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Escape From Tarkov's big day approaches. One of the most popular and best FPS games for those thirsting for a hardcore, survival-based shooter, it has a chance to ascend to new heights with its debut on Steam and the arrival of its version 1.0 later this month. However, some past controversies may still ring faintly in the ears of those interested in playing it, with cheating being one of the main concerns. Battlestate has been working tirelessly over the years to shield Tarkov from cheaters and dish out bans as firmly and swiftly as it can, but there have still been some notable flashpoints. EFT's game director and COO of Battlestate Games Nikita Buyanov now tells us that it's prepared ahead of the 1.0 update and has "a few tricks up our sleeve" to ensure cheaters don't sully the experience. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: After nine years, Escape From Tarkov finally achieves "the result we've all been waiting for" Escape From Tarkov director says "not everyone will be able" to reach the extraction shooter's best ending Escape From Tarkov patch notes nerf enemy aim across scavs, raiders, and bosses View the full article

Ahead of the shooter's release on November 14, Call of Duty: ****** Ops 7 publisher Activision has revealed the full list of Operators and default skins that will be available at launch, as well as how to unlock each one. In total, Call of Duty: ****** Ops 7will launch with 24 Operators, many of which will be available to use immediately across all three game modes. Others can only be unlocked by levelling up, and certain Operators are also locked behind the game's Vault Edition. View the full article

A third NetEase studio, in a matter of weeks, has announced it’s due to close its doors after its funding was allegedly pulled by the publisher. Toronto-based Bad Brain Game Studios, a developer formed in 2023 by former Ubisoft and Watch Dogs: Legion developers, announced on Wednesday that it’s due to shut down due to being unable to find a new publisher. The studio posted a brief video of its in-development game, ‘Midnight Riders’, and called on any interested investors or publishers to reach out to potentially save the project. Read More... View the full article

The boss of the Kingdom Come: Deliverance games has reviewed The Outer Worlds 2, and in doing so has issued a number of stinging criticisms of Obsidian’s sci-fi RPG. Daniel Vavra, co-founder of Warhorse Studios and lead writer of the much-loved RPGs Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, took to social media to say he’d finished The Outer Worlds 2 and settled on a 7/10 review score (check out IGN’s The Outer Worlds 2 review to find out what we thought). That’s a decent score for any video game, but expanding his thoughts, Vavra criticized The Outer Worlds 2 and Microsoft-owned developer, Obsidian Entertainment, for fasiling to innovate in the RPG space. Here’s the review in full: Finished. 7/10. But what I find sad is that the company and the people who gave us one of my favorite games ever (Fallout & New Vegas) have been unable, even after 15 years and with all of Microsoft's money and latest technological advances, to come up with a single new game mechanic that could take this proven but ancient formula somewhere new. Can any of you think of a single new game mechanic in The Outer Worlds that wasn't already in Deus Ex or the original Fallout games more than 25 years ago? Unfortunately, I can't. Give me a living, simulated world! True non-linearity! Give me something more than loot boxes, maintenance shafts, loading screens and level grinding in a static scripted world. It’s worth unpacking Vavra’s comment. His first point is an accusation that Obsidian, creator of the beloved Fallout: New Vegas, has failed to significantly evolve its "ancient formula," despite the backing of moneybags Microsoft. He claims The Outer Worlds (I assume he means The Outer Worlds 2 here) doesn’t have a single new game mechanic that wasn’t already in Deus Ex or the original Fallout games more than 25 years ago. Is that true? Some people are pointing to The Outer Worlds 2’s Flaw system, which sees the game dish out game-changing perks that can benefit your character but always hinder them in some way, as an eye-catching new feature for this type of RPG. In a later social media post, Vavra said Fallout had Traits with negative aspects, calling this Flaw system “nothing new.” But is that fair? The Outer Worlds 2’s Flaw system is getting a lot of love from players not just for their impact on playstyle, but the way they’re unlocked. As you play the game, you’ll occasionally trigger a Flaw opportunity, with the game itself reacting to the way you’re playing by delivering some really fun perks that are a delight to encounter. For example, if you crouch walk a lot you’ll be offered the Bad Knees Flaw, which makes you crouch walk faster but every time you stand up your knees crack, making a noise guards might hear. I won’t spoil all the Flaws here because part of the fun is in their discovery, but I will say it feels like there is a DM behind the scenes, observing your playstyle and occasionally dipping into the action to add some spice to your experience. Others are pointing to the way Obsidian lets players unlock unique dialogue options not just by having a high speech skill, but by seeking out information which can then be brought into conversations to gain an advantage. Your character will remember "discovered info” you’ve found from, say, terminals or chats with other NPCs or examining things, and you’ll get the chance to use it in conversation when it counts. It’s a cool system that adds depth to the standard, straight-forward speech-driven dialogue experience you see in a lot of RPGs, and it makes you want to go out into the world and learn more before having the big quest convos, like the space detective I like role-playing as. Vavra continues: “Give me a living, simulated world! True non-linearity! Give me something more than loot boxes, maintenance shafts, loading screens and level grinding in a static scripted world.” Here, Vavra’s assessment of The Outer Worlds 2 perhaps rings true. The game’s mini-open worlds can feel static and scripted in the sense that they do not revolve around a simulation. The Outer Worlds 2 is not a game similar in scope or style to one of Bethesda’s big RPGs. It is not Fallout: New Vegas, even, more a game that rekindles memories of it. And scope is something Obsidian openly talks about. It is one of the most prolific studios Microsoft has, having released three new games this year alone: Avowed, Grounded 2, and The Outer Worlds 2. It is a developer that has learnt to focus when it comes to scope, to drill down, and to ship games that are manageable to play and, I suspect, manageable to develop. Obsidian isn’t doing a The Elder Scrolls 6 here. It’s carved out a style all its own. So The Outer Worlds 2 was never going to be a game with a living, simulated world. Whether that disappoints you or not probably comes down to your expectations for modern Obsidian games. But I’d say it was pretty obvious what The Outer Worlds 2 was going to be, not just based on previews, but on the studio’s previous games. And what about Vavra’s “all of Microsoft’s money” comment? Sure, Microsoft has significant resources, but the business reality is — reportedly — that Xbox studios are under more pressure to deliver profits. Part of doing that will be bringing more money in while keeping development as low as possible. It does not feel like Xbox studios have a magic money tap to make their dream games come true. Vavra’s comments have certainly hit a nerve online, and have sparked a debate about what Obsidian is trying to do when it comes to video game development. It recently acknowledged that fans desperately want it to make Fallout: New Vegas 2, a game that would probably come with the kind of expectations Vavra has for the studio, but it’s enjoying creating new IP and building those franchises out with sequels, which is what The Outer Worlds 2 is all about. It should be clear by now that Obsidian’s focus is on actually releasing games that are consistently good and don’t necessarily need to be huge hits to be successful. In the current climate, perhaps that’s an approach that makes a lot of sense. Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at *****@*****.tld. View the full article

Our Presence Up There is one of the easier quests to complete in ARC Raiders, but you'll have to be at the correct spot. Once you receive the quest from Shani, you can start completing the associated tasks. This guide will provide you with all the information required for completing the Our Presence Up There quest in ARC Raiders. Table of contentsARC Raiders Our Presence Up There quest walkthroughARC Raiders Our Presence Up There quest rewards in ARC RaidersARC Raiders Our Presence Up There quest walkthrough The Our Presence Up There quest can be broken down into three major parts. Visit the Pattern House in The DamFind and interact with the Power SwitchComplete the antenna installation on the roof The first task is to reach the Pattern House. You'll find this location in Dam Battlegrounds. The building is located in the extreme northern portion of the map, and I have marked it in the screenshot below. Screenshot and Remix by Destructoid There are multiple entrances to the Pattern House building, and I chose the main one (as shown in the screenshot). Go in, and turn left. You'll find the starting point of the stairs, and a dark room on the left (beside the stairs). Entrance to the Pattern House. Screenshot by Destructoid Head inside, and you'll find the Power Switch. Interact with it to complete the second part of the quest. Once done, the only remaining task is to reach the antenna and complete its installation. The antenna is on the roof. Power Switch in Pattern House. Screenshot by Destructoid Don't take the stairs. The stairs can get you to the highest floor, but they're not connected to the roof. Instead, go straight and turn left to find a zipline. Use the zipline, and it will directly take you to the roof. Go straight on the roof, and you'll find the antenna you're looking for past a couple of generators. Complete the installation process, and you'll complete Our Presence Up There. Since there's no item to take back, you don't have to focus much on a successful extraction. Antenna on top of Pattern House. Screenshot by Destructoid ARC Raiders Our Presence Up There quest rewards in ARC Raiders Here's a list of rewards you'll obtain for completing the Our Presence Up There quest in ARC Raiders. One Buried City Town Hall KeyOne Raider Hatch KeyOne Jolt Mine You can use the Town Hall key to get some fantastic rewards on the Buried City map. The Raider Hatch key is immensely useful in emergencies where a Raider hatch is close by and you need to escape. The post How to complete Our Presence Up There in ARC Raiders appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Super Panda Adventures is a Metroidvania platformer on Steam that's currently free to claim until November 7, thanks to a Fanatical giveaway. Steam users looking to expand their collection of free titles shouldn't miss this limited-time offer, as the clock is ticking. View the full article

Battlefield lead producer David Sirland has taken to social media to clear the air about how Battlefield Studios uses bots in Battlefield 6 multiplayer to keep players engaged. EA’s latest entry in the Battlefield series notoriously uses bots to populate standard matches that struggle to fill teams with real-world players. It’s led to some confusion in the community, as fans attempt to grasp when, how, and why BF Studios has been implementing them in online matches. Sirland took to X/Twitter to shed light on bots, explicitly calling attention to “confusion” in the player base that he hopes to clear up. The thread of posts comes with an explanation for why some may see more bots than others, as well as the promise that EA and BF Studios will continue listening to feedback from Battlefield 6 multiplayer fans. Players have noticed bots in standard multiplayer playlist options, especially for game modes with large lobbies like Conquest, since Battlefield 6 launched for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S October 10. EA proudly touted that it had managed to sell 7 million copies in just three days, leaving many to wonder why they are being tossed into bot-filled matches less than one month after launch. Sirland explains that players should only find themselves fighting against Battlefield 6 bots in unique situations. Specifically, if the pre-round waiting ******* takes longer than about three minutes, than bots will be introduced as a last resort, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be forced to work with dozens of AI teammates for the duration of a 30-minute Conquest match. “At that point, the game starts, and you can play with the bots instead of waiting,” Sirland explains. “Other players in the same region matchmaking on that same playlist - will join this server (as it has you on it). Each time a player joins, a bot leaves.” It’s a sacrifice that gets players into a match with as little waiting as possible at the cost of filling a lobby with real people. Even if bots only temporarily fill a match, it sounds like BF Studios prefers the trade, with the alternative being wait times that could last forever for servers with low population. 2: you see no other players Well, the reason for that is you are first. You need to stick it out (or atleast give it a minute or two, or how may you are willing to try and wait for) We can and will test longer wait limits for the seed bots to kick in, but please spread the word! — David Sirland (@tiggr_) November 5, 2025 One exception to the rule that sees bots eventually traded out for real players involves beginner playlists, such as Initiation Breakthrough. As made clear via an in-game mode description, bots will stick around in these matches to help players warm up for the typically more tense matches filled with real people. Bots have remained a hot topic for the Battlefield 6 community for months, with BF Studios having addressed concerns regarding XP farms and open beta bots mutliple times in the past. Battlefield Portal fans and multiplayer playlist regulars have almost certainly encountered bots at some point, and many will no doubt continue to have their complaints as post-launch development continues. “Like I stated in this thread earlier today - bots are only there to seed servers so they start,” Sirland said in response to a fan who expressed concern about the bot system. “The alternative would be no server under those circumstances. We will of course check for issues here too, and when and if servers spawn in the wrong way or when they shouldn’t.” The Battlefield 6 team at EA and BF Studios has continued listening to fan feedback as post-launch development continues. Recent changes include an overhaul for challenge requirements, tweaks to Conquest ticket sizes, and a plan to revert aim assist back to the settings seen during the August open beta tests. Season 1 for Battlefield 6 and its standalone offshoot, REDSEC, is well underway, with more maps and weapons set to arrive in the coming weeks. Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe). View the full article

Our guide covers what you need to do in-game to unlock the Tears of the Kingdom and Age of Calamity save data bonus in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. View the full article

We cover when you unlock the ability to scan amiibo and how to use amiibo in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment to earn rewards. View the full article

You've found the right resolution and refresh rate, but that HDR badge keeps popping up. What is High Dynamic Range, how does it work, and is it worth it? Let's break it down. Read Entire Article View the full article

If you've been exploring PEAK's The Roots update, you may have noticed some new badges you can collect. While some are as simple as climbing to the top of this update's biome, others are a little trickier to obtain, especially if you've yet to try this level. All PEAK The Roots update achievements PEAK's The Roots update features 11 new badges you can obtain for cosmetic rewards. If you're playing on Steam, you'll also unlock achievements that you can show off on your profile. Here's a complete list of badges added in PEAK's The Roots update. BadgeHow to obtainForestry BadgeClimb to the top of PEAK's Roots biome.Undead Encounter BadgeHave a zombie within the Roots biome bite you. Zombies spawn in the Roots biome, appearing as a regular character with mushrooms growing out of its body. You can cure the bite using healing items, such as the first-aid kit and bandages.Web Security BadgeApproach a spider and get caught in its web. Press the on-screen key prompt before preparing for a long drop to the ground. Raise your stamina beforehand to make surviving easier.Advanced Mycology BadgeEat every Shroomberry type introduced in the Roots biome within one expedition. You'll need to find red, yellow, blue, green, and purple Shroomberries.Applied Esoterica BadgeUse the Book of Bones on a dead friend to bring them back to life. It's a Mythical item, so you'll need to rely on Ancient Statues and luggage bags to obtain it.Calcium Intake BadgeDrink Fortified Milk cartons found inside luggage bags before taking damage. Some easy ways to do this include getting attacked by zombies and taking elemental damage within Mesa and Alpine.Competitive Eating BadgeEat three hot dogs within five seconds or less. You'll find hot dogs alongside marshmallows atop a level's peak. You may need to stockpile them in a backpack if you get unlucky with their spawns.Cryptogastronomy BadgeCook and eat a Mandrake plant. They look like medicinal plants, except they'll scream at you and inflict stamina damage when you hold them. Once you pick one up, avoid selecting it in your hotbar and toss it into your backpack before cooking it on a portable stove or campfire.Disaster Response BadgeUse a Rescue Claw to pull an unconscious friend 30 meters. You can find Rescue Claws inside luggage bags. Mycoacrobatics BadgeUse the large mushrooms in the Roots biome to jump around. You'll need to climb high before carefully jumping onto a mushroom far below you. Tread Lightly BadgeClimb to the top of the Roots biome without surpassing 25 percent spores damage in your stamina bar. You'll take spore damage from walking into toxin-filled plants and getting attacked by zombies. Completing PEAK's new badges will reward you with cosmetics that you can equip to change your appearance. Be sure to check out our growing list of PEAK's cosmetics, or click the tag below to learn more about the new content in this update. The post All new badges in PEAK’s The Roots update and how to get them appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

PEAK's Roots update introduced a new biome and multiple new items. The Checkpoint Flag, although confusing initially, is one of the best items you can find. The most challenging part of using it is figuring out how it works. How to use the Checkpoint Flag in PEAK PEAK's Checkpoint Flag gives unconscious players a one-time use checkpoint before they die and turn into a ghost. Once you or a teammate gives up or dies, you'll respawn next to the flag, causing it to disappear. You can place a flag by holding down your interact or "plant" button on a valid spot anywhere on a level. Screenshot by Destructoid More often than not, if you or one of your teammates is about to fall victim to fall damage, spore poisoning, or other ailments that are tricky to cure over time, you'll die and turn into a ghost. Having someone use a Checkpoint Flag beforehand gives you a chance to try again without waiting for the rest of your team to make it to the level's peak. Similarly, if you're playing by yourself, you can save yourself a lot of time by planting this down in a safe spot and attempting a risky climb. That way, if you fail and fall to your death, you'll have another shot at finding another path up. The main downside of using the Checkpoint Flag is the setback you'll have if you fall from a high spot and have to trek back up. In some cases, the fog might've already caught up to you, causing you to die a second time. One of your friends might also unexpectedly use your flag, leading to a false sense of security if they don't get a chance to tell you. You'll also have to watch out for unexpected enemies. Depending on the level, you may run into a random spider, scorpion, or zombie who wandered over. Double-check your surroundings as you place the flag, and watch your step as you respawn in case you get ambushed. Although the Checkpoint Flag isn't directly related to any badges, it can help save your run, letting you collect more throughout the rest of your playthrough. If you're struggling to tackle some of the badges introduced in the Roots update, be sure to check out how to cure a zombie bite in PEAK, or click the game's tag below to explore our growing post list. The post What does the Checkpoint Flag do in PEAK? appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

The Cryptogastronomy badge can be one of the trickiest challenges to complete in PEAK, and it involves finding a Mandrake for starters. Mandrakes are a new item introduced to the game via the Roots update. They're also exclusive to the new biome and are associated with the Cryptogastronomy badge. This guide will help you find a Mandrake and then complete the new badge. Table of contentsHow to find a Mandrake in PEAKHow to get the Cryptogastronomy badge in PEAKHow to find a Mandrake in PEAK The first part of the Cryptogastronomy badge involves finding a Mandrake. To do so, you'll first have to reach the Roots biome. Then, you need to start looking for Medicinal Roots. The Medicinal Root is a healing item in PEAK, and Mandrakes look the same. Look into the shrubs and bushes that are staples of the Roots biome. Medicinal Roots can be found in such areas, but you'll have to scrutinize your surroundings properly. Once you spot one, pick it up. If you're lucky, it will turn out to be a Mandrake. It's impossible to differentiate between it and a Medicinal Root as long as it's in the ground. In simple words, getting a Mandrake on your run (and completing the Cryptogastronomy badge) depends entirely on your luck. Image via Aggro Crab How to get the Cryptogastronomy badge in PEAK The Mandrake is one of the most dangerous items to find. If you hold it in your arms and it screams, it will prove to be detrimental to your health. The first thing you want to do is to put it in your inventory. While it will make you sleepy (when it's in your backpack), you'll avoid getting hid by its scream. Image via Aggro Crab Ideally, you'll want to find a Portable Stove from the Shore biome. This item allows you to cook anywhere you want, and reduces the need for a campfire. The easiest way to complete a Cryptogastronomy badge is to take out the stove, set it up, and cook the Mandrake in it. Once done, just consume the item (it has medical benefits) to earn the badge. If you don't have the Portable Stove, the only alternative is to reach a campfire as quickly as possible. You can then cook and eat the Mandrake after using the campfire. If you're looking to complete more badges, finishing Applied Esoterica can be a good choice if you're playing with your buddies. The post How to cook and eat a Mandrake in PEAK – Cryptogastronomy badge appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Grand Theft Auto 6 players have been on high alert lately with possible announcements preceding the November 6 Take-Two call, but one major distraction keeping them busy has been the recent firings of Rockstar employees. View the full article

We test the Hyrule Warriors games on Switch 2 including Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment to cover visuals, performance, load times, and more. View the full article

Nintendo and Koei Tecmo have revealed the Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment day one patch notes for version 1.0.1 with progression blocking fixes and more. View the full article

I have a new, all-consuming obsession, and that obsession is Ball x Pit. I didn't set out to replace all my free time with grinding its roguelite take on Breakout, but its reliance on strategy (with a butterfly kiss of luck) and enticing upgrade paths both on and off the playfield grabbed a hold of the primal lizard parts of my brain to the detriment of all other civilized activity. I am hooked. In fact, Ball x Pit is the only video game I've played since I first started it a couple weeks ago. I cannot break free from its satisfying loop of running a level and upgrading my ******, upgrading my city to unlock more ******, and then jumping right back in. It's a sickness, a sickness with no cure – and, honestly… I'm not even sure I'd want to be healed from the madness that has taken hold of me. I’ve been recommending it to everyone and, so far, those who have taken my advice inevitably reach out to tell me the same thing: "You ruined my life, you sicko." It’s fantastic. Join us. We all bounce down here. At a distance, Ball x Pit looks like one of those ******* games you see advertised on TikTok or Reels. You know the ones: "We're playing a game the comments said was fake part 17," or something like that. At first blush, it does look like some endless runner game trying to hook you with playtime gems or whatever predatory garbage is in vogue these days. But, crucially, it’s not one of those games at all, as it’s entirely free of microtransactions and actually respects your time as it vacuums it all up. It doles out satisfying upgrades in each level and then gives you the opportunity to build up more permanent powers in your home base. There's nothing cheap or underhanded about it. It makes you feel powerful, not cheated, and even with an element of RNG in each level, it requires you to make the most out of every opportunity rather than rely on dumb luck or random chance. When you beat a level, it feels like you earned it. The actual gameplay seems straightforward on the surface, too: Your character, or characters, march up the playfield firing bouncing ****** at wave after wave of enemies. The ****** are weaponized, the enemies are crushed under the onslaught, and eventually you get to a given level’s unique boss. That's the basic loop, but the operative word there is "basic." Because, friends, Ball x Pit is much more complex. For starters, there are different kinds of ****** to fire. For example, your initial character, the Warrior, starts with a special ball that imparts a "bleed" status effect that stacks up to cause extra damage on successive hits. As you defeat enemies, you’ll also pick up gems in order to level up, which then gives you a choice of ****** and other power-ups to use during that specific run. There are special ****** with status effects or area-of-effect damage, ****** that spawn more "baby ******" (weird), and loads of other options. Then there are buffs, passive effects, defensive boosts, and even allies who'll join you in the march forward, dealing out damage or even health. Some of the power ups are much better than others. The Earthquake ball, for example, deals damage around the enemy it hits and, like most of the AOE ******, becomes incredibly powerful when fully upgraded. Others, like the Wretched Onion, kind of *****. Part of the fun is finding out which upgrades work best in any given level, as well as discovering what happens when you combine certain ****** with Fusions and Evolutions that mix or modify their powers even further. When you're fully powered up and the RNG gods have held you in their favor, it's a beautiful bloodbath. Fusions can simply save you a slot by mashing two effects onto a single ball, but specific combos instead get the chance to evolve into a new power. For example, fusing the Horizontal Laser with the Vertical Laser creates my personal favorite, the Holy Laser. It shoots beams of pure fiery death vertically and horizontally on hit while also dealing AOE damage, which is as useful much as it just rules. It’s cool that fusing ****** both scales the damage you are dealing and gives you room to add even more. It's hard to keep track of all the possibilities, but there's an in-game encyclopedia that shows you the combos you've unlocked. I'm more than 30 hours in and I still have fusions I haven't found yet, which I find pretty damn exciting. Honestly, the laser ****** in any configuration do a crap-ton of damage, searing rows and columns, sometimes adding stackable status effects like radiation while also doing normal, hot laser damage. When you're fully powered up and the RNG gods have held you in their favor, it's a beautiful bloodbath. Lasers and explosions and effects are going off constantly, and the damage counters fill the screen as entire rows of enemies evaporate into experience gems, as well as gold you’ll spend back in your town between runs. The town is the other half of Ball x Pit, one that's enormously important to growing your characters. In addition to earning permanent stat boosts just by playing as them, constructing certain buildings and character houses will provide buffs and bonuses as well, which you’ll absolutely need in order to make it through the later levels. But while it’s very important, the city-building part of Ball x Pit is extremely clunky – in fact, it’s probably the worst part of what I think is otherwise a flawless game. After you complete a level, whether or not you did so successfully, you're thrown back into the town interface where you’ll build structures from blueprints you gathered out in the field. You also build resource tiles: forests for wood, fields for wheat, and rocks for… well, rocks. Those resources, in addition to gold, are required to build and upgrade new structures. Thankfully there are plenty of ways to gather resources outside of just harvesting, including during runs and with passive buildings like the stone quarry, but collecting it manually is the most fun. In the harvest phase, you use your unlocked characters as ******, taking aim from the bottom of the board and letting them rip, Beyblade style, in the direction of the stuff you want to hit. They then bounce off the walls and buildings, collecting resources from the resource tiles and upgrading any buildings you marked for improvement. This process is amusing but also fairly tedious, as you can move buildings around before you harvest in order to optimize their placement, but there isn’t really a convenient way to do so. City building is the worst part of an otherwise a flawless game. What I usually end up doing is moving everything off to one side of the map, then shuffling all the parts and pieces back again to where I want them at that specific moment. It almost seems like Ball x Pit is aware of how cumbersome the city building is, because there's no penalty or resource cost for moving tiles around. What I'd love to see is some kind of option to wipe the slate clean without needing to go through and manually remove every building, or maybe a holding pen where I could drop structures temporarily while I reconfigure my layout. And you will be reconfiguring your layout a lot. Building upgrades require your characters to bounce off the buildings multiple times, and if that building is in a weird location, good luck getting the trajectory right to consistently hit it enough times during the harvest phase without reorganizing half the town. I often ended up moving relevant buildings down near the launch area, which meant moving all the other stuff away… and then reorganizing it again after all is said and done. I don't like it at all. It's such a bummer because you can’t really ignore this, as city layout is extremely important to how powerful you are in the levels themselves. Some buildings provide buffs that make the effects of other nearby buildings stronger, so their placement is crucial to your continued success. That need for careful planning is at odds with the reality of constantly shuffling tiles around when it comes time to harvest, build, and upgrade. However, building-specific issues aside, I do really like how your town structures contribute directly to the action itself. The better your city, the better your characters, and the more blueprints you find, the more options you have when it comes to a new run. It may be cumbersome to move everything around, but the results are meaningful and can sometimes be surprising in a way that is ultimately a positive. Double Down on Strategy Somewhat early on, you unlock a building that lets you bring two characters into battle instead of just one, adding another layer of complexity and experimentation to each run. At first, it almost feels like cheating, but it would be functionally impossible to get much further without it. I'm still figuring out which combinations work well and which ones are total crap. Since you still gain gold and experience even on a failed run, I don't even mind when I pick a total dud combo because I've still made some progress. There have also been several times where I thought I'd figured out some god-tier combo, only to get three-quarters of the way through a level and realize I have made a terrible mistake. The worst was when I paired The Warrior with The Flagellant for a New Game+ run of the first level. ****** shot by the Flagellant bounce off the bottom of the screen instead of the top, and The Warrior has no special attributes other than being your starting character. The first level boss, the Skeleton King, requires hits to the back of its skull to inflict damage. The RNG gods had graced me with some decent fusions, but all of them ended up bouncing harmlessly between his two arms out front, leaving me almost completely ineffective. An errant baby ball would sometimes bank off the wall to register a tiny amount of damage, but I ended up losing on purpose just to back out of the level. As frustrating as that was, it's emblematic of something I love about Ball x Pit: it requires strategy in almost every facet. The ****** and upgrades offered to you are at the mercy of RNG, sure, but you also have the choice of which ones to use and which ones to fuse and evolve. I was able to identify good combinations and bad combinations of characters based on their attributes and would make mental notes about which pairings would work out for my specific needs as I pushed through each level. The Juggler, for example, throws ****** over enemies – pairing him with The Shade, whose ****** shoot from the back of the field, and then following a heavy AOE upgrade path allowed me to clear out basically any row of enemies on the board while still getting a ton of damage from ****** bouncing in the back. That combination of strategy and knowing how to best upgrade any given character combination for a specific level is what keeps bringing me back, over and over again, until I'm bleary eyed and tired. When everything aligns and you're wiping out entire fields of enemies, when the screen is absolutely filled with lasers and explosions and baby ****** scattering in every direction, you feel an enormous sense of power. From an outside view, honing in your upgrades combined with careful building placement and frequent stat leveling from buff buildings makes it seem like Ball x Pit would feel easier over time. But it does a rare thing: instead of feeling easy, it makes you feel powerful. When I finally did beat the main story and watched the credits around the 20-hour mark, I immediately started up New Game+. I never do that. But the entirely inconsequential story is just a small part of Ball x Pit for me. The real joy here comes from building up your powers and combos and seeing what delights will unlock themselves during the course of a run. I play for moments when the music is nearly drowned out by the sounds of explosions and laser blasts, or when I get a gold bonus for clearing the field of enemies and then doing it two, three, even five more times in a given level. It scratches an itch deep within my lizard brain. Hard work pays off, but the right combinations of upgrades mixed in with a touch of luck pays off even more. View the full article

"Lord of the Rings Online is the closest one can get to experiencing Tolkien's realm the way countless works of art, games, music and entertainment have attempted over the past half-century"View the full article

World of Warcraft fans can get a new Housing decor item called the Tome of Silvermoon Intrigue for completing the Elves of Quel’Thalas Lorewalking questline in Patch 11.2.7. While previous Lorewalking stories in World of Warcraft rewarded toys, the newest one offers the chance at obtaining a decoration for their in-game house. View the full article

Final Fantasy 14 is currently being targeted by waves of DDoS attacks on its servers, causing players to disconnect from the game at seemingly random intervals. The ongoing DDoS attacks on Final Fantasy 14 are primarily concentrated on the North American data centers of Aether, Primal, Crystal, and Dynamis as of this writing. View the full article

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the game that put BioWare on the map for people who thought Baldur's Gate was the thing that kept Baldur's dog in Baldur's yard, has an incredible twist. Unfortunately, I knew about it ahead of time because of the internet, but if you haven't played it yet—it's an old game, but young people exist and not everyone has time for everything—then this is me warning you to play it before somebody spoils it for you... Read more.View the full article

We have just shipped an updated Steam Deck Client to the Preview/Beta channel. Display-Off Low Power Downloads Fixed an issue that could cause a delay between finishing downloads and going to sleep if the device had recently received user input. Steam Input Fixed an issue where PlayStation controller light bar settings did not stick when exiting the controller calibration page View the full article

The Steam Client Beta has been updated with the following changes: Steam Input Fixed an issue where PlayStation controller light bar settings did not stick when exiting the controller calibration page SteamVR Reduced or eliminated a bug where the dashboard bar is occasionally missing. View the full article

It appears that the Halloween wishes of PEAK players have borne fruit as the new Roots update has added zombies into the mix. Zombies in PEAK are essentially undead scouts who got infected with spores and lost their lives. They're going to make your life very difficult as you try to ascend to the top. To make matters worse, getting a zombie bite will prove to be deadly and end your run prematurely. That said, you'll have to get bitten and also cure yourself if you're aiming to complete the Undead Encounter badge. How to complete the Undead Encounter badge in PEAK The Undead Encounter badge in PEAK involves you getting bitten by a zombie and then curing the bite. Zombies appear to be typically located in level 02 of the Roots biome. They're not present in any other biome (which is a relief). To find them, you'll also have to cross the first level. Zombies always lie on the ground, and they will appear to be inactive. They only come to life (of sorts) when you're close to them. Of course, it's impossible to avoid them at all times. If they get close enough, they will bite, and you'll get infected. Image via Aggro Crab If you stay infected for long, you'll become an undead yourself. What you need to do is to cure yourself. Cure-All is a great item to use, as it instantly heals all your negative afflictions, which include a zombie bite.Antidote seems to work as well. This probably has to do with the fact that a zombie bite works as a toxin on your body.The Roots update has added something called Shroomberries. These berries have effects based on their colours, which cycle out with maps. As of writing, the Red Shroomberry can cure you from a zombie bite. However, this could change later on depending on what the developers have planned. Once you cure the zombie bite and finish your run, you'll be able to complete the Undead Encounter badge in PEAK. The Roots update has certainly added some formidable challenges for the players, and earning the Applied Esoterica badge can be a true challenge. The post How to cure a zombie bite in PEAK and get the Undead Encounter badge appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

"When anyone ever says, 'Well, this is at DM's discretion,' you have to decide right then what your discretion is"View the full article