Diablo 4 Tier Lists and Planner Updated for Season 10

Blizzard has just released Diablo 4 Season 10 — the Season of Infernal Chaos — featuring the new Chaos Armor feature along with adjustments to the endgame loop. Additionally, the Infernal Hordes mechanic has been reworked, and players will face a new ladder boss: Bartuc, Lord of Chaos. To help you come to grips with all the changes and take on Bartuc, check out this massive Season 10 Compendium our friends at Maxroll have put together!

Chaos Armor

Chaos Armor is a special tier of item above Ancestral. These items can contain effects which are not normally found on the item slot.

This opens up more options for buildcraft as you gain access to effects that were otherwise mutually exclusive. Learn more with Maxroll’s Seasonal Guide.

D4Planner Update

If you want to get theorcrafting, check out Maxroll’s Diablo 4 Planner (updated for Season 10). You can plan out your equipment, skills, paragon, and mercenary. Plus select the new Chaos Armor and Chaos Perk effects.

Tier Lists for Season 10

Season 10 brought a big change to the build meta, with a lot of builds gaining significant amounts of power from the Chaos Unique items. As a result Maxroll has updated all of their Diablo 4 Tier Lists.

  • Get started with leveling builds, ranked on their ability to take you from level 1 to 60 quickly and efficiently.
  • On the other hand if you want to farm resources and clear quickly, check out the Speedfarming Tier List. As usual, the Sorcerer class dominates S tier thanks to their ability to teleport with ease.
  • The Overall Endgame Tier List is a list of builds recommended by Maxroll creators, of builds that perform well across a wide variety of content including Bosses, Pit, Speedfarming and more.
  • Pit Push focuses on builds that excel in the Pit of Artificers, pushing into higher tier content and scaling well with gear. This season, Spiritborn and Druid builds are particularly well suited to pit pushing.
  • The Bossing Builds Tier List focuses on single target damage output and ability to kill T4 Bosses quickly and efficiently.

On the other hand, if you’re dead set on playing a specific class, check out our Class tier lists to find out how each build performs relative to the others available for that class.

Barbarian

Druid

Necromancer

Rogue

Sorcerer

Spiritborn

More on Maxroll

If you’re new to Diablo 4, our Game Help Alliance partners at Maxroll have an extensive section catered to beginners, going over many of the game’s mechanics and systems. In addition to the above, Maxroll has tons of Diablo 4 guides and resources freshly updated for Season 10. Their Build Guides section has over 100 builds covering leveling and endgame across all of Diablo 4’s classes. If you want to be up to date on the most efficient farming and pushing strategies, head over to the Meta Section. The Boss Section includes guides on how to take down Diablo 4’s most challenging foes, along with the rewards you can earn for beating them. Learn more with Maxroll’s Season 10 Guide Compendium.

Written by: IGN staff with help from the Maxroll Diablo 4 Team

Deals For Today: TCGPlayer Is Destroying Amazons Pokémon TCG Pricing Right Now

Did you manage to get some of my hot deals on games and amiibo yesterday? Don’t worry if you’ve missed it, i’ve got them here so you don’t need to shuffle pages. There’s some gems here, with Gamestop bringing the heat with some (very) cheap legacy amiibo figures to fill the holes in your collection and Woot delivering some absolute bargains on first party Nintendo Switch games, Xbox and PS5 game bargains and more peripherals than Tokyo Game Show on offer. But today’s deals are sharply focused on Pokémon TCG sealed product, and there’s plenty of deals to catch today.

TL;DR: Deals for Today

The battle against big box retailers overcharging is still very real in what i’m calling Pokémania 2025, and things won’t be slowing down thanks to the new era of Mega Evolution base set and it’s first expansion, Phantasmal Flames. From sleeved boosters to Elite Trainer Boxes, there’s something here for every budget, and even then i’ve found the best prices. Let’s get into it:

Pokémon TCG Price Watch

There’s some serious price gaps in today’s price watch for Pokémon TCG, so let’s go over some highlights. Destined Rivals Three Booster Blister Pack is cheaper by nearly $7 on TCGplayer vs Amazon, so that’s a nice cheap pickup. Want to rip more packs? How about the White Flare Booster Bundle coming in at $11.99 cheaper on TCGPlayer? That’s a big difference to put towards more boosters instead of lining Amazons deep pockets. Need some more Prismatic Evolutions in your life? Well the Mini Tins are just over $10 cheaper on TCGPlayer too, and these savings all add up when you’re after ripping as many packs as possible.

Batman Blu-Ray Sale

Who’s your favorite Batman? I’m not going to start an all-out comments war on that one, but every Batman movie worth watching is here, not to mention Batamn: The Animated series and the animated feature of the fan-favourite “Hush” graphic novel. You can even get a 4K film collection for under $35, so if you’re looking to beef up your Bat Cave, now’s the time.

Woot! Gaming Sale

Majority of mainline Pokémong Switch 1 games? Check. Every Mario game you need for your collection? Yes. How about Kirby? Yep, here’s here too. Not only is Woot smashing it when it comes to adding to your Ninty games library, but they’re also bulking up on peripherals, cases and more games for Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. It’s worth looking through, did I mention you can get up to 87% off?

Amiibo Switch 1 Sale

Late to the game building an ammibo collection? Gamestop have your back today with a tonne of legacy ammibo at just $5.99 each, down from $19.99. They’ve even thrown in Charizard, Pikachu and their exclusive Mr. Game and Watch amiibo. It would be rude to not pick up atleast four.

Amiibo Switch 2 Sale

Gamestop are even slashing prices on newer amiibo, including the new Donkey Kong and Pauline amiibo from DKs latest outing on Nintendo Switch 2. There’s also Minecraft, Street Fighter 6, LoZ: Tears of the Kindom and Monster Hunter amiibo on sale. Just over $14 off $30 amiibo? Yes please.

Save Up to $130 Off Brand New PlayStation 5 Slim Deals

If you’re looking for the least expensive brand new PlayStation 5 console you can get your hands on, AliExpress is going to be your best bet. Right now they’re offering an imported Sony PlayStation 5 Slim Digital Edition gaming console for just $369.73 after $80 off coupon code “AEUS80“. Alternatively, the PlayStation 5 Disc Edition is down to $425.16 after an even bigger $100 off coupon code “USDEAL100“. Shipping is free. These are brand new and retail boxed products that are stocked in a US warehouse and qualify for local delivery. This PlayStation console is imported from another country, however all PS5 consoles are region unlocked and so it will play in the US without any modifications. Keep in mind that imported consoles have an overseas warranty that won’t be honored here in the United States.

Chrono Trigger (Steam)

We called this remaster of Chrono Trigger a masterpiece and slapped a 10/10 on it back in 2011, and we’re standing by it. Serving as the foundation of “New Game +” modes and sporting the late great Akira Toriyama’s artwork, Chrono Trigger is JRPG nostalgia bottled, and still tastes great 30 years later. It’s a great chance to grab one of the best games ever made, complete with new animé cutscenes, for an absolute steal.

JSAUX Carrying Case for Nintendo Switch 2

Jsaux have been making cases, screen protectors and the like for longer than I can remember, and it’s quality gear. I’ve been personally using this case for my Nintendo Switch 2 when i’m out and about, and it’s great having that extra bit a tough protection for when I inevitably drop it on the pavement. It’s not going to make you get more banannas in DK, but it’s a good carry case for under $18.

Duo of Justice Capcom Game Bundle (Steam)

I object to anyone not grabbing this bundle, and i’ll never apologise for that Ace Attorney reference either. There’s some brilliant games here:

Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of “Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior”. Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.

This Rare Infinity Stone Card Has Already Sold for $10,000 Before Magic’s Spider-Man Set is Even Out

Marvel’s Spider-Man set for Magic: The Gathering launches this week, and it could be about to kick off a major new theme for the long-running card game.

We’ve seen the One Ring and Final Fantasy’s crystals, but now the infamous Infinity Stones are coming to Magic: The Gathering across multiple sets, including a cosmic foil variant that’s already sold for $10,000.

With the Soul Stone already in the Spidey set, here’s all we currently know about where the other stones could appear, and how to find them.

Magic: The Gathering’s Infinity Stones Explained

If you’ve kept up with Marvel comics or even the MCU, you’ll no doubt know all about the Infinity Stones. All six of them contain untold power, but bringing them all together is Thanos’ mission as he looks to wipe out half of all life in the universe.

That means they’re likely to be powerful in cardboard form, too. The Soul Stone has been revealed so far in various designs, and it’s running a high price already because of its ability to exile a creature in return to bring cards back from your graveyard every turn. So, what can we expect from the others?

The Soul Stone is a black legendary artifact, and the other Infinity Stones will almost definitely come in Red, Blue, Green, and White versions. That leaves one missing, so we eventually expect to see a colorless one as well to complete the six: Space, Mind, Reality, Power, Time, and Soul.

Since we’ve only seen one Infinity Stone so far, it’s hard to see if there’s a pattern, but given it comes in Cosmic Foil, we reckon there’s a solid chance that theme continues.

While the Borderless version is up for $4,000 on TCGPlayer right now, the Cosmic Foil variant has already sold for $10,000, with estimates suggesting there are fewer than the serialized Traveling Chocobos from Final Fantasy (as a reminder, those were limited to just 77).

If you’re looking to go chase these rare cards without wanting to pay the big bucks, then unfortunately you might just be out of luck. Collector’s boosters are the best chance at scoring these rare finds, and they’re sold out completely expect for resellers (who are charging upwards of $1000 for just 12 Packs).

For more on the Spidey set, check out the ten cards everyone is after in the build up to release day, September 26, 2025, including the borderless Spectacular Spider-Man, villains aplenty in Electro, Carnage, and Hob Goblin, and a whole lot more.

Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He’s a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife’s dismay.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Hotfix 34 Adds Native Steam Deck Build, Reduces Framerate Spikes in Busy Areas Such as the Lower City in Act 3 Across All Platforms

Larian may be done with major updates to its blockbuster role-playing game Baldur’s Gate 3, but it’s still releasing hotfixes. The latest, Hotfix #34, is a juicy one. It adds a native Steam Deck build and should reduce framerate spikes in busy areas such as the Lower City in Act 3 across all platforms.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Act 3 is infamous for its performance issues. Indeed it was one of the tougher areas to navigate, especially in the months after the game launched and before Larian issued various updates, mainly due to the sheer number of NPCs who mill about on-screen and everything the game has to consider as a result.

In a post on Steam, Larian said the native Steam Deck build means Baldur’s Gate 3 has a more stable framerate, lower loading times, and smoother gameplay on Valve’s handheld. But the work done for this build benefits all players by improving the way the game’s models are streamed across all platforms.

Meanwhile, Hotfix #34 addresses “some rather annoying” instances of crashing on Xbox, Larian said. And as is Larian’s way, it sprinkled the patch notes, below, with some trademark flair. For example:

  • Fixed the audio levels for a rat in the Lower City that you, tragically, couldn’t hear squeak when it squoke.
  • Reminded Halsin to actually yell when he gains barbarian Rage instead of silently miming it.
  • Told one of the imps on the nautiloid to stop looking in the wrong direction.

Baldur’s Gate 3 celebrated its two-year anniversary last month, with Larian boss Swen Vincke discussing how its enormous success paved the way for the studio to work on its hotly-anticipated next game.

The Dungeons & Dragons RPG was a breakout hit in 2023, dominating online conversation and setting sales records. Its wild success was a game-changer for Larian, and the title has continued to perform strongly in the two years since launch, with mods helping to fuel seemingly never-ending interest in the RPG, especially on Steam.

The developer shocked the video game world when it announced plans to make brand new games outside the Dungeons & Dragons universe, rather than follow Baldur’s Gate 3 with DLC or a sequel. It is now hard at work realizing that vision.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Hotfix #34 patch notes:

FIXES

Crashes and Performance

  • Fixed a potential crash related to the Slow condition during combat.
  • Fixed a potential crash related to using the Find Familiar spell on Scratch and Boo during combat.

Xbox

  • Fixed a crash that could occur when suspending and then resuming the game mid-cinematic.
  • Fixed a crash when loading a save while playing an Honour Mode game.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the game to hang and become unresponsive when exiting to the Main Menu from an Honour Mode game.
  • Selecting View Xbox Live Profile via the Larian Friends list will now correctly show the user’s gamercard.
  • Fixed a Cross-Play issue where, if one player had their cross-network privileges blocked on Xbox and was then invited to a multiplayer session by a friend, they wouldn’t get notified of the conflict in their settings telling them why they couldn’t proceed to the lobby.
  • Fixed a bug where creating a new game in Honour Mode after having loaded a previous savegame would cause the game to get stuck at 33% or 83% loading.

Gameplay

  • Fixed the Hound of Ill Omen and the Accursed Spectre’s HP being affected by difficulty modifiers for enemy characters.
  • Fixed a bug causing the Apostle of Myrkul to regain Hit Points every time you load a savegame mid-combat in Tactician and Honour Mode.

Audio

  • Fixed a bug causing the sounds that djinn summons make when they follow you to loop continuously, creating an uncharacteristic metallic thrum.
  • When you’re on the ground floor of Felogyr’s Fireworks, the smokepowder explosions going off on the floor above will no longer sound like they’re happening right next to you.
  • Fixed the audio levels for a rat in the Lower City that you, tragically, couldn’t hear squeak when it squoke.
  • Fixed missing SFX when preparing to cast Wind Walk.
  • Fixed an issue causing the SFX to play longer than they should when preparing to cast the Way of the Drunken Master’s subclass-specific actions.
  • Fixed missing SFX when preparing to cast Booming Blade.
  • Fixed the SFX for preparing a Starry Form continuing to play if you cast the spell quickly after selecting it.
  • Fixed missing SFX when Astarion taps Woe on the ground during a cinematic.
  • Fixed missing SFX in the overhead dialogue between Minthara and the questioners in Moonrise Towers Prison.
  • Fixed a sound resource for Photo Mode not being generated correctly.
  • Fixed the rattling Moonlantern SFX continuing to play after you unequip it.
  • Recovered some missing SFX when casting Speak with Dead on the mind flayer in the Shattered Sanctum.
  • Reminded Halsin to actually yell when he gains barbarian Rage instead of silently miming it.
  • Fixed the SFX during Vlaakith’s appearance at camp getting cut off prematurely.

Cinematics

  • Told one of the imps on the nautiloid to stop looking in the wrong direction.
  • Fixed a super-mega-ultra-close-up shot during the dialogue with Raphael at Last Light.
  • Removed a static pool of blood hovering mid-air in the cinematic with the gnolls on the Risen Road when playing as a short Dark Urge character.
  • Fixed Karlach’s line about Gale being a hero getting cut off prematurely.
  • Fixed a bug causing party members to appear as floating torsos (or simply floating hair) when talking to Ketheric’s dog, Squire.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Q9 Crowned Winners At The 2025 Delta Force Invitational

After three days of competition, Q9 has emerged victorious at the 2025 Delta Force Invitational. The inaugural event, held at the Hangzhou Esports Center in China, brought together twelve of the world’s best Delta Force teams. But it was Q9 who ultimately stood above the rest and took home the lion’s share of the $500,000 prize pool.

The Delta Force Invitational featured twelve teams that each qualified through region-specific qualifiers, each bringing their own playstyle and strategies. The teams competing included AKA, FL, FN, GS, Q9, STS, ESG, INK, ISG, LEG, MBA, and MG. Throughout the weekend, fans witnessed everything from carefully executed stealth operations to explosive final pushes.

The tournament began with the Group Stage, where each team competed for a spot in either the Upper or Lower Bracket. FN, Q9, GS, MBA, ESG, and INK secured strong performances that placed them in the Upper Bracket, while FL, AKA, STS, LEG, MG, and ISG found themselves in the Lower Bracket, facing elimination pressure early on.

In the Bracket Stage, the competition intensified. During Upper Bracket Turn 1, Q9 and MBA were the first teams to advance to the Grand Final, while ESG, GS, INK, and FN were pushed down into Upper Bracket Turn 2. Meanwhile, in Lower Bracket Turn 1, FL and LEG were eliminated, while STS and MG headed to the Upper Bracket Turn 2, and ISG and AKA earned one last chance by moving forward into Lower Bracket Turn 2. This set up high-stakes clashes as the brackets narrowed.

During Upper Bracket Turn 2, ESG and FN succeeded in advancing to the Grand Final, while GS, STS, INK, and MG dropped down into Lower Bracket Turn 2 for one last shot at victory. In Lower Bracket Turn 2, the tension peaked. INK and MG battled their way into the Grand Final, while AKA, STS, ISG and GS were eliminated after a hard-fought run.

Ahead of the Grand Final, fans in the Hangzhou Esports Center were treated to a spectacular opening show that brought the game to life. The stage came alive with characters, tanks and battle scenes inspired by Delta Force, immersing the audience in the action before culminating in a performance of the iconic song Dawn, sung by Lithium Done.

Q9 set the tone in Round 1 of the Grand Final with a commanding performance, led by GuoR, who earned MVP honours with 2 kills, 2 assists, and 205 damage. But the competition quickly heated up in Round 2, when INK surged ahead by outpacing everyone in decoding a Mandelbrick. Kilzal was the star of the round, securing 6 kills and carrying his team to victory.

Momentum shifted yet again in Round 3 as Q9 reclaimed dominance, with K1De stepping into the spotlight as MVP. In Round 4, ESG broke through with a show-stopping display, turning the match in their favour. DT proved unstoppable, racking up 5 kills to claim MVP. Round 5 saw Q9 refuse to back down, they seized the last Mandelbrick, with K1De earning his second MVP of the series.

Heading into Round 6, it was all to play for. Q9 secured a prime position early and began decoding the Mandelbrick, forcing the other teams to scramble for an opening. None could break through, and with Q9 completing the decode, they locked in the invitational victory. But the map clock was still ticking, leaving room for a shake-up in the standings, and it was INK who endured the longest, gathering crucial assets to secure second place.

The Delta Force Invitational has proved just how much momentum the game’s competitive scene is building. With their victory, Q9 have laid claim to the top prize in Delta Force esports, but the question is, who will rise next to seize their own moment. The Delta Force Global League Season 3 is set to start next month.

‘We Lost PlayStation Stars for This?’ Sony Announces Franchise Rewards, a Time-Limited Physical Merch Program With Items Locked Behind Trophies

Sony has announced Franchise Rewards, a new program that grants players the ability to buy physical PlayStation merchandise — if you unlock specific in-game trophies by a certain date.

The scheme kicks off with Ghost Rewards, unlocked by earning specific trophies in Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima before December 31, 2025.

If you’ve unlocked the “Mono no Aware” Gold trophy, you’ll be granted the ability to pay $30/€33 for a commemorative T-shirt. Unlock the “Living Legend” Platinum trophy and you can additionally choose to pay $25/€28 for an commemorative pin. You’ll also then need to pay shipping on top, with standard delivery priced at around $13 within the U.S. (or expedited delivery at around $25).

The initial fan response to the scheme has been mixed, with many pointing to its announcement as a lackluster replacement for Sony’s recently-retired PlayStation Stars loyalty program.

“We went from getting points from buying games to buy more games for free, to getting points that give us the honor of giving them more money,” noted PlayStation fan thickwonga413. “Thanks guys.”

“We lost PlayStation Stars for this?” concurred WaveHood1. “Bruh. Give the PS Store cards back.”

Others have compared the offer to Bungie’s long-held practice of offering exclusive Destiny merchandise to players who have completed a certain number of tasks in-game each year. “Play to pay,” SilentElite99 observed. “The Destiny method.”

For those interested, you’ll need to head to ghostrewards.playstation.com in the U.S. (or ghostrewards.eu.playstation.com in Europe) to unlock and purchase the items before December 31, 2025. It’s unclear why there is a time limit, but there we are.

PlayStation will continue its scheme with the next set of Franchise Rewards, for the upcoming Ghost of Yotei, later this year. More details on that will be announced in the future.

Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Borderlands 4 YouTuber Tries to Nerf Proof Their Character, Instead Stumbles Upon What Is Almost Certainly an ‘Unintended Interaction’ That Does So Much Damage It Causes Bosses ‘Total Existence Failure’

Borderlands 4 is rife with overpowered builds that use what developer Gearbox has described as “unintended interactions” to cause massive damage, even to the game’s toughest bosses on the hardest difficulties. The most infamous of these is ‘the knife,’ which Gearbox has said it’s aware of but won’t nerf just yet. Now, there’s another new best boss melting build to add to the list.

YouTuber NickTew, who had led the charge online with his knife build discovery, set out to “nerf proof” their Vex in light of Gearbox’s comments about potentially stamping out knife builds. In doing so, he found a way to cause so much damage from a single clip of a gun’s magazine that Borderlands 4 spat out a “total existence failure” message in the boss health bar — something I had no idea even existed in the game.

In a new video, NickTew had to slow down the gameplay just to be able to show this ‘total existence failure’ message in action, so quickly did the boss’ health disappear.

The interaction requires you have a gun with the Torgue Licensed Sticky Magazine and the Taser alt-fire mode. A Torgue Sticky mag enables the weapon to fire sticky projectiles called “gyrojets” that attach to enemies and explode for massive damage upon reloading or switching modes. In this case, switching to Taser.

NickTew demonstrates how you can load an enemy up with gyrojets via an SMG due to its fast rate of fire and big magazine, then right before reloading, switch to the underbarrel taser, causing the gyrojets to explode and cause much more damage than they would if reloading normally. As NickTew put it, with this build you’re able to “snap the boss out of existence.” This works on every character, and it does not involve using the knife.

The only issue here is an SMG with this specific combination (Torgue Sticky and alt-fire) is a relatively rare find, so you’ll need to do a spot of farming to nab one. Or perhaps you have one anyway, sitting in your inventory just waiting to cause havoc.

NickTew isn’t entirely sure why this combination causes so much damage. Is it a bug, or are there calculations going on under the hood that spark this huge uptick? It certainly feels like one of Borderlands 4’s “unintended interactions,” so it’s probably not long for this world.

This week, Gearbox indicated that in the short-term it plans to buff underperforming gear and skills rather than nerf overpowered builds. That means instakill builds like this one are safe for now. Confirmation came from Borderlands 4 creative director Graeme Timmins, who took to social media to acknowledge the debate about what he called “builds that use unintended interactions and/or the knife.”

Here’s the statement:

“We’ve seen the discourse about builds that use unintended interactions and/or the knife. We’re not going to act on those immediately, instead, we’re looking at our first round of buffs. Those will get addressed but we’re going to start with underperforming gear/skills first.”

There’s no timeframe for Borderlands 4’s next patch, but we know some more of what the studio is working on. PC performance improvements are a “top priority,” the studio has said. A Field of View (FOV) slider is on the way to the console versions, too.

Borderlands 4 console players are also keen for a patch to address some glaring technical problems. Last week, the tech experts at Digital Foundry confirmed a gradual worsening of framerate with continuous playtime, even on PlayStation 5 Pro and Xbox Series X. As revealed in a new video published to YouTube, Digital Foundry found performance starts dipping after around 30 minutes to an hour, which it called “too intrusive on the overall experience, too regular an interruption.” Even after a completely fresh boot, the game is still prone to framerate drops.

Gearbox development chief Randy Pitchford has acknowledged the problem on social media, promising incoming improvements. As a workaround, Pitchford suggested console players quit Borderlands 4 and restart. Digital Foundry’s Tom Morgan confirmed this does restore performance, but criticized the situation, saying “resetting the game every hour should really not be an expected solution for players.”

Meanwhile, Timmins has said he’s got his eye on “cricket jumping,” which lets Borderlands 4 players leap across huge chunks of the map.

If you are delving into Borderlands 4, don’t go without updated hourly SHiFT codes list. We’ve also got a huge interactive map ready to go and a badass Borderlands 4 planner tool courtesy of our buds at Maxroll. Plus check out our expert players’ choices for which character to choose (no one agreed).

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Hollow Knight: Silksong Patch 2 Live Now, Team Cherry Offer Early Patch 3 Details

Team Cherry’s post-launch support of massive indie hit Hollow Knight: Silksong continues, with Patch 2 now live.

As the developer had signalled, Silksong’s second major patch (1.0.28650) focuses on a few critical issues still remaining, while also cleaning up some bugs around specific tools. The patch notes, per Team Cherry’s website, are below.

All fixes will apply retroactively, Team Cherry added, so players who’ve hit a significant bug that prevents progress should now be able to proceed.

Further fixes are currently being worked on for a third patch, the developer continued, with some additional focus around improving controller support on PC platforms. “Expect this one to come a little later, as we’re aiming to cover as many remaining issues as possible,” Team Cherry said.

Meanwhile, Team Cherry said for upcoming patches, beyond regular fixes, “our first priority remains to improve Silksong’s Simplified Chinese translation.”

This is in response to high-profile criticism of Silksong’s Simplified Chinese translation, which had led to Chinese players leaving negative Steam reviews. “The current Silksong [Chinese] translation reads like a Wuxia novel instead of conveying the game’s tone,” said one player. “This isn’t about effort, but about taste and direction, and speaking from experience likely can’t be fixed without replacing the translator.” Another said: “can you imagine as a Chinese, I need to play the game by switching in English to understand [the] translation.”

“Native Chinese speaker here. The translation uses awkwardly archaic wording that makes a lot of the content unintelligible,” added someone else. “I’m talking about word salad type of situation. On top of the anachronistic pretentiousness, it’s downright gibberish at times.”

“A new script, by a well-regarded team, is already well underway,” Team Cherry confirmed. “We’re expecting this new translation to be delivered in 3-4 weeks, with implementation to follow immediately after.

“In the meantime, for Simplified Chinese players, we’ve recently been informed that a talented group of Hollow Knight fans has already produced their own full-translation mod for Silksong! We’ve heard good things about the mod, and players may want to consider shifting over to it.”

Playing Silksong? Here are some essential guides for your journey upwards: the Silksong Interactive Map, how to grind for Rosary Beads, our ever-expanding Walkthrough with boss videos and guides, how to get your first life bar upgrade (first four mask shards), and a great guide to the Simple Keys and the doors they open.

Hollow Knight: Silksong Version 1.0.28650 patch notes:

  • Added Dithering effect option in Advanced video settings (PC only). Reduces colour banding but can slightly soften the appearance of foreground assets. Defaults to ‘Off’.
  • Updated Herald’s Wish achievement description to clarify that players must both complete the wish and finish the game.
  • Fixed Savage Beastfly in Far Fields sometimes remaining below the lava.
  • Fixed rare cases of Shrine Guardian Seth getting out of bounds during battle.
  • Fixed rare case of Second Sentinel knocking the player out of bounds during battle.
  • Added catch to prevent Lugoli sometimes flying off screen and not returning during battle.
  • Further reduced chance of Silk Snippers getting stuck out of bounds in Chapel of the Reaper battle.
  • Fixed various instances of dying to bosses while killing them causing death sequences to play messily or out of sync.
  • Fixed Shaman Binding into a bottom transition causing a softlock.
  • Cocoon positions in some locations updated to prevent it spawning in inaccessible areas.
  • Fixed Liquid Lacquer courier delivery not being accessible in Steel Soul mode.
  • Fixed some NPCs not correctly playing cursed hint dialogues in certain instances.
  • Fixed Pondcatcher Reed not being able to fly away after singing.
  • Fixed Verdania memory orbs sometimes replaying layered screen-edge burst effects.
  • Fixed the break counter not working for certain multihitter tools eg Conchcutter.
  • Fixed Volt Filament damage multiplier not applying for certain Silk Skills.
  • Fixed Cogflies and Wisps inappropriately targeting Skullwings.
  • Fixed Cogflies incorrectly resetting their HP to full on scene change.
  • Fixed Curveclaw always breaking on the first hit after being deflected.
  • Fixed Plasmium Phial and Flea Brew sometimes not restoring as intended at benches.
  • Various other smaller tweaks and fixes.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Borderlands 4 Dev Gearbox Says It’s Prioritizing the First Round of Buffs Over Patching Out Instakill Knife Builds, but It Will Eventually Address ‘Unintended Interactions’

Since Borderlands 4 came out, developer Gearbox has released a PC-focused patch that tackles crashes, among a few other things. But players are wondering what the studio intends to do about the looter shooter’s balance, especially at a time when builds that let you one-shot bosses are doing the rounds.

Gearbox has now indicated that in the short-term, it plans to buff underperforming gear and skills rather than nerf overpowered builds. Indeed, those instakill builds you’ve seen online are safe, for now. But, Gearbox insisted, they will get nerfed eventually.

Confirmation comes from Borderlands 4 creative director Graeme Timmins, who took to social media to acknowledge the debate about what he called “builds that use unintended interactions and/or the knife.”

Here’s the statement:

“We’ve seen the discourse about builds that use unintended interactions and/or the knife. We’re not going to act on those immediately, instead, we’re looking at our first round of buffs. Those will get addressed but we’re going to start with underperforming gear/skills first.”

So, what’s all this talk about a knife? As IGN has reported, Borderlands 4 players have discovered an infinite damage build so broken it kills bosses in seconds — even on the hardest difficulty levels.

To make this build work you need the Vampiric Vivisecting Throwing Knife with the Penetrator Augment. Land a hit with this knife and subsequent damage to the target are automatic critical hits for five seconds. Add bleed stacking and each tick of the bleed effect registers as a critical hit.

Players have come up with eye-catching builds around the knife that essentially makes a Borderlands 4 boss fight a trivial experience, and thus farming for the game’s best loot a lot easier. For example, Vex’s Bloodletter passive makes your gun and skill critical hits have a chance to apply bleed, which counts as gun damage and is based on the initial damage dealt. Add Vex’s Contamination passive, which causes critical hits to increase status effect application chance up to 100% and thus ensuring the bleed re-procs infinitely, and you’ve got exponential damage. So, throw the knife, land one big shot on the boss, and watch the numbers get bigger and bigger as the bleed ticks it down.

The news that Gearbox is focusing on buffs over nerfs right now is being celebrated by the community. Borderlands 4 content creator Moxsy called it “such a huge W.”

“Massive nerfs hitting Wonderlands & BL3 on launch caused huge outrage and frustration in the community. Love to see this direction,” Moxsy said in a post on social media.

The question now is what steps Gearbox will take to nerf the knife. Will it change how it works completely, or apply slight changes to tone it down?

There’s no timeframe for Borderlands 4’s next patch, but we know some more of what the studio is working on. PC performance improvements are a “top priority,” the studio has said. A Field of View (FOV) slider is on the way to the console versions, too.

Borderlands 4 console players are also keen for a patch to address some glaring technical problems. Last week, the tech experts at Digital Foundry confirmed a gradual worsening of framerate with continuous playtime, even on PlayStation 5 Pro and Xbox Series X. As revealed in a new video published to YouTube, Digital Foundry found performance starts dipping after around 30 minutes to an hour, which it called “too intrusive on the overall experience, too regular an interruption.” Even after a completely fresh boot, the game is still prone to framerate drops.

Gearbox development chief Randy Pitchford has acknowledged the problem on social media, promising incoming improvements. As a workaround, Pitchford suggested console players quit Borderlands 4 and restart. Digital Foundry’s Tom Morgan confirmed this does restore performance, but criticized the situation, saying “resetting the game every hour should really not be an expected solution for players.”

Meanwhile, Timmins has said he’s got his eye on “cricket jumping,” which lets Borderlands 4 players leap across huge chunks of the map.

If you are delving into Borderlands 4, don’t go without updated hourly SHiFT codes list. We’ve also got a huge interactive map ready to go and a badass Borderlands 4 planner tool courtesy of our buds at Maxroll. Plus check out our expert players’ choices for which character to choose (no one agreed).

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Hideo Kojima Reveals Debut Poster for PlayStation Exclusive Physint, First Cast Announcement

Hideo Kojima has discussed his upcoming PlayStation exclusive Physint during a Kojima Productions 10th Anniversary event in Japan.

Speaking on-stage during the event, Kojima said development on Physint was just starting. Indeed, the legendary developer is working on the concepts by himself right now, making characters and thinking about casting. “It is just the start,” he said.

After a video message of support from Herman Hulst, CEO, Studio Business Group, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Kojima described Physint as the next stage tactical espionage action game. Kojima is of course famous for creating the Metal Gear franchise while at Konami.

The tech underpinning Physint is even more advanced than that powering Kojima’s Death Stranding games and upcoming Xbox Game Studios exclusive OD (whose debut trailer was revealed at the show), he said, because it’s due out later in the future. No release date or even release window was mentioned, but from what Kojima said, it’s OD next for Kojima Productions, then Physint, so it may be some time before we see anything meaningful on the project.

Kojima did tease the main character of the game via the first poster for Physint, below. It doesn’t tell us much, as it’s hard to make out even their face. We don’t know who’s playing the main character, either (expect a casting announcement at some point in the future, Kojima said). We do have the tagline “here comes the feeling,” although who knows what that means at this stage?

Kojima did confirm three actors set to appear in Physint, however, each of whom delivered a video message expressing their excitement. Charlee Fraser, who played Mary Jabassa in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, is in the game, although we don’t know which character she’s playing. Also in the game are Don Lee, who played Gilgamesh in the Marvel movie Eternals, and Japanese actress Minami Hamabe, who played Noriko Ōishi in Godzilla Minus One.

Kojima ended his Physint segment with a shot of Hamabe in CG form, showing off just how realistic the visuals are expected to be. We still don’t know which game engine Kojima Productions is using for Physint.

In May, Kojima said Physint was still “another five or six years” away from release, suggesting a launch in 2030 at the earliest, potentially on PlayStation 6. Kojima told Le Film Francais that his aspirations to direct a movie were on hold at least until he had finished developing his first action espionage game since he very publicly parted ways with Konami in 2015. Hulst announced Physint back in January 2024, but since then, news has been sparse.

That’s all we have for now on Physint. Check out everything announced during the Kojima Productions livestream for more.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.