Category: IGN

I’ve always loved The Lord of the Rings. I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m fanatical about it, though. I already own copies of the books and the movies, so I’m not usually swayed by the endless barrage of Lord of the Rings gifts the internet seems to throw my way. I do really like the look of this Battle for Middle-Earth Chess set, however. I’ve seen a lot of really cool chess sets in my day, but this one appears to be surprisingly well done for how affordable it is. I don’t even play that much chess and I’ve found myself adding it to my Christmas wishlist this year.

The Lord of The Rings Chess Set: Battle for Middle-Earth

Battlefield Studios has published the Battlefield 6 update 1.1.3.0 patch notes ahead of next week’s Winter Offensive update, revealing a detailed list of audio improvements, soldier visibility tweaks, a range of map adjustments, and more.

Patch notes for the third major Season 1 update were published in a post on the EA shooter series’ website today. The full breakdown follows up on promises made by BF Studios’ outline from earlier this week and touches on every notable change coming to Battlefield 6 and REDSEC when Winter Offensive reaches its December 9 release date.

Though today’s patch notes cover everything from audio to Sector sizes, players may be happy to see the studio continuing to adjust an issue that has wormed its way to the front of online discussion since launch: hit registration. BF Studios says the 1.1.3.0 changes should result in more predictable bullet impact and easier-to-read damage feedback thanks to tweaks to quick aim, pre-zoom firing, and close-quarters gunfights.

Other elements the Battlefield 6 developers took aim at with the Winter Offensive update include better weapon handling, improved character highlights and animations for visibility, gadget reliability, and refined gameplay for vehicle-savvy players. Launch players will also notice relatively extensive changes to Sectors and vehicles across seven Breakthrough maps: Manhattan Bridge, Mirak Valley, New Sobek City, Operation Firestorm, Liberation Peak, Siege of Cairo, and Empire State.

It may be some time before players get a handle on whether many of these changes correct the balance of the average Battlefield 6 multiplayer match. Those audio tweaks, however, will likely be noticeable from the get-go, with the hope being that infantry noise is clearer and easier to read at different distances.

“We’ve also continued addressing performance and memory issues that could cause sounds, such as footsteps or vehicle audio, to drop out or fail to play, especially during large-scale Battle Royale matches,” BF Studios says in the update 1.1.3.0 patch notes. “To get ahead of this as we add more audio content to the game, we’ve adjusted the memory priorities for most sounds in the game and optimized how some larger audio assets load. In practical terms, this means that important combat, movement, and vehicle sounds should play more consistently even under heavy load.

“These changes are part of an ongoing effort to improve the overall stability of the soundscape. While this isn’t a complete overhaul, and there may still be edge cases depending on hardware and match conditions, it’s a big step toward more reliable and predictable sound across the game.”

Each change arrives in addition to new weapons, limited-time winter events, and more new content that players have been told to expect since launch. Highlights include the Ice Lock Empire State map, the Ice Lock multiplayer and Gauntlet modes, the Ice Climbing Axe melee weapon, Portal updates, and a mini–Winter Offensive-themed battle pass bonus path. It’s the latest in the run of Battlefield 6 Season 1 chapter updates, which saw Rogue Ops bring Blackwell Fields and battle royale to the experience October 28, while California Resistance added Eastwood November 18.

Plans for Season 2 remain under wraps for now. In the meantime, you can read up on another recent change that saw BF Studios unveil another round of challenge and progression tweaks. You can also learn about why some players both loved and hated the new The 323 cosmetic pack.

Finally, you can check out the full Winter Offensive patch notes below.

Battlefield 6 Update 1.1.3.0 Patch Notes

Update 1.1.3.0 delivers a broad range of fixes and refinements across Battlefield 6, improving soldier clarity, weapon reliability, vehicle behaviour, audio consistency, and overall gameplay flow. This update also includes several quality-of-life improvements across UI, HUD, and controller aiming options, along with map-specific updates designed to stabilise objective play and reduce round-end matchmaking frustration.

We also made improvements to reduce cases where player settings could be reset when updating the game to the newest version. While this behaviour should now occur less frequently, we are still seeing isolated instances and expect to fully resolve the issue in an upcoming update.

As always, thank you for continuing to share your feedback which helps us refine and evolve the Battlefield 6 experience.

New Content: Winter Offensive

• New Time-Limited Map: Ice Lock Empire State. A winter-shrouded version of Empire State featuring frozen streets and seasonal environmental visuals.
• New Time-Limited Multiplayer and Gauntlet Mode: A themed event mode playable across Domination, Conquest, and Gauntlet mission variations on Ice Lock Empire State featuring the event-limited “Freeze” mechanic.
• New Melee Weapon: the Ice Climbing Axe. Unlocked through the Winter Offensive Bonus Path.
• Portal updates: Ice Lock Empire State is available for use in supported Portal experiences during the event window.
• Battle Pass: Winter Offensive Bonus Path: an 11-tier, time-limited reward track featuring event cosmetics, XP Boosters, and the Ice Climbing Axe.

Major Updates for 1.1.3.0

• Improved hit registration across situations that previously felt unreliable, including quick aim adjustments, firing before a zoom completes, and close-quarters fights with many players. These updates make bullet impacts more predictable and damage feedback easier to read in the moment.
• Enhanced close-range soldier visibility, with stronger character highlights and improved prone animations to help soldiers stand out more clearly in low-contrast or visually busy areas.
• Refined weapon handling for more consistent accuracy, addressing issues with first-shot behaviour, recoil interaction, and attachment alignment so weapons feel more stable and predictable during firefights.
• Improved reliability across several core gadgets, including updates to the LWCMS Portable Mortar, Supply Pouch, Smoke Cover, and traversal tools to ensure they behave consistently and provide clearer feedback.
• Strengthened vehicle clarity and interaction, fixing issues around damage zones, HUD overlaps, seat reticules, and camera behaviour to make vehicle play more stable for both drivers and passengers.
• Updated Breakthrough and Rush layouts on multiple maps to improve attacker–defender balance, smooth out sector flow, and adjust vehicle distribution based on match outcome data and player feedback.
• Delivered a broad audio pass improving combat readability, including clearer footsteps and movement cues, more reliable armour-break feedback, and tuning across several high-priority gameplay sounds.

AREAS OF IMPROVEMENTS

AUDIO

With this update, we’ve made a wide range of audio improvements, including a dedicated tuning pass on footsteps to make movement clearer, easier to locate, and more readable at different distances.

We’ve also continued addressing performance and memory issues that could cause sounds, such as footsteps or vehicle audio, to drop out or fail to play, especially during large-scale Battle Royale matches. To get ahead of this as we add more audio content to the game, we’ve adjusted the memory priorities for most sounds in the game and optimized how some larger audio assets load. In practical terms, this means that important combat, movement, and vehicle sounds should play more consistently even under heavy load.

These changes are part of an ongoing effort to improve the overall stability of the soundscape. While this isn’t a complete overhaul, and there may still be edge cases depending on hardware and match conditions, it’s a big step toward more reliable and predictable sound across the game.

CHANGELOG

PLAYER:

• Fixed a clipping issue when dragging a soldier on an inclined surface when being prone.
• Fixed a clipping issue with character shoulders when jumping.
• Fixed a rare issue where fall damage wouldn’t be applied immediately after being revived.
• Fixed snapping and aggressive camera movements when performing takedowns on prone enemies from specific angles.
• Fixed an issue allowing players to use vaulting to avoid being roadkilled by an enemy vehicle coming at high speed.
• Fixed an issue causing controller haptic feedback to continue indefinitely when a reload was interrupted by swapping to another weapon or gadget.
• Fixed an issue causing hit registration to fail when firing while making extremely rapid aim adjustments. We’re continuing to investigate additional edge cases and reviewing player reports related to hit registration.
• Fixed an issue causing soldier legs to rotate incorrectly with the body when falling while prone.
• Fixed an issue causing soldier movement to feel slow while walking on uneven terrain.
• Fixed an issue causing the character’s hands to appear misaligned when vaulting through windows.
• Fixed an issue causing vaulting while charging a defibrillator to make the soldier’s hands disappear.
• Fixed an issue that caused getting revived after dying mid-fall to trigger fall damage the next time the player jumped.
• Fixed an issue that caused the player to continue controlling their soldier after dying in water.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the player to become stuck when entering water while crouching.
• Fixed an issue that could prevent melee damage from being dealt to soldiers in water.
• Fixed an issue that could prevent melee damage from being dealt to soldiers seated in exposed vehicle seats.
• Fixed an issue that made it difficult to traverse some stairs, especially at slow movement speeds.
• Fixed an issue where climbing down ladders with a grenade equipped caused misaligned animations.
• Fixed an issue where first-person grenade animations appeared incorrectly when spectating another player.
• Fixed an issue where getting hit by melee damage prevented the victim from performing melee attacks.
• Fixed an issue where hands clipped into ladders when in first-person view.
• Fixed an issue where interrupting a drag and revive would not cancel revive progress as expected.
• Fixed an issue where jumping in and out of vehicles could lead to later hit-registration for soldiers on foot.
• Fixed an issue where landing on a vehicle prevented the player from taking any fall damage.
• Fixed an issue where melee animations would not play correctly when attacking while vaulting over mid-height obstacles.
• Fixed an issue where melee attacking and returning to an Assault Ladder caused the player to appear to attack with the ladder.
• Fixed an issue where performing zoomed aiming while colliding with a wall during sprint would offset the player’s aim.
• Fixed an issue where soldier models glowed incorrectly in front of the thermobaric visual effect when illuminated by a flashlight.
• Fixed an issue where the death camera could appear beneath the map when dying inside a vehicle.
• Fixed an issue where the melee weapon briefly appeared in an incorrect pose when holding the M87A1 shotgun.
• Fixed first-person stair locomotion animations starting with a delay when moving on stairs.
• Fixed third-person mounting clipping issues with the HK433 when using certain bottom-rail attachments.
• Improved first- and third-person vault-up and vault-over mid-height animations for smoother transitions.
• Improved hit registration reliability when multiple players were within close proximity.
• Improved how recoil and aim input interact, resulting in more reliable accuracy when compensating for recoil.
• Improved melee animation when attacking while prone.
• Improved movement responsiveness at the start and end of drag and revive interactions.
• Improved soldier animation smoothness when entering and exiting prone.
• Improved visibility of soldiers at close range by applying brightness adjustments at 0 metres with a higher minimum intensity.
• Resolved an animation issue where quickly applying armour immediately after using a melee weapon could result in an unintended transitional animation.
• Updated third-person prone animations to improve clarity, reduce static poses, and enhance soldier visibility.

VEHICLES:

• Fixed an issue where heavy machine-gun fire from some vehicles would not consistently register damage against soldiers.
• Fixed an issue where some vehicle seats were incorrectly classified, preventing the correct passenger reticule from appearing while spectating another player.
• Fixed an issue where the soldier compass could appear simultaneously with the vehicle compass when sitting in certain gunner seats.
• Fixed issues with damage zones on armoured vehicles that caused them to take higher-than-intended damage in certain situations.
• Fixed UI behaviour for the Quadbike’s spawn camera to ensure it displays correctly upon deployment.
• Partially fixed an issue where vehicle audio could stop functioning during live gameplay due to suspected memory-related issues.

WEAPONS:

• Fixed a bug where players could become stuck in the weapon inspect animation when entering a vehicle.
• Fixed a rare visual glitch that could cause scopes to be displayed incorrectly.
• Fixed a visual issue where the Adjustable Angled Grip sat slightly higher on the weapon than intended.
• Fixed an issue causing the first bullet fired during early zoom transitions on certain weapons and scopes to be more inaccurate than intended.
• Fixed an issue that caused quick melee attacks to sometimes not return the player to their previous weapon after striking.
• Fixed an issue where some scopes unintentionally received thermal or depth-of-field blur.
• Fixed an issue where target dummies in the firing range remained down after being shot.
• Fixed an issue where the effects of FMJ ammunition were incorrectly applied to additional ammunition types.
• Fixed an issue where underslung attachments were not always restored correctly when picking up another soldier’s kit.
• Fixed an issue with the flashlight weapon attachment being misaligned when sprinting at high FOV values.
• Fixed the “peekaboo” timing bug affecting target dummies on the firing range.
• Increased the minimum time between shots by 100 ms on the Mini Scout to improve pacing and reduce rapid-fire inconsistencies.
• Reduced recoil magnitude but increased recoil variation on the M250, NVO-228E, RPKM, SG 553R, and SOR-300SC. These weapons now perform less effectively at long range, with the SG 553R receiving the most noticeable adjustment.
• Reduced the cost of the L110 and M123K 200-round magazines from 55 to 50, and removed the penalty to ADS movement dispersion.
• Tweaked haptic feedback for weapon reloads on PS5 controllers.
• Updated melee behaviour to allow players equipped with a melee weapon to choose between a takedown (F/RS) or a bash attack (Mouse 1/RT).

GADGETS:

• Fixed an issue where Assault Ladders did not allow smooth traversal by increasing the maximum ramp angle from 45° to 52°. Players can now run up the ladder without shifting into a climbing stance.
• Fixed an issue where gadgets that should be hidden by occlusion were still visible through geometry.
• Fixed an issue where lock-on indicators appeared for Engineers without a lock-on capable launcher equipped.
• Fixed an issue where Supply Crates deployed by enemy players were visible on the mini map.
• Fixed an issue where Throwing Knife animations lasted longer than intended.
• Fixed an issue where XFGM-6D Recon Drones spawned facing the wrong direction instead of matching the soldier’s facing direction when being deployed.
• Reduced Throwing Knife dispersion so that headshots are reliably achievable up to 15 metres.

LWCMS Portable Mortar

• Fixed an issue where an incorrect shell type was used during firing and reload animations.
• Fixed an issue where firing a Smoke Shell did not shake the camera or tube.
• Fixed an issue where Smoke Shell clouds were smaller than intended.
• Fixed an issue where the fire rate was lower than intended.
• Fixed an issue where the Smoke Shell always regenerated via Supply Crates.
• Logistics Expert in the Fire Support tree now slightly enhances the Supply Crate’s effect on the Portable Mortar’s fire rate.
• Smoke Shell ammunition now starts at 0 and regenerates every 45 seconds.

Supply Pouch

• Fixed an issue where the Supply Pouch instantly regenerated health on deployment.
• Fixed an issue with incorrect ammunition setup that caused inconsistent resupply behaviour.
• Removed the initial heal on gadget deployment; the Supply Pouch now only heals over time.
• Thrown Supply Pouches now prioritise players who are low on, or have requested, health or ammunition.

MAPS & MODES:

• Adjusted Conquest and Escalation capture areas on Manhattan Bridge so objectives can no longer be captured from rooftop positions.
• Extended rooftop out-of-bounds areas on Empire State, Manhattan Bridge, and Saints Quarter.
• Fixed an issue where deaths were not tracked correctly in Strikepoint.
• Fixed an issue where players were not properly credited for a kill caused by the destruction of the crane on Mirak Valley.
• Fixed an issue where vehicle selection in Escalation became temporarily unavailable if the player was on the deploy screen when a territory changed hands.
• Made improvements to reduce cases of players matching into games that were near the end of a round.
• The out-of-bounds timer on Manhattan Bridge is now correctly set to 10 seconds.
• Updated M-COM placement on Liberation Peak and Manhattan Bridge to improve attacker flow based on player feedback.
• Updated spawning behaviour for Battle Pickups:
  • In Breakthrough, Battle Pickups now spawn when their associated sectors are enabled.
  • In Conquest and Escalation, Battle Pickups now spawn when their associated capture points are owned by a team.

Following feedback since launch, several Breakthrough layouts have been updated to address attacker–defender win/loss imbalance and improve overall flow, vehicle balance, and capture-zone clarity across multiple maps.

Manhattan Bridge

• Removed Defender vehicles in Sector 2 and Sector 3.
• Added an additional Attacker IFV in Sector 3.
• Updated capture volumes across Sectors 1, 2, and 3 to support more consistent attacker progress.

Mirak Valley

• Removed Defender vehicles in all sectors.
• Adjusted Attacker vehicle counts:
  • Sector 1: Reduced Attacker IFVs from 2 to 1; increased Attacker tanks from 1 to 2.
  • Sector 2: Added 1 Attacker IFV.
  • Sector 3: Added 1 Attacker IFVs.
• Updated capture volumes across all sectors to make attacking easier.

New Sobek City

• Sector 2: Added 1 Defender tank and one Defender IFV.
• Sector 3: Added 1 Attacker IFV; removed Defender tank and light transport.
• Updated capture volumes in both sectors to improve attacker flow.

Operation Firestorm

• Sector 2: Adjusted Defender armour (added and removed tank spawns).
• Sector 3: Added 2 Attacker tanks and 1 Attacker IFV; removed the Defender tank.
• Updated capture zones across affected sectors to support attacker momentum.

Liberation Peak

• Sector 3: Removed Defender tank.
• Sector 5: Added 2 Attacker IFVs; removed the Defender transport.
• Updated capture volumes to improve attacker advancement.

Siege of Cairo

• Added an additional Attacker tank in sector 1 and 3.
• Updated capture areas on B flag to improve sector push potential.

Empire State

• Sector 1: Updated capture volume on B flag.
• Sector 2: Updated capture volumes on A and B flags.

PROGRESSION:

• Fixed an issue where enemies spotted by the LTLM II Portable Laser Designator did not count towards the “Spot enemies with Recon Gadgets” weekly challenge.
• Fixed an issue where the Incendiary Airburst Launcher did not track progress for the “Support Specialist 2” challenge when dealing damage with its lingering fire cloud.

UI & HUD:

• Added a loading popup when entering a tournament code to provide better feedback on what’s happening.
• Added “Free Look” helicopter game hint to be part of pilot hints..
• Enemies can no longer be spotted from the big map.
• Ensured players who trigger crane destruction now have their killer ID correctly logged in the scoreboard’s score log.
• Ensured the “Cut Parachute” prompt appears correctly in Multiplayer modes outside of REDSEC.
• Fixed a mini map issue where empty vehicle icons did not transition correctly into a friendly vehicle icon when entering a vehicle.
• Fixed a rare issue where objective icons could disappear when redeploying.
• Fixed an issue where a teammate’s armour briefly appeared as soft-armour colour when their armour broke, causing a momentary incorrect visual.
• Fixed an issue where camos in the Challenges section did not show their name or category.
• Fixed an issue where hints for “Re-Enter” and “Deploy” were displayed in the wrong order when using a controller with the EOD Bot.
• Fixed an issue where killcards did not always appear when players were killed inside vehicles.
• Fixed an issue where loading screen combat zone descriptions did not update correctly based on the active game mode.
• Fixed an issue where loading screen combat zone descriptions were incorrect for Sabotage on Eastwood.
• Fixed an issue where loading screen combat zone text displayed incorrectly on Sabotage across all maps.
• Fixed an issue where Store offers did not scroll correctly when fast-scrolling along the same row.
• Fixed an issue where the deploy camera could appear incorrectly rotated when spectating a soldier or vehicle.
• Fixed an issue where the different painted states of the LTLM II Portable Laser Designator weren’t correctly represented by the gadgets HUD warning label.
• Fixed an issue where the Helicopter HUD would disappear when the color was set to black in the settings.
• Fixed an issue where the LMR27 and ES 5.7 attachment lists were not sorted correctly.
• Fixed an issue where the LWCMS Portable Mortar icon had visual inconsistencies between the big map and the minimap.
• Fixed an issue where the Traverse Mark 2 displayed duplicate LMG text in the second seat, despite having only one mounted weapon.
• Fixed an issue where the vehicle 3D preview did not update when switching loadout presets.
• Fixed an issue where zooming in on the big map would sometimes result in a black screen.
• Fixed issues that prevented Resupply Station icons from appearing on the big map as intended.
• Improved Commorose behaviour by correcting the request distances for “Need Repair” and “Need Pick Up”.
• Improved image cropping to better align artwork in the Battle Pass purchase screens.
• Improved ping behaviour on friendly soldiers, revive requests, and stationary weapons.
• Improved the text used to describe unlock conditions for Bonus Mission for better clarity.
• Reduced man down icons to only show the two closest downed team mates.
• Removed the ability to cycle between classes on the deploy screen using Q and E to prevent unintended class changes before spawning.
• Snap Zoom (Aim Assist) has been clarified in the menu: this option is only available in Single Player and Portal modes, not in Multiplayer.
• Squad and friendly in-world nametags now blink when the player regains health or receives ammunition.
• Stationary weapons no longer show pickup provider icons when a player is requesting to be picked up.
• Unlocked cosmetics now appear above locked ones in selection lists.
• Updated back-navigation logic so consoles can no longer back out far enough to trigger the quit-game popup unintentionally.
• Updated the countermeasure hint to only display when a weapon lock-on state makes the prompt relevant.
• Updated the lock-on warning behaviour so that lock-on alerts can take priority over painted labels when appropriate, ensuring threats are more noticeable.
• Updated the Saints Quarter loading screen to display correct combat zone text.
• Updated underbarrel launchers so the correct type icons appear in the HUD.

SETTINGS:

• Fixed a bug where changing the “Command Console” option would not apply until the game was restarted.
• Fixed an issue where navigating back from the Options menu could behave incorrectly when accessed through Pause Menu.
• Fixed an issue where the “Edit Controller Schemes” menu title could disappear in Options.
• Fixed an issue where vehicle aim sensitivity displayed an incorrect value in the vehicle control settings.
• Fixed an issue with options sliders “stepping” functionality being broken and not allowing players to step through decimals.
• Improved the “Dynamic” response curve option for controller stick aiming to better match player expectations and player feedback.
• The range for Infantry and Vehicle mouse sensitivity options are now doubled and can go twice as high.

SINGLE PLAYER:

• Fixed an issue where the out-of-bounds timer did not correctly account for player death or Mandown state in Single Player.

AUDIO:

• Added new vehicle-specific hostile type identifiers for more accurate callouts.
• Added safeguards so background environmental soldier audio no longer triggers during moments with no combat.
• Adjusted the balance of the bootflow logo music and sound effects.
• Fixed an audio issue that occurred when crawling while aiming down sights.
• Fixed an issue that caused health-replenishing audio to play multiple times.
• Fixed an issue where background environmental soldier audio wasn’t affected by the voice over volume slider.
• Fixed an issue where end-of-round music would sometimes not play, or play the incorrect track.
• Fixed an issue where players could experience a stuck “Low Health” audio cue after remaining at low health for 30 seconds in modes without health regeneration.
• Fixed an issue where round-start music could play before the round actually began.
• Fixed an issue where Supply Crate sound effects could repeatedly trigger on downed soldiers.
• Fixed an issue where the “Advance to Next Sector” audio cue played “Out-of-Bounds” sound effect.
• Fixed an issue where the incorrect nearby-friendly voice over line would play when a mortar shell landed beside the player.
• Fixed an issue where the proper sound effect did not play when performing a combat dive.
• Fixed an issue where the Rorsch Mk-2 SMRW Rail Gun’s charge loop sound effects did not play correctly.
• Fixed an issue where vehicle prop-fuse fire effects were missing their intended audio.
• Fixed missing audio when performing weapon inspections.
• Optimised memory handling and improved prioritisation for most in-game sounds, reducing cases where important audio, such as vehicles or footsteps, sometimes failed to play.
• Partially fixed an issue where vehicle audio could stop functioning during live gameplay due to suspected memory-related issues.

Footsteps

• Balanced enemy-specific layers for clearer cloth and gear cues.
• Further reduced or removed the momentary dampening of enemy movement audio triggered by damage, low-health states, game notifications, or occlusion effects.
• Improved distance-based acoustics for clearer separation between close, mid, and far ranges.
• Improved distant world reflections to better convey space and positioning.
• Increased enemy movement audio at distance for greater readability.
• Increased overall enemy movement volume, with an additional boost when an enemy is behind the player.
• Reduced how heavily sneaking stances (crouch walking, crawling) lower enemy movement audio.
• Reduced how much the “Spec-Op” trait lowers footstep audio when sneaking.
• Reduced scuff and scrape audio from movement against walls and ground.
• Reduced self and friendly footstep volume in Wartapes, Wartapes VAL, and REDSEC.
• Refactored footstep triggers to be more reliable across different speeds and stances.
• Removed limitations on the maximum number of close-range enemy audio sources.
• Small balancing tweaks to footsteps on different materials for outliers, such as slow speed on gravel and different directions (up, down, sideways) on wooden stairs.

PORTAL:

• Fixed an issue where AI squadmates in Portal did not display class identifiers on the insertion screen.
• Fixed an issue where mod.PlaySound() and mod.PlayVO() accepted any object type as input. These functions now correctly require sound effects and voice over object types respectively. While existing syntax remains unchanged, any TypeScript code that explicitly references generic object types will now need to specify mod.SFX or mod.VO as appropriate.
• Fixed an issue where mod.PlayVO() always played the voiceover for the Alpha flag, regardless of the flag specified by the script.
• SDK Assets for MainStreet, ClubHouse, and Marina have been corrected to only use relevant assets.

AI:

• AI bots can now respond to ammo, healing, and pickup requests.
• Fixed an issue that caused AI repairing friendly vehicles to be less responsive than intended.
• Fixed cases where AI attempted to take cover in ways that left them static or unresponsive. Bots will now correctly move toward locked objectives in King of the Hill.
• Fixed instances where AI soldiers could take too long to find a valid path to their objective, causing them to remain stationary.
• Improved AI responsiveness when performing revives.
• Improved AI revive logic and movement to make their actions more consistent and reliable.

REDSEC

PLAYER:

• Fixed a rare issue where a Second Chance respawn could place players over 1,000 metres in the air.
• Fixed an issue where incorrect mouse sensitivity was applied to the MH-47’s third-person camera during insertion.
• Fixed an issue where players could be kicked for inactivity while spectating.
• Fixed an issue where players could not claim a second custom weapon dropped as a mission reward.
• Fixed an issue where takedown prompts did not appear consistently when approaching enemies from behind.
• Fixed an issue where the wrong animation would play when switching from a call-in grenade to a different weapon.
• Fixed an issue where weapon swap animations broke after switching away from the Resupply Drop Call-In.
• Triggering a redeploy tower or beacon now disables or destroys any other active tower or beacon for the same team.

GAUNTLET:

• Fixed an issue where mission objects would not drop if the carrier disconnected.

VEHICLES:

• Fixed an issue where tanks and ambulances would be clipping through each other.
• Fixed an issue where vehicle containers could occasionally be empty after being opened.

WEAPONS:

• Adjusted damage for the Rorsch Mk-2 SMRW Rail Gun against fully armoured soldiers. Headshots now kill the opponent on one shot while a bodyshot will leave the opponent with 10 HP.

GADGETS:

• Fixed an issue with incorrect textures on the projectile deployed by the XFGM-6D Recon Drone
• Fixed an issue where the XFGM-6D Recon Drone’s altitude unintentionally decreased as the match went on.

CALL-INS:

• Fixed an issue where Smoke Cover could not be activated during the late stages of a match.
• The UAV now fully explodes on impact when shot down.

MAP:

• Fixed an issue where a Razer keyboard lightning event did not trigger when interacting with antennas on the “Signal Hack” mission.

Battle Royale

• Improved loot box placement across the map for more reliable accessibility.

Gauntlet

• Fixed an issue where M-COMs in Wreckage would not reactivate after being destroyed.

UI & HUD:

• Fixed an issue where the armour bar of your team mates were showing even though they were at full capacity.

Battle Royale

• Added clearer distinction between player and squad member inventory requests.
• Added upgrade notifications to the loot feed when a weapon is improved.
• Fixed an issue where ping icons of lootable vehicles would disappear from the mini map when the players get more than 25m away from them.
• Fixed an issue where the Tank Hunter mission UI could remain active if the targeted squad destroyed its own tank.
• Updated the artwork for mission rewards to reflect new keycard changes.

Gauntlet

• Added correct interaction prompts for counter-mission teams when defusing explosives in Wreckage.
• Fixed an issue where the scoreboard was sorted by deaths instead of score.
• Fixed an issue where the Loadout screen overlay could incorrectly appear over the Gauntlet Mission Briefing on Aftermath.
• Fixed team-ownership colours for M-COMs in Wreckage missions.

AUDIO:

• Fixed an issue where subtitles would not appear correctly during insertion.
• Fixed missing UI audio when unlocking the first Field Upgrade.
• Increased the volume of armour-break audio for both incoming and outgoing hits.

This announcement may change as we listen to community feedback and continue developing and evolving our Live Service & Content. We will always strive to keep our community as informed as possible.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

XD released Sword of Convallaria, a tactical RPG for iOS, Android, and PC to audiences in the west in August ’24 (around a year after the game’s East Asian launch). Heavily influenced by Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics, the game has captivated fans with its meticulously crafted war story and highly strategic battles, all played out to a beautiful soundtrack.

Just over a year following its release, a truly major collaboration between Sword of Convallaria: For This World of Peace and CD PROJEKT RED’s open-world RPG The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has been fully realised and delivered to gamers. Geralt, Yennefer, Triss, and Ciri now appear in Sword of Convallaria as playable characters; allowing players to enjoy collaborative stories and quests surrounding the Lord of the Forest from another world.

GTA fans finally have their first look at Grand Theft Auto 5 character Michael in the Grand Theft Auto universe since the game launched back in 2013.

We can see Michael in the trailer for GTA Online DLC A Safehouse in the Hills, below. In the teaser for the upcoming expansion, which adds a luxurious new home for the most successful of online criminals to the online mode, a noticeably older, greying, Michael De Santa and his wife Amanda can be seen greeting a player at the front door of their fancy new Hollywood Hills crib. This is the first time that Michael, played by Ned Luke, has been seen in the Grand Theft Auto universe since GTA 5 launched back in 2013.

The update also settles any lingering questions around the canon ending for GTA 5, confirming once and for all that Option C, otherwise known as “Deathwish”, is how the story should end.

It now means that all three playable protagonists, with Franklin and Trevor being the other two, have appeared in GTA Online. Naturally, this means the “Deathwish” ending is now canon in Online’s version of Los Santos, as this is the only way that all three characters remain alive at the end of GTA 5’s final mission “The Third Way” — one of three possible last levels available depending on the player’s choice. For reference, “Something Sensible” is Option A, which leaves both Franklin and Michael alive, but kills Trevor, and “The Time’s Come” is Option B, resulting in Franklin and Trevor’s survival, but Michael’s death.

In all three possible endings, Franklin lives to walk the streets of Los Santos, so it always felt natural that he’d be a part of GTA Online, which takes place after the events of Grand Theft Auto 5. Trevor has also been present since 2013, giving the online protagonist missions and calling to berate them over the phone in his own peculiar manner, but this is the first time we’ve seen Michael’s face since.

Eagle-eared online players would’ve heard a small reference to the professional bank robber back in 2021, though, which, although it definitely alludes to Michael, didn’t 100% confirm he was still around. This occurs when Franklin is chasing two golfers through the Richards Majestic Studios film lot in the centre of the city. This is one of the places Michael works in order to achieve his Hollywood movie-producing dreams in the main game’s campaign. Franklin remarks, “I know one of the producers around here. I hope his ass ain’t work today…”, suggesting De Santa is still employed there after all this time.

It is curious that Rockstar has chosen to put Michael back into the world of GTA so many years after we saw him last, and it does beg the question of how long this was planned for, seeing as this update has dropped so close to GTA 6’s previous release date of November 19, 2025. Is this the Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption developer saying their final goodbye to these characters before gearing up to unleash Lucia and Jason into the world in 2026?

How do you feel about the “Deathwish” ending being chosen by Rockstar as the canonical one for GTA 5? Let us know in the comments below. And, of course, for everything GTA 6, stick with IGN.

Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.

It’s that time of the year when a flurry of new video game trailers and gameplay reveals are shown as part of the annual Game Awards. And while who wins Game of the Year will steal some of the headlines on December 11, a lot of the excitement also comes from the secrets and surprises that get unleashed in the form of new game announcements.

So we’re keeping tabs on what has been confirmed to make an appearance so far, what has been teased, and some of the pie-in-the-sky dream games we know deep down in our brains won’t be there, but our heart tells us there might just be a chance. Don’t worry, we’re not going to be quite as far-fetched as to say GTA 6 will be at The Game Awards, nor The Witcher 4, which CD Projekt Red has already confirmed won’t be. But that’s enough of that. Let’s head straight into what you can expect from The Game Awards 2025.

What We Know Will Be There

Regal. Inspiring. Thickness. No, not words often used to describe me, but the ones that accompanied Geoff Keighley’s social media post of a mysterious demon-covered monolith that appeared in the Mojave Desert last week. Theories have been flying out as to what it could be teasing, but much of that speculation has been debunked, with Diablo, God of War, and The Elder Scrolls 6 all supposedly not what it relates to. What do you think it is?

regal.inspiring.thickness pic.twitter.com/lY1duUcE1B

— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) November 29, 2025

We do know that Resident Evil Requiem will be showing up on the 11th with a new look at the long-running horror series’ latest entry. Arriving early next year, rumours have been circulating ever since its original reveal that Resident Evil 4 hunk, Leon Kennedy, will make an appearance in Requiem. Is now the time for Capcom to confirm his inclusion?

A new playable character will be revealed for Invincible VS, though. The fighting game adaptation of the cult-favourite comic and animated TV show has garnered a lot of attention since its summer reveal, so who do you think this character will be? We’ll also get a good look at Exodus, the upcoming sci-fi action RPG from Archetype Studios, formed by former BioWare developers. With that sort of Mass Effect pedigree behind it, it’s certainly one we’re looking forward to seeing a lot more of. We also know that a new Total War game will be revealed by developer Creative Assembly, following the series’ 25th anniversary.

And finally, we know that one of the musical performances on Thursday night will be from Evanescence, who will be showcasing their song “Afterlife” from the Netflix adaptation of Devil May Cry. Would I prefer they did “Bring Me to Life” with Nathan Fielder dressed as an airline pilot on backing vocals? Yes, of course, but we can’t have everything in this world.

What Might Be There

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 broke the record for the most nominations of The Game Awards, and looks set to be one of the big winners of the night. Could we see a release date announcement for the upcoming free update that will add a new dungeon, among other treats? Who knows, maybe even a cheeky little shadow drop…

Another announcement we could see from one of the big nominees of the night is a wider console release for Hades 2. Currently only on PC and Switch, could one of 2025’s best games come to PS5 and Xbox?

Fallout Season 2 arrives on Amazon Prime Video on December 17, and given Geoff’s penchant for having stars of the big and small screen on stage at The Game Awards, we wouldn’t be shocked to see some combination of Ella Purnell and Walton Goggins arrive to give us a sneak peek of what’s to come.

Speaking of stars of the big screen, things don’t come much more cinematic than James Bond. 007 First Light is the upcoming action-adventure from Hitman studio IO Interactive, and it’s shaping up very nicely, as you can read in my big preview. With it coming out in March 2026, surely we’re due for another hit on the Bond pipe soon. Could a big reveal, such as who the villain will be, or who is performing the game’s theme, be at The Game Awards? The stage certainly seems set for the latter to come with a live performance at the show.

Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, which is being helmed by Uncharted’s Amy Hennig, moved out of early 2026. The delay may mean that we’ll be waiting a little longer to play Captain America and Black Panther’s WW2 adventure, but is now the time for a full gameplay reveal?

Speaking of Marvel, Insomniac’s Marvel’s Wolverine is due late 2026, and while we’ve had some teases of what it will look like in action, we’d certainly love to see more. As for other PlayStation exclusives, Housemarque’s Saros looks set to follow in the sci-fi shooter footsteps of breakout hit Returnal when it arrives in March. Again, we’d love to see more. And one PlayStation Studios game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, may well be a while off yet — if you think you’re playing this in 2026, keep dreaming — but seeing as it got its big reveal at last year’s Game Awards, it wouldn’t be a stretch to see a bigger look at Naughty Dog’s next project very soon.

On the Xbox side of things, could we finally get a good look at some Fable gameplay? Or maybe see Gears of War: E-Day in action? There’s also Forza Horizon 6 on the way next year, of which we’ve seen nothing but the smallest of teasers. We know it’s set in Japan, so we would love to see just how beautiful Playground Games’ depiction of Tokyo is. Plus, let’s face it, driving games can never resist pulling out all of the stops and placing their cover car centre of stage at events like this.

It also wouldn’t be a Geoff Keighley show with a sprinkling of Hideo Kojima into the mix. The Metal Gear Solid creator is up for a few awards thanks to Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, but might we also get a look at what is coming up next from him? Xbox horror exclusive OD: Knock continues to be teased as it conjures up unsettling memories of P.T, so we could see more of that. There’s also Physint, his PlayStation espionage action exclusive. That may well be far away at this point, but not beyond the realms of possibility for Kojima to tease further.

Another legendary developer, Ken Levine, continues to work away on Judas. It’s been over 12 years since he last released a game, 2013’s Bioshock Infinite, so who really knows if now is the time to finally give us a launch date for this one. I’m very excited about it, but I won’t let myself get carried away until I have any idea when I’ll actually be able to play it. Something I have already been able to play a little of is Phantom Blade Zero, a quite punishing sword action game from Chinese developer S-Game. It was originally meant to arrive in 2025, but could a release date finally be unveiled on the 11th?

And, finally for now. FromSoftware’s Switch 2 exclusive, The Duskbloods, has been very quiet ever since its initial reveal back in April’s Nintendo Direct. Due for 2026 – and seeing Keighley has had several previous Hidetaka Miyazaki-related reveals at The Game Awards in the past – maybe now is the time for an in-depth look at exactly what this co-op action RPG is.

What We Can Dream Will Be There

Well, at least we don’t have to close our eyes and cross our fingers in hope of a Hollow Knight: Silksong release date anymore. But will Team Cherry tease DLC for one of 2025’s best games? Even I won’t go as far as to genuinely suggest that.

Another one of this year’s best games is Donkey Kong Bananza, which served as Nintendo’s big launch window 3D platformer. That may have come as a surprise to some who thought Mario would have that position nailed down. Could we see a new 3D Mario game announced at The Game Awards? It’s admittedly a long shot, but with the new Super Mario Galaxy Movie on the way next Spring, it sure would be nice to have a new game to play alongside it.

What might be more likely is a look at what Cory Barlog has been cooking up at Sony Santa Monica. A new game from the God of War director outside of that universe has been rumoured for a long time now, and it feels like we may be getting closer to seeing what it is. The Game Awards has a pattern of bringing back past winners of the Game of the Year award to tease their next projects. So this gives us a little hope here.

Following on from that train of thought, two recent recipients of the big prize have been Elden Ring and Baldur’s Gate 3. The former’s creator, FromSoftware, may well bring The Duskbloods with them, as mentioned earlier, but what about a new single-player action RPG in the mould of what has made them so well-renowned? Bloodborne 2, anyone? I almost feel bad for mentioning it. As for Baldur’s Gate 3, developer Larian is surely now working on its next game, although seeing as BG3 did take many, many years to make, we won’t be expecting to play this one soon. Could we see a tease of what’s to come, though? Do you think it would be Baldur’s Gate 4 or something altogether different?

Baldur’s Gate’s original developer, BioWare, has its sights set on the stars, as the EA studio returns to the beloved sci-fi RPG series, Mass Effect. Could we be given a glimpse into where the story may be heading next? Or dare we even dream of some Mass Effect 5 gameplay? That may be a little too far, but I do like to dream.

And speaking of dreaming, I can’t not mention Half-Life 3. Rumours have been circulating over recent weeks that the long, long-awaited FPS sequel might actually be in development, with an announcement imminent. Could it actually be at The Game Awards? Geoff Keighley does have a long history with Valve, but these days it operates more like Rockstar does, with outside help rarely called on for its big marketing beats. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see Gordon Freeman pop up on that giant screen, but I won’t believe it until I do.

What would be your dream Game Awards reveal? Let us know in the comments below. Mine, as ever, would be a full Burnout reboot from the original Criterion team, but I may have to admit that I’m not living in 2005 anymore.

Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.

Nintendo fans are unhappy about a $30 Metroid Prime 4: Beyond amiibo figurine that lets you turn on your motorbike’s radio.

As previously announced, the Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Samus amiibo unlocks a range of in-game features, including an energy shield that blocks 99 damage — limited to one use per day. But fan discussion has now centered on the fact this amiibo also unlocks a jukebox feature for Samus’ Vi-O-La motorbike, which allows you to hear other themes from the game.

Actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, who played Shang Tsung in the original Mortal Kombat movie as well as video game Mortal Kombat 11, has died aged 75.

The star of The Last Emperor, Memoirs of a Geisha, and The Man in the High Castle, died Thursday in Santa Barbara due to complications from a stroke, Deadline reported.

Tagawa famously played evil sorcerer Shang Tsung in the 1995 adaptation of the Mortal Kombat video game, becoming an instantly recognizable face for an army of fans. In the movie, Shang Tsung points to a helpless Liu Kang while holding his brother, Chan hostage, and declares: “your brother’s soul is mine!” Tagawa would go on to make his ‘Your soul is mine!’ line an iconic part of Shang Tsung lore, and it has endured in the 30 years since. After the original Mortal Kombat movie, Tagawa went on to play Shang Tsung multiple times, including in 2019’s Mortal Kombat 11, where his voice and physical likeness was used — much to the delight of fans.

World of Warcraft’s housing feature launched this week for everyone who purchased the upcoming Midnight expansion early. Though the feature is still in its early stages, players (including yours truly) are already losing hours upon hours creating elaborate homes with the decor available. But Horde players in particular are really struggling to contend with one major issue: their house exteriors are ugly.

Okay, that’s a little mean. If you play an orc, or are into the orc aesthetics of spikes, flames, haphazard metal plates, and slapdash wooden boards nailed on, the Horde exteriors are fine. The issue is that a lot of the Horde – namely, everyone who doesn’t play an orc – generally prefers a less…grungey aesthetic. Alliance players also only get one exterior housing option, but their homes are fairly standard, inoffensive cottages that most people will find tolerable at worst.

Unfortunately for anyone unhappy with what’s on offer, until Midnight fully launches, this is it. You can customize your exterior in various ways by changing up roof colors and chimney styles, but it’s all in your faction’s default aesthetic. Blizzard has promised that Night Elf and Blood Elf exteriors will arrive on Midnight’s release, with more options planned for later on. But for now you’re stuck with either a cottage or a spike shack one way or another.

Some players, like myself, are just trying to make the best of it with outdoor decorations. Here’s my modest hut. You’d never know that inside is a cozy Shaman retreat, complete with a small magical library, a snug kitchen, and a stone altar dedicated in honor of the elements.

Destiny has always been the “we’ve got Star Wars at home” looter shooter, and with Destiny 2: Renegades, Bungie has decided to lean into that directly with a crossover expansion. Weirdly enough, so far that decision seems to have kinda worked out alright! Renegades doesn’t solve many of Destiny 2’s longstanding issues, including the fact that it’s been awkwardly spinning its wheels for over a year now (reminiscent of the MCU post-Endgame), but embracing the cheesiness and over-the-top drama of Star Wars is at the very least a surprisingly nice change of pace in what has become quite a predictable universe. The story is silly, to be sure, but introduces a few new mechanics and weapon types that are a welcome change, and there’s an impressive level of enemy density throughout practically all of the activities that keeps the action interesting. I’ve still got a lot more questing and looting to do before my final review, but so far this expansion has been a pretty compelling breath of fresh air in a game I’ve otherwise been far less excited about than usual.

If you’ve read any of my previous expansion reviews (of which there are a lot), then you’ll already know I am one those weirdo Destiny fans who has stuck with this game through thick and thin – so it should mean something when I tell you that saying I am also a Star Wars fan would be such a massive understatement that I’m actually too embarrassed to elaborate further publicly. But even with my undying love of space wizards, I was initially mortified to learn Destiny 2 was planning a crossover with it. For me, it was the ultimate sign that Destiny was out of ideas, had gone “full Fortnite” in a way that seemed cheap and tacky, and was making one last desperation play during the slow death it’s been suffering for a number of years now. And, yeah, that all pretty much turned out to be true. But when I found myself watching two lightsaber-wielding foes square off in an epic cutscene while listening to the John Williams-esque music this expansion makes heavy use of, I’ll admit it won me over… at least a little.

Renegades does go out of its way to include every little Star Wars reference to a degree that can feel a bit forced – a crutch that’s continuously leaned upon in lieu of any original ideas. For example, you find yourself trapped in a garbage compactor during the very first mission, rescue someone from off-brand carbon freezing, and make a jump to lightspeed while a brooding, masked villain angrily watches you escape his grasp. It’s extremely on the nose stuff, and I was just as likely to experience a full-body cringe as I was to smile about it. But the complete “screw it” energy at play here as it full-throatedly embraces all the corniness and drama for which Star Wars is known does have a certain kind of refreshing charm that’s at least a distinct direction for Destiny 2. I’ve been complaining about this game feeling stale for at least five years now, so I’ve got to give Bungie a bit of credit for trying something new here.

There are also a fair number of new mechanics that I wasn’t expecting, like a shielding system for certain enemies that forces you to deal a whole bunch of damage in a short span of time before you can actually hurt them, AT-ST-inspired walkers that have some unique attacks I wasn’t expecting, and even some new weapon types, like battery-powered guns that can be fired until they overheat and need to cool down. None of this is massively game-changing stuff, but they’re decent little tweaks to the sandbox that are welcome additions. Of course, there’s also a ton of stuff that hasn’t changed at all, and even while you’re facing off against a new kind of enemy in theory, you’ll still be fighting the same Cabal armored warriors and bony Thrall monstrosities you’ve been shooting for over a decade, which has made this feel like a cheap reskin at times.

I’m still fairly early into my space opera journey (I haven’t even crafted my lightsaber yet!), so I have a whole lot more to play before I can definitively say where Renegades lands. But so far this expansion seems much better than I expected… though that’s partially because I expected very little. I’ll have much more to say once I’ve completed the campaign and begin to dive into the endgame activities. For Light and Life!

For gamers of a certain age, Warhammer Quest is a name to conjure with. The original 1995 release was the premier dungeon-crawler of its day, a rare cooperative title in an age of head-to-head conflict games. Once it was out of print it became, and remains, highly collectable. But in 2016, publisher Games Workshop resurrected the brand with the well-received Silver Tower. Darkwater is the latest iteration, with a few new tweaks and a lot of new toys on board to try and uphold its considerable legacy.

What’s in the Box

Rules and How It Plays

Warhammer Quest: Darkwater is a cooperative board game, but you’ll play with four heroes in every game, so it’s best with two or four players: solo is possible, but you’ll end up juggling a lot as the campaign progresses. It has two game modes, a one-off skirmish fight or a longer campaign game. The focus is definitely on the latter mode, as single fights can be unbalanced depending on the scenario you end up playing, and you don’t get the fun of slowly building up your characters and revealing your own narrative of attempting to free the Jade Abbey from Nurgle’s putrefaction.

A campaign consists of three acts, each of which sees you dealing out 14 random encounter cards from that act’s deck, with a boss card beneath. You then get a choice of two possible encounter cards for each adventure, and this is an important decision. Many of the encounters aren’t skirmish fights but little narrative snippets or mini-games. Most of these are of the push your luck or risk versus reward variety, but there are a couple of the more imaginative designs that made Silver Tower’s scenarios such a pleasure.

When it comes to battle scenarios, it’s important to read the cards carefully and consider how the fight might play out. They offer a variety of maps, of enemies to fight, sidequests, victory conditions and special rules. These cause them to vary wildly in difficulty, and some can be almost impossible if you haven’t found certain rewards for your party. This is a big deal because the price for failure is high: you lose some rewards and get to try again, with a second fail ending the campaign.

Duking it out on the map is based on a set of rules from another game in the series, Warhammer Quest: The Adventure Card Game (see it at Amazon). Each hero has three action cards: move, attack, and aid. Using one requires you to expend energy, which is most commonly obtained by exhausting one of said cards, either for the action you’re taking or one of the others. Essentially this boils down to heroes taking three actions each turn, which can be any combination of the available options, although some of the rewards you can get later in the campaign complicate the picture a little.

Combat involves you rolling dice, almost always a pair, hoping to achieve a target number depending on what you’re fighting. Many enemies have a defense value that cancels out an equal number of hits, meaning you’ll have to hit on both dice to hurt them. Between the probabilities involved and the flexibility of the action system, this provides a satisfying balance of decision-making and randomness. This is not a deep game by any means, but you’ll often be torn as to how to best distribute your actions, while the turn limit on completing each battle can lead to some thrilling, high-stakes rolls towards the close.

Between each hero’s turn, the monsters get to activate. How they behave depends on a dice roll, and most enemies switch between a sedate black die and a more threatening red die with each passing battle round. Mostly they’ll move toward a target at variable speed and try to attack, although all the monsters also have a special effect: horrible little pox-wretches spawn new companions, while the tough daemonic cankerborn blast all nearby heroes with an area effect attack. This roll can have a major impact on the difficulty of a scenario, as monsters sometimes do nothing and sometimes unleash a terrifying onslaught, a quirk that the rules put down to their chaotic nature.

One flaw in this system and the map design is that most of the boards have one or more choke points caused by impassable hexes, and most of the scenarios require players to get somewhere and do something in order to win. The result is that both players and monsters get funneled toward the tight corners and scenarios can bog down in repeated roll-offs until you either clear the enemies or the time runs out. Some character abilities and items can bypass this – the dwarf ranger Drolf Ironhead can move through the odd impassable hex – but while this gives some scenarios the feel of a spatial puzzle, in others having one or two characters get a shortcut doesn’t make much difference to achieving the goal. This issue also causes a sense of repetition, despite the fairly varied scenario design.

Victory, and the completion of sidequest goals, results in reward cards being doled out to the adventurers. Like the scenarios themselves these vary in power, with better items being available later in the campaign, but the more impressive items are often one-shot, while more minor power-ups can be re-used. They all add more tactical options to battles, which is absolutely a good thing. Weighing up whether or not to throw your magical one-off widget into the mix in an attempt to save a scenario that’s going south is always a knife-edge decision and adds extra frisson to the dice-rolls that usually result.

Even on-board battle scenarios only last about 30 minutes so, when you mix in the much shorter mini-game encounters, playing through an act doesn’t take all that long. “Saving” the game state between sessions is a minor pain but perfectly possible. All the adventure cards have their own text preamble to set the scene and, as you progress through the campaign, there are secrets to uncover and some new playable characters to unlock. The unfolding narrative isn’t going to win any literary awards but it’s effective at giving your playthrough a solid storybook backbone. Nurgle is a particularly fun opponent to tackle, his servitors by turns fatherly and feculent, so freeing the once-pristine Jade Abbey from their clutches feels like a worthy goal.

Where to Buy

• Get it at Warhammer