Warhammer 40,000: Darktide artwork showing off a slightly goofy Ogyrn

[Update #2]: March's Tools of War update has brought in 10 new weapons and a whole bunch of improvements.

[Update]: Patch #5 has now arrived, and Fatshark certainly weren't joking when they said "small buffs" as the changes, especially on the Psyker side, are quite miniscule. Still, it's nice to see Darktide get a consistent stream of updates!

After quite a rocky start, it looks like the Darktide team has now finally settled into a groove. And so, despite launching a major update on February 22nd, I'm pleased to say that the Darktide team is already planning a balance and quality-of-life focused patch for next week.

The exact details have not been revealed just yet, but the highlights include small buffs for Psykers and Ogyrn, as well as an increase to the base rating of weapons you can acquire at level 30. Don't get too excited about the latter part, however, as the lowest base rating will still be a relatively useless 300. That said, it's still a nice little improvement as the increase in overall weapon rating will help you get higher tier blessings at least a bit more reliably.

Elden Ring artwork for the first expansion - Shadow of the Erdtree

Bandai Namco recently announced that Elden Ring has managed to sell a whopping 20 million copies worldwide! Given its staggering level of successes, it really shouldn't come as too much of a surprise to hear that Bandai Namco and FromSoftware are not quite done with the Lands Between.

And so, through an incredibly brief Tweet, Bandai Namco has now unveiled Elden Ring's very first expansion - Shadow of the Erdtree. The teaser images features a blonde woman riding through a ghostly landscape towards what looks like a dying Erdtree. What exactly it all means, I'm afraid I have no idea, but I'm sure it'll involve a whole lot of suffering followed by brief yet exhilarating moments of pure elation!

MTG Arena Alchemy: Phyrexia Ghalma the Shaper card artwork official

[Update #2]: Unfortunately, it looks like the ability to select your preferred card style will not be coming after all. I apologize for any confusion I may have caused. On the positive side, there's a decent chance Wizards of the Coast will add this at some point in the not too distant future as it's a often requested feature and the system for favoriting cards is already implemented.

[Update]: MTG Arena is getting a sizable Lord of The Rings themed expansion on June 20th.

It took nearly two years for us to get here, but I'm happy to say that MTG Arena has now finally added the ability to select your favorite basic lands. All you have to do is choose whichever land art you want as your default in the Collection screen, after which every new deck you make will automatically be filled out with your fanciest lands instead of simply the newest ones.

The system has also been extended to work with card styles, though unfortunately this part of it is a bit buggy right now. Wizards of the Coast is already working on fixing the problem, however, so once the update goes live you'll be able to choose your preferred card printings and styles so you'll never have to manually edit your cosmetics ever again!

Darktide official screenshot showing a Psyker fighting an Ogyrn

[Update #2]: March's Tools of War update has brought in 10 new weapons and a whole bunch of improvements.

[Update]: Darktide will be buffing Psykers and Ogyrn in early March, while a much bigger update will be coming in late March.

After getting pushed back over and over again since December, Darktide's big crafting and endgame progression update has now arrived. It brings with it major improvements to the quality of items found in missions and the in-game stores, the ability to collect blessings from weapons and then apply them to other weapons in the same family, as well as a significant reduction to the amount of grinding needed for the weekly quests.

The good news doesn't end there, however, as Patch #4 - Blessings of the Omnissiah has also brought in a whole bunch of improvements, balance changes and quality-of-life tweaks, some of which Fatshark didn't even mention until they was already in the game. As such, you now have access to loadouts so you can quickly switch between different builds, dogs will do their best to avoid breaking every known law of physics in order to slobber all over you, while many of the UI icons have been overhauled in order to make them easier to discern at a glance.

Dota 2 artwork for the ghostly gunslinger hero Muerta

[Update]: Patch 7.32e has now arrived with Muerta and surprisingly small batch of balance changes.

If you're tired of the current meta and itching for a serious shakeup, you'll be happy to hear that the Dota 2 team is currently working on a major update. In classic Valve tradition the details are currently nonexistent, but what I can tell you is that the update will be officially unveiled on March 6th once the Lima Major has come to a close.

Besides the usual avalanche of balance changes and general tweaks to peruse, the big thing to watch out for is the likely gameplay reveal for the next hero - the dual-wielding gunslinger Muerta. Rumor has it that she's supposed to be a brand new carry, though given the Dota 2 team's design philosophy, it's entirely possible she'll be able to fill a bunch of different roles.

Warhammer 40k: Darktide official artwork and logo for the co-op horde fps

[Update #2]: Darktide will be buffing Psykers and Ogyrn in early March, while a much bigger update will be coming in late March.

[Update]: Darktide's big Crafting and Progression update has now arrived with far more improvements than expected!

It took a whole lot longer than anyone could've ever expected, but Darktide's big crafting update will finally be launching tomorrow, on February 22nd. Best of all, it'll be accompanied by a wide array of changes aimed at making endgame progression more satisfying and less grindy!

First and foremost, the in-game shop will allow you to purchase basic (gray) versions of any weapon type you want. These will have randomly rolled stats just like any other weapon, but since their price is relatively low you'll be able to keep rolling the dice until you find a quality weapon. While this is somewhat fiddly, it's still a massive improvement over the previous system where you could go a dozen hours without seen a single staff on a low-level psyker.

MTG Arena Shadows Over Innistrad - Archangel Avacyn artwork

[Update #2]: All of MTG Arena's upcoming Shadow Over Innistrad Remastered cards have now been revealed.

[Update]: MTG Arena is getting a sizable Lord of The Rings themed expansion on June 20th.

A fair few months have gone by since Shadow Over Innistrad Remastered was first announced, but I'm happy to say that the long wait will soon be over. According to the latest developer steam, Shadows Over Innistrad Remastered will be launching onto MTG Arena on March 21st with 302 'new' cards to mess around with, as well as an extra 81 cards that include some classics from the original Innistrad!

All of the cards from the Shadows Over Innistrad block will be legal in both Historic and Explorer formats, while the legality of the extra 81 cards will depend on which set they're from. Personally, I think Wizards of the Coast will be taking this opportunity to flesh out some of the currently underdeveloped Explorer decks, so I'm expecting a good chunk of these bonus cards to be either Pioneer staples or just fan-favorite jank.

Total War: Warhammer 3 Immortal Empires artwork showing off Karl Franz fighting Be'lakor

Given the sheer amount of factions you can play as or simply fight against, Total War: Warhammer 3's massive Immortal Empires combined campaign map is definitely the most exciting way to play the game. However, actually getting access to it has not been easy (or cheap) for most of Total War: Warhammer 3's existence.

Basically, in order to play on the Immortal Empires campaign map you needed to own Total War: Warhammer 1, 2 and 3, even if you don't plan on playing any of the older factions any time soon. And since each game costs 60€ outside of a sale, trying to get friends to pick it up and play with you was essentially impossible since very few people are going to be bold enough to drop €180 on a game mode they may or may not end up liking.

Loverwatch, Overwatch 2 dating sim parody, screenshot of solo carry joke

[Update #2]: Overwatch 2's has now also launched a new Pachimari themed game mode that will be running alongside the One-Punch Man crossover.

[Update]: Overwatch 2 has launched a One-Punch Man crossover event alongside a small balance update.

In order to give Season 3 its own unique identity despite not adding a brand new hero, Blizzard has scheduled a wide assortment of events for players to mess around with. Some of these are fairly classic events that bring with them a time-limited game mode and a couple of cosmetics, while others are a bit more... unique!

How unique, you might ask? Well, how about an official dating simulator starring Mercy, Genji and Hanzo! Yes, that is an actual thing that Blizzard has just released for free, and not only does it exist, it's quite charming as well!

Harry Potter open world action-adventure Hogwarts Legacy official key art

After a whole bunch of teasers, previews and even a lengthy delay, the Harry Potter themed open world adventure Hogwarts Legacy has now finally arrived. As you might guess from that brief description alone, Hogwarts Legacy is all about exploring every nook and cranny of the castle grounds and the world beyond, talking to an assortment of colorful characters, and naturally, blasting your way through problematic situations with an array of surprisingly satisfying spells.

Rather than babble on, allow me to share with you the recently posted launch trailer. That should give you a pretty good idea of just what Hogwarts Legacy looks like and what it's trying to go for. Have a peek: