Stardew Valley‘s 1.6 update is almost done, with developer Eric Barone saying he’s “done adding major new content to it now.” He’s now in the “bug-fixing and polishing phase”. When it does arrive, it’ll be Stardew Valley’s first major update in over three years.
Back in 2011, FromSoftware released a spiritual successor to its 2009 cult classic, Demon’s Souls. This new game, titled Dark Souls, was a tough sell: a punishing, hardcore RPG where players attempt to survive a haunting fantasy hellscape teeming with gruesome monsters that could eviscerate them in seconds. At the time, it was hard to imagine the team’s crushing new creation would become one of gaming’s most revered modern franchises.
However, Dark Souls’ ruthlessly satisfying combat, brutal yet compelling boss encounters, and story-rich world transformed it into a global phenomenon, inspiring an entire genre of challenging RPGs that’s still thriving over a decade later. With FromSoftware’s work on the Dark Souls franchise now wrapped up, we’ve decided to break down every game and expansion in the trilogy, as well as offer new players a recommended starting point.
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Not including remasters or ports, there are three Dark Souls games and six expansions, with every release arriving on home consoles and PC.
For newcomers, picking a place to dive into the franchise is tricky. Some will suggest starting with the original Dark Souls, as it marked the beginning of the franchise and gives you a broad overview of what the series offers.
While Dark Souls 1 is a great place to start, from a gameplay standpoint, we’d recommend diving into Dark Souls 3 first. Although you can expect a steep learning curve at points, Dark Souls 3 is the simplest of the trilogy to pick up and play, with a more linear world to traverse and a series of early-game encounters that help you learn the ropes. It’s also the newest of the three Dark Souls games and, by extension, the smoothest to play.
That being said, if the lore of Dark Souls appeals to you, you’re probably best jumping into the original game first. Dark Souls has a rich world and a deep story that you’ll uncover over time, and while each game largely stands on its own, some aspects of the lore are best experienced chronologically.
These blurbs contain mild spoilers for each game, including characters, settings, and story beats.
Hitting shelves in 2011, FromSoftware followed up its work on Demon’s Souls by releasing a spiritual successor titled Dark Souls. The game took place in the dour realm of Lordran, with players assuming the role of a hollowed warrior known as the Chosen Undead. Awakening in the desolate halls of the Undead Asylum, they’re given a quest: link the First Flame and continue the Age of Fire, preventing Lordran from plunging into darkness.
Escaping the Asylum, the Chosen Undead undertakes an adventure across the realm, battling through the onslaught of monstrosities and corrupted gods that call the haunting locale home. Players had to study their surroundings and create precise character builds in order to navigate its hopeless, punishing world. It demanded a lot from its audience, offering them challenging battles that felt genuinely rewarding to learn and master.
Whether it’s enduring the perilous descent to the poisoned depths of Blighttown or overcoming the towering Ornstein and agile Smough, Dark Souls’ seminal moments and approach to difficult but satisfying gameplay made it an instant classic.
Shortly after the release of the base game, FromSoftware released the first and only major expansion for the original Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss. Taking place during the events of the main campaign, it sees the Chosen Undead venture through a portal that sends them back in time. Arriving in the land of Oolacile, they must face an ancient and powerful new threat.
Alongside several bosses, including arguably the game’s toughest challenge, Manus, Father of the Abyss, Dark Souls: Artortias of the Abyss added a new area to explore and some powerful end-game gear, while also building significantly on the series’ lore.
Three years later, FromSoftware released the second entry in the Dark Souls trilogy, with Dark Souls 2 picking up the story thousands of years later. This time around, a new hollowed warrior known as the Bearer of the Curse takes center stage, journeying to the kingdom of Drangleic to dispel the undead curse afflicting them.
Their quest puts them on the trail of the long-missing King Vendrick, kick starting an adventure to track down Drangleic’s former liege. Dark Souls 2 built off the original Dark Souls’ foundation in a number of ways, implementing changes to the respawn mechanic so enemies no longer return if you’ve killed them multiple times, fully overhauling the humanity system, and making fast travel available from the very beginning of the game.
The first of a three-part DLC slate for Dark Souls 2 known as The Lost Crowns, Crown of the Sunken King follows the Bearer of the Curse as they descend deep below Drangleic. There, they search for the titular Crown of the Sunken King.
The expansion provides an all-new labyrinthine underground area to explore, delivering a gauntlet of poison-inflicting enemies, hidden traps, environmental puzzles, and a handful of tough new bosses.
The second entry in the Lost Crowns expansion trilogy, Crown of the Old Iron King sees the Bearer of the Curse explore a new area known as Brume Tower. Much like the last expansion, the protagonist’s goal is to track down an ancient crown, this time belonging to the titular Old Iron King.
To find the artifact, they’ll have to make their way past the tower’s defenses, battling a range of powerful fire-wielding foes while navigating precarious pathways and going toe-to-toe with another wave of hyper-challenging bosses.
The third and final entry in The Lost Crowns expansion trilogy, Crown of the Ivory King sends players to the icy kingdom of Eleum Loyce. There, they’re tasked with tracking down the final missing crown: the Crown of the Ivory King.
Exploring the ruins amidst a blizzard, players must fend off a range of frozen threats, contending with rival phantoms, hazardous environments, and, of course, a handful of challenging new bosses.
After the release of Bloodborne, FromSoftware returned to the Dark Souls franchise for its final entry: Dark Souls 3. Our story begins as, once again, the First Flame begins to fade, causing a hollowed undead by the title of Ashen One to rise and begin a quest to relink the flame.
To accomplish their mission, they must return the powerful Lords of Cinder to their thrones, launching the Ashen One on a perilous journey across the kingdom of Lothric. Acting as a finale to the series, Dark Souls 3 was the biggest Dark Souls game yet, with grander, more intense boss battles; some of the franchise’s most visually and technically ambitious levels; and faster, more aggressive combat.
The first of two major expansions for Dark Souls 3, Ashes of Ariandel sees the player travel to the Painted World of Ariandel on a quest to fulfill a prophecy. There, they find a frost-covered world filled with danger.
Ashes of Ariandel unleashes a range of new threats on the player, as they explore fallen ruins while finding new gear, battling fierce endgame enemies, and tackling one of Dark Souls 3’s hardest boss fights yet with Sister Friede and Father Ariandel.
The second and final expansion for Dark Souls 3, The Ringed City brings the Dark Souls series to a close. Exploring a distorted world of fallen kingdoms known as the Dreg Heap, players embark on an adventure through this haunting graveyard, setting up a climactic showdown against a corrupted foe.
The Ringed City delivered one final area for Dark Souls veterans to test their mettle, pitting them against brutal, high-level enemies who offered powerful endgame gear and delivered some of the trilogy’s most challenging boss encounters.
As it currently stands, Dark Souls as a franchise is officially complete. Series creator Hidetaka Miyazaki has reiterated that FromSoftware is done with the series multiple times, although told us in an interview back in 2016 that its conclusion “doesn’t necessarily mean [we’re] not going to work on a Dark Souls-like game.”
We saw Miyazaki’s words come to fruition six years later, with FromSoftware releasing a spiritual successor to the series, Elden Ring, in 2022. Last year, we learned that Elden Ring will be receiving a major expansion in the near future, with FromSoftware announcing that an add-on titled The Shadow of the Erdtree is in development.
Callum Williams is a freelance media writer with years of experience as a game critic, news reporter, guides writer and features writer.
1200W power supplies are fairly few and far between, but if you’re planning a truly high-end system with multiple graphics cards – or even multiple PCs! – then this level of power could come in handy. Right now you can pick up a 1200W Super Flower Leadex 80+ Platinum rated power supply for just $160 at Newegg when you use the code ASW4DN23229.
LG’s OLED TVs are brilliant for PC gaming at 4K 120Hz with FreeSync and G-Sync support – and if you want to pick up their premiere 2023 model at a discount, this is the RPS deals post for you. Right now both the desktop-sized 42-inch model and the living-room-size 55-inch LG C3 are 10% off at Amazon UK. After the discount, the 42-inch model is £809, while the 55-inch size is £1084 – great value for the amount of high-end TV you’re getting!
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Update: We’ve given this list a sneaky tidy-up to ensure we’re recommending only the very best stealth games on Nintendo Switch. We’ve also added two brand-new entries — Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and the newly released Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal.
For all the gun-blazing, whip-cracking, all-out action, and mayhem there is to enjoy in video games, sometimes a change of pace is needed. All that one-note violence can get boring, no? Why not eliminate that patrolling guard or spittle-covered demon in a more sophisticated manner; something more understated than a rocket launcher to the face?
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Setting up a base is one of the very first things you’ll do when you’re getting started in Palworld. You’ll be building up your base throughout the game, so getting your location and layout right will save you plenty of headaches in the long run – here’s what we wish we knew starting out!
After placing your Palbox down, you’ll see a large blue circle surrounding it – this is the buildable area for your base. You want this area to be as free as possible of any hills, cliffs, water, or other obstructions. You’ll need a lot of space for the structures and buildings you’ll eventually want to construct, some of which can be pretty large.
As Pals wander around your base diligently working, they have an unfortunate tendency to get stuck and become unable to move, eventually becoming hungry, tired, and unwell. The clearer your base is, the less likely this is to happen!
If you have harvestable resources, like wood, ore, Paldium, and stone, within your base radius, the Pals that you have working at your base can gather them as they work. You’ll need plenty of resources in order to progress, so it’s a good idea to start passively accumulating them as soon as possible.
Ranches are unlocked at level 5 in the Palworld Technology tree. You can assign any Pal with the farming skill to the Ranch, and they’ll drop items specific to their species – Chikipi drops eggs, and Mozzarina drops milk, but the most immediately useful pal to use is Vixy. Vixy drops Pal Spheres and Arrows when assigned to the Ranch, both of which are incredibly useful for catching Pals – you’ll find yourself needing hundreds of them before long.
Pals with the Transporting proficiency will carry dropped or harvested resources to nearby chests for you. To save them wasting time traipsing across the map, place chests near any workstations that output materials. You should also make sure every workstation is reasonably close to a Feed Box so that Pals can take a lunch break without walking too far.
At some point, your base will begin to be targeted by raids, in which groups of Pals or other enemies spawn in and attempt to damage your Pals and structures. If your base is made of flammable materials, there’s a chance Pals with explosive or fire-based attacks could set it alight. Fire spreads incredibly quickly, so you’re likely to lose anything attached to the burning structure.
The stone structure set is unlocked at Level 18!
Jen Rothery is a Senior Editor on the IGN Guides team, primarily covering live service games. In Palworld, she spends most of her time baking cakes.
A bright future.
The gaming industry is going digital. Chants of “it’s easy,” “it uses less plastic,” and “it’s cheaper… sometimes,” fill the streets and, after dark, tempting eShop sales let out their siren song to pull in any weary traveller after a boxed copy with sweet calls of “Oooh, ahh, up to 80% off”.
The times may be a-changing, but within this (potentially) download-only future, there sits a brave group of stewards who wish for a simpler time. A time when games came in boxes and were bought from stores. A time when all of those boxes contained a cartridge and on that cartridge was a full game. A time when those cartridges were made of brightly coloured plastic and looked even more edible than they do now.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Capturing those ‘mons.
Welcome to another edition of What Are You Playing?, where we find out which games we’re going to be chilling out with this weekend.
Before we get into that, though, let’s go over what’s been happening this week. Naturally, there’s been a lot of Palworld discussion, and perhaps the most noteworthy event was when The Pokémon Company itself made a statement regarding the game’s potential infringement on the firm’s property.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Two heads are better than one.
We’re nearing next month’s release of Mario vs. Donkey Kong on the Switch and Nintendo has started to share more footage of the game on its social media channels. The latest clip showcases the game’s “new” co-op mode.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Dungeonborne is an upcoming first person PvPvE dungeon crawler developed in Unreal Engine 5 that thrusts players into a dark fantasy world, where you get to feel every sword swing as you slay monsters with might and magics. Dungeonborne combines dungeon crawling with the realms of extraction and battle royale gameplay to spice things up and create a unique spin on the genre.
Starting February 2nd, you can try Dungeonborne during the game’s open alpha as part of the upcoming Steam Next Fest!
Here are four main reasons why you won’t want to miss it if you’re looking for a fresh dungeon crawler experience.
While Dungeonborne may seem like a traditional dungeon crawler at first, there is more to it than meets the eye. As you venture into the gothic depths solo or in a party with two friends, lethal traps and dark shadows await at every turn. Trust nothing, but seek to utilize everything to your advantage. Look for high ground and ambush your foes, lure them into traps, or even take on the form of a treasure chest and lie in wait for your enemies’ greed to betray them.
Sharp tactical wit, team composition, and terrain understanding are all necessary to secure your treasure as you navigate this treacherous realm. You’ll need to make some hard decisions as you play: Do you escape early and secure your loot, or will you choose to stay behind and seek greater power at the risk of losing it all?
It’s the on-the-go decision making introduced by the extraction mechanic that spices things up in Dungeonborne, combined with the ever-shrinking safe zone that will force you to make tough calls, often in the middle of a fight. But winning isn’t all about being the last one standing. Your main objective is to make it out in one piece with some epic loot you can use later on.
Dungeonborne draws heavily on its RPG inspiration, and there will be plenty of classes for players to master. While there are familiar fantasy archetypes like Fighter, Priest or Rogue, you will also be able to pursue more specialized classes.
Encase your foes in ice as a Cryomancer or rain hellfire on all who oppose when you don the Pyromancer mantle. If you are a fan of necromancy or the occult, Dungeonborne has you covered. tep into the boots of a Death Knight, grasp foes with spectral chains, and drain their very life force.
Dungeonborne’s brutal combat rewards precision. Practice and perfect the core block and parry combat, carefully manage your class abilities, and utilize the flask and potion system to give you the edge in a fight. But beware: he further you venture, the tougher enemies get.
Team composition makes a big difference in Dungeonborne, so choose carefully when you decide whom to adventure with. While Dungeonborne’s open alpha will only feature the human and undead races, more options will arrive as the game nears its launch.
After you’ve snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, it’s time to consolidate your loot and gear up before you head back into the fray. Once players make it back home, they can sell their loot at the in-game auction house or further enhance it. Every piece of loot matters and has its place in the game, deepening buildcrafting and giving you more options.
The gloomy gothic backdrop of Dungeonborne is brought to life in detail thanks to the power of Unreal Engine 5. Immerse yourself in the stereoscopic capital audio that lets you hear every clash of blades, and every creak of a door that betrays your enemy’s position.
Dungeonborne’s open alpha will be playable from February 2nd, and will be part of Steam Next Fest which kicks off on February 5th and ends on February 12th, giving you over a week to try it out for free. Developer Mithril Interactive will take all the player feedback from the open alpha and use it to improve the game in ways that support the community.
For more on Dungeonborne, be sure to check out the official website and the game’s Steam page where you can wishlist the game and jump in as soon as possible. To join the community, visit the official Discord channel or X (Twitter) page.
