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This Anker PowerCore 737 25,6000mAh Power Bank Deal Includes a PD Wall Charger

Amazon is offering Amazon Prime members an older generation Anker PowerCore 737 25,600mAh USB Power Bank, which also includes a 65W USB PD wall charger for only $79.99 shipped. That’s a nearly 40% price drop from its original $130 MSRP. This is close to the highest capacity power bank you’re allowed to bring on airplane carry-on, and it also boasts 60W of USB power delivery to charge your Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, or ASUS ROG Ally gaming handheld.

Anker PowerCore 737 25,600mAh Power Bank for $79.99

Includes a 65W USB PD wall charger

The Anker PowerCore 737 can be used like any other power bank; it does a fine job of charging any of your standard mobile electronics. It has two USB Type-A ports and one USB Type-C port. This is one of the largest capacity power banks that can be brought onto an airplane as carry-on. It can charge a Nintendo Switch OLED over 5 times, iPhone 15 Pro Max over 5 times, Steam Deck over 4 times, and an ASUS ROG Ally over 9 times. The power bank is physically larger than smaller capacity ones and weighs in at 1.3 pounds.

The USB Type-C port supports up to 60W Power Delivery. That’s enough to charge the Steam Deck (35W) and Nintendo Switch (18W) at their maximum charging speed. It’s also very close to the maximum charging speed of the ASUS ROG Ally, which caps at 65W. The two USB Type-A ports support up to 18W of total charging, which is enough to fast charge a Nintendo Switch.

What’s unique about this deal compared to some other similar deals we’ve posted is that this one also comes with a USB Type-C wall charger that supports 65W of Power Delivery. There’s no need to buy another wall charger or scavenge one from another power bank you might have sitting around.

The Anker 737 is our pick for best Steam Deck / ASUS ROG Ally charger

We picked the newer Anker 737 as our favorite portable charger for the Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally portable gaming handhelds. Both the ROG Ally and Steam Deck suffer from a short battery life when gaming on the go. For instance, when playing most games at 60 FPS, you’re likely looking at four hours of battery life, at most. We even found games like God of War or Spider-Man would tap out in under 2 hours on the Steam Deck. At the end of the day, you’ll never get the full potential out of your Steam Deck or ROG Ally if you’re not equipped with a decent portable charger.

Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth Sales Are Fine, but It’s No Dragon’s Dogma 2

It’s natural that everyone’s been a little antsy about Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth lately. For weeks, analysts and fans have been discussing the game’s potential underperformance compared to its predecessor, Remake, amid worries this might impact the future of the 7 Remake trilogy. Today, we got a little more data on what’s really going on here – though the jury is still out on how publisher Square Enix is looking at the numbers.

Today, Circana published its monthly video game consumer spending report for March, which offers insight on the U.S. market calculated by dollar sales. One of the more notable games in the rankings this month was Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, which reports have suggested isn’t selling as well as Square Enix would like despite critical acclaim. Without actual sales figures, it’s difficult to tell, and our analysis a few weeks ago indicated that it’s doing….eh, fine, just not gangbusters.

Today’s Circana report paints a similarly perplexing picture. Rebirth is still the fourth best-selling game this year so far, but it’s also the 14th best-selling Final Fantasy game ever – well behind Final Fantasy 15 in first place, Final Fantasy 7: Remake in second, and the original Final Fantasy 7 in third place. Granted, it’s only had two months on the market on a single platform while the others have had multiple years on multiple platforms, so we can give it some grace there.

We asked Circana analyst Mat Piscatella for a bit more context on what’s going on with Rebirth’s U.S. sales. He told us that Rebirth sales in the U.S. are down a double-digit percentage when compared to both Remake and Final Fantasy 16 over the same time in market – so that’s not great. But he also noted, again, that Remake launched “at basically the best time to launch a video game in history, and on a different installed base, with all that built up anticipation.” And he called the game’s performance “not amazing, but also nowhere near terrible.” Which is roughly what other experts have described to us before, and what U.K. sales numbers seem to suggest as well.

Still, it’s impossible to say whether “not terrible” will be enough for Square Enix. The publisher has announced it’s preparing to take a $140 million hit in “content abandonment losses” due to canceled games in the last fiscal year, and it remains unclear how much of this will impact Final Fantasy 7’s remake trilogy, if it will at all. And it’s admittedly a little jarring to see Rebirth in light of Circana’s reported sales for fellow action RPG Dragon’s Dogma 2, which pulled 11x the amount of dollar sales the original Dragon’s Dogma did, and has already surpassed the combined life-to-date sales of both Dragon’s Dogma and Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen combined. It’s only been out for a month, and it’s the second-best-selling game of the year in the US. That’s a pretty stark difference…but again, Dragon’s Dogma 2 released across three platforms: PC, Xbox, and PS5. Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth is PS5 exclusive.

As for the rest of the month in video games, Helldivers 2 is still the best-selling game of the year so far and is the 7th best-selling Sony-published game of all time, after just two months. Dragon’s Dogma 2 was the best-selling game of March, followe dby Helldivers 2, MLB The Show 24, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and Rise of the Ronin in order. Princess Peach: Showtime! debuted at No.6 (digital sales excluded as usual), Unicorn Overlord debuted at No.8, and WWE 2K24 debuted at No.9 (digital sales excluded). Also notably, Horizon 2: Forbidden West saw a massive jump in March from the No.107 best-selling game in February to No.14, likely thanks to its launch on PC. Stardew Valley on PC and Sifu on PS5 also saw significant player spikes in March.

In total, video game sales were up 4% year-over-year largely thanks to mobile content, while hardware sales dropped 32% year-over-year with all console platform spending down 30% or more. The PS5 remained the best-selling console in both unit and dollar sales.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Nintendo Switch 2 Handheld Mode Said to be Clocked ‘Crazy Low’ for Better Battery Life – Rumor

Nintendo’s next console, dubbed the Switch 2 by fans, will feature some changes to potentially improve its battery life if new rumors are to be believed.

The latest details regarding how the Mario company might tackle its next console generation comes from a conversation between YouTube channel Moore’s Law Is Dead and content creator The Phawx on the Broken Silicon podcast. When explaining that they anticipate Xbox Series S-level ray-tracing functionality on the new tech, Moore’s Law Is Dead teased that they’ve heard that the Switch 2 will be “clocked faster than we expect” in docked mode but “undocked it’s going to be clocked crazy low.”

They add that the goal with this strategy is to give players longer battery life when playing on the go, one complaint more than a few Nintendo fans had with the original Switch. The Phawx expands on this potential strategy further, guessing that Nintendo is interested in both extended battery life as well as a low RPM fan.

Though Nintendo has its fair share of adult followers, the Switch has proven to be extremely popular among younger audiences, and we’ll likely see the same trend with the Switch 2. It’s because of this that Nintendo might be creating a device that doesn’t overheat too easily when kids leave the console lying around.

What this means for gaming fans is that, like the original Switch, games will look and run better when running in docked mode. Undocked, things might not be quite as impressive, but you’ll at least be able to enjoy Nintendo’s experiences for a longer amount of time.

For reference, in 2018, we noted that the original Switch offered about 2.5 to 6 hours of battery life undocked. That life was extended to up to 9 hours with the release of new models in 2019, with the OLED model lasting around the same amount of time before needing a recharge.

Details on the power of the Switch 2 aren’t the first rumors to spread about Nintendo’s new console. Other allegedly leaked details have suggested that the device will feature magnetic versions of the Joy-Cons and maybe even allow players to use their old controllers, too. If these recent rumors are to be believed, you’ll also be able to enjoy your physical and digital games on the Switch 2.

Keep in mind that it’s best to keep expectations at a minimum until Nintendo is ready to reveal official information on its next console. For more on what may eventually become the Switch 2, you can read everything else we know about the company’s next console.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.

Hasbro Ambitious Post-Baldur’s Gate 3 Plans Include More Than $1 Billion in Internal Game Development

Hasbro has already invested over $1 billion in its internal studios as part of an ambitious long-term strategy, according to Wizards of the Coast head of game studios and publishing Dan Ayoub.

“Video games are an integral part of Hasbro’s strategy going into the next 100 years and we have to make sure that everything that comes out is top quality, is authentic, and is something we can build upon,” explained Ayoub in an interview with gamesindustry.biz at the Game Developer’s Conference in March. “Because we’re talking about a couple studios and a couple games right now, but we have much larger ambitions for that.”

Hasbro’s IP licensing strategy has been extremely profitable for the toy-maker in recent years, with Larian Studio’s runaway hit Baldur’s Gate 3 netting the company an impressive $90 million on its own following its 2023 release. Despite this success, the multi-national conglomerate has invested huge amounts of money to establish a clutch of internal game development studios with which to handle its many IPs, and create entirely new ones.

“The biggest thing to takeaway, which is honestly a little surprise to a lot of people, is that Hasbro is in fact making video games,” explained Ayoub. “And we have a considerable investment in our studio structure, we’ve got over $1 billion in games right now being developed.”

According to the industry veteran, Hasbro’s $1 billion investment in its four existing AAA studios is part of a “very, very deliberate plan”, which would incorporate facets of the company beyond game development.

It’s not just Dungeons & Dragons

Hasbro’s current AAA stable includes the North Carolina-based studio Atomic Arcade, which is developing a G.I. Joe Snake Eyes game, and Invoke Studios, which is working on another title anchored in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. Skeleton Key, and Texas-based studio Archetype Entertainment round out the quartet, the latter of which is developing a brand new IP starring Matthew McConaughey called Exodus, which draws inspiration from both Mass Effect, and Knights of the Old Republic.

One of the great things we took from the success of Baldur’s Gate 3 is that people really, really like a great, well-executed D&D game

“What we’re trying to do there is have the tail wag the dog a little bit and have things going the other direction for the company, which would be something new, where we can create a new IP through video games and then take advantage of the size and scale of Hasbro to do other things with it as well,” said Ayoub.

He also made a point of highlighting Hasbro’s emphasis on quality and authenticity when it comes to its game development approach, while lauding the example set by Larian Studios’ hit RPG Baldur’s Gate 3.

“One of the great things we took from the success of Baldur’s Gate 3 is that people really, really like a great, well-executed D&D game, so we’ve got something like that,” said Ayoub. “And with Snake Eyes, while it’s not a new IP, it’s hopefully going to be a shot in the arm to the G.I. Joe franchise and we can do some new things and express it in different ways in video games than we have traditionally.”

Back in March Larian founder Swen Vincke made the shock announcement that the developer had no plans to release expansions or DLC for Baldur’s Gate 3, and that it was instead moving on from the D & D setting to explore something new. With Larian out of the picture, Hasbro is patiently searching for new partners with whom to shape the future of the franchise.

In the recent G.I.Biz interview, Ayoub highlighted Hasbro’s deep well of IPs, which “goes much, much larger than anything we’re talking about right now”, and ensured that games developed by internal studios wouldn’t be rushed, and that “everything is going to stay in the oven as long as it needs to”.

In December last year Hasbro announced a mass layoff that affected over 1,000 staff, accounting for around 20 percent of its total workforce, while citing the need to “modernize” the company, and make it “leaner” in order to position it for future growth. The redundancies came as Hasbro sought to save $300 million annually up to the year 2025, as it pivots to focus on “fewer, bigger brands”.

Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer

Best PS5 and PlayStation Deals Right Now (May 2024)

There are some amazing PS5 deals to check out right now, including the surprise hit PlayStation Portal is back in stock at Best Buy for $199.99. It’s sold out everywhere else — so if you want one, you’d better grab it quick, as it’s not likely to stay in stock for long. There’s also the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.1 for just $30, an incredible deal that’s well worth taking advantage of. Below, you can also find other deals on everything from consoles to SSDs and even information on where to buy a PS5 now.

TL;DR – Best PS5 Deals Right Now

Navigate to:

PlayStation Portal Back In Stock (Limited Time)

Best PS5 Video Game Deals: Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.1 for $30

One of our absolute favorite physical PS5 deals right now is on the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.1, which is down 50% to just $30! This is absolute worth investing in, especially at this price. If you want to see even more of our favorite PS5 deals at the moment, check out the links below.

More PS5 Video Game Deals (Physical):

Perfect PS5 4TB SSD with Heatsink for $239.49 at Amazon

Looking to completely maximize your PS5 storage capabilities? Then this is the deal for you. For a limited time only, this PS5 4TB SSD is available at Amazon for just $239.49 (see here). It has an MSRP of $699.99 which is rather dramatic, but in reality, this and many other 4TB SSDs have been sitting around $280-$300 recently. The 1TB version is also down to just $71.49 as well, the best price you can find on a PS5 SSD at the time of writing. Again, we’re unlikely to see better deals than this until Prime Day in the summer. You can also check out the more PS5 SSD deals here.

More PS5 SSD Deals:

Score a Spider-Man 2 PS5 Slim Bundle for $449 (20% Off MSRP)

This deal has been one of our favorites for quite a while (since last year’s Black Friday, actually!) and it’s been selling out at a variety of retailers. Thankfully, Walmart and Best Buy still have some stock, so if you’ve been hoping to grab one of these PS5 Slim bundles, now’s your chance to do so. Who knows how long it’ll stick around for, so act fast! Normally, it retails for $559.99, but it’s been marked down to $449 for a while now which is an excellent deal.

Best PS5 Headset Deals: 20% Off the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro & More Headset Deals

There’s no shortage of PS5-compatible headsets. If you’re constantly having to turn down the volume when you play, you might want to pick up one of these, then you can listen to your games as loud as you darn well please. And if you’d like to see even more options that are worth buying, check out our collection of the best gaming headsets.

More PS5 Gaming Headset Deals:

PlayStation Deals: Budget to Best

It doesn’t need to have a massive discount to be a good deal, so we thought it would be a great idea to pick out our absolute favorite PS5 and PlayStation offerings that would be relevant to buy no matter the time of year, or the sales going on. From the latest DualSense controllers, to the very best PS5 SSDs on the market, we’ve got it all right here.

More PS5 Budget to Best Picks

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Best Time to Buy a PS5

Generally, the best time to buy a PS5 console is during major yearly shopping events such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the various Amazon Prime Day sales. Although PlayStation consoles rarely go on sale, you can often scoop up limited-time bundles that include additional an additional game or two, and more.

How to Trade in Your Old PlayStation Consoles

If you’re looking to trade in your old PlayStation consoles, you can do so at select retailers in-store and online. Often, the most widely available retailers are GameStop and Best Buy. However, you can also trade your used devices online at retailers such as Amazon and Microsoft.

Some retailers will offer you cash for your used goods, while others may provide you with a gift card that can be used in-store and online. This is a great way to offload your old gaming gear and get some money that you can put towards a newer console and games.

While trading devices in at retailers will often net you the lowest amount for your used consoles, there are also online marketplaces such as eBay, Craigslist, and OfferUp that may fetch higher prices, but you’ll often be responsible for packing and shipping costs, or be required to meet someone in person for the transaction, the latter of which poses its own risks.

With how expensive gaming is getting in 2024, we’re trying to save you as much money as possible on the games and other tech you actually want to buy. We’ve got great deal roundups available for all major platforms such as Switch and Xbox, and keep these updated daily with brand new offers. If you’re trying to keep costs down while maintaining your favorite hobby, stay tuned for more incredible discounts.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

Starfield Gets Big Update That Adds Detailed Surface Maps, Ship Decoration, and 60fps on Xbox Series X

Starfield is set for a significant update in May that adds a number of highly requested features to the space game.

The update, currently in Steam Beta before going live for all players on May 15, finally adds detailed surface maps. In the patch notes, Bethesda acknowledged players have called for improved maps ever since Starfield came out in September last year. “We’ve heard your feedback, and we’ve made some big improvements to surface maps, so you’ll always know just where to go and no longer ‘get lost’ on the way to your parents’ place (and they weren’t buying that excuse anyway, you should really go visit them),” Bethesda joked.

Elsewhere, there are new difficulty options in the settings menu, the addition of ship decoration to the interior of ships, and added display settings for Xbox Series X to prioritize Visuals or Performance. This adds the ability to run Starfield at 60 frames per second on Xbox Series X only (Xbox Series S does not have this feature.)

Speaking to IGN in June last year, Bethesda development chief Todd Howard said the company’s controversial decision to lock Starfield at 30fps across both Xbox Series X and S was to ensure “consistency” of performance.

Speaking now as part of the May update patch notes, Bethesda said it had “heard from many that you’d like to have more control over the graphic fidelity and performance on Xbox, similar to how PC players can customize their experience.” The studio continued: “We’re now enabling that on Xbox Series X with a few options that you can use to find the best fit for your playstyle and display.”

Here’s how it works, per Bethesda:

For each of these, we highly recommend a Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) Display running at 120hz, and to verify your Xbox is setup to use it. If you have it setup this way, Starfield will now default to a frame rate target of 40, while keeping the priority for full visuals.

  • Frame Rate Target: You can now choose between 30, 40, 60 or an Uncapped frame rate on VRR displays. If you do not have a VRR display running 120hz, you will still be able to select from 30 or 60. Screen tearing may occur at times when selecting 60 on a non-VRR display.
  • Prioritize: You can now prioritize between Visuals and Performance while trying to maintain the frame rate target. If you’re choosing a frame rate target of 60 or above, we recommend changing this to Performance. Prioritizing Visuals keeps the highest resolution while maintaining full detail for special effects, lighting, and crowds. Prioritizing Performance lowers internal resolution and detail for special effects, lighting, and crowds. Both modes may adjust internal resolution dynamically when scenes or action get heavier as well. When switching between modes, you will see the lighting change briefly as the system catches up to the new mode.

In a recent interview, Bethesda development boss revealed that Starfield’s Shattered Space expansion is due out this fall. A subsequent report claimed it will launch in September. If true, it would arrive one year after Starfield launched as a much-hyped Xbox game and the first new intellectual property from Bethesda in years. IGN’s Starfield review returned a 7/10. We said: “Starfield has a lot of forces working against it, but eventually the allure of its expansive roleplaying quests and respectable combat make its gravitational pull difficult to resist.”

Starfield May 2024 update patch notes in full:

BUG FIXESGENERAL

  • General Stability and Performance improvements.
  • General improvements for Character fleeing, avoidance and pathfinding.
  • Fixed various issues with object placement.

GAMEPLAY

  • Fixed an issue that could cause a ship’s maximum shield capacity to appear decreased after loading a save with certain assigned crew.
  • Fixed an issue where invisibility could persist on a companion’s weapon after invisibility effect ended.
  • Scanning flora/fauna XP is now also awarded via harvesting/killing.
  • Resolved an issue with unintended harvest items appearing in flora from blended biomes.
  • Addressed an issue that prevented repeated docking with a previously commandeered ship.
  • Fixed an issue with Class C flight behavior after entering targeting mode while boosting.
  • Addressed an issue that could occur when attempting to dock with a ship as it grav jumps away.
  • Fixed a ship scanner issue that could occasionally display incorrect hostility or crew count.
  • Fixed an issue where docked ships would appear to overlap after loading a save while boarding.
  • Stunned Characters should no longer display the option to talk to them.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause apparel to not display as intended on mannequins.
  • Helmets placed on Mannequins should no longer cull the neck and torso section.
  • Addressed an issue that could cause weapons to duplicate when looting and enemy.
  • Addressed a rare issue that could cause characters to not exit dialogue when attacked.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the dialogue camera to quickly shift focus when exiting conversations.
  • Neon and Ryujin security should be more diligent on arresting the player for criminal behavior.
  • An Autosave should now be created when fast travelling to the player ship if Save on Travel is enabled.
  • Fixed an issue with sandstorm hazards not working as intended under certain conditions.
  • Fixed an issue with weather changing incorrectly when entering a ship.
  • Addressed an issue related to using the Starborn Power ‘Inner Demon’ on certain Robot models.
  • Resolved a few issues related to loading a save after using ‘Phased Time’ power.
  • Fixed an issue with lip-sync while ‘Phased Time’ was active.
  • Fixed a rare issue that could cause legendary Starborn weapons to lose their special effects.
  • Resolved an issue that could prevent storing items in containers aboard the Razorleaf.
  • Addressed an issue that could cause the player to appear as if they were in zero gravity after completing a temple.
  • Fixed an issue with Rifle Certification skill that could prevent faster reloading benefit.
  • Resolved issue with certain weapons not being able to fire immediately after they were aimed.
  • Resolved and issue that could cause melee attacks to occur without animation.
  • Fixed a visual issue with the Laser sight emitted from an enemy Magshear.
  • Resolved a weapon visibility issue that could occur when opening the hand scanner with ‘Toggle Iron Sight’ setting enabled.
  • Fixed a weapon visibility issue that could occur when switching between weapons of different types.
  • Addressed an issue with how the Subtitles from the ECS Constant were displayed.
  • Addressed an issue with gaps appearing on the character when previewing helmets in the Transfer Menu.
  • Resolved and issue that could cause clothing to be seen through the spacesuit after aiming with a scope.
  • Addressed and issue that could cause enemies to receive unintended force when killed.
  • Fixed an issue that could occur when killing a seated character.
  • Loading save should retain camera settings.
  • Addressed an issue that could cause quests to have a much longer cooldown than intended.
  • Resolved an issue where UC ships could still send friendly hails to a member of the Crimson Fleet.
  • Fixed areas of Moara’s ship where player could become stuck.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the desk inside the Ship Services building in Akila to disappear.
  • Fixed an issue that would prevent random ship encounters from landing on planets in some situations.
  • Fixed an issue with the turn counter on the persuasion minigame when dealing with the Star Parcel Freighter.
  • Ship Service Technicians should now return to their normal location if they had previously wandered away.
  • Players who find their way into Benjamin Bayu’s penthouse should now be able to exit properly.

GRAPHICS

  • Exterior ship lights should now appear as intended in Photomode and during travel sequences.
  • Fixed various shadow issues (flickering and precision).
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the galaxy map to zoom out to an incorrect extent. (PC).
  • Fixed a rare issue that could cause the ocean to not blend smoothly with the shore.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the screen to be stretched on 16:10 and 32:10 screens with FSR3 in the character editor (PC).
  • Improved the look of depth of field in specific cases.
  • Fixed subtle flickering that could occur on some on highlighted parts in the ship editor.
  • Improved the look of lighting and shadow under trees.
  • Improved wind direction consistency.
  • Fixed an issue causing the glow of stars to be slightly visible through planets.
  • Fixed a few visual artifacts with some VFX.
  • Improved the look of rain ripples on water.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause missing fog to occur while landing in Neon.
  • Improved flickering artifacts sometimes present with upscaling techniques DLSS, FSR, XeSS (PC).
  • Fixed a few flickering and ghosting issues for FSR3 (PC).
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the game UI to disappear after changing the Borderless Full Screen option when using FSR3 (PC).
  • Fixed an issue that could occasionally cause artifacts during camera transitions.
  • Fixed a rare issue that could cause missing object highlights in the hand scanner.
  • Fixed a rare issue that could cause visible rain effects inside a spaceship.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause water to turn white in New Atlantis when using a particle beam.
  • Adjusting a setting option that read as “Off” to now read as “Low Quality” for motion blur.
  • Adjusted the default value for Ship Third Person FOV.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause weapons on racks or in containers to disappear or change upon re-entering the player’s ship.

OUTPOSTS

  • Fixed an issue that could cause robots to appear unassigned after deleting the Outpost Crew Station.
  • Addressed an issue with Cargo Link parts not updating orientation after moving a structure at an Outpost.
  • Removed red outline that could sometimes remain on objects after they were repaired at an outpost.
  • Fixed an issue where changing greenhouse flora types in Outposts could disconnect the water input.
  • Resolved an issue with environmental hazards persisting inside outpost structures built in hazard areas.
  • Fixed an issue where greenhouse plants sometimes didn’t move correctly when the greenhouse was relocated.
  • Fixed issues where stairs could sometimes be deleted when deleting objects placed on them at an outpost.
  • Addressed an issue that allowed the player to reach unintended locations by stacking furniture in Outposts.
  • Resolved an issue with storage container auto foundations appearing where stackable containers already exist in Outposts.
  • Fixed an issue with Outpost wires not moving correctly when a wired structure was moved.
  • Addressed an issue that could cause habitat modules to float when supporting structures were removed.
  • Fixed an issue that could unintentionally affect the ambient audio of Outpost items.
  • Fixed an issue with inner-system cargo ships not unloading resources to capacity.

QUESTS

  • Back to the Grind: Fixed an issue that could cause the camera to unintentionally return to first person when exiting the interview seat with Imogene.
  • Breaking the Bank: Fixed an issue where unselected Dialogue options would incorrectly gray out when talking to Chief Purser Murata.
  • Breach of Contract: Resolved the issue where Dr. Keala may not have been present at the intended location.
  • Crew Encounter: Resolved an issue that could cause Betty Howser to not appear in Jake’s bar to be hired.
  • Echoes of the Past: Fixed a rare issue that could cause Delgado to get stuck while traversing the canyon.
  • High Price to Pay: Fixed an issue where progression could halt if a United Colonies character was hit during the escape.
  • Hostile Intelligence: Resolved the issue that could cause the Steam Tunnels to become inaccessible if the mission area was left for a long time.
  • Into the Unknown: Addressed an issue that could cause Vladimir to no longer give the Player Temple locations.
  • Into the Unknown: Fixed a rare issue where the temple location would not populate when receiving the “Go to” objective.
  • Legacy’s End: Fixed an issue that could cause Huan Daiyu to not be positioned as intended at the end of the mission.
  • Legacy’s End: Fixed in issue that could cause the Crimson Fleet Prisoners to have incorrect idle lines while standing in the Brig of the Vigilance.
  • Legacy’s End: Resolved an issue with returning to the Key if a freed prisoner was killed.
  • Loose Ends: Addressed an issue that could cause the scene between Neshar and Neon Security to not occur as intended.
  • No Sudden Moves: Fixed a rare issue that could cause Petrov to get stuck walking to the artifact.
  • One Small Step: Addressed an issue that could cause Vasco to appear stuck in the floor of a commandeered Crimson Fleet ship.
  • One Small Step: Miners should no longer fire on the player in the Vectera mines.
  • One Small Step: Resolved an issue that could prevent fast travel to the ship from the world boundary.
  • Rook Meets King: Addressed an issue that could cause idle animations to play on a corpse.
  • Sabotage: Fixed an issue that could cause manipulated characters to move in an unintended way.
  • Start-up Stopped: Addressed an issue that sometimes caused the quest not to initiate.
  • The Best There Is: Fixed an issue that could cause player to incorrectly receive and unintended objective.
  • The Devils You Know: Improved where characters were looking in some scenes.
  • The Mantis: Fixed a rare issue that could cause the Razorleaf to disappear.
  • The Old Neighborhood: Addressed an issue that could occur when using area of effect attacks in Moara’s ship.
  • War Relics: Addressed an issue that could cause Unit 99 to appear stuck.
  • Left Behind: NPCs will no longer talk about being attacked by wildlife on lifeless planets.
  • Legacy’s End: Resolved an issue that could cause NPCs to be culled depending on where the player is located.
  • Grunt Work: The Terrormorph should no longer get stuck if lured into the room Hadrian is hiding in.
  • One Small Step: Miners should no longer fire on the player in the Vectera mines.
  • One Small Step: Resolved an issue that could prevent fast travel to the ship from the world boundary.
  • Rook Meets King: Addressed an issue that could cause idle animations to play on a corpse.
  • Sabotage: Fixed an issue that could cause manipulated characters to move in an unintended way.
  • Start-up Stopped: Addressed an issue that sometimes caused the quest not to initiate.
  • The Best There Is: Fixed an issue that could cause player to incorrectly receive and unintended objective.
  • The Devils You Know: Improved where characters were looking in some scenes.
  • The Mantis: Fixed a rare issue that could cause the Razorleaf to disappear.
  • The Old Neighborhood: Addressed an issue that could occur when using area of effect attacks in Moara’s ship.
  • War Relics: Addressed an issue that could cause Unit 99 to appear stuck.
  • Left Behind: NPCs will no longer talk about being attacked by wildlife on lifeless planets.
  • Legacy’s End: Resolved an issue that could cause NPCs to be culled depending on where the player is located.
  • Grunt Work: The Terrormorph should no longer get stuck if lured into the room Hadrian is hiding in.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Season 3 Reloaded Update Adds Weapon Prestige Camos

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 gets its Season 3 Reloaded update today, May 1, and with it a long list of new content.

The Reloaded update is rolling out across all platforms, and Activision has published the patch notes detailing all the changes. Players can expect various gameplay improvements, weapon balance changes, and bug fixes.

There are two new 6v6 maps, a new weapon (BAL-27 Assault Rifle), three new Aftermarket Parts, and three new modes (Escort, Minefield, and Arcade).

But the headline change is probably the addition of Weapon Prestige Camos, a new progression system for players to “flex mastery of their favorite weaponry in Modern Warfare 3.” The debut Weapon Prestige Camo is One Trick, unlocked upon earning 150,000 Weapon XP. This camo coats the entire surface of your weapon in molten gold, and it’s animated. Activision said players can expect a new Weapon Prestige Camo in each of the remaining Seasons ahead of Modern Warfare 3.

As for Zombies, there’s a new story mission (Union), a new Dark Aether Rift, new acquisitions and schematics, and a new Warlord (Rainmaker).

Modern Warfare 3’s Season 3 Reloaded update launches hot on the heels of Microsoft’s tease of the next mainline Call of Duty game, which fans believe is called Black Ops V. Expect that to be revealed in June as part of the Xbox Showcase event, with a release date reportedly set for late October. Until then, the focus is on Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Season 3 Reloaded patch notes in full:

NEW MAPS

Grime (6v6)

Take to the derelict streets of London in an all-new, medium-sized map that supports all varieties of gameplay.

Checkpoint (6v6)

Deploy to a familiar locale as the Stronghold portion of Rebirth Island has been modified to support 6v6 Multiplayer gameplay. Developed in partnership with our friends at Beenox.

NEW WEAPON

BAL-27 (Assault Rifle)

A bullpup prototype weapon designed to increase fire rate over time while the trigger is squeezed. The first 4 shots are slower to fire but highly accurate.

Unlock it via the classified sector in the Season 3 Battle Pass.

NEW AFTERMARKET PARTS

JAK Wardens (Lockwood Mk2)

Relive the glory days, stir up the hornet’s nest, and take down your enemies, leaving no loose ends with these museum-worthy akimbo lever-action Shotguns.

Unlock it today today via the Season 3 Week 5 Challenges!

JAK Patriot (M16)

Converts the M16 into a fully automatic rifle with a heavy ported barrel built to provide superior recoil control and firing aim stability.

JAK Atlas Kit (AMR9)

Converts the AMR9 into an extremely lethal and accurate 5-round burst carbine chambered in 556.

NEW MODES

Escort

In a game of strength and endurance, each team gets a turn to escort a MAW to its destination as the opposing team tries to stop it at all costs.

Minefield

Watch your step! Deadly mines are deployed at the death site of players, triggered by the presence of the fallen player’s team.

Arcade

Fight for control of weapons kitted with game-changing modifiers available for pickup around the map, all the while not forgetting to PTFO.

NEW EVENTS

In addition to limited-time Double XP and the ongoing Vortex: Vi.Rus Mainframe events, the Call of Duty Endowment has a two-week event on the horizon.

Call of Duty Endowment: U Assist Veterans

Complete the CODE UAV Challenge to help military veterans navigate their career search while earning rewards.

GLOBAL

CUSTOMIZATION

  • Resolved an issue preventing the Wheelson-HS Killstreak from running over enemies while the Fire Breather Skin is equipped.
  • Slash Damage Tracers on the Dino Might Blueprint will now consistently play.
  • Improved visual effects when removing the Barrel from the Viral Ignition Blueprint.

PROGRESSION

Introducing Weapon Prestige Camos

In Season 3 Reloaded, we’re introducing Weapon Prestige Camos, a new progression system for players to flex mastery of their favorite weaponry in Modern Warfare III.

To unlock a Weapon Prestige Camo, players must earn a set amount of Weapon XP for any weapon of choice, including those carried forward from MWII. Weapon Prestige Camos are earned on a per-weapon basis, rewarding commitment and giving those of you completionists a grind to keep you busy for Seasons to come.

Our debut Weapon Prestige Camo is One Trick. Unlocked upon earning 150,000 Weapon XP, this camo coats the entire surface of your weapon in molten gold – and yes, it’s animated.

You can expect to see a new Weapon Prestige Camo in each of the remaining Seasons ahead. We look forward to seeing which weapons you choose first for your journey to prestige!

MULTIPLAYER

UIX

  • Increased the number of allowed favorite Attachments from 10 to 30.
  • Weekly Challenges that reward an Aftermarket Part will now display the base Weapon in the information modal.
  • Added Locked and Unlocked filter options to Calling Cards in the Customization menu.
  • Bug Fixes
    • Unlocked Calling Cards that required Challenge completion once again indicate the fulfilled criteria.
    • Resolved an issue causing the Customization menu to not appear properly on ultrawide displays.
    • Addressed an exploit allowing multiple Attachments to be equipped to a single slot on a Weapon in the Gunsmith.
    • Quick Equip option in Bundles is once again available while using a mouse and keyboard input device.
    • Pros and Cons are no longer hidden when viewing locked Attachments.
    • Prompt to perform a Finishing Move on enemy Operators is now visible while using a Juggernaut Recon.
    • Weapon ammo count no longer disappears after performing a Finishing Move while using a Juggernaut Recon.
    • Bomb Drone Killcams no longer display overlapping overlay effects.

GAMEPLAY

  • In Hardpoint, increased preference for spawns further from enemies and nearer to spawn points recently used by a teammate.
  • Bug Fixes
    • Weapons with a charged fire ability now function properly when the Manual Fire Behavior option is set to Hold.
    • Swapping from tac-stance to aiming down sight will no longer cause a jarring recoil animation.

PROGRESSION

  • Resolved an issue preventing the DG-58 Miro Barrel Attachment from unlocking.
  • Kills without reloading Challenges will no longer continue to track between matches.
  • DM56 Priceless Camo Challenge description once again matches the tracking requirements.

MAPS

  • 6 Star
    • Transparent glass doors in the Security area have been swapped with opaque glass doors to better communicate the lack of penetrability.
    • Added bullet collision to the DJ booth in the Club to prevent unintended kills through the wall.
    • Reworked Hardpoint capture point locations, sizes, and associated spawns.
      • P1: Club
      • P2: Garden (New)
      • P3: Lightwell (New)
      • P4: Infinity Pool (New)
      • P5: Security (New)
  • Emergency
    • Added additional spawn points in Team Deathmatch, Domination, and Hardpoint.
  • Growhouse
    • Polished environment in several areas of the map where there were visual glitches and inconsistencies.
  • Invasion
    • Added an additional spawn point near P3 in Hardpoint.
  • Karachi
    • Added additional spawn points near P3 in Hardpoint.

MODES

  • Infected
    • Limited-time holiday variant of the mode icon is no longer used.
  • One in the Chamber
    • Radar pings are no longer active until three alive players remain.

WEAPONS & ATTACHMENTS

Assault Rifles

  • BP50
    • Increased hipfire spread minimum from 2.4deg/s to 3deg/s (+25%).
    • Increased hipfire spread maximum from 6.7deg/s to 7.2deg/s (+7%).
    • Increased moving hipfire spread maximum from 4.7deg/s to 5.2deg/s (+11%).
  • SVA 545
    • Increased hipfire spread minimum from 2.6deg/s to 3.3deg/s (+27%).
    • Increased hipfire spread maximum from 7.3deg/s to 7.8deg/s (+7%).
    • Increased moving hipfire spread maximum from 5.3deg/s to 5.8deg/s (+9%).
  • RAM-7
    • Increased hipfire spread minimum from 2.6deg/s to 3deg/s (+15%).
  • MTZ-556
    • Increased hipfire spread minimum from 2.6deg/s to 3.1deg/s (+19%).
    • Increased hipfire spread maximum from 7deg/s to 7.4deg/s (+6%).
    • Increased moving hipfire spread maximum from 5.3deg/s to 5.4deg/s (+2%).
  • Holger 556
    • Increased hipfire spread minimum from 2.6deg/s to 3.4deg/s (+31%).
    • Increased hipfire spread maximum from 7.5deg/s to 7.8deg/s (+4%).
    • Increased moving hipfire spread maximum from 5.5deg/s to 5.8deg/s (+5%).
  • MCW
    • Increased hipfire spread minimum from 2.6deg/s to 3.2deg/s (+23%).
    • Increased moving hipfire spread maximum from 5.3deg/s to 5.6deg/s (+6%).
  • DG-56
    • Increased hipfire spread minimum from 2.4deg/s to 2.8deg/s (+17%).
    • Increased moving hipfire spread maximum from 3.3deg/s to 5deg/s (+52%).
    • Added medium damage range, 29 damage to 38.1m.
    • Decreased minimum damage from 29 to 25 (-14%).
  • FR 5.56
    • Decreased sprint to fire time from 231ms to 216ms (-6%).
    • Decreased aim down sight time from 260ms to 250ms (-4%).
    • Increased aim down sight movement speed from 2.7m/s to 2.9m/s (+7%).
    • Increased bullet velocity from 680m/s to 720m/s (+6%).
    • 600mm FR Longbore Barrel
      • Removed hipfire spread minimum benefit.
      • Decreased hipfire spread penalty by 8%.
      • Decreased aim down sight speed penalty by 20%.
      • Replaced aiming idle sway penalty with benefit.
    • 435mm FR 435 Barrel
      • Removed movement speed penalties.
      • Removed hipfire spread penalties and benefits.
      • Increased recoil control benefit by 5%.
      • Added firing aim stability benefit.
      • Removed bullet velocity benefit.
      • Removed damage range penalty.
      • Decreased aim down sight speed penalty by 2%.
      • Decreased aim down sight movement speed penalty by 3%.
      • Removed aiming idle sway penalty.
    • 395 FR Minibore Barrel
      • Replaced hipfire spread minimum penalty with benefit.
      • Added sprint to fire speed benefit.
      • Removed aiming idle sway penalty.
    • FR Sprinter Stock
      • Removed tactical sprint speed benefit.
      • Added aim down sight speed benefit.
      • Decreased aiming idle sway penalty.
      • Added flinch resistance benefit.
    • Recon Stock Pad
      • Removed crouch movement speed benefit.
      • Added movement speed benefit.
      • Replaced hipfire spread penalty with benefit.
      • Added sprint to fire speed benefit.
      • Removed aim down sight speed benefit.
    • FR Anchor Comb
      • Removed tactical sprint speed penalty.
      • Decreased sprint to fire speed penalty by 3%.
      • Added aiming idle sway benefit.
    • FR TON-618 Comb
      • Decreased aim down sight speed penalty by 18%.
      • Removed aiming idle sway benefit.
      • Added firing aim stability benefit.
    • FR Giga Comb
      • Increased aim down sight speed benefit by 2%.
      • Removed aim down sight movement speed penalty.
      • Added flinch resistance penalty.
    • RMT Rear Grip
      • Increased aim down sight speed benefit by 2%.
    • 45 Round Magazine
      • Decreased movement speed penalties.
      • Decreased aim down sight speed penalty by 4%.
    • 60 Round Magazine
      • Decreased movement speed penalties.
      • Decreased aim down sight speed penalty by 7%.

Many FR 5.56 Attachments have been reworked to increase their appeal and the overall viability of the Weapon.

  • Lachmann-762 (MWII)
    • Increased maximum damage range from 19.3m to 30.5m (+58%).
    • Increased near-medium damage range from 37.1m to 43.2m (+16%).
    • Increased medium damage range from 48m to 55.9m (+16%).
  • M13C (MWII)
    • Increased maximum damage range from 17.8m to 25.4m (+43%).
    • Increased near-medium damage from 27 to 28 (+4%).
    • Increased near-medium damage range from 33.5m to 39.4m (+17%).
    • Increased leg and foot damage multipliers from 0.88x to 1x (+14%).

Battle Rifles

  • SOA Subverter
    • Added near-medium damage range, 33 damage to 38.1m.
    • Decreased minimum damage from 33 to 26 (-21%).

The SOA Subverter is now a 6-shot kill within the minimum damage range.

  • MTZ-762
    • Decreased aim down sight time from 280ms to 260ms (-7%).
    • JAK Thunder LMG Kit
      • Decreased aim down sight time benefit by 20ms.
  • FTAC Recon (MWII)
    • Fire Type: Semi-Auto
      • Increased minimum damage from 45 to 50 (+11%).

Within its maximum damage range, the FTAC Recon is now a guaranteed 3-shot kill, or 2-shot kill to the head.

  • Fire Type: Full-Auto
    • Increased upper torso, arm, and hand damage multipliers from 1x to 1.1x (+10%).

Within its near-medium damage range, the FTAC Recon (full-auto) 3-shot kill with 1 to the head and 2 to the upper torso,

  • SO-14 (MWII)
    • Fire Type: Semi-Auto
      • Increased maximum damage from 46 to 50 (+9%).
      • Increased near-medium damage from 35 to 46 (+31%).
      • Increased medium damage from 32 to 40 (+25%).
      • Increased minimum damage from 30 to 38 (+27%).

Within its maximum damage range, the SO-14 is now a consistent 3-shot kill.

  • Fire Type: Full-Auto
    • Decreased sprint to fire time from 307ms to 261ms (-15%).
    • Decreased aim down sight time from 290ms to 270ms (-7%).
    • Decreased torso, arm, hand, leg, and foot damage multipliers from 0.8x to 0.74x (-8%).

Submachine Guns

  • RAM-9
    • Increased horizontal recoil from 16.9deg/s to 17.6deg/s (+4%).
    • Increased vertical recoil from 42.9deg/s to 44.4deg/s (+3%).
    • Decreased maximum damage range from 12.7m to 11.2m (-12%).
  • AMR9
    • Increased near-medium damage from 25 to 29 (+16%).
    • Increased medium damage from 23 to 24 (+4%).
    • Increased minimum damage from 21 to 22 (+5%).
    • Increased lower arm and hand damage multipliers from 1x to 1.1x (+10%).
  • HRM-9
    • Increased medium damage range from 30.5m to 33m (+8%).
  • WSP-9
    • Decreased sprint to fire time from 110ms to 66ms (-40%).
  • WSP Swarm
    • Decreased maximum damage range from 6.9m to 5.6m (-19%).

Shotguns

  • KV Broadside
    • JAK Jawbreaker
      • Removed aim down sight spread.
      • Decreased hipfire spread penalty from 100% to 30%.
      • Muzzle Attachments can now be equipped.
  • Riveter
    • Decreased aim down sight spread by 10%.

Decreased spread while aiming down sight allows a more consistent 3-shot kill within the Riveter’s medium damage range.

  • .410 Gauge Ball Ammunition
    • Increased aim down sight spread by 10%.
    • Increased maximum damage from 33 to 37 (+12%).
    • Increased near-medium damage from 26 to 33 (+27%).
    • Increased medium damage from 21 to 27 (+29%).
    • Increased minimum damage from 19 to 25 (+32%).

With the Ball rounds equipped, the Riveter now performs considerably better within its 3-shot kill range.

Light Machine Guns

  • DG-58 LSW
    • Decreased horizontal recoil from 7.28deg/s to 6.35deg/s (-13%).
    • Decreased vertical recoil from 52.65deg/s to 47.89deg/s (-9%).
    • Increased minimum damage from 33 to 35 (+6%).
    • Increased torso, arm, and hand damage multipliers from 1x to 1.1x (+10%).

With the DG-58 LSW, a 4-shot kill is now possible if 2 shots hit the torso.

  • TAQ Eradicator
    • Decreased sprint to fire time from 252ms to 210ms (-17%).
    • Decreased aim down sight time from 340ms to 330ms (-3%).
  • Holger 26
    • Increased neck damage multiplier from 1.1x to 1.2x (+9%).

Marksman Rifles

  • MTZ Interceptor
    • Decreased maximum damage range from 38.1m to 30.5m (-20%).

Sniper Rifles

  • MORS
    • Increased aim down sight time from 560ms to 580ms (+4%).
    • Decreased lower leg and foot damage multipliers from 1x to 0.95x (-5%).
    • HVP Anti-Materiel Slug Ammunition
      • Increased bullet velocity penalty from 15% to 20%.

While equipped with HVP Anti-Materiel Slug Ammunition, the MORS can no longer one-shot kill to the lower leg or foot.

Handguns

  • COR-45
    • Increased movement speed from 5.2m/s to 5.4m/s (+4%).
  • Renetti
    • Increased movement speed from 5.2m/s to 5.4m/s (+4%).
  • TYR
    • Increased movement speed from 5.1m/s to 5.3m/s (+4%).
  • WSP Stinger
    • Increased movement speed from 5.7m/s to 5.9m/s (+4%).
  • P890 (MWII)
    • Increased movement speed from 5.2m/s to 5.3m/s (+2%).
  • .50 GS (MWII)
    • Increased sprint speed from 5.7m/s to 5.8m/s (+2%).
  • X12 (MWII)
    • Increased movement speed from 5.2m/s to 5.4m/s (+4%).
    • Increased sprint speed from 6m/s to 6.1m/s (+2%).
  • Basilisk (MWII)
    • Increased movement speed from 5.1m/s to 5.3m/s (+4%).
  • FTAC Siege (MWII)
    • Increased movement speed from 5.1m/s to 5.3m/s (+4%).
  • GS Magna (MWII)
    • Increased sprint speed from 5.7m/s to 5.8m/s (+2%).
  • 9mm Daemon (MWII)
    • Increased movement speed from 5.3m/s to 5.5m/s (+4%).
    • Akimbo 9mm Daemon Rear Grip
      • Removed 10% movement speed penalty.
      • Decreased hipfire spread minimum from 2.4deg/s to 1.7deg/s (-29%).
      • Decreased hipfire spread maximum from 5.5deg/s to 5deg/s (-9%).
      • Removed 26% damage penalty.
      • Increased lower torso, arm, and hand damage multipliers from 1.1x to 1.3 (+18%).

Melee

  • Gladiator
    • Decreased standing lunge distance to 1.3m, matching that of the Combat Knife.

PERKS

  • Climbing Boots
    • Removed this Perk and applied its effects to all players by default.
      • Increased climbing and mantling speed. Reduces fall damage.
  • All-Terrain Boots
    • Added a new Perk to the Boots category, replacing Climbing Boots.
      • Significantly increased movement speed. Disables Tactical Sprint.
  • Running Sneakers (Boots)
    • Improved sprint to fire time while using Tactical Sprint by 25%.
  • Stalker Boots
    • Increased strafe speed is now omnidirectional, rather than lateral.
    • Added walking smoothness benefit, decreasing the bounciness of the reticle while aiming down sight.
  • Commando Gloves
    • Improved sprint to fire speed by 10%.
    • Added the ability to cancel a reload by using Tactical Sprint.
  • Assault Gloves
    • Improved hipfire spread while moving by 15%.

EQUIPMENT

  • EMD Grenade (Tactical)
    • Tracking devices are now destroyed by enemy EMP and DDoS effects.
    • Decreased tracking device duration from 30s to 20s (-33%).

FIELD UPGRADES

  • Trophy System
    • Decreased the total number of shots fired from 3 to 2.

ZOMBIES

NEW CONTENT

STORY MISSION: UNION

  • A new anomaly has appeared in the Exclusion Zone and Dr. Jansen has gone through the portal alone. Operation Deadbolt Strike Teams must now conduct a rescue mission with Ravenov’s help to get her back before it’s too late.

NEW DARK AETHER RIFT

  • Seek out and attune the required relics after completing the Season 3 Reloaded Story Mission to re-open the Dark Aether Rift for subsequent runs. Complete the objectives within to acquire new powerful schematics.
    • Dark Aether Rifts are unlocked by solving a hidden quest, which activates after completing the new Season 3 Reloaded Story Mission.

NEW ACQUISITIONS AND SCHEMATICS

  • Dead Wire Detonators: Electrify your blasts for massive damage using the Dead Wire Detonators, adding the Dead Wire Ammo Mod effect to all of your explosive armaments, including Lethals and Launchers.
    • Note: Dead Wire Detonators do not apply to Wonder Weapons.
  • Golden Mask Filter: Forget the constant search for a functioning gas mask when approaching strongholds and other areas where gas threatens to suffocate incoming Operators. Attaching the Golden Mask Filter to a gas mask causes its charge to self-regenerate over time. The mask can still break if its charge is fully used up in one go, though the filter will be reapplied to the next one you find.
  • Sergeant’s Beret: With the undead roaming around, you’ve got enough to worry about before taking Zakhaev’s Mercs into consideration. Don the Sergeant’s Beret to trick the faction into thinking that you’re one of their own. As a bonus, you’ll gain a Merc Bodyguard who fearlessly follows you into the action.

NEW WARLORD: RAINMAKER

  • Challengers of the new Warlord Rainmaker will need to plan their tactics carefully when approaching this artillery and demolitions expert. Find him in his fortress on Rahaa Island in the southeastern Urzikstan Exclusion Zone, where he’s supported by an army that he’s only too willing to expend in pursuit of annihilating Operation Deadbolt.

GAMEPLAY UPDATES

  • Stash Storage Increased
    • The Stash storage limit has been doubled, allowing Players to store 20 acquisitions instead of 10.
  • Exfil Based Schematic Cooldown
    • When Players successfully exfil they will now also receive Schematic cooldown time in addition to their Insured Weapon cooldown time reward.

PATCH NOTES

GAMEPLAY

  • Addressed an issue that would knock back Containment Levels by one Tier when Players exfil from a Story Mission.
  • Addressed an issue that prevented equipped Lethals and Tacticals from saving when traveling to a Dark Aether Rift or Story Mission if the Player had expended all of them.

ALLIES

  • Zombies
    • Hell Hounds
      • Friendly (Pet) Hell Hounds acquired from a Dog House in the Medium and High Threat Zones will no longer reset their Tier when entering and exiting the Aether Storm.

CUSTOMIZATION

  • Weapon Blueprints
    • MORS
      • Situation Hazard BlackCell
        • Addressed an issue that prevented the Desync Dismemberment Death Effect from always applying to enemy kills.

UI/UX

  • Players can now interact with the Containment Level UI on the Strike Team Ready menu.
  • The Containment Level splash screen when a Player exfils will now correctly display their Containment Level progression gained during the match.

STABILITY

  • Added various crash and stability fixes.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Some of the Most Popular Fallout 4 Mods Downgrade the Game to Skip the Next-Gen Update

Fallout 4’s next-gen update suffered a troubled launch, but it was PC players of Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic role-playing game that endured the most issues. Now, some of the most popular mods for Fallout 4 let players “downgrade” the game to a pre-patch point.

The PC-specific update for Fallout 4 broke a number of crucial, long-running mods for the game, including Fallout 4 Script Extender (F4SE), which itself is used by many other mods for compatibility. The most high-profile casualty of the patch was the long-awaited Fallout London mod. Its developers were forced to delay the mod just days before it was due to release out of fear the next-gen update would break it, and so it proved.

As reported by VG247, some of the most popular Fallout 4 mods over the last two weeks let players revert the game to a pre-patch state. Zerratar’s Fallout 4 Downgrader, for example, restores your game’s mod compatibility, letting users quickly revert Fallout 4 to its pre-next-gen version to continue using mods that use F4SE and Buffout. “Simple, automated, and available in two versions to suit your setup,” reads the official blurb. At the time of this article’s publication, Fallout 4 Downgrader had been downloaded 34,951 times from Nexus Mods.

Similarly, Bilago’s STEAM – Skip Next-Gen update mod tricks Steam into thinking your game is updated, “so you can use your mods with peace of mind.” This one has been downloaded 23,685 times.

As PC Fallout 4 players wrestle with mods, there is light at the end of the tunnel. The creator of F4SE has in the last day released a “very early” build for testing that will hopefully make this crucial mod work with the latest version of Fallout 4. Work on this continues, with the creators of Fallout London no-doubt watching closely.

The effect of all this on Fallout 4 on Steam at least is mixed. Recent user reviews are ‘mostly positive’, compared to ‘very positive’ for overall reviews. Most of the negative reaction revolves around the next-gen update’s impact on mods. PC players have questioned the value of the patch in the first place, given it lacks meaningful changes. Regardless, Fallout 4 is enjoying a big boost in player numbers, fueled by the breakout success of the Prime Video Fallout TV show. According to SteamDB, Fallout 4 had an impressive 187,468 concurrent players on Steam, the highest peak since late 2015.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Microsoft’s Xbox Game Release Windows for Rest of 2024 Reportedly Revealed

A new report has revealed launch timings for Xbox games throughout the rest of 2024, spilling the beans on when to expect everything from the next Call of Duty to Indiana Jones.

The Verge reported that Bethesda is currently targeting a September release for the Starfield expansion Shattered Space. In a recent interview, Bethesda development chief Todd Howard announced a fall release window for the expansion.

Elsewhere, Activision plans to release the next Call of Duty, which some fans believe is called Black Ops V, in late October, according to The Verge. The same report claims Obsidian’s Avowed and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 follow in November, leaving MachineGames’ hotly anticipated Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to launch in December.

If true, that’s a jam-packed second half of 2024 for Xbox, which is now boosted by Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard and all the games it owns. It’s worth remembering that Microsoft now owns Blizzard and MMO World of Warcraft, which is set to receive the The War Within expansion before the end of this year.

Microsoft is heavily rumored to be planning to announce the next Gears of War game during its showcase, although there’s no indication it’s a 2024 title. Expect plenty of release dates for all the games coming out this year, and some set for 2025. Other announced Microsoft games include The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics’ Perfect Dark reboot, Rare’s Everwild, Playground’s Fable reboot, InXile’s Clockwork Revolution, Undead Labs’ State of Decay 3, and Compulsion Games’ South of Midnight.

Fans don’t have long to wait before hearing all this straight from the horse’s mouth; Microsoft’s Xbox showcase event is set for June 9.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Call of Duty Fans Are Squinting at Microsoft’s Direct Showcase Tease, Believe It Hides Black Ops V

This week, Microsoft announced the timing of its Xbox showcase event in June as well as a follow-up Direct for a mystery game that looks like a clear tease for the next Call of Duty.

This year’s mainline Call of Duty is reportedly a Treyarch-developed Black Ops game set in the Gulf War. Some had even thought it might be called Call of Duty Black Ops Gulf War, following the naming convention set out by the previous Black Ops game, Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War.

However, following Microsoft’s tease, eagle-eyed Call of Duty fans are giving the image included the zoom and enhance treatment, and believe the redacted section conceals the words Call of Duty Black Ops V.

As many fans have pointed out, you can almost make out the ‘OPS’ from Black Ops in the redacted section in the bottom of the image. The suggestion is the spacing only makes sense if the words are ‘Black Ops V’, not ‘Gulf War.’

Why the V, specifically? It’s all in the pixels, fans believe. Actually, the single pixel to the right of the blacked out part of the image. Would it be more of a bar if it concealed a ‘5’ than a ‘V’? Some fans believe so.

If the game is called Black Ops V, that would track with the roman numeral system used for previous Black Ops games (bizarrely, Activision went with Black Ops IIII for the fourth game in the series, as opposed to IV). Black Ops V would also be a somewhat puzzling choice given it wouldn’t actually be the fifth mainline Black Ops game, but the sixth. Perhaps Activision wants to lean more on the idea of this new Black Ops being a fully-fledged sequel after veering into potential sub-sub-brand territory with Cold War. Perhaps the game spans more than the Gulf War, so using the name in the title wouldn’t properly reflect its content. Or perhaps Activision feels like having Gulf War in the title of the game is a step too far, even for Call of Duty.

Whatever the case, fans don’t have long to wait to find out, given the Xbox Showcase and the Call of Duty Direct are a little over a month away.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.