Ubisoft Massive is almost ready to let PS5 players become a notorious space scoundrel in the first open-world Star Wars game, coming to PS5 on August 30. Crash landing onto the lush yet dangerous moon of Toshara, I spent time as rookie rogue Kay Vess, meeting her little buddy Nix, discovering visual options inspired by the original trilogy, and taking jobs for crime syndicates.
Nix the lovable critter companion
Kay’s furry and all-too-cute partner Nix (“not a pet,” stresses his voice actor, Dee Bradley Baker) has already gained a dedicated and adoring following. Yes, the doe-eyed Merqaal is genuinely helpful, from distracting guards with cuteness (or causing explosions), and picking up weapons, to showing players interactive elements in the environment… but it’s Nix’s little touches that’ll win over fans across the galaxy.
Gain boosters for your speeder and Nix is forced to hang on for dear life, his little tail and hind legs flailing in the air. If you aim Kay’s blaster at him, he’ll impishly mimic being shot and roll over to play dead, causing Kay to chuckle and encourage his performance.
Star Wars at its most vibrant
Outlaws executes open-world Star Wars with flair, delivering a rich and responsive environment that’s lively and joyful to explore. Floating fishing nets ripple in the wind. Broken starship detritus is scattered across lakes, mountains, and moisture farms. And yes, you can pet the… well, animals far more exotic than dogs, and even feed some of the fauna native to Toshara.
Ubisoft Massive has also created discoverable vista points where you can stop and watch beautiful-yet-deadly world go by. The scenic views are striking enough to encourage players to seek them all out.
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Capturing the original trilogy vibe
The Star Wars Outlaws team knows it’s a big deal to set its game between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and has gone the extra parsecs to make it feel authentic to its source material.
To that end, you can select a special 21.9 cinematic mode that creates a widescreen effect and replicates the lenses Lucasfilm used when shooting Episodes 4 to 6. The result is a gritty, nostalgic visual grain with a modern-day high-definition punch.
Variety is the spice of scoundrel life
Whether it’s overhearing the juiciest scoundrel scuttlebutt or hitting up gangland bosses for work, there are plenty of objectives to tackle across Outlaws.
One mission, New Tricks, involves hunting down an ion module for your blaster to disrupt some pesky electrical systems. The quest begins with a hunt for the right merchant, then spirals into an adventure through the bustling city of Mirogana and into the craggy wilds.
Meanwhile, a Hutt task demands you steal a client list, but at any time you can deviate from your current mission to sneak into an outpost, “slice” through encrypted info databases, race speeder bikes, infiltrate mysterious shelters, or help townsfolk repel gunslinging bandits (…or not. You’re an outlaw, after all).
Whether you’re eager to put your blaster to good use or prefer to venture across the Outer Rim, there are plenty of wretched hives of scum and villainy to explore when Star Wars Outlaws lands on PS5 August 30.
It seems impossible that Star Wars Outlaws is the first-ever open-world Star Wars game, but indeed it’s true. With that first comes plenty of expectation, but also lots of excitement – particularly when the studio handling the effort is Massive Entertainment, the talented developers of The Division. Speaking personally, I confess that I don’t often get hyped up for too many open-world games these days outside of those made by Rockstar – as those can be counted on to raise the bar every single time – but I have been plenty hyped for Outlaws. After all, it’s set after Empire Strikes Back, you play as a Han Solo-caliber scoundrel instead of yet another Jedi, and you’ve got an awesome alien creature pet named Nix by your side at all times, who promises to have an impact on gameplay and not just follow our hero Kay Vess around being adorable. In other words, it’s got a lot going for it on paper.
And while it doesn’t seem like Outlaws will do any Rockstar-like bar-raising, after playing a near-final build of it for four hours across two different sections of gameplay, I can say it’s still one of my most anticipated games yet to come out in a busy second half of 2024, and it feels very Star Wars in all the right ways.
Ubisoft has developed a reputation for making “checklist” open-world games; big spaces where you’re given a to-do list of sidequests and activities to complete outside of the golden path. Generally this is not a compliment. But one of the things that impressed me about Star Wars Outlaws is that I didn’t get the sense that I was just checking boxes to inch closer to 100% game completion. Don’t get me wrong – there is plenty to do in Outlaws, but those sidequests and activities feel a lot more organic than they do in the publisher’s other games. For example, while wandering around the town of Mirogana on the planet Toshara, I walked by an arcade mini-game of sorts. I wandered up and played a round. I also stumbled upon a betting stand where I could wager on holographic-horse races. I managed to bet on the right one by sheer good luck, which gave me a chuckle later when I discovered a datapad lying around elsewhere that gave me a strong hint on who to lay my money on. I also encountered a down-on-their-luck gambling addict who begged me for money. I obliged, enabling his vice and leaving with a promise that he’d share in his winnings should he find himself back on Lady Luck’s good side. Naturally, there’s also a cantina, and I even saw a Sabacc table, but I lacked sufficient funds at the time to buy in and play.
Massive has, based on what I’ve seen so far, done an excellent job of setting an authentic Star Wars stage.
All of these optional activities feel very natural on the planets and towns of Outlaws, and that’s true in part because of the excellent art direction that makes every location ooze Star Wars authenticity. From the lighting to the architecture to the NPCs milling about, Massive has, based on what I’ve seen so far, done an excellent job of setting an authentic Star Wars stage.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t add how the story of Star Wars Outlaws only supports and reinforces all of this. Kay is just out to make her way in an unforgiving galaxy, lying or double-crossing as she needs to in order to look out for number one. This plays out in occasional dialogue choices that pop up during cutscenes, adding a bit more player agency to what would otherwise be a mini-Star Wars in-game movie. Will those choices affect how the plot ultimately plays out? I wouldn’t bet on it, but there is a laudable faction reputation system that tracks how much (or little) each of the in-game syndicates likes you. Double-cross the Hutts and you’ll harm your reputation with them, but increase your standing with the Crimson Dawn. Piss off a faction enough and they won’t let you into their territory (meaning you’ll have to sneak in and stay undetected if you want access).
But, you’re probably wondering, what of the moment-to-moment gameplay? In this, Star Wars Outlaws made me happy. This is a stealth game if you want it to be. And if you mess up in that attempt, I honestly like that you don’t have a lightsaber to save you. You’ll have to use Kay’s blaster – which, yes, is upgradeable – to get out of trouble, and that adds to the sense of danger because you’re not a laser sword-wielding demigod. As such, the blaster battles felt like they had meaningful stakes, and the stealth gameplay had a bit of weight to it because I knew that I’d be up against it if I messed up.
Naturally, there’s lockpicking too in the form of data spikes, and I quite like how Outlaws handles it. Each lock has a particular audio signature, and it’s up to you to match that pattern by pressing the right trigger in time with the beeps. The longer you take, the more likely you are to be spotted. Similarly, the hacking minigame is also really fun. Here, you’ll need to line up the right symbols in the right order, which usually takes multiple attempts. Fail too often and you’ll fail the hack entirely. It took me a few tries to wrap my head around, but once I did I really enjoyed the opportunities I got to do some hacking.
The core stealth gameplay is aided by the breakout star of Outlaws, Nix. Yes, Nix is the BD-1 of this game, but compared to Cal Kestis’s droid companion, Kay’s organic pal can do a lot more for you. He can distract an enemy – by getting the bad guy’s attention and adorably playing dead – or flat-out attack them. He can hit buttons or switches too, and retrieve items. This is useful when you’re pinned down in a firefight and a more potent A300 Blaster Rifle is across the room. Nix can fetch it and drop it at your feet without you leaving cover. I even like how Outlaws handles these larger weapons: they can’t be reloaded, meaning that once you fire all the rounds, you just drop the empty gun and go back to your trusty blasters. This is likely a design decision to ensure that Kay never feels overpowered, thus making sure the player is always on their toes in combat.
Finally, you couldn’t have an open-world Star Wars game without ways to get around that expanse, and in Outlaws, Kay has a speeder bike that, as you’d guess, can also be upgraded. You can win credits doing races, or just stop off along the way to your destination at some interesting-looking pit stop. The bike controls well – it almost feels like driving a boat in Waverace 64 in that it’s pretty fast and maneuverable but hardly handles like it’s on rails.
Complementing this is Kay’s ship, the Trailblazer (and yes, it’s upgradeable). I got to do a bit of outer-space ship-to-ship combat, and I had a good time! I’ll need plenty more time in the pilot’s seat to really solidify my opinion here, but flying the Trailblazer made a good first impression.
If there’s one thing that concerned me during my hands-on time, it’s bugs. Outlaws went gold well before the preview event, meaning that if I wasn’t playing the certification build, it was something mighty close. And while yes, there will inevitably be a day-one patch as most games have nowadays, it was still disappointing to see as many annoying little – admittedly mostly visual and harmless – glitches as I did. Hopefully that day-one update will knock out the bulk of them.
Ultimately, though, I had a fantastic time with Star Wars Outlaws. Open-world games tend to be jacks-of-all-trades, masters-of-none, and while I’m not sure Outlaws will master any of its gameplay components, it nonetheless not only does them all very well, but it does so with a convincing Star Wars sheen. And since there’s somehow never been an open-world Star Wars game before, it feels new, fresh, and most welcome. I’m glad this is arguably the first big-name game out this Fall on August 30, because I can’t wait to play more of it.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of both IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our long-form interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.
If you miss Myst, but feel only vertigo and disgust for its recent 3D reinventions, you might find yourself salivating over first-person point-and-clicker Neyyah – a Mystalike or more precisely, Rivenalike from Defy Reality Entertainment and MicroProse, which has just been dated for early access release on 27th August. Real-time movement and exploration? Rotatable polygons? Pfff. These are firmly pre-rendered worlds, just like Grandpappy Atrus used to bake.
Although Star Wars has become a fixture of movie culture over the generations, it’s also left a signature stamp on the world of video games. From LEGO spin-offs and NES movie adaptations to pod-racing simulators, it’s hard to talk to someone about games they loved as a kid without the words Star Wars cropping up in there somewhere.
And as the series has grown into a powerhouse in the gaming world, so too have video games become a key part of the Star Wars universe as a whole. In recent years, we’ve seen more and more video games become official parts of the franchise’s canon timeline, whether that’s Cal Kestis’ adventures through a post-Order-66 world in the Star Wars Jedi series or Iden Versio’s transformation from Empire trooper to Resistance hero in 2017’s Star Wars Battlefront 2.
So, for those looking to catch up with the video-game-exclusive chapters of the Star Wars history books, let’s take a look at all of the canon Star Wars games in chronological order.
Considering Star Wars has been making its way to video game consoles for over four decades at this point, there are a lot of Star Wars games spread across the history of the series. To be specific, there are well over 100 Star Wars games in total, including everything from first-person shooters and tactical strategy games to dance titles and even educational point-and-click adventures.
That’s a lot of games, although only a very small selection are part of the series’ official storyline. Since Disney wiped the extended universe from the canon, there are now eight games canonto the timeline of the series. Only one of these games won’t feature on our chronological list, and that’s Star Wars: Uprising. Although the mobile RPG was an official continuation of the Star Wars story, it was closed down back in 2016 due to low player counts and is no longer available.
We also haven’t included any of the Star Wars web browser games or titles that act as retellings of the events of the main story, such as the Star Wars Journeys series.
All Canon Star Wars Games in Chronological Order
1. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
The first notch on the official canon timeline, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is set half a decade after the events of Star Wars: Revenge of The Sith, and follows a survivor of the Order 66 Jedi purge.
After years of hiding from the Empire and their ruthless Jedi-hunting soldiers, the Inquisitors, Fallen Order’s story sees former padawan Cal Kestis rekindle with the force after his powers are discovered, sending him on a galaxy-wide adventure in the hopes of rebuilding the Jedi order. Along the way, he’s pursued by the merciless Second Sister; a powerful Sith Inquisitor determined to hunt Cal down and put a stop to his plans.
Fallen Order takes heavy inspiration from the soulslike genre, with players exploring iconic and all-new planets while taking part in frantic, fast-paced lightsaber duels and building their arsenal of force powers. It was the beginning of a franchise for developer Respawn Entertainment, who went on to make a sequel four years later. Speaking of…
2. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
The official sequel to Fallen Order, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is set five years after the events of the previous game. Now an older and more wizened Jedi Knight, we pick up Cal’s story as he searches for a place to hide from the Empire and raise a new crop of Force sensitive warriors. However, after discovering a powerful Jedi who served during the High Republic era, Cal quickly becomes embroiled in a new battle which tests his abilities and connection to the Jedi teachings.
Much like its predecessor, Survivor focuses heavily on soulslike combat spread across several explorable planets, taking players to new locations alongside a few fan favorites. All the while they’ll get to test their mettle with brand new fighting stances, allowing them to duel-wield a saber and a blaster, or channel Kylo Ren, and carve through their foes with a powerful crossguard lightsaber.
3. Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series
Set after Revenge of the Sith and before Rogue One, Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series takes place over three episodes and follows a nameless smuggler who becomes entangled in a mysterious plot tied to Darth Vader’s past.
After their ship is pulled out of hyperspace by the Empire, the smuggler is forced to explore Vader’s castle on Mustafar, where they learn about a mystical artifact with the power to conquer death. Vader Immortal aimed to grant players the childhood dream of wielding a lightsaber with their own hands, planting them in the world of Star Wars via a VR headset and fully immersing them in the Jedi experience.
4. Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (2017)
Although Star Wars: Battlefront 2’s multiplayer takes place across the various eras of Star Wars history, the story mode begins just after the events of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. It follows Iden Versio: the commander of an Imperial squadron known as Inferno Squad. Spanning thirty years, it follows Versio and her allies’ journey, from the destruction of the Second Death Star all the way to the climax of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Along the way, she meets various iconic characters and explores some of Star Wars’ most famous battlegrounds, including Bespin, Endor and Naboo. In-game, players can expect plenty of third and first-person firefights, battling across lovingly recreated maps while wielding blasters, flying ships and even picking up a lightsaber as one of the game’s many hero characters.
5. Star Wars: Squadrons
The next notch on the timeline belongs to Star Wars: Squadrons; EA’s space-fighting spin-off. Strapping players into an array of iconic starships, they’ll engage in huge battles across the vast reaches of the galaxy, getting into intense dog fights from behind the controls of X-Wings, Tie Fighters and more.
Although the beginning of the story takes place during the events of A New Hope, the bulk of Squadrons’ campaign is set after the Return of the Jedi, with players switching between the roles of a Resistance and Empire pilot.
Shifting back and forth between both perspectives, it tells the story of a secret Rebel project codenamed Starhawk, which poses a major threat to the Empire. Intending to prevent its completion, the Empire rushes to stop the plans, leading to plenty of all-out, space-based skirmishes.
6. Star Wars: Hunters
Hitting shelves in 2024, Star Wars: Hunters is a free-to-play multiplayer arena shooter set after the events of Return of the Jedi. It sees players pick one of several heroes and team up with friends, taking on rival teams in fast-paced combat.
Like most hero-based shooters, players can dive into a large roster of characters each with their own unique weapons and abilities, with the list featuring everything from droid Jedis and Wookie berserkers to Mon Calamari technicians and even a Jawa tag team.
7. Star Wars: Droid Repair Bay
Set during the events of The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Droid Repair Bay is an entirely free VR experience that tasks players with repairing BB-8 and a series of other droids. They’ll have to remove and replace faulty parts, tweak circuits and ensure the droids are ready for field deployment. Droid Repair Bay was a tie-in with the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, with players cast as a mechanic on the Raddus space station shortly before its battle with the Supremacy dreadnought during the events of the film.
8. Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge
The final slot on the timeline comes via Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge. Set between the events of The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, Galaxy’s Edge is a VR experience where players step into the shoes of a nameless droid mechanic and explore the planet of Batuu: the same setting as Disneyland Park’s Star-Wars-themed attraction.
After crash-landing on Batuu to evade smugglers that boarded your ship, Galaxy’s Edge has you shooting your way through First Order soldiers and Guavian criminals while solving puzzles and delving deeper into the planet’s various mysteries. It eventually got an expansion called The Last Call, which allowed players to train as a Jedi and suit up as the legendary assassin droid, IG-88.
All Canon Star Wars Games in Release Order
Star Wars Uprising (2015)
Star Wars Battlefront 2 (2017)
Star Wars: Droid Repair Bay (2017)
Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series (2019)
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019)
Star Wars: Squadrons (2020)
Star Wars: Tales From The Galaxy’s Edge (2020)
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (2023)
Star Wars: Hunters (2024)
What’s Next for Star Wars Video Games?
Although the current list of canon video games in the Star Wars universe is relatively small, over the next few years, it appears to be growing significantly. On August 30, Ubisoft is set to add another major entry to the franchise in Star Wars: Outlaws. An open-world RPG casting players as underworld thief Kay Vess, it promises expansive worlds to explore and a new canon story, featuring some returning Star Wars characters like Jabba the Hutt and Qi’ra.
The theme for Freedom’s Flame is, predictably, burn damage and survivability, with new weapons, armor, emotes, capes, and skins all set to hit the game next week, Mitch Ayre, Junior Community Manager at developer Arrowhead Games Studios, said in a post on the PlayStation Blog.
As with previous Premium Warbonds, expect Freedom’s Flame to cost 1,000 Super Credits. While you can earn Super Credits from gameplay and the warbond itself, you can also buy them for real-world money. Via the in-game shop, 1,000 Super Credits costs $9.99. Premium warbonds do not expire, so you can work your way through them at your own pace safe in the knowledge their items will remain available.
Here’s everything included in Helldivers 2’s Premium Warbond, Freedom’s Flame
Firepower
Primary:
SG-451 Cookout
Burn, baby, burn! A pump action shotgun that unleashes a burst of incendiary phosphorus pellets at your helpless enemies.
FLAM-66 Torcher
A lightweight flamethrower shooting pressurized fuel through a nozzle into a roaring, open flame. Sounds safe. It isn’t. Watch where you’re standing.
Secondary:
P-72 Crisper
A flamethrower that fits in your pocket for the Helldiver on the go! What will those guys think of next? This lovely compact handgun projects a jet of freedom flames over short distances.
Booster:
Fiery Drop – Firebomb Hellpods
Scorch the earth (and anything else) below as you touch down with attitude and ignite the dropsite.
Armor:
I-09 Heatseeker
Proudly display the burnished blood-red plates that were forged in righteous fire, like the heroes they were wrought to protect — a true vision of democracy.
I-102 Draconaught
Ah, there’s nothing quite like those satisfying screeches as the enemies of freedom burn. Enjoy it all in this 14-cm sheathed silica fiber foam armor with an exclusive tube-to-ear feature.
Armor Passive
Inflammable! Enjoy 75% damage resistance to fire as you run head-first into danger like the unstoppable legend your mum said you’d be.
Title: Fire Safety Officer
You can now call yourself a Fire Safety Officer. Doesn’t come with a certificate.
Skin: Safety Orange
Repaint your Shuttle, Hellpod, and Exosuit in striking Safety Orange.
Capes & Cards
Purifying Eclipse
A heartfelt tribute to the Liberation of Choepessa IV in the First Galactic War, in which so much orbital ordnance was detonated that its sun was occluded by ash for an entire lunar cycle.
The Breach
The final mission of the 361st Freedom’s Flame saw this storied unit deploy into the heart of a Supervolcano in a mission of heroic sacrifice. Triggering a huge eruption, this act of incredible bravery wiped out a massive Terminid swarm. As documented in the bestselling graphic novel ‘The Breach,’ it is available at all good bookshops on Super Earth.
Emotes
Big Stretch, Deep Reflection, and Thoracic Collision Exultation Maneuver Co-emote. If you’re going to win. Win in style.
Freedom’s Flame is set to arrive two days after the Escalation of Freedom update, Helldivers 2’s biggest so far. This update, due out August 6, adds new missions, objectives, enemies, planets, and even a new difficulty mode.
Helldivers 2’s explosive launch across PC and PlayStation 5 in February saw it become the fastest-selling PlayStation game of all time, with an incredible 12 million copies sold in 12 weeks. IGN’s Helldivers 2 review returned a 9/10. We said: “Helldivers 2’s combat feels fantastic, its missions stay fresh and interesting, and its smart progression system doesn’t nickel and dime you.”
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.
After being teased earlier this year, Good Smile Company has finally given us a proper look at the upcoming Tears of the Kingdom Ganondorf figma and it’s a beauty.
Set to release in Q4 2025, the highly-detailed figure retails for $84.99 / €104 (or your regional equivalent) and pre-orders are now live from both the North American and European Good Smile websites.
Well, Helldivers, we’re about to spark a galactic-scale inferno. Your new Premium Warbond is deploying to all active patriots on 8 August – codename Freedom’s Flame.*
Incinerate everything standing in your path with new weaponry almost too hot to handle; survive the heat of battle with lifesaving armor; and burn brightly across the cosmos with fresh emotes, capes, and skins.
Right now, swarms of disgusting bugs and packs of mechanized monstrosities are invading innocent worlds.
Stop them… destroy them… cremate them.
Let’s cook, Helldivers. Light it up in the name of liberty!
Firepower
Primary:
SG-451 Cookout Burn, baby, burn! A pump action shotgun that unleashes a burst of incendiary phosphorus pellets at your helpless enemies.
FLAM-66 Torcher A lightweight flamethrower shooting pressurized fuel through a nozzle into a roaring, open flame. Sounds safe. It isn’t. Watch where you’re standing.
Secondary:
P-72 Crisper A flamethrower that fits in your pocket for the Helldiver on the go! What will those guys think of next? This lovely compact handgun projects a jet of freedom flames over short distances.
Booster:
Fiery Drop – Firebomb Hellpods Scorch the earth (and anything else) below as you touch down with attitude and ignite the dropsite.
Armor:
I-09 Heatseeker Proudly display the burnished blood-red plates that were forged in righteous fire, like the heroes they were wrought to protect — a true vision of democracy.
I-102 Draconaught Ah, there’s nothing quite like those satisfying screeches as the enemies of freedom burn. Enjoy it all in this 14-cm sheathed silica fiber foam armor with an exclusive tube-to-ear feature.
Armor Passive Inflammable! Enjoy 75% damage resistance to fire as you run head-first into danger like the unstoppable legend your mum said you’d be.
Title: Fire Safety Officer You can now call yourself a Fire Safety Officer. Doesn’t come with a certificate.
Skin: Safety Orange Repaint your Shuttle, Hellpod, and Exosuit in striking Safety Orange.
Capes & Cards
Purifying Eclipse A heartfelt tribute to the Liberation of Choepessa IV in the First Galactic War, in which so much orbital ordnance was detonated that its sun was occluded by ash for an entire lunar cycle.
The Breach The final mission of the 361st Freedom’s Flame saw this storied unit deploy into the heart of a Supervolcano in a mission of heroic sacrifice. Triggering a huge eruption, this act of incredible bravery wiped out a massive Terminid swarm. As documented in the bestselling graphic novel ‘The Breach,’ it is available at all good book shops on Super Earth.
Emotes
Big Stretch, Deep Reflection, and Thoracic Collision Exultation Manoeuvre Co-emote. If you’re going to win. Win in style.
Freedom’s Flame is rolling out to your Destroyer’s Acquisitions panel on 8August.
So ramp up the temperature to fry up some tasty justice, served with a side order of delicious grilled democracy. Tonight, we dine – and dive – in hell.
See you planetside.
*Requires base game, paid purchase of Super Credits, and game progression to unlock. PSN account required.
Based on the Loyal Three and their Moochi-feeding mythical master, Pecharunt, the Shrouded Fable set features some key players of the Pokémon Scarlet & Violet DLC: Hidden Treasures of Area Zero, amongst new additions. It’s a packed set, with Kingdra ex also making a royal splash in the expansion.
As night falls, Pecharunt ex emerges, commanding the Loyal Three—Okidogi ex, Munkidori ex, and Fezandipiti ex—in their evil mission. Meanwhile, Revavroom ex lights up the battlefield as a Lightning type through Terastallization.
Here’s a firsthand look at our highlights from the Elite Trainer Box, Kingambit Illustration Collection, Kingdra ex-Special Illustration Collection, and some standout cards from Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet—Shrouded Fable.
Shrouded Fable Elite Trainer Box Preview
The Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet—Shrouded Fable Elite Trainer Box is an absolute must-have if you’re a dedicated trainer. Everything is neatly organized in a collector’s box with four dividers, making storing and transporting your collection easy. Plus, a Pokémon Trading Card Game Live code card for the set is included for digital pack openings. Still, nothing beats ripping open the included boosters!
Inside, you can find nine Shrouded Fable boosters, all bursting with diverse cards to enhance your deck. This is alongside a foil promo card featuring Pecharunt, a powerful addition to your Dark-type deck and a collector’s gem. There’s also 65 card sleeves centered around Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti, all rocking a cool purple and green metallic design, perfect for a new deck build.
Shrouded Fable Elite Trainer Box – What’s In The Box?
Nine Shrouded Fable booster packs
Full-art foil promo card featuring Pecharunt
65 card sleeves featuring the Loyal Three
45 Pokémon TCG Energy cards
A player’s guide to the expansion
Six damage-counter dice and a competition-legal coin-flip die.
Two plastic condition markers
Kingambit Illustration Collection Preview
The Kingambit Illustration Collection looks stunning! The titled stage two card is hands down the best card art out of the big boxes in Shrouded Fable in our opinion. Kingambit commands respect and overcomes all challengers. This collection is perfect for those looking to strike, slash, and take command in their battles.
The promo card Kingambit we’ve found inside showcases the big blade Pokémon in a menacing classical painting style, alongside foil cards featuring Pawniard and Bisharp completing Kingambit evolution chain for a cool Steel type playset straight out of the box! There’s also four Shrouded Fable boosters, each a chance to find powerful and rare cards, and codes for Pokémon TCG Live.
Kingambit Illustration Collection – What’s In The Box?
The Kingdra ex-Special Illustration Collection is another fantastic addition that we love. This collection adds artistic flair to your deck while strengthening strategy with bench-damaging cards, making it a must-have for collectors.
Inside you’ll find stunning classic Japanese print artwork and powerful gameplay features from the Kingdra ex promo card, another full playset line out of the box with foil cards featuring Horsea and Seadra, codes for Pokémon TCG Live, alongside a set of five Shrouded Fable boosters. It’s nice to see those included as well.
Kingdra ex-Special Illustration Collection – What’s In The Box?
1 full-art foil promo card featuring Kingdra ex
2 foil cards featuring Horsea and Seadra
5 Shrouded Fable booster packs
A code card for Pokémon TCG Live
Our Favorites Pulls From Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet—Shrouded Fable
Kingambit – Illustration Rare
Stats:
Type: Dark
HP: 180
Attacks:
[D] Dark Slice (50 damage)
[D][C][C] Night Slash (90 damage): Switch this Pokémon with one of your Benched Pokémon.
Rarity: Kingambit Illustration Rare is a literal Pocket Monster. With amazing-looking artwork and two devastating attacks, this card will be very sought after by both players and collectors!
How to Play: Once a player’s Pokémon has put at least 4 damage counters on an opponent’s Bench and active Pokémon, it’s time to bring Kingambit in. Even if there are one or two Pokémon left over under 140HP, Massive Rend will one-shot them.
Fezandipiti – Illustration Rare
Stats:
Type: Psychic
HP: 120
Attacks:
Ability: Adrena Pheromone – If this Pokémon has any [D] attached and is damaged by an attack, flip a coin. If heads, prevent that damage.
[P] Energy Feather (30 X damage): This attack does 30 damage for each Energy attached to this Pokémon.
Rarity: As an Illustration Rare, Fezandipiti is rare, and it is very playable in dark decks. Expect this one to attract buyers with cash on the hip!
How to Play: Fezandipiti offers a superb blend of offense and defense, making it invaluable in any dark deck. Start stacking Energy on this Pokémon as soon as it hits the Bench, bringing it in to clear out any hush HP active Pokémon with Switch or sacrificing energy for retreating. Make sure to have some Energy Retrievals on hand, just in case!
Pecharunt – Illustration Rare
Stats:
Type: Dark
HP: 80
Attacks:
Ability: Toxic Subjugation: As long as this Pokémon is in the Active Spot, put 5 more damage counters on your opponent’s Poisoned Pokémon during Pokémon Checkup.
[D][C] Poison Chain (10 damage) Your opponent’s Active Pokémon is now Poisoned. During your opponent’s next turn, that Pokémon can’t retreat.
Rarity: Although it can be found easily in Shrouded Fable Elite Trainer Boxes, Pecharunt’s ability is very powerful and can be used from the Bench. When in play, this Pokémon can cause 7 damage counters per Pokémon checkup, so there is no doubt this card will be seen in players’ decks quickly.
How to Play: Pecharunt is a fantastic Poisoner and can slow an opponent’s game from the Bench. Ideally, you should use another Pokémon to poison opponents and then use Pecharunt’s ability to enhance the poison. Using it alongside Garbador’s “Poisonous Puddle” ability from Rebel Clash would be a fantastic combination from a player’s Bench, allowing an active Pokémon to clean up!
Pecharunt EX
Stats:
Type: Psychic
HP: 190
Attacks:
Ability: Controlling Chains: Once during your turn, you may switch 1 of your Benched [D] Pokémon, except any Pecharunt ex, with your Active Pokémon. If you do, your new Active Pokémon is now Poisoned. You can’t use more than 1
Controlling Chains Ability each turn.
[D][D] Irritating Burst: 60x damage. This attack does 60 damage for each Prize card your opponent has taken.
Rarity: Pecharunt EX is a rare and powerful card, although not as much as its full-art variant. It’s also extremely playable, so it’s likely to be in high demand!
How to Play: Using Pecharunt EX alongside any Loyal Three EX is a winning combination and allows for switching of Dark types once a turn with no retreat cost. In our opinion, this can really slow down opponents, saving Pecharunt EX when you are low on Prize Cards to devastate an opponent’s active Pokémon.
Where to Preorder Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet—Shrouded Fable
Shrouded Fable is busting out all of the usual box sets and booster bundles, this time centered around the Loyal Three of Kitakami, Okidogi, Munkidori and Fezandipiti.
They’ll all be getting EX cards alongside the malicious Pecharunt, looking to shove its cursed Moochi treats into the face of any human or Pokémon it can. Here are all the details you need to secure the your preorders for Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet—Shrouded Fable, releasing on August 8.
We’re always watching the latest Pokémon deals here on IGN, not to mention giving our readers early previews of upcoming sets such as Twilight Masquerade. Stick with IGN for everything Pokémon TCG for the latest.
Christian Wait is a UK-based freelancer for IGN, you can follow him @ChrisReggieWait on Twitter/X.
Elden Ring developer FromSoftware has released update 1.13 for the game following a period of server maintenance across all platforms.
This second post-Shadow of the Erdtree patch, live now on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and S, follows early July’s 1.12.3 update, which tweaked the Golden Hippopotamus fight, among other things.
Publisher Bandia Namco released the 1.13 patch notes, and there are a few changes worth highlighting. For example, fans are getting excited about this quality-of-life change:
“Changed the default selection of the OK / CANCEL prompt that shows up when using the ‘Spectral Steed Whistle’ while the spectral steed is dead. The default selection position is now OK.”
However, localisation staff removed from the credits are still yet to be added in. The patch notes say:
“In update 1.12, an error was included in the credits of the game. This issue will be corrected in the next update.”
IGN’s Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree review returned a 10/10. We said: “Like the base game did before it, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree raises the bar for single-player DLC expansions. It takes everything that made the base game such a landmark RPG, condenses it into a relatively compact 20-25 hour campaign, and provides fantastic new challenges for heavily invested fans to chew on.”
Elden Ring update 1.13 patch notes:
PvP-exclusive balance adjustments
Equipment
Increased poise damage of normal attacks for the following weapon types: Light Great Swords / Backhand Blades / Hand-to-Hand Arts / Beast Claws
Increased poise damage of dual wield attacks for the following weapon types: Straight Swords / Thrusting Swords / Curved Swords / Katanas / Spears / Whips / Fists / Claws
Increased poise damage of the Claws of Night throwing attacks.
Decreased the backstep invulnerability window when the Fine Crucible Feather Talisman or the Talisman of All Crucibles are equipped.
Skills
Savage Lion’s Claw
The second hit of the follow-up attack is now easier to land.
Decreased damage animation of the first attack against other players.
Raging Beast
Decreased invulnerability window against other players’ attacks.
Blind Spot
Decreased invulnerability window against other players’ attacks.
Palm Blast
Decreased poise amount generated when charging this skill.
Spell and Incantations
Miriam’s Vanishing
Decreased invulnerability window against other players’ attacks.
Knight’s Lightning Spear
Increased attack power of the initial lightning spear.
Decreased attack power of the spears launched after the first one.
Decreased poise damage of all spears generated by this spell.
General balance adjustments
Increased damage animation of the Light Greatsword charge attacks against enemies (other than players).
Increased the stats & status of the following NPCs that can be summoned in some areas:
Increased attack power and poise damage of the first attack.
Swift Slash
Reduced movement distance when using this skill
Extended recovery time.
Overhead Stance
Increased attack power against enemies (other than players).
Aspects of the Crucible: Wings
Increased attack power.
Increased directional control, as well as amount of poised generated when using this skill.
Lightspeed Slash
The additional light attacks are now affected by the attack power and ability scaling of the weapon.
Rancor Slash
Increased attack power of the vengeful spirits.
Increased stamina damage against guarding enemies.
Revenger’s Blade
Increased directional control for follow up attacks after a strong attack.
Horn Calling
Increased attack power against enemies (other than players).
Horn Calling: Storm
Increased attack power against enemies (other than players).
Weed Cutter
Increased the speed of attacks.
Romina’s Purification
Increased poise value when using this skill.
Red Bear Hunt
Increased attack power.
Increased poise value when using this skill.
Rancor Shot
Decreased status buildup generation when used with Arrows that have status effects.
Repeating Fire
Adjusted attack power to compensate for increase in weapon damage
Feeble Lord’s Frenzied Flame
Reduced Frenzy status effect buildup against enemies.
Revenge of the Night
Increased poise damage and attack power when this skill is used immediately after guarding against an enemy attack.
Spell
Glintblade Trio
Increased attack power.
Blades of Stone
Adjusted attack power of the first, second and third charge attacks.
Increased attack power of the non-charged attack.
Increased attack power of the first hit of the charged attack, and reduced attack power of the second and third hits.
Increased attack range and attack speed.
Glintstone Nail
Increased attack power and improved enemy tracking.
Glintstone Nails
Increased attack power and improved enemy tracking.
Impenetrable Thorns
All generated Impenetrable Thorns will now track enemies.
Decreased attack power and poise damage.
Decreased the Hemorrhage status buildup and stamina damage against guarding enemies.
Rings of Spectral Light
Increased attack power and Frostbite status buildup.
Vortex of Putrescence
Increased attack power and Frostbite status buildup.
Incantation
Minor Erdtree
Increased HP recovery amount.
Land of Shadow
Improved enemy tracking.
Spira
Increased attack speed.
Watchful Spirit
Improved enemy tracking.
Divine Beast Tornado
Increased attack power.
Enemies hit by the tornado will now be launched upwards.
The tornado will be less likely to disappear due to collision with the terrain.
Rain of Fire
Increased attack power.
Reduced the interval between each hit.
Roar of Rugalea
Increased poise damage and attack power.
Furious Blade of Ansbach
Increased attack power.
Rotten Butterflies
Increased Scarlet Rot status buildup.
Reduced the interval between damage ticks.
Increased attack range.
Ash
Wandering Noble
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Noble Sorcerer
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Nomad Ashes
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Putrid Corse
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Skeletal Militiaman
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Skeletal Bandit
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Albinauric
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Winged Misbegotten
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Demi-Human
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Clayman
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Oracle Envoys
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Man-Fly
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Lone Wolf Ashes
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Rotten Stray Ashes
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Giant Rat Ashes
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Warhawk
Increased HP, physical attack power and Fire attack power.
Increased Stance status.
Land Squirt
Increased HP.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Spirit jellyfish
Increased HP, physical attack power and poison status ailment buildup on enemies.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Spider Scorpion
Increased physical attack power, poison status ailment buildup on enemies and damage negation except for strike and fire attributes.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Fingercreeper
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Fanged Imp
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Bigmouth Imp
Increased HP and Fire attack power.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Gravebird
Increased HP and magic attack power.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Soldjar of Fortune
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Archers
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Greatshield Soldiers
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Page
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Vulgar Militia
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Marionette Soldier
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Avionette Soldier
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Kaiden Mercenary
Increased HP and physical attack power.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Mad Pumpkin Head
Increased physical attack power.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Fire Monks
Increased HP and Fire attack power.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Ancestral Follower
Increased physical attack power.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Horned Warrior
Increased HP and damage negation except for pierce attacks.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Azula Beastman
Increased HP and lightning attack power.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Man-Serpent
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Crystalian
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Increased physical attack power.
Kindred of Rot
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Bloodfiend Hexer’s
Increased hemorrhage status ailment buildup on enemies.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Glintstone sorcerer
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Twinsage Sorcerer
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Inquisitor
Increased HP.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Godrick Soldier
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Raya Lucaria Soldier
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Leyndell Soldier
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Radahn Soldier
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Haligtree Soldier
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Mausoleum Soldier
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Messmer Soldier
Increased Hp and physical attack power.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Stormhawk Deenh
Increased HP and physical attack power.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Increased duration of effect to increase the attack power given to allies.
Banished Knight Oleg
Increased physical attack power and damage negation against physical attacks.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Banished Knight Engval
Increased physical attack power and damage negation against physical attacks.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Bloodhound Knight Floh
Increased HP, physical attack power and damage negation against physical attacks.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Black Knight Captain Huw
Increased physical attack power and damage negation against physical attacks.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Black Knight Commander Andreas
Increased damage negation and guard boost against Holy and Physical attacks.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Fire Knight Hilde
Increased Fire attack power.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Fire Knight Queelign
Increased Vigor and Faith.
Swordhand of Night Jolán
Increased Vigor and Dexterity.
Jolán and Anna
Increased Vigor and Dexterity.
Battlemage Hugues
Increased physical attack power and magic attack power.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Latenna the Albinauric
Increased HP, physical attack power, and magic attack power.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Perfumer Tricia
Increased HP.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Depraved Perfumer Carmaan
Increased fire attack power.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Omenkiller Rollo
Increased HP, physical attack power, and Fire attack power.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Blackflame Monk Amon
Increased HP and Fire attack power.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Curseblade Meera
Increased HP and physical attack power.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Demi-Human Swordsman Yosh
Increased HP, physical attack power, and magic attack power.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Ancient Dragon Knight Kristoff
Increased Lightning attack power and damage negation against Physical, Lightning, and Holy Attack affinities.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Redmane Knight Ogha
Increased physical attack power and damage negation against Physical and Fire attack affinities.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Lhutel the Headless
Increased physical attack power and damage negation against physical attacks.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Cleanrot Knight Finlay
Increased physical attack power and damage negation against Physical, Magic, and Holy Attack affinities.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Black Knife Tiche
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Divine Bird Warrior Ornis
Increased HP and damage negation against Physical attacks except Pierce attacks.
Will no longer stagger as easily.
Ancient Dragon Florissax
Increased Arcane.
Increased damage negation against all affinities.
Increased Skills and Incantations usage rate.
Increased the speed and poise values during some attacks.
Finger Maiden Therolina Puppet
Increased Vigor and Faith.
Jarwight Puppet
Increased Vigor.
Dolores the Sleeping Arrow Puppet
Increased Vigor.
Nepheli Loux Puppet
Increased Vigor and Strength.
Dung Eater Puppet
Increased Vigor.
Nightmaiden & Swordstress
Increased HP and physical attack power.
Bug Fixes
Changed the default selection of the OK / CANCEL prompt that shows up when using the “Spectral Steed Whistle” while the spectral steed is dead. The default selection position is now OK.
Adjusted the placement of NPC summon signs in certain boss fight areas.
Changed the NPC summon signs in certain boss fights to allow the user to summon NPCs simply by pressing the action button once.
Fixed a bug where the damage of some normal attacks of the Dark Moon Greatsword were lower than intended.
Fixed the physical attack attribute menu display of the “Warpick” weapon.
Fixed a bug where some attacks of the “Swift Spear” weapon were different than expected in terms of power, damage motion and hitbox generation timing.
Fixed a bug that prevented the “Twinblade Talisman” from affecting the Perfume Bottles weapon type when equipped and used in the left hand.
Fixed a bug where the physical attack attributes of some attacks of the Thrusting Shields weapon type were different than expected.
Fixed a bug that allowed the use of Arrows / Great Arrows / Bolts / Great Bolts that should not be usable for the following weapon types: Light Bows / Long Bows / Greatbows / Crossbows / Ballistas
Fixed a bug where the effect of increasing the power of the Incantation “Light of Miquella” of the “Circlet of Light” helmet was not applied correctly.
Fixed a bug that caused FP consumption when using the “Unending Dance” Skill while not meeting the ability requirements of the weapon “Dancing Blade of Ranah”.
Fixed a bug where the physical attack attribute of some attacks of the “Deadly Dance” Skill was different than expected.
Fixed a bug where the physical attack attribute of the “Scattershot Throw” Skill of the “Claws of Night” weapon was different than expected.
Fixed a bug where the following Skills did not change correctly when performed with or without FP.
Dynastic Sickleplay / Raging Beast / Repeating Crossbow Fire
Fixed a bug where a different Rage Art was sometimes performed when following up with a strong attack after using the “Raging Beast” and “Dynasty Sickleplay” Skills.
Fixed a bug that caused certain Skills to perform differently than expected under certain circumstances.
Fixed a bug that prevented some Spells / Incantations that can be used in the air from being used in the air under some conditions.
Fixed a bug that caused the “Golden Arcs” Incantation to generate attacks slower when cast with the left hand.
Fixed a bug where the “Rain of Fire” Incantation sometimes did not hit enemies.
Fixed a bug where the “Furious Blade of Ansbach” Incantation did not apply Hemorrhage status build up.
Fixed a bug where under some circumstances, the move distance when casting some Spells / Incantations was different than expected.
Fixed a bug that sometimes interrupted the cast of the “Roar of Rugalea” Incantation.
Fixed a bug where the “Cherishing Fingers” magic attack sometimes did not hit.
Fixed a bug in the behavior of the Mimic Tear spirit when casting Spells, Incantations and Skills.
Fixed a bug where NPCs could be summoned when the maximum number of cooperative multiplayer members had been reached.
Fixed a bug that caused some items to display different icons than expected.
Fixed a bug where exiting the game or going through a loading screen immediately after defeating “Count Ymir, Mother of Fingers” could make the dropped items unobtainable.
Fixed a bug that prevented the player from performing Critical hits on some enemies.
Fixed a bug in which some attacks on certain enemies were interpreted differently than expected.
Fixed a bug that prevented rune gains when defeating some enemies.
Fixed a bug that prevented some enemies from working properly under certain circumstances.
Fixed a bug where the Multiplayer area borders were different than intended in some areas.
Fixed a bug where the player would spawn in a different place than intended when invading another player’s world
Fixed a bug in the map menu that caused some NPC icons in the Realm of Shadow to not display properly.
Fixed a bug in the design of the map of Realm of Shadow and the “Map Fragment” icon.
Fixed a bug where some cutscenes were not displayed correctly under certain circumstances.
Fixed a bug where some sound effects did not play correctly.
Fixed a bug where some effects were not displayed correctly.
Several performance improvements and other bug fixes.
Steam-only adjustments
Fixed a bug where “Anti-aliasing Quality” was unintentionally set to “High” each time the game was restarted.
Correction of end credits
In update 1.12, an error was included in the credits of the game.
This issue will be corrected in the next update.
Possible unstable performance fixes
For the PS5 version of the game, unstable framerate may be improved by using the “Rebuild Database” option from the device’s safe mode.
In some PC versions, Ray Tracing may be unintentionally enabled and cause unstable performance. Please check the Ray Tracing setting in the “System” > “Graphics ” > “Ray Tracing Quality” from the title screen or in-game menu.
In the PC version, the message “Inappropriate activity detected” may appear without cheating.
To fix this issue, please verify the integrity of the game’s files before restarting the game.
App Ver. 1.13 Regulation Ver. 1.13.1
In PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S versions, Regulation files can be downloaded by logging in to the server.
If the Regulation Ver. listed in the lower right corner of the title screen is not1.13.1, please select LOGIN and apply the latest regulation before enjoying the game.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
British comedy is too often defined by its relationship to America: either as merely irony and sarcasm, which we’re told Americans don’t understand, or as a sprightly ideas factory for works such as The Office, which Americans can bless by re-making at scale.
Peel back the curtains of American cultural hegemony however and you may find the true pulsing core of British comedy that lies beneath: innuendo. No American network is in a bidding war to import Vic and Bob or remake Bottom, and Carry On and Benny Hill are assumed to be anachronisms in our modern times, but Thank Goodness You’re Here! enters the conversation with a nudge and a wink. It’s a cheeky 2-3 hour adventure through a small northern town, and it’s here to educate the entire world of our nation’s obsession with sausages and bare bottoms.
