Total War: Warhammer 3's Shadows of Change DLC is coming this August 31st with a much higher price tag
- By Ash
- in News
[Update]: The Shadows of Change DLC has now arrived, and I'm afraid it's been getting some fairly negative player reviews so far.
If you're currently itching for some new Total War: Warhammer 3 toys to mess around with given that it's been a fair few months since the last expansion, I'm afraid I bring both good and bad news. The good news is that the Shadows of Change DLC will be coming this August 31st with the Changeling representing Tzeentch, Yuan Bo, the Jade Dragon leading Cathay and Mother Ostankya summoning the forces of nature to help Kislev.
The bad news is that price has increased dramatically and so Shadows of Change will set you back 25€ compared to Champions of Chaos' 16€ or the numerous 10€ Lord Packs from Total War: Warhammer 2. If Total War: Warhammer 3 was at its peak and not riddled with bugs and all sorts of issues I wouldn't mind this so much, but as it stands it really feels like Creative Assembly is trying to see just how far they can push things before they finally snap.
Darktide's Patch 12 has arrived with improved crafting and greatly enhanced mission selection
- By Ash
- in News
[Update #2]: Fatshark have now revealed more about the upcoming RPG-like talent trees and accompanying balance changes.
[Update]: Darktide will be getting RPG-like talent trees and an Xbox version on October 4th.
While it may have taken far, far longer than I would've liked for us to get here, I'm incredibly happy to say that Darktide has now finally fixed its mission selection system. Thanks to Patch #12 you now not only have a much wider selection of maps to choose from, but also a larger assortment of difficulty options that range from relaxed romps to soul-crushingly brutal gauntlets of misery.
The way it works is that there are now two distinct mission boards for you to peruse. The normal one has only the most basic modifiers and is meant for casual play, while the advanced Auric board is exclusive to level 30 characters and comes with a much, much more challenging set of missions. Combine that with faster map rotations and a new "Maelstrom" mission type that comes with fun extra modifiers (and extra rewards), and the end result is a highly diverse mission system that has really managed to revitalize my interest in the game.
MTG Arena is getting Khans of Tarkir in 2023, while Modern Horizons 3 and Pioneer Masters will be coming in 2024
- By Ash
- in News
[Update #2]: MTG Arena will be getting the entirety of competitive Pioneer on December 10th, 2024!
[Update]: MTG Arena devs have shared the Format Popularity Stats and their Plans for the Future.
As a part of the recent Gen Con panel discussion, Wizards of the Coast have revealed a whole bunch of new sets and card expansions. While the details for many of these are still few and far between, I'm happy to say that MTG Arena players will be getting pretty much exactly what they've been clamoring for!
First and foremost, the fan-favorite Khans of Tarkir set (notably not the entire Khans block) will be arriving at some point in late 2023. Unlike the previous remasters this one will include every single card found within the set, and yes, this does indeed include the all-powerful Fetchlands. Whether they will be legal in Historic or just formats like Historic Brawl, that I'm afraid Wizards of the Coast has not clarified just yet.
Dota 2's Patch 7.34 has now arrived with an avalanche of balance changes and gameplay tweaks
- By Ash
- in News
[Update #2]: Dota 2's final Summer update has enhanced the visuals and massively improved the report system.
[Update]: Dota 2 is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a bunch of thematic (and free) cosmetic items.
After a lengthy teaser written entirely in emoji format (yes, I'm actually serious about that), Valve have now not only revealed the full list of changes for Patch 7.34, but also launched the update itself! Staying true to tradition, the patch is absolutely massive and filled with all sorts of crazy changes, so the next few weeks should be quite exciting as everyone rushes to figure out what works and what doesn't.
The highlights include additional bans in Captain's Mode, an updated UI for abilities that like Mirana's leap that previously used the auto cast setting to toggle between two different versions, a slight reshuffling of Watchers and Outposts, as well as the arrival of a brand new stat - Slow Resistance. As the name might suggest, Slow Resistance reduces the impact of slows on your hero by a percentage, while the already existing Status Resistance stat has lost this ability.
Stylish, co-op focused puzzle-platformer Trine 5 is launching on August 31st for PC and consoles
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: Trine 5 has now added crossplay between all the different versions.
A fair few years have gone by since the last Trine game, so if you're currently itching for some more co-op focused puzzle-platformer action I'm happy to say I bring good news. According to a recent developer update, Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy will be making its way onto PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch in a mere couple of weeks, on August 31st!
In terms of improvements, Trine 5 will come with a brand new combat system and much trickier boss fights, the ability to level up and customize each character's abilities, as well as an adaptive difficulty system for both the combat and the puzzles. How exactly that last part will work, I'm afraid I don't currently know. I can only hope it'll give us the option to crank up the difficulty in order to really highlight what makes Trine so special - the utter madness that comes from three people desperately trying to solve a single problem in three different ways at the same time!
Deep Rock Galactic's Space Beach Party event has arrived with festive decorations, silly hats and doubled Battle Pass experience
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor is a surprisingly challenging roguelite auto-shooter spin-off.
In order to give everyone an excuse to stay at home and avoid the scorching heat, the Deep Rock Galactic team has now launched the Space Beach Party 2023 event. Much like its predecessor the event brings with it a bunch of summer themed decorations (including water balloons!) for the Space Rig, a couple of silly hats to acquire, as well as doubled seasonal experience points to help you speed through the entirely free Battle Pass.
Speaking of hats, you can grab the Great White Delight pictured above by completing a simple seasonal assignment before the whole event goes away on August 17th. And if you missed last year's festivities, worry not as those hats are also up for grabs through the extra "Last Year’s Fashion" assignment. So if you always wanted to run around with a pink flamingo on your head, consider this your lucky day!
Diablo 4's August 8th update will buff Barbarians and Sorcerers, increase enemy density and improve boss rewards
- By Ash
- in News
[Update]: Patch 1.1.1 has now arrived, and I'm pleased to say it's looking quite good so far!
As a part of the Season 1 update, Diablo 4 unleashed a whole bunch of nerfs to just about everything related to player power. While this didn't do much to well-rounded classes like Rogue or Druid, it had a noticeably negative effect on Barbarians and Sorcerers which already had an issue with a limited amount of endgame viable spells.
So in order to sort this out, as well as a couple of other issues that appeared since then, Blizzard will be releasing Update 1.1.1 on August 8th. These changes include numerous buffs to all classes, an increase in monster density for Nightmare Dungeons and Helltides, as well as a drastic increase in boss health after level 60 in order to make them an actual fight rather than a simple pushover.