N64 release, but it isn’t bad. It’s fixed in the Xbox 360 HD remaster, so that might be something to consider.

Rare built Banjo-Kazooie on the foundation laid by Super Mario 64. A lot of the eponymous bird and bear’s techniques are almost exactly copied from Nintendo’s exploratory work. However, for their title, the developers simplified and refined the controls. The result is an extremely beginner-friendly 3D platformer. It’s not without its frustrations, but it’s a good starting point for newcomers.

Metal Slug (1996, Arcade)

The run-and-gun sub-genre of sidescrolling games is notoriously brutal. They typically require fast reflexes and keen pattern recognition skills. In a lot of ways, Metal Slug is no different. Originally developed for the Neo Geo MVS arcade platform, part of its design is based around eating quarters. As such, there’s instant death, relentless enemies, and tricky boss encounters.

However, this is eased in a lot of console ports. Usually, there’s an option for unlimited continues, which removes much of the punishment for death. In this way, it’s easier to appreciate some of the best pixel art to ever hit a CRT screen.

It’s hard to go wrong with choosing a Metal Slug game to start with. My suggestion is to at least play the first, X, and 3. They’re generally 45 minute to an hour-and-a-half to complete, so you can burn through all three in an afternoon.

The post Best 10 games to help you get into retro appeared first on Destructoid.

The Final Fantasy XIV free trial is big. Like, really big.

Between all the content in A Realm Reborn and the Heavensward expansion, you could theoretically play this trial for 1000 hours and still find goals to pursue. And now, as of Patch 6.5, the Final Fantasy XIV free trial includes the Stormblood expansion as well. Whether you'd want to drop that many hours on a trial is up to you, but the point is, you can do a lot before buying the game. Since a subscription will be required to continue playing once you purchase the title, you could potentially save yourself months of fees by identifying the content you’d like to finish before upgrading.

You will have some restrictions, which you may want to read through. The most notable things to keep in mind are that you can't trade with other players, form parties with other players (though subscribed players can invite you), or use the Market Board. You'll also have a Gil cap of 300,000, so you'll want to spend some money if you start stocking up reserves.

That said, if you’re beginning your journey in Eorzea, it can be hard to tell what exactly you should finish. While we can't list every possible goal, below are the major objectives for trial players to pursue. These have been arranged roughly by priority, so feel free to skip some of these and continue the main story in the full game. Which brings us to our first item.

Finish the Main Story Quest

This is the main attraction of the free trial. Every quest with the unique meteor marker is part of the Main Story Quest, or MSQ. You’ll unlock the majority of content in Final Fantasy XIV through this, ranging from dungeons to boss fights. Completing the MSQ will also shower you with EXP, so grinding for your main class or job is unnecessary.

Some may want to end their trial time upon hitting the level 70 quests to keep earning EXP. I’d say this is unnecessary. EXP is easy to come by in Final Fantasy XIV, and level 70 content doesn’t specifically award much of it. I say invest in the full game once you specifically know you want to advance the MSQ further.

Run through seasonal quests

While not a specific goal in Final Fantasy XIV, note that seasonal quests are accessible to free trial players. These are typically small events, but they often award cosmetics, minions, and mounts. If you plan to stick around in the free trial for a while, check these out when they appear.

Complete all major sidequests

Aside from the MSQ, look for any quests marked with a plus sign. These are special sidequests that lead to unique unlocks, which range from optional dungeons to special items. These are all worth doing, but ignore quests that ask you to complete Extreme fights or the Binding Coil of Bahamut. We’ll get to this later.

There are also several questlines under this category referred to as Tribal Quests. These are repeatable quests that advance your reputation with a specific tribe of characters. At max reputation, you’ll unlock unique mounts and minions as a reward for each. These quests can be a supplemental source of EXP, which brings us to our next point.

Level up every combat job to 70

One of Final Fantasy XIV’s greatest features is the ability to play every job on one character. Many players will max every job as an endgame goal, so why not get started in the trial?

Each job features a unique questline and occasionally offers exclusive mounts as well. Even if you like your main job, leveling other jobs can offer valuable insight to help you coordinate with other players. Besides, if you want to complete every sidequest, you’ll earn way more EXP than your main job needs anyway. You might wind up finding a new favorite playstyle!

In the free trial, you'll have access to every combat job except the following:

• Gunbreaker
• Sage
• Reaper
• Dancer

Level every crafting and gathering class to 70

Just as with the combat jobs, you can max out every crafting and gathering class on one character. This can be trickier in the trial, since you’ll lack the market board to buy crafting materials or sell gathered items at market price. That said, there are key features that help players level these classes.

For crafters: First, buy common crafting materials from local vendors to learn crafting basics until about level 15. From there, the Ixali Tribal Quests in A Realm Reborn, the Moogle Tribal Quests in Heavensward, and the Namazu Triabl Quests in Stormblood grant crafting EXP and are repeatable daily. These quests provide the relevant crafting materials you need to complete them, so they're extraordinarily beginner friendly.

For gatherers: It's shockingly easy to get EXP for these three classes. Fishers can dive into Ocean Fishing in Limsa Lominsa. This showers you in EXP and comes with unique achievements to pursue. Meanwhile, one of your best uses of leve quest allotments is to level your Miner and Botanist classes. You can accrue three allotments per day up to a cap of 100, and the objectives themselves are easy to complete for these classes.

Both crafters and gatherers can also be leveled via the Firmament side area. This will unlock during the Heavensward endgame, so absolutely take advantage of this!

Play in the Gold Saucer

The Gold Saucer is the major minigame hub of Final Fantasy XIV. Here you can unlock Triple Triad, participate in Chocobo Racing, play Mahjong, buy daily scratch tickets, and participate in small events called GATEs throughout the day.

Each of these side pursuits comes with their own achievements and rewards for you to unlock. More importantly, you can earn a special currency called MGP to buy an absolute load of mounts and minions. Even most subscribed players don’t have all the goodies you can get from here. Run Gold Saucer content and make your friends jealous with the cool stuff you'll win.

Take on Palace of the Dead and Heaven on High

Palace of the Dead is a roguelike dungeon that has its own subcommunity within Final Fantasy XIV. You’ll start at level 1 no matter what job you enter with, and you’ll be tasked with advancing through 100 floors in 10 level increments accompanied by random players. Keep in mind that you'll max out at level 60 within this dungeon, so don't plan on using any level 70 skills here. Not only is this dungeon a great way to level other jobs, it comes with its own unique mounts and minions you can unlock.

Now, saying there are 100 floors is a bit misleading. Anyone who enters this dungeon with a preformed party and suffers no party wipes can advance up 100 additional floors that get progressively more dangerous. If that’s not extreme enough for you, you can take on Palace of the Dead as a solo player and go for rankings on your server’s leaderboards. Getting to floor 200 by yourself unlocks the Necromancer title, which to this day is one of the rarest in the entire game.

Similarly, trial players can now access the Heaven on High deep dungeon in Stormblood, which is conceptually the same as Palace of the Dead. This one's a bit more consolidated, as players will climb up 30 floors to clear this one instead. However, again, if you enter with a preformed party, you can make your way up 70 additional challenge floors as long as you suffer no party wipes. Completing this feat solo will unlock the Lone Hero title, which is virtually as rare as Necromancer is. Go for these achievements if you really want to prove how hardcore you are.

Fill your Blue Mage Book

Blue Mage is what’s called a “limited job” in Final Fantasy XIV. Think of it as its own subgame. Just like in classic Final Fantasy titles, Blue Mage requires you to fight specific monsters to learn spells. With enough spells learned, Blue Mage can perform any party role and theoretically deal some of the highest DPS in the game. That said, this job has a lower level cap than other jobs (a non-issue in the trial) and cannot play with other players via Duty Finder (a big issue in the trial).

This can make Blue Mage tricky to max out, since you can’t access the Party Finder tool Blue Mages typically use without a subscription. That said, there are many Discord communities based on helping Blue Mages party up and complete content together. Most of these are willing to work with trial players. In fact, since there are unique achievements for clearing virtually all content as Blue Mage, this is one of the best ways to experience The Binding Coil of Bahamut and Extreme/Savage difficulty content in the trial. Roll with Blue Mage to see older content in a new light.

Do note that, if you intend to go hardcore with Blue Mage raiding, some mechanics don't necessarily translate to Blue Mage very well. So while you'll gain those evergreen rewards, you may have to play around some weird mechanics. Ask your local Blue Mage veteran about Brute Justice if you want to hear horror stories this Halloween.

Venture into Eureka

After you complete the Stormblood main story quest, you'll have the option to unlock a series of instanced zones collectively called Eureka. Unlike typical dungeons in Final Fantasy XIV, Eureka zones are open-ended areas that feature a separate leveling system and unique mechanics you won't find elsewhere in the game. Even if you don't enter with a group, you'll see other players running around here that you'll need to collaborate with to take down Notorious Monsters and other objectives.

For trial players specifically, Eureka holds unique value in that you can obtain the expansion's relic weapon and armor in here. "Relics" in Final Fantasy XIV refer to unique armaments that typically require a grind to unlock and fully upgrade, but the end result is usually better than or equal to the best equipment in its corresponding expansion. This is wildly unnecessary in the grand scheme of things, since no content really demands having fully upgraded relics. Also, should you purchase the full game, you'll find better equipment before you even finish the Shadowbringers main campaign. But on the other hand, these also look really cool, and glamour is forever.

While long-time players may not necessarily populate Eureka nowadays, trial players could bring new life to this zone. So for those looking for an endgame grind in the trial, this is the way to go.

Grind for your Relic and Anima Weapon (maybe)

Speaking of relics, glamour collectors looking more to grind can check out the equivalent relic weapons from the past expansions. The Relic Weapon in A Realm Reborn and the Anima Weapon in Heavensward are technically best in slot weapons for their respective level requirements. But as mentioned above, these get outclassed easily in later expansions. They look very cool, but you’ll work hard to get them.

Getting one Relic or Anima Weapon fully upgraded can conservatively take several hours. If you’d like to at least start these weapons for your favorite job(s) and earn some EXP along the way, I’d recommend taking them this far:

Relic Weapon: Play until you collect the 12 Atma from FATEs. These early stages of the weapon quest aren’t too bad, and you can theoretically earn EXP along the way.

Anima Weapon: Just do the first step to collect Luminous Crystals. You can skip this step by exchanging completed Relic Weapons, so absolute completionists planning to grind everything should only do this for three jobs. Later quests require materials you can purchase with Poetics, so stock up on items like Aether Oil, Umbrite, and Singing Clusters from Sundry Splendors.

If you want to progress further than this, I'd recommend at least hitting level 70. This will let you solo several dungeons and bosses with ease, which will significantly speed the grind along. The EXP gains here are fairly minimal, so you won't miss much on that front. That said, hitting level 80+ will speed these steps along too, so you may consider holding off on completing these until you have the main game. Access to the Market Board will significantly help with some Relic Weapon steps as well.

Note that Ultimate raids are not in the free trial

While this is more of an aside than a tip, free trial players unfortunately can't access the Unending Coil of Bahamut or The Weapon's Refrain raids in Stormblood, even though they're level 70 content. These encounters are referred to as Ultimate Raids, which are ruthless boss gauntlets intended for the absolute best players.

Unless you fancy yourself a seasoned MMORPG raider, I don't imagine this will be a huge deal. The vast majority of subscribed players don't even touch this content. But for those who love pushing their skills to their absolute limits, this may be a bit disappointing. Definitely get your feet wet with the game's Savage difficulty raids before you consider dipping into these battles.

Pursue your own goals

Even with all these objectives listed, this still doesn’t cover everything you can do in the free trial. True completionists should check out Trials of Fantasy, which contains many resources and checklists for people who want to squeeze as much content out of the trial as possible. Give them your support!

Remember, there’s no need to do everything before purchasing the game. Do whatever interests you, and upgrade once you’re ready to take the leap. Just don’t feel pressured into upgrading if you aren’t ready for that step. There’s plenty to do before you need to take out your wallet.

The post How to maximize the free trial in Final Fantasy XIV [Updated for Stormblood] appeared first on Destructoid.

Given that Destiny 2's Raids are its pinnacle-level content, featuring both mechanical and statistical difficulties, it is fairly self-evident that Raid bosses, too, ought to be equally impressive in more ways than not. Challenging, imposing, and memorable, Raid bosses are supposed to serve as the final obstacle to loot and other assorted goodies, but is that always the case? Or have some Raid bosses become overhyped Strike targets rather than top-end world-ending threats?

While we don't aim to make any of the following Destiny 2 Raid bosses seem like outright pushovers, one could easily argue that that's precisely what some of them are. Which ones are actually, genuinely compelling, though? Which ones can be taken down by less than a full fireteam of Guardians? Let's try and rank them all based on how hard they are to take down!

Grading Final Destiny 2 Raid bosses based on how difficult they are

[caption id="attachment_403370" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Bungie[/caption]

#13: Argos, Planetary Core

Though Argos was, at its core, an oversized Vex Hydra, it was a fun and lightweight boss encounter at the end of the Eater of Worlds Raid Lair. The boss fight consisted of two main phases: the one where Argos is shielded behind Arc, Solar, and Void crystals, and the one where it actively engaged the Guardians in combat. Though the fight certainly was challenging on day one, by the time the Forsaken DLC rolled in, Guardians were already well-equipped to handle Argos easily, and its simple mechanics meant that it couldn't pose much of a challenge compared to other Raid bosses.

[caption id="attachment_403372" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Bungie[/caption]

#12: Emperor Calus

The very first full-fledged Destiny 2 Raid boss was the dethroned Cabal emperor, Calus. Or, rather, a robotic replica of Calus. Much like Argos, this boss was a pushover in practice, but it was a bit more difficult due to the encounter forcing players into two teams with disparate mechanics: one team had to read symbols, while others had to activate them in a wholly different dimension, where Calus's mental projection tried to take them down. Fun stuff, but not very difficult at all!

[caption id="attachment_403374" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Bungie[/caption]

#11: Taniks, the Abomination

A legendary figure in the Destiny universe, it was perhaps inevitable that Taniks would end up a Raid boss in his own right. Having rejigged a massive Eliksni Shank into a nuclear hover tank platform - which, yes, does sound suspiciously akin to an actual Metal Gear machine - Taniks will quickly punish inexperienced Raid teams with a wipe if things go awry. Yet, the Abomination is a fun and engaging encounter where everyone gets a role and does something to help their team, which is more than could be said about some other Raid bosses.

[caption id="attachment_403376" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Tobias Kwan[/caption]

#10: Nezarec, Final God of Pain

Once your Raid team gets to the bottom of his mechanics, Nezarec ends up one of Destiny 2's easiest Raid bosses by far. The boss fight itself was only ever challenging while Challenge Mode was active, to begin with, and it's entirely possible for just three players to wrap the encounter up without too much hassle. This means Nezarec can't really hold a candle to some of Destiny 2's more imposing Raid bosses, but it's still a fun and engaging encounter, even if there aren't enough mechanics for everyone to get wrapped up in.

[caption id="attachment_403377" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Bungie[/caption]

#9: Atheon, Time's Conflux

The infamous final boss of the Vault of Glass raid returns anew in Destiny 2, and it's not as much of a weakling as some might've expected it to be! Atheon is a tough, punishing boss that becomes delightfully easy as soon as your Raid team figures out all the right callouts and combat roles. Due to the randomized nature of Atheon's main fight mechanic - the temporal teleportation - each member of your fireteam needs to have a handle on every part of the encounter, but it's still not a big deal to come to grips with it all. Until that happens, mind, it's wipe-o-clock.

[caption id="attachment_403385" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Roderick Weise[/caption]

#8: Insurrection Prime, Kell's Scourge

The final encounter of the now-sunset Scourge of the Past raid was Insurrection Prime, a Brig/Servitor hybrid equipped with Black Armory weaponry. Its end goal was even loftier still, lore-wise, as it was supposed to activate a nuclear bomb within the walls of the Last City. Its boss fight was appropriately epic, with players needing to spawn in actual tanks to whittle the mech down so that it could be properly damaged. The fight was the most challenging part of Scourge itself, as its many interlocking mechanics meant everyone had something to do at any given point during the encounter, but since the whole raid was fairly quick and easy, that's not saying all that much.

[caption id="attachment_403386" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Bungie[/caption]

#7: Oryx, the Taken King

The Taken King is no slouch in Destiny 2, as it turns out. The Hive god's massive size in the raid underlines his importance as a foe, and though he does come with a number of gameplay mechanics that players must figure out to be able to damage him, Oryx is far from the game's toughest Raid boss. Instead, players will discover that the fight itself is reasonably fun and challenging, and as soon as the fireteam members settle into their roles and learn the proper callouts, the whole encounter becomes a bit of a breeze.

[caption id="attachment_403368" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Bungie[/caption]

#6: Crota, Son of Oryx

The legendary and revered Son of Oryx returns triumphantly as one of Destiny 2's more difficult and compelling boss encounters. With Crota's End back in the active Raid rotation, Guardians must contend with a rather hard-hitting boss with a substantial health pool. In other words, the margin for error is small when dealing with Crota, and the boss fight is a tad punishing until all members of the active fireteam know precisely what to do and how to avoid his attacks and the wipe mechanic.

[caption id="attachment_403387" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Bungie[/caption]

#5: Val Ca'uor

Though the Spire of Stars Raid Lair has now been sunset, veteran Destiny 2 players may recall just how strangely complex the Val Ca'uor boss fight was back in the day. This may well be the most mechanics-heavy Raid boss Destiny 2's ever had, with players having to go through seven different gameplay stages before finally opening Ca'uor up to take damage. Relying on gameplay mechanics to such an extent was quite novel back during Destiny 2's first year of content, which meant that Val Ca'uor blindsided many players who expected to see something along the lines of Argos, instead.

[caption id="attachment_403389" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Bungie[/caption]

#4: Gahlran, the Sorrow-Bearer

Gahlran was one of the most difficult Raid bosses in Destiny 2 due to the players needing to juggle several different buffs and debuffs during the fight. On top of that, juggling status effects wasn't enough on its own, but players had to carefully time their switches so that everyone could pull their weight during the fight. Gahlran could also spawn Deceptions that players had to take down before damaging the monster itself, adding extra layers to a challenging fight.

[caption id="attachment_403390" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Tobias Kwan[/caption]

#3: Rhulk, Disciple of the Witness

Rhulk is, to this day, one of the best Raid boss fights Destiny 2's ever had. Dynamic, engaging, and tense in all the right ways, the Rhulk fight stands out from most others simply because it features a boss that moves around the arena and will easily one-shot players silly enough not to evade his attacks. The mechanics of the encounter aren't overly complex, granted, but the grand finale of the Vow of the Disciple Raid will quickly wipe out a fireteam that doesn't take the fight seriously enough.

[caption id="attachment_403391" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Lawrence Rusty Durbin[/caption]

#2: Riven of a Thousand Voices

Some would argue that the Guardians' clash with Riven is Destiny 2's most difficult Raid boss fight, and the curious bit is that they wouldn't necessarily be wrong. The fight itself - as Bungie designed it - leaves virtually no room for error when the going gets tough, and the legendary wish dragon will easily rampage through the fireteam if the opportunity shows. It's great fun, too, and may be one of Bungie's best boss fights ever. What scuttles Riven from spot #1 to spot #2 is that the vast majority of fireteams will cheese the fight in its entirety, ignoring key gameplay mechanics by simply targeting Riven's legs with melee weapons.

[caption id="attachment_403392" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Roderick Weise[/caption]

#1: The Sanctified Mind

The Sanctified Mind of the Garden of Salvation Raid is, therefore, #1 difficulty-wise. The bit that elevates it beyond any other Raid final boss is that its mechanics are relatively complicated and remarkably fiddly, making it all too easy to mess up an entire damage phase's worth of progression by being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Every single player needs to understand what's going on with the Sanctified Mind at a given point in the encounter, and a misstep is more than enough to ruin the encounter. The complexity of the tether mechanics also lends itself to excessive bugs, making the whole thing that much more difficult.

That summarizes all of Destiny 2's Raid boss encounters at the time of writing! Bungie's got plenty more to offer over the coming months and years, of course, which means there'll be more Raids and Raid bosses for us to rank against all the ones already featured on the list. To that end, you can expect consistent updates to this article as more Destiny 2 content emerges. The next big Raid is expected to launch alongside the Final Shape DLC, for example, early in 2024. It's possible that The Witness will be the final Raid boss at the time, and if that ends up being the case, it's going to be interesting to see whether the big bad of the Light and Dark saga will be more difficult than, say, Riven of a Thousand Voices!

The post All Destiny 2 raid bosses ranked by difficulty appeared first on Destructoid.

Put those Tractor Cannons away, Guardians. The Crota's End contest mode has come to a close, and players can now go back to using the full extent of their abilities and armory. The 48-hour contest mode for the returning Destiny Raid addressed Bungie's former promise to bring difficult content back to Destiny 2. And it didn't disappoint. That said, with contest mode ended, players should once again have little trouble toppling the son of Oryx.

While Bungie has been on the backfoot with its community, including a fumble during the most recent State of the Game and the lackluster reveal of The Final Shape expansion, it's tough to argue the company isn't at least trying to make some amends. Joe Blackburn has become the face of the studio, commenting on community backlash and responding to conspiracies around future content. On top of that, Bungie turned the difficulty to 11 for the Crota's End relaunch, a direct response to the overwhelmingly negative feedback following the Root of Nightmares Raid. Initially, this posed a bit of a surprise considering the original Destiny version could be soloed, but hardcore players reveled in the challenge. Thankfully, Ol' Crota's weekend romp is over, and now it's time for Guardians to take out those contest mode frustrations.

Contest mode Raids are no new thing in Destiny 2. Since the Crown of Sorrow Raid during The Forsaken expansion, Bungie has built hype and a little competitive energy around the launch of these new endgame PvE activities. On top of players typically heading into these new Raids without knowing what they'll encounter, contest mode sets players at a power disadvantage. It also prohibits using specific abilities, armor, weapons, and mods.

What made Crota's End contest mode so hard?

[caption id="attachment_401740" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Now that contest mode is over, Guardians jumping into Crota's End might wonder what all the weekend fuss was about. Sure, the Raid features a mix of puzzles and boss encounters that demand a bit more than the average Strike or Dungeon, but with the contest mode smoke cleared, the content is no more daunting than a pass through King's Fall or Europa's Deep Stone Crypt.

Part of what had made contest mode so grueling was the heavy restrictions during the first 48 hours. Entire Subclass Aspects, Exotic weapons, Exotic armor, and even mods were completely disqualified from use. That nigh unkillable and super fun to play Strand Banner of War Titan build? Disabled. The powerful new Tessellation Exotic fusion rifle earned via preordering the $100 version of The Final Shape expansion? Disabled. And for good measure, the Seasonal Artifact Mod that makes heavy ammo easier to come by, Elemental Embrace, was also disabled. 

Of course, players managed without these boons, as they always do. But considering most of these recent additions shook up the PvE meta and readily incorporated into prep builds for the return of Crota's End, the changes left Guardians scrambling to find viable alternatives for the time-dependant race. Tack on the power disadvantage, which translates to less outgoing damage with increased incoming damage, absurd enemy density, and the fact that players were learning the updated content for the first time, and it's easy to see why this contest mode felt so much more complicated than the last.

Crota's just a regular raid boss now

[caption id="attachment_401741" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Back at full power, without the restrictions imposed by contest mode, Crota and his Raid isn't much to worry about. That's not to say that Guardians can race through without participating in each encounter's mechanics. But generally, it should mean there's a lot more flexibility between a group wipe and pulling through by the skin of your teeth. The leading threat players will face in Crota's End at its regular difficulty is coordination. 

All encounters revolve around receiving a specific buff, passing it around to other team members, and using it to interact with particular objects when needed. It's nothing too out of the ordinary for Destiny 2, but it does require clear communication and listening skills. Without the constant threat of death from the overpowered adds swarming the team, it'll just take a little practice. 

The Raid's bosses similarly cause less stress. Without the gear and mod restrictions, Guardians can access the exact build and abilities they want for any situation. And naturally, with the power disadvantage removed, all foes, including those pesky bosses like Crota, take more overall damage and deal less (so long as players' power level is higher than the contest mode's 1780 power gate).

While it's now mostly sunshine and rainbows, one crucial point for Crota is that his damage phase triggers via a finicky Destiny 2 mechanic: the Hive relic sword. Though contest mode often demanded the use of three relics before Crota's shield broke, the regular difficulty still requires two. These Hive relics are pretty hit or miss (no pun intended) regarding hit detection on Crota's giant form. However, once that shield finally comes down, he's now nothing more than just another Hive boss in a Raid. Bring a sword, Guardians.

The post Destiny 2: Contest Mode is over, Crota’s End is easier again appeared first on Destructoid.

Space is a big place, and that's especially true in Starfield. With so many systems and so many things to do, it can become overwhelming at times. We've put together our top 10 best Starfield tips for beginners. Think of it as a sort of beginner's guide for exploring the stars.

Find a good shotgun

There are plenty of good weapons to find in Starfield. But, shotguns feel a bit strong compared to other weapons. In fact, I played through most of my first playthrough using mainly a shotgun, with the backup of a long-range rifle and an auto rifle when I needed to hit the mid range. However, shotguns actually have a pretty decent range on them. They are obviously meant for up close, but when mixed with other combat capabilities you will find in the game, the shotgun is a great weapon for mowing down enemies.

Stop picking up everything

Trust me, don't do it! I know, it's tempting. Especially when first starting out. You want to grab the cool space toy on the desk, and the interesting-looking objects scattered about. But your carrying capacity is extremely limited, especially at the start. You can increase your carrying capacity, but even still you can't be a hoarder. You will want to definitely keep an eye don't the mass of things as well because all it takes is a couple of heavy items and suddenly you're encumbered.

[caption id="attachment_400644" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Unless it's an Aid item

As a continuation to the tip above, you do still want to be sure to pick up any Aid items you come across. Not only do you want to be prepared to be able to cure a status effect in a pinch, but you'll also eventually research new Aid recipes to craft. Most of the materials required to craft better ways of healing and buffing yourself actually come from Aid items like basic foods. Typically Aid items are also low in Mass meaning you can carry a lot of them without worrying about your carrying capacity.

Or ammo

Once again continuing on the last tip, pick up all the ammo you see. You'll eventually have a handful of weapons, each probably using their own ammo type. Also, all ammo types have 0 mass. This doesn't make much sense in terms of realism, but it's clearly intended so you don't feel obligated to skip out on picking up ammo. As such, you'll want to pick up all the ammo you can find—there's no reason not to!

Upgrade your ship, or even get a new one

Your beginner Constellation ship is good at getting you from point A to point B, but that's about it. Eventually, you'll want a ship that is more effective in combat, or even one with a massive cargo hold so you can store more resources and materials you find. You have a couple of options here. If you see another ship land nearby on a planet you're on, you have the ability to sneak in and steal it.

You can also save up some credits and purchase a new one from the Ship Technician located in all the major cities. This can take a while to save up for though. You can also have upgrades added to your ship at the same ship technicians. Finally, why not try acquiring a new ship via a mission such as the Mantis mission to get the Razorleaf ship?

[caption id="attachment_401103" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Plop down an Outpost

Outposts actually serve a lot of functions in Starfield. Whether you want to create a ton of factories producing manufactured goods, or just set up a cozy homestead in a distant star system, it's totally up to you. However, regardless of the main purpose of your outposts, they will also have another use.

You can create storage containers, warehouses, and more that allow you to store items at your Outpost. Once you've picked a good planet for your first outpost, get it built and you'll have access to a ton of extra storage for your items. It's a huge boon as you progress through Starfield.

Learn how to Digipick

Digipicking—Starfield's version of lockpicking—can be a bit tricky at first. I'd recommend checking out our Digipick guide for some tips on finding and properly using Digipicks. By successfully Digipicking locked containers, computers, and doors, you can access tons of useful items and credits.

It's also worth investing in the Security skill to get access to higher-level locks. Digipicks will always pay for themselves once you're able to unlock tougher locks and get access to better loot. I'd argue this is one of the most important of our top 10 best Starfield tips for beginners.

[caption id="attachment_401185" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Make use of your companions

You have many different companions at your disposal, and you'll want to make use of them. One of the more interesting features of your companions is that you can manually give them weapons and ammo for them to use. With the right weapons, you'll be inflicting even more damage to your enemies.

Also, you can kind of use your companions as a mobile storage unit. Tell them you would like to trade, and you can temporarily store some extra items in their inventory.

Explore a little bit

Exploration is a huge part of Starfield. After all, it's the main focus of Constellation, the organization you join at the beginning. There are great side missions and storylines worth your time, so don't be afraid to go off the beaten path a little bit. It can be very rewarding to do so!

But even outside of story reasons, you will want to keep exploring. Some of the best items I've found were from exploring side areas I didn't even plan on finding.

[caption id="attachment_401186" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Do your main story missions

I know it may sound counter-intuitive to the above tip, but it's for good reason. At some point, you'll want to pick back up with your main story missions and make sure you are progressing forward. In the beginning, it's a slower start, but once it gets going, it's a fun and rewarding experience.

From a gameplay perspective, you may even want to complete the main story missions before focusing on a lot of side missions. I don't want to get into too much detail for spoiler reasons, but the way the story and gameplay intertwine with NG+ in Starfield may make you want to complete the journey once before going all out on side content.

Now that you know our top 10 best Starfield tips for beginners, get out there and start your adventure. Hopefully, this beginner's guide will help you along the way!

The post Top 10 best Starfield tips for beginners – Beginners Guide appeared first on Destructoid.

The September 2023 games list is one of the hottest in recent memory. From the massive Starfield to the promising Soulslike Lies of P, there's something for everyone. Even motorheads will be happy this month. Here's what's coming out in September 2023, including some honorable mentions.

[caption id="attachment_396332" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Ubisoft[/caption]

The Crew: Motorfest (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Ivory Tower
Price: $69.99
Release Date: September 14
Trailer

Just when you think the summer season is over, Ubisoft brings us back to the heat and smell of fuel in The Crew: Motorfest. This time we're traveling to the Hawaiian islands. In this open-world game, we'll be racing through the city of Honolulu. Additionally, we'll be able to "test [our] off-road skills on the ashy slopes of a volcano [and] master the perfect curve on the tracks," according to the game's official website. We'll also be able to drive on the beach and adventure through "hidden paths of the luxurious rainforest." With over 400 cars as well, Ubisoft's racing open-world title sounds like a nitro boost to the soul.

[caption id="attachment_396327" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via CD Projekt Red[/caption]

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Publisher: CD Projekt Red
Developer: CD Projekt Red
Price: $29.99
Release Date: September 26
Trailer

The highly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077 DLC Phantom Liberty is releasing this month. Starring Idris Elba as Solomon Reed, V and Johnny Silverhand are taken into a new follow-up adventure. This time, you'll be trying to save the NUSA President in a new area called Dogtown. The game's Steam page teases that "your decisions impact not only the fate of the characters around you, but also yourself" when it comes to the ending. It's one of the most anticipated September 2023 games because we can't wait to see how it ends.

[caption id="attachment_396548" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via NEOWIZ[/caption]

Lies of P (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Publisher: NEOWIZ
Developer: NEOWIZ
Price: $59.99
Release Date: September 19
Trailer

After a lengthy and promising demo, Lies of P is finally releasing this month. This Soulslike is set in a beautiful European-inspired world full of creepy machines and gothic architecture. You play as Pinocchio, a puppet that's trapped in a horrific world. As he explores it, he'll "untangle the unfathomable secrets of the city's elites and choose whether to confront predicaments with the truth or weave lies to overcome them on the journey to find [himself,]" according to the Steam page. Hopefully, the game lives up its impactful demo from earlier this year.

[caption id="attachment_396553" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via WB Games[/caption]

Mortal Kombat 1 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Publisher: WB Games
Developer: NetherRealm Studios
Price: $69.99
Release Date: September 19
Trailer

Mortal Kombat 1 continues the fighting game hype this year. WB Games and NetherRealm Studios are bringing a new origin to the series with a fresh reset of the MK timeline. It will also introduce Kameo Fighters that can be summoned to help you pull off incredible combos or get you out of a bad situation. Hopefully, the game lives up to its high expectations. Homelander and Peacemaker will be a few of the DLC characters as well.

[caption id="attachment_396555" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Bethesda[/caption]

Starfield (Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Developer: Bethesda
Price: $69.99
Release Date: September 6
Trailer

Starfield is the kind of game you desperately want to be good before it releases. There's so much potential. You can travel to over 1,000 planets with all manner of cities and environments to explore. There are quests to complete, hopefully with many intriguing characters to meet. You can even customize your own spaceship to your liking. It's a sci-fi fan's dreams come to life. I really hope it lives up to everyone's expectations, just like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim did in 2011. It would be a huge win for Xbox Game Studios if Starfield lands with players and critics.

[caption id="attachment_392728" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via EA[/caption]

Honorable Mentions

These five titles aren't the only highlights from the September 2023 games list. It's going to be a very busy month. You can also play the following:

• Rune Factory 3 Special (Switch, PC) - September 5
• Enchanted Portals (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) - September 6
• Fae Farm (Switch) - September 8
• NBA 2K24 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) – September 8
• MythForce (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) - September 12
• Super Bomberman R 2 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) - September 12
• Eternights (PS4, PS5, PC) - September 12
• Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster (Switch) - September 14
• Monster Hunter Now (Android, iOS) - September 14
• Gloomhaven (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - September 18
• Party Animals (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC) - September 20
• Witchfire (PC) - September 20
• PayDay 3 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC) - September 21
• EA Sports FC 24 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) - September 22
• Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) - September 26
• Mineko's Night Market (Switch) - September 26
• My Time at Sandrock (PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) - September 26
• Paleo Pines (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC)
• Disney Speedstorm (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) - September 28
• Gothic Classic (Switch) - September 28
• Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai (PS4, PS5, Switch, PC) - September 28

The post Most anticipated game releases – September 2023 appeared first on Destructoid.

Surfing the sands of Atlas Fallen can be a daunting task when you first start playing. The dunes are harsh, and the sun god's wrath can be difficult to overcome. To help you with your adventure, we've put together 7 beginner tips for challenging Thelos in Atlas Fallen.

Try out the Knuckledust weapon

Even though you start with the Dunecleaver and Sandwhip unlocked, you will obtain the Knuckldust very early. The Knuckldust is a fist weapon that can ramp up to deal massive damage.

I actually played through a fair portion of Atlas Fallen before trying out the Knuckledust. After giving it a try I never swapped it out, as it synergizes well with the Sandwhip. It may end up being your favorite weapon too.

When fighting multiple enemies at once, a good offense is a good defense

In some scenarios, you may find yourself under attack by an onslaught of lesser enemies, perhaps mixed in with a stronger enemy. Your instinct may be to play it safe and keep evading around, but I've found this to be quite difficult at times. It always seems like once I'm encountering too many enemies at once, their attacks just so happen to line up. It gets to a point where it's quite challenging to keep evading or parrying a flurry of attacks.

On the flip side, you can often focus down and take out a lesser enemy in just a few hits. Doing so will mean one less attack you have to worry about coming at you, therefore going on the offense often ends up benefiting you defensively as well.

[caption id="attachment_395889" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Look for pulsing blue lights in the sand to raise objects

One of the non-combat abilities of the Gauntlet allows you to Raise objects out from under the sand. Sometimes this will unveil an anvil that you can upgrade, heal, and fast travel at. Other times, it will be a structure that you can climb to get to a higher elevation and find some hidden goodies.

Finally, you can also Raise up chests from under the sand that may hold Essence, Shards, and even equipment to enhance your build.

Do some sidequests

Even though sidequests don't really enhance the story in any way, you can sometimes obtain quality rewards for doing them. If you find yourself wanting a break from beelining through the main story, visit a quest hub and grab a few side quests. Often times they're grouped up within the same area so you can knock a few out at once.

Be sure to check the rewards afterward, as you may pick up an item that fits well into your playstyle.

Don't always evade; make use of your parry

Once you've mastered the art of dodging via evade, it can be tempting to do so to every attack. However, a successful parry can be even more beneficial than dodging an attack. Keep an eye out for the enemy to flash red before an attack, which means the attack can be parried. Some attacks may take several subsequent parries to have the intended effect, so keep at it.

[caption id="attachment_395890" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Check the inventory of new vendors when you find them

Throughout Atlas Fallen, you will encounter several different vendors. Most are found inside villages and quest hubs, with some also located in key story areas.

Vendors can carry all sorts of items beneficial to your progress, including equipment, Idols, Essence Stones, and more. There's also the Travelling Vendor who, as his name suggests, travels the world. You can always guesstimate his location based on his kite flying high in the sky wherever he currently is. After defeating certain encounters, the Travelling Merchant may update his inventory, so be sure to check it out frequently.

Don't forget to Shatter

In the heat of battle, it can be easy to forget how powerful your Shatter attack is. Keep in mind that it depletes your Momentum Bar, so you will lose the benefits of the Essence Stones you currently have enough Momentum for.

However, Shatter is very strong. If you're running out of heals and are particularly close to defeating a powerful enemy, but aren't sure if you will be able to survive long enough to defeat it: use your Shatter. It can deal an insane amount of damage if you have your Momentum Bar completely filled up, and it is often worth executing as opposed to saving the Momentum.

Hopefully, these beginner tips will help you as your journey through the deserts of Atlas Fallen.

The post 7 beginner tips for braving the sands in Atlas Fallen appeared first on Destructoid.

Just one day after the official release of Baldur's Gate 3, Larian Studios released Hotfix #1 for the RPG. This update officially brings the version number of BG3 to 4.1.1.3624901. The hotfix focuses on bug fixes, performance updates, and preventing crashes and progression blockers.

The hotfix takes aim at some particular sections of the massive RPG, just after its big launch yesterday. Hotfix #1 for Baldur's Gate 3 hits some dialogue hitches and crashes, as well as multiplayer quirks and more. Notably, it also addresses a dice rolling issue, where fast and furious re-attempts would result in failure.

Furthermore, Larian has found the origin of the pesky issue that has been affecting saves. Apparently, the culprit had to do with cross-saves with the PlayStation 5 version of the game. Because the PS5 version doesn't launch until September 6, Larian has disabled the cross-saving system for now to prevent the issue and will fix it later. (This shouldn't affect in-game or Steam Cloud saves.)

Also, some of the patch notes contain spoilers which we have chosen to omit for now. If you want to see the full patch notes including spoilers, you can do so here. For the rest, here are the Baldur's Gate 3 Hotfix#1 patch notes for the August 4 update.

Baldur's Gate 3 Hotfix #1 patch notes for the August 4 update

CRASHES AND BLOCKERS

• Fixed possibly getting stuck in a dialogue in the first confrontation with a major boss.
• Fixed a rare issue where player character states would not update properly after dying.
• Fixed a crash that could occur related to one of Astarion's cinematic dialogues in the endgame.
• Fixed a crash that could occur when loading an old savegame while at Last Light.
• Fixed a crash that could occur when using the brain reader in the Colony.
• Fixed an issue that could cause you to get stuck in a loading screen when loading a savegame after dying.
• Fixed a blocker during Character Creation preventing you from progressing if you chose a Zariel tiefling as your Guardian.
• Fixed a potential crash triggered by the light system.
• Added an error message to prevent crashes being caused by mods when starting the game.
• Disabled Larian Account cross-saves temporarily to solve an issue blocking loads and saves. Steam cross-saves are unaffected.
• Fixed a startup crash with the Steam API.
• Fixed a crash that could occur when quick-loading a game while a container or corpse was open for looting.
• Fixed a crash that could happen if an item unlocked a spell for a game entity without stats.
• Fixed a crash that could occur when switching a race or a class in Character Creation.
• Fixed potential crashes that could occur when closing screens like the options menu or when ending dialogues.
• Fixed a potential crash when an enemy tries to use the Motivator during combat in the Steel Watch Foundry.
• Fixed a blocker that could occur if you choose to attack the Emperor during a dialogue after you side with him.
• Fixed a crash in PhysX.

MULTIPLAYER

• Players will now correctly join cinematic dialogues that require all players to be present if they were listening in previously.
• Fixed an issue that allowed players to listen in on private dialogues using the context menu.
• Fixed an issue causing players to get stuck and not be able to join a dialogue if someone else is already in a dialogue.

GAMEPLAY

• Fixed hair physics on drow and elf male strong body types.
• Fixed an issue causing phase spiders to skip their turn in combat if they're standing on a web that's been destroyed.
• Fixed an issue with dice rolling, where retrying could cause the roll to fail if you were applying bonuses and clicking really fast.
• Duplicate spells no longer appear on followers' hotbars and you can no longer customise their radial menus. (Important to note: followers are not companions or full party members.)
• Fixed Dark Urge randomisation in Character Creation for non-white dragonborn characters.
• Fixed an issue preventing you from interacting with Withers in one of the camp locations.

UI

• Fixed issues in cinematic dialogues when listening in.
• Fixed an issue causing the character models for half-orcs, dragonborn, and half-elves to not update correctly when unequipping armour in the character sheet.
• Fixed some issues with prepared spells during Level Up, when multiclassing.
• Hid the version number during dialogues.
• Fixed splitscreen cinematics showing sampling garbage.

AUDIO

• Fixed audio issues with grunts, shouts, and moans across gameplay and cinematics.
• Fixed a line being cut off when speaking to the Restless Myconid in the Underdark.
• Removed a clicking sound during the credits.
• Fixed audio levels in a dialogue with Mayrina in the Lower City.

ENGINE

• Fixed a bug causing textures to appear in bright, neon colours.
• Fixed a splitscreen issue causing characters to remain invisible after a dialogue ends.
• Fixed an aspect ratio issue when FSR is active during splitscreen.
• Fixed surface texture details not updating when changing Texture Detail in the game video options.

CINEMATICS

• Fixed characters looking in the wrong direction in a dialogue with Mizora.
• Fixed the Emperor turning backwards in an endgame cinematic.
• Fixed a camera issue with the deep rothé.
• Fixed camera and lighting issues with the strange ox at Last Light.
• Fixed a blank screen in the cinematic when you put on one of Auntie Ethel's masks.
• The nautiloid crash scene will now play even if your avatar is dead and a companion used the transponder instead.
• Fixed an issue with clipping characters in a cinematic dialogue in the Colony.
• Fixed the avatar's head popping into place in a dialogue in the Colony.
• Fixed Cazador's staff disappearing in a cinematic dialogue.
• Fixed a camera that was zoomed in too far on a wolf.
• Fixed Lae'zel's head popping in a dialogue with Vlaakith.
• Fixed Orin and her victim clipping into an altar.
• Fixed a blocked camera in the dialogue with Lunkbug and Laridda.
• Fixed companions disappearing the morning after the Dark Urge gives into a particular Urge.
• Fixed lighting issues in a scene with Z'rell at Moonrise Towers.
• Fixed Araj's hands clipping when talking to her in the Lower City.
• Fixed some companions being visible in the background of dialogues where they shouldn't be.
• Fixed Ketheric's corpse standing back up in an idle pose.
• Fixed a blocked camera in the dialogue with the ogres at the Blighted Village.
• Fixed Raphael popping during the dialogue with the orthon.
• Fixed camera, audio, and character movement issues in the dialogue with the monk's amulet.
• Fixed a looping animation in the cinematic dialogue with the Brewer.
• Fixed half-orc hirelings clipping when speaking to the pale individuals in Fraygo's Flophouse.
• Fixed male halfling Dark Urge's hand clipping through his body when lying down.
• Fixed lighting issues in the endgame cinematic.
• Fixed Jaheira having jittering and popping hands in a dialogue in the Lower City.
• Fixed a repeating animation on the submersible.
• Fixed Wyll looking in the wrong direction when recruited.
• Added reactions to the player character's face when talking to the ox in Last Light.
• Fixed clipping between two Zealots of the Absolute in the Colony.
• Fixed popping issues with Cazador in several dialogues with Astarion.
• Fixed some issues with where characters are facing, animations, and cameras in the final combat cinematic.

The post Baldur’s Gate 3 Hotfix #1 is out now, fixing up several bugs and crashes appeared first on Destructoid.

As we gear up for the Pokemon Scarlet & Violet double-DLC-drops this year, Game Freak and company are doling out more free gifts for the pair of recent mainline games. This time the newest promo involves a dark Tera Type Charizard: and who doesn't love a Charizard?! Especially given that you can't acquire one in Scarlet & Violet through normal gameplay.

Here's how to get the special July 2023 Charizard

We have a full breakdown on how to access the mystery gift system here. In short, it involves finishing up the tutorial (which requires you to get through the academy portion, after the bout with Arven) to fully unlock the required menu.

After you've completed the tutorial, complete the following steps:

• Press X and select “Poke Portal”
• On the Poke Portal screen, scroll down and find the code option and select it
• Enter the code DARKTERA0006

Here are some details for the July 2023 Charizard in case you need to discern whether or not it's worth even booting up the game for:

• Level 50
• Dark Tera Type
• Moves: Crunch, Flare Blitz, Acrobatics, Belly Drum

This promo will run through August 31, 2023, so you have some time. If you're seeking out more information, the original source of this code is straight from The Pokemon Company's site.

[Update: Nintendo has provided a new trailer for the event, which also ties into an "Obsidian Flames" trading card game product]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4-FOvO4ukY

The post Grab a special Charizard in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet for a limited time appeared first on Destructoid.

I miss Club Nintendo, but My Nintendo is the new reality. Gone are the days of elaborate statues for physical rewards, and annual loyalty bonuses (which, most of the time, ruled!). That said, My Nintendo does surprise us from time to time, and lately, they've been cooking up a ton of rewards to coincide with the summer release calendar. With all of the Zelda, Kirby, and Pikmin rewards on the My Nintendo marketplace at the moment, I figured it was worth reminding people that yes: your points do expire. Here's how to do a quick scan and see when everything will fall off.

[caption id="attachment_393208" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

How to check when your My Nintendo points are expiring

• Head to the My Nintendo website
• Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page and click on the "point summary" link
• At the top of the screen, look for the "points expiration" link and click that

From there, you'll be able to see an itemized rolling total of when all of your points are going to expire month-to-month. That includes Platinum points, as well as individualized mobile game points.

This is an important screen to check every so often (I just did it and splurged on the new Pikmin rewards!), as you'll want to dump points into rewards if they're going to expire at the end of the month anyway. It's a sneaky way for Nintendo to create point churn, and prevent folks from just playing through Fire Emblem Heroes, amassing thousands of points, and saving them for big-ticket rewards.

The post PSA: A lot of My Nintendo rewards are active, so make sure you check when your points expire appeared first on Destructoid.

Nintendo is no stranger to using the "Switch news channel" to give out items, whether you remember it exists or not. As a refresher, that little red speech bubble icon on the bottom of your Switch home screen is actually an app, which occasionally provides free stuff. Sometimes it'll offer up digital items for core franchises, including some promos for Zelda: Breath of the Wild back in the day. Now they're turning their sights to Tears of the Kingdom, and you can take advantage of it.

The news story in question is called "Whip enemies into shape," and you'll just click right on it and launch Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom directly from the app. After that, you'll log in and get the items instantly.

The items you'll acquire from this news story are:

• A Lizalfos Tail
• A Traveler's Sword

This is just enough gear to allow Link to fuse them together to create a whip. Hence, "whip enemies into shape." Cute, but underwhelming.

Yep, that's it! I warned you they were just "OK." Free is free, but hopefully, Nintendo steps things up and at least provides more unique items: potentially some amiibo stuff folks have missed out on (given the current state of re-releases and stock).

[Thanks John!]

The post You can get some free OK Tears of the Kingdom items through the Switch news channel appeared first on Destructoid.

Mastering the art of Dandori

When you’re not out collecting treasures and finding new Pikmin, you can participate in Dandori Battles which have you racing against an opponent to gather the most items. You can play them solo or with a friend. The battles are more challenging than they may initially seem, and it’ll take a fair deal of strategizing to come out on top.

If you want to up your game, learn these tips for winning Dandori Battles in Pikmin 4.

[caption id="attachment_393179" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid.[/caption]

Don’t spread yourself too thin

At first, Dandori Battles can be overwhelming. There are several items to collect, a timer is running, and you also need to worry about hostile creatures. Things get a little easier if you have a good idea of what plates you need to keep spinning. These are the tasks that you need to complete with your Pikmin:

• Carrying items - to win Dandori Battles, you need to score the most points by collecting items and bringing them back to your base
• Defense - you need the Pikmin and Oatchi to take on any creatures that cross your path
• Overcoming obstacles - sometimes obstacles will stand in your path. Use your Pikmin to get around them.

Ensure you have enough Pikmin to delegate to each of these tasks. It may be tempting to have all your Pikmin carrying items, but you’ll soon find that it leaves you very vulnerable.

[caption id="attachment_393180" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid.[/caption]

Take advantage of Oatchi

You have the adorable pup Oatchi to help you out. You can use the dog as a mount, allowing you and your Pikmin to travel faster and jump over obstacles. Oatchi can also charge at enemies, which can be devastating to them. When you’re low on Pikmin, the pup can also carry items.

Cleverly using Oatchi’s abilities will allow you to increase your efficiency. Be careful when taking on enemies with the dog, as it can only handle so much abuse before its health fully depletes and it has to recover before it can be used again. Upgrade Oatchi as much as possible by speaking to Shepherd and spending your accumulated Pup Drive.

[caption id="attachment_393178" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid.[/caption]

Attack your opponent

You and your opponent share a battlefield, allowing you to sabotage their efforts. This can be done by throwing your Pikmin their way and stealing items they are carrying, or by dropping off Sneak Bombs at their base. Your opponents can also interfere with you, so be prepared to defend yourself against hostile attacks.

[caption id="attachment_393181" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid.[/caption]

Go big or go home

Although playing things safe and collecting items closest to your base is a solid strategy, sometimes it pays to be daring and go for the bigger treasures. These will net you more points though you’ll need lots of Pikmin to carry them, and you’ll have to beware of enemies and your opponent that could both sabotage you on the way.

In addition to Dandori Battles, there are also Dandori Challenges to complete. You’ll have to accumulate a certain number of points in a given time to win these challenges. Of course, this means plenty of treasure collecting and monster hunting.

The post Tips for winning Dandori Battles in Pikmin 4 appeared first on Destructoid.

Hee Ho

While Pikmin 4 is very beginner friendly (even from a story perspective!), there are ways you can stretch out more efficiency; which comes in handy if you're ever stuck! Here are some quick ways to smooth out your run.

[caption id="attachment_392866" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Learn to delegate early

Pikmin 4's core tenet is "Dandori," which essentially asks you to delegate which party members gather which items (or destroy certain hazards). This can be as simple as throwing Yellow Pikmin at an electric fence to take it out, while Red Pikmin fight a fire enemy nearby.

As you progress, you'll need to learn to split up your party within each type to ensure you have enough Pikmin for the job. For a particularly big treasure, you may want to toss a few extra Pikmin at it so it gets back to your base quicker (and if you're attacked by an errant enemy, the team doesn't drop the item on the ground).

[caption id="attachment_392860" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Upgrade Oatchi's gathering and exploration capabilities first

As a general rule, Oatchi has two options at their disposal when it comes to upgrading their abilities: combat, and utility.

Combat isn't particularly tough in Pikmin 4, and the game also comes with a handy rewind feature. If, at any time, a battle is so tough that it wipes you out; you can rewind your progress instantly. As such, Oatchi doesn't need to become a combat machine, especially early on.

Instead, when you get the ability to upgrade Oatchi,  you're going to want to go for gathering and exploration abilities initially. This allows you to enter new areas, which in turn will grant you more upgrades (which you can then funnel back into combat if you wish).

[caption id="attachment_392868" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

There's no rush (or overarching time limit)

Don't stress out, and take your time. Despite the fact that each run has a full day and evening cycle (a run ends right before it gets dark), there's no penalty for going back into a level unless you're speedrunning.

If you're just starting out in a new area, get the lay of the land before you attempt to gather everything up. Don't worry too much about trying to get every treasure or captive on the first run.

[caption id="attachment_392871" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Spread out your Pikmin party makeup

You can take three types of Pikmin with you on each run, and the game will recommend the best three for whatever area you're in. That said, you can absolutely deviate from whatever it tells you to pick.

Going even further, make sure you have ample amounts of each Pikmin in your party. Red and Yellow Pikmin are by far the most plentiful types, so balancing an equal amount of those on top of a useful third type will help you clear the majority of the game's puzzles on any given stage.

[caption id="attachment_392858" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

If you're stuck and need to progress - go back and do the dungeons you missed

Dungeons are one of the best ways to wrack up Sparklium: which you'll need to unlock more levels and progress with the story.

If you're stuck, go to the very first level and see if you've cleared every dungeon on the map. Then move to the second level, and so on. You'll be unlocking new stages in no time!

[caption id="attachment_392876" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

You won't need to rewind much, but consider it if you lose Ice or Water Pikmin

Early on, Ice and Water Pikmin are paramount when it comes to reaching new areas in existing levels. Many stages follow a Metroidvania-like design, where you'll need to "come back later" with new tricks to actually access some of the trickier portions.

As such, Ice and Water Pikmin are extremely valuable, and you need at least 10 of them to grab specific items and drag them back through water (or freeze said water). If you lose either of those types and go below a total pool of 10, consider rewinding your session just a tad, and let Oatchi and the Red/Yellow Pikmin do the heavy lifting in tougher combat situations.

[caption id="attachment_392880" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

When in doubt, use Oatchi to slam into things

While Pikmin 4 can throw some head-scratching puzzles at you from time to time, there is a limit to that complexity. If an individual Pikmin can't solve a roadblock, fall back on Oatchi.

Use Oatchi's dash ability (hold X and release) to slam into hazards, enemies, objects, and treasures. Often times a dangling object can be loosened by slamming into a nearby wall!

The post 7 beginner tips to get started in Pikmin 4 appeared first on Destructoid.

A hot season starting to cool down

This year's summer has been chock-a-block with incredible games from Final Fantasy XVI to Street Fighter 6, but things are starting to cool down with the August 2023 games lineup. There are still some great games like Sea of Stars and Baldur's Gate 3 on the horizon. However, we can take a bit of a breather as most of these anticipated titles are fairly niche. Here's everything you can expect from the August 2023 games release schedule.

[caption id="attachment_392530" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via From Software and Bandai Namco[/caption]

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Publisher: From Software and Bandai Namco
Developer: From Software
Price: $59.99
Release Date: August 25
Trailer
Our Preview

The legendary studio behind Dark Souls and Elden Ring (From Software) is bringing back a mech favorite with Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon.  The Steam page claims it's bringing the developer's "signature action gameplay" into the mix with "fast-paced, omni-directional battles." Each fight will be set in "massive stages," and now with better graphical fidelity, the action will look even more intense and stunning. While there isn't any Souls-like combat from this sequel, you can deeply customize your mech just how you'd like it.

Your judgment will impact your mech's movement and even its battle style. The Steam page claims that "each mission can be approached with a unique mech strategy." Something you'd expect from From Software is boss battles; this game comes with them in spades. Hopefully, this game lives up to the extremely high expectations of the developer's huge fanbase after its 2022 magnum opus Elden Ring. From the pedigree alone, this is one of the most anticipated August 2023 games.

[caption id="attachment_392533" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Larian Studios[/caption]

Baldur's Gate 3 (PC)

Publisher: Larian Studios
Developer: Larian Studios
Price: $59.99
Release Date: August 3 (PC) and September 6 (PS5)
Trailer

RPG fans, rejoice! Baldur's Gate 3 is finally leaving early access on August 3. There is deep customization in the game, allowing you to pick from 12 classes (with 46 subclasses) and 11 races (including 31 subraces) for your hero/heroine. Larian Studios also claims your decisions will leave an impact on the storyline. "Every choice you make drives your story forward, each decision leaving your mark on the world," says Larian on the game's Steam page. "Define your legacy, nurture relationships and create enemies, and solve problems your way."

We'll see how grandiose the story is when the game fully releases, but it certainly sounds promising. As the game is set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, it will be based on the 5e ruleset. You'll be rolling the dice for your actions during combat and can interact with the environment in unique ways. Oh, and you can have romantic relations with a bear...if that's your thing.

[caption id="attachment_392534" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via EA[/caption]

Immortals of Aveum (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Publisher: EA
Developer: Ascendent Studios
Price: $59.99
Release Date: August 21
Trailer

If you're tired of guns and want a bit of a change-up, there's Immortals of Aveum with magic instead of ammo. You'll be blasting away all sorts of foes with 25 different spells at your disposal. There are also 80 talents to learn in this FPS single player campaign. As one of the battle mages, you're tasked to save the world from villains who plan to send it to the abyss.

The game looks exciting with plenty of intriguing enemies to fight and a sense of verticality within its level design. The graphics look pristine as well with gorgeous visual effects and grand environments.  It's one of the more intriguing August 2023 games on this list.

[caption id="attachment_392536" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via EA[/caption]

Madden NFL 24 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Publisher: EA
Developer: EA Sports
Price: $69.99
Release Date: August 17
Trailer

EA has a busy month in store because Madden NFL 24 is also dropping in August. Instead of slinging spells, you'll be throwing footballs and handling them better with an improved version of FieldSENSE. EA claims on the game's Steam page that it's "giving you greater control and delivering realism to all the ways you play." Additionally, there's a new feature called the SAPIEN technology. Apparently, it adds more realism to the body definition and variation of the athletes' physiques. EA claims this results in "realistic player movement."

EA also says that your teammates' ratings and situational awareness have improved since the last game with better AI. Thankfully, Madden NFL 24 will include crossplay, allowing you to play with your friends on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. While this is not my particular cup of tea (soccer should be called football, damn it), this year's Madden seems to be a big step up. It might be worth waiting for it to come to Xbox Game Pass, however, like Madden NFL 23.

[caption id="attachment_392538" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Sabotage Studio[/caption]

Sea of Stars (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC)

Publisher: Sabotage Studio
Developer: Sabotage Studio
Price: $34.99
Release Date: August 29
Trailer

Sea of Stars is the standout indie out of the August 2023 games list. Sporting wonderful 16-bit inspired graphics, Sea of Stars will wrap you up in some good ol' JRPG goodness. It's seemingly inspired by classics like Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG. There's a turn-based combat system that relies on timed button presses. If you time them correctly, your damage will increase. As the game proceeds, each combo will progress in difficulty.

The animations are absolutely gorgeous within the art style, adding even more of a nostalgic rush to the game. The game does feel modernized, however, with no random encounters and no grinding to speak of. Go at your own pace and stop The Fleshmancer performing their evil doings. To keep you entertained, there are other activities in Sea of Stars, such as fishing, cooking, and a tabletop game called Wheels.

[caption id="attachment_392540" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Fireplace Games[/caption]

Honorable Mentions

• Thronefall (PC) - August 2
• Flutter Away (PC, Switch) - August 3
• Atlas Fallen (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC) - August 10
• Moving Out 2 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC)  - August 15
• En Garde! (PC) - August 16
• Marble It Up! Ultra (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) - August 17
• Bomb Rush Cyberfunk (PC, Switch) - August 18
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)
• Ride 5 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC) - August 24
• Goodbye Volcano High (PS4, PS5, PC) - August 29
• Samba de Amigo: Party Central (Switch) - August 29
• Under the Waves (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC) - August 29
• The Shape of Things (Switch) - August 31

The post Most anticipated game releases – August 2023 appeared first on Destructoid.

Remember these before you start hoeing

Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life has finally arrived on modern platforms, and I am so excited for anyone about to experience this game for the first time. This is my favorite game in the Story of Seasons franchise. In my 9.0/10 review, I called it a "...remarkable experience..." that "takes the classic farming formula and gives it a purpose beyond just seeing how many S-ranked tomatoes you can grow." I love this game, and I hope you will too. But if this is your first time playing A Wonderful Life, I've collected this short list of tips to help you get started with your new life on the farm.

[caption id="attachment_388889" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

1. Befriend this guy as soon as possible

It's important to befriend all the townspeople in Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life because their friendship will benefit you and your farm. But besides the person you intend to marry, the first person you should befriend is Daryl.

Go to the dig site, and if you find any fossils or old coins, give them to Daryl until your friendship grows to the point where he'll start giving you stuff. It's worth it, trust me.

[caption id="attachment_388891" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

2. Just keep digging

The archaeological site in A Wonderful Life is quite different from the various caves you mine in other Story of Seasons games. It hardly takes any energy—if it takes any at all—and everything you do at the site is at the behest of Carter. You're there to look for stone slabs, but anything beyond that you can keep for yourself. The dig site starts small and grows as time goes by. What's important to remember is that when you're digging at the site, don't just dig once.

Digging in the same spot two or three times might bring up an object you'd have missed if you only dug once. You'll know there is an object in the ground to collect whenever you see a part or even specks of an item in the dig spot. Keep digging until you fully remove it, then go ahead and dig one or two more times. Who knows, there could be another valuable item down there. I suggest digging in each spot at least twice, even if it already looks like it's been dug up when you arrive at the dig site.

[caption id="attachment_388894" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

3. Remember to check the bulletin board twice a season

One of the new additions found in Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is the bulletin board. This is where the townsfolk will post requests for you to fulfill. Most requests must be filled within the current season.

As you advance further into the game, you'll get requests with different time limits. The rewards you get for completing these requests aren't exceptional at first, but they get better as time marches on. New requests will populate the board on the first of each season and on the sixth.

[caption id="attachment_388890" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

4. Visit the sprites daily for recipes

Cooking is a staple of the Story of Seasons franchise, and it's no different in The Forgotten Valley. You can get recipes from other people in town, but if you want to fill your collection quickly, visit the sprites at the tree at the end of the forest every day. Eat the mushroom outside the treehouse to shrink like Alice, then talk to one of them for a free recipe.

Some days you won't get anything, but in your first year, you should always make it a point to stop here every day.

[caption id="attachment_388893" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

5. All those old guides still work

Back before every gaming site was publishing guides, players could reliably visit a small selection of websites where guides were written up by passionate fans of whatever game they were playing. The Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons series is no exception, as you can find highly detailed guides for just about every game in the franchise.

That includes the original A Wonderful Life. And because this is a faithful remaster, all those old guides you can find online from 20 years ago still work today. Not everything will still be relevant as the Story of Seasons version of the game simplifies some of the farming elements, but if you want to make sure you woo the right bride or groom, those guides will help you get the job done.

The post 5 quick tips for starting Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life appeared first on Destructoid.

Early game tips for Final Fantasy XVI

I’d say Final Fantasy XVI is finally out, but compared to previous series games, this one hardly felt like a wait. Still, I think I speak for everyone when I say that Creative Business Unit III’s take on the mainline series has drawn a lot of curiosity. Fortunately, the final product is as fantastic as I hoped it would be.

Final Fantasy XVI marks a bold new direction for the franchise. If you’re a fan of the previous turn-based entries, this game may feel downright alien at the start. Thankfully, Final Fantasy XVI takes many steps to help ease players into its mechanics. With time, you too can Precision Dodge into deadly counterattacks that trigger long, impressive combos. So whether you’re an action game enthusiast or a total newbie, here are ten tips for Final Fantasy XVI that will enhance your early game experience.

[caption id="attachment_388115" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

1: Check the blacksmith often

A couple hours after the prologue for Final Fantasy XVI ends, you’ll find yourself in your first hub area. Naturally, this is where you’ll handle some basic upkeep between exploring fields and charging through dungeons. This is also where you’ll see the blacksmith, who you should check in with often.

Crafting isn’t necessarily deep here. Basically, you’ll shove materials you found into your equipment to make some numbers a little higher. Still, don't leave those stats on the table, especially when weapon upgrades can help take enemies down faster. Check for a circle marker next to the Blacksmith or Shop icons to see if they have new goods for you!

[caption id="attachment_388116" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

2: Watch which moves deal HP or Stagger damage

In your skill tree, you’ll note that abilities have star ratings that indicate both their raw damage and their stagger damage potential. These aren’t hard to understand, but in the thick of combat, it’s easy to just spam abilities off cooldown and hope for the best. However, you could seriously boost your damage output by using your moves strategically.

This especially applies to the early game, where your pool of Eikonic abilities is still relatively sparse. Moves that primarily stagger enemies can actively waste your time if you use them when an enemy is already staggered. Conversely, if you use your strongest HP damage abilities when a foe is already staggered, you can stack 150% damage modifiers on them.

As your playstyle evolves, you may opt to ignore staggering enemies depending on your build. Either way, as you equip abilities, make sure you know what you’re putting in those ability slots.

[caption id="attachment_388117" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

3: Activate Active Time Lore when you need it

The plot in Final Fantasy XVI can get pretty dense. You may infer key details from context, but just a few key background details can help immerse yourself in the story. That’s where Active Time Lore comes in.

Anytime during a cutscene, hold the touch pad button to open the Active Time Lore menu. This will show you a small handful of lore blurbs relevant to your point in the story. This is especially helpful near the beginning of the game when terms like Dominants and Bearers get introduced in rapid succession. You don’t need to use this throughout the entire game, but definitely check your Active Time Lore if something confuses you.

[caption id="attachment_388118" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

4: Respeccing is free

As you progress your skill tree in Final Fantasy XVI, you’ll see a mixture of cheap upgrades and expensive abilities to unlock. If you have your eyes on, say, the Flames of Rebirth move, you might think to save your ability points. Don’t do this!

Respeccing is fast and free in Final Fantasy XVI. If you aren’t in combat, you can get your ability points back from any skill, no questions asked. In other words, if you’re saving for an expensive ability, invest in other skills in the meantime and reallocate those points later. As a bonus, this system makes it very easy to experiment with different playstyles. Find what works best for you!

[caption id="attachment_388119" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

5: Use ranged attacks to learn attack patterns

Bosses in Final Fantasy XVI are absolutely bonkers. We’re talking multiphase, bombastic enemies that stretch the limits of what your PS5 can even handle. These encounters can easily pummel anyone who recklessly charges, which is where ranged attacks come in.

To learn attack patterns, it helps to keep a small distance while pelting magic with the triangle button. This makes it very easy to find out how long certain enemies will wind up moves, or what areas certain attacks will strike. Then, once you have the rhythm of the fight down pat, rush in to start comboing between Precision Dodges.

Honestly, it can be easy to forget you have magic at your disposal in any given moment. If a boss absolutely prevents you from closing in on them, chucking magic can help you squeeze in a few hits as you wait for them to return to the arena.

[caption id="attachment_388120" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

6: Pay attention to your grey health

When Clive takes damage, you should notice two things about your health bar. Firstly, you’ll lose health, because… well, that’s how video games work. But more importantly, you’ll also notice that part of your health bar becomes greyed out. This is no accident.

While grey health doesn’t contribute to your overall health pool, you can restore it using certain abilities. The biggest example of this is Torgal’s Cure command, which will slowly regenerate your grey health specifically. The Flames of Rebirth ability follows the same rules with its healing properties. To heal beyond this, you’ll want to either use an item or wait for a level up, which will fully restore your HP.

[caption id="attachment_388121" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

7: Remember that you can charge attacks

Once you start unlocking skills, you’ll discover charge attack options for both your melee and magic buttons. Don’t forget you have these once you unlock them!

The game will instruct you that charged attacks can break enemy shields, but that’s far from their only use. For example, when you’re still in recovery frames after finishing a combo, you can hold down an attack button to prepare a strong strike, even when you'd normally have to wait to start swinging again. Use all the tools at your disposal!

[caption id="attachment_388122" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

8: Stock up on items if you’re having trouble

Unlike classic RPGs, you can’t grind until you can afford 99 potions to breeze through every dungeon in the game. Clive can only hold a handful of each item, but they can easily make the difference between victory and defeat.

If you're stocked on items, any potions you find will turn into instant healing. Additionally, stat buff items like Stoneskin Potions can help you withstand attacks you don’t know how to dodge or amplify your damage during burst windows. They’re relatively cheap to stock up on, so you might as well grab them in case of an emergency.

[caption id="attachment_388123" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

9: Complete sidequests when you find them

So I don’t mean to sound any alarms with this tip, but Final Fantasy XVI does have points of no return. These generally won’t take you by surprise, as the game will nudge you to take care of unfinished business beforehand. However, they do exist. I recommend you clear side quests as you progress so nothing passes you by.

Granted, most side quests in Final Fantasy XVI involve small stories that flesh out the world. They do have some nice rewards, but missing them won’t ruin your save file or anything. Completing them does make Final Fantasy XVI feel more like an RPG than a character action game, though, which brings me to my final point.

[caption id="attachment_388125" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

10: Explore and find treasure chests

Final Fantasy XVI is not an open world game, but I wouldn’t say this is a bad thing. Like the NES and SNES Final Fantasy titles, many areas hide treasure chests to uncover if you spend time exploring. I recommend checking any curious corners or hallways you find to get the most out of Final Fantasy XVI, especially if you’re approaching it more as an RPG.

While most accessories you’ll find won’t necessarily change your game experience, they still add a great sense of discovery to the game. And at the end of the day, you paid $70 to play something you enjoy. Take the game slowly, soak in the scenery, and get as invested in the world as you want.

We don't know if we’ll ever get another mainline Final Fantasy game like this again. But if there's only one tip you should take going into Final Fantasy XVI, it's to enjoy it while it lasts.

The post 10 Beginner Tips for Final Fantasy XVI (FF16) appeared first on Destructoid.

Get Cold, Hard Cash Fast

Since the launch of Tears of the Kingdom, there have been a few money-making glitches that players have happily exploited. Many of the exploits have been patched away, but there has been a new one found that is quick, reliable, and effective. The only downside is that it requires an ability that is acquired a few hours into the game, so the glitch can't be used straight away.

To learn how to use the frozen meat glitch in Tears of the Kingdom, read on. Be aware that Tears of the Kingdom regularly receives updates, so although this trick works on all versions currently (up to and including version 1.1.2), it could be patched away soon.

[caption id="attachment_387710" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid.[/caption]

Items Required for the Frozen Meat Glitch in Tears of the Kingdom

Prior glitches have been somewhat complicated and finicky, but this method requires just a few resources and it can be done repeatedly without fail. To do the glitch, you need two pieces of meat. The more expensive the meat you use, the more money you'll make.

Gourmet Meat is the best option, though other kinds of meat such as Raw Prime Meat will also work. Crabs and similar creepy crawlies don't work. You also need two weapons, and this can be something as simple as a tree branch.

Lastly, you need the Autobuild ability. It takes a bit of effort to unlock this ability, and a few quests need to be completed for Robbie. Using Autobuild requires Zoanite, so make sure you're stocked up on this as well. Once you've got everything you need, it's time to get rich.

[caption id="attachment_387712" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid.[/caption]

How to Perform the Frozen Meat Glitch in Tears of the Kingdom

There are a few steps needed to do the frozen meat glitch, but it isn't anything that will have Link traveling to all the corners of the map or attempting to perfectly time item drops. When performed correctly, Link can make thousands of Rupees in mere minutes.

[caption id="attachment_387720" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid.[/caption]

1. Create Meat Sticks

The first step involves fusing your chosen piece of meat onto a weapon. After this has been done, drop the weapon. Repeat the process, then use Ultrahand to fuse the meat sticks.

[caption id="attachment_387721" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid.[/caption]

2. Create a Pile of Meat Sticks

Now that your meat sticks have been created, you can replicate them using Autobuild. Do so, and fuse the two new meat sticks to the two original ones. Repeat this process until you have a fused pile of about twenty meat sticks.

[caption id="attachment_387717" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid.[/caption]

3. Visit a Snowy Region

The next step is to find a snowstorm. The quickest way to do this is to warp to Orochium Shrine which is beside Snowfield Stable. From here, rest at the inn until nightfall. Typically, when Link wakes up, a snowstorm will be raging. If not, simply sleep until the next evening.

[caption id="attachment_387716" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid.[/caption]

4. Bring Up the Pile of Meat Sticks Again

With Link standing in the snowstorm, access the Autobuild ability and bring up the meat pile from Link's history. Do not build the meat pile - simply hold it up and let snow fall on it. In a second or two, piles of frozen meat will rain down. Claim the meat and repeat the process to your heart's content.

[caption id="attachment_387714" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid.[/caption]

5. Cash out

With an inventory full of frozen meat, head to a buyer. If you're still at Snowfield Stable, simply speak to Beedle and he'll gladly buy Icy Gourmet Meat for 40 Rupees and Icy Prime Meat for 28 Rupees. Considering how quickly you can collect 500 pieces of meat, this method has the potential to make Link a very wealthy Hyrulean.

Consider saving some of that frozen meat because it is very useful when in a pinch. In addition to replenishing Link's hearts, frozen meat also provides heat resistance, allowing Link to survive in hot climates without wearing special armor.

The post Get rich quick with this frozen meat glitch in Tears of the Kingdom (TotK) appeared first on Destructoid.

It's easier to save Sanctuary with a few friends

The decision to make Diablo 4 have a more streamlined multiplayer aspect has been a success for the most part. However, for a game that unveils its online capabilities very early on, it's certainly lacking in ways to take advantage of those capabilities.

Diablo 4's Dungeoneers seem pretty united in the demand for Blizzard to add an LFG system.

Fans over on the Diablo subreddit have made their voices heard with over 280 upvotes in favor of the game adding some sort of "looking for group" option.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Diablo/comments/1433xro/diablo_4_needs_a_lfg_option/

Why Diablo 4 Dungeoneers demand an LFG system

First, let's be honest. Sometimes, Diablo 4 can be hard. If your build is not quite fleshed out just yet, or if you're attempting a Capstone Dungeon just a little bit earlier than recommended, it can be tough taking on the forces of Hell alone. Also, with a game that has a pretty well-done World Boss system, it would be nice to be able to create an efficient group to tackle such content.

Even though it wasn't perfect, Diablo 3 had communities that allowed us to find friends for tasks like bounty farming. Obviously, it's different, but Blizzard has crafted a pretty good LFG system for World of Warcraft. Of course, not as intricate of a system is necessary for Diablo 4, but perhaps something similar.

Dungeons themselves offer the perfect opportunity to group up with fellow players. Even though you can change difficulty in the game based on World Tiers, being able to quickly and easily group with others to tackle a specifically pesky dungeon would be perfect.

[caption id="attachment_385614" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Possibilities for an LFG system or similar in the future

Right now Diablo 4 has a pretty bare bones clan system. If an update made clans more similar to communities in Diablo 3, that might help players find groups.

Thankfully, the recent Diablo 4 Campfire Chat brought some pretty good news. During the stream, game director Joe Shely confirmed the team plans to implement more social features in future. They specifically highlighted a goal to eventually integrate a way for players to jump into dungeons with random players.

Unfortunately, the devs also pointed out that a system like that would take some time and probably wouldn't be in the game until around Season Two or Season Three.

Regardless of their final decision, it seems Blizzard realizes something needs to be done. I'd imagine we will see some sort of LFG system added to Diablo 4 for Dungeoneers in time.

The post Diablo 4’s Dungeoneers unite in demand for an LFG system appeared first on Destructoid.

The War for Cybertron comes to Fortnite

A new era is arriving for Fortnite, and this one is going to be a little bit wild. Fortnite Wilds is the name of the new season for Chapter 4 Season 3, introducing players to various map changes and content. The best part is that its release is impending across all platforms.

Fortnite Wilds Chapter 4 Season 3 release date, revealed

As announced during Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest livestream, Fortnite Wilds drops on Friday, June 9, 2023 worldwide. If the season follows the more recent trends of Chapter 4 seasons, it should last for about three months before giving away to a brand new one.

Wilds has quite a lot in common thematically and visually with a Chapter 2 season, Primal. During that season, players had a more feral and primitive island to check out, which had taken over wildlife. Fortnite Wilds has a similar theme, if the new reveal trailer is anything to go by.

What’s new to Fortnite Wilds Season 3

https://youtu.be/P2JnTforl_4

From this preview, there is a fair bit of information that we can glean about the upcoming Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 3. Wilds will apparently feature some massive changes to the island, including what appears to be a large crater somewhere on the map.

This crater looks fairly massive, with various ruins, temples, and other structures throughout it. This return to a more untamed island also means the long-awaited return of the velociraptors from Chapter 2. The trailer shows a squad of players riding them, so it seems that players will be able to tame these creatures and use them as pets once again.

It’s uncertain if there will be other animals added to battle royale, besides the raptors, but there are a host of new characters who will be debuting on the island. The most surprising of these is the latest crossover character in the form of Optimus Prime from the Transformers universe.

With the summer blockbuster film, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Optimus Prime and potentially other characters are coming to Fortnite Wilds. For now, the leader of the Autobots is the only confirmed character from the franchise, but there is always the chance that someone else, such as Megatron, could make an appearance.

There is also a glimpse of Fishstick firing Optimus Prime’s cannon in the trailer, which could indicate that a new limited-time weapon could be arriving this season. Regardless, Epic Games already teased some of the characters for the new Fortnite Wilds Battle Pass. It looks like Meowscles is getting a new tiger version, alongside an Ultron-like robot character, and more.

Thankfully, players don’t have to wait too long to see this new season, as it arrives on Friday, June 9, 2023.

The post Fortnite Wilds Season 3 release date & information, revealed appeared first on Destructoid.