During the One Six Indie Showcase 2024, we were treated to a trailer for a brand new DLC for Rain World. This DLC, The Watcher, looks to take players to unfamiliar territory for a new Slugcat adventure, and fans want it to go as far as possible.

Eagle-eyed fans spotted several key details in the trailer for Rain World's The Watcher DLC, including a lack of Iterators, walking snails, and some fresh-looking animated backgrounds that hint at new environments. The franchise is known for an incredibly complex ecosystem that interlinks as you explore, with every environment impacting the other in some way. But fans want something that cuts deep from the DLC. A region or regions cut off from what we've seen before.

Where are the Iterators?

Long before the DLC's trailer was released, Rain World fans on the game's subreddit had been discussing what they wanted from it. User ANBpokeball sums up what a lot of other fans want. "Exploring new regions, seeing new creatures, meeting Slugcats other than the protagonist, and getting to meet one of the iterators other than Five Pebbles or Looks To The Moon."

This would be brilliant. Iterators are massive entities that house entire ecosystems. They're also said to create the rain that gives Rain World its name. In the base game and other DLC, you can see other Iterators in the distance when you reach the top of one, as high as you can go.

The featured image for this article shows a Slugcat at that point, and there's a shocking lack of Iterators. This hints that The Watcher DLC could be set at a different time, in a different dimension, or in a region separate from the rest of the franchise.

We can actually look to the Akupara Games page for the DLC for some clarity here. "Journey beyond to something, somewhere only ever glimpsed. When the world beneath your feet cracks and crumbles, will you hold on to all you once knew? Or dive into the unknown?"

It suggests we'll be somewhere in the Rain World series we've never actually been able to visit. Part of what makes the franchise so intriguing and gripping is its complex ecosystem that you sneak, run from, and fight your way through across many playthroughs.

From the sounds of it, I'd say we're heading to a dry location, somewhere the ground cracks and crumbles away from an Iterator. It could reveal the planet's past below the crust of dirt and away from the fairly familiar territories we've known around these large machines. Having played Animal Well earlier this year, I'm excited to play as another creature delving into the depths.

Fans want something new, and the trailer and description certainly make it look like that's what we're getting. We'll have to wait until March 28, 2025, to know for sure, and if you're new to the series, that should be just enough time to get caught up on everything you need to know before The Watcher DLC drops.

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Minecraft developer Mojang and MOD Entertainment revealed the Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue in early 2024. The one-hour-long real-world activity had to be delayed, but now it's coming up for its Dallas launch on October 18, 2024, and all attendees can get their hands on an exclusive reward.

Anyone who buys a ticket and plays the Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue will receive an exclusive in-game cape for Minecraft that's half-villager, half-zombie. It looks pretty great and acts as a nice bonus that'll help the event last even longer in your mind when you see it each time you log in. You don't even need to visit Dallas just to get the cape because the entire thing is going on tour, meaning there's a good chance it'll turn up near you in the future.

Now that's a nice cape

In the Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue, iconic locations and creatures from the game are brought to life. You start in the forest, where you'll learn the ropes of how mechanics in this experience function. From there, you'll enter the village, where you'll pick up your quest and team up with other real players to complete your task. I'm going to go ahead and guess, given the experience's name, that you'll be rescuing a Villager.

There will be multiple biomes to explore and creatures to meet along the way. While you can gush over the dolphins, sheep, and pigs, the skeletons and spiders aren't so friendly. Luckily, the experience has everything you'll be used to from the game, so you'll be able to fend off any mobs.

The most interesting thing about the Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue is the Orb of Interaction. This is an object you hold and take with you throughout the story to interact with objects, enemies, and every biome as you would in the game. It's got some sort of haptic feedback built in, so I imagine it vibrates in specific ways for each type of interaction, but it should also change color depending on what you're doing.

Considering you can build an entire universe in Minecraft if you work hard enough, a 1-hour experience sounds a little small. However, you do get to chill out in the Trading Post with a memento afterward, so you might be able to make an entire morning or afternoon out of it if you want.

Of course, the long-lasting reward from the experience is going to be that in-game cape. Given that you can only get it from this touring physical event, I can see it being pretty rare and desirable. Between this and the fact that you can keep the whole experience to an hour if you don't want to spend an entire day on it, I think the Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue could be pretty popular, especially with fans who aren't excited for the movie.

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Despite developer Saber Interactive being hard at work making Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 as good as it possibly can be, it's managed to cook up a ferocious new game mode for World War Z: Aftermath. The new mode sounds like a tonne of fun, but only for those players ready to take on an impossible challenge.

Saber Interactive has been pretty busy over the last couple of months with the final prep and then the launch of Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2. On September 24, 2024, it's releasing a new game mode, Extinction Challenge Mode, for World War Z: Aftermath. This is the ultimate challenge for players, requiring skill, determination, and knowledge of every system just to have a chance at making it through a few checkpoints.

This new mode isn't built to be fun, it's made to push you

Extinction Challenge Mode for World War Z: Aftermath makes all zombies more aggressive and harder to kill as a baseline. There's usually a group of pretty docile or dormant zombies in each stage, regardless of difficulty. I imagine those are now gone, and needing to reload is going to be a bigger problem than it normally is with tougher and crazier hordes of undead throwing themselves your way.

The real run killer of this mode is that you're now dead after just one incapacitation. Usually, you can be revived at a few points throughout a level, but now it's only possible to respawn at checkpoints. Death is going to be more frequent because the mode also makes it harder to distinguish allies from enemies among the throng of bodies that's always around you.

I adore World War Z: Aftermath. I love the progression systems it has, and every mission on every difficulty feels just right. Seeing Saber Interactive continue to support it because of its players gives me hope that I'll be playing both it and Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 for years to come since the developer's latest game has a similar progression path for you to follow.

Saber Interactive initially released World War Z in 2019 before launching a current-gen version, World War Z: Aftermath, in 2021. It's been supporting the game ever since with a regular flow of content updates for both in-game skins, Twitch Drops, and much more. It's had a pretty stable fan base since launch thanks to receiving new features that feel as good as Helldivers 2's 60-day update but without the low points.

The Extinction Challenge Mode is just the latest example of what this developer is capable of when it's allowed to listen to a community and act on the feedback it provides. I can't say I'm excited about the prospect of dying over and over in this game mode, but I'm so happy that there are still fresh experiences to be had in one of my favorite games.

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While EA FC 25 players on Xbox consoles continue to be impacted negatively while trying to access the trial, EA Sports has figured out a temporary workaround.

Those with an Xbox Game Pass subscription are entitled to play up to ten hours of the game at no additional cost. These benefits are available to all users on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles. Unfortunately, many users have been unable to to play, as the trial version gives out an error message about it being unavailable. While EA Sports continues to work on the issue, they have also advised a workaround for those affected by the glitch.

How to play EA FC 25 EA Play trial on Xbox

EA Sports have officially posted the latest workaround on their communications channel, and it should work if executed correctly.

• Go to the store page.
• Search EA FC 25.
• Select the Free Trial version.
• Launch Xbox Dashboard.
• Go to Settings
• Enter Network Settings.
• Go Offline
• Return to the game.
• You'll encounter an in-game network message. Press A to proceed.
• Launch Xbox Dashboard.
• Enter Settings, and go to Network Settings.
• Go Online.
• Return to the game.

If done correctly, you should be getting a 'Welcome to the Club' message, which also means that the trial is working fine. Do note that you'll need an EA Play membership, and this problem only persists for those who don't own the Ultimate Edition. If you have that, there shouldn't be any problem trying to play the game on your Xbox consoles.

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When you're done with the campaign in Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2, there's still a lot of work for you to do. Every class has a skill tree to unlock perks at every level using experience gained from PvE and PVP activities. But you can speed the process up.

It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things you need to level up in Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2. Not only do you need to level up classes to unlock new perks and customization options, but you've got to grind their weapons too, so you can open up stronger ones with more interesting skins. However, it doesn't need to feel like a marathon because there are a few ways you can optimize your levels and experience gained.

How to level up fast in Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2

Below, I've listed the best ways I've come across that will help you level up quickly in Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2. The most important thing is to have fun. So, if any of these options don't feel fun to you, try something different because there's no point having a terrible time in a game like this.

10. Follow the advised level progression in Operations mode

This is the most important tip in the entire article. Operations mode has an advisory level range for every difficulty. While you gain more currencies from higher-difficulty missions, you'll have a terrible time doing them if you're under-leveled. The difficulty level ranges are as follows.

• Minimal: Level 1-5
• Average: Level 5-10
• Substantial: Level 10-15
• Ruthless: Level 15+

Note that this is the level your class must be at for the missions. I had the worst time pushing into a mission on a difficulty that I wasn't ready for, and it took forever just to lose it in the end. Hitting missions within your level range will ensure you always finish the missions and get the XP you're after.

9. Change classes regularly

Changing classes between missions will ensure you're always trying something fresh. I often find that I need to change my class when I jump into a mission anyway because one of the other players in the squad is already running it.

While yes, it's nice to grind out one class after the other, and you can definitely do that if you want to, this practice will make leveling up easier overall. A helpful team player is a better team player, and you don't want to be the Heavy hog.

8. Use the weapons you're comfortable with until they're maxed out

Don't stress yourself out by grinding multiple weapons and reaching each level cap simultaneously. Weapons change per class, and you can alter yours as you select a new class on the go. It's easier to roll with the default weapons first, level them up to their maximum, and then start tweaking builds so you're still making meaningful progress. You need time to learn each weapon, so make things straightforward, and don't worry too much about changing up your guns every single time.

7. Opt for Quick Match Operations missions

Quick Match is a godsend for grinding out experience. Just select your difficulty level and matchmake into someone else's mission. You'll get all the XP from a successful completion, and you won't need to set up everything every time you want to play. This helps out other players, too, so it's a win-win.

6. Jump into one PvP match every two Operations missions completed

PvP in Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 is an acquired taste. It's not easy by any stretch, but it's a different mode that will break up the monotony of Operations mission after mission. Hit a PvP match every now and then so you don't get bored by repeating missions, and you'll give yourself another way to earn some additional XP.

If you end up enjoying PvP more than Operations, you could even shift your grind over to this mode entirely. There's definitely something to be said for getting good at PvP because prestige levels are on the way at some point over the game's first year of updates.

5. Keep an eye out for Gene-Seeds in Operations mode

Gene-Seeds are additional items you or anyone else in your team can pick up in Operations mode. The goal is to hold it and take it to the end of the mission without dying. If someone drops it, someone else needs to pick it up. These provide extra XP for mission completion, so they're well worth keeping an eye out for.

4. Play the objective and don't go for every execution

It's easy to want to go in for every execution you can get in Operations mode. However, this won't net you as much XP for your weapons because you're just not using them as often. Unless you're running a class like Vanguard or Assault, stick back and do what your class does best.

Snipers are best at killing from afar, Heavy is great for laying down and suppressing fire, and every other class has its strengths that utilize weapons over melee as well. If your goal is to gain more XP, stay back and blast those Xenos.

3. Equip perks and upgrade weapons with every level you gain

Give yourself a break from playing missions and head to the Armory to equip yourself with the perks you've unlocked every time you gain a level. It's only a small thing, but it'll make each class you level up stronger as you grind, and the stronger you are, the easier it is to play more missions and grab all that XP you're after.

2. Stick with a team for as long as you can

Once an Operations mission ends, you don't need to head off and matchmake again. You'll stick with the same team for as long as they don't quit or kick you. I find that it's better to try to keep with the same team for as long as possible because you'll find that you gel well together after understanding how everyone plays.

Of course, the best team to play in is one with your friends, but I've had the best time playing with randoms too. As long as everyone is doing their part and you're having fun flying through missions, there's no need to quit and matchmake again.

1. Pick a Chapter cosmetic to unlock, then pick another, and then another

This last tip is one that's incredibly important for your mindset. It's so easy to get bogged down in the numbers for your weapons and how many perks you've unlocked for your favorite class. However, Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 has pre-set Chapter customization options for every class that you can purchase once you've earned enough Armory Data.

Open these options and pick one that you like because of the colors or because of that Chapter's values in the wider lore. Then, once you know which Chapter you want to pick up first, play until you've unlocked it for every class. Then repeat this process until you've got every Chapter unlocked.

It's such a small thing in the great scheme of the game, but it'll help you pull back from the numbers and focus on something that's a lot more fun to grind for. If you're focused on earning just a little more Armory Data instead of a set amount of XP, you're more likely to hit your goal. It just so happens that this goal will also net you a tonne of XP.

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A Bump in the Road is the quest in Fallout 76 that sees you join a business partner and start your own caravan company. This is an intrinsic part of the Fallout universe, and now you get to engage with it every time you log in.

You'll need to seek out the A Bump in the Road quest in Fallout 76 by heading to Skyline Valley on the map. It should be automatically added to your quest log as a side quest once you're in the area. Check your Pip-Boy for details and track it so you don't lose sight of what you should be doing. As for tackling the quest, you're going to need to get a little violent and learn the ropes of what it takes to be a caravan guard in the Appalachian Wasteland.

How to complete A Bump in the Road in Fallout 76

Below, I've explained how to complete A Bump in the Road in Fallout 76 in easy-to-follow steps. It's not a hugely complex quest, but there are points that can trip you up if you don't know what to do, as well as some tough enemy encounters that will throw you off.

Step 1: Investigate the flare

The first part of this quest sends you to a lookout tower to investigate a flare. It's pretty straightforward in theory. Just head to the location marked on your map and have a look around. That is until you reach this location and realize that you're in for a tough fight.

The area is filled with high-level Super Mutants, and they're out for blood. One has a minigun up in the tower, a few have grenades, and the others just want to rip you apart with blunt objects. Bring your most powerful weapons to this fight because they won't let up. I ended up ripping them apart with a powerful axe because I couldn't land a shot.

Once you've cleared out all the Super Mutants, and make sure you really have cleared them all out, you need to search the cage underneath the lookout tower. There's a body in here with an item called Luke's Holotape that you must pick up and listen to.

The Holotape has a harrowing final note on it from Luke, a man working as a caravanner who took a risk he shouldn't have. He asks you to pick up the cargo from the Brahmin he was using and take it to Milepost Zero. You'll find the Brahmin next to the cages of flesh at the top of the camp.

Step 2: Visit Milepost Zero

Your next objective is to visit Milepost Zero, a new location right at the bottom of the map. I fast traveled to a nearby camp and walked along to it, but make sure you watch out for Feral Ghouls in the area because they are no joke.

Here, you'll meet Marley. She's trying to start her own caravan company and needs a little help. If you want to help her, you're going to need to buy into the company to get it off the ground. This costs 500 Caps, which isn't cheap, but it also won't take you long to earn that many if you play well.

Step 3: Complete a Caravan: Skyline Drive World Event

Once you've paid your way in, you'll need to head out and complete a Caravan: Skyline Drive World Event. This is pretty simple to do either by speaking to Marley and asking to run a caravan or by joining a World Event that's already in progress. The symbol you want to pick to join this World Event on the map looks like a Brahmin head and will transport you directly to it.

These World Events aren't the easiest to complete. The Brahmin, your caravan, will head to its destination, and you've got to defend it from everything under the sun that tries to kill it. I encountered some incredibly high-level enemies doing this, including a Blue Devil, which wasn't fun at all.

There will also be sections of trees on the road that slow your Brahmin down. You'll need to cut through them with your weapons and rush the Brahmin on to get the mission done within the time limit. However, once you reach that destination, you'll receive a big package of Supplies and other useful items.

Step 4: Return to Marley

Head back to Marley at Milepost Zero and talk with her. Since you're now part of the caravan company, you get a say in who you hire. This will cost you Supplies, which you can earn more of by completing more Caravan World Events.

The employees you hire will add new elements to the caravan company's HQ. For example, I hired a Brahmin Tamer, which allows you to have easy access to Brahmin Milk. There are several employees to hire, and you'll eventually want to invest in them all by completing more World Events and spending those supplies. Over time, you'll create an incredibly profitable business.

After making your first hire, you'll complete the quest. This leaves you all set up for more caravan runs and the prospects of building a booming business in the post-apocalypse.

The post How to complete A Bump in the Road in Fallout 76 appeared first on Destructoid.

Developer Digital Extremes has revealed some of the quality-of-life improvements coming to Warframe with its Koumei & the Five Fates update. Interestingly, there's a huge focus on streamlining the game for newcomers, something Warframe has seen a lot of over the last couple of months.

The Koumei & the Five Fates update for Warframe launches in late 2024 and brings with it a new Warframe for players to master, as well as additional story content to dig into. However, in a recent blog post, Digital Extremes showcased how this update will also make the game more approachable as a newcomer. The game has seen loads of people join after leaving Destiny 2 following Bungie's layoffs, so this update couldn't come at a better time.

Demystifying the basics

There are loads of quality-of-life changes in this update that I wish I had when I was first getting into Warframe, but it's good to know they'll be there for new players. For example, stats have been shifted from your starter Warframe to make things a bit less overwhelming when jumping into the experience as a fresh player. A few other things, such as opening hacking puzzles and the time to intubate your first Kubrow have had time reductions to get you into the game and help you understand it much faster.

There's also going to be much more guidance in the game. A good example of this is when you come to sell unmastered items. You'll soon be greeted by a popup that tells you it's better to hit Rank 30 with it before selling it so your Mastery Rank benefits as much as possible from your time played.

New abilities that you unlock will now have their input shown alongside their information on-screen when you first unlock them. I can't tell you how many times I've thought that it's great I have a new ability for a Warframe that I have no clue how to trigger.

What might be the best improvement, though, is Relic breakdowns. This is a small tab that'll appear when you hover over a Relic, displaying the owned and crafted status of their rewards. Relics are an abuse mechanic in Warframe, but they're essential to unlocking Prime Warframes without spending real-world cash, so they're a necessary evil. Soon, they'll just be a little less evil to work with.

It won't end with Koumei & the Five Fates either. Digital Extremes has explained that future updates will tackle other systems such as the Star Chart and understanding the order of main and side quests. Once you're into Warframe, these don't pose much of an issue at all, but they're definitely a barrier to entry that would be hard to push past without the game's incredibly helpful community on hand.

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Publisher Focus Entertainment has responded to dozens of the questions that Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 fans have been asking since the game's release. Chief among the answers are details of changes coming to Veteran difficulty and PvP spawn camping, though many more are listed.

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 is an incredibly solid title that blew fans away when it was initially released. Over 2 million players jumped in within the first week, and it doesn't feel like things have slowed down since. Focus Entertainment has been welcoming questions from fans when it comes to requesting features and feedback, and the publisher has now answered a lot of these in a massive Q&A session on Steam.

Soon, Chaos won't be able to track our spawns

The most impactful responses from Focus Entertainment that I've noted are for difficulty and PvP. Veteran difficulty for the game's campaign is going to be adjusted in the future because it's just too challenging when playing solo. Part of the problem is that the AI bots aren't as useful as they could be, but this is by design because developer Saber Interactive doesn't want the bots to take all the glory and focus from the real players.

This is something Focus Entertainment goes into great detail on because a fair few players have called out the bots for not being as good as them in each mission. The same goes for certain weapons, or every weapon that isn't the Melta Gun, that feel as though they're underpowered. This is being looked at and changes are on the way, but there's no date on when.

The fix that I think is the most important is a fix for spawn camping in PvP. You can walk around to the enemy team's spawn point with a Heavy class and annihilate them for more than a minute before the spawn resets to the opposite side of the map. Thankfully, spawn protection is coming in a future update, after which I think PvP will be in a much better state.

There are loads of other tiny fixes on the way that'll make Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 feel even better as we play it for dozens more hours while unlocking every perk and cosmetic. While we won't be getting Chaos Space Marine armor, it does look like XP sharing for kicked players, new classes, and more melee weapons are definitely on the cards.

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 really delivers the Warhammer 40K fantasy in video game form. There's so much to do in it already, and with features like PvP prestiging and more Operations missions on the way, there's never been a better time to dedicate your life to the Emperor and join in.

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Developer FuturLab has announced that the Shrek Special Pack for PowerWash Simulator will be released on October 10, 2024. The DLC adds a selection of new levels from the Shrek cinematic universe alongside a fancy new costume to wear while cleaning.

PowerWash Simulator's Shrek Special Pack was revealed during a Nintendo Direct earlier in 2024, but no release date was given for it at the time, outside of a fall release window. Now we know exactly when we'll be able to return to these fantastical lands and experience the messier side of it all. FuturLab has also confirmed the locations we'll be able to clean up, including one that I'm particularly excited about because it's definitely going to be the most covered in colorful spills and thrills.

I need a hero

The levels that the Shrek Special Pack takes PowerWash Simulator players to in October are as follows.

• Shrek's Swamp: The big green ogre's home turf has been coated in a thick layer of colorful grime that has the audacity to make it look more fun. Clean it all up and admire the easter eggs and attention to detail in every inch of the location that's been painstakingly pulled together from the movies.
• Duloc: Duloc castle is usually dull and grey, but a few artistic knights took it upon themselves to spruce the place up. Clean up all their hard work and get the castle back to being as efficient and oppressive as can be.
• Fairy Godmother's Potion Factory: This is the location I'm most excited about. It gets colorful and messy in the movies, and everything is just as disorganized and unsightly as you'd expect from the aftermath of Shrek 2. There are even working machines to clean up as you go, which is no easy feat by yourself.
• Dragon's Lair: Dragon's treasure is as dirty as can be, so you need to return it to its shining glory. There are tasty treats to uncover in the grime, though I'm not sure I'd eat them after seeing what was on top of them.
• Hansel's Honeymoon Hideaway: Shrek and Fiona really pulled a number on this place. Sort it out, and try not to let your imagination get too carried away while you do.

Every level can be played in co-op or solo, so you can clean and clean until you're completely cleaned out. As with most levels in PowerWash Simulator, there are easter eggs and audio tidbits to unlock as you clean up each section of every level. This means it's well worth cleaning everything to 100%, just in case you miss an iconic callback to any of these fabulous films.

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The Electric Trilogy challenge in Hitman World of Assassination is one you must complete on the Haven Island location, and it requires you to electrify all three main targets to death. This is no easy feat unless you know exactly what you're doing.

Haven Island is a dense location in Hitman World of Assassination. It's got three main targets to kill and several core areas that they'll move through. You can even kite one of the targets across the entire map if you want. But we won't be doing any of that to tackle the Electric Trilogy challenge. Instead, we're going to make every target come to us so we can take them all out simultaneously. It feels appropriate that this challenge was added with The Drop DLC pack for the game because it's just as complex in theory but relatively simple in practice as that Elusive Target mission.

How to complete the Electric Trilogy challenge in Hitman World of Assassination

Below, I've outlined the best path for completing the Electric Trilogy challenge in Hitman World of Assassination. Use the Resort Pier starting location and bring a silenced pistol and a coin, at the very least. It would pay to bring an Emetic Poison Vial with you, but you can pick up a substitute later if you don't have one.

Step 1: Grab a disguise

The first thing you need to do is head along the pier and to the left from your starting location. Keep going until the pier leads onto the beach. You can pick up an Emetic Flower at the location shown in the map reference above. Note that you don't need this if you've brought an Emetic Poison Vial.

Keep running along the left-hand side of the island until you reach the villa. This location is shown in the map reference above. There's a camera above the main doorway that's worth shooting out. However, you can climb over the wall if you follow the left-hand wall up the island until you spot the gap at the top.

Vault over the wall and duck into the grass. This is where you need to use your coin to lure a guard down to you, subdue him, and take his disguise. If you've unlocked the lab hatch here, take that downstairs. Otherwise, you'll need another route.

Step 2: Get into the lab

Next, make your way to the location shown on the map reference above. The entrance to the lab is next to the bar on the beach, underneath the staircase to the villa. You've got to wait for a lab tech to exit the lab, get a drink, and then follow him through the door when he heads back inside.

You'll have no trouble sneaking into the lab if you're wearing the guard disguise. From there, head downstairs and into the glass room above the servers. This is where things start to get tricky.

Step 3: The setup

Head left out of the glass room, careful to avoid the camera, and up onto the walkway. You can shoot the camera behind you out as well as the one looking over the servers. Your main target is actually a plug in the central podium on the lower floor. You can see it in the image above as the tiny yellow item on the left, out of the three yellow icons in the middle of the room.

Shoot the plug and take the time to ensure it's broken. This will save you precious time later on. Now, you need to get back into the glass room you entered when you first came down here.

The ventilation system is on the right-hand side of this room, but one of the lab techs will stand close to it, shredding paper without moving unless you make him. To do this, flick a coin onto the same raised floor as him but close to the steps leading up to it.

This will distract the tech, at which point you must get up to the ventilation system and use your Emetic Poison, whichever you've brought, to poison the entire system. After a few seconds, everyone in the server room will get sick and begin to leave.

Now you can turn off the ventilation system to clear the gas. Run down into the server room and pull out all four servers from the stacks around it. These are pretty obvious, but you'll need to be fast because lab techs will come down to investigate the distractions. You need to pull all four at once to trigger the alert and draw in your targets.

Step 4: Wait for the kill

Once you've pulled all four servers and triggered the alert, your targets will make their way down to the central podium. If a camera has caught you, it's worth heading there first to sabotage the data, but it's not essential.

From here, head back up to the walkway where you shot the plug. Either side will do. You've got to wait for all three targets to be on the podium. Then, shoot the water cooler next to them. This pours water all over the floor and onto the plug, electrocuting all three and completing the Electric Trilogy challenge.

Exit the mission however you want. My preference is the plane on the beach because you can access it via the ladder just off of this walkway. For completing this challenge, you'll unlock the ICA Proximity Micro Taser, which is an incredibly useful tool for future kills in Hitman World of Assassination.

The post How to complete the Electric Trilogy challenge in Hitman World of Assassination appeared first on Destructoid.

Mint Sorbet is a cool, sweet treat in Disney Dreamlight Valley. It's an easy two-star recipe you can make in the game for a decent amount of Star Coins.

Where to find Mint Sorbet ingredients in Disney Dreamlight Valley

To make Mint Sorbet in Disney Dreamlight Valley, you'll need two ingredients:

• Mint
• Slush Ice

The herb Mint can be found growing within the Frosted Heights biome. Look at the ground and try to find the herb risen from the ground. It has green leaves and a brown stem. It's easy to find multiple of this resource in the Frosted Heights.

Slush Ice is much harder to get as you need to complete Remy's quest The Unknown Flavor, which unlocks after reaching Level 10 friendship with the rat. After finishing this task, you can buy Slush Ice from Remy's Kitchen for 150 Star Coins.

Where to make Mint Sorbet

To make a dish of Mint Sorbet, you'll need to approach a cooking station at your home, Chez Remy, or at another stove, perhaps in Mickey's house. Throw the Mint and the Slush Ice into the pot and use one coal to start the cooking process. After a few seconds, you'll get your hands on the Mint Sorbet. Now you've made a two-star recipe that can help towards some Dreamlight goals.

You can sell the Mint Sorbet for 260 Star Coins or get 695 Energy for consuming the meal. After this, you could get more adventurous in the kitchen with dishes like Creamy Garlic Scallops and Chicken Souvlaki.

The post How to make Mint Sorbet in Disney Dreamlight Valley appeared first on Destructoid.

Developer VEA Games and publisher Knights Peak have announced that Nikoderiko: The Magical World will be released on PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, and PS5 on October 15, 2024. The game pulls inspiration from some of the best platformers of the 90s and looks to be filled with nostalgic moments.

In Nikoderiko: The Magical World, you take on the roles of Niko and Luna, either solo or in co-op with a friend. You'll platform your way through challenging levels and boss encounters and work your way across seven memorable worlds to defeat greedy villain Grimbald of the Cobring Gems Company, who has put the animals of this world to work mining treasure for him. It's a simple story but one that sets the tone and serves as a great excuse to play through just one more level before you stop.

Relive classic platforming levels in a new light

I grew up playing platformers like Crash Bandicoot, Donkey Kong Country, and my personal favorite, MediEvil. I adored these titles because they had simple gameplay that grew in complexity over time without ever getting bogged down in so many systems that they felt unapproachable.

They also featured so many memorable moments, from boss stages to particularly tough levels that drove me around the bend, and even funny moments between my friends and me as we laughed about how Sir Daniel Fortesque walks.

Nikoderiko: The Magical World looks to have all of this and more to offer with modern visuals and quality-of-life improvements. Bosses can pop through stages as you rush through them using a 2.5D camera. You'll find yourself working through tight, linear levels chasing an objective or running from something big, pushing to grab every collectible and finish each level just to see what you unlock next.

I don't have all the information at the time of writing, but based on the trailer, I'd say this game will have just as many reasons to replay every level as titles like Crash Bandicoot did. Collecting items and unlocking hidden paths to secret levels are in the DNA of this genre, so I'd be very surprised if something similar wasn't in Nikoderiko: The Magical World.

Indeed, the game's Steam page confirms you'll collect items to unlock mounts and magical friends. I just hope there's a little more under the hood when we get our hands on the game.

We cannot wait for the world to play Niko’s adventure. It is truly our (humble) love letter to the past thirty years of fantastic jump & run classics.

Dmitry Smirnov, Creative Director, Nikoderiko: The Magical World

Aside from the minecarts and, quite frankly, gorgeous art direction, I think what sets Nikoderiko: The Magical World apart from other modern platformers is the inclusion of couch co-op. This has always been important, but so few modern games have it as a feature. With less than a month until launch, I'm excited to see how the platforming community receives it and whether the game can live up to the titles that inspired it.

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Hifumi Kono's original 1995 Clock Tower game is finally making its way over to the U.S., and it's doing so two days earlier than Japan. WayForward's Clock Tower: Rewind revival is now set to launch on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC in the Americas and Europe on October 29, 2024.

Outside of folks who have played the ROM or watched Shinya Arino brave its horrors on Game Center CX, most westerners likely first encountered the series on PlayStation. WayForward's update takes the Super Famicom classic and breathes new life into its horrifying hallways. The original gameplay is still intact along with the graphics and sound, but now there are some quality-of-life improvements in the mix along with added features. 

That fresh content can be found in Rewind mode. There's a new animated intro, as well as functions like save states, rewind (hey, it's in the title!), a music player, art gallery, and vocal songs by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn and Emi Evans. There's also the aforementioned Clock Tower Commercial Sampler demo for a nice piece of video game history. You can get an idea of how it's shaping up in a recent gameplay video:

It's very appropriate that Japan gets this one on October 31, but two days earlier ain't bad. Either way, it's the perfect time of the year to spend running like mad from Scissorman. 

Beyond the Clock Tower update, WayForward set a release window for River City Girls 2's Double Dragon DLC. Bimmy and Jimmy will join the brawl sometime this fall, which is a slight delay from the original summer plans. 

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Following the reveal of the first piece of concept art and details for the next Battlefield entry, fans are reminding each other to avoid jumping on the hype train. This community feels like it's been burned before with past entries, and now "no pre-orders" has become its motto.

The first piece of concept art for the next Battlefield game was revealed in an exclusive with IGN. In the accompanying interview piece, Head of Respawn & Group GM for EA Studios Vince Zampella pointed to Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4 as the peaks of the franchise's modern era shooters. While that's encouraging and exciting news, fans remain skeptical and are trying to hold each other accountable to avoid creating an uncontrollable hype train.

Don't get carried away

Zampella doesn't announce that the next Battlefield game, which still doesn't have an official name, will follow the same path as Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4. However, he does point to them as the peak of the series' modern era. "I mean, if you look back to the peak or the pinnacle of Battlefield, it's that Battlefield 3… Battlefield 4 era where everything was modern."

For any other series, a situation like this, a return to what fans consider to be the best it ever was, would be a time to rejoice. However, Battlefield fans feel like they've been here before with Battlefield V and Battlefield 2042. They've gotten excited about a new game before realizing that it just doesn't live up to the older titles and drop off it almost immediately.

That's why fans like user Stan Tannev on Twitter are reminding each other not to pre-order the game. It's the same in comments on this article on the Battlefield subreddit. There's a sense of genuine excitement for the return to the modern era, but the community is also saying that DICE needs to prove it's listened.

While pre-orders aren't the be-all and say-all for a game's success, they're a massive early indicator of success. If the Battlefield community stays strong and withholds pre-orders until a multiplayer beta or demo goes live, at the very least, it'll send a strong message to the powers that be.

Adnan Muse puts the experience of being a Battlefield fan over the last couple of years into context better than anyone. "Bro, they got me last time for $100, NEVER again."

Gone are the days when AAA games held enough power to guarantee success. Call of Duty, arguably Battlefield's biggest competitor, dominates the shooter market. This next entry needs to differentiate itself and stand out in the market if it wants to win back its community and attract newcomers amid a sea of similar shooters that do roughly the same thing. There's a reason players keep going back to Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4 after all.

The post ‘No pre-orders’: Battlefield fans are wary of hopping on the hype train for the newest one right away appeared first on Destructoid.

Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition is nearly 10 years old at this point, but it's finally making its way to current-gen consoles. THQ Nordic announced plans to release the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions on October 15, 2024. 

You'll be able to hop back in Death's ethereal saddle for $29.99. Those who already own the PS4 or Xbox One versions, however, can snag Deathinitive Edition as a free upgrade. For everyone else, there's a half-off discount in place for pre-orders until October 14. 

Previewed below, the PS5 and Xbox Series version of Darksiders II adds 4K resolution, ray tracing, and enhanced lighting. There are also haptic feedback features in place for PS5's DualSense controller, and both versions have improved loading times. 

Darksiders II was fantastic when it debuted on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 way back in 2012, and the upgraded edition has been a great way to play for nearly as long. Beyond the upgrades unique to current consoles, Deathinitive Edition adds in all the downloadable content and some fine-tuning to the loot distribution and game balance. Other aspects — including character, and environmental visuals — have also been tweaked since the initial launch. 

Most of all, I respect THQ Nordic for sticking with a title as silly as Deathinitive Edition for so long. Hopefully, the game itself holds up better than the name in 2024. I've been itching to dive back into this series for a while now, so this is as good an excuse as any to do so.  

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I've been excited about The Plucky Squire since Devolver Digital first announced it back in 2022. Even though I don't usually love platformer games, I was instantly drawn to its peculiar, dimension-bending mechanics and a particular type of art style I've been familiar with for years.

I was worried at first, too. I've had my heart broken one too many times, banking on my admiration for its style, only to wind up with a messy, incoherent, or straight-up boring ordeal. There was a small part of me harboring hesitancy, hoping this wouldn't be the same. Thankfully, making an optimistic-fueled gamble with my time paid off, and I walked away happier than ever before after venturing out of my comfort zone. Well, except during a few puzzles, but that lies entirely in my problem-solving abilities.

The Plucky Squire (PC [Reviewed], Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5)
Developer: All Possible Futures
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Released: September 17, 2024
MSRP: $29.99

Throughout The Plucky Squire, you play as a famous hero named Jot whose goal is to thwart the villain, Humgrump's, plans of spreading evil and chaos across the land of Mojo. While it starts as your typical 2D RPG experience of defeating monsters and chapter bosses, you'll soon learn where the game's meat and potatoes come from: Jot and his friends are all characters in a book, and thanks to Humgrump's magic, you can hop between dimensions and advance your journey in the real (well, game) world.

I'll come right out and admit it: the jumps between 2D and 3D maps were already enough to sell me on the game before I even hopped in and checked everything out for myself. The last time I experienced anything remotely similar was when I played Super Paper Mario. I went in already feeling eager to play, and that only continued to grow as The Plucky Squire proved just how far you can push creativity and gameplay experimentation once you combine multiple game genres under one title.

When I say multiple genres, I mean it in the best way possible. At its core, it's an action-adventure game that feels like your standard "hero saves the day" premise, but there's a whole lot more you'll find as you continue forward. I even got to play a brief rhythm game along the way, initially catching me off guard but making me chuckle as I realized what was going on. You can spend a few minutes fighting enemies, only to find yourself back on the desk flying around the map using rockets. There are a ton of seemingly random elements thrown into the mix, but it makes for some hilariously entertaining moments.

With that said, the game relies on this a lot. The Plucky Squire takes around 9-10 hours to complete, and during this, you're introduced to so many features that, on occasion, it gets a little hard to remember everything. You'll also briefly use several one-off abilities for various bosses or puzzles before they disappear, leaving you either wanting to try it again or being thankful you never have to do it again. I found most of them quite fun, but a few had some funky mechanics that were a tad difficult to control. Sometimes, a trusty sword is all you really need. Either that, or I'm not meant to wield a bow.

Speaking of combat, expect to fight a lot. In both the 2D and 3D world, you're constantly up against random enemies and surprisingly unique chapter bosses. Something All Possible Futures and Devolver Digital pulled off particularly well here is giving you a reason why all these monsters are just kind of here. You also have unique battles for nearly every boss, so you won't have to worry about mindlessly slashing your sword around for minutes straight each time. If anything, my only wish was to have more to do in the 3D world, as most of its excitement came from later chapters.

I could say this about a good chunk of The Plucky Squire itself. On one hand, it's a book that follows a linear story of having a brave hero set off to defeat an evil villain. At the same time, there's barely any opportunities to venture off the beaten path and set off on brief side adventures or exploration. The puzzles add some variety and opportunity to explore. Beyond this, you're set on one particular path with no way to differentiate one playthrough from another unless you go back to find every collectible.

Fortunately, this leads to a major plus: the story. The entire game takes place in a storybook and the world beyond it, and it manages to weave everything together perfectly. This is where linearity also serves as a strength to make the plot easier to understand, digest, and immerse yourself in without getting too distracted. Every aspect of The Plucky Squire — the visuals, landscape, characters, and even audio — is all fine-tuned to fit and enhance the story. Whether you're looking for beautiful art, comedy, or occasional sad moments, you'll see all of it here. There are even plenty of puns, which I was more than happy to appreciate.

It is clear right from the start that this is Jot's story, though. While this doesn't come as a surprise, especially with him being the Plucky Squire himself and the main protagonist, the other characters are either there to give you information or follow you around as Jot does everything. A few eventually help you out later in the story, but for the first few hours, they almost serve as distractions rather than companions. Some locations give a similar vibe, acting as places you can run around in and check out but not necessarily interact and immerse yourself in. They're just kind of there, whether you like it or not.

Even with that said, I really enjoyed exploring the game's environments, especially the 3D landscape. Getting lost in all the clutter reminded me of how messy my desk usually is and got me to do some organizing. I've forgotten just how many times I accidentally found collectibles because I went behind the wrong bottle of paint, wooden block, or tree, but it cracked me up every time it happened. You can even change the world through word manipulation, making for some wacky shenanigans if you grab the right words later.

The Plucky Squire manages to expertly craft an adorably interesting story full of lovable characters, enjoyable narration, and near-perfect parallels between its 2D and 3D worlds. While some parts need just a bit more polish, it exceeded my already high expectations and gave me nearly a dozen hours of laughs, fun, and mental exercise. Plus, well, seeing its cast of cute little characters suddenly turn into buff badasses is a great bonus.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: The Plucky Squire appeared first on Destructoid.

Pathea, the developer behind My Time at Portia and My Time at Sandrock, has announced a third game in its cozy life sim series. My time at Evershine pushes the franchise into a new age with a story-driven campaign, brand-new art direction, and a wild frontier to tame.

My Time at Evershine promises to redefine the life simulation genre. As you can see in the trailer below, it boasts a bold new art direction, but the changes go much deeper. In addition to the cozy life sim elements fans know and love from the series, there's a deep RPG system with quests and a major storyline in place. Pathea aims to broaden the game's appeal with these new elements, offering much more variety and multiple paths for players to pick when it comes to progression or an endgame.

Your time to shine

As with previous entries, Pathea will be launching a Kickstarter campaign for My Time at Evershine on September 24, 2024. You can sign up to be notified when it goes live and keep track of every milestone it hits. If you're a fan of the franchise, it's also worth joining the official Discord server so you can chat with the developer and learn even more about this title.

In addition to revamped mechanics and the renewed vision for combining story with the cozy life sim elements fans know, My Time at Evershine is set to have a 40+ hour narrative. As you play, you'll explore a vast and engrossing world, get stuck into the town management side of things, and, of course, pursue a meaningful relationship with one of the many romanceable characters.

The two most striking changes in this latest installment are the larger story elements and the focus on exploration. The story has a more defined antagonist, and it sounds as if it'll give you more of a reason to play the game each day rather than just waiting for your potatoes to grow.

You'll be building a new settlement on the edges of the Free Cities. This requires you to recruit settlers and slowly build up an infrastructure that can sustain itself and thrive before the story is over. The influence of the Duvos Empire is a monolithic opposing force, but instead of fighting it with firepower and rebellion, it sounds very much like you'll be pulling together a band of people and magical creatures who simply want to exist outside of the regime.

This sounds a lot like Fallout 4's settlement system to me. But what I want to see from it is more characters with deep backstories just living a simple life in a small settlement, putting their knowledge or craft to use in a kind, mellow way as opposed to what they've done in the past. I definitely don't want to be constantly told about other settlements I must go out and save, but it may come with the RPG territory.

You can play solo or in multiplayer with friends, but you'll also recruit up to three NPCs to help you out during the day. Each one has its own needs you'll have to take into account while playing, and Pathea has outlined that it's aiming for 8-10 romanceable characters. Given the new art direction, I can see a lot of fans getting hot under the collar for My Time at Evershine's cast very quickly.

Evershine is a new location you'll explore in the series' overarching story. It's nestled between the Duvos Empire and the Alliance of Free Cities. Both powers are moving to secure as much land as possible after the Duvos Empire decided to lay claim to the Orzu Ruins, which is where you come in. You've got to make Evershine a defensible position just in case things go south, and ensure it's set up to last for decades as the Alliance of Free Cities expands.

The post My Time at Evershine is a new era for Pathea’s cozy life sim series appeared first on Destructoid.

Updated: September 16, 2024

Checked for new codes!

Slimes might seem small and easy to kill, but in Slime Slaying Simulator, you're faced with killing so many in a world packed with them that they'll become the bane of your existence. In these vast worlds, fighting slimes is a noble cause for which you're handsomely rewarded.

While the game's name might make you think of a cheap knock-off Dragon Quest title, this Roblox game is far from it. In Slime Slaying Simulator, you're taught the basics and then are sent out into the world to kill slimes, earn new gear, and unlock new parts of the world so you can conquer the Slime Queen and many more monstrous enemies. You can even hatch friendly slimes to help tackle the bigger enemies and ensure the world is saved from a sticky, gooey end.

All [NEW] Slime Slaying Simulator Codes List

[NEW] Slime Slaying Simulator Codes (Working)

At the time of writing, there are no working codes for [NEW] Slime Slaying Simulator. The game was only released in early 2024 and is still very much in early development. I confirmed this when I jumped into the game and received a reward for being one of the players who tried it out early.

The only boost to your profile you can get is from having Roblox Premium, which entitles you to Double Gifts. The Gifts in-game are timed chests that award your guild XP and help you level up faster. This game is a bit of a grind when it comes to these systems so having more Gifts is definitely a good thing, especially while the game is still early on in development.

[NEW] Slime Slaying Simulator Codes (Expired)

At the time of writing, there are no expired codes or, as I've mentioned above, codes of any kind for [NEW] Slime Slaying Simulator. The game is still being created, so we'll have to wait for codes to be issued once the bulk of the work has been done and the developer is happy that the game is in a good place so players can start getting some.

Related: Bellwright is a promising start for a settlement-builder in which you enact a rebellion

How to redeem codes in [NEW] Slime Slaying Simulator

Since there are no [NEW] Slime Slaying Simulator codes at the time of writing, it's impossible to say how you'll redeem them once they're out. However, I believe it will be a similar process to other Roblox games in that you'll have a dedicated Redeem button and a textbox where you'll input codes and see rewards applied to your account.

How can you get more [NEW] Slime Slaying Simulator codes?

When codes start to be issued for [NEW] Slime Slaying Simulator, they'll appear on the game's Roblox page and the creator's Twitter account. If you've been playing a lot, it's worth keeping an eye on both of these, as codes could start to go out at any point. While there could be a code collaboration with some of the other games the creator has worked on, that's not certain, so we'll keep an eye out and add any additional sources we find to this article as we see them.

Why are my [NEW] Slime Slaying Simulator codes not working?

If your [NEW] Slime Slaying Simulator codes aren't working, there could be one of two things wrong. First, the codes might have expired, so you won't be able to claim their rewards. Second, you might be misspelling the codes. You must type in the codes exactly as they appear in this article because they're often case-sensitive and won't function if you get them wrong.

If you've found a code we haven't and it doesn't appear to work, there's a good chance it's not actually a code. While it's worth trying every code just in case you get a reward, some will never work because they're either made up or have been posted incorrectly.

Other ways to get free rewards in [NEW] Slime Slaying Simulator

Free Gifts is the only other way to get free rewards in [NEW] Slime Slaying Simulator. These are timed chests that you can see on the right-hand side of the screen and will open over time. A Roblox Premium membership will increase the number of Free Gifts you can get. However, you'll get enough to make the game feel great to play without that membership.

What is [NEW] Slime Slaying Simulator?

[NEW] Slime Slaying Simulator is a Roblox game in which you're tasked with killing slimes and not much else. The worlds are filled with slimes to kill, and they come in a variety of colors that determine their strength and power. You'll upgrade your character over time and push through each world, killing the massive bosses like the Slime Queen as you go.

I really love the pet slime mechanic that you can play with. It allows you to earn eggs and hatch slimes that will follow you and help you in combat. Nothing is more satisfying than using slimes to kill bigger slimes and make the world safer. I'm also a sucker for any game with a decent grind, and repeatedly killing slimes for loot just feels great in this game, especially because you can see the drop rates for certain enemies in the main hub.

The post [NEW] Slime Slaying Simulator Codes (September 2024) appeared first on Destructoid.

The Plucky Squire is an innovative adventure puzzle game that takes you on a journey through 2D and 3D spaces in its world. You'll meet all sorts of wonderful characters and get to experience puzzles themed around stories in more ways than you might first expect.

When I first saw The Plucky Squire, I thought it was a platformer that took place entirely within a storybook's pages. I really did think it was a 2D game, but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that the gameplay has so much more depth and enters the realms of 3D space for its puzzles and story. It's a game indie fans won't want to miss, and it pays to know exactly when it's going to be released. So you can clear your schedule and enjoy everything the game has to offer in one go.

The Plucky Squire release date & times

The Plucky Squire will be released on September 17, 2024. After four years in development, the team is very excited to get the game into the hands of real players. As such, it's outlined exactly when the game will go live in each region. I've listed all of the worldwide release times below, so you can track when you need to be free to download and play it.

• Los Angeles (PDT): 9 AM PDT on September 17, 2024
• New York (EDT): 12 PM EDT on September 17, 2024
• Brazil (EDT): 1 PM BRT on September 17, 2024
• London (BST): 5 PM BST on September 17, 2024
• Spain (CEST): 6 PM CEST on September 17, 2024
• Cape Town (SAST): 6 PM SAST on September 17, 2024
• Finland (EEST): 7 PM EEST on September 17, 2024
• Goa (IST): 9:30 PM IST on September 17, 2024
• Amsterdam (CST+1): 12 AM CST+1 on September 17, 2024
• Tokyo (JST): 1 AM JST on September 17, 2024
• Victoria (AEST+1): 2 AM AEST+1 on September 17, 2024

With The Plucky Squire launching on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC, you can play it pretty much anywhere. The game is even verified for Steam Deck, so you don't need to wait for experts to tell you what settings to play it on. You can just dive right in.

This game is a great little title to complete between major releases. At the time of writing, we've just had a huge launch in Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2. Now, a lot of people are looking forward to The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom at the end of the month, and The Plucky Squire fits in nicely as a game to twiddle around with in the meantime.

The post The Plucky Squire release date & times appeared first on Destructoid.

The BLGS is a five-week series of matches between major ALGS (Apex Legends Global Series) events. 2024 is the first time this series has ever been given a chance to flourish and take center stage between LANs, and now you can clear your schedule so you don't miss a single match.

The BLGS series was announced during the ALGS Year 4 Split 2 Playoffs. With the ALGS Year 4 Championship taking place in Japan in 2025, there's a huge gap between the end of the last LAN and the start of the next one. That's why BLGS is being brought into the spotlight as the series to watch if you want Apex Legends esports action over several weeks while you wait. We've never had this much pro Apex Legends gameplay on display, and it feels like a great year to be a fan.

BLGS match schedule, dates & times

At the time of writing, the only information we have for BLGS matches is the qualifiers. There are four of these, and the winners from each will make up the teams that we'll see in the BLGS finals. I've outlined exactly when you can watch these matches below. While times aren't available right now, I'll add them in as soon as they are.

• BLGS Qualifier 1: October 16, 2024
• BLGS Qualifier 2: October 23, 2024
• BLGS Qualifier 3: November 20, 2024
• BLGS Qualifier 4: December 4, 2024

What is the BLGS?

The BLGS is a mid-season series for the ALGS, hosted by NiceWigg and Greek, who run the ALGS B-streams. As we approach the ALGS Year 4 Championship in Japan in 2025, a huge time gap needs to be filled. ALGS Year 3's final event, the Championships, was in September 2023.

Bringing these LAN events so close together creates a bottleneck. Fans want to attend the best event possible and don't have the holiday time or money to attend every single one. That's why they wait for the Championship if they have to pick just one to attend.

Shifting the ALGS Year 4 Championship to 2025 creates a gap that fans want to have filled, and BLGS does just that. You can watch it from home on the ALGS YouTube and Twitch channels and enjoy it just as much as the LQCs that take place leading up to the Championship.

I have been aching for an event like this to come along so that I have something I can tune into at home with my kids. LANs are great, but they're such massive ordeals that make you feel like you can't miss a second. BLGS is going to be much more relaxed, with a wider range of teams on the roster, and I can't wait to see how it goes.

The post BLGS match schedule, dates & times appeared first on Destructoid.

The ALGS (Apex Legends Global Series) Year 4 LCQ (Last Chance Qualifier) Finals APAC-S is over, and HAVOC has emerged from the carnage as the victors. They fought so incredibly hard all weekend to get into the Finals matches and then pushed as hard as they could to secure this win.

HAVOC fought against 20 other teams across 8 matches in the ALGS Year 4 LCQ Finals APAC-S, Apex Legends' esports series, to secure their win. This is no easy feat, especially after a grueling weekend of group stages, eliminations, and the finals at the end, which have their own rules that put everyone on a level playing field to start. The entire set of matches on this final day was incredible because we saw the circle move just about everywhere. Of course, the key takeaway from this is that HAVOC is heading to Japan in 2025 for the ALGS Championships.

Wreaking havoc

HAVOC took the win almost by surprise when we hit match 8. Every caster and viewer, myself included, thought the matches could keep going on until we hit 25, which was the mathematical limit before a winner absolutely had to be crowned.

Havoc pulled out all the stops in this last match, even though other teams, like Kill Devil, were pushing just as hard. In fact, Kill Devil looked like it would take the series with match 8, hot off a win from match 7 and looking as though they were gunning for victory.

The finals for the ALGS Year 4 LCQ Finals APAC-S have been just as exciting as any major LAN event finals. Every team was giving it their all, likely aided by being in familiar settings instead of having to travel around the world to compete together.

For those who don't understand the rules, the final day of any ALGS event sees every team start at 0 points. Over the course of every match, placements and kills earn a team points. Once a team hits 50 points, they can then win the entire tournament if they win the following match or any subsequent matches.

The goal of the ALGS Year 4 LCQ Finals APAC-S was to give teams an opportunity to secure their place in the ALGS YEar 4 Championships. The prize pool for the next major LAN is $2 million, so even a portion of that could go a long way for any of the pros playing today.

Between now and the ALGS Year 4 Championships, we have the entire BLGS series to look forward to. A smaller competition runs for five weeks to keep us in the mood for more ALGS gameplay as everything gets set up before getting underway for what might be the biggest ALGS Championships ever next year.

The post HAVOC wins ALGS Year 4 LCQ Finals APAC-S appeared first on Destructoid.

The Base is an Elusive Target Arcade mission in Hitman World of Assassination. It takes everything from The Drop Elusive Target and amps it up to create a more challenging experience for you to enjoy. However, getting a Silent Assassin rating is incredibly difficult.

You'll need to complete two separate versions of The Drop Elusive Target in The Base Elusive Target Arcade mission in Hitman World of Assassination. The second has additional stipulations that make it more challenging, but you can increase the difficulty even more by going for a Silent Assassin rating. I've outlined the perfect routes for you to follow through each level so you can do this with ease. It really won't take you much time at all.

Hitman World of Assassination: The Base Level 1 Elusive Target Arcade Silent Assassin guide

The Base Elusive Target Arcade mission level 1 is exactly the same as The Drop Elusive Target. If you haven't already given that a go, I suggest you go and practice in that mission so you know what you're doing. I'll do a run-through here with easy-to-follow steps all the same.

The loadout for this mission is extremely simple. Pick the Club Entrance starting location, and make sure you bring with you the Remote Emetic Gas explosive. This is a big part of the strategy and will make the mission so much faster.

Step 1: Find the owner and take his outfit

Head inside the club and all the way down into the basement. This is where everyone is dancing to the fantastic tunes. From the stairs you take down to this area, head to the back right-hand corner to find a door that's only for staff. Go inside and immediately turn left to see a ladder against the DJ booth. See above for a map reference.

This area is off-limits, so you need to be quick, or you'll be caught. Climb the ladder to the top of the DJ booth, then climb onto the duct at the back of it and turn right. Move through the gap in the wall until you can see the large doors with a camera above them to your left. Drop down, sneak under the camera's view, and get through those doors.

Inside, you'll find the owner's office. Move through the area to the left and hide among his various items at the back of his office. The NPCs shouldn't even glance your way. In the corner of the office is a gramophone next to a cupboard. Hide down here for the next part. See above for a map reference of where you need to be.

Turn on the gramophone to draw over the owner. Make sure you turn it off once you've got his attention or the guards will also investigate. Take out the owner and hide his body in the cupboard before grabbing his disguise. Now you can head up to the balcony to find the target.

Step 2: Lay your trap

See above for a rough location of where you should find your target. In this disguise, you can speak to him and get him to take you to a private bar to discuss the future of the club. Walk with him, but if you know where you're going, you can run ahead and lay your trap. Don't worry if you can't. The Remote Emetic Gas is a very easy item to use.

Step 3: Go in for the kill

Place the Remote Emetic Gas next to the couch on which the target will sit for the meeting. Activate it as he and his bodyguard approach it, and it'll make them both feel a little queasy. The bodyguard will disappear at this point, and your target is going to go through the door behind the couch. Past the biker guarding the door.

The target will throw up into the elevator shaft. You can follow him and push him down there to kill him. However, you should close the door leading to this area because anyone can spot you doing this if you don't.

From here, you simply need to reach an exit. You can return through the doors to the bar and find one at the bottom of the concrete steps nearby. Alternatively, head out of the club the way you came in and use the pushbike exit.

Hitman World of Assassination: The Base Level 2 Elusive Target Arcade Silent Assassin guide

The Base Level 2 Elusive Target Arcade mission in Hitman World of Assassination adds two new requirements. First, you'll fail the mission if anyone spots you being suspicious or doing anything illegal. Second, you can't change your outfit at all during the mission, or you'll fail.

Step 1: Set things up

As you can imagine, this makes things slightly trickier. But it's still more than possible to get that Silent Assassin rating. For Level 2, my loadout includes the same Remote Emetic Gas, but this time, you're going to pick the Biker Hangout starting location.

As soon as you start the mission, get up and grab the ball from the pool table. This is going to be incredibly useful later on. From there, make your way to the private bar in the club, where the target takes you in the owner's disguise. He walks in there on a little route until you trigger that interaction, so you can catch him there as he moves back and forth.

Once you're in the private bar, head behind the actual bar itself. There's a laptop here that controls the projector screen, and you need to turn it off. This will distract one of the NPCs and cause them to investigate, but make sure you turn the laptop back on again once they're distracted.

When the NPC comes to check the laptop, knock them out using the pool ball and hide their bodies in the freezer. Do this two more times until the biker guard comes around to investigate. Drag his body towards the stairwell behind this area to hide it.

Step 2: Take the target down

Now, repeat the kill from level 1. Drop the Remote Emetic Gas, trigger it, and push the target into the elevator shaft to kill him. The biker guard near the elevator shaft is the only problem for this route, and with him knocked out, you should have no trouble killing the target and making your exit.

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Ubisoft has announced that filming on the first-ever Watch Dogs movie has now finished. However, the thing that's taken most people by surprise with this announcement is that there's a Watch Dogs movie in the works at all.

With filming wrapped, the production will move on to editing a final cut that should make it into cinemas and onto streaming services, but there's no indication of what that looks like. The plot of Watch Dogs has been closely guarded since the movie was announced, and nothing leaked after filming began earlier this year. For many, it's hard even to believe that Ubisoft is investing in a movie when it seems to care very little about the games after launching Watch Dogs: Legion.

What's it about?

Fans in the replies to Ubisoft's news are asking the exact same question most of us are. "Based on the first game’s plot?" Unfortunately, no clarification has been provided. Our only concrete information is from an article on Ubisoft's website in June 2024. It states that the movie will be an original story that takes place within the Watch Dogs universe.

This sounds very much like Ubisoft has had director Mathieu Turi and screenwriter Christie LeBlanc, who also worked on Netflix's Oxygen, craft a story that captures what the Watch Dogs franchise is while being an original narrative in its own right.

The first Watch Dogs takes place entirely in Chicago and sees protagonist Aiden Pearce take on the company that's established itself as a veritable big brother and all the shady groups working within the system for their own nefarious desires.

In Watch Dogs 2, Marcus Holloway works with DedSec to execute the biggest hack in history in San Fransisco. Watch Dogs: Legion is the bleakest but most compelling setting, a post-Brexit London that's patrolled by an advanced security force that hits just a bit too close to reality.

Fans loved the Bloodline DLC for Watch Dogs: Legion because it brought original protagonist Aiden Pearce back into the fold. I'd love to see something similar from this movie. An original story set in a city never explored in the franchise before, with interesting characters specific to the movie.

However, I'd also love to have characters from the games make a cameo and tie them all together. There's so much to pull from with this IP, but throwing every element together and hoping for greatness won't be enough. The story must enable the tech on show to feel real and craft a world you could reasonably believe is only a few years more advanced than our own. It needs to wow viewers but also scare them.

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Following a recent article suggesting that Palworld developer Pocketpair was assessing whether to make the game free-to-play or a game-as-a-service, the company released a statement saying that it's not. The game will remain a buy-to-play experience as it always has been.

The article in question appears to be an interview posted by ASCII.jp, which was then translated by Automaton. According to Pocketpair's statement on Twitter, this interview was conducted months ago. When the developer was assessing whether Palworld could go free-to-play or head down the game-as-a-service route. As of September 14, 2024, Pocketpair is firm in its decision that the game won't be moving to a new model because, as it stated, "We are very aware that this just isn't what our players want, and we always put our players first."

Invest in your Pals

Pocketpair's full statement on Twitter is definitely written to clear the air with fans. When the interview piece came out, and the translation began circulating, it caused quite a stir in the community. That's completely understandable because if you've paid for a game that then goes free-to-play, you'd expect some sort of compensation for the money you put into it.

The messaging here is precise. Palworld isn't a free-to-play game or a game as a service. It's a title you pay for once and enjoy as it is. It is, in many ways, like the Pokemon series, and the buy-to-play aspect is just another similarity to add to the list.

The point that really sticks out to me from the post is as follows. "Palworld was never designed with that model in mind, and it would require too much work to adapt the game at this point. Additionally, we are very aware that this just isn't what our players want, and we always put our players first."

Pocketpair hits the nail right on the head. Palworld wasn't ever designed to be anything but buy-to-play. Suddenly changing fundamental parts of the experience to make it fit a free-to-play or game as a service model would harm the core experience, and the developer cares too much about the enjoyment players get from the game to even contemplate doing that.

Something that might be changing in the future, as outlined in the same post, is skins. Xbox players have felt a little left out when it comes to skins because of the Twitch Drops skins PC players can get. While the priority for now is making Palworld the best game it can possibly be, this at least shows that Pocketpair is aware of how fans feel and is considering options to find a solution.

The statement ends with, "We apologize for any concern this may have caused, and we hope this clarifies our position." This really does tie the whole matter up in a nice little bow. There's no room for error or suggestion. Palworld will remain a buy-to-play game, which I think is the best way forward, considering that's how it started life.

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There seems to be something of a tidal wave of cozy farming sims hitting the market currently, and it can be hard to tell what makes one stand out against all the rest. Back in June, I played the demo for Garden Witch Life, and fell in love with it.

Garden Witch Life is out now on PC (via Steam and Epic Games), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. If you play on any of the mentioned platforms and have been looking for a new cozy game to dive into, you should give it a try. 

After losing your job to mass layoffs and realizing that you’re not quite ready to head home to your parents and admit defeat just yet, you bump into May, who is a rather lovely anthropomorphic cactus with a café on Moonflower Island. Not only does she give you cake (which makes anyone instantly likeable in my eyes) and good life advice, but she goes out of her way to let you stay with her overnight. This cactus lady is very trusting of strangers.

Then, in what is perhaps the most generous move anyone could possibly make, she gives you the keys to an entire (admittedly run down) treehouse, along with a bunch of land that you can do with as you please. Apparently nobody else wants it, for reasons which are left unsaid, and of course you bite her hand off because who wouldn’t? If only real life were more like a farming sim. This is the first step in a massive life change, and we've all needed one of those at some point.

You’re then left to pretty much fend for yourself. Of course you have regular interactions with the many anthropomorphized townsfolk, and you have to do quests for them as well, but it’s very easy to forget about that aspect of the game entirely. There are endless corners of the map to explore, items to be foraged, and even a few animals to be petted. You’ll keep going until you pass out. No, literally, but more on that later.

One of the best things about Garden Witch Life is the decoration aspect. In a move that makes me more happy than I could ever say, you’re not limited to right angles or a grid system when it comes to placing furniture. You can more or less freely rotate everything, and place it wherever you want. Items can slightly overlap to prevent irritating gaps, and squares are a thing of the past. It’s beautiful. 

I will say that Garden Witch Life is not my perfect cozy sim game. There are things not currently in the game which definitely should be, such as crafting from storage. In order to craft or cook anything, you have to have the necessary resources in your inventory. It’s not that much of a big deal, and you can easily work around it by placing chests close to the crafting bench, but it does add an unnecessary extra step.

Crafting or cooking anything, especially early on in a playthrough, will unlock more recipes. Turning logs into planks will provide the recipe for a wooden storage chest, for example. Gathering items works in very much the same way, with everything you pick up unlocking some form of recipe. It’s always exciting to see the pop-up telling you what you’ve learned, and I’ve found that I’m more driven to craft, knowing that I’ll get new recipes from doing so. 

The cooking mini-game is a joy in itself. It reminds me of my dearly beloved Cooking Mama. You use the chopping board to prepare ingredients and then you need to cook them in the cauldron. You control the temperature, add ingredients one at a time, stir the mix, and eventually end up with a fully cooked meal to increase your stamina. All that’s missing is an interactive blow feature.

One of the things I’m hoping is added in future updates is some kind of warning before the end of the day. It’s very easy to lose track of time in Garden Witch Life, and I’ve found myself passing out at the end of the day multiple times simply because I forgot to look at the clock. I pride myself on my ability to never pass out from exhaustion in cozy games, so this has been a humbling experience. 

I’ve only just started my play through of Garden Witch Life, and I know that I am very far from unlocking and understanding all of the features that await me, but I know that I could throw hours of my life into creating the perfect hideaway treehouse and exploring everything Moonflower Island has to offer. I think the things that make me love Garden Witch Life are the very issues that I've mentioned above.

Life isn't perfect, but sometimes it throws you curveballs taking you in a direction you never imagined you could go. That's the lingering thought when playing, and I happen to love it when games impart valuable wisdom without really even trying. While Garden Witch Life might not be perfect, it's beautiful, charming, and it feels... Free. You can be whoever you want to be on Moonflower Island, and we all need more of that kind of freedom.

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The Drop is an Elusive Target mission in Hitman World of Assassination that was permanently added to the game with the addition of The Drop Pack. However, it doesn't matter how many times you try the mission; you need to know what you're doing to get that Silent Assassin rating.

In The Drop Elusive Target mission in Hitman World of Assassination, you must assassinate Alexios Laskardis. He's been buying up clubs and dealing drugs out of them, creating an empire, but club owners don't want him around to threaten them anymore. Taking him out with a Silent Assassin rating requires timing and precision, which is why I've included all the details for you to use below.

Hitman World of Assassination: The Drop Elusive Target Silent Assassin guide

I've outlined the route you should take for your Silent Assassin run in The Drop in Hitman World of Assassination in easy-to-follow steps below. Note that since this is an Elusive Target, you'll have to complete it in one go or risk missing out on it entirely. If you fail and don't own the DLC, you'll need to wait for it to return oin the future. If you own the DLC, the mission will reset after a day or so, so you can attempt again.

I picked the Club Entrance starting location for this mission. The only item you must bring with you is a lethal syringe or silenced pistol to kill the target. You don't need anything else.

Step 1: Get the owner's disguise

From the club entrance, run down into the basement. Keep going down the stairs until you're in the room where everyone is dancing. In the right-hand corner, the back of this room is a door for crew only. It's unlocked, so you can enter it without a key, but you'll be spotted if you don't move out of sight quickly. Open it, rush inside, and head left to the side of the DJ booth to avoid being spotted. See below for a map reference.

You need to climb a ladder on the side of the DJ booth. Once you're on the roof, climb onto the air duct that runs around this section of the club and head right. You need to go through the hole in the wall, so you're above some crates to the side of a big set of doors with a camera above them.

Hop down to the floor and wait for the camera to look in the opposite direction. You can sneak under its view and go through the doors. See above for a map reference for exactly where they are in the club. Go inside and follow the corridor around to the left. Hide among the junk in the back corner by the gramophone. This item is really important, so look out for it and the cupboard next to it.

Hide as I am in the screenshot above. You need to turn on the gramophone long enough to distract the club owner into coming over. Once he's distracted, turn it off so that no one else comes over. When he approaches, subdue him and hide his body in the cupboard before taking his disguise.

Step 2: Kill the target

With this outfit, you can head back up to the club to meet the target. They'll be on the walkway above the basement. In this disguise, you can walk up to him and interact with him to head to a secluded area to chat. See above for a map reference for roughly where to locate him.

The target will take you to a private bar and chat with you. Hit the button to continue the first part of the conversation because it causes the target to clear the room of any guards and witnesses. This is your chance to kill him. Use whatever you have, such as a silenced pistol, to take him out. It doesn't matter if he spots you because he's the target.

I recommend using either a sedative or lethal syringe because they're untraceable. If you put the target to sleep, you can then drop him over the edge of the balcony to his death, and everyone will think it's an accident.

From there, all you need to do is find an exit. There's one just downstairs from this secret bar. Head left from the sofas and down the concrete stairs to the door that leads outside. It'll count as an exit, and you'll secure your Silent Assassin run.

Once you've completed the mission, you'll be rewarded with The Greek Fire Suit. Agent 47 can wear this in any mission in the game, so equip it if you want to look like a stylish club owner who will do anything for success in future Elusive Targets.

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Saber Interactive, the developer of Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2, has recently acquired a significant equity investment from two leading equity firms. The investment has allowed the developer to pay off its debt to holding company Embracer Group, pending an additional amount in late 2024/early 2025.

Aleph Capital Partners and Crestview Partners made the investment in Saber Interactive. These are leading equity companies based in London and New York, respectively. The exact amount each company invested hasn't been disclosed, but it must be quite a lot for the developer to be able to pay off Embracer Group, which acquired it in 2020. With this new investment, Saber Interactive has more control over what it makes and how it makes it because it's outside of an umbrella company, which bodes well for its future, especially off the back of the success of Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2.

Almost independent

It's so easy to get lost when trying to understand what this sort of news means, so I'll try to explain it without all the business jargon. First, it's important to note that Saber Interactive was acquired by Embracer Group back in February 2020. Saber Interactive was, of course, paid as part of this deal.

The period from 2020 to 2021 was immensely successful for video games in large part because of worldwide lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. As those lockdowns lifted, people started going outside again and playing games for less time as a result. It's no secret that Embracer Group has been laying staff off and closing entire studios since that time.

While Saber Interactive has several successful titles under its belt, including World War Z, SnowRunner, Expeditions: A MudRunner Game, and Insurgency: Sandstorm, it has felt like one wrong move could cause a studio to shut down.

That's why this investment in Saber Interactive is so exciting for the developer. Embracer Group explained in a press release how the studio has received an early payment for the sale of assets in the studio.

What's actually happened is that Aleph Capital Partners and Crestview Partners have acquired a chunk of equity in the developer in exchange for a large sum of money. Saber Interactive has used that money to pay off Embracer Group. This means that Saber Interactive now owns more of its own shares and is closer to being an independent studio than it has been for four years.

It's hard to believe that Saber has been in business for nearly a quarter of a century. While we have grown to over 3,000 developers across the globe, we still feel like a startup with tremendous opportunity for rapid growth.

Matthew Karch, CEO of Saber Interactive

However, as I mentioned, Aleph Capital Partners and Crestview Partners now own equity in Saber Interactive, which likely means they each own a percentage of the company's shares. Without going into the weeds on this, the result is that Jamie Rahamim, Managing Director and Head of Media at Aleph, and Brian Cassidy, President and Head of Media at Crestview, now sit on Saber Interactive's Board of Directors.

They're not alone, though. Saber Interactive's Andrey Iones, Chief Operating Officer, and Matthew Karch, CEO, are also on the Board of Directors. While the number of shares each party owns, the investors and Saber Interactive, dictates who has the most power, equity companies likely won't be elbowing in on any development decisions Saber Interactive makes.

Aleph Capital Partners and Crestview Partners are interested in seeing their investment and the shares they own bear fruit. This will come in the form of dividends and share value increases as Saber Interactive's turnover and reputation as a developer grow.

Considering how popular Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 is already, and the plans the developer has for post-launch content, it's in a very safe position. However, these equity companies now have some level of influence, so if things take a turn in the future, Saber Interactive may be forced to make tough choices.

There's no denying that Saber Interactive is now in a much better position than it was when it was under Embracer Group. It has more control over how it operates and, from the sounds of things, shouldn't be forced into making layoffs or canceling games. Instead, it can forge its own path forward with the financial freedom afforded by these recent investments.

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If you're enjoying eFootball 2025 following the seasonal update, the Lionel Messi and Neymar Deluxe bundles are available for a price.

The two special bundles are available for coins on PC, or you can choose to buy them directly from the PlayStation and Xbox console shops. The content is slightly different on PC and consoles, but the core items are pretty much the same. You get a Double Booster version of the footballer, along with ten other highlight cards.

While you can choose to buy both, which one is a better choice if you can get only one? Let's find out.

Disclaimer: Comparisons have been made based on PC bundles.

eFootball 2025 Lionel Messi Deluxe Bundle content

The Messi Deluxe bundle includes Highlight cards of former and present teammates of the Argentine genius. I really love the the cards of Frenkie De Jong and Ousmane Dembele. This is the youngest version of Messi you can find in eFootball 2025, and it goes back to his Barcelona season of 2005-06.

You can level the card up to an overall of 104, and there are 50 levels of growth. Then there's a double boost to get even more out of the card. While the card can operate in multiple areas, it's best used as a RWF. The position also gels well with his Prolific Winger profile.

In a nutshell, the card is possibly one of the best RWFs currently available in the game, and the correct boosts and skills will only make him better.

eFootball 2025 Neymar Deluxe Bundle content

Similar to the Messi bundle, there are ten highlight players, who have been Neymar's colleagues at Brazil and PSG. But the pack is all about the Double Booster Epic you get, and you can level him up to an overall of 99. The card has 39 levels of growth, and the stats can be further enhanced with the help of two boosters.

Neymar vs Messi in eFootball 2025 - Which one is the better deal?

Usually, I love using Neymar more than Messi as far as the meta is concerned. But this Messi looks stunning, and while I have both, it's pretty clear who the favorite is. With the correct setup, the 2005-06 Messi feels extremely smooth to use in Dream Team.

While the 2014 Neymar feels very agile and pacy on the ball, the new Messi edges him out with the correct build. In a nutshell, I would pick the Argentine if I wanted to buy one bundle. But both epics are well worth the coins I had to spend to get the editions on my account.

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The freeze is coming in the form of Frostpunk 2, and the Deluxe Edition will get you plenty of extra additions, but at a price.

The sequel will look to build on the success of the first title, which introduced a new form of post-apocalyptic city-builder to the audience. But the second title is a fresh beginning, and the Deluxe Edition has an extra cost. Let's take a look at if you should spend the extra money or go for the cheaper Standard version.

All Frostpunk 2 Deluxe Edition contents

The Frostpunk 2 Deluxe Edition is available for $74.99, but if you choose to pre-order it, you save 10%. The Standard version costs $44.99, and there's no discount. But that's not all, and here's the list of all the content that comes with Deluxe.

• 72 hours of early access
• 3 DLCs as post-release content
• Exclusive in-game item
• Digital Artbook and Soundtrack
• Warm Flesh Novella (Digital version)

While you do save slightly less than $30 with the Standard, you get nothing more than the base game. You'll also have to wait till September 20 before you can dive into the frozen land and build your city.

Is the Frostpunk 2 Deluxe Edition worth it

So far, we have yet to receive any information about the post-launch DLCs. For Frostpunk, 11 Bit Studios released two mega expansions: The Last Autumn and On the Edge. The Rifts was a small DLC that introduced bridges to traverse cliffs, so I am not considering it an expansion.

The Last Autumn and On the Edge were both excellent releases. Both DLCs had fantastic alternate story scenarios, very different from the base game. In fact, I have played more hours after the two DLCs were released.

That said, this is for Frostpunk, and the Digital Edition you're getting is for Frostpunk 2. All 3 DLCs are likely going to be a part of a possible Season Pass, and you should be able to purchase them separately as well. Yes, they're going to cost more, but you don't have to engage any more money upfront than you need to at the moment.

Ultimately, if you have faith in 11 bit and what they could deliver, the Deluxe Edition could help you save at least a few dollars in the long run. Early access doesn't matter so much to me since this isn't a live service title. There's no grind in it, and beginning on September 20 won't make any difference over September 17.

I have yet to decide which edition I am getting, but it's likely going to be the Deluxe.

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Dead by Daylight's equivalent of seasons is Tomes. These usually last for a couple of months and feature challenges for players to complete. However, events, such as the Lights Out - Castlevania time-limited mode, also have their own Tomes complete with challenges.

Lights Out - Castlevania is a time-limited event in Dead by Daylight that sees you play with loadouts disabled. This means no Perks, items, or Add-Ons. The Fog is thicker, but Survivor and Killer sounds are harder to hear, and scratch marks and the Terror Radius are suppressed. It's a much more claustrophobic experience, but the community loves it because it mixes up the rules. This time around, the event Tome has challenges that can earn you some incredibly nostalgic rewards, and chief among them is the Pixel Dark Lord Badge.

All Dead by Daylight Lights Out - Castlevania Tome challenges and how to complete them

Below, I've listed every challenge in the Dead by Daylight Lights Out - Castlevania event Tome and how to complete them. I've also included the reward you get because this Tome can give you a serious boost toward completing the current Rift and getting every last cosmetic. All of these challenges must be tackled in the event's game mode. Otherwise, you won't complete any of them.

• Unobstructed: Break 4 pallets or breakable walls while in a chase as a Killer.

  • Reward: 15,000 Bloodpoints.

• Escape Route: Escape 3 chases as a Survivor.

  • Reward: 15,000 Bloodpoints.

• Vampiric Pursuit: Chase Survivors for a total of 60 seconds as The Dark Lord Killer in a single Trial.

  • Reward: 25,000 Bloodpoints.

• Knockout: Knock down 4 Survivors as a Killer. This means putting them into the Dying State.

  • Reward: 15,000 Bloodpoints.

• Smart as a Whip: Be chased by the Killer for a total of 60 seconds as the Trevor Belmont Survivor.

  • Reward: 25,000 Bloodpoints.

    • Reward: Gothic Lantern (Very Rare Charm)

• Job Well Done: Finish repairing 2 generators as a Survivor.

  • Reward: 15,000 Bloodpoints.

• Lost in the Dark: Complete a total of 3 of the following as a Survivor or Killer. (Survivor) Place a Candelabra on a generator. (Killer) Hit a Survivor carrying a Candelabra. All Survivors begin the Trial with a Candelabra and can use it to dispel The Fog or highlight a generator to other Survivors. They can also be found in chests during Trials.

  • Reward: 15,000 Bloodpoints.

• Reverent: Sacrifice 4 Survivors to the Entity as the Killer.

  • Reward: 15,000 Bloodpoints.

• Escape Artist: Escape 1 Trial as a Survivor.

  • Reward: 15,000 Bloodpoints.

• Belmont's Escape: Escape 1 Trial as the Trevor Belmont Survivor.

  • Reward: 25,000 Bloodpoints.

• Dracula's Curse: Sacrifice 2 Survivors as The Dark Lord Killer in a single Trial.

  • Reward: 25,000 Bloodpoints.

• Bloody Rewards: Earn 100,000 Bloodpoints across Trials as a Survivor and Killer.

  • Reward: 15,000 Bloodpoints.
  • Reward: Pixel Dark Lord (Very Rare Badge)

• Iridescent Age: Earn 2 Emblems of Iridescent quality.

  • Reward: 15,000 Bloodpoints.

• Salvation or Sacrifice: Complete a total of 3 of the following as a Survivor or Killer. (Survivor) Safely unhook Survivors. (Killer) Hook Survivors.

  • Reward: 15,000 Bloodpoints.

• Illuminate or Enshroud: Complete a total of 2 of the following as a Survivor or Killer. (Survivor) Finish repairing generators adorned by a Candelabra. You can place a Candelabra on a generator when you approach it with one, or another Survivor does so. (Killer) Destroy Candelabras adorning generators. You can interact with the Candelabra on a generator to do this.

  • Reward: 15,000 Bloodpoints.
  • Reward: Dracula's Castle (Very Rare Banner)

Note that the Dead by Daylight Lights Out - Castlevania event is only live until September 19, 2024. You must complete every challenge before then if you want to claim every prize.

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