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Dragon’s Dogma 2 Gets New Casual Mode and More Improvements Ahead of PS5 Pro Enhanced Patch

Capcom has released a new update for Dragon’s Dogma 2 across all platforms that adds a number of new features, including a new casual mode.

Other changes include vocation balances and much-needed performance improvements.

The casual mode reduces inn fees for staying at an inn, reduces the price of Ferrystones, and makes it more difficult for weight carried to become ‘heavy’ or ‘very heavy.’ You’ll also use less stamina when dashing outside of battle, the loss gauge won’t increase when selecting ‘Load from Last Save’ after the Arisen dies, and pawns will recover from dragonsplague without a ‘devastating calamity’ occurring, even if the symptoms progress to a terminal stage.

In the patch notes, Capcom said you can change to casual mode mid-game from the game settings section of options in the title menu. But if you are already playing in casual mode, you cannot change to normal mode. It’s worth noting there are some trophies or achievements you cannot unlock in casual mode.

Elsewhere, Capcom said the patch makes further fixes to issues around CPU overload in certain situations. Framerates in areas with a lot of NPCs, such as town centers, should be improved as a result, Capcom added. (Turning the graphics settings to low should further improve framerates.)

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is one of the games set to receive a PS5 Pro Enhanced patch in time for the $700 mid-gen console upgrade’s launch on November 7. Check out the list of PS5 Pro Enhanced games confirmed to be in the works here.

Like Sony’s announcement of the PS5 Pro, Dragon’s Dogma 2’s PS5 Pro patch is light on details. All Capcom has said so far is that it will offer “a gaming experience that takes advantage of PS5 Pro’s features.”

The hope, of course, is that Dragon’s Dogma 2 will run at 60 frames per second and 4K resolution on PS5 Pro flawlessly. Dragon’s Dogma 2 launched in March on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X and S with a number of performance problems that subsequent updates have sought to tackle, with framerate a particular problem especially in areas with lots of NPC.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 arrived more than a decade after its predecessor and proved a monster hit for publisher Capcom despite controversy, selling 2.5 million units in 11 days amid microtransaction and the performance complaints.

In our 8/10 review, IGN said: “More of a redo than a sequel, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a strange and wonderful action-RPG that bolsters the original’s strengths without addressing its weaknesses.”

Dragon’s Dogma 2 title update September 17, 2024 patch notes

◆ Added Features and Adjustments

Adding Casual Mode.

  • Reduced inn fees for staying at an inn.
  • Reduced price of Ferrystones.
  • More difficult for weight carried to become “Heavy” or “Very Heavy.”
  • Less Stamina expended when dashing outside of battle.
  • Loss gauge will not increase when selecting “Load from Last Save” after the Arisen dies.
  • Pawns will recover from dragonsplague without a “devastating calamity” occurring, even if the symptoms progress to a terminal stage.
  • Adding a Portcrystal to Bakbattahl.
  • Adding “Sovran’s Crown,” “Sovran’s Plate,” and “Sovran’s Greaves” to the list of items that can be traded with the Dragonforged.
  • Adding variations to Pawns’ idle animations.
  • Adding animations for when Pawns and the Arisen start dashing.
  • Adding animation for when the Arisen is riding on a larger enemy that is flying at high speeds.
  • Making it so that the Main Pawn can be revived an infinite number of times at Forgotten Riftstones.
  • Adding Polski (Polish) under Display Language in the Language section of the Options menu.
  • Further fixes to issues around CPU overload in certain situations.
  • Reducing frequency of crashes.

◆ Adjustments to Vocations

Fighter

  • Increasing Strength for all weapons.
  • Reducing amount of time before stagger damage reactions can be canceled with “Defend.”
  • Reducing charge time for “Tusk Toss.” Also reducing timing during which the attack can be canceled while the user is unable to move after activation.
  • Increasing Strength and Knockdown Power for “”Riotous Fury”” and improving aiming ability on the target of the attack.
    Making it so that the lock-on adjusts itself to a different nearby target if the target initially locked on to is defeated mid-attack.
  • Increasing amount of time an enemy is downed after being knocked down by “Shield Bash.” Also increasing Knockdown Power for “Shield Bash.”
  • Increasing aiming ability of “Blink Strike” upon activation. Also adjusting to make it easier to hit locked-on targets with this skill.
  • Increasing Strength, expanding attack range, improving speed of initial activation animation, and adjusting timing of attack hits for “Compass Slash.”
  • Increasing Strength and Knockdown Power and expanding attack range for “Airward Slash.” Also intensifying damage reactions for smaller enemies hit by this skill.
  • Improving speed of the activation animation for “Gouging Skewer.” Also adjusting movement correction for this skill to make it easier to hit the attack target.

Warrior

  • Extending input duration for “Chain of Blows.”
  • Reducing timing during which “Barge” can be canceled while the user is unable to move after activation.
  • Increasing Strength for “Arc of Might.”
  • Adjusting strike timing of “Savage Lash” and making it easier to hit larger enemies’ weak points while they are downed.

Archer

  • Reducing charge time and increasing Strength and Knockdown Power for “Dire Arrow.” Also extending timing during which a more powerful arrow can be loosed with this skill.
  • Increasing damage dealt by “Heavenly Shot” and reducing time taken for Stamina to start recovering after activation.
  • Increasing damage scaling for bow attacks. Also increasing damage scaling for attacks that hit enemy weak points.
  • Reducing weight of the items “Explosive Arrow,” “Drenching Arrow,” “Tarring Arrow,” and “Blighting Arrow.”

Mage

  • Increasing duration of the Silence debilitation inflicted by “Solemnity.”
  • Increasing distance that flames unleashed by “Flagration” can reach.
  • Increasing number of times that clusters conjured with “High Palladium” to protect allies can block attacks before they disappear.
  • Increasing duration of the continuous Health recovery effect of “Argent Succor.”
  • Increasing power of additional lightning bolts summoned with additional button presses when casting “Levin.”

Thief

  • Changing Stamina consumed when using “Blades of the Pyre” from a fixed amount to an amount proportionate to the user’s maximum Stamina.

Mystic Spearhand

  • Increasing Strength and Knockdown Power for “Seching Blade.”

◆ Modifications and FixesPlayer

  • Fixing issue where, after readying and firing the magickal bow as the Magick Archer vocation, readying the bow again resulted in awkward camera movement.
  • Fixing issue where, when playing as the Warfarer vocation, redoing an enchantment and then using “Rearmament” resulted in the enchantment remaining even after its effect duration had ended.
  • Fixing issue where changes to Button Mapping settings weren’t reflected for the Draw Bowstring control for ballistae.
  • Fixing issue where pressing “next” during a normal conversation caused the Arisen to perform an action at the same time.
  • Fixing issue where the Arisen couldn’t be revived after falling in a river at certain points.
  • Fixing issue where the Arisen could clip through coffins and get stuck.
  • Fixing issue where walking caused Stamina to start recovering more quickly than standing still.
  • Fixing issue where falling into certain oxcarts with bonnets wouldn’t trigger the nullified damage animation.
  • Fixing issue where the Arisen could fail to cling to a target when using “Gouging Skewer” from a height.
  • Fixing issue where the Arisen could become stuck while conjuring decoys as the Trickster vocation.
  • Fixing issues where the Arisen could become frozen in place.
  • Fixing issue where blocks of ice created by “Frigor” would float in mid-air.

Pawns

  • Fixing issue where dismissing Pawns inside the rift and then immediately accessing the Riftstone of Remembrance caused dismissed Pawns who were not in the rift to appear on the “Pawns in the Rift” list.
  • Fixing issue where Pawns of the Archer vocation would behave strangely when firing special arrows.
  • Fixing issue where actions could be canceled for Pawns with reduced Health.
  • Fixing issue where the Main Pawn’s eyeshadow wasn’t applied in the worlds of other Arisen who hired them.
  • Fixing issue where Pawns became immobile during the Talos battle.
  • Fixing issue where Pawns given the “Go!” command wouldn’t gather items.
  • Fixing issue where Pawns of the Warrior vocation would cease attacking.
  • Fixing issue where Pawns launched into the air with “Springboard” couldn’t climb walls that they should have been able to climb.
  • Fixing issue where using the “To me!” command after a Pawn offered guidance resulted in the Pawn not guiding the player correctly, even if the player used the “Go!” command.
  • Fixing issue where Pawns of the Mage vocation would unnaturally loop the same animation.
  • Fixing issue where “Maelstrom” spells cast by Pawns would diverge from the enemy’s location.
  • Fixing issue where Pawns controlled by drakes would react with dialogue describing their fellow pawns being controlled.
  • Fixing issue where Pawns couldn’t evade stout undead explosion attacks.
  • Fixing issue where Pawns wouldn’t assist when the Arisen was possessed by a phantom.
  • Fixing issue in second and subsequent playthroughs, where Pawns would guide the Arisen to treasure chests that had already been opened.
  • Improving Pawn lines to better match circumstances.

NPCs

  • Fixing issue where Cliodhna would freeze in place after climbing a ladder.
  • Fixing display issues with Taliesin’s hands.
  • Fixing issue where UI for switching between Pinpoint Volley and Rivet Shot was displayed when Cliodhna used “Conversion.”
  • Fixing issue where Taliesin used dialogue that didn’t match the situation after certain quests were completed.

Enemies

  • Fixing issue where using “Vimtaking Arrow” during “A Scholarly Pursuit” fulfilled the conditions for completing the quest during its initial phase.
  • Fixing issue where if a dullahan entered a body of water after it was defeated, it would teleport and become frozen in place in a standing position.
  • Fixing issue where liches’ homing attacks ignored the Trickster’s simulacrum and attacked other targets instead.
  • Fixing issue where the lesser dragon would cease to act during “Readvent of Calamity.”
  • Fixing issue where some griffins would circle continuously around a fixed point.
  • Fixing issue where if a lich was defeated while resurrecting another monster, that monster would still be resurrected.
  • Fixing issue where rocks falling on a goreminotaur dealt an excessive amount of damage.
  • Fixing issue where having a Thief pin down a skeleton lord with a heavy attack prevented light attacks from hitting while the skeleton lord was pinned down.
  • Fixing display issues with some attack effects for lesser dragons.
  • Fixing issue where torches thrown by enemies would get stuck floating in mid-air.
  • Fixing issue where targets grabbed by a dullahan’s grab attack would drop straight down.
  • Fixing issue where Thief enemies used “Bump and Lift” even though they are unable to steal items.

Quests

  • Fixing issue where Pawns would be loaded in as party members if the player selected “Load from Last Save” while exploring solo with Raghnall during “Tensions on the Highroad.”
  • Fixing issue where Pawns followed the Arisen beyond the point where the party was supposed to be separated in “Tensions on the Highroad.”
  • Fixing issue where, after defeating the cyclops in “Beren’s Final Lesson,” performing certain actions caused the defeated cyclops to resurrect.
  • Fixing issue where, if certain actions were performed during “Till Death Do Us Part,” Gregor wouldn’t go home even after being restored to life.
  • Fixing issue where Higgs’s Tavern Stand wouldn’t function as a shop under certain conditions.

Gimmicks

  • Fixing issue where coffins that enemies were supposed to come out of were open from the start.
  • Fixing issue where ballistae would clip through other objects when the base was rotated.

Equipment

  • Fixing issue where the armor values of cloaks weren’t being applied.
  • Fixing issue where some leg armors stretched unnaturally.

Display

  • Fixing issue where a filter-like effect appeared on water surfaces after closing the Shop menu.
  • Fixing issue where distant shadows looked unnatural.
  • Fixing issue where some tattoos weren’t displayed during cutscenes.

UI

  • Fixing issue where some text on the title screen wouldn’t change to reflect updated language settings.
  • Fixing issue where skill preview videos weren’t displayed on the Weapon Skills screen in vocation guilds under certain conditions.
  • Fixing issue where some text on images in the Quest menu wouldn’t change to reflect updated language settings.
  • Fixing issue where the quest icon didn’t indicate the correct location for Roman during “Steeled Resolve, Blazing Forge.”
  • Fixing issue where message icons would disappear from the NPC Logbook in the History menu.

Sound

  • Fixing issue where using a Wakestone in battle caused the in-game music track to malfunction.
  • Fixing issue where riftstone sound effects would be quieter than usual after exiting a riftstone.

Other

  • Fixing issue where skipping certain cutscenes would result in a black screen.
  • Fixing issue where changing to certain hairstyles resulted in thinner hair on the top of the head.
  • Fixing areas where gathering points floated.
  • Fixing issue in Photo Mode where the Arisen’s body remained onscreen, even if the Arisen display setting was set to “off.”

[Steam]

Fixing issue where enabling DLSS FRAME GENERATION caused a temporary lag when exiting the Pause Menu.

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.

Save 17% Off Black Myth: Wukong for PC

For PC gamers, the recent and well-reviewed Black Myth: Wukong game is finally on sale. Right now Fanatical is offering the standard edition PC digital download for only $47.99 after a 17% off coupon code “FANATICAL17“. The coupon may be applied automatically so you won’t have to do anything extra. A code will be emailed to your inbox that you will then activate on Steam. Fanatical is a legitimate gaming storefront we’ve purchased games from ourselves several times.

17% Off Black Myth: Wukong for PC

Black Myth: Wukong was released on August 17 amidst overwhelming popularity. This game from Game Sciene is easily one of the best looking PC games based on the Unreal Engine 5 engine, with enough graphical settings to tax even the mighty RTX 4090. It also boasts a grand, sweeping story based on the Monkey King lore, punishingly difficult Souls-like gameplay (I personally found it harder than Elden Ring), gorgeous and varied monster designs, and a lengthy campaign whose main story alone averages 35 hours according to howlongtobeat.

Black Myth: Wukong is arguably one of the few games worthy of its $60 price tag, but right now the sweet discount at Fanatical makes it all the more worth of it. Unfortunately, console gamers are still out of luck in terms of finding a deal.

Check out our Black Myth:Wukong review for our official impressions of the game.

Exclusive: Vince Zampella Confirms Next Battlefield Will Use Modern Setting, First Concept Art Revealed

Ahead of its Investor Day on September 17, EA revealed fresh details on its untitled Battlefield game alongside its first officially concept art, which IGN can exclusively reveal for the first time. IGN can also confirm that Battlefield will be returning to a modern setting after stints in World War I, World War II, and the near future.

While EA is cagey about specifics when it comes to the concept art, including declining to name of the city where its set (though it looks a lot like Italy, Franchise, or somewhere else in Europe), it does include details that should stand out to longtime fans of the series. Among other things, it appears to suggest that ship-to-ship and helicopter combat will be part of the new game, and that it will feature natural disasters like wildfires. Its greyish color scheme is evocative of Battlefield 4, which remains one of the most popular games in the series despite being released a decade ago.

Battlefield goes back to basics

All of it points to a back-to-basics approach for the next Battlefield. Indeed, Head of Respawn & Group GM for EA Studios Organization Vince Zampella is quick to shout out Battlefield 3 and 4 in the course of sitting down with IGN to talk about these new reveals. On the decision to return to the modern era, Zampella says, “I mean, if you look back to the peak or the pinnacle of Battlefield, it’s that Battlefield 3… Battlefield 4 era where everything was modern. And I think we have to get back to the core of what Battlefield is and do that amazingly well, and then we’ll see where it goes from there. But I think for me, it’s that peak of Battlefield-ness is in that Battlefield 3 and 4 days. So I think it’s nostalgic for players, for me, for the teams even. Those are kind of the heyday…although I would say 1942 also.”

The return to the modern setting represents a course correction for the series after Battlefield 2042, which eventually found its footing but was otherwise widely panned for features like Specialists — characters that made it seem as if Battlefield was trying to be a hero shooter. Its ambitious 128-player maps also proved unpopular with fans who preferred a more focused experience. Battlefield 2042 eventually went back to supporting 64 players per maps, and the next Battlefield plans to stick to that approach.

I’d rather have nice, dense, really nice, well-designed play spaces. Some of them are really good

“Yeah, the 128 player, did it make it more fun? Like…doing the number for the sake of the number doesn’t make any sense. We’re testing everything around what’s the most fun. So like you said, the maps, once they get to a certain scale, become different. It’s a different play space, and I think you have to design around that. So we are designing something that is more akin to previous Battlefields,” Zampella says. “I’d rather have nice, dense, really nice, well-designed play spaces. Some of them are really good. I can’t wait for you to see some of them.

Specialists are also out this time around. “So I wasn’t there for 2042. I don’t know what the rationale was, but for me, it’s like the team tried something new. You have to applaud that effort. Not everybody liked it, but you got to try things. It didn’t work. It didn’t fit. Specialist will not be coming back. So classes are kind of at the core of Battlefield, and we’re going back to that,” Zampella says.

He’s careful to stress that Battlefield 2042 wasn’t a “failure of a game” despite not doing as well as hoped. He notes that the development team “really spent a lot of time learning how to adapt it and getting things back.” Still, he says, EA doesn’t want a repeat of the experience it had with 2042. “We want it to be good out of the gate.”

It adds up to what one might call classic Battlefield, but bigger — big enough that it merits the efforts of four separate studios in DICE, Motive, Ripple Effect, and Criterion (Ridgeline Games was briefly part of its development before being shuttered after founder Marcus Lehto’s departure). EA CEO Andrew Wilson claims it’s one of the “most ambitious projects in [EA’s] history.”

Nevertheless, Zampella remains vague on what all of that actually entails. “Yeah, it’s definitely betting bigger on Battlefield. It’s going in and expanding what Battlefield is. We have to have the core. The core Battlefield players know what they want. They’ve been with us forever, they’ve been amazing supporters. We need to earn their trust back and get them back on our side. And then it’s expanding out and getting more players into the universe and seeing what we can do, so when you want a different experience, you don’t have to leave Battlefield. You can experience more things within the Battlefield universe. So we’re expanding the offerings that we’re giving.”

The road ahead for Battlefield

In the meantime, Activision Blizzard is planning to release Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 — Battlefield’s traditional competitor. Where Battlefield has stumbled, Call of Duty has largely continued to thrive. It begs the question: will Battlefield ever outsell Call of Duty?

“If you look at the best Battlefields have outsold some Call of Duties and other way around, back and forth. So I think absolutely it can,” Zampella says. [Note: While sales data is incomplete, the publicly available data for even weaker releases like Infinite Warfare has typically favored Call of Duty]. “I mean, is that what we’re going for? I mean, not directly, but always. We’re not looking to take down Call of Duty. We’re making something that’s different and we’re making something that’s us. But yeah, it definitely has the possibility.”

On the subject of pushing into the transmedia space, where franchises like The Last of Us and Fallout have thrived (the latter taking home an Emmy Award over the weekend), Zampella demurs.

“There are definitely opportunities there. We’ve had some discussions, but it’s not our core business. To me, that stuff, when it works, it’s super cool… Like Arcane was f*cking great. But there’s other ones that haven’t worked as well and I won’t name those, but you know what they are,” he says. “It’s a marketing opportunity of getting your franchise out there, and it’s not core to what we’re doing right now. So we are game first. That has to work. And if the right opportunity comes, absolutely, we’ll look at it. And do we take meetings all the time? Sure. But it’s not the core business. So it’s that balance. I would love to see it. Right now, we’re not looking at anything like that for Battlefield.”

It’s unclear when the next Battlefield will release, but there are signs that EA is ramping up for 2025, having entered full production earlier this year. According to Zampella, EA is “play testing the game every week” and plans to launch a community program next year, though it’s unclear if it’s a closed beta or something else.

I think we’re in a really good place. Is it challenging? Of course, but it wouldn’t be fun if it wasn’t

“We have a program that we’re going to announce next year around getting more community in, because that’s kind of the core of what we have to do — get the community back on our side, get that trust back,” he says. “So I think we’re in a really good place. Is it challenging? Of course, but it wouldn’t be fun if it wasn’t.”

Whenever Battlefield eventually releases, it’ll be a big test for the series, which has a lot to prove to fans after close to a decade since its last really successful entry. It’ll be entering an unsettled console landscape, with Sony announcing the PS5 Pro last week, rumors of a next-gen Xbox, and Nintendo expected to announce the Switch 2 soon. Zampella is broadly taking a “we’ll see” approach to both the PS5 Pro and the unannounced Switch 2, though he has some kind words for Nintendo in particular.

“I mean, since [Switch 2] isn’t announced and it doesn’t exist, I can’t really comment on that. But I would say absolutely, Nintendo, along with Microsoft and Sony are great partners for us, are important to us on our business at EA, at Respawn, would love to see it,” Zampella says. “We don’t have anything to announce, but is there a world? Sure. We love them as partners. They’ve been great to us. I love the [Switch].”

One way or another, EA is betting a huge amount of time, money, and manpower on the idea that the multiplayer shooter space is ready for a shakeup. As for whether that bet will pay off, it sounds like we’ll know sooner rather than later.

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.

Grab an Official Xbox Wireless Controller for Series X|S for Only $39 with This Deal From Lenovo

Lenovo is currently offering the Microsoft Xbox Series X wireless controller in Carbon Black for only $39.00 shipped. That’s about 30% off its original $55 MSRP. You won’t find a better price on a brand new official controller at the moment.

Xbox Wireless Controller for $39

This Xbox Core wireless controller is identical to the one that’s bundled with the Xbox Series X and S consoles right down to the Carbon Black color. Features include textured grips, hybrid D-pad, button mapping with the Xbox app, a 3.5mm audio jack that works with any wired headset, and a Share button to upload screenshots and video.

The Xbox Core controller also features both Xbox wireless and Bluetooth connectivity. That means you can use it for your PC or mobile device as long as it supports Bluetooth. In fact, the Core controller is considered one of the best PC controllers you can get, especially if you limit yourself to this price point. If your PC doesn’t have Bluetooth, then you can connect your controller via a USB Type-C cable or with the Xbox wireless adapter.

Check out the best Xbox deals today for more discounts on Xbox accessories.

Starfield Expansion Shattered Space Never Sends You Off-Planet, Bethesda Confirms

Bethesda has released a deep dive into Starfield expansion Shattered Space, offering a first meaningful look at gameplay.

The video, below, shows off Va’ruun, the new planet Starfield players get to explore in Shattered Space. Bethesda describes Va’ruun as an “isolated, handcrafted new world in Starfield’s first major story expansion,” and compares it to some of the biggest and best expansions it has released for its The Elder Scrolls and Fallout games.

The “handcrafted” note in particular feels deliberate. Starfield was criticized by some for leaving the handcrafted feel of Bethesda Game Studios’ previous titles behind in favor of a galaxy-spanning adventure filled with over 1,000 planets, most of which were fueled by procedural generation.

Shattered Space, on the other hand, revolves around a solitary planet, and in the deep dive video Bethesda developers stressed that the entirety of the expansion takes place on it. There is no need to leave it at all.

“From the minute you arrive on Va’ruun’kai the story never sends you off planet,” Tim Lamb, lead creative producer, said. “You’re free to leave at any time, but the story is fully centered around life on the Va’ruun home world.”

You’re free to leave at any time, but the story is fully centered around life on the Va’ruun home world.

“We wanted to give you the opportunity to explore every nook and cranny of this location and find clues as to who these people really are and what happened to them,” added lead producer Joe Mueller.

“When we first started thinking about what this experience would be like, we knew we wanted it to feel like a traditional Bethesda Game Studios expansion. Having the planet laid out so intentionally works perfectly with this isolationist society. Everything they’ve done since establishing themselves will be right here on Va’ruun’kai. The whole planet tells the story of these people who have never left their home and want to remain a secret.”

Here’s the official blurb:

In Shattered Space, players will visit the homeworld of House Va’ruun for the first time. Explore a fully handcrafted new location and unravel the mysteries surrounding the followers of the Great Serpent. House Va’ruun is on the brink of collapse and their people need help finding a path forward. When your sudden presence on their hidden home planet is seen by some as divine intervention, it’s up to you to restore House Va’ruun and decide the fate of this secretive faction.

Bethesda also talked up Shattered Space’s more chaotic, aggressive, in-your-face combat, in contrast to the distance shooting of the base game. Expect ambushes from odd creatures that pop up through rifts in spacetime. Storywise, you end up caught up in a political feud between the planet’s various pockets of power, and ultimately decide the fate of House Va’ruun.

Starfield, which enjoyed the biggest launch in Bethesda Game Studios history, is available on PC and Xbox Series X and S. Shattered Space launches on those same platforms on September 30.

Owners of the Premium or Constellation Editions of Starfield get Shattered Space as part of their original purchase. Owners of the base edition can still purchase the Premium Upgrade for access to Shattered Space plus other digital items including the Digital Art Book, Original Soundtrack, 1,000 Creation Credits, and the Constellation Skin pack.

Bethesda is of course working on more than Starfield expansions. It’s also got The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 to contend with, alongside updates for MMOs Fallout 76 and The Elder Scrolls Online. On the mobile front, Bethesda has just released The Elder Scrolls: Castles.

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.

Exclusive: How Sci-Fi Author Peter F. Hamilton Is Creating a New RPG Universe with BioWare Veterans

During last year’s Game Awards, Archetype Entertainment unveiled its upcoming AAA RPG, Exodus. Crafted by a team of industry veterans, including former Mass Effect staff from BioWare and more recruits from 343, Naughty Dog, and other leading studios, Exodus promises to deliver a “next-generation, story-driven RPG” that blends cinematic storytelling with modern AAA gameplay.

Collaborating on the project is renowned sci-fi author Peter F. Hamilton. Acclaimed for his expansive Commonwealth Saga and The Night’s Dawn Trilogy, Hamilton has lent his world-building expertise to shape Exodus and its broader universe. Alongside consulting on the game, Hamilton is also penning a duology of books set in its universe. The first novel, Exodus: The Archimedes Engine, will be released on September 19, with preorders now available on Amazon in the UK and the US.

We had the pleasure of interviewing the author, discussing The Archimedes Engine, his assistance in constructing the Exodus universe, and how his signature storytelling style brings depth and complexity to this expansive new sci-fi franchise.

I think they saw me as someone who could contribute to the kind of Space Opera setting they were building for Exodus…

The team at Archetype Entertainment has praised you for helping make the Exodus universe more scientifically accurate. What were some key areas where your expertise made a significant difference?

PFH: The best example was my contribution to the method used by Celestial starships to travel between stars at just below lightspeed. They’d got the basic requirements worked out, I just suggested a more practical method of doing what they wanted, especially in terms of the energy requirement of accelerating the huge mass of a starship up to those speeds.

What were the biggest challenges in writing within a universe that’s being built for multiple platforms? Did any aspect of the world or characters evolve based on feedback from the game developers?

PFH: The whole experience of working with others on this kind of huge-scale project was extremely satisfying. The Archetype team had already drawn up their basic guidelines, what they wanted to achieve, for the Exodus universe by the time I came on board. Being able to apply my take on those objectives was something very new for me.

Sometimes I’d have to come up with whole new technologies, which is relatively easy for a sci-fi writer; then again sometimes I’d have to find a very different societal structure for a Dominion, which means a lot of backstory as to why certain Celestials behave the strange way they do.

I’d send these in and get feedback, which would often necessitate tweaking the concepts to make them a better fit. I think we managed to get most ideas polished after a couple of revisions. It was a very positive time for me.

The Exodus universe is populated by great houses and expansive star systems. How much freedom do you have to invent and flesh out these factions, and do any of them play a key role in The Archimedes Engine?

PFH: I wouldn’t describe it as having a freedom, given that I was one of the consultants that helped shape the nature of the Exodus universe. What that opportunity gave me was knowledge of what could and could not be out there. So when I needed to add a new Celestial species, society, or star system to the story, I knew what would fit into the universe and how to shape it accordingly. And yes, the Celestials play a huge part in the Archimedes Engine. They are not benign, which makes this a dangerous universe to explore, especially for humans.

What challenges did you face in balancing scientific realism with the imaginative demands of world-building in Exodus?

PFH: This is always a challenge for sci-fi. You want to push the envelope of what can be achieved, yet at the same time make it reasonably believable. In this case, the Archetype team had some good ground rules established for what they would and wouldn’t have in the Exodus universe. So in many respects it was like my usual worldbuilding, I always plot the parameters for what can be done before I start concentrating on the individual details. In other words: the team knew what they were doing.

The Archetype Entertainment team has mentioned how much they admire your work. How did their familiarity with your novels influence the creative process during collaboration?

PFH: That’s very kind of them. Given the type of novels and themes I usually write, that is: big stories set in the far future, I think they saw me as someone who could contribute to the kind of Space Opera setting they were building for Exodus. From my point of view, it was a great fit. I had a terrific time working with them.

The collaboration between novelists and game developers can be tricky. How do you ensure that the story and gameplay align while still retaining the unique strengths of each medium?

PFH: The simple answer to this is that The Archimedes Engine is not a novelisation of the game. It takes place in the Exodus universe, but over a century after the game, and in a different solar system. The characters featured in the Archimedes Engine don’t appear in the game, although they do provide a few glimpses and comments on some of the worlds you’ll encounter in the game. So what the reader will take from this is an understanding of how the Exodus universe works in terms of its history and the people who live in it.

Can you talk about the alien species or civilizations beyond the Celestials? How do they differ culturally or technologically from the human factions, and what roles do they play?

PFH: There are no aliens in the Exodus universe in a biological sense. That was one of the more interesting draws for me when I was asked to join the project. All the life you encounter in the Exodus universe has a terrestrial origin — that doesn’t mean that humans don’t find very alien worlds and behaviours in the Centauri Cluster. The original humans have spent forty thousand years developing themselves in some very odd directions.

You’ve mentioned time dilation as a key concept. How does it affect relationships, politics, or even warfare within this universe?

PFH: It was one of the major themes that the game developers wanted to explore, as it allows the player to have a real understanding about the consequences of their decisions. This is all due to keeping interstellar travel limited to .999 lightspeed; so there is no faster than light travel. Which (quick explanation) thanks to Einstein’s relativity: if you travel a couple of light years to a new star at a fraction below the speed of light, it will seem like a week to those on board the starship, while years pass to those you’ve left behind.

Same principal applies for The Archimedes Engine, some choices taken by characters only become apparent to them decades later when they return home after such a flight. As to the warfare / conflict part, anyone undertaking a revolution or invasion has to plot out their moves at a grandmaster level. Some actions won’t produce results for decades, if not longer. That means you have to be very certain the effect will play out as you expect before you launch it.

In Exodus: The Archimedes Engine, Finn’s decision to become a Traveler seems pivotal to the plot. What makes the role of a Traveler unique within this universe, and how does it shape Finn’s journey?

PFH: Travelers are unique in that they are a super-minority of the human population who do exactly that: travel. They are the ones who have the strength and determination to defy the Celestial Dominions, and try to carve out something for themselves, which requires a level of freedom most humans in the Centauri Cluster simply don’t have.

They see themselves as noble rebels and visionaries whose actions will one day lead their fellow humans out from under the oppression of the Dominions — and also make a decent profit on the side. Whether those fellow humans see them in that light is another matter.

The Exodus universe clearly draws on themes of power dynamics, exploration, and the search for freedom. How do these themes manifest in The Archimedes Engine, and how central are they to the broader narrative of the franchise?

PFH: Those three themes are innate human qualities, so for me writing them was simply a reflection of past, current, and future life. Despite being set in 40,000 years’ time, and featuring hundreds of Celestial (post-human) societies in their Dominions, the Archimedes Engine couldn’t not deal with such topics.

In many respects these issues are what unifies us — the ‘us’ being what humans have evolved into in Exodus; despite all their differences and advanced physical and mental attributes, the Celestials can still be understood in purely human terms. However much they try to push their evolution they cannot throw off their heritage. In some cases, their technology and power even amplify those original biological traits. All of which makes what we are and what we can become absolutely central to the story here.

In The Archimedes Engine, how do the Celestials’ advanced evolution and technology impact their interactions with humanity? Are there moral or philosophical conflicts that arise due to these differences?

PFH: All the time. It is a constant worry for humans, especially travelling to a Dominion about which they know very little. Sometimes they can be completely ignored, or despised, or told to “Get out!” in no uncertain terms. Travelers have to be so much more than just starship crews, explorers, and mercenary scavengers, they have to be diplomats of the highest order every time they emerge into a new star system. Many human Traveler starships simply don’t return home, and their families don’t know why.

The relationship between the Celestials and human settlers seems to mirror historical patterns of colonization and empire-building. Was this parallel intentional, and how do you explore these dynamics in the story?

PFH: Some aspects can be drawn from and are reflected in history, some have more modern parallels. In the Exodus universe, the Celestial Dominions have a considerable technological and economic superiority over the newcomers (humans) who are still arriving in their ancient ark ships.

Celestials regard humans as completely inferior, which makes it hard for them to fit into the existing Dominions. A development which feeds directly into the earlier question about freedom, and how powerful that desire features in what it is to be human. In effect, it becomes a mirror held up to the age-old question: how much freedom do you give up to live in an ordered society?

What aspect of The Archimedes Engine are you most excited for readers to experience?

PFH: I’m going to go with finding out what the Archimedes Engine itself actually does.

Exodus is expanding to more than just novels, and will be part of the upcoming Secret Level animated series revealed at gamescom 2024. Prime Video’s Secret Level is an anthology series by the creators of Love, Death + Robots. Each episode is basically a short film inspired by the characters and worlds of iconic video games like God of War, Mega Man, Unreal Tournament, and Pac-Man.

Last year, also speaking with IGN, James Ohlen, whose resume includes serving as a designer on Knights of the Old Republic and Dragon Age: Origins at BioWare, shed additional light on the long-awaited RPG, which was first teased back in 2020. They talked about how the time dilation element works, how Exodus will also take inspiration from Indiana Jones, how combat will flow, and more.

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

Nintendo Announces 2 New Mario Kart 8 Switch Bundles Out This Fall

Nintendo has announced two new Nintendo Switch bundles for release this fall: Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch – OLED Model, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and a 12-month Nintendo Switch Online membership.

These bundles, Nintendo hopes, will prove popular among shoppers hoping to get a jump on the holiday rush.

The $349.99 Nintendo Switch – OLED Model: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Bundle includes the Nintendo Switch – OLED Model system with white Joy-Con controllers, a download code for the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe game, and a 12-month Nintendo Switch Online individual membership.

The $299.99 Nintendo Switch: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Bundle includes a Nintendo Switch system with Neon Red and Neon Blue Joy-Con controllers, a download code for the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe game ($59.99) and a 12-month Nintendo Switch Online individual membership ($19.99).

Nintendo said both bundles offer a combined saving of $79.98 each, and will be available online, in the My Nintendo store, and in select retail stores by October, while supplies last.

As the Switch nears the end of its life cycle and Nintendo readies its long-awaited announcement of the Switch 2, there are still a number of Switch exclusive games due out. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (which has just leaked) comes out September 26, Super Mario Party Jamboree launches October 17, Mario & Luigi: Brothership has a November 7 release date, and Donkey Kong Country Returns HD hits Switch on January 16, 2025.

With Nintendo Switch now in its eighth year since launch, unit sales of both hardware and software have decreased significantly year-on-year. Nintendo now faces a difficult job boosting sales of the Switch, which is now up to an incredible 140 million sold, while the world awaits its next-gen console.

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.

Stardew Valley LEGO Build Recreates the Entire Pelican Town

A Stardew Valley fan has recreated the entire Pelican Town using LEGO in a 75,000 piece build that even brought out developer ConcernedApe.

The build premiered at BrickCon 2024 and includes every iconic building such as the Wizard’s Tower, Community Center, JojaMart, and, of course, the player’s farm. An enormous version of the Stardew Valley title screen was built from LEGO and placed behind the model too.

Creator Steve Jensen told PC Gamer the build took around two years to complete, and his favorite elements include the Hat Shop, “because I was able to make [it] almost entirely hollow, so you can look through the cracks and broken parts and see through to more such openings on the other side, just as a rundown, abandoned structure would be,” Jensen said.

@beyondthebrick Huge LEGO Stardew Valley by Steve Jensen #lego #stardewvalley ♬ original sound – Beyond the Brick

“Another fave is the Wizard’s Tower. I was able to get the shape I wanted, including a peaked door, and vines growing up the sides, the cone-shaped roof in blue, everything.”

The effort certainly impressed the LEGO community as the Stardew Valley build earned the People’s Choice award at BrickCon, and it even attracted the game’s creator. Eric Barone, the one man developer behind ConcernedApe, turned up to admire the recreation of his own work, something Jensen said was “even bigger news than an award.”

Stardew Valley is a beloved farming simulator blended with role-playing game elements that was dubbed a masterpiece in IGN’s updated 10/10 review for 2024. “More than just a cozy farming sim, eight years of updates have grown Stardew Valley into a modern classic with an endless list of enticing activities to complete and a deeply satisfying time management challenge to take on,” we said.

These updates have slowed down progress on ConcernedApe’s next game Haunted Chocolatier though, as Barone said in August he hasn’t worked on it “in a long time” due to the grandiose version 1.6 update.

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

Sony ‘Forcing’ Bungie to ‘Get Their Heads Out Their Asses’ and Run Destiny 2 Like a Business Is Very Much a Good Thing, Studio’s Ex-Lawyer Says

A former Bungie lawyer has commented on upcoming improvements to embattled live service looter shooter Destiny 2, saying the role of parent company Sony in “forcing” through these changes is very much a good thing.

Last week, Bungie unveiled what it called “major changes” to Destiny 2 that it hopes will win back players. Bungie has reportedly struggled to meet key financial targets, with Destiny 2 significantly underperforming last year. The Final Shape expansion reportedly sold less at launch than last year’s critically panned Lightfall.

Destiny 2 will now adopt a new model that includes the release of two medium-sized expansions and four major free content updates annually.

“This evolution aims to enhance the player experience through a new multi-year saga, introducing a non-linear story, more systemic innovation, and significant improvements to core game activities and rewards,” Bungie said.

One of the problems with Destiny 2 that Bungie has now identified is that it’s nigh on impenetrable to newcomers. Speaking in a blog post, game director Tyson Green admitted Destiny is “too complex.” “With literally hundreds of activities, you practically need a PhD to decide what to play and how to get rewards you’re looking for, Green added, before revealing plans to modernizing Destiny 2’s user interface “to make it easier for everyone to find and launch into great activities.”

This is the future I thought the company should embrace after the Sony acquisition.

In a LinkedIn post, Don McGowan, the former general counsel at Bungie, reacted to a Kotaku article rounding up the Destiny 2 changes to say he was pleased with Sony’s apparent influence here, which, he said, means the studio is finally “running the game like a business.”

“Much though it pains me to say this, it appears that Sony’s inflicting some discipline on my former colleagues may have forced them to fix the things that were wrong with their game,” McGowan said.

“To be clear: I’m not talking about the layoffs, I’m talking about forcing them to get their heads out of their asses and focus on things like: implementing a method of new player acquisition; not just doing fan service for the fans in the Bungie C-suite; and running the game like a business. Good. I still have friends in that environment and I’d like them to keep jobs.

“This is the future I thought the company should embrace after the Sony acquisition: a studio, not an ‘independent company.’ But there were a lot of egos for whom it was important to pretend that ‘nothing would change.’

“I remember sitting there during the deal saying ‘do you think Sony describes this as them getting to pay $3.6 billion for the right to have no input into what Bungie does?’ That was exactly what a lot of people thought. I guess they’ve been given cause to understand that that’s not how things work. Good. The changes described in this article are the things you do to run a franchise, not to keep making the game you and your friends have mastered, or to chase trends.”

IGN has asked Sony for comment.

Bungie’s Destiny 2 changes come amid a period of speculation and unrest within the Destiny community about the franchise’s future. Uncertainty grew when Bungie announced plans to cut 220 staff in late July, with an additional 155 workers planned to move from Bungie into Sony Interactive Entertainment in the coming months. That left the developer with around 850 employees.

“I realize all of this is hard news, especially following the success we have seen with The Final Shape,” controversial studio head Pete Parsons said in a statement. “But as we’ve navigated the broader economic realities over the last year, and after exhausting all other mitigation options, this has become a necessary decision to refocus our studio and our business with more realistic goals and viable financials.”

Bungie reportedly has no plans for Destiny 3 and has canceled a Destiny spinoff project known as Payback. Development on its Marathon revival is said to still be ongoing.

In December, IGN reported on an apparent scramble by Bungie studio leadership to avoid a total Sony takeover. Then, in March, IGN reported on a leadership shakeup on Marathon, which included the removal of long-time Bungie designer Christopher Barrett from the game director role.

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.

Looks Like Warhammer 40,000: Darktide Is Finally Coming to PS5

A rating for Warhammer 40,000: Darktide on PlayStation 5 suggests Fatshark’s co-op focused looter shooter is finally coming to Sony’s console.

Darktide launched on PC first in November 2022, before coming out in October 2023 on Xbox Series X and S and straight into Game Pass. Perhaps a PS5 release is set for October 2024, which, if true, would come one year after the game’s launch on Microsoft’s subscription service. Gematsu spotted the Darktide rating in Taiwan.

While Darktide launched with a number of problems, Fatshark has continued to update the game and on Steam it now sits on a ‘mostly positive’ recent user review rating, with an overall rating of ‘mixed.’ Improvements were made to everything from progression to performance, with the loot system and crafting complketely reworked. Darktide’s next big free update is called Unlocked and Loaded, and launches September 26.

It’s busy times in the world of Warhammer 40,000 video games, with Saber Interactive’s Space Marine 2 breaking Steam concurrent records for the setting. Darktide, on the other hand, puts the perspective in first-person and lets players become one of four classes, none of which is a Space Marine: a Veteran, Zealot, Ogryn, and Psyker.

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.