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Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Patch 1.15 Fixes Bugs and Makes Performance Improvements

Elden Ring developer FromSoftware has released patch 1.15 for the action game and its expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree across PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and PC via Steam.

Patch 1.15 comes hot on the heels of Elden Ring’s big balance-changing 1.14 update, and thus does not contain any further balance changes or additional features. Check out the patch notes below, courtesy of publisher Bandai Namco.

Elden Ring is one of the biggest video games of recent years, selling an incredible 25 million copies since going on sale in 2022. The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is a hit, too, selling five million in just three days despite tough requirements.

IGN’s Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree review returned a 10/10. We said: “Like the base game did before it, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree raises the bar for single-player DLC expansions. It takes everything that made the base game such a landmark RPG, condenses it into a relatively compact 20-25 hour campaign, and provides fantastic new challenges for heavily invested fans to chew on.”

Elden Ring update 1.15 patch notes:

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a bug where the cutscene that plays when entering the Shadow Keep Church District would play again when re-entering the area.
  • Fixed a bug where some of the Golem Fist weapon attacks would not deal damage when the player was affected by certain special effects.
  • Fixed a bug where the Golem Fist weapon one-handed heavy attack power was lower than expected.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented the Aspects of the Crucible: Thorns incantation from being cast when used in quick succession.
  • Fixed a bug where the Smithing Talisman effect did not apply to some weapons’ throwing attacks.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented the use of ashes in some areas of the Scadutree Avatar battle arena.
  • Fixed a bug where Rellana, Twin Moon Knight would sometimes perform unexpected actions when interacting with objects in the battle area.
  • Fixed a bug that allowed Skills to be used in incorrect combinations with Weapons under certain circumstances.
  • Fixed a bug that caused unexpected rendering and behavior of some enemies under certain circumstances.
  • Fixed a bug where some sound effects did not play correctly.
  • Several performance improvements and other bug fixes.
  • Further fixes were added to the game’s end credits.

Possible unstable performance fixes

  • For the PS5 version of the game, unstable framerate may be improved by using the “Rebuild Database” option from the device’s safe mode.
  • In some PC versions, Ray Tracing may be unintentionally enabled and cause unstable performance. Please check the Ray Tracing setting in the “System” > “Graphics ” > “Ray Tracing Quality” from the title screen or in-game menu.
  • In the PC version, the message “Inappropriate activity detected” may appear without cheating.
    • To fix this issue, please verify the integrity of the game’s files before restarting the game.
  • In the PC version, unstable framerate may be caused by third party applications that control mouse behavior. Deactivating these third party applications may improve performance.

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.

Amid Nintendo’s Pokémon Lawsuit, Palworld Dev Pocketpair Signs Deal for Mobile Version

Palworld developer Pocketpair has signed a deal with PUBG company Krafton to develop a mobile version of the hit game.

Krafton, fresh from acquiring Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks from Microsoft, has now inked a licensing agreement with Pocketpair to expand the Palworld intellectual property to mobile devices, Gematsu reported.

Krafton’s subsidiary PUBG Studios will develop the mobile version of Palworld, which reimagines and adapts the core gameplay elements for mobile. No release window was mentioned.

PUBG Studios is the development arm behind the phenomenally successful battle royale as well as its equally successful mobile versions. Indeed, PUBG Mobile has had over one billion players since launching in March 2018.

The announcement of Palworld mobile comes hot on the heels of Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s joint lawsuit against Pocketpair for alleged patent infringement, and the subsequent launch of Palworld on PlayStation 5 everywhere except Japan, where the lawsuit was filed.

Pocketpair has insisted it has no idea which patents it’s accused of infringing, but experts have pointed to a “killer patent” that revolves around the mechanic of catching Pokémon itself. Last week, one patent expert said the lawsuit shows “just how seriously Nintendo views the threat of Palworld.”

After Palworld’s huge launch earlier this year on PC and Xbox, comparisons were made between Palworld’s Pals and Pokémon, with some accusing Pocketpair of “ripping off” Pokémon designs. But rather than file a copyright infringement lawsuit, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have gone down the patent route.

It is worth noting that Palworld does include a mechanic that involves throwing a ball-like object (called a Pal Sphere) at monsters out in a field to capture them, similar to the mechanic seen in the 2022 Nintendo Switch exclusive Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and this may prove the key to the lawsuit.

Palworld launched on Steam priced $30 and straight into Game Pass on Xbox and PC earlier this year, breaking sales and concurrent player number records in the process. Pocketpair boss Takuro Mizobe has said Palworld’s launch was so big that the developer couldn’t handle the massive profits the game generated.

Still, Pocketpair acted swiftly to capitalize on Palworld’s breakout success, signing a deal with Sony to form a new business called Palworld Entertainment that’s tasked with expanding the IP.

While the Pokémon games are mostly at home on consoles, Nintendo has launched a number of spin-offs aimed at other devices, including mobile. Pokémon GO has seen enormous success since launching in 2016, generating billions of dollars in revenue. There’s also Pokémon Unite, a MOBA released for mobile and Nintendo Switch, and Pokémon Sleep, a sleep-tracking game that rewards the user with Pokémon depending on the quality of their sleep.

Indeed, a new Pokémon mobile game is right around the corner: Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, a mobile version of the Pokemon TCG, launches October 30, 2024.

Pocketpair has said it will begrudgingly investigate the patent infringement claims while continuing to update Palworld despite the lawsuit, and apologized to players left concerned about the future of the game.

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.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is on Sale

If you thought it was too early for this game to go on sale, guess again. Woot! (owned by Amazon) is offering The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom for Nintendo Switch for only $51.99. This is a good deal only if you’re an Amazon Prime member because you get free shipping. Otherwise, you’ll have to pay an additional $6 for shipping, which makes it just a few dollars cheaper than buying it elsewhere.

This is a physical copy and includes a 90-day Woot! warranty. Woot! mentions that copies may or may not be imported, but all Nintendo Switch games are region-free so you’ll be able to play the game regardless. Also, you won’t have to worry about language either, since that setting is determined by your Switch console.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

Check out our The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom review and see why this game earned an “Amazing” 9/10 score. In it, writer Tom Marks states “The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is far greater than a gimmicky spinoff led by Zelda instead of Link. Its echo summoning is a clever concept used to combine the expertly crafted dungeons, puzzle rooms, and item progression you’d expect from a classic-style 2D Zelda with the borderline unhinged freedom provided by Tears of the Kingdom. This experiment doesn’t produce an entirely perfect result, with a little bit of clunky menu management and combat that simply isn’t quite as compelling, but it’s an impressively successful one all the same. Echoes of Wisdom is also a glowing proof of concept for how a modern 3D Zelda could recapture some of what fans like me miss about the series before Breath of the Wild without sacrificing the intoxicating creativity it introduced. Creating echoes aside, if this is the future of Zelda, I can’t wait to see more.”

For more discounts on games, check out the best Nintendo Switch deals today.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn’t hunting for deals for other people at work, he’s hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Director Stepping Back from Sequel After Cancer Diagnosis

Castlevania veteran Shutaro Ida has announced that he will be stepping back from work on Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night 2 following his recent cancer diagnosis.

The game developer, who worked on a long list of entries in Konami’s Castlevania series and more recently directed 2019’s Bloodstained, announced the news in a post on X/Twitter. He says he’ll be offloading some of his responsibilities with the rest of the team at developer ArtPlay now that he has begun his cancer battle.

“I, SHUTARO, also known as Curry Boy and Curry Sage, have been diagnosed with cancer and have begun my battle with the disease. I have already started talking about the sequel to Bloodstained, and have ideas for the game and such. From now on, the responsibility [for game direction] will be shared. Thank you for your support,” Ida wrote in a post translated by X and verified by IGN.

Ida has been instrumental in the Bloodstained universe and had planned on continuing it with a sequel. Bloodstained 2 was originally announced back in 2021, though no additional details about its progress have arrived since then. At the time, publisher 505 Games touted the action RPG as a success that managed to reach “generally favorable” reviews from both critics and fans on Metacritic.

Longtime Castlevania producer and ArtPlay president Koji Igarashi re-posted Iida’s remarks. While acknowledging Iida’s contributions to the series and gaming as a whole, he assures fans that the rest of the team will push through until Ida is able to work with them again.

“Up until now, the DS [Castlevania] series and Bloodstained have essentially been produced primarily by Director SHUTARO. It can truly be called his work. It is a great blow to have him step away from the project, but we will do our best not to be defeated by it. I hope that you will recover quickly enough to work with us again.”

Ida led the charge on Bloodstained and made a game that we ranked as the fourth best Metroidvania of all-time. In our 8.8/10 review, we said, “The wait was worth it. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a whole new castle to crash full of unexpected monsters and mysteries in the vein of classic Castlevania.”

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.

Nintendo Switch Emulator Ryujinx Seemingly Ceases Development Following Pressure From Nintendo

It looks like popular Nintendo Switch emulator Ryujinx is no more.

One of its developers, riperiperi, announced the news on its Discord server today, saying that lead developer gdkchan “was contacted by Nintendo and offered an agreement to stop working on the project, remove the organization and all related assets he’s in control of.”

“While awaiting confirmation on whether he would take this agreement, the organization has been removed, so I think it’s safe to say what the outcome is,” riperiperi continues. The message, which you can read below, was also posted on Ryujinx’s X/Twitter account.

It also came just hours after some users raised concerns, noticing that Ryujinx’s Github page currently leads to a 404 message. Others pointed out Ryujinx’s download page also wasn’t loading, sparking more concern for the emulation project. Amid the speculation, one of the Discord’s mods assured fans that an announcement was coming, asking them to not spread misinformation in the meantime.

As it says on its website, Ryujinx is an open-source Nintendo Switch emulator written in C# for Windows, Linux and macOS. It began as a single-developer project in 2017, collecting a small team of developers along the way.

Today’s news is only the latest in Nintendo’s ongoing crackdown on emulators following its lawsuit against Tropic Haze, creators of the popular Switch emulator Yuzu. Tropic Haze paid $2.4 million in damages in the settlement, and Yuzu was shut down entirely. Nintendo claimed that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was pirated 1 million times before its release in the lawsuit, and issued a takedown notice for more than 8,500 copies of code of Yuzu in May.

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.

Throne and Liberty Rushes to #4 on Steam Charts After Release Despite Server Issues and Mixed Reviews

Throne and Liberty is off to a very strong start. The new MMORPG by NCSoft and Amazon Games has already rushed to number four on Steam, behind only Dota 2, Counter-Strike 2, and that one banana game.

At the time of this article, Throne and Liberty sits at around 292,116 concurrents, putting in the top half of the list of Steam’s ten most popular games. Its early performance is all the more impressive in light of mixed reviews, most of which have focused on its server issues and microtransactions.

Disconnected from server?
byu/stefansoul inthroneandliberty

Indeed, server issues seem to be the biggest problem facing Throne and Liberty, with fans complaining about spending 45 minutes creating a character only to get disconnected. What’s more, it doesn’t appear possible to choose a different server, leaving fans little recourse except to hope that things improve.

Still, Throne and Liberty seems to be doing well, following in the footsteps of other Amazon Games releases including Lost Ark and New World. Originally billed as a Lineage sequel, Throne and Liberty is described as a free-to-play MMO with PvE and PvP set in a dynamic and seamless world. It suffered numerous delays over the course of a development cycle spanning several years.

We wrote about Throne and Liberty during its beta, “Overall, I certainly enjoyed most of my time with Throne and Liberty. There are big, late-game things that I want to come back and participate in, like large-scale PVP battles between guilds and raid dungeons. The story and quests won’t upend any long-standing MMO conventions. The inner voice that usually commands me to make sure every task that can be done must be done very quietly let me skip through slow dialogue and turn a blind eye to many menial side tasks. I never skipped an opportunity to fight, though.”

But while Amazon Games have a way of getting off to a fast start, they have struggled to maintain that momentum amid slow updates, balance problems, and other issues. New World launched to huge numbers, wound up getting heavily retooled, and is trying to get a fresh start on console as New World: Aerturnum. We’ll see if Throne and Liberty has better luck.

Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Save 30% Off Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for PlayStation 5

Starting today, Amazon is offering the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth game for PlayStation 5 for only $49.99. That’s a savings of nearly 30% off and the lowest price we’ve seen for it on Amazon. We saw this deal once before at Walmart, but that has long since expired. This is the “exclusive Amazon edition,” which also includes a themed controller skin featuring Cloud and Sephiroth. Rebirth is easily one of the best games of 2024, PS5 or otherwise.

30% Off Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second game in the revamped FFVII trilogy and starts off right where Remake ends. The exodus from Midgar allows for a much more open-world experience compared to Remake’s linear structure, which means more areas to explore, more characters to play around with, and more spells, abilities, and summons at your disposal. According to HowLongToBeat.com, Remake takes 32 hours to finish the main story while Rebirth takes 46 hours.

Check out our Final Fantasy VII Rebirth review and see why this game earned an “Amazing” 9/10 score. In it, writer Michael Higham states that “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth impressively builds off of what Remake set in motion as both a best-in-class action-RPG full of exciting challenge and depth, and as an awe-inspiring recreation of a world that has meant so much to so many for so long.” He continues on to say that “for as flawed as parts of how this classic has been reimagined might be, Rebirth still stands out as something both thrilling and unexpectedly impactful.”

Will this price drop during October Prime Day or Black Friday?

Of course there aren’t any guarantees, but I think it’s unlikely the price will drop any further for the fall Prime Day sale. Although October Prime Day offers plenty of excellent deals, historically video games have not been a big part of it. Black Friday is a different story. We’re still nearly two months away, but if you’re willing to hold out, the price may drop further. Because Rebirth was released this year and it has been commercially successful, there’s less of a chance that it will be further discounted.

Looking for more games? Check out the best PlayStation deals today.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn’t hunting for deals for other people at work, he’s hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

Baldur’s Gate 3’s Big Evil Endings and Mod Patch Is Officially Out on Console

Console-playing Baldur’s Gate 3 fans no longer have to look at PC players in envy — Patch 7 is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Mac today.

Highlights of the patch include 13 new endings for players doing evil runs, including unique new endings for each Origin character, as well as revamped split-screen. But the real highlight is the new Mod Manager, allowing console players to take advantage of the bevy of mods players have made for the hit RPG.

Patch 7 hit PC a little less than a month ago, bringing with it the official mod toolkit. Since then, Larian says on its Steam page, players have uploaded 1,000 mods and racked up more than 15 million downloads.

While console players can’t use the official toolkit to create mods, they can now use those that have been made with the toolkit, and that have passed internal testing. There are currently 69 mods that have passed internal testing, and Larian says more will become available on console and Mac as they continue to test them.

Larian also released a couple of videos to celebrate the news: a fresh animated short in collaboration with Mashed and Spud Gun Studios (nice bowl cut, Astarion) and one highlighting five mods that console and Mac users can now get their hands on.

The absolutely massive Patch 7 includes even more than mods and new evil endings, also adding Honour Mode improvements, new Legendary Actions, and various gameplay improvements and bug fixes. Larian also notes that Hotfixes #26 and #27 are available on all platforms today as well.

Patch 7 was long rumored to be Larian’s last update to Baldur’s Gate 3, although the studio clarified last month that it’s not the final patch after all — but declined to offer specifics on what’s to come. For more in the meantime, check out our recent interview with the developer looking back on the year since release.

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.

Best Xbox Game Pass Deals and Bundles Right Now (October 2024)

Now that the price hike has kicked in for existing Game Pass users, there’s no better time to stock up on cheap codes to save some cash. If you’re wondering where to find deals like this, don’t worry, we’re here to help you track down the best offers available on Game Pass right now – offers like this deal on 3 months of Game Pass Ultimate at Woot that’s down to just $36.49. You can learn more about that deal and other discounts available on Game Pass below.

Navigate to:

Best Xbox Game Pass Deals

One of our favorite Xbox Game Pass Ultimate deal has returned at Woot, providing another opportunity for users to stack their membership at a discounted rate. You can get three months of the service for just $36.49. This price won’t stick around for long, so act fast to secure your membership.

Considering the new price of Game Pass Ultimate is $19.99/month, you’re saving $23.48 with this 3-month deal. This is the best way to avoid the Xbox Game Pass price hike. By stacking these codes you can set yourself up for success to play all of Xbox’s upcoming releases at a lower price.

What’s Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass?

Game Pass has a nice rotation of new titles to play every month. If you’re curious about what’s in store for the start of October, we’ve got you covered there as well. The Xbox Game Pass October wave 1 lineup is:

  • MLB The Show 24 (Console) – October 2 Game Pass Standard
  • Open Roads (Console) – October 2 Game Pass Standard
  • Sifu (Cloud, Console, and PC) – October 2 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard
  • Mad Streets (Cloud, Console, and PC) – October 7 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard
  • Inscryption (Cloud, Console, and PC) – October 10 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard

Another massive piece of Game Pass news is that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is officially available to play on Game Pass right now for console, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Ultimate users. This features the full package for CoD fans: the campaign, multiplayer, and zombies modes. Subscribers can also expect to see Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 day-one on Game Pass when it releases on October 25. However, for those subscribing to the new Standard tier (available for $14.99/month), this does not give Game Pass users access to day one releases, meaning Black Ops 6 will likely not be available on that tier.

What Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass?

Unfortunately with new games joining the catalog it means a few must take their leave. Below, we’ve listed the games that’ll be leaving Xbox Game Pass on October 15.

Biggest Games Releasing on Xbox Game Pass

Xbox’s Summer Showcase back in June was a massive success, showcasing an incredible amount of new titles coming to the platform. Alongside the aforementioned Black Ops 6, the showcase also included Doom: The Dark Ages, Perfect Dark, Fable, Gears of War: E-Day, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and so many more. But which of these titles will appear as day-one releases on Game Pass? Thankfully, quite a few! Including all of the previously mentioned titles.

While most of the games listed above have release dates in 2025, or no release dates at all at the moment, the one to keep an eye on for now alongside Black Ops 6 is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Gamescom’s Opening Night Live revealed that Indy’s latest adventure will be available to play on December 9 for Xbox users, so there’s truly no better time to hop on the Game Pass bandwagon.

If you’re looking for even more savings on all things Xbox, have a look at our roundup of the best Xbox deals. There, we’ve highlighted all of the latest and greatest discounts on the platform, from incredible game deals to fantastic offers on high-quality headphones. Or, if you’d rather see what’s going on with other platforms, check out our roundups of the best PlayStation deals, the best Nintendo Switch deals, and our overall roundup of the best video game deals.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.

Hi-Rez Studios Suffers Layoffs as Smite 2 Struggles in Early Access

Smite 2 developer Hi-Rez Studios has laid off an undisclosed number of employees as the MOBA sequel struggles throughout its early access period.

Hi-Rez Studios CEO Stewart Chisam announced the layoffs on X/Twitter alongside a shift in strategy for Smite 2, which launched in early access on August 27 and is planned for a full, free-to-play launch in 2025.

“We’re making some difficult but necessary changes to ensure Hi-Rez’s long-term success, with a specific focus on positioning Smite 2 for a long and sustainable future,” Chisam said.

We’re making some difficult but necessary changes to ensure Hi-Rez’s long-term success.

“As part of this internal reorganization and reprioritization, we are laying off some team members across Hi-Rez. This will disproportionately impact those in marketing and publishing roles, as well as some from our Evil Mojo, G&A, and Titan Forge divisions. The game team roles impacted disproportionally affect our team working on cosmetic skin content and system features.”

Hi-Rez is now focusing entirely on Smite 2 beyond “small teams supporting light updates” for its other games. It is “exclusively prioritizing gameplay development in the near term” instead of the cosmetic and monetization features previously planned.

Chisam assured the development team hasn’t been decimated by the layoffs, saying it’s still a “significant size” and larger than the development team behind the original Smite for the majority of its lifecycle.

“Our goal for Smite 2 in the near term is to create the best possible game experience for our community and a game that provides joy to players and can sustain itself long into the 2030s,” Chisam added.

“As we’ve gained experience through the Alpha, the process of migrating gods from Smite 1 to Smite 2 is now clearer, and we also better understand what players want from the game. We’re doubling down on ensuring this transition meets player expectations and moves faster, taking into account the lessons we have learned in the early alpha.”

Smite 2 was announced in January as essentially a complete remake of the original game but with revamps across the board. Bringing over the skins players have collected for the last decade isn’t so easy, however, as Hi-Rez Studios previously said porting all 1,600 of them would take 246 years worth of work.

The sequel has not necessarily gone down well with fans, however. Only 55% of its Steam reviews are positive and concurrent player numbers have fallen off, having premiered at 12,549 but dropped off to a 24 hour peak of jut 1,869, according to player tracking website SteamDB.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.