Total War: Warhammer 3 artwork for the Nurgle armies

To say that the launch of Total War: Warhammer 3's Shadows of Change DLC was messy would be quite an understatement. Creative Assembly tried to charge more for it than previous DLCs while simultaneously offering less unique content per faction, to which the community response was about as negative as you'd expect.

In order to salvage the DLC, as well as to regain some favor with the playerbase, Creative Assembly recently released an update that added a whole bunch of new units to the Shadows of Change DLC - and pretty good ones too! So while DLC is still heavily overpriced in my humble opinion, it now at least offers a sizable amount of quality content.

Darktide Path of Redemption new character artwork

While originally scheduled to launch in late April, Darktide studio Fatshark has now decided to surprise everyone by suddenly releasing the Path of Redemption update! The new content patch brings with it a free Battle Pass filled with all sorts of new cosmetics, the Dreg Tox Bomber as a brand new enemy, as well as a variety of new puzzles and challenges to seek out in missions.

First things first, the Battle Pass, which I'm happy to say is a pretty good one! There is no paid version, the objectives are all relatively simple, and given how fast I've managed to push through the tiers just off previous achievements alone, I have a feeling it's going to be an easy one to complete.

Dota 2 artwork for the new Crownfall update starring Skywrath and Vengeful Spirit

After multiple cryptic teasers and even a lengthy delay, Dota 2's much-anticipated Crownfall update has now finally arrived. However, instead of massive gameplay changes or even the previously announced Ringmaster hero, the freshly released Crownfall update is almost centered around cosmetics - both paid and free.

The highlight of the update is definitely the interactive world map that serves as both a story-telling tool and a Battle Pass. By collecting tokens gained from playing certain types of heroes (for example mounted, nuker or crawling ones) you can unlock new pathways and with them cosmetic rewards, small story bits, as well as silly stuff like a fishing mini-game or a reverse candy shop that will take your candy and give you a plethora of goodies in trade.

Helldivers 2 official artwork and logo

While Helldivers 2's rapid release of new content is quite impressive, that sort of blazing speed does come at a cost, and that cost is stability. Almost like clockwork, every time a major update arrives a whole bunch of new crashes appear alongside it. This, needless to say, is not exactly ideal as nothing takes the fun out of your democracy-induced rampage faster than crashing at the very end of a difficult mission!

So in order to sort out the latest batch of problems, as well as spice things up on the gameplay front, The Helldivers 2 team has just launched Patch 01.000.203. Besides the crash fixes, the update has also made it so the CE-27 Ground Breaker armor now has the correct Engineer Kit passive instead of some random perks.

Steam FPS Fest 2024 official artwork and logo

If you've got a bit of free time and an urge to explode all sorts of baddies into colorful giblets, you'll be happy to hear that Steam's FPS Fest 2024 has now arrived. Much like the previous festivals, FPS Fest 2024 brings with it a variety of discounts on all sorts of first-person shooters, as well as a plethora of free demos for upcoming games.

The whole thing will last until 10am PT on April 22nd, so should have plenty of time to peruse the games and see if there's anything that interests you. And if you're not sure where to even start, allow me to share with you Valve's trailer showcasing a bunch of different games:

Magic: The Gathering Outlaws of Thunder Junction artwork showing off Rakdos having fun

These days Magic: The Gathering sets usually come with some sort of a bonus set - a collection of extra cards that might not be Standard legal, but are either powerful or interesting enough to warrant reprinting. However, the upcoming Outlaws of Thunder Junction set which is coming to MTG Arena on April 16th has taken this concept of bonus cards to an extreme!

Instead of having a single bonus set, or even two, Outlaws of Thunder Junction has opted for three! The first and most common of these are the Breaking News cards which are all themed after some sort of crime. Then there's the The Big Score set which was originally going to be Outlaws of Thunder Junction: Aftermath, but due to the poor reception of that idea the cards have been collapsed into the main set, though all were upshifted to Mythic rarity for some reason! And then you have the Special Guests cards which are reprints of ten powerful cards that all come with their own fancy new art.

Vermintide 2 official artwork and logo

While Darktide is still struggling with regular content patches, the Vermintide 2 team continues to impress. Despite being hard at work on the long-awaited addition of PvP multiplayer, they've somehow managed to find the time to now release the "A Parting of the Waves" update!

The new update brings with it a conclusion of the recent Karak Azgaraz storyline, as well as a huge and elaborate new map to explore. It's also worth mentioning that despite the map being directly connected to the Vermintide 1 remasters, it's an entirely new creation, and quite a solid one at that!

Helldivers 2 artwork for the Democratic Detonation Warbond

[Update]: Helldivers 2's follow-up update has now fixed numerous crashes and brought back the AT-AT looking Factory Striders.

Despite this being yet another in a long series of updates, Helldivers 2 continues to impress. Instead of just delivering the new batch of explosive weaponry as previously announced, Arrowhead has now also released a bunch of new ship upgrades as well, some of which can really spice up weapons like the Arc Thrower or the Flamethrower!

First things first, the new Democratic Detonation Warbond. As the name would suggest, the Warbond is filled with all sorts of explosive weaponry, everything from a sidearm grenade launcher to an armor-piercing primary weapon that can even blow up bot fabricators! Naturally all this firepower does come at a price, namely the weapon handling and reload speed, but if you're a fan of big booms that's an easy problem to work around!

Overwatch 2 screenshot of the drill-wielding hero Venture

Throughout Season 9 Blizzard managed to greatly improve Overwatch 2, and so I'm happy to say that with the upcoming Season 10 it looks like they'll be continuing in the exact same direction. Expect to see a brand new hero, a whole bunch of quality-of-life improvements, numerous balance changes, and even a little sneak peek at the new Clash game mode.

Once it arrives on April 16th, the definite highlight of Season 10 will be the brand new DPS hero Venture which is a close range specialist with a surprising amount of mobility, and quite a unique toolkit as well! So before I spoil anything by accident, allow me to share with you Venture's gameplay trailer. Have a peek, it's a rather fun one:

Vermintide 2 screenshot of the Warrior Priest in action

[Update]: A Parting of the Waves has now arrived, and I'm happy to say the new map is quite awesome!

I have to give credit where credit is due. The Vermintide 2 team is remarkably dedicated to their craft! And so, over six years after the launch of the original game, Vermintide 2 will be getting yet another free content update on April 11th.

The freshly announced A Parting of the Waves update will bring with it a mist-shrouded new map to explore, and with it the conclusion of the recent Karak Azgaraz storyline. Despite the connection to Vermintide 1, the new map won't be a remaster, but rather an entirely new creation!