Category: Video Games

Xbox Game Pass September 2024 Wave 2 Lineup Announced

Microsoft has announced the Xbox Game Pass September 2024 Wave 2 lineup, taking subscribers up to the end of this month.

Just three games are listed as coming during September’s second wave in Microsoft’s Xbox Wire post, two of which are PC-only strategy games that launch day one on Game Pass, the other a turn-based strategy game released last year.

Wargroove 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC) hits Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on September 19; PC strategy game Frostpunk 2 releases as a day one title straight into Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on September 20; and Ara: History Untold on PC launches straight into Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on September 24.

Wargroove 2 is Chucklefish’s Advance Wars-style strategy sequel released in 2023. IGN’s Wargroove 2 review returned an 8/10. We said: “Wargroove 2 is still one of the best tributes to Advance Wars out there, and bigger than its predecessor in every way, even though otherwise not much has changed.”

Frostpunk 2 is the hotly anticipated city-building survival sequel from 11 But Studios. Check out IGN’s Frostpunk 2 hands-on preview to find out more about what to expect. And Ara: History Untold is Oxide Games’ new turn-based grand strategy Civ-like, published by Xbox Game Studios.

September 2024 Wave 2 is the first Game Pass update from Microsoft’s since its controversial introduction of its new Standard Tier, which does not include a number of first-party games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Starfield, and Diablo 4.

Microsoft announced the revised Game Pass tiers in July and as of September 12 the changes went into effect. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate has risen from $16.99 to $19.99 a month and still includes all the typical benefits, but the Xbox Game Pass Standard tier is quite different from its predecessor.

It replaces Game Pass for Console (though those already subscribed don’t have to upgrade) and includes significantly fewer benefits. Subscribers no longer gain access to day one titles or access to EA Play, Xbox Cloud Gaming, perks, Quests, and discounts on games in the Game Pass library. Microsoft said players would also be denied access to “specific entries to the Game Pass Ultimate library,” and that list has now been revealed to be fairly extensive.

Xbox Game Pass September 2024 Wave 2 Lineup

  • Wargroove 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC) – September 19 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
  • Frostpunk 2 (PC) – September 20 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
  • Ara: History Untold (PC) – September 24 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

None of the three September 2024 Wave 2 games are included in Xbox Game Pass Standard / Game Pass for Console. Game Pass subscribers don’t get the upcoming Starfield expansion, Shattered Space, either upon its September 30 release date. Instead they can save 10%.

Game Pass members do, however, get six hero skins and an instant one-time grant of 30 Mythic prisms to spend on Mythic unlocks in Blizzard’s free-to-play hero shooter Overwatch 2.

Microsoft is heavily rumored to be set to reveal a number of Final Fantasy games coming to Xbox consoles and Game Pass during its Tokyo Game Show 2024 broadcast, which is set for Thursday, September 26 at 7pm JST / 3am Pacific / 6am Eastern / 11am UK. Perhaps September will be fleshed out somewhat following the conclusion of the show.

Microsoft also confirmed the games leaving Game Pass later this month.

Leaving Game Pass September 30:

  • Gotham Knights (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Let’s Build a Zoo (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Loop Hero (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • My Time At Portia (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • PAW Patrol Grand Prix (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Pheonix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season (PC)
  • The Walking Dead: Season Two (PC)
  • Valheim (Cloud, Console, and PC)

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.

I completely missed that ace wizard battle royale Spellbreak had been brought back from the dead

I started playing and enjoying battle royale wizarding sim Spellbreak just in time for Spellbreak to get shut down. Developers Proletariat, Inc announced plans to yank the servers back in August 2022 in the course of being acquired by Activision Blizzard, bringing an end to many happy hours spent skating on conjured ice ramps and hurling boulders around like bunny rabbits. Yes, I am the kind of wizard who hurls a bunny rabbit, if there are no boulders to spare.

Happily, it transpires that Proletariat have resurrected their creation and handed it over to posterity in the shape of a free standalone Community Version, available on Itch.io. You’ll need to host your own server or join another group if you want to play multiplayer, but all the same, this is a lovely gift and one I’m delighted to transmit unto you, the active and efficient Magenauts of Rockus Paperus Shottegonne.

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EA Sports FC 25 Global Release Times Confirmed

EA Sports has confirmed the launch timing for FC 25 across its early access and global release dates on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

FC 25’s popular Companion & Web App launches on September 19, letting fans start their Ultimate Team club on the web, and a refreshed Companion App then launches on September 20. Ultimate Team 24 players get “a little something extra,” EA Sports teased.

If you pre-ordered the Ultimate Edition of FC 25 then you’ll get the early access launch. This kicks off midnight local time on September 20 on console, and from 5am UK time on September 20 on PC. As is standard for EA Sports’ FC series and the FIFA games before it, EA Play members get up to 10 hours of FC 25 via the trial from the early access launch. EA Play Pro (PC only) members, however, get unlimited access.

EA Sports said the early access period includes Team of the Week 1, Rush Objectives, Player of the Month SBCs, Special Evolutions, World Tour, and Squad Foundations releases. You’ll also have the opportunity to earn Season Points in the new FC Season.

The worldwide launch then follows from midnight local time on September 27 on console, and from 5am UK time on September 27 on PC. Check below for all the details.

EA FC 25 early unlock release times for PS5, Xbox Series X and S, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch:

  • Los Angeles: 12am, September 20
  • Austin: 12am, September 20
  • Bogota: 12am, September 20
  • New York: 12am, September 20
  • Brasilia: 12am, September 20
  • London: 12am, September 20
  • Paris: 12am, September 20
  • Cape Town: 12am, September 20
  • Cairo: 12am, September 20
  • Moscow: 12am, September 20
  • Riyadh: 12am, September 20
  • Muscat: 12am, September 20
  • Beijing: 12am, September 20
  • Singapore: 12am, September 20
  • Seoul: 12am, September 20
  • Tokyo: 12am, September 20
  • Sydney: 12am, September 20
  • Auckland: 12am, September 20

EA FC 25 early unlock release times for PC:

  • Los Angeles: 9pm, September 19
  • Austin: 11pm, September 19
  • Bogota: 11pm, September 19
  • New York: 12am, September 20
  • Brasilia: 1am, September 20
  • London: 5am, September 20
  • Paris: 6am, September 20
  • Cape Town: 6am, September 20
  • Cairo: 7am, September 20
  • Moscow: 7am, September 20
  • Riyadh: 7am, September 20
  • Muscat: 8am, September 20
  • Beijing: 12pm, September 20
  • Singapore: 12pm, September 20
  • Seoul: 1pm, September 20
  • Tokyo: 1pm, September 20
  • Sydney: 2pm, September 20
  • Auckland: 4pm, September 20

EA FC 25 global release times for PS5, Xbox Series X and S, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch:

  • Los Angeles: 12am, September 27
  • Austin: 12am, September 27
  • Bogota: 12am, September 27
  • New York: 12am, September 27
  • Brasilia: 12am, September 27
  • London: 12am, September 27
  • Paris: 12am, September 27
  • Cape Town: 12am, September 27
  • Cairo: 12am, September 27
  • Moscow: 12am, September 27
  • Riyadh: 12am, September 27
  • Muscat: 12am, September 27
  • Beijing: 12am, September 27
  • Singapore: 12am, September 27
  • Seoul: 12am, September 27
  • Tokyo: 12am, September 27
  • Sydney: 12am, September 27
  • Auckland: 12am, September 27

EA FC 25 global release times for PC:

  • Los Angeles: 9pm, September 26
  • Austin: 11pm, September 26
  • Bogota: 11pm, September 26
  • New York: 12am, September 27
  • Brasilia: 1am, September 27
  • London: 5am, September 27
  • Paris: 6am, September 27
  • Cape Town: 6am, September 27
  • Cairo: 7am, September 27
  • Moscow: 7am, September 27
  • Riyadh: 7am, September 27
  • Muscat: 8am, September 27
  • Beijing: 12pm, September 27
  • Singapore: 12pm, September 27
  • Seoul: 1pm, September 27
  • Tokyo: 1pm, September 27
  • Sydney: 2pm, September 27
  • Auckland: 4pm, September 27

EA FC 25 has a number of graphics options never before seen in the series, or its predecessor FIFA. The headline is the addition of ray tracing for the first time in either FC or FIFA, the latter of which was EA Sports’ football video game series before the company’s high-profile split from the world football governing body in 2022.

Alongside ray tracing comes a new graphics mode for FC 25, which gives players the choice between Enhanced Visuals or Favour Resolution. Enhanced Visuals features augmented lighting and graphic details in upscaled 4K resolution, whereas Favour Resolution features standard lighting in native 4K. It’s worth noting both graphical options offer 60 frames per second during gameplay to retain responsiveness.

In another first, FC 25 will show time progression during a match. For more, check out IGN’s roundup of all the changes FC 25 makes.

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.

Sony Investigating PlayStation 5 Graphical Issues in Final Fantasy 16 and More Caused by Firmware Update

Sony is investigating PlayStation 5 technical issues in Final Fantasy 16 and more caused by the latest firmware update 24.06-10.00.00.

Myriad users reported issues including entire portions of the screen being overcome with black squares, crashing when loading a save file or fast travelling, and more. Similar bugs are appearing in Ubisoft’s Star Wars Outlaws, Hello Games’ No Man’s Sky, Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding, and more according to users on Reddit.

Do not play FF16 on performance mode what is this 😭
byu/AccomplishedBelt7 inFFXVI

Sony appears aware of the issues, however, and is actively seeking a solution to at least those found in Final Fantasy 16. Square Enix confirmed it was working with the PlayStation maker to address the issues introduced through the firmware update in an X/Twitter post.

“Following the recent release of the PlayStation 5 system update, there have been reports of the game crashing and graphical issues,” Square Enix said. “We are currently working with Sony Interactive Entertainment to investigate, and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused. Please await our further updates.”

Sony has yet to make a statement itself regarding the issues and just how widespread they are, but IGN has reached out for comment. The firmware did bring a handful of intended changes, including a Welcome Hub, Party Share, and more.

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

The next Battlefield is a return to the “peak era” of Battlefields 3 and 4, with a modern setting and smaller headcounts

Having shot up the near-future in Battlefield 2042, DICE and EA are using a modern-day setting with the next instalment of their military FPS series. According to EA studios group general manager and Respawn chief Vince Zampella, the new, currently untitled shooter will be one of those “back to basics” sequels that tries to rebottle the lightning of Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4 – these being the “peak” Battlefield games, in Zampella’s view.

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EA’s Vince Zampella Praises Nintendo As He Teases The Next Battlefield

“We love them as partners”.

Unlike Call of Duty, Nintendo fans have had zero exposure to EA’s Battlefield franchise, with the series mostly focusing on large-scale, ‘AAA’ releases on Sony and Microsoft’s console platforms alongside PC. There’s nothing to firmly suggest that this will change anytime soon, but thanks too a recent IGN inteview with Respawn Entertainment’s Vince Zampella, there may be some hope that the franchise could see a release on Nintendo’s eventual Switch successor.

Now, it’s important to make clear that Zampella does not comment on the ‘Switch 2’ specifically, noting that it “isn’t announced and it doesn’t exist”. However, his praise for Nintendo certainly leaves the door open to some future partnerships when the new hardware finally sees the light of day.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2’s Dreaded ‘Joining Server’ Bug Makes Co-Op Play Much Harder Than It Should Be

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is the most-played Warhammer 40,000 game ever on Steam and has seen over two million players since launch, but there’s one issue that gives players the fear: the dreaded ‘joining server’ bug.

Space Marine 2 inexplicably launched without private PvE lobbies, which forces players who are engaged with the endgame co-op Operations mode to brave its frustrating matchmaking.

It is possible to join a group of two other randoms as a solo player in this three-player co-op mode, and doing so seems to work well enough. Similarly, if you can get together with two friends to create a full three-player group, you’re fine… mostly.

Things break down, though, when you’re trying to play with one other friend, and need another random to fill in the group. My experience doing this has been littered with wasted time and matchmaking woes, with Space Marine 2 stubbornly refusing to add another human player to our group. Instead, we get a random class bot to fill in the role.

Playing Operations mode on the harder difficulties, which you need to do to obtain the rewards that unlock the higher-tier weapons and perks, is almost impossible without three human players of the appropriate level all tearing through the mission. Space Marine 2 can be a brutally difficult game that throws loads of rock hard enemies at you. There’s no room for poor AI here.

My friend and I came up with an awkward solution to this problem this week: have one of us matchmake into a group of randoms and then vote to kick one of the other players. Once that player was kicked, it was a race to join the group and fill the spot before another random was brought in, brute forcing my friend and I into a three-person group. Not ideal, really, but it worked.

Even with this method in hand, there remains a constant fear that the ‘joining server’ bug will ruin all your hard work as victorious Space Marines load back into the Battle Barge hub area. We’ve had occasions where the game has essentially crashed doing this, casting out rewards to the warp in the process. When an Operation can run around 45 minutes, it is soul-destroying to suffer this bug.

Last week, publisher Focus Entertainment said Space Marine 2’s first update would make server improvements and crash fixes. Hopefully it sorts out these matchmaking problems, too.

IGN has reported on the upcoming addition of class matching for co-op, after players found themselves locked in a class standoff ahead of Operations mode missions. Meanwhile, we also have details on what fans can expect from Space Marine 2’s seasonal post-launch content model. Season 2 runs from October until the end of 2024, and includes a new Operations map, a new enemy, a harder difficulty level, a new weapon, and various other improvements. We also have a story on the probable enemy faction for the inevitable Space Marine 3.

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.

Final Fantasy 16 PC Global Release Times Confirmed

Final Fantasy 16 is finally almost here on PC and developer Square Enix has shared exactly when players can start playing the role-playing game.

Square Enix confirmed the launch times for each region in an X/Twitter post, below, across its September 17 release date. Both previously released expansions for Final Fantasy 16, Echoes of the Fallen and The Rising Tide, will be released simultaneously but cost extra.

The RPG has plenty of content on its own, however, as players are thrust into a world where powerful elemental monsters (dare we say summons) live within select vessels known as Dominants, and players, as protagonist Clive Rosfield, must join forces with or take down each and every one.

Final Fantasy 16 PC Release Times

  • Los Angeles – 7am PDT
  • New York – 10am PDT
  • Brasília – 11am BRT
  • London – 3pm BST
  • Berlin – 4pm CEST
  • Hong Kong – 10pm HKT
  • Tokyo – 11pm JST
  • Sydney – 12 midnight AEST (September 18)
  • Wellington – 2am NZST (September 18)

Final Fantasy 16 arrives on PC after lots if conflicting information from Square Enix and a plea from producer Naoki Yoshida asking players not to make offensive mods. The original reveal trailer claimed blatantly the game is “also available on PC,” and while Square Enix mysteriously scrapped this claim soon after, its status as a PlayStation 5 exclusive was brought into question again in November 2022 when an advertisement for the PS5’s DualSense controller said Final Fantasy 16 would only be a “PS5 exclusive for six months.”

Yoshida himself then denied a PC version existed at all. “Nobody said a word about a PC version releasing,” he said, incorrectly. “Why is it like a PC version is releasing six months later? Don’t worry about that, buy a PS5. Sorry, I went overboard. We did our best, so please look forward to it.”

Yoshida then admitted in February 2023 it’s true that “Final Fantasy 16 is a six-month limited time exclusive on the PS5” but “the PC version will not come out in half a year.” This is because the team wouldn’t be able to start development until the PS5 version launched in June that year.

Finally, however, the role-playing game was announced for PC in August 2024, with the aforementioned September 17 release date. This came after Final Fantasy 16 failed to meet the expectations of Square Enix alongside other PlayStation exclusives including Foamstars and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, prompting a shift to an aggressive multiplatform strategy going forward.

Yoshida made clear in August that Square Enix would be doubling down on Xbox releases following this change in strategy, while Final Fantasy 16 director Hiroshi Takai said future games in the franchise would likely come to PC on launch.

In our 9/10 review of the PS5 version, IGN said: “Final Fantasy 16 is certainly a departure from what fans may expect out of a Final Fantasy game, but its excellent story, characters, and world building are right up there with the best the series has to offer.”

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

We Who Are About To Die’s new update has finally given me the excuse I need to cowardly lob some rocks at the heads of seasoned opponents

I am sure gladiator roguelike RPG We Who Are About To Die’s latest update is very nice, and its accompanying 30% celebratory discount even nicer. You can find the full patch notes here, and I’d be interested to hear how significant they are from the more fascina-pilled among you. They mean nothing to me, however, because We Who Are About To Die has been taunting me from my wishlist since it launched in early access a few years back. Well, no more. Throw me to the lions! Oh, this one has a Steam demo in its mouth. Great stuff.

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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.