Aug 06, 14:00


GamersHeroes Wednesday, August 6, 2025 7:41 AM
    

The team at KRAFTON, together with Bluehole Studios, have released the August update for Abyss of Dungeons.

The post Abyss of Dungeons August Update Brings New Bard Class appeared first on GamersHeroes.


Kotaku Wednesday, August 6, 2025 1:30 PM
    

RedOctane is back from the dead and working on multiple 'innovative rhythm-based experiences'

The post Original <i>Guitar Hero</i> Devs Are Back With A New Game appeared first on Kotaku.


Kotaku Wednesday, August 6, 2025 1:12 PM
    

MrBeast waves at someone off-screen at the Kids Choice Awards

The dystopian young adult novels pit poor people against one another for rich people's amusement

The post MrBeast Wants To Recreate <em>Hunger Games</em> In Real Life: 'I Think That Would Crush' appeared first on Kotaku.


Kotaku Wednesday, August 6, 2025 11:59 AM
    

Later this year, you'll be able to fly planes around the famous islands, dinos, and parks seen in Jurassic World

The post Finally, Dinosaurs Are Officially Being Added To <i>Microsoft Flight Sim 2024</i> appeared first on Kotaku.


Kotaku Wednesday, August 6, 2025 11:38 AM
    

Spider-Man perched on top of a car.

Brand New Day is shooting in Glasgow, and fans are taking pics good enough for the Daily Bugle

The post Tom Holland's New Spider-Man Suit Is Getting Comic Book Fans Excited Again appeared first on Kotaku.


Kotaku Wednesday, August 6, 2025 11:31 AM
    

Elder Scrolls characters appear out of a portal.

New details on ZeniMax's canceled MMORPG Blackbird make it seem really neat

The post Sometimes The Coolest-Sounding Games Are The Ones We'll Never Get appeared first on Kotaku.


Kotaku Wednesday, August 6, 2025 10:51 AM
    

I drank way too many Red Bulls, played Battlefield 6 with celebrities, and questioned the point of the whole expensive experience on the floor of an airport at 2 am

The post What It's Like To Go To A Big AAA Video Game Reveal Event In 2025 appeared first on Kotaku.


Kotaku Wednesday, August 6, 2025 10:09 AM
    

An Anthem Javelin stands in the snow.

The loot shooter was forever haunted by an early live-service pitch meeting

The post Ex-BioWare Producer Talks About Why <i>Anthem</i> Failed appeared first on Kotaku.


Kotaku Wednesday, August 6, 2025 8:00 AM
    

Ludocene

Combining a dating app with a deckbuilder, the web tool uses human experts instead of AI

The post 'Tinder For Games' Video Game Discovery Tool Ludocene Is Now Live appeared first on Kotaku.


Kotaku Wednesday, August 6, 2025 7:40 AM
    

Genshin

By March of next year, players will no longer be able to log in on the older console

The post <i>Genshin Impact</i> Is Ending All Support For PS4 [Updated] appeared first on Kotaku.


Kotaku Wednesday, August 6, 2025 7:00 AM
    

Main

Our intrepid photographers were at the event, capturing the best outfits on the show floor

The post Check Out The Best Cosplay At San Diego Comic-Con 2025 appeared first on Kotaku.


PCGamesN Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:49 PM
    

Even though gaming PCs have yet to make the leap to the new PCIe 6.0 interface, work is already underway on not just PCIe 7.0, but now also PCIe 8.0, which looks set to put current PC interfaces to shame. A 16x PCIe 8.0 slot will offer an enormous 1TB/s of bidirectional bandwidth, according to the PCI Special Interest Group (PCI-SIG). To put that figure into perspective, a 16x PCIe 4.0 interface, as used by the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090, peaks at 64GB/s, which is just 1/16 of the bandwidth of PCIe 8.0.

It's going to be a long time before we see any of the Nvidia gaming GPUs on our best graphics card buying guide sporting high-speed PCIe 8.0 interfaces, of course, but the performance potential here is immense. In fact, even a basic, single-lane PCIe 8.0 slot would offer as much bandwidth as a 16x PCIe 4.0 slot. Not only that, but a 4x PCIe 8.0 connector, which could be used for an M.2 SSD slot, would offer a peak of 256GB/s of bandwidth, meaning we could be looking at SSDs that can read at 120GB/s in the future, if you can find big enough heatsinks for them, naturally.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 review, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 review, Best graphics cards

PCGamesN Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:37 PM
    

The only thing better than piloting a space ship is being able to build it from the ground up. Luckily, this is exactly what Era One, a brand new adventure set amongst the stars, offers. Something of a spiritual successor to Homeworld, Era One blends base building with resource management and tactical space battles. That's not all, it's coming from the team behind the popular Homeworld 2 mod, The Complex, and it's taking off into early access today.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best RTS games, Best space games, Bets strategy games

PCGamesN Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:36 PM
    

When is the Black Ops 6 Season 5 release date? Following up Season 3 was a tough one: huge changes came into play, and the Call of Duty team had quite the job on trying to keep the pace and keep things interesting.

Season three brought us a new Zombies map, Shattered Veil, and the final map didn't arrive with Season 4. We got Grief mode instead, with a bunch of new multiplayer and Warzone content to boot. As we get ever closer to Black Ops 7, here's what we expect in the closing chapters of Black Ops 6, including new game modes, maps, and guns.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Black Ops 6 guns, Black Ops 6 review, Black Ops 6 loadouts

PCGamesN Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:09 PM
    

How do you make sushi in Grow a Garden? If Chris. P the gourmand is craving the traditional rice and fish cuisine, you may be wondering how you're expected to appease the big pig. After all, there's no fishing in the Roblox Grow a Garden phenomenon. Not yet, anyway. Fortunately, we have multiple vegetarian Grow a Garden sushi recipes below to help you out.

So long as you've been keeping a close eye on the Grow a Garden seeds tier list with each update, you should have what you need for GaG Sushi without needing to set up a Grow a Garden stock tracker. If not, use new Grow a Garden codes, and you might get something worth trading for the correct crops.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Roblox games, Roblox promo codes, Roblox music codes

PCGamesN Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:04 PM
    

What are some cool Minecraft build ideas? The sandbox game remains one of the best of all time over a decade on from its release, but such a long time in one game means you might be running out of ideas. We've been there: you've already built a city, a castle, or even a Wild West outpost, so what's next?

Luckily, there are plenty of unique builds, farms, and creations out there to inspire your next Minecraft project. Unlike our favorite Minecraft house ideas or Minecraft castles, for example, this list is more varied and contains plenty of inspiration. From a stylish Minecraft Nether Portal to automated farms, from massive decorative builds to homely aquariums, these ideas can be copied directly or simply used to inspire your future Minecraft ideas.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Minecraft seeds, Minecraft skins, Minecraft mods

PCGamesN Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:10 PM
    

How do you make ice cream in Grow a Garden? With no cows in sight, making any sort of creamy dessert for greedy gourmand Chris. P in the premium Roblox offering can be confusing. But where there's a will, there's a way. And we have some easy Grow a Garden ice cream recipes you can follow for some quick rewards.

While you're waiting for your cold ice cream to fly out of the bubbling vat, check out the Grow a Garden pets tier list to see if any new eggs are worth picking up. And if you're wondering why your crops look like you, you might need to look into the latest Grow a Garden mutations. Eager for what's coming? Here's what the next Grow a Garden update may bring.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Roblox games, Roblox promo codes, Roblox music codes

PCGamesN Wednesday, August 6, 2025 11:52 AM
    

What's the full list of Battlefield 6 maps? A selection of engaging and dynamic maps can make or break a game like BF6, and from what we've seen so far, it looks like it's on to a winner. Any Battlefield veteran will likely have more than a few classic maps that they hold dear to their heart; Caspain Border, Operation Firestorm, even Wake Island for those who want to hark back to 1942.

The Battlefield 6 release date is nearly upon us, and players are already picking out their favorite BF6 weapons and BF6 classes ahead of launch, getting ahead of the curve before the fighting begins. We have every Battlefield 6 map we know of available at launch, as well as those that will appear in the BF6 betas taking place.

Continue reading All Battlefield 6 maps
MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Battlefield 6 preview, Battlefield 6 release date, Battlefield 6 weapons

PCGamesN Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:09 PM
    

August 6, 2025: We checked for new Mecha Break codes.

What are the latest Mecha Break codes? There aren't too many places you can go to get fast-paced, cinematic multiplayer action these days, especially for free. Mecha Break looks to bring everyone's anime dreams to life with its blend of tactical combat and a frankly dizzying array of customization options.

As with much in the way of free-to-play, you'll need to grind a bit if you want to reach the apex - we're here to help with that, with Mecha Break codes. The multiplayer game proved extremely popular with its Steam demo earlier this year, and players are lining up to jump back into the action, so check out whether there are free Mecha Break codes below.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best multiplayer games , Best co-op games, Best upcoming PC games

PCGamesN Wednesday, August 6, 2025 11:40 AM
    

If there's one terror we almost all share across the globe, it's the fear of a first day at a new job. Luckily, horror game Pager is here to capture all of those anxiety-inducing thoughts in one eerie title. In this 1990s-style office, you must climb the corporate ladder to survive - and above all else, obey the pager. Think The Stanley Parable, but more disturbing. Oh, and you can pet a dog.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best indie games, New PC games, Best PC games

PCGamesN Wednesday, August 6, 2025 11:34 AM
    

How do you make donuts in Grow a Garden? Though we'll never know how those iconic sprinkles end up on the finished product, we do have a load of Roblox Grow a Garden donut recipes below that have been tried and tested to get you some great rewards during the cooking event.

If you're unsure where to get some of the simple ingredients needed in many of the donut recipes in the Roblox game, check out the Grow a Garden seeds tier list. Crops come and go as events are replaced by the next Grow a Garden update. If you don't have a Grow a Garden stock tracker set up already, now's the time.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Roblox games, Roblox promo codes, Roblox music codes

PCGamesN Wednesday, August 6, 2025 11:25 AM
    

Another year, another Call of Duty, another season of Warzone. For years it feels like Activision's FPS has ruled the online multiplayer roost; even when its campaigns have faltered and reviews have tanked, it's managed to outlast all of its competitors. But this year, for the first time in what feels like forever, it has a real challenger. Battlefield 6 looks good, sounds good, and, by all accounts, plays pretty good, too. Perhaps this is the return to form that we've been waiting for post-2042, but you'll be able to make up your own mind very, very soon. The Battlefield 6 beta is looming, but we're giving away 40 codes for EA's new shooter so that you can try out the closed test ahead of your pals.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Battlefield 6 preview, Battlefield 6 release date, Battlefield 6 weapons

PCGamesN Wednesday, August 6, 2025 11:50 AM
    

What are the best political games? There's an addictive quality to political simulation games that's unlike the rush you get from shooters or RPGs, although the escapism is no less real. Whether you're setting economic and trade policies, standing strong on the international stage, or leading a nation through war or some other crisis, it can be easy to say you can do better than the real politicians. In some cases, that's absolutely true, but what about those unforeseen circumstances?

Both RTS games and war games have a political edge to them for certain, but it's not all just about how you demonstrate your power through armed conflict. Sometimes, you need to flex your diplomatic muscles to solve the world's more pressing problems, like having enough to eat, building enough infrastructure, or balancing emission levels to reduce their environmental impact. Here are some of the best games on PC in a genre that attempts to model every facet of what goes into running a nation.


PCGamesN Wednesday, August 6, 2025 10:50 AM
    

When is the next Monopoly Go Golden Blitz? This special, limited-time event allows players to trade two, usually locked golden stickers during a 24-hour period. This is an ideal solution for grabbing elusive missing stickers and completing albums before they come to an end.

There's no official schedule for Monopoly Go's Golden Blitz event, so we can only estimate the date of the first Summer Escape Golden Blitz based on previous events and official sticker polls. However, we check daily for official word on the next trade. While you wait, be sure to participate in other Monopoly Go events for a chance to earn rare sticker packs, and keep on top of freebies with our free Monopoly Go dice rolls guide, which is updated regularly with the newest links.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best board games, Monopoly Go events, Monopoly Go dice

PCGamesN Wednesday, August 6, 2025 10:34 AM
    

Intel has just been dealt another financial blow, as the gaming CPU maker's credit rating with Fitch Ratings has just been downgraded. The US credit agency, which is one of three rating organizations recognized by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, says that Intel's "rating outlook is negative," with weak credit metrics, an unclear AI strategy, challenging demand, and competition from AMD cited as factors.

After downgrading Intel from a BBB+ rating to BBB, Fitch pointed out that "Intel faces stronger competition from Advanced Micro Devices" in PCs, while also pointing out that market share had been eroded in "high-end desktop processors to Advanced Micro Devices" - a market where Intel has taken a battering lately. Our best gaming CPU buying guide is currently dominated by AMD chips, partly because, as we found in our Intel Core Ultra 7 265K review, the latest Intel CPUs are actually slower than the company's previous chips in games.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Intel Core Ultra 7 265K review, Best gaming CPU, Core i9 14900K review

PCGamesN Wednesday, August 6, 2025 10:02 AM
    

Nothing beats a life sim with romance - except perhaps a life sim with romance, magic, and farming. While everyone waxes lyrical about Witchbrook, Fields of Mistria is already offering all of the above and more in early access on Steam, and I'm quite content to keep to tending my magical farm and dating fellow villagers. It looks like I'm not the only one, though, if the latest anniversary statistics are anything to go by.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best farming games, Best life games, Best classic games

PCGamesN Wednesday, August 6, 2025 9:56 AM
    

When is the Sunkissed City release date? Fans of life sims, particularly Stardew Valley, rejoice! A new life sim is on the way, created by a former member of the Stardew Valley team and set in a sunny city. Arthur Lee, who left Concerned Ape in June 2022, has been working on Sunkissed City ever since, and has revealed roughly when we can expect to move into our new home.

We love life games and farming sims here at PCGamesN, and given the popularity of the likes of games like Stardew Valley, so does the rest of the world. We're sure you're as excited as we are at the prospect of another pixelated world in which to settle down, work, life, and love. There's a lot to discover in Sunkissed City, so join us as we dive into details like the Sunkissed City release date, gameplay, and more.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best sandbox games, Games like Stardew Valley, Best life games

PCGamesN Wednesday, August 6, 2025 9:41 AM
    

I'm conflicted. I'm still not able to decide whether Obsidian has nailed the perfect sequel with Grounded 2, or whether it's severely lacking any imagination. To begin, a brief history of the first game. Inspired by Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Grounded finds you waking up as a shrunken teenager stranded in someone's backyard. As you progress, you uncover the detestable acts of Ominent, a science and tech company that has abducted and miniaturized five teenagers. Playing as one of four playable characters, you hear of a mystery fifth teenager who is often referenced, but presumed dead.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: How to get water in Grounded 2, How to clear dead roots in Grounded 2, Where to find grass seeds in Grounded 2

PCGamesN Wednesday, August 6, 2025 9:39 AM
    

August 6, 2025: We added one new NBA 2K25 codes and verified our existing list.

What are the active NBA 2K25 codes? It's another year in the NBA 2K calendar, and as is tradition, there are plenty of freebies to collect. Over the lifetime of each game in the storied basketball series, 2K dishes out a slew of locker codes that can be punched in, rewarding you with everything from free packs to top-rated stars as the season progresses.

In NBA 2K25, you can expect a similar slurry of goodies to come your way, helping you make the most of your time in the sports game. Of course, NBA 2K25 locker codes don't last forever, so you'll have to act fast when a new code does pop up. Fortunately, we're keeping our eagle eyes eagerly on the latest codes, which you can find below.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best sports games, Best multiplayer games, New PC games

PCGamesN Wednesday, August 6, 2025 9:26 AM
    

August 6, 2025: We looked for new Mech Arena codes and checked the validity of current codes.

What are the new Mech Arena codes? If you want to keep up with your teammates and opponents in Plarium's fast-paced mech shooter, you're going to need A-Coins and Credits to get the latest weapons and gear.

Luckily, this free PC game offers many ways to get more XP, A-Coins, and Credits, including daily login rewards and challenges. There are also regular new Mech Arena redemption codes for the multiplayer game, too, and we've listed all the current ones below. These codes not only provide you with in-game currency to upgrade your gear, others occasionally even reward you with a whole new mech for nothing, so don't miss out.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: The best multiplayer games, The best free PC games

PCGamesN Wednesday, August 6, 2025 9:16 AM
    

Who are the Delta Force operators? The multiplayer experience in Team Jade's reimagining of Delta Force Black Hawk Down takes its cues from extraction shooter mainstays, spliced with the specialist-based class system seen in the likes of Battlefield 2042. As such, you can gain the upper hand on your future opponents just by learning about the specialists in the rebooted shooter.

There are nine Delta Force operators as of Season 5. Each operator falls under one of four positions: Assault, Engineer, Recon, or Support. While these positions indicate what each of the FPS game characters excels at, the real meat is in an operator's loadout and builds. Alongside a character-specific trait, each operator has unique tactical gear and two gadgets that can be used out in the field. To find out more about each of the Delta Force operators and what they're packing, read on.

Continue reading All Delta Force operators
MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Delta Force guns, Delta Force operators, Delta Force loadouts

PCGamesN Wednesday, August 6, 2025 8:05 AM
    

How do you get Gold in Prospecting? You won't struggle to find this. In fact, it's one of the most common metals in the game. But when it comes to finding it for reasons other than to sell for a quick buck, you'll need to know a few specific things. Prospecting Gold is needed in a few quests, and you'll struggle to complete them if you overthink your stats and equipment.

While you're sifting the sands for Gold in Prospecting, be sure to check out our list of Prospecting codes for the Roblox game. They come and go like they're sinking in quicksand, and with some offering huge chunks of in-game cash, you might be able to skip a gold grind if you're simply looking to score the green needed for your next pan upgrade. And once you do, check out our guide on Prospecting pan enchants to get a little more life out of your tool.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Roblox games, Roblox promo codes, Roblox music codes

PCGamesN Wednesday, August 6, 2025 8:04 AM
    

What are the best pirate games on PC? Arr matey, ye be interested in the best pirate games on PC, do ye? Why, it'll always be a good idea to want to be a buccaneer. The clash o' swords, the deck at your feet, the sea in yer beard, the grog in your stomach - 'tis a pirate's life that's right for us. So we grabbed our bottle of rum and our tricorn hat and headed for the high seas to find the very best pirate games for PC.

Right, that's enough of that, it's starting to give me a headache. There's nothing more liberating than being a pirate. No, not that kind of pirate - you'll want to pay for most of these games to support the creators and get the best experience possible, but there are a few free PC games included below for that feeling of looting booty without the actual piracy. So, whether it's ships or krakens you're after, let's run our swords through the best PC games that incorporate swashbuckling piracy on these high seas. Just try not to spill your grog on the way through the best pirate games on PC, landlubber.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best pirate games, Best multiplayer games, Best co-op games

PCGamesN Wednesday, August 6, 2025 7:48 AM
    

A previous senior product manager for AMD has weighed in on rumors about the company readying a rival to the potential Nvidia GeForce RTX 6090, saying "it would not surprise me at all." AMD is rumored to be planning a return to the high-end gaming GPU market when it releases its RDNA 5 architecture in the future, with the AMD Radeon RX 10090 XT, if that's what it ends up being called, rumored to have a massive total of 154 compute units.

As a point of comparison, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, which is currently a favorite on our best graphics card buying guide, only has 64 compute units, meaning this new GPU could be massively more powerful. The new AMD graphics card is also rumored to have a massive 36GB of GDDR7 VRAM, giving it even more memory than the mighty Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Ryzen 7 9800X3D review, Best gaming CPU, Radeon RX 9070 XT review

PCGamesN Wednesday, August 6, 2025 7:49 AM
    

We've all been there. After hours of painstakingly destroying, gathering, and filling your Minecraft base with hundreds of blocky items, everything has become a mess. You're not sure where your wood blocks begin and your dirt blocks end. If only there was a cute, handy mob that could help with that. Well, Bedrock players rejoice; you can now try out the glorious new copper collection, including the adorable copper golems. Organization, here you come.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Minecraft seeds, Minecraft skins, Minecraft mods

PCGamesN Wednesday, August 6, 2025 7:40 AM
    

Need to know where to find Luminum in Prospecting? The new, rare, and very versatile material is the talk of every Prospecting town across its many rivers. Manage to snag some and you'll be positioned to make a lot of cash, progress to end-game areas, or craft some of the most powerful equipment. Commit the best Luminum locations in Prospecting to memory and you'll have a clear goal whenever you log in.

If you're looking for Luminum for some quick cash, you've likely been sent on a fool's errand. You're better off farming for Prospecting Gold for some quests or using Prospecting codes in the Roblox game. Some can get you 100,000 bucks just for typing in a few letters. And if you're struggling to make enough for your next pan, learn how to enchant your Prospecting pan to make it last just a little longer.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Roblox games, Roblox promo codes, Roblox music codes

Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, August 6, 2025 1:00 PM
    

We've already shown you how you can save almost $400 on the Lenovo Legion 5 Gen 10, but if you're looking for a little more from your gaming laptop then there's a saving on the Legion Pro, too.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:59 PM
    

Former Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah has posted a sprawling video about the development of Anthem, EA and BioWare's ill-fated mech RPG shoot-me-do. We've heard about this remarkably torrid period in the RPG developer's existence from other ex-BioWare honchos and anonymous sources, but perhaps never quite this extensively: the video tops out at an hour long, and this is just part one.

Read more


Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:31 PM
    

Look, I know there's an anime fan in a top hat at the top of this tower. I know he'll chuck ninja stars at me if I go up there and disturb him, but that's why I've downed fifteen cups of coffee. I'll just show him this chainsaw and these mail bombs, then we'll get on famously. Oh, come on. I'm the reason this building has water coolers, you know. Fine, I'll wait in the lobby.

Right, is anyone sitting here? Good. You here to see the giant purple mecha-execs that loom over the building too? Ah, you're in for a treat. I've had the pleasure a few times now, after first opting to enter their corporate servitude the other day. They'd already lightninged me off the roof the first time, because I told them to stick their offer up their stick-bottoms. Let's just say it was a persuasive recruitment tactic.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:00 PM
    

It's a good month to be subscribed to Humble Choice, and not just because you get eight Steam keys for the price of one lukewarm Deliveroo. August's headliner is Persona 5 Royal, and honestly, that's enough on its own.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, August 6, 2025 11:50 AM
    

Valve, perhaps newly wary of financial transactions after being put over a barrel by Steam's payment processors, have elected to give away a bunch of Dota 2 cosmetics for free – and are employing the kindliest, definitely non-murderiest of fellas to handle the goods. Sharply dressed satyr Quartero was added to Dotes yesterday alongside the 7.39d balance update, and now that he's stuffed a Witch Doctor bauble into my hands for nothing, I can safely say that the chances of my burgled body being found behind the remains of his hastily abandoned shop are almost zero.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, August 6, 2025 11:37 AM
    

Stardock and Oxide Games have announced Ashes Of The Singularity II - or Ashes Of The Singularity 2, as people who hate unnecessary extra keyboard presses may prefer - sequel to the sci-fi real-time strategy game Brendy called "gorgeous, but plain", adding "there's nothing here that hasn't been done before and done better". The new RTS aims to improve that verdict by introducing: humans. It's a bold strategy, Cotton, but perhaps it'll work out for them.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, August 6, 2025 10:22 AM
    

League of Legends: Wild Rift executive producer David Xu has said Riot "can and will do better," after sharing an anniversary video to the game's account on Chinese social media site Weibo that very much looks to be AI slop.

However, Xu hasn't confirmed that the video did use AI in this sort-of-apology, instead claiming this was a "creator-made" video that'd found its way onto the League of Legends' spin-off's official channels.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, August 6, 2025 9:25 AM
    

I'm not the first journalist to accuse Battlefield 6 of failing to read the room. The new Battlefield's single player story explores a near-future in which NATO has collapsed, a dastardly private military corporation has filled the power vacuum, and the USA's somehow-outgunned military must fight to reunite old allies under the Stars and Stripes. The campaign includes an invasion of New York, with street battles waged against the balaclava-huffing scoundrels of "Pax Armata" in the shadow of Brooklyn Bridge. Many valiant helicopters lay down their lives in the process, and the soul of Bob Dylan is flown from every flagpole.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, August 6, 2025 7:41 AM
    

Horror game Vile: Exhumed, which sees you delving into a 90s computer to uncover a man's obsession with an adult film actress, has launched as a free download after being "wrongly banned" from Steam over sexual content, according to developer Cara Cadaver of Final Girl Games.

Initially released via Itch.io (where that version remains live), the game was set to to debut on Steam on July 22, but had its page on Valve's platform pulled down. Cadaver and publisher DreadXP say "sexual content with depictions of real people" was the reasoning given for this by Valve, despit the game featuring "no uncensored nudity, no depictions of sex acts, and no pornography".

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Twinfinite Wednesday, August 6, 2025 9:41 AM
    
Teamwork and Supermarket Together codes are the ingredients for success!

Siliconera Wednesday, August 6, 2025 2:00 PM
    

MegaHouse Hatsune Miku and Meiko Look Up Figures Debut in 2026

MegaHouse shared release dates and prices for the Hatsune Miku and Meiko figures in its Look Up series. Both will debut in Japan in late February 2026. Neither one is showing up on the US site for the series yet, though some of the storefronts like Amazon and Crunchyroll are showing other recent releases like the Gundam GQuuuuuuX ones. They'll be 4,620円(~$31) each in Japan. AmiAmi is also selling each one for about $26.56.

Like all figures in the line, both Hatsune Miku and Meiko are posed like they're sitting. Their neck is articulated, so you can change the pose a bit. This means you can adjust the sitting position, or make it look like the characters are looking up at you. 

Here's how the two MegaHouse Hatsune Miku and Meiko figures will look. First, here's Miku:

And here's what Meiko will look like:

The Look Up figure line often features anime characters, stars of games, and mascots like Vocaloids. For example, Evangelionand Gundam ones appeared in the past. Pokemon ones were only sold at the Pokemon Center

The MegaHouse Hatsune Miku and Meiko Look Up figures will debut in Japan in late February 2026. We should see them worldwide after that. 

The post MegaHouse Hatsune Miku and Meiko Look Up Figures Debut in 2026 appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, August 6, 2025 1:00 PM
    

Vampire Survivors Online Co-op Public Beta Live on Steam

Poncle announced on social media that the latest Steam public beta for PC players allows Vampire Survivors players to test out online co-op multiplayer. Currently, all live versions of the game only allow local co-op. The beta-devlog channel on the official Discord also offered patch notes for v1.14 going over what to expect from the build. 

If someone goes through Steam to access the Vampire Survivors public beta with online co-op multiplayer, they'll need to find the PC version of the game and in their library and head into properties. When there, go to beta. You can opt into v1.14 there. However, before doing so Poncle did recommend backing up your save file so it isn't affected by any negative effects. Once you back up the save and opt into the beta, the developer said to ensure the game and DLC update to get started. 

Once you follow those steps, a new "Online" option will appear on the Vampire Survivors PC menu between "Start" and "Adventures" that will let you take part in co-op multiplayer with other Steam players over the internet. The other participants will also need to be taking part in the beta, of course. The other notes about the included confirmation everyone needs to own the DLC to use it, Free Roam is allowed so you aren't all locked onto the same screen unless someone goes to the boss room, you can spectate other players if you die, and there will be Batch level up. 

The update also features two new characters, which are spoilers if you want to avoid them ahead of the official announcement. Chula-Reh rolls a dice when you get Rerolls or every 30 seconds. Depending on what you get, you can get a Luck boost (2,3,4, or 5), 77% Curse paired with -777% Luck for 10 seconds (1), or +777% Luck and +77% Speed for 30 seconds (6). Zi'Appunta Belpaese will drop props that can explode and, in rare instances, be a Golden Treasure Chest with a new weapon that you can choose to grab.

Vampire Survivors is available for the Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC, and mobile devices. The online co-op multiplayer public beta is on Steam now. The last major update was a free expansion based on Square Enix's SaGa series.

The post Vampire Survivors Online Co-op Public Beta Live on Steam appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:00 PM
    

2025 FFXIV Moonfire Faire Rewards Make a Maritime Outfit

Square Enix set the dates for the 2025 FFXIV Moonfire Faire event, and this time the rewards will come together to let us dress our Warriors of Light in a Maritime Outfit. The occasion will take place between August 13-16, 2025. As long as a player is at level 30, they can take part.

As long as you're at the right level, you can head to the Upper Decks of Limsa Lominsa to take part in Moonfire Faire again. You'll need to check in with the Lalafell Mayaru Moyaru, who will be at X: 11.5, Y: 13.8. Talking to the character will let you kick off the "Dressed to Protect" questline. 

The FFXIV Maritime Outfit you get as part of the event consists of four parts. There are Maritime Mirrored Glasses, Maritime Sandals, Maritime Shorts, and a Maritime Top. All of these can be projected and dyed.

Here's how that looks in its original color scheme:

2025 FFXIV Moonfire Faire Rewards Make a Maritime Outfit
Image via Square Enix

As usual, we can also get old FFXIV Moonfire Faire rewards during the 2025 event. While some of these can be gotten for free in-game, we often see others added to the Final Fantasy XIV Online Store for cash. The 2024 instance added a Uchiwasshoi emote and Bomb Balloon. The 2023 one added Phoenix Rising Armor

Final Fantasy XIV is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, and the Moonfire Faire returns to FFXIV between August 13-26, 2025.

The post 2025 FFXIV Moonfire Faire Rewards Make a Maritime Outfit appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, August 6, 2025 11:00 AM
    

Genshin Impact Bennett Videos Highlight His Past and Present

Now that the 5.8 Genshin Impact update is live, including a Sunspray Summer Resort event with Bennett, HoYoVerse also shared two videos pulled from the game that highlight his past and present. One is more notable in terms of lore than the other, as it offers more insight into the unlucky orphan raised by the Mondstadt Adventurers' Guild. Both of them include Genshin Impact spoilers.

Editor's Note: There will be spoilers for Bennett and the Sunspray Summer Resort event in the Genshin Impact videos below.

Both of the videos are part of the "The Surprise That Awaits Us All" quest and were released on August 5, 2025. While they each include spoilers for Bennett, the first one includes more spoilers for the Genshin Impact character than the other. It actually shows the Pyro unit as a baby. We see detailed circumstances that got into his past. It also heavily focuses on some adventurers named Aroni and Macani, as well as their friends Anja and Chaco. They're all part of a team known as Tecpatl's Flintblades. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW8EDwoW80k

The second video is more of a follow-up. It covers the end of the Sunspray Summer Resort event. This means we get to see all of the different characters having fun together at the end of the questline. However, there are also references to Bennett and his past there too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjvu78hkeXs

Bennett is always available in-game. He's a four-star Pyro unit that uses a sword. He's part of the general character pool. You can only earn his outfit for free during this 5.8 event though, as it will be a paid item after 6.0 starts.

Genshin Impact is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, PC, and mobile devices. However, it won't be on the PS4 by this time next year. HoYoVerse announced it will be delisted on September 10, 2025, then completely shut down on April 8, 2026. 

The post Genshin Impact Bennett Videos Highlight His Past and Present appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, August 6, 2025 10:00 AM
    

Sanrio Characters Punirunes

Sanrio revealed that Takara Tomy has released new Punirunes featuring the former's popular mascot characters like Hello Kitty and Pompompurin. This virtual pet toy has a gimmick that lets the owner insert a finger to literally touch the pet mascot they are raising.

The owner will be able to insert three AAA alkaline batteries to power up this toy. The virtual pet will gradually grow from a baby to a kid, and eventually a grown-up adult modeled after a Sanrio mascot. They will then be able to provide various things to the pet, such as food, bath, and accessories.

The Sanrio Punirunes will have a total of 23 grown-up mascot characters available in-game. The roster ranges from the mainstay mascot Hello Kitty to the 2025 Sanrio Character Ranking winner Pompompurin and the former streak winner Cinnamoroll.

The new Punirunes have an MSRP of 7,150 yen (~$48.50). Takara Tomy has been selling the product firsthand via its own Takara Tomy Mall website since August 2, 2025. However, it strictly limits shipments of the items to Japan only, and the company does not even make it available for overseas shipping via the Buyee widget. A listing page for the same product is also available on Amazon Japan, but there are only second-hand retailers selling at increased prices as of Sanrio's announcement. Sanrio is planning to put the Punirunes up for orders in its own physical and online storefronts in August 2025 or later.

The Sanrio Punirunes are being made available for purchase gradually in physical and online storefronts across Japan.

The post New Sanrio Punirunes Virtual Pet Lets You Touch Characters appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, August 6, 2025 9:00 AM
    

Review: Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy Is Okay

It is so great when companies take chances and revive older game series. I feel like even if the resulting title isn't fantastic, it invigorates interest in a property that shouldn't be forgotten. Mado Monogatari is a past Compile series that started out with Sega's Puyo characters like Arle and Carbuncle doing some dungeon crawling. The only localized entry prior to 2025 ended up being Sorcery Saga: Curse of the Great Curry God. I say prior to, because Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy is the latest installment and it did show up worldwide. The downside is, it isn't exactly an extraordinary showing. It's totally fine and isn't afraid to be a little silly, but it's not a revolutionary or amazing Mystery Dungeon style roguelike. 

Fia received an invitation to attend the Ancient Magic Academy, so she heads there alongside Carbuncle with her grandma's Grimoire to become a great mage. While she did arrive late, the principal excuses this and says her managing to even get there at all were her "entrance exam." Though when Carbuncle causes problems that end up involving a number of other new students, Fia and the lot of them are dubbed the "trouble" class and put together under instructor Rivan. It's up to them to get through classes, explore the dungeon, and become mages, proving to a more ornery professor named Rosemary that they deserve to be there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz5hkG_4iIA

Progression in Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy is a little unconventional, as it isn't a straightforward Mystery Dungeon sort of roguelike. It's more of a visual novel with the roguelike elements. So while Fia is at the academy, you need to advance through "classes," brief segments explaining magical properties and classes, to get assignments that send you to the dungeon. Then, upon completing them, you can unlock new Magic Artes in your Grimoire to bolster your moveset. Fia herself can also belong to various classes, and at Egard the principal's office you can change your Role or take a Promotion Exam to become more powerful. When not advancing the story or handling your moveset and equipment at the school, you could also do some light crafting involving tending plants, fishing, cooking, and using dungeon materials. 

While some of the scenes between Fia and her classmates Eska, Leena, Totto, and Will can be fun or fascinating, the parts at the academy are when Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy can drag quite a bit. The pacing is all off, and it moves slowly. And not in a comfortable, cozy, this is taking its time in a manner I appreciate fashion. It feels like it takes forever for things to happen, Fia even just moves slowly around spaces, and it's all quite dull. There are sometimes events like contests, that can be fun to watch, but aren't all that exciting. The Puyo series references can pop up too, such as Suketoudara and Skeleton T showing up and enemies like Puyos littering dungeons. I do feel like I could have used more of that. 

Once you do get to enter a dungeon for some exploring and fighting, it almost feels like Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy tries to be innovative and interesting in a way that sometimes makes the experience too rudimentary and frustrating. The layout of the dungeons means they never really feel as meandering or "dangerous" as ones in true Mystery Dungeon installments, given that where you need to be going is pretty clearly telegraphed and each run is incredibly short. (You won't be spending hours wandering around, like in similar games.) There can be traps or some light puzzle elements, but I didn't find them too tricky. The threat of "enemies moving when you move" isn't an issue, since it changed from a turn-based, attack on the field structure to one in which you enter a battle upon connect.

Said battles are probably the most ambitious part of Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy, and I think they might be the most unsteady element in the game. You put up to three characters in your party, Fia included. You attack foes in a contained space during an active battle, though there is a timeline at the top of the screen showing who's up next. (Said foe designs repeat a lot, by the way.) When you attack, you see the range of your weapon or spell. You then need to make sure the foe falls exactly in it to hit. In the case of a more standard physical attack with a sword or spear, that's a bit easier. With a spell, an AOE circle appears and you need to ensure they are in the center when cast. Except everyone's constantly moving, it isn't as fluid as I'd like, trying to collect the right elements from everyone's spells for a Great Magic Artes attack can be frustrating, and I found it easier to just whack things with my weapon until they were dead instead.

I enjoyed Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy in spite of itself. I think the characters can be cute and fun, and I'm a sucker for any Mystery Dungeon style roguelike. The problem is that it really moves at a plodding pace, the combat system's AOE and range systems get in the way of themselves, and the dungeon exploration feels more boring than challenging. I do think that, if there's a sequel, a lot of this could be used as a foundation for something better. Trim some of the fat, like gameplay elements that didn't work, tighten up the story, and adjust things to play more like Sorcery Saga (which was great) or the original first-person dungeon crawlers. 
 I feel like the issue is that what's here is too easy of a game with too cumbersome of a combat system for folks looking for a new Mystery Dungeon type of roguelike, but perhaps too slow-moving and awkward for those unfamiliar with the genre.

Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy is available on the Switch, PS4, and PS5. 

The post Review: Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy Is Only Okay appeared first on Siliconera.


Destructoid Wednesday, August 6, 2025 1:12 PM
    

Samus standing in a narrow hallway in front of a door in Metroid Prime: Remastered

I'm treating Metroid Prime: Remastered as a boring task like washing the dishes or doing paperwork.

The game released over two years ago on the Nintendo Switch, and there's nothing forcing me to play it except my curiosity.

Reddit threads about playing video games and keeping up with your backlog as an adult always end up with someone karma-farming in the comments with a reply like "Games aren't homework. If you don't want to play or are not having fun, don't play it." I could agree with these people, but then I'd also be wrong.

I'm not having fun with Metroid Prime: Remastered. I bought the game because I expected to feel excited about the masterpiece it supposedly is, since the original is the best-rated Game Cube title ever on Metacritic and this Switch remaster has a solid score of 93. On Destructoid, we gave it an 8.5 review score, saying it's "worth your time and cash."

Turns out Metroid Prime: Remastered is as fun as feeling sick during a swing ride. Its narrow passages make me feel claustrophobic. I feel trapped by Samus' suit. The first-person controls on a console are something I'll never get used to. And the non-linear exploration isn't my favorite way of playing any video game. I'll still force myself to play and finish it, though.

What makes me stick to the game isn't peer pressure or avoiding the feeling that I've wasted money on it. It's just curiosity.

A screenshot of Metroid Prime: Remastered showing the player point of view taking damage from a pool of acid.
The overwhelming interface of Metroid Prime: Remastered. I feel trapped in Samus' suit. Screenshot by Destructoid

Playing with a different mindset

Behind the endlessly respawning swarms of War Wasps and long corridors that lead to early dead ends, there's something in this game a lot of people love. My hope is that he empathy of trying to look at the game through someone else's point of view will make me see Metroid Prime: Remastered in a way I haven't yet. Maybe the fun is in getting lost because I will be happy when I find the right passage. Or despite all the optional content, the fun is in blitzing through rooms of enemies and getting to the main areas quickly. I don't know yet.

I want to explore the game and discover what makes people have fun with it, even if I don't feel the fun. I also like building that empathic connection with things like listening to death metal albums my friends send me, or watching movies I'd never pick if other people didn't tell me it's good.

That empathic connection is buried in what's a mostly unfun game for me, yes, but it's probably worth the price. I'll figure it out. It's not like Metroid Prime: Remastered is a painful experience. It's just boring and sometimes annoying, but I can handle being bored.

We all play boring games

While we think we should have fun all the time with video games, it doesn't happen. There are a lot of unfun moments in games that still keep us playing, and we do that because we know there will be a bigger payoff down the road.

If you've ever played a sixth ranked match of Dota 2 or LoL after a five-loss streak, you know it's not fun, but you still want to play it for mastery or to challenge yourself. I've played the arena brawler Battlerite with friends just to get together online, despite thinking the game is mid. I've farmed PVE maps for countless hours in Guild Wars 2 because I wanted legendary gear, and it wasn't fun at all. You surely had similar experiences farming gear in World of Warcraft, gathering materials in Genshin Impact, and completing the battle pass in Fortnite.

Playing because it's a habit is also incredibly powerful. That's how some people get to the tens of thousands in Candy Crush levels.

Chasing fun when in a video game is a trap. If we, as busy adults with family duties and jobs, think a game is only worth it if it's fun, we're setting ourselves up to be disappointed because not every game comes with that quick dopamine hit. This mindset can get us quickly into a spiral of questioning, "Ok, is this fun? Am I having fun? What is fun? Am I supposed to have fun now? Why am I not having fun? If I'm not having fun, are video games not for me anymore?"

How about games that are boring before they're fun? Veteran players of Diablo, Path of Exile, Pokémon, and many RPGs hate the campaigns and stories that block the endgame. But if everything was always maxed out and unlocked by default, would it be fun for new players to jump into the endgame with no experience or effort at all?

My curiosity with Metroid Prime: Remastered is paying off. Killing enemies and navigating the map will always be an annoying obstacle instead of fun, but I like figuring out the game like a puzzle and realizing where I have to go next to progress in the game. When I finally get to the right room and get a power-up, I understand why some people like playing it.

I also feel like it only happens because Metroid Prime: Remastered is a great game. I don't think I'd force myself to complete a bad game. Or maybe I would just like to learn what makes it so bad.

So, don't start a game or keep playing it, chasing fun. Instead, be open to the experience and think about whether there's anything else you value while playing. It can be getting together with friends despite playing an online game you suck at, or reliving the past by playing your favorite childhood game, or even exploring a complex RPG plot like a book.

The post Metroid Prime: Remastered reminded me fun isn't the only reason to play a game appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:55 PM
    

TEKKEN 8 had a bunch of new reveals at this year's Evo, including the first gameplay trailer for Armor King, and the reveal of the final season two DLC Character, Miary Zo, who brings a distinct look, a stage, and a milestone for the TEKKEN series.

Before Miary Zo's official reveal, though, we at Destructoid got a sneak peek of the trailer at Evo 2025 and got to talk to multiple members of the TEKKEN 8 development team. This included Kohei Ikeda (Nakatsu), the chief producer and game director, and Katsuhiro Harada, producer and executive game Director on the TEKKEN Project. Producer Michael Murray translated for both Nakatsu and Harada during our interview.

The character's reveal over the weekend has been making headlines in Africa for helping to keep a centuries-old material art from Madagascar alive. Harada and the team told us at Destructoid that the team wanted to keep the authenticity of the region in TEKKEN 8.

"So we actually went to Madagascar, and Madagascar as a whole actually has a very vibrant TEKKEN community who are actively doing like tournaments. And so we, ahead of time, got in contact with some of the people in the community." Harada told Destructoid. "Once we went there, we got to talk to people on the ground, and then also even go to a school, to meet the students and faculty and ask questions about the local culture. At the time, no one knew that they were doing research for a new character."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBjhCpvBtyk&ab_channel=BandaiNamcoEntertainmentAmerica

Murray then went on to further explain Harada and Nakatsu's trip to the region (one which he said he couldn't sadly attend but wished he had), saying that Madagascar is a unique country because of its influences.

"They tried to make it authentic by working with some advisors in the community there to make sure that they're creating something that looks like it would be from that area," Murray told Destructoid. Harada then joined in, saying that "It was quite challenging, but we were able to create something pretty unique, because we actually had someone from the country do the voiceover for it, which was challenging, because it seems that in Madagascar, they don't have a huge industry for voice acting. It's mainly a few people who do voice dubs."

After Harada and the team discussed their process for creating the character and their trip, I wanted to understand the origin of the idea and why they chose Madagascar as the basis for a new original character. Harada and the team were quick in explaining their decisions, as well as how they went about creating characters as a whole.

"Sometimes it's a particular fighting style that we choose, or maybe a certain concept sketch from an artist that starts it off," Harada said. "But for this time, it was more locking in on that region first and deciding that we've never done someone from Africa, so we would like to try it. But then, even within that African area, Madagascar is itself quite unique. So although it's somewhere where most people have heard of before, no one knows a whole lot about it. So we thought that would be a really unique starting point, and that if they go there, they would get some kind of inspiration on a concept to flesh out."

Harada also continued to express his ideas on adding new characters to the game each season and what the team looks to do to make as many people as happy.

"We start off with a roster initially. And although there are many characters that we wanted to put in—we just couldn't, because of the amount of time and resources." Harada told us. "For Season One, the theme was story-based with [things like] the return of Heihachi, but then also, kind of the support characters, story-wise... But for season two, it was more trying to get those fan favorites that still weren't in the game yet, plus doing a new original character no one had seen before. Because we wanted to make something new for a change, but while also trying to please fans who are waiting for their favorite."

Harada also touched on the wider Tekken story when deciding DLC and new characters, considering the game is the longest-running story in video games. And while the story is quite important, it's not the "be-all end-all" when deciding which characters to make.

"The character has to feel unique and stand out, and then we find a way to make it work." Harada told us, but when I asked him further if we can trust his work moving forward considering for the longest time he said Heihachi was dead and would never come back to the game, only for him to appear as a season one DLC character, Harada only said he was "sorry that he did it on purpose" that it was "planned for a bit" to make it a surprise, and for how far we can trust him moving forward?

"It's hard to tell."

The post Harada on creating Miary Zo— TEKKEN's first Madagascar representative appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Wednesday, August 6, 2025 11:45 AM
    

Farm lands in Grow a Garden

Roblox title Grow a Garden has a fresh cooking event for players to participate in and unlock different rewards, and there's a host of recipes to choose from.

The event caters to Chris P. Bacon's requests, who has a list of 12 different recipes. The recipes use different resources to make, which makes it crucial for players to know the exact details. This will help them make all the required food items and maximize their rewards from the new event.

All Grow a Garden cooking recipes list

Grow a Garden already offers a vast array of vegetables and fruits for you to grow. You can mix and match your products to prepare new items and complete Bacon's wishes. You'll find all the required details in the table below. Most of the recipes have different tiers, and higher ones will need more recipes.

Recipe Cooking Recipe (Common) Cooking Recipe (Rare) Cooking Recipe (Legendary) Cooking Recipe (Mythical) Cooking Recipe (Divine) Cooking Recipe (Prismatic)
Burger ______ 1 Pepper
1 Corn
1 Tomato
1 Mint
1 Corn
2 Tomato
2 Ember Lily
1 Pepper
1 Corn
1 Tomato
1 Bone Blossom
1 Corn
1 Tomato
3 Bone Blossom
3 Bone Blossom
1 Tomato
1 Corn
Cake 1 Strawberry
1 Tomato
1 Corn
1 Apple
2 Watermelon
2 Corn
2 Banana
1 Blood Banana
1 Moon Melon
1 Soft Sunshine
1 Lucky Bamboo
3 Sugar Apple
1 Corn
1 Corn
2 Elder Strawberry
2 Sugar Apple
1 Banana
3 Bone Blossom
Donut _____ 2 Corn
1 Tomato
1 Banana
1 Corn
1 Serenity
1 Sugar Apple
1 Corn
1 Sugar Apple
1 Sugarglaze
2 Sugar Apple
4 Bone Blossom
1 Sugarglaze
Hot Dog _____ _____ 1 Pepper
1 Corn
2 Pepper
1 Corn
4 Ember Lily
1 Corn
4 Bone Blossom
1 Corn
Ice Cream _____ 1 Watermelon
1 Corn
1 Banana
1 Watermelon
1 Banana
1 Sugar Apple
1 Sugar Apple
1 Sugarglaze
1 Sugar Apple
1 Sugarglaze
3 Bone Blossom
Pizza 1 Strawberry
1 Pepper
1 Tomato
1 Corn
_____ 1 Corn
1 Tomato
1 Pepper
1 Sugar Apple
1 Pepper
1 Tomato
1 Sugar Apple
1 Corn
1 Sugar Apple
1 Corn
1 Bone Blossom
1 Banana
1 Beanstalk
3 Bone Blossom
Pie _____ 1 Crown Melon
1 Jalapeno
1 Pumpkin
1 Apple
1 Sugar Apple
1 Pumpkin
1 Coconut
1 Beanstalk
4 Bone Blossom
1 Pumpkin
Sandwich 2 Tomato
1 Corn
_____ 2 Tomato
2 Beanstalk
1 Corn
1 Tomato
1 Corn
1 Elder Strawberry
3 Bone Blossom
1 Tomato
1 Corn
3 Bone Blossom
1 Tomato
1 Violet Corn
Salad 1 Bamboo
3 Carrot
1 Orange Tulip
1 Bamboo
1 Carrot
1 Tomato
2 Blood Banana
2 Tomato
1 Tomato
2 Pepper
4 Sugar Apple
1 Tomato
4 Bone Blossom
1 Tomato
Soup 1 Carrot 1 Coconut
1 Elder Strawberry
2 Blood Banana
2 Tomato
1 Tomato
2 Pepper
_____ _____
Sushi 4 Bamboo
1 Corn
1 Bamboo
2 Corn
1 Spike Mango
3 Bamboo
1 Corn
1 Maple Apple
2 Bamboo
1 Corn
2 Bone Blossom
1 Bamboo
1 Corn
3 Bone Blossom
_____
Waffle _____ 1 Strawberry
1 Coconut
1 Coconut
1 Maple Apple
3 Banana
1 Tranquil Bloom
1 Starfruit
1 Coconut
1 Sugar Apple
1 Coconut
3 Bone Blossom
1 Sugar Apple
1 Coconut

Grow a Garden cooking event rewards
Screenshot by Destructoid

The table above is a work in progress, and we will be adding new rarities when we find them. As you prepare the food for Chef Bacon, you unlock various rewards. Common offerings include Watering Cans, Fork Fence, and Mutation Spray Burn, while rarer items like Medium Toy and Gourmet Seed Packs are also on offer.

The post All cooking recipes in Grow a Garden – Roblox appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Wednesday, August 6, 2025 10:42 AM
    

A character with purple and pink hair wearing a purple striped sweater and a striped cat tail holding a fluffy white and grey dog while surrounded by animal companions in disney dreamlight valley

Iconic Disney characters are always accompanied by lovable sidekicks, and in Disney Dreamlight Valley, you can have one, too. There's quite a vast array of Companions you can unlock, all of which come with special abilities and rewards.

It can be tough to choose which adorable Companion you want to have at your side, but knowing which ones have the abilities you're working on or the prizes you're most eager to unlock makes this decision much easier. If you want to learn everything there is to know about them, here are all Companion abilities and rewards in Disney Dreamlight Valley.

All Companion abilities in Disney Dreamlight Valley

A player in a pink strawberry dress holding a squirrel while many critters run around them in disney dreamlight valley
Screenshot by Destructoid

All regular Companion types have unique roles they can assist you with if you explore the valley with them at your side. All of the companion abilities you may encounter are as follows.

  • Baby Dragons, Owls, and Pegasus help with Snippets.
  • Dogs will help with Sticks.
  • Foxes and Crocodiles help with Fish.
  • Rabbits help with Vegetables.
  • Raccoons and Whimsical Creatures help with Gems.
  • Ravens help with Soil.
  • Snakes, Capybaras, and Monkeys help with Timebending Parts.
  • Squirrels help with Fruit.
  • Sunbirds help with Flowers.
  • Turtles help with Seafood.

All Notable Companion rewards in Disney Dreamlight Valley

There are 11 Notable Companions you can unlock in DDV so far, all of which come with one exclusive reward item you can't get anywhere else. Only Notable Companions grant prizes you can't otherwise get.

Notable Companions also don't necessarily follow the expected roles and abilities, so we've listed all activities they help with here, too, to help you determine which Companion you want to have at your side.

Companion Ability How to get Main reward All rewards
Baby Pegasus Grains Was previously obtainable by purchasing the Magical Edition of DDV. This edition is no longer available. Mythical Cloud Throne furniture item Baby pegasus rewards in disney dreamlight valley
Dinah Flowers Can be purchased from the Premium Shop. Pink Cat Shelves furniture item Dinah rewards in disney dreamlight valley
Figaro Fish Can be purchased from the Premium Shop. Decorative Fishbowl and Cabinet furniture item Figaro rewards in disney dreamlight valley
Heihei Stones Can be purchased from the Premium Shop. Coconut Garland Gate furniture item Heihei rewards in disney dreamlight valley
Magic Carpet Flowers Complete the Aladdin Realm quest Carpet Diem. Golden Agrabah Mirror furniture item Magic Carpet rewards in disney dreamlight valley
Maleficent's Raven Soil Complete The Corvid Companion quest after unlocking Maleficent. Anchor Moment Pillar furniture item Maleficent's raven  rewards in disney dreamlight valley
Max Sticks Can be purchased from the Premium Shop as part of the permanent Seafaring Sheepdog Max Bundle. Ship Bed furniture item Max rewards in disney dreamlight valley
Nana Sticks Can be purchased from the Premium Shop. Nana's Doghouse furniture item Nana rewards in disney dreamlight valley
Pua Fruit Complete Moana's level eight friendship quest, The Search for Pua. Oar Wall Display furniture item Pua rewards in disney dreamlight valley
R2-D2 Ore Can be purchased from the Premium Shop. R2-D2 Backpack clothing item R2-D2 rewards in disney dreamlight valley
The Footstool Wood Can be purchased from the Premium Shop. Cozy Castle Rug furniture item The footstool rewards in disney dreamlight valley

All Companion rewards in Disney Dreamlight Valley

Regular companion animals in disney dreamlight valley
Screenshot by Destructoid

Outside of the Notable Companions, all other critters you can befriend don't come with special rewards and instead grant you one Companion Decor Reward chest. Upon opening this item, you'll find a random piece of furniture from Scrooge McDuck's shop.

It might be an item you already have, or something new. It's never an exclusive prize, and it can randomly be found and bought from the village shop, so it's not quite as exciting as the Notable Companion prizes.

The post All Companion abilities and rewards in Disney Dreamlight Valley appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Wednesday, August 6, 2025 10:22 AM
    

There's been a lot of powercreep in the Type Soul re-release with the Nimble and Overkill Schrifts being overpowered currently. Also, Commons and Rares seem to be outperforming base Legendaries and Mythics which is common for Shikai and Partial Res as well. With all of this in mind let's talk about all Quincy Schrifts and find the best one in my Type Soul Schrift tier list and guide.

Type Soul Quincy Schrift Tier List

type soul schrift tier list and guide
Image by Destructoid

This Type Soul Schrift tier list covers all Quincy Schrift options from best to worst except for Almighty. I don't know how to get that one yet so I haven't tested it. Other than that we seem to be getting a lot of powercreep from new Schrifts with Nimble and Overkill being OP right now for high-rank leaderboards. But there's still some awesome Schrift options from the old era that are doing good today so let's take a look. Below you'll find a detailed breakdown of all Type Soul Schrifts from best to worst.

Related: If you also play Soul Reaper/Shinigami check out our Shikai tier list and for Arrancar/Hollow we have a Partial Res tier list.

S-Tier Schrift

S-Tier Schrift Notes

Nimble
• The new Schrift Nimble is quite OP due to its mobility and defensive potential
• The T move puts you in a stance where you get three free auto dodges which is power creep in my opinion especially coming from a Rare
• The G is also a good damage multi-hit dash forward that's difficult to parry because of the multi-hit and it also staggers on hit making it a good combo extender
• What's worse, for every single dodge you do you gain more speed so this either needs to get nerfed or some other options need to get hella buffed
• Combine with Hakuda or Speed for a lot of damage and mobility

Overkill
• Similar to Nimble where it's a new Schrift but incredibly powerful dueling option despite it drawbacks
• Basically it replaces all your active moves with a powerful passive that boosts your stats slightly on grips/kills little by little, up to a maximum cap
• The cap is +40% Posture, +40% Rei, +30% Speed, +50% Damage and +20% Defense
• This is an incredibly powerful passive that will have you dealing tons of damage and tanking a lot too
• I highly recommend you just go to a low level area like Fullbringer world and you can even stack it on the NPC kills, not just players (You need ~200 grips/kills to max it out)
• Combine with pretty much anything like Kendo or Speed for a leaderboard worthy build

Heat
• Overall Heat deals a lot of damage with the moves and the burn effect so it's a really competitive base Schrift
• The T also stuns for a long time if you land it at max range so you can true combo off of it if you can close the distance fast with mobility moves or combo into Kido
• G is a really great high-damage multi-hit guardbreak move that's amazing on Speed and Kendo
• You can't go wrong with Heat if you constantly land T at max range and can close the distance for a true combo

Wind
• Wind is a Common Schrift but an S-Tier true combo master because the T move stuns and guardbreaks allowing for a true combo into G or Rising Swallow or Floating Strikes, etc. (True combo into fast moves)
• G also stuns and comboes well into many moves including G and then you can keep it going with fast attacks

Superstar
• The T got a speed buff and you can pull off great combos with it using feints into a critical or something similar
• The G move guardbreaks and is incredibly good with Air Hakuda since you can do it midair to keep them in the air and combo extend
• The new "OKAY, JAMES!" passive from the re-release further buffs this Schrift's damage, defense and even heals you on landing moves
• Somewhere between A and S due to the James heal and combo potential

A-Tier Schrift

A-Tier Schrift Notes

Butterfly
• They nerfed Butterfly G's cooldown and also made it so you can't movestack anymore back in September 2024
• That said G is still a really fast move that can combo into other attacks really well
• T is also pretty good since it's an AOE mini-stun that serves as a great combo extender
• Overall Butterfly has some great combo potential and is a viable pick in any rank

Explode
• The T has guard break and ragdolls and is great for allowing you to extend into other moves like Fast Bang, Flash Cut, Black Claw, Earth Shatter, etc. (Great with Speed and Hakuda)
• The G is really good for maintaining a combo since it extends the air time on your opponent
• Overall I think it's very similar to Butterfly for comboing so I value them the same

Zombie
• I mostly like Zombie for the G counter since it true combos into a lot of other Speed-Kendo-Kido moves
• Otherwise, the Zombie passive is really niche and virtually useless in high rank 1v1s though it is good in open world noob-stomping and team fights since it works like a Kyoka clone
• T doesn't have much synergy with other moves but is a pretty decent AOE cone damage in front of you

Balance
• Balance has received numerous nerfs over the past months with the removal of hyperarmor, lessening the stun effect, etc.
• That said Balance is still pretty good since T still guardbreaks and gives you Order to heal with your passive
• G is the main heal that sustains you and buffs your team or deals damage if you hold but I wouldn't hold it since the heal is better
• Overall while it's not as good as it used to be it still offers excellent sustain in high rank PVP

Deathdealing
• Deathdealing is such an awesome Schrift because it's so flexible and works on any build like Kido/Flash/Kenpo and even Ground Hakuda due to the G flashstep disable
• Your passive Lethal Dosage will ramp up a huge damage burst with your moves that explodes and ragdolls enemies when they reach 100 (Executes on low HP)
• T is an uncounterable move with high posture damage that just ramps up Lethal Dosage passive
• G is a great area control spell (both defensively in ganks or offensively for chasedown) since it disables flashsteps and also ramps up Lethal Dosage
• Just note that good players will always try to get out of G with stuff like Dropping Fang, Time Cut, Eviscerate, etc.

B-Tier Schrift

B-Tier Schrift Notes

Miracle
• The T here is really fun to use even though it's easy to parry frontally since you can aim it behind the enemy block to bypass it
• If you land a T it blinds them so go for a combo fast, works great with a mobility move to close the distance if you're further away
• The G is good damage and massive ragdoll that comes from the left (their right) so it can be awkward to block
• Overall this is a balanced moveset that's not amazing but not bad so perfect for B-Tier

Glutton
• You have a special grip here that restores meters which is good for team fights
• The T move is good for DOT damage and sustain if you can land it since it's a projectile but it's fast so it's not unreliable
• G is a great guardbreak lifesteal/mobility move that combos well into T since if you hit it immediately after T it procs all DOT damage right away and heals you more
• Really good for Kendo and Hakuda (G in air to extend comboes) but overall moves can be parried so B-Tier fits

Thunderbolt
• Thunderbolt is all about landing T to link and then doing G to ragdoll players which sets them up for a true combo into any pretty much any move
• The problem is that T is really hard to land on experienced players unless you're using feints, other moves and free aim to land an unpredictable T
• Overall when it works it's a free true combo but it's hard to land T which is why it's B-Tier

Power
• Power is overall good for combo extension since the moves here ragdoll enemies
• G is the powerhouse since it has hyperarmor, guardbreaks and has long range to ragdoll enemies
• You can combine it with Kendo, Speed and Hakuda but it's nothing broken so you'll have to practice combos to make it worthwhile

Iron
• Iron is pretty decent overall since T cannot be canceled and it deals a lot of posture damage
• G is hard to land but if you do land it it's a true combo into Floating Strikes or Rising Swallow or any fast melee move
• The only reason Iron isn't A-Tier is because there's a lot of end lag on the moves meaning you can get punished easily

C-Tier Schrift

C-Tier Schrift Notes

Visionary
• Visionary got massive nerfs in terms of not being able to movestack anymore so it kind of falls of heavily
• T no longer movestacks into other moves and is easy to parry
• G is pretty okay with the knockback but much slower and more easily punished since you can't hit enemies in front of you who get close and put pressure as it misses them
• The passives with the T damage reduction and ultra parry with G when on full Imagination is okay but not enough to place this higher than C-Tier for me personally

Fear
• The main problem I have with Fear is that it's predictable since you can see the T move coming a mile away you can just block it or counter it
• That said if you can pull it off the T move does stun enough for a true combo into something like a Rising Swallow or Floating Strikes
• G doesn't do that much damage and its only real use is slowing
• Overall this is an underpowered Schrift but it's not useless for D-Tier

D-Tier Schrift

D-Tier Schrift Notes

Compulsory
• While T has been buffed to increase its speed it's still a blockable move
• G doesn't even guardbreak even though it does good posture
• Overall this is a very weak Schrift but still more usable than Royal and X Axis

Royal
• Royal really needs a buff since both T and G have huge windups/slow animations that are easily punished
• They are both hyperarmor and guardbreak moves but that isn't really worth since your opponent will have ages to dodge or punish you
• This might turn into an A-Tier or higher Schrift if they speed up the starting animations on the moves

X Axis
• This is the ranged combat Schrift and the biggest problem with it is that Type Soul fights get real close real quick with lots of mobility moves
• That means that the T and G slow start-up animation like with Royal sucks since you'll just get punished
• As a base Schrift this is probably the worst one in the game

That's it for my Type Soul Schrift tier list and guide. Don't forget to check out our Type Soul codes for free rerolls and other goodies as well as the best clans in the game.

The post Ultimate Type Soul Schrift Tier List [RE-RELEASE] appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Wednesday, August 6, 2025 9:13 AM
    

Titan Quest 2's early-access build allows you to inflict passive damage on enemies with the help of Ailments, which add status effects on the unfortunate enemies.

Unlike skills that always do direct damage, Ailments function directly. All of them apply different status effects to the enemy. While some of them deal damage over time, others are more focused on debuffs. Additionally, Ailments can also be inflicted on you by an enemy.

All damage-dealing Ailments in Titan Quest 2

Ailments that deal damage function via different status effects in Titan Quest 2. If inflicted, you'll have to clear the status effects or keep taking (or doing) damage.

  • Bleed: Saps away damage over time, caused mainly by melee weapons after their attacks pierce your armor.
  • Burn: Applies burn on enemies that continues to reduce their health. It can do more damage if the user's fire damage scales up.
  • Chill: Similar to Fire damage, but applies Cold damage instead. Also slows down enemies for a certain amount of time.
  • Holy: Spirit damage, mainly dealt from support-based attacks.
  • Plague: Poison damage done by skill attacks that are poison-based.
  • Shock: Lightning damage that can also stop enemies from performing actions.
  • Shadow: Not only does Shadow eat enemy health with time, but they can also work well with life drain-focused builds.

Player in front of enemies on a road in Titan Quest 2
Screenshot via Grimoire Games

All non-damage dealing Ailments in Titan Quest 2

These Ailments might not affect the enemy's health, but they allow you to survive longer by disrupting the enemy.

  • Disrupt: Stops the enemy actions with stuns. You can also use it to stop enemy castings and skills.
  • Stagger: Slows down the enemy's movement and attack speed.
  • Weaken: Reduces enemy DPS and can scale up.

There are a few essential points to keep in mind about Ailments and the status effects they inflict.

  • Ailments have an associated chance of determining when the status effects will be added to an enemy.
  • The status effects, their durations, and damage can increase if they're based on skills that can be scaled up.
  • Just like Spell Rage, Ailments have a soft and hard cap. The soft cap is set at 10, while the hard cap is set at 20.

The post All Ailments and Status Effects in Titan Quest 2 appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Wednesday, August 6, 2025 9:10 AM
    

A small bookshop on wheels being pulled by a care overlooking a coastal town at sunset in Tiny Bookshop

Reading and gaming are my two favorite hobbies, and Tiny Bookshop packages them together in one perfectly cozy experience. It's a small game with a big heart—part management sim, part storytelling, and entirely designed for players who find joy in books and relaxing vibes.

Tiny Bookshop is a cozy narrative management game where you leave everything behind to live a slow and tranquil life running a bookshop by the sea in Bookstonbury. While its slow pace and minimal challenge might not work for everyone, this game recognizes the appeal of curling up with a book—or in this case, curating a shop full of them—and turns that feeling into a peaceful yet purposeful gameplay loop you'll love to get lost in.

Stocking shelves in a stunning seaside storybook

A bonfire with a bunch of characters gathered around a fire on the beach in tiny bookshop
Screenshot by Destructoid

Bookstonbury is a beautiful coastal town brought to life by a uniquely charming art style. You can drive your tiny shop on wheels wherever you like, whether it's the bustling Mega Marche, the scenic cliffside Lighthouse, or the warm Café Liberté in the heart of the town.

Each day, you choose where to set up, which items you want to have on and around your shop, and curate a selection of books to sell. Once your shop is ready to go, you can get selling. As you run your shop, you'll meet a cast of quirky characters who slowly reveal more about themselves. These villagers also sometimes give you side quests to tackle. 

Your tiny bookshop is fully customizable, and the decor you use even has unique gameplay effects that can help or hinder your sales. Some items may boost certain genres' sales, while others might be spooky or distracting, drawing customers' attention away from the books. Additional items can be found around the world, purchased from certain vendors, and earned during special events.

Books you know and love, plus those you don't

Recommending a book in tiny bookshop
Screenshot by Destructoid

The books you stock your shelves with are organized into seven different categories and are purchased in bulk from blind boxes, which means you never know what you might find. You may come across big titles and series like The Hunger Games, A Song of Ice and Fire, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and Shakespeare, or you might find fake books that only exist in Bookstonbury, many of which are quite silly, like Catching Carps by Nigel Carpum. 

The descriptions for all of the books are custom, and there are some pretty funny and relatable lines sprinkled throughout. If you come across A Dance with Dragons, for example, you'll find the devs cheekily asking George R. R. Martin when he's finally going to release The Winds of Winter. Neoludic Games is asking the real questions, here. 

Lots of customers buying books in tiny bookshop
Screenshot by Destructoid

Throughout each day, customers will sometimes ask for recommendations based on what they like, which means you need to know a bit about the books you have in stock. Luckily, they're all categorized and have some key details you can review, making it easier to navigate. You may have to look a few up, but I found this process to be quite fun, and even ended up adding a few books to my want-to-read list. 

There are only two small issues I ran into while playing. The first, and biggest one, is that book recommendations were sometimes contradictory and seemingly impossible to fill. One customer asked me for a fantasy book with no magic, period, but then got upset that I recommended a book without magic. I also caught a few typos here and there, like a "healhty plant" that was for sale, which isn't a massive deal, but did break the immersion a bit. Both instances happened more than once, but were minor issues in the grand scheme of things. 

Keep turning the pages—there's more hidden between the lines

A cannonball collectible in tiny bookshop
Screenshot by Destructoid

Tiny Bookshop is rich with secrets and fresh content to uncover. Whenever I thought I'd seen it all, I'd end up finding or unlocking even more. This includes special collectibles you can use to spruce up your shop, new interactables around the various spots you can visit, and fresh locations you can only explore on certain days or in certain seasons. 

What makes Tiny Bookshop stand out is how seamlessly it blends cozy shopkeeping with gentle storytelling. It respects your time without rushing you, offering a sense of progress without stress. How you choose to spend your days, build your shop, and curate your collection is really up to you, and it's not just relaxing—it's rewarding, too.

I can't get enough of Tiny Bookshop, and it's quickly become one of my favorite cozy games in recent memory. It's earned a permanent spot on my (digital) bookshelf, and if you love cozy games, it deserves a spot on yours, too. 

The post Tiny Bookshop review – Cozy, clever, and endlessly charming from cover to cover appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Wednesday, August 6, 2025 8:52 AM
    

A player dressed as a pirate standing next to goofy hunting for treasure on a map in disney dreamlight valley

A massive treasure-hunting-focused event has overtaken the village in Disney Dreamlight Valley. There's also a smaller spinoff of the main Treasure Hunt event you don't want to miss out on, though, which is The Great Social Treasure Hunt.

This mini event has an exclusive prize tied to it, so getting it done is essential if you're hoping to unlock everything included in the special summer festivities. It's quite different from most other events, though, so you may need to know how to complete The Great Social Treasure Hunt in Disney Dreamlight Valley.

How to complete The Great Social Treasure Hunt in Disney Dreamlight Valley

A player dressed as a pirate holding a shovel in disney dreamlight valley
Screenshot by Destructoid

To complete The Great Social Treasure Hunt event, you need to piece together a series of clues hidden across various official DDV social channels. This mini-event is part of the larger Treasure Hunt, but the process for working through it is entirely different.

Up until Aug. 12, the DDV team will sometimes drop secret clues across social media. These will always contain a capitalized section, which is part of the code needed to complete this event.

All The Great Social Treasure Hunt clues in Disney Dreamlight Valley

Two pieces of The Great Social Treasure Hunt event code have been unveiled so far. Here are all of the parts of the code that the DDV team has revealed. We'll update this guide as the rest are shared.

Clue Source
ARR "RemembARR… friends come in all shapes and sizes" in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
PIRATE "We hope this treasure trail will insPIRATE you to explore every corner of our content — who knows what secrets might be hiding just out of sight?" in a blog post about this event.

The Great Social Treasure Hunt code in Disney Dreamlight Valley

Although all of the code pieces haven't been officially revealed yet, some players have already managed to solve it. You can redeem your prize early by using the "ARRPIRATETREASUREX" code.

https://www.reddit.com/r/DisneyDreamlights/comments/1meqktz/treasure_hunt_social_event_code/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

How to use The Great Social Treasure Hunt code in Disney Dreamlight Valley

The great social treasure hunt code redemption in disney dreamlight valley
Screenshot by Destructoid

You can claim your reward by entering the special event code on the Help page. It can be a bit tricky to find if you aren't familiar with this process, so here's a full breakdown of how to get it done.

  • Open the Settings page in DDV.
  • Switch to the Help tab.
  • Locate the code box near the middle of the menu and type or paste "ARRPIRATETREASUREX."
  • Click the Claim button.
  • Head to any mailbox around the valley to claim your reward.

The Great Social Treasure Hunt reward in Disney Dreamlight Valley

Completing The Great Social Treasure Hunt unlocks a special pirate frame for photo mode as a reward. You can use this item while taking pictures with your Phone, whether it be just random captures around the valley or official entries for the weekly DreamSnaps competition.

Claiming a pirate frame in disney dreamlight valley
Screenshot by Destructoid

With this mini event out of the way, you can get back to focusing on the main parts of the Treasure Hunt event. There are plenty of clues and solutions you need to work through, like tip some purple caps somewhere swampybeneath coral growth with a dazzling viewunder a pile of bone in a sunlit place, and don't forget to put out the fires.

The post The Great Social Treasure Hunt walkthrough in Disney Dreamlight Valley appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Wednesday, August 6, 2025 8:01 AM
    

A hobbit standing by a cooking station in tales of the shire

Cooking is one of the most complex tasks you can tackle in Tales of the Shire, with over 100 recipes you can unlock and make. To cook up these dishes, you need to have access to all essential cooking ingredients.

There are also over 100 ingredients you can acquire from around Bywater, making it difficult to ensure your pantry is stocked with everything you need. If you want to be ready to cook any dish you come across, here are all cooking ingredients and where to get them in Tales of the Shire.

All Tales of the Shire ingredients and where to find them

A group of characters sitting around a table eating in tales of the shire
Screenshot by Destructoid

The many cooking ingredients you need are divided across six unique categories, including:

  • Fruit
  • Vegetables
  • Hearty Vegetables
  • Seasonings
  • Fish
  • Miscellanous

The process for acquiring different types of ingredients is unique, but interacting with all townsfolk who call Bywater home is essential for unlocking many of them. Here's a full breakdown of all ingredients you can acquire and use in cooking. This list is a work in progress and will receive updates with additional ingredients as we find and unlock them.

All Fruit in Tales of the Shire

Ingredient Season How to get
Apricot Autumn Can be foraged from out in the wild. One spot you can visit to find some is far west of Orlo's house.
Blackberry Summer and Autumn Can be foraged from out in the wild. One spot you can visit to find some is directly east of Willoww Took's workshop.
Elderberry Summer and Autumn Can be foraged from out in the wild. One spot you can visit to find some is right between Lookout Hill and Orlo's home.
Currant Summer Can be foraged from out in the wild. One spot you can visit to find some is far north of The Forest and northeast of Delphinium's tree.
Peach Summer and Autumn Can be foraged from out in the wild. One spot you can visit to find some is slightly northeast of your home and north of Willow Took's workshop.
Raspberry Summer Can be foraged from out in the wild. One spot you can visit to find some is far west of Orlo's home.

All Vegetables in Tales of the Shire

Gardening in tales of the shire
Screenshot by Destructoid

Ingredient Season How to get
Box Peppers Summer Can be grown from seeds purchased at Farmer Cotton's shop.
Butterfly Cups All seasons Can be foraged from out in the wild. One spot you can visit to find some is south of The Forest, near the bottom right corner of the map.
Chanterelle Summer and Spring Can be foraged from out in the wild. One spot you can visit to find some is northeast of Delphinium's tree.
Hops Summer Can be foraged from out in the wild. One spot you can visit to find some is slightly north of The Green Dragon.
Lettuce Summer and Spring Can be grown from seeds purchased at Farmer Cotton's shop.
Penny Bun Summer and Autumn Can be foraged from out in the wild. One spot you can visit to find some is near The Stone Bridge.
Puffball Summer and Autumn Can be foraged from out in the wild. One spot you can visit to find some is northwestof Delphinium's tree.
Rhubarb Summer and Spring Can be grown from seeds purchased at Farmer Cotton's shop.
Wild Beef Summer and Autumn Can be foraged from out in the wild. One spot you can visit to find some is south of Willow Took's workshop.

All Hearty Vegetables in Tales of the Shire

Ingredient Season How to get
Beans Summer Can be grown from seeds purchased at Farmer Cotton's shop.
Brown Onion Autumn and Winter Can be grown from seeds purchased at Farmer Cotton's shop.
Brown Tater Summer and Autumn Can be grown from seeds purchased at Farmer Cotton's shop.
Maize Summer Can be grown from seeds purchased at Farmer Cotton's shop.
Shallot Summer and Spring Can be grown from seeds purchased at Farmer Cotton's shop.
Sperage Summer Can be foraged from out in the wild. One spot you can visit to find some is directly west of The Green Dragon.

All Seasonings in Tales of the Shire

Foraging hedge mustard in tales of the shire
Screenshot by Destructoid

Ingredient Season How to get
Butter All seasons Can be purchased from Young Tom Cotton's stall.
Hedge Mustard Summer and Autumn Can be foraged from out in the wild. One spot you can visit to find some is slightly north of your house, close to the Bywater sign.
Pepperwort Summer and Spring Can be foraged from out in the wild. One spot you can visit to find some is slightly southeast of The Great East Road.
Cinnamon All seasons Can be purchased from Hobson Hornblower's stall.
Cloves All seasons Can be purchased from Hobson Hornblower's stall.
Salt All seasons Can be purchased from Hobson Hornblower's stall.
Lemon All seasons Can be purchased from Hobson Hornblower's stall.
Rasins All seasons Can be purchased from Hobson Hornblower's stall.
Sugar All seasons Can be purchased from Hobson Hornblower's stall.

All Fish in Tales of the Shire

Ingredient Season Preferences How to get
Blue-Finned Gudgeon All seasons Afternoon, dry weather Can be fished out of Old Ruby's Pond.
Bywater Bleak All seasons Afternoon, dry weather Can be fished out of Old Ruby's Pond.
Dawn Dace All seasons Dawn, rainy weather Can be fished out of Old Ruby's Pond.
Dunno Summer and Spring Evening, dry weather Can be fished out of Noakes' Jetty.
Honeyed Chub All seasons Morning, rainy weather Can be fished out of Old Ruby's Pond.
Little Beard Summer and Autumn Evening, rainy weather Can be fished out of Noakes' Jetty.
Ruffle All seasons Evening, rainy weather Can be fished out of Old Ruby's Pond.
Sad Rudd Summer and Autumn Afternoon, dry weather Can be fished out of the Cotton Farm Pond.
Stone Loach All seasons Night, dry weather Can be fished out of Old Ruby's Pond.

All Miscellaneous ingredients in Tales of the Shire

Sandyman's shop in tales of the shire
Screenshot by Destructoid

Ingredient Season How to get
Shirefield Cheese All seasons Can be purchased from Young Tom Cotton's stall.
Bacon All seasons Can be purchased from Young Tom Cotton's stall.
Beef All seasons Can be purchased from Young Tom Cotton's stall.
Chicken All seasons Can be purchased from Young Tom Cotton's stall.
Coney All seasons Can be purchased from Young Tom Cotton's stall.
Mutton All seasons Can be purchased from Young Tom Cotton's stall.
Pork All seasons Can be purchased from Young Tom Cotton's stall.
Chestnut Autumn and Winter Can be foraged from out in the wild. One spot you can visit to find some is northwest of LookoutHill.
Hazelnut Summer and Autumn Can be foraged from out in the wild. One spot you can visit to find some is south of Old Noakes' smial.
Barley All seasons Can be purchased from Sandyman's shop.
Egg All seasons Can be purchased from Young Tom Cotton's stall.
Cream All seasons Can be purchased from Young Tom Cotton's stall.
Flour All seasons Can be purchased from Sandyman's shop.
Milk All seasons Can be purchased from Young Tom Cotton's stall.
Oats All seasons Can be purchased from Sandyman's shop.
Yeast All seasons Can be purchased from Sandyman's shop.

The post All cooking ingredients in Tales of the Shire and where to get them appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Wednesday, August 6, 2025 7:24 AM
    

Player in front of enemies on a road in Titan Quest 2

Titan Quest 2 has a few challenging quests to complete, and Ancient Embers requires you to find a sufficient amount of Embers of Night.

You can farm and obtain this alternate currency in the early access build. For starters, Embers of Night is strongly associated with the Ancient Embers quest, which is one of the many side content inside the game. In the game's current build, there are reportedly plenty of Embers to find. Let's look at how to obtain them in the first place to complete the quest.

How do you get Embers of Night in Titan Quest 2?

You can obtain an infinite amount of Embers of Night in the current build of Titan Quest 2. You'll find a chest above the gambler NPC in the location marked on the screenshot below. Once you loot the chest, relog, and it will reset.

Embers of Night chest location in Titan Quest 2
Screenshot via Grimoire Games

You can keep farming this chest till you hit the 60 Embers of Night mark. This is how many resources you'll need to complete the Ancient Embers quest in the early access. However, there's a bug as the quest fails to work as intended for players.

This typically happens during the latter stage when you must submit 120 Embers of Night. If you have the required amount of the resource, the NPC will be unclickable, which automatically means that the quest can't be finished.

But this seems random and might be fixed when you're reading this. Irrespective of the bug, you can keep farming Embers of Night and have as many as you want. The method is, quite literally, infinite as long as you don't mind relogging into the game and repeating the farm.

There are some extra ways to get Embers of Night if you don't want to go for the farming method.

  • You'll find a smoke signal near the Girl on the Cliff NPC. Destroying the signal will grant you 15 Embers immediately, but it can be done only once.
  • You'll find a village making chicken noises, leading a chicken to different locations if you hand them a Moly. It's a one-time activity, but completing it will land you 10 Embers, EXP, and Gold.

While these methods are useful, the farming method should be your go-to option, and more so if you're looking to complete Ancient Embers. If you're struggling with the farm, make sure to upgrade your Mastery skill trees to get new spells.

The post How to obtain Embers of Night (Ancient Embers) in Titan Quest 2 appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Wednesday, August 6, 2025 7:15 AM
    

2xko roster

2XKO is closing in on its closed beta on Sept. 9, and fans are eager to check out the eight starting characters, including VI. The roster, however, has faced criticism from some fans online, who claim the chosen characters are too similar and overly humanoid.

So, when Destructoid had the chance to talk to 2XKO's game director Shaun Rivera at Evo 2025, we had to ask precisely what was behind these eight humanoid characters and if he could talk about the direction when choosing which characters to add to the game.

When discussing the starting roster, Rivera was very candid about his aspirations for the team and what he would ideally like to achieve in the future.

"I wanna start by saying, of course, humanoids are easier, right?" Rivera told Destructoid. "And so, for us, we know everybody wants a larger roster, so we want to get a lot more characters into the game. We're working hard on that. But also I kind of want to take a step back for a second and recognize that League of Legends, the IP, has just an insane amount of variety when it comes to mechanics, thematics, and also size and shape, right? And I think over time, we want to take advantage of that."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6Jntcnc6g8&ab_channel=IGN

Rivera also spoke about how so many characters for the starting eight are from Arcane, and Rivera agreed how the team couldn't not take advantage of the popular TV show when deciding who to add first.

"I think it would be unfair to say we don't consider that at all, but I think there's a reason that these characters are in Arcane to begin with, right?" Rivera commented. "They're relatable. They have amazing stories and kits. And when we see them, we're like, what could we do in a fighting game with them? We get mad, excited, you know? And so, I would say that's a small consideration. But really, we think these characters are freaking amazing."

Rivera went on to say that when creating a character, the team focuses on roles and characters that they believe people will fall in love with and make into their main focus. He feels the mechanics of each character are important as well as the thematic diversity, and used VI as an example of that, saying that "VI, for example, I love boxing. I just want to punch the hell out of somebody. I want to sway a little bit. This is my character, you know, and same with all of our characters, really, we want to find something that people will latch on to, that they'll they'll love, they'll be able to explore, and then go
from there."

Rivera stated that the ideal number of characters the team would want to be at was 10, and that it wants to make characters more quickly, especially during the closed beta period.

"It might be obvious, but I really want to call it out. This isn't like, you know, our fourth or fifth or sixth fighting game in the sense that, like, yeah, we have some designs we can use, and we can polish them up a bit, [but] we're making everything from scratch," Rivera said. "But we're also a team that's learning as we go, and we're going to learn a lot come September 9 in closed beta... We're growing as a team. We're making these from scratch, and we also want to make sure they're really deep, right? You can pick it up and have fun, but through playing, you can also explore a lot. So yeah, we want to make more quickly. We want to build that roster up for sure."

The post 2XKO director says he understands starting roster backlash, states humanoids are easier to make appeared first on Destructoid.


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