Bethesda's upcoming multiplayer RPG Fallout 76 aims to switch things up in a big way for the post-apocalyptic series. However, one new feature, and its ensuing ramifications, has gotten many players talking. First revealed during Bethesda's E3 2018 press conference, Fallout 76 will allow players to gain access to a stockpile of nuclear weapons hidden in post-apocalyptic West Virginia, and use them to decimate areas of the map. While talking about the new mechanics of Fallout 76 at QuakeCon 2018--which includes the new leveling and perk systems--game director Todd Howard and project leader Jeff Gardner elaborated further on just how nukes will work, and how they designed it to be less of a hassle than you may think.
To gain access to the nuclear weapons, you'll need to find a set of codes from specific enemies in the world. These codes form a sequence, which grant you passage into one of the hidden nuclear launch facilities in the wasteland. Once you're ready to launch, you can select a specific spot on the map to send the bombs, which will lay waste to the area and everything in it. While this may seem like a largely gimmicky move, there is a benefit to letting loose with the atomic bombs. With the ensuing nuclear fallout in full effect, it will grant players access to new items, rare materials, new locations, and even more powerful enemies to fight. As a part of the end-game, the materials and resources found from these irradiated places are vital to continuing progress for high-level characters. However, the chase and immediate aftermath of dropping the bombs had fans worried that it would more of nuisance than an interesting gameplay mechanic.
During the Fallout 76 panel at QuakeCon, the developers stated that they spent a great deal of time enforcing anti-griefing measures--which includes blocking players that harass others online. While nukes sound like the ultimate way to mess with others, the process of acquiring these nukes are elaborate enough to be events that occur only once in awhile. Furthermore, structures and settlements that players build can be saved via the C.A.M.P tool--which is an evolution of the building system from Fallout 4. With the new system, you're allowed to pack up your creations at anytime, and transport them to another spot. You can also save your settlements in the form of a blueprint, and pull them up again when you want to rebuild. This will be especially helpful in case of an enemy raid on your base, or when the bombs fall.
Releasing on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and as a Bethesda.net exclusive for the PC, Fallout 76 will launch on November 14, with the pre-release beta scheduled for sometime later this October. For more info on our coverage on QuakeCon 2018, including the first footage of Doom Eternal, check out the links to our coverage below.
Only a couple years after Fallout 4's release, Bethesda surprised fans by officially announcing Fallout 76, the next entry in its beloved post-apocalyptic RPG franchise. The new game was revealed in a trailer after a series of teases, and Bethesda discussed it in more detail at E3 2018 and more recently at QuakeCon 2018. While there's still so much we do not yet know about Bethesda's upcoming game, the company has offered some clarity on Fallout 76's most curious features and additions to the Fallout formula.
To ensure you're kept up to date on everything there is to know about Fallout 76, we've compiled all the information we have on the game so far: the platforms it's on, its online functionality, its anti-griefing features, and where the game falls in the series' timeline.
Fallout 76 is a prequel to all of the previous Fallout games. Set in 2102, you play an inhabitant of Vault 76 who emerges from the shelter 25 years after the bombs fell on America. Your task is simple: explore what remains of post-apocalyptic America and rebuild civilization.
Longtime fans will likely recognize Vault 76; although it's not a place we've visited before, this isn't the series' first mention of it. Both Fallout 3 and 4 reference it and, according to the Fallout Wikia, this West Virginia-based vault was occupied by 500 of of America's best and brightest minds. Unlike the more grotesque experimental vaults in the Fallout universe, Vault 76 is a control vault intended to be opened 20 or so years after a nuclear war. But if the Vault was supposed to open 20 years after the bombs fell, why have 25 years gone by? The story likely has a few surprises in store.
Fallout 76 uses the Creation Engine, the same engine used to make Fallout 4, but it will purportedly feature much more graphical detail than its predecessor. Game director Todd Howard has said that Fallout 76 has new rendering and lighting technology, which allows for "16 times" the detail.
Who's Developing It?
Bethesda Game Studios, the Maryland-based developer responsible for the Elder Scrolls series and both Fallout 3 and Fallout 4, is at work on the game. In addition, Bethesda Game Studios Austin--formerly BattleCry Studios--assisted in fine-tuning the Creation Engine to support multiplayer functionality.
Is It An Online Survival Game?
Fallout 76 is a much different sort of game from its predecessors. It's "entirely online," but don't worry, you'll be able to play it solo too. According to Bethesda, the idea to take this approach to open-world survival came four years ago, when it started to work on building a multiplayer Fallout experience. Howard described the game's approach to survival as "softcore," which means death doesn't equal loss of progression.
You can form a party with up to three other players. You won't be able to manage your placement in servers when you login, as you'll automatically be inserted into a session with others upon booting up the game. Of course, you also have the option simply join alongside your friends and play together.
Howard commented that Fallout 76 will have dedicated servers that will support the game "now and for years to come." At launch, there will only be public servers, but Bethesda plans to introduce private servers that will allow players to invite friends to play in order to prevent undesirable behavior.
Some classic mechanics from past games will be changing to accommodate the shift to online play. For example, V.A.T.S has been reconfigured to work in real time, while still allowing players to target specific enemy body parts. But this time around, it has been updated to be more of a tool that allows you to spot out dangers in the environment.
How Big Is The World?
According to Howard, Fallout 76's world is four times the size of Fallout 4. There are six different regions to explore, and each has its own unique style, risks, and rewards. Confirmed areas include the West Virginia State Capitol, The Greenbrier, Woodburn Circle, New River Gorge Bridge, and Camden Park. Contained within each area is a variety of new creatures to encounter, some of which are based on West Virginian folklore.
What Can You Do?
Like previous games, players will spend the majority of their time exploring and completing quests. However, Fallout 76 will not feature any human non-player characters, as all surviving humans will be controlled by active players. Instead, the game will use combination of robot NPCs, collectible recordings, and environmental storytelling in order to give players what they need to piece together quests and the story at large.
Given the game's premise of rebuilding the world, there will be base-building elements similar to Fallout 4. You will be able to set up a bases anywhere using an item called the Construction and Assembly Mobile Platform, or CAMP. These can be placed down in the world and allow you to construct an impromptu camp. At E3, we got to see the player laying down walls and decorating the base with pool tables, toilets, and other household objects. As the "mobile platform" part of the name implies, your CAMP can also be picked up and relocated, allowing you to move your base anywhere in the world.
While you can help build the world, you can also destroy it. If you have the necessary nuclear launch codes, it's actually possible to access a missile silo to fire a nuke at any point on the map. Doing so irradiates the chosen area, but it also allows for the opportunity to discover rare weapons, gear, and items. Be wary; nuking an area also causes more powerful enemies to show up, making it more difficult to survive. But don't be discouraged by this, the CAMP blueprint system makes it easy for players to quickly rebuild their homes, and if they're privy to an incoming threat, they can pack their things and move to a new location.
As an online experience, player choice is said to be incredibly important, going as far as giving players the freedom to choose who are the heroes and who are the villains. Early footage showcased multiple players engaging in combat and participating in friendly activities, which seems to indicate that players have the freedom to choose their paths in the world of Fallout 76.
How Does Character Creation And Progression Work?
You'll have similar character creation tools as Fallout 4. However, you're free to change your appearance at any point. In addition, you can also utilize the game's new photo mode during the creation process to better see how your character looks, as well as snap some shots you can share on social media.
The SPECIAL system returns and it's a bit different. Like previous games, SPECIAL encompasses the following stats: Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, Luck. You're given one point to put into any of those stats every time you level up. The first thing you do when you emerge from the vault is pick a SPECIAL and then you pick a perk in that particular SPECIAL. Essentially, every SPECIAL is a pool of points for your perks.
But unlike previous games, perks are now cards you can equip and unlock as you rank up in a given SPECIAL; though, you're free to swap cards out at any time if you want to alter your build. Each SPECIAL characteristic you develop has a perk card cap of 15. These perk cards can be enhanced further from one to five points to increase their power.
You can obtain additional perk cards via Perk Card Packs (four random cards), which you earn every two levels initially (1-10), and then every 5 after that. You can also pick one perk card per level, usually from your SPECIAL choice. There are hundreds of Perks cards you can unlock, so naturally SPECIAL ranks cap out after a while (you gain a rank up in a SPECIAL each time you level up). At level 50, you'll stop increasing SPECIAL ranks, but you'll still get card packs.
How Does PvP Work?
When you shoot someone you do a little bit of damage, which can be equated to lightly slapping them in order to challenge them to a duel. In response to this, the other player can choose to ignore or engage. If they engage in a battle with you, they'll start to take full damage. The one who is killed in this consenting PvP match has the option to seek revenge. Doing so gives that person the opportunity to get double the rewards granted they're successful.
If you'd rather choose to ignore a PvP match, there's no way to escape being killed--despite the small damage dealt to you during the initiation phases. However, if you are killed by a player under these circumstances, that player becomes a Wanted Murderer and will receive no rewards from having killed you.
A Wanted Murderer is marked on the map as a red star and a bounty is placed on their head. Players looking to cash in on this bounty aren't visible on the Murderer's map. If the murderer is killed, the money from that bounty is taken out their stock.
In order to give players time to properly acclimate to how Fallout 76 plays, PvP won't be available to players until level five. And if you perish from any PvP encounter, the only thing you'll lose is the junk you've been collecting, which can be reclaimed after death if not already picked up by other players. You can always store junk in stashes found around the world, so as to safeguard a portion of your stock. Armor and weapons are retained in your inventory after death.
Any Voice Chat?
It's possible to chat with your teammates and even strangers you discover out in the world. It's area-based so your ability to hear other plays will vary. But if you want nothing to do with strangers, it's possible to mute their voices entirely.
When's the Beta?
Falout 76's beta will be available exclusively to those who preorder the game. Bethesda said that it will begin selecting participants from the pool of pre-orders in early October. The plan is to start small and expand over time. Xbox One owners have a slight leg up on the beta compared to other platforms. For more details, you can check out Bethesda's Fallout 76 FAQ for more details on how to redeem your code.
Release Date
Fallout 76 is being developed for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and is currently scheduled to be released on November 14. Unfortunately, there's no word about a Nintendo Switch release, which didn't seem out of the question after the Skyrim re-release made it to that platform.
The upcoming Fallout 76 will be one of the biggest leaps forward for the much-loved series, moving it into an always-online multiplayer environment where every other character you'll encounter in its wastelands is a real life human being. But it's also introducing something else never seen before in a mainline Fallout title: card packs.
As revealed at the Fallout 76 panel broadcast during this year's Quakecon, Fallout 76 will feature a progression system that uses perk cards to build out a player's character. This is how it works: upon leveling up, a player earns a point to allocate to one of their SPECIAL abilities (Strength, Perception, Endurance, Intelligence, Agility, Luck). Players can then use perk cards they've gathered to assign to one of those abilities. Each perk card has a cost to use, however, with the number of points you've allocated to each SPECIAL ability being the cap to how many (and which) cards you'll be able to use.
You'll get to choose one perk card every time you level up, but Fallout 76 will also periodically reward you with a perk card pack that features four random cards. In a neat touch, each of these packs will also feature a joke and a piece of gum (which of course can be used within the game to stave off hunger, if only for a little while).
Perk card packs will be rewarded regularly at the beginning of your adventures in Fallout 76: they're given every two levels up to level 10, and then from every from levels earned from that point.
Game director Todd Howard stated during the panel that there will be hundreds of perks available, which will allow players to mix and match their perks to modify their build at any time during the game. What wasn't mentioned, however, were any details that specify whether these perk cards can be bought with real world money, or whether they'll be kept as something you can strictly earn in-game. You can, however, swap cards with other players you encounter in Fallout 76.
QuakeCon 2018 is now in full swing and we've already had some big reveals, with the first Doom Eternal gameplay video making its debut and confirmation that Doom Eternal is coming to Nintendo Switch. Bethesda's other major upcoming game, Fallout 76, is also set to have a big QuakeCon. The post-apocalyptic online RPG was the focus of a panel and Q&A session taking place at the event, and there was a great deal discussed about the game.
The Fallout 76 panel will feature series producer Todd Howard, was joined by development director Chris Meyer and project leader Jeff Gardner. Who delved deep into the world, character customization, PvP, ability progression, and more. You'll can see all of that by watching the video below.
Fallout 76 was officially revealed in June and took center stage at Microsoft's E3 press conference. Todd Howard appeared on stage during the Xbox press conference and revealed Fallout 76 is an online multiplayer game that tasks players with rebuilding the Wasteland. The actual world is purportedly four times the size of Fallout 4, and it's set before the events of the other mainline Fallout titles. Players emerge from Vault 76 and find themselves responsible for forging a new beginning.
Fallout 76's release date has been confirmed as November 14, however a beta will be held before its release. Bethesda has said the Fallout 76 beta will be accessible to Xbox One owners first, followed by other platforms. Interestingly, Bethesda has opted to bypass Valve's Steam platform for the PC version of Fallout 76 and its beta.
"The PC version of Fallout 76, for both the B.E.T.A. and the launch, will be available only via Bethesda.net, not on Steam," a Bethesda representative previously said. Previous entries in the Fallout series have been available on Steam, but distributing the game through Bethesda's own services would allow the company to avoid paying Valve a cut from sales.
Bethesda doled out several new details on how character progression and abilities function in Fallout 76 during a panel at Quakecon 2018. By nature of it being an online multiplayer survival game, the systems we know from previous Fallout games are changing. Series staples like the SPECIAL system and Perks return, but you'll have to get reacclimatized with them.
SPECIAL encompasses the following stats: Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, Luck. When players level up, they're given one point to put into any of those stats. The number of points in these stats affords players the ability to equip Perks that are specific to each of the SPECIAL stats.
Perks are relegated to cards which give players specific abilities, and each perk card has a value that requires a certain number of points in its relevant SPECIAL stat. Think of SPECIAL stats as a pool of resources to attach perk cards to. Perk cards are awarded each time a player levels up. Individual cards can also rank up so they can be boosted in effectiveness.
SPECIAL points are no longer given past level 50 and each stat is capped at 15. However, perk cards are still awarded after level 50. To mix things up a bit, perk card packs (containing random perks) are given every two levels up to level 10, and every five levels afterward. This is to encourage experimentation with abilities players may not have considered otherwise. Card packs also come with a stick of gum (containing a joke), which alleviates hunger, which is a nice touch.
Perk cards can be swapped out at anytime, which allows for experimentation with different character builds or adapting to certain situations. For example, the Lone Wanderer perk gives players additional experience points when playing solo, but can be swapped out for another perk since it'd be a waste when joining a group.
To hear the details explained straight from the Fallout 76 panel, see the video below:
The Charisma stat was specifically addressed since it was mainly used to NPC interactions in previous Fallout games (note that Fallout 76 has no NPCs, and all real players). Charisma will allow players to share perks and stat boosts with their squad when grouped up, and will certainly be key for forming an effective squad.
There are hundreds of perks, too. Capping SPECIAL stats limits how powerful players get, which is especially important in an online game, but the expansive perk system leaves room for creativity in builds.
No word was given on whether or not there will be microtransactions or a monetization element when it comes to the perk card system.
Bethesda is coming up with a clever way to deal with bad online manners that's quite punishing; read about how Fallout 76 handles griefing.
Fallout 76 launches for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on November 14, and a pre-release beta is scheduled for sometime in October. Bethesda stated that the Fallout 76 beta will be available on Xbox One first, followed by other platforms. The beta and full game will be distributed directly to consumers by Bethesda instead of using Valve's Steam platform.
Bethesda has discussed how Fallout 76 will deal with griefers, namely players that are intent on attacking and killing others, even when their target isn't interested in player versus player combat. As discussed during the game's QuakeCon 2018 panel by game director Todd Howard, Bethesda decided to turn griefers into content for other players by giving them a taste of their own medicine.
"We want this element of danger, without griefing," said Howard, who continued on to explain that when you shoot someone you do a little bit of damage. He equated this action to lightly slapping someone in a bar to see if they want to fight. The other player can choose to ignore this slap or engage, and if it's the latter you start doing full damage.
Those that don't want to engage in PvP but are still killed do receive some in-game justice. The player that kills someone who doesn't agree to combat becomes a "Wanted Murderer" and receives no rewards from their kill, whether it's caps or experience. This player also then appears on the map as a red star and has a bounty placed on their head. The money from that bounty is taken out the murderer's pool, and also, other players looking to cash in on that bounty aren't visible to the murderer on the map.
Players that are a higher level offer better rewards if engaged and killed. If you decided to do some PvP and are killed, you have the option to seek revenge. Doing so gives players the opportunity to get double the rewards, if they're successful on a second attempt.
PvP doesn't activate until level five, and there are options to block and ignore players. Additionally, you can choose to completely turn off the so called "slap" mechanic. When you die, the only consequence is that you drop the junk you're collecting, which is used to build. Armor and weaponry isn't lost upon death, so the only decision you have to make after dying is whether you want to go back and collect your resources.
However, there are stashes around the world and at your camp that can be used to store junk and keep it safe, so smarter players will no doubt be seeking these out and using them frequently to store precious materials.
Fallout 76's release date has been confirmed as November 14. A beta for the game will be held before its release. Bethesda has said the Fallout 76 beta will be available to Xbox One owners first, followed by other platforms. For both the beta and the full game, Bethesda will distribute directly to consumers instead of using Valve's Steam platform.
Path of Exile's unique approach to loot-based action-RPG gameplay on both PC and Xbox One has become increasingly more ambitious over the years. With the developers at Grinding Gear Games diving into new content focusing monster-hunting, time-travel, and even the exciting world of cartography--each major expansion that introduced new gameplay and league features showed that there's still places for the game venture out to. But now, the creative team behind the free-to-play action-RPG aims to dig a bit deeper by focusing on the dangers and riches hidden in the darkness below the earth.
In the upcoming Delve expansion--set for release August 31 on PC and September 3 on Xbox One--players will discover a vast and ever-growing dungeon known as the Azurite Mine, which houses rare minerals and lost treasures from the lost ages. In this sprawling cavern, the titular Azurite mineral comes in abundance, which can be turned into the merchant above ground for new upgrades to your character that aid them during their descent. But unlike the other dungeons that you'll come to find in PoE, the Azurite Mine is shrouded in an oppressive darkness, devouring those that stay within its grasp for too long.
Distinguishing itself from earlier content, the Azurite Mine of the Delve expansion is essentially an infinite dungeon. Opening up early into Act 1, newcomers and veterans alike can dive into the dungeon and chart their progress on the Subterranean map. With the aid of an automated mine cart, which gives off a light source that keeps the darkness at bay, it will guide players through the caverns. Along the way, you'll fight off monsters that lurk in the shadows, all the while uncovering loot caches and hidden walls that lead to valuable resources. Spread across multiple sections of an underground network with branching pathways and some dead-ends, the different areas of the underground range from low-level fodder to end-game tier foes. While a low-level character can certainly make progress, they'll eventually hit a wall where they'll need to become stronger to overcome the odds.
Eventually, you'll reach an end point for a particular path you've chosen, leading to a climatic encounter with some elite foes. However, things don't end there. By backtracking to earlier branches, you can venture off to entirely new areas, going beyond the dark caves into ice caverns, and ancient ruins lost to time. Despite certain pathways coming to a conclusion, there will always be different places to explore created by the game's randomly generated environments. But the deeper you go into the mines, the more potent the darkness becomes.
In addition to the new dungeon and narrative, the Delve update will also include a set of quality of life improvements to Path of Exile. Along with new visual improvements to the early Acts of the story campaign--updating character designs and lighting to be more consistent with recent content--new skills and improvements have been added to the existing classes and their different builds. For instance, the new skill Smite for the Templar allows players to attack enemies and simultaneously buff party members. Furthermore, you may even be able to come across the ultra rare Timeworn Reliquary Keys, which open portals to chests yielding unique rewards.
When looking back at its 2013 launch, Path of Exile has certainly grown a lot. The developers have stated that the continued growth of the game is due in part to its passionate audience, which continues to increase with every year thanks to its free-to-play model. With the Delve expansion, the developers aim to focus more on pure loot driven gameplay, which will have players face some unexpected challenges while exploring an unnerving environment and claustrophobic area.
2016's Doom surprised folks when it first launched. Touted as a franchise reboot, many had not anticipated that the game would fare so well, as the limited footage people had seen only gave brief glimpses of what to expect. But when the game finally released, it received glowing reviews. GameSpot's Peter Brown praised the game, saying, "It captures the essence of what made the classic Doom games touchstones of their day, and translates it to suit modern palates with impressively rendered hellscapes and a steady influx of tantalizing upgrades."
Bethesda recently confirmed Doom would receive a sequel titled Doom Eternal. For a while we didn't know much about what the game would be like, but creative director Hugo Martin and director Marty Stratton recently took to the stage at QuakeCon 2018 to finally show off gameplay.
To ensure you're kept up to date on everything there is to know about Doom Eternal, we've compiled all the information we have on the game so far. Be sure to keep checking back often as we update this feature with more details.
Doom Eternal is a sequel set sometime after the events of 2016's Doom. Not much is known about Eternal's exact premise aside from fact that it takes place on an Earth overrun by the forces of Hell. You'll also be spending time in space on Phobos, the innermost moon of Mars.
How Does It Play?
From a gameplay perspective, Eternal will play much like its predecessor, once again challenging you to fast-paced firefights against an onslaught of demons. Speaking of which, it has been confirmed that there will be twice as many varieties of demons as there were in the first game. Based on the early footage, Cacodemons, Barons of Hell, Pain Elementals, Arch-Viles, Arachnotrons, Imps, and Revenants are set to return. There will also be new demons coming in the form of reimaginings of enemies from Doom 2, as well as completely new enemies entirely.
There are going to be a ton of new weapons, but a few old ones from the previous game will return albeit with some subtle changes. For instance, the Plasma Rifle now shoots orbs that electrify enemies. While some weapons have been slightly changed, others have been revamped, like the Ballista, which is a new version of the Gauss Cannon that shoots explosive energy bolts.
Doom Slayer looks to play exactly as you remember him but with an expanded roster of mobility options. You now have the ability to quickly dash/dodge ala Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare; you can even climb certain surfaces and swing on poles in the environment to clear wide gaps. In addition, you can use a grappling hook to latch onto enemies and nearby surfaces. There are also new suit abilities, such as an arm blade and a shoulder mounted launcher that can shoot grenades and fire. Lastly, power-ups are returning and it appears they can enhance your physical characteristics permanently.
Any New Modes?
The biggest new addition in Eternal is an invasion mode where other players can jump into your single-player campaign as demons, basically forming hunting parties to take you out. The mode will allow you to join friends to invade or be invaded. Of course, you can also play alone if you don't want to deal with it.
In an odd twist, there appears to be a lives system of some kind. Based on the debut footage, this doesn't seem to directly impact normal single-player play, but we're thinking this item might come in handy during the invasions where you could easily die at any moment and lose your progress.
Is It Coming To Nintendo Switch?
A Nintendo Switch version of Eternal has been confirmed, but it's unclear if it'll release alongside the for PS4, Xbox One, and PC versions. In addition, it appears that Panic Button, the studio that handled porting the first game, will be returning to port Eternal--at least if this humorous tweet teasing at the possibility is to be believed.
Release Date
Bethesda has not confirmed a release date for Doom Eternal at this time, though it's set to launch sometime in 2019. We're hoping that a release window is confirmed sooner than later.
Pokemon Go's next Community Day is almost here. This month's event features Eevee and takes place across two days--August 11 and 12--rather than the usual one, and Niantic has revealed what special move the Evolution Pokemon will be able to learn during the event.
Despite being held across two days, August's events will still only run for three hours each day. During that period, Eevee will appear much more frequently in the wild, and each one you capture will know Last Resort--an attack it normally isn't able to learn. You'll also have a chance of encountering Shiny Eevee for the first time.
Eevee won't be the only Pokemon capable of learning Last Resort during this month's events, either. The Pokemon Company says that any Eevee that evolves between the time the Community Day begins on Saturday and ends on Sunday will also know Last Resort, so you'll need to take advantage of that extra time if you hope to pass the move on to the Pokemon's many evolutions.
In addition to increased Eevee spawns, players will be able to take advantage of a few other bonuses during this month's Community Days. Each Eevee you capture during the event hours will reward you with triple the normal amount of Stardust. Lure Modules will also last for three hours rather than their usual 30-minute duration.
Both of this month's Community Days will run during the same three-hour period each day, which will vary depending on where you live. You can see the full event hours for each region below, while more details can be found on the official Pokemon website.
We need to talk about Fortnite. Epic Games' world-conquering battle royale shooter has a problem. Whether you agree with this or not depends on whether you take umbrage with the meta infamously known as "Spray and Pray," which stems from various factors introduced in Season 5 that have altered the way the majority of firefights play out.
So let's start from the top. Fortnite's shooting mechanics are centered around a system known as "bloom," which affects each weapon's accuracy. Where you aim isn't the deciding factor in where your bullets will hit, as there's also a random element of luck involved. The shots you take will always land somewhere within your crosshair, with the size of each crosshair varying depending on whether you're aiming down sights, moving, standing, crouching, or jumping. First-shot accuracy (which guarantees your first shot is more accurate than the rest) is also something to take into consideration, but beyond that there isn't anything you can do to ensure each bullet successfully hits its target. Crouching and standing still helps, but you'll still have to pray to the RNG gods if you want your bullets to connect.
As you can imagine, bloom is already divisive on its own, with one alternative being PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' utilisation of mechanics like weapon recoil and bullet drop--offering a more authentic and skill-based depiction of weapon firing. However, it's clear Epic implemented bloom to reduce the skill gap between dedicated players and newcomers--at least when it comes to straight-up firefights. This makes sense when you consider Fortnite is the most popular video game in the world right now, with its availability enticing people from all walks of life to hop into the fray. But recent changes have intensified bloom's impact in a much more negative way.
The two key factors to consider here are the increase in power for SMGs, as well as the nerfs to building and the amount of crafting materials you receive. The new P90 Compact SMG is, of course, the leading major here, with its large magazine and high fire-rate giving it a distinct advantage over most other weapons. But the P90s fellow SMG brethren aren't far behind either. With simple firefights regularly boiling down to a healthy dollop of luck, the rapid-firing SMGs reign supreme in the current Fortnite meta. Just hold down fire and pray for the best. More than anything, however, the emergence of SMGs as the be-all-and-end-all of weapons has made the nerfs to building even more pronounced.
Epic has tinkered with the health of buildings and the amount of materials you receive from knocking down trees, walls, fences, and so on. However, with fewer materials to work with, and less health for each structure you build, the general consensus is that building is gradually being nullified.
SMGs can easily tear through structures with little issue, forcing you to burn through resources just to keep out of the firing line
SMGs can easily tear through structures with little issue, forcing you to burn through resources just to keep out of the firing line. This has led to fights becoming much less dynamic and more predictable, while protracted battles of wits and proficiency are few and far between. There's a clear skill gap when it comes to building that might deter some, but it's also the fundamental aspect that makes Fortnite so unique. And it's being undermined by the SMG-heavy Spray and Pray meta.
One theory being bandied about is that Epic are nerfing building to make the game more welcoming for new and casual players, especially with Fortnite now available on smartphones. Again, this would make sense, but it also feels like a misguided move. Pro players and popular streamers have voiced their concerns about the current meta, along with the hordes of other dedicated players putting in the hours every day, and it's hard to argue with them. Getting good at building is tough, sure, but implementing a tutorial, or making Playground a constant fixture, would give people the opportunity to practice and improve their building skillset without Epic needing to quash its effectiveness.
It's always going to be difficult to please everyone, but deferring to those who have put in the time, money, and effort sounds like a solid strategy. Fortnite is constantly changing, and this meta won't last forever, but it could set a disappointing precedent if Epic sticks to this path going forward.
Bethesda capped off its QuakeCon 2018 keynote address by showing off the first gameplay video for Doom Eternal, the sequel to the 2016 reboot. The follow-up was originally announced during the publisher's E3 2018 press conference with an exciting cinematic trailer, which was shown once again during the QuakeCon keynote, before game director Marty Stratton and creative director Hugo Martin appeared on stage to discuss the sequel.
Once again, Doom Eternal will be about killing monsters with badass guns, and for the sequel the Doom Slayer will be the "strongest, most badass hero" id Software has ever created. The Slayer has had a makeover and has a new weapon called the Ballista, which can spear demons with an explosive bolt.
There's going to be plenty of new weapons in Eternal, and id Software has created new enemies for players to face. Old favourites have been updated, and some have been reimagined, such as the arachnids. They also showed off a new character called the Marauder, who looks a lot like the Doom Slayer--and there's a story behind that, the developers teased. A new system called "Destructible Demons" was also briefly mentioned, and it'll help players "rip and tear" through enemies.
The gameplay video began with the slayer once again putting on his helmet and activating systems. He takes a look at the new blade mounted on his left arm, before loading his shotgun again. Before long he's staring into a massive world where buildings are crumbling and monsters float around the sky. Seconds later, he's latching onto enemies and grappling around, shooting them to bits up-close.
The previous game's loop of dealing damage and then finishing enemies with a melee attack is back, and some new animations have been introduced to make use of the arm-mounted blade. The action looks fast and visceral, which is to be expected from the sequel. This time, however, there looks to be more of an emphasis on moving around seamlessly, as the grapple is used to get to high ground to take out threats.
Larger enemies are shredded to bits by gunfire, and there's also a new mechanic where Doom Slayer is able to climb walls. His mobility is further enhanced by a short-range dash, which is handy for closing the distance on enemies and building momentum. In the demo the Doom Slayer very quickly goes through an assortment of deadly weapons. Along with the arm blade and shotgun, there was a shoulder-mounted flamethrower, a rocket launcher, a sniper-rile, and a grenade launcher.
Amidst the violence there was a moment of levity, when an announcement said, "Remember, 'Demons' can be offensive, refer to them as 'mortally challenged.'"
The Slayer is then shown getting the Blood Punch power-up, which was then used to hit enemies with crushing melee blows. This fit nicely into the frantic leaping around platforms, using floating enemies as grapple points, and shredding anything and everything with lead.
At the very end of the second section of gameplay, it was confirmed that you can invade demons and take control of them. This ability goes as far as letting players team up with demons to form hunting parties. Doom Eternal will allow players to join friends to invade or be invaded, but you can also choose to play alone.
The environment shown during the demo was referred to as Hell on Earth, and it is just one of the "many" places that the game will take players. Id Software has promised it will take players to places they've never seen in a Doom game. The studio said it is building a Doom universe, instead of just another entry in the series. One of the new areas shown is Phobos, a space station that is being besieged by demons. As you enter, people are shocked to see you, stepping out of the way and regarding you with awe. The Slayer uses a red keycard to enter an restricted area, snatching a gun out of the hands of a befuddled guard.
Descending onto the surface of the planet, the Slayer stares out at a giant laser as a voice over comms says, "Warning, the Slayer has entered the facility." Of course, that's when the killing starts. Demons are dispatched with ruthless efficiency, as the Slayer zips around industrial tunnels, launching grenades to obliterate bigger enemies, while using a plasma rifle to pick off the smaller ones. The action only escalates, with demons being set ablaze, picked off using a sniper rifle, and exploded using charged bolts. It's pretty much exactly what you'd expect to see in a sequel to Doom. The gameplay video ends with the arrival of a new enemy that summons a wall of fire, just as the Slayer draws an energy sword and leaps at it.
Another detail confirmed about Doom Eternal is that it will run at at 60 frames per second, which is nice given the highly-demanding nature of its first-person shooting.
Little had been said about Doom Eternal since its reveal at E3 until now. However, producer Marty Stratton and creative director Hugo Martin did reveal that it would build off the previous game, taking its satisfying, fast-paced combat and pushing it further forward. This time, the Doom Slayer will be even more powerful and the types of enemies have doubled. Doom Eternal will also take place on Earth, though we imagine you'll be taking regular trips to other hellish dimensions too.
Id Software's 2016 Doom was a very successful reboot of one of the most iconic and acclaimed first-person shooters of all time. In GameSpot's Doom review Peter Brown said, "Without a doubt, the loud and chaotic campaign is Doom's strongest component."
He continued: "It's straightforward and simple, but it serves its purpose: to thrust you into increasingly dire scenarios fueled by rage and the spirit of heavy metal. Many shooters chase the thrill Doom delivers, but few are as potent in their execution. It captures the essence of what made the classic Doom games touchstones of their day, and translates it to suit modern palates with impressively rendered hellscapes and a steady influx of tantalizing upgrades.
"Doom is the product of a tradition as old as shooters, and while it's not the model to follow in every case, modern shooters could learn a thing or two from Doom's honed and unadulterated identity."
QuakeCon 2018 takes place August 9-12. Prior to the start of the annual convention, developer and publisher Bethesda Softworks announced what people can expect to see from the event. Several panels and tournaments are scheduled--most of which will be live streamed via Twitch, and there will also be new looks at upcoming games.
QuakeCon starts with The Elder Scrolls: Legends Masters Series qualifiers on Thursday, August 9. The tournament will continue to Friday and pit 16 of the world's best Legends players in a series of matches for a $50,000 prize. The entire tournament can be watched from The Elder Scrolls: Legends Twitch account.
The next major event is the Quake Champions tournament on Friday, which continues to Sunday. Teams of two will shoot it out for a share of the $175,000 prize pool. The top eight teams will have the chance to compete in a one-on-one, winner-take all showdown for an additional $25,000 prize. The entire event will be streamed live on the Quake Twitch account.
Also on Friday is a keynote presentation at 9 AM PST / 11 AM CT. The keynote will address Quake Champions, Rage 2, and The Elder Scrolls Online, and reveal the first gameplay demo for Doom Eternal. You can watch the keynote live from the Bethesda Twitch account. If you've linked your Bethesda.net and Elder Scrolls Online accounts with your Twitch account, watching the keynote on Twitch makes you eligible for winning some rewards.
Awards For Watching The Keynote
The Elder Scrolls Online (PC/Mac Only)
Flame Atronach Wolf Pet
Five Ouroboros Crown Crates
Quake Champions
Quakecon 2018 "Embers" Nameplate & Icon
Two Reliquaries
1000 Shards
Three Day XP Boost
The Elder Scrolls: Legends
One Legendary Card
Legends Event Ticket
One Skyrim Card Pack
One Core Card Pack
On Saturday at 9 AM PST / 11 AM CT, Bethesda will offer more details concerning the character system and Perks in Fallout 76, followed by a Q&A session. Both the presentation and the Q&A session will be streamed live through the Bethesda Twitch account.
QuakeCon is also continuing its tradition of hosting community-run panels. The full schedule will be revealed prior to QuakeCon.
A new set of weekly challenges is now available for Fortnite on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and iOS. Unfortunately, there also appears to be a newly discovered bug in the game that presents some problems for one of this week's objectives.
Players are reporting on Reddit that damage caused by Grenades isn't being counted toward the "deal damage with a Clinger, Stink Bomb, or Grenade" challenge. Likewise, players on Epic's forums say they've experienced a similar issue with the Clinger; according to these users, the game inconsistently counts the damage Clingers deal toward their progress.
This is problematic because the challenge in question can only be completed using the three specified weapons. With two-thirds of them effectively unusable due to this bug, it becomes much more difficult to clear the objective. Epic hasn't publicly addressed the issue as of this writing, although the studio typically resolves issues with the game quickly.
This certainly isn't the first time a problem has arisen in Fortnite that prevented players from completing a weekly challenge. Last week, Epic had to temporarily disable the shopping cart and ATK due to a bug. As a result, players weren't able to finish the flaming hoops challenge, which hinged entirely upon leaping through the hoops using either of the vehicles.
Fortunately, players have the entire season to complete Fortnite's challenges, so there's still plenty of time to get your Battle Stars. While you wait for Epic to resolve the Grenade issue, you can complete some of this week's other challenges, such as following a treasure map found in Snobby Shores. For more on Fortnite, be sure to check out our complete Season 5 coverage below.
Epic has shared a few more details about the upcoming Android release of Fortnite. After launching on iOS back in April, the phenomenally popular battle royale game is coming to Android devices this summer, and the developer has now revealed that the game won't be available through the Google Play store like most other games for the platform. That allows Epic to make more money on each purchase in the free-to-play game, but it means that users will have to go through a somewhat unconventional process to download and install it.
Epic confirmed to GameSpot that Android users will not be able to download Fortnite on their devices from Google's digital store, but rather through its own service. According to the developer, this decision was made in part to bypass the 30% "store tax" that would normally be applied to purchases made on Google Play.
"It's a high cost in a world where game developers' 70 per cent must cover all the cost of developing, operating, and supporting their games," Epic said. "And it's disproportionate to the cost of the services these stores perform, such as payment processing, download bandwidth, and customer service."
This stands in contrast to the iOS version of Fortnite, which is available to download right from Apple's App Store. According to Epic, it would have likewise offered Fortnite for iOS through its own website if it were able to, but the closed nature of Apple's ecosystem prevented that.
The other benefit of offering Fortnite through its own platform, Epic says, is that it allows the studio to "bring its games directly to customers." Once it rolls out for Android, users will be able to go to Epic's website and download the game from there. However, if you're hoping to play the game on Android, you'll need to have a newer handset, as Epic says the game requires a "recent high-end Android smartphone."
The iOS version of Fortnite has been a major success for Epic since it arrived on the platform back in spring. It has reportedly crossed 100 million downloads on iOS alone and rakes in $2 million per day. While Epic hasn't shared any footage of the Android version in action yet, you can take a look at how the game runs on iOS in the video above.
Season 5 of Fortnite rolls on with another set of weekly challenges to complete. Once again, if you manage to clear all of the challenges in a given week, you'll complete a Road Trip challenge--this season's equivalent of the Blockbuster challenges from Season 4. Doing that, in turn, will reward you with a special loading screen, which contains a subtle hint pointing to the location of a free Battle Pass tier.
If you've kept atop all of the challenges available thus far this season and manage to complete the latest batch of objectives, you'll unlock a loading screen featuring characters posing in front of a dinosaur. The clue on this screen can be found on the sign near the dinosaur's feet, which depicts a house flanked by cacti with a Battle Star just above the roof.
The cacti are the big giveaway, pointing you to the new desert biome introduced in Season 5. Just as the sign depicted, the Battle Star can be found on top of a building surrounded by cacti, near the northwestern edge of the desert. Simply head to the area at the start of a match, land on top of the roof, and you'll be able to collect the Star and level your Battle Pass up by one tier.
You can see where to find the free Battle Pass tier on the map below. We've also put together a video showing the exact location of the Battle Star if you need further help finding it. However, you'll first need to complete five weeks of challenges and unlock the aforementioned loading screen before you can find this Star; you won't simply be able to head to the specified location if you haven't met the requirements.
Epic Games has released details the latest patch for Fortnite on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and iOS. Servers for the game were taken offline while update 5.20 was rolled out and, among the various performance and gameplay tweaks, the update adds new features to both the Battle Royale and Save the World modes.
One of the major additions in Battle Royale is the new Double Barrel Shotgun, which Epic describes in its Fortnite 5.20 patch notes as "devastating at close range." It continues: "the Double Barrel Shotgun packs a punch with each of its 2 shots." The update also throws a new limited time mode called Steady Storm into the mix: "This Storm waits for no player and there are no safe zones," Epic says. "Stay aware of the map and keep moving it to the center of the circle in the Steady Storm LTM."
In the Save the World mode, Ragnarok, The Dark Viking has appeared, giving players a Mythic Outlander with a ground shattering ability called Seismic Impact to contend with. On top of that, there are new Horde Challenges that will let players "test [their] skills and earn lots of loot."
Take a look at the full patch notes for Fortnite update v5.20 below, courtesy of Epic. To see the Save the World patch notes, click here.
Fortnite Update v5.20 Patch Notes (Battle Royale)
General
The remaining time left in the Item Shop and Event Store will now appear correctly in Battle Royale and in Save the World.
Certain interactions will now interrupt reloading.
Bug Fixes
Reset to Default will now properly reset keys to the default values.
Changing input options will show a confirmation message if replacing a current input bind.
Audio for automatic weapons no longer cuts out after tapping the fire button and then immediately pressing and holding the fire button.
Fixed an issue that could cause multiple selection boxes to appear when using a controller.
Reduced memory usage of internal object reference search systems. This will help prevent out of memory crashes.
Non-English audio device names in the audio settings menu will now display correctly.
Players using voice chat will no longer join the wrong channels when rapidly switching parties, join the wrong voice channels, or be unable to send or receive voice chat in most cases.
The mouse cursor lock state in windowed mode will now function properly. Alt-tabbing will return mouse lock status.
The 'Sprint Cancels Reload' option will now function properly with "Sprint by Default" enabled.
Fixed some display issues with the interaction between the display resolution, 3D resolution, and video quality settings in the Options screen.
The keyboard 'key' hotkey background has been updated to increase legibility.
Party system is now more responsive to errors related to connection loss when sending certain party messages like kicking and promoting. Should reduce issues with managing party.
Battle Royale
Limited Time Mode: Steady Storm
Summary: Steady Storm has one constantly moving storm closing in on the island. Stay ahead of it and take down the other players to earn a Victory Royale!
Mode Details
One Storm that closes in over the course of 15 minutes.
There are no safe zone circles. Keep an eye on the map to predict where the Storm will close in.
The Storm does 10 damage per second.
Profile Stats (K/D & Wins) and Challenges are tracked in this mode.
Weapons + Items
Double Barrel Shotgun added.
Available in Epic and Legendary variants.
Can be found from floor loot, chests, Supply Drops, and Vending Machines.
Delivers high burst damage at very close range but damage falls off heavily at distance.
Fires 10 pellets like other Shotguns, has a larger spread, lower critical damage multiplier (1.25x), and a 2 second cooldown time when swapping weapons.
Epic Variant
Up to 143 base damage per shot at extreme close range.
Legendary Variant
Up to 150 base damage per shot at extreme close range.
Vending Machine rebalance.
Vending Machines spawn more often, cost less, and have an increased chance to spawn at a higher rarity.
Common Vending Machine
Spawn chance reduced from 7.27% to 6.67%.
Material cost reduced from 100 to 75.
Uncommon Vending Machine
Spawn chance increased from 14.55% to 20%.
Material cost reduced from 200 to 150.
Rare Vending Machine
Spawn chance increased from 14.55% to 20%.
Material cost reduced from 300 to 225.
Epic Vending Machine
Spawn chance increased from 5.45% to 18.67%.
Material cost reduced from 400 to 300.
Legendary Vending Machine
Spawn chance increased from 3.64% to 8%.
Material cost reduced from 500 to 375.
Chance for no Vending Machine to spawn at a location reduced from 54.67% to 26.66%
Reduced Remote Explosives drop count and max stack size.
Drop count reduced from 4 to 3.
Max stack size reduced from 10 to 6.
Added a higher accuracy penalty to jumping and sprinting for Dual Pistols, Submachine Guns, and Hunting Rifles.
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue that would sometimes cause the storm in phase 6 to do 1 less damage than intended.
Fixed replication issues caused by interacting with a Guided Missile.
Gameplay
The weapon fire position now more closely follows the actual player position when crouching and un-crouching.
Shooting while leaving the crouched stance will no longer fire bullets from full standing height until the animation is complete.
Crouch does not interrupt emotes anymore and is disabled when emoting.
Bug Fixes
Certain player models will no longer obstruct camera angles or block crosshairs on slopes.
Fixed an issue where a wall would become invisible when destroyed on a client, but would still have some health on the server.
The camera will no longer instantly transition when attempting to aim certain weapons while in midair.
Trap selection will no longer unintentionally cycle when switching to available traps.
Fixed an unintentional camera adjustment when entering and exiting targeting while transitioning in and out of crouch.
Visual effects will now properly play when a vehicle impacts an environment prop.
Fixed reliability issues when using a rocket launcher to boost shopping carts or the ATK.
Fixed an occasional failure of glider deploying after exiting a Rift.
Switching weapons after an emote will now play the correct weapon switch animation.
Slurp Juice will no longer continue to heal or provide shields after being knocked down.
Player placed map markers will no longer appear to jitter on the minimap or in the world.
Performance
Significant GPU optimization on Switch. Moved to the high-end forward renderer. This increases dynamic resolution by 10% in expensive scenes.
Optimized the way explosives modify buildings to lighten the load on dedicated servers.
Building props have more efficient network usage when taking damage.
Melee animation trails now use significantly less network traffic.
Optimized C4 network usage, the impact sound no longer broadcasts to players outside a certain range. It now only plays for players that are close enough to the impact.
Audio
Added new equip sounds to grenades.
Add the ability to honk while driving the ATK.
Lowered the volume of impact sounds when harvesting vehicles.
Added audio effects for when spectating squadmates leave the match.
In the Locker menu, glider audio will fade out when it's unselected.
Bug Fixes
Thermal Scoped Assault Rifle scope-in sounds are no longer hard-panned to the left on Switch.
Audio for the rocket incoming sound will now properly play during close range fights.
Ambient audio loops will no longer stack on each other and play at once. This was creating a sound phasing issue that sounded similar to a "fighter jet".
Footsteps will no longer sound uneven for players outside your field of view.
Players will no longer hear 'ghost footsteps' after eliminating an enemy.
UI
The Challenges menu can now be opened in-game.
Additionally, Daily and Suggested Challenges have been added to the in-game map screen.
Modified the Battle Royale Challenges screen to display the remaining challenge bundle unlock time as a countdown once it is less than 13 hours away.
Show off your skills in the elimination feed when you land a trick in All Terrain Karts.
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue with the buttons at the top of the Outfit style selection screen overlapping with the draggable window title bar area.
Eliminations at Haunted Hills Challenge will now display as hard.
Players who have unlocked the ability to select color styles for the Carbide and Omega Outfits will no longer randomly become locked out of that option.
The 'Toggle Favorite' option no longer shows when selecting styles.
The Build Bar no longer stays active if it was active on the warmup island.
Quest updates and vehicle key hints no longer overlap on the HUD.
Punctuation in the Challenge descriptions has been corrected.
Fixed clipping on the Item Return screen for systems with aggressive Safe Zone settings.
Changing setting while inside the Battle Bus will no longer bring up the full HUD earlier than intended.
The HUD will now show the vehicle currently being driven rather than the one that was driven last.
Art + Animation
Updated the effect of lighting on character models.
Added equip and holding animations for all grenades.
Bug Fixes
The size of the Soccer ball in the juggling emote has been fixed.
Leaning while on All Terrain Karts no longer cancels emotes.
Player models will no longer appear twisted while controlling the Guided Missile.
Replay System
Bug Fixes
Cameras no longer get stuck in a bad state while following the Battle Bus.
Rapidly skipping through a replay on non-desktop platforms no longer causes a crash.
The players remaining counter for the 50v50 LTM now appears properly when viewing replays.
The damage numbers toggle in replays now works properly.
Damage numbers now properly appear on the final elimination during replays.
Player list on the Map screen now works correctly using a gamepad.
Health and shield bars on map screen player list now display correctly.
Mobile
Customizable fire mode selection screen added to mix and match fire modes.
Added FPS (frames per second) mode setting for mobile devices.
Added another individual quickbar button to the HUD layout tool.
Added mobile Elimination Feed.
Separated Quickbar buttons are more visible in the HUD Layout tool.
Harvest tool will now alternate between itself and the previously selected item when tapped.
Bug Fixes
Completed or expired Challenges are now cleared while navigating between Challenges.
Ramps will no longer be built through other ramps.
Shooting when interacting with objects no longer occurs.
Fixed inconsistency with mobile low power mode support.
A new set of weekly challenges will scheduled appear in Fortnite on Thursday, August 9. If you need a hand doing the current challenges, you can take a look at our Fortnite Season 5 challenges roundup for information on each one, as well as guides on how to do them.
We're in the thick of Season 5 of Fortnite: Battle Royale on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and iOS. As with previous season, the latest one brings with it a selection of new challenges to complete on a weekly basis, as well as a variety of Battle Pass rewards to unlock for your troubles. This time, however, Epic has made a few notable changes to the way certain Battle Pass challenges operate. Here's everything you need to know about the newest Season 5 challenges, details on all of the ones available so far, and exactly how to get them all done.
Once again, players who purchase the Season 5 Battle Pass will get a set of objectives to complete every week, which in turn will go toward leveling the Battle Pass up and unlocking new rewards. Unlike past seasons, however, weekly challenges are now divided into two categories, Free (which are available to all Fortnite players) and Battle Pass (which are reserved for those who've purchased the Pass). That means that even if you haven't bought the Battle Pass, you'll still be able to complete certain objectives and earn rewards.
If you do decide to pick up the Battle Pass partway through the season, you'll be also able to retroactively unlock any premium rewards you've earned based on the tier that you've already reached. However, one of the advantages of purchasing the Battle Pass early is bonus XP, which is awarded for playing in general and for playing in a party with friends. Since leveling up with XP translates into Battle Stars, you'll want to grab the Battle Pass as soon as you can and take advantage of these bonuses.
There are two other types of challenges to complete this season as well: Road Trip and Drift. The former are much like the Blockbuster challenges from Season 4; when you complete all of the challenges in a given week, you'll receive a special loading screen that points to the location of a hidden Battle Star. Drift challenges, on the other hand, task you with gaining a certain amount of XP. There are five Drift challenges to complete in total in Season 5, each of which reward you with a new style option for the Drift skin. If you manage to complete four out of the five Drift challenges, you'll also unlock the Rift Edge, an alternative for the pickaxe. For a limited time, you can also complete special anniversary challenges tied to Fortnite's birthday event.
You'll find a complete list of all Season 5 challenges available so far below, along with links to our maps and guides that will help you complete them all. You can see all of the new skins, cosmetics, emotes, sprays, and other items to unlock this season in our gallery of Fortnite Season 5 Battle Pass rewards.
Fortnite: Battle Royale Season 5 Challenges
Road Trip
Complete all challenges from any week -- loading screen
Complete all challenges from any 2 different weeks -- loading screen
Complete all challenges from any 3 different weeks -- loading screen
Complete all challenges from any 4 different weeks -- loading screen
Complete all challenges from any 5 different weeks -- loading screen
Complete all challenges from any 6 different weeks -- loading screen
Complete all challenges from any 7 different weeks -- loading screen
Rockstar Games has finally shown off a gameplay trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2, giving the many eager fans out there the first opportunity to see exactly what playing the sequel will be like when it launches in October. The video provides a deeper look at the game world, how players can interact with the Van der Linde gang, build a reputation for main character Arthur Morgan, and much more. Check it out above and continue readying for a full breakdown.
"In the late 1800s, America was evolving, on its way to becoming the most powerful country in the world," a voice over in the trailer states. "New immigrants arrived, thriving outposts became towns, and civilization was spreading into the huge, wild, and lawless frontier. With Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar Games aims to create a living world that's not simply open, but deeper, more interactive and detailed than ever, combining action, storytelling, and gameplay in new ways as you live, ride, and fight to survive as an outlaw in a notorious gang."
As shown in the trailer, Red Dead Redemption 2 features a vast American landscape that encompasses everything from harsh mountain trails and dense forests to untamed swamplands, sweeping deserts, rugged livestock towns, and cities that are undergoing the process of modernization. Players will be able to move between these locations seamlessly and each one provides a variety of activities and missions to engage with.
Click image to view in full screen
As Arthur Morgan, you roll with the Van der Linde gang, who are being pursued across America by Lawmen intent on snuffing out the age of outlaws. The way players interact with fellow gang members is key to Red Dead Redemption 2's narrative and its gameplay, so they are always available to talk to, either for general chit-chat or to get missions and activities from. You can also take your compatriots in crime out with you to hunt, go drinking, or rob.
The Van der Linde gang has a dedicated camp that evolves over time. Players will frequently return to the camp to take on missions and activities, as well as build their relationships with other members of the gang, as previously mentioned. Here, the group can eat, sleep, perform chores, and play games together. The camp needs to be maintained and each member of the gang is involved in that process. For upkeep, the camp needs a regular supply of provisions, be it food or cash. Although players can choose not to contribute and leave it to others, helping out will lead to Arthur being rewarded for his efforts. Interestingly, camp locations will change as the story progresses, which makes sense given that they're outlaws on the run.
Red Dead Redemption 2 also lets players interact with the majority of other characters in the game world, and these interactions will change depending on the situation and context. Since you're an outlaw, you can choose how to approach the world, either behaving like an upstanding member of society or choosing to cause trouble. Depending on the approach the world and the people, around you will react accordingly. In the trailer Arthur is shown calling out to a passing rider, smack talking tough guys, and reasoning with a sheriff. He intimidates a witness into silence by beating him, and also talking someone else down from getting violent.
The horses are another big pillar of Red Dead Redemption 2's gameplay, as they are as much a companion for Arthur as it is a transportation option. As with the first game, wild horses can be tamed and ridden, but this time will behave differently depending on their breed. Some may be better suited to traversing certain terrain, while others may get spooked easier when around action. To build a bond with horses, players are able to feed them and groom them, and if they're upset, you can ease their stress and calm them too. As the player, and Arthur, deepens the bond with a horse, its stamina and speed develops, and it also becomes easier to calm it.
Needless to say, horses are also pretty handy for carrying equipment. Saddlebags can be utilized to hold extra weapons, killed animals, and pretty much anything else that Arthur isn't able to stuff into his pockets.
Arthur, who is a senior member of the Van der Linde gang and, as a result, has the confidence of its leader, Dutch, joined the gang when he was a boy and treats its members as family, inspiring deep loyalty from him. Given that the life of an outlaw is all that he's known from a young age, he's desperate to protect his lifestyle and his family, and make sure they're taken care of. Despite being an outlaw, the player can define how honorable Arthur is through actions. The way they choose to approach missions and activities, as well as their general conduct in daily life in the open-world will dictate the level of honor Arthur has. This, in turns, opens up different opportunities and has varying consequences.
In terms of shooting and combat, shooting and fighting have been improved to make combat feel "deep and engaging at all times." Guns now have unique characteristics with realistic reload and recoil so the action feels grounded.
Up until now Rockstar has provided precious few details on Read Dead Redemption 2's gameplay, opting instead to release three cinematic trailers that deliver some insight into the story of the game and set the mood for it. Red Dead Redemption 2 takes place in America in the year 1899, at the end of the wild west era. Lawmen have begun hunting the last remaining outlaw gangs, killing off those that don't surrender.
"After a robbery goes badly wrong in the western town of Blackwater, Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang are forced to flee," Rockstar explained. "With federal agents and the best bounty hunters in the nation massing on their heels, the gang must rob, steal and fight their way across the rugged heartland of America in order to survive. As deepening internal divisions threaten to tear the gang apart, Arthur must make a choice between his own ideals and loyalty to the gang who raised him ... Red Dead Redemption 2 is an epic tale of life in America at the dawn of the modern age."
The story follows outlaw Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang as they fight for survival by robbing and stealing their way across the heart of America. A previous trailer confirmed that the first Red Dead Redemption's protagonist, John Marston, will make an appearance.
Epic Games' wildly popular battle royale title, Fortnite, has finally gotten a beta release on Android beginning August 9; however, this will initially be exclusive to Samsung devices. As detailed by CNET, Fortnite beta invites will be sent first to Samsung device owners, and it can only be downloaded on Samsung Galaxy S7 phones and above, which means the S7, S7 Edge, S8, S8 Plus, Note 8, S9, and S9 Plus.
The exclusivity period for Samsung will last from August 9 to August 12, during which it can be downloaded through the Fortnite Android website. The Fortnite beta will become widely available on other Android devices from August 12. Those who purchase the new Samsung Note 9 or Galaxy Tab S4 will get access to the new Galaxy outfit, which you can see below.
Anyone without a Samsung device can sign-up to be invited on the Fortnite Android site. Epic has also released a list of other devices that the beta will be playable on:
As previously detailed, Epic will bypass the Google Play Store for Fortnite's Android release and directly distribute the game to players. This allows Epic Games to make more money from the free-to-play title, as Google will not be entitled to a portion of the money spent on in-game transactions. In a statement shared with GameSpot, Epic said the decision allowed the company to get around the 30 percent "store tax" that would ordinarily be applicable to purchases made on Google Play.
"It's a high cost in a world where game developers' 70 percent must cover all the cost of developing, operating, and supporting their games," Epic explained. "And it's disproportionate to the cost of the services these stores perform, such as payment processing, download bandwidth, and customer service."
Although Fortnite is available on iOS, Apple's ecosystem does not allow for similar measures to be taken for those devices. Nevertheless, the game has become incredibly successful. Analysts have said that Fortnite's iOS version made an average of $2 million per day over a 10-day period, following the start of Season 5 in July. By August, Fortnite on iOS had crossed over 100 million downloads.
If you're on the hunt for a new phone and don't mind splashing out a bit of cash, check out CNET's Samsung's Galaxy Note 9 preview, which breaks down all the features and explains how it compares to other devices such as the Galaxy S9, iPhone X, and the Note 8.
Season 5, Week 5 of Fortnite: Battle Royale is here, and with it comes a few new challenges to complete. One of those will require you to run around the game world in search of Rift Portals to use, which is much easier said than done. Rifts played a key part in the lead up to Season 5, transforming large areas of Fortnite's island. Interacting with them teleports you high into the air above the island, allowing you to plummet down to the ground or use the elevation to glide around.
The difficult part of this challenge is actually finding these portals, as they appear randomly. Generally, you'll have to run around and just keep your eyes open, so we recommend just getting on with the other challenges and staying alert. However, there is one extra tell to look out for: when a rift opens, you'll hear a booming sound that serves as an audio cue to alert players nearby that one has opened, so keep your headphones on and turned up.
If you've never seen a rift before, they look like blue tears in the fabric of reality. They're tricky to see during the daytime, since they can blend into the brilliant blue sky, so it's worth constantly scanning the sky above you.
Although there's no specific location to find the rifts, anecdotally we've found we run into them most in the new areas that were added to the game at the start of Season 5. As a result, we recommend taking regular trips to the desert biome at the bottom of the map and hanging around Snobby Shores too. We've also had some luck finding them in the vicinity of Tomato Town and Risky Reels, so give those a shot if you're struggling.
If you're still trying to complete the other challenges for Fortnite Season 5, Week 5, we've put together a guide on how to follow the Snobby Shores Treasure Map, which is the other more time-consuming quest. Those still catching up on previous weeks' challenges can also take a look below, where you'll find a guide for the entire season thus far, along with some recent news surrounding Fortnite. Alternatively, you can head over to our dedicated Fortnite Season 5 challenge guide.
We're now into Season 5, Week 5 of Fortnite, which means there's a new selection of challenges for players to complete on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and iOS. As with previous weeks, the newest batch are split between challenges that are available to all players, and a small selection of additional ones that are only accessible to Battle Pass owners. Completing the challenges unlocks Battle Stars, which contribute towards leveling the Battle Pass up and unlocking fresh new items to customize your character with.
This week's challenges for the free tier involve searching for seven chests in Junk Junction and eliminating three opponents in a single match. On top of that, you'll need to use three Rift Portals. Since Rift Portals appear randomly, this one is going to involve spending some time running around searching for them, so we recommend getting on with the other challenges but keeping an eye out for rifts.
For Battle Pass-exclusive challenges, you'll have to deal 300 damage with a Clinger, Stink Bomb, or Grenade; hit a golf ball from tee to green on five different holes; and eliminate three opponents in Shifty Shafts. As with previous weeks, the trickiest of the bunch involves following a treasure map, which this time can be found in Snobby Shores.
As usual, you don't need to find the map to actually complete the hunt for the Battle Star, but if you want to see it, you can take a look below. The Battle Star is located on the roof of the northernmost crypt inside Haunted Hills. The quickest and easiest way to get yourself up there is to build structures until you're high enough to jump on. Take a look below to also see a map of the exact location where the star can be found.
Along with getting Battle Stars, completing any four challenges will get you 5,000 XP. Take a look below for a complete list of challenges.
Click image to view in full screen
Fortnite Season 5, Week 5 Challenges
Free
Search Chests in Junk Junction (7) -- 5 Battle Stars
Use Rift Portals (3) -- 5 Battle Stars
Eliminate opponents in a single match (3) -- 10 Battle Stars
Battle Pass
Deal damage to players with a Clinger, Stink Bomb, or Grenade (300) -- 5 Battle Stars
Hit a golf ball from tee to green on different holes (5) -- 5 Battle Stars
Follow the treasure map found in Snobby Shores (1) -- 10 Battle Stars
Eliminate opponents in Shifty Shafts (3) -- 10 Battle Stars
If you've kept up with all of the challenges in Season 5 thus far and manage to clear the latest set of objectives, you'll complete another Road Trip challenge and be rewarded with a special loading screen that points to the location of a free Battle Pass tier hidden around the island. This one can be found on top of a house surrounded by cacti, but it'll only appear if you've met the aforementioned requirements.
On August 8, developer Epic Games rolled out Fortnite's 5.20 update, introducing a number of new features to the game. Steady Storm became available as a limited-time mode and the double barrel shotgun was added to the game, making those that get their hands on it devastatingly powerful at close range. You can read the full Fortnite update 5.20 patch notes to see everything that was added and changed.
If you're still trying to do older challenges, take a look at the list of our previous Fortnite Season 5 coverage below, where you'll find guides for each week as well as all the important news surrounding the game, such as Epic's decision to go around the Google Play Store when releasing Fortnite for Android.
The remake of Resident Evil 2 is a treat for fans, but serious collectors can get some very unique goodies--at least, if they live in Japan or want to pay for an import. While the game comes in several different collector's edition configurations on the Japanese site, the centerpiece is a working bluetooth and USB keyboard modeled after the series' iconic typewriter.
The keyboard retails for 75,000 yen (approximately $675 USD) by itself, and is compatible with your PC, Mac, or tablet. For 82,800 yen ($750) you also get a copy of the game and a typewriter ribbon prop. The piece de resistance is the 99,00 yen ($900) copy, which includes the typewriter keyboard, four ribbons, and the boxed collector's edition of the game. That collector's edition comes with a poster, artbook, soundtrack CD, Leon Kennedy figure, collector's box, and a code for additional DLC, and goes for a more reasonable 24,800 ($225). All of these editions are for the PlayStation 4 version.
All of these are only announced for Japan, with no indication yet that they'll come to the West. That means if you want your very own decadent piece of Resident Evil memorabilia, you may have to find an import shop.
Such pricey special editions certainly shows a confidence in the fans to rally behind the game, despite Capcom's purported concerns about the updates. Resident Evil 2 is coming on January 25, 2019 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. For more details on our own collector's editions, check out our pre-order guide.
This is not an instant win. Winners will be selected at random and receive an email with the code. Codes are for the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Multiplayer Beta only and do not give access to the full game when it launches officially.
Here are the official Beta dates:
Friday, August 10 at 10:00am PT to Monday, August 13 at 10:00am PT (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC)
Saturday, August 11, 10 am PT – 10 am PT Monday, August 13 (PC Only Open Beta)
The series which has become the most played in Call of Duty history, as well as a cultural phenomenon around the globe returns October 12th with the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, a gritty, grounded, all-out combat experience. Black Ops 4 raises the bar for Multiplayer mode that increases tactical gameplay and player choice, along with the biggest Zombies offering ever with three full experiences at launch, and Blackout, where the Black Ops universe comes to life in a massive battle royale experience featuring iconic characters and locations from all four Black Ops games in a one-of-a-kind offering that is uniquely Black Ops. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 transforms the established universe played by hundreds of millions of fans with the largest gameplay experience ever created in the series.
QuakeCon 2018 is underway, and as promised, it's given fans a ton of new details on a number of Bethesda's upcoming titles. In addition to revealing the first gameplay footage of Doom Eternal, the publisher's keynote address brought a new gameplay demo of Rage 2, the open-world post-apocalyptic shooter coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC next year.
The demo, which you can watch below, provides another extended look at the game in action, including showing off the first footage of a convoy takedown. The clip begins with an overview of the story, revealing that Rage 2 is set 30 years after the events of the first game. The Earth has started to recover after being ravaged by a global catastrophe, and plant and animal life have begun springing up around the planet.
Players assume the role of a character from Vineland, which they've recently had to flee after it was attacked by the Authority. The demo then kicks off with a trek through a wetland area to track down Dr. Kvasir. A firefight soon breaks out with Authority mutants, showcasing some of the weapons you'll have in your arsenal--including the boomerang-like Wingstick, which boasts a few new abilities in this title.
Later in the demo, the player character ventures to the Eden Space Center to call down Eco-15 from orbit. However, the facility is overrun by the Goon Squad, one of the many factions that vie for control over the wastelands. Each of these gangs has their own distinct combat style; the Goon Squad are described as "hyper violent and completely lawless," while the Shrouded are "elite bandits who have access to incredible tech."
We also get a look at some of the vehicles you'll be able to pilot. Bethesda says these will play an even more integral role in Rage 2. Of course, you won't be the only one with access to vehicles; enemy factions will also roam about the world in their own distinctive rides, and you'll come across "massive" convoys with a powerful leader.
Rage 2 still doesn't have a release date, but the game is slated to arrive for PS4, Xbox One, and PC in Spring 2019. We went hands-on with a brief demo of the game before its E3 reveal, but weren't quite sure what to think of it.
Bethesda showed off the first Doom Eternal gameplay footage during the QuakeCon 2018 keynote. It's as fast, frantic, and gory as you'd expect if you've played the game's 2016 predecessor. What the publisher didn't mention onstage--but the official Doom Twitter account tweeted shortly after the presentation--is that Doom Eternal is also coming to Nintendo Switch.
It's already been confirmed for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. In fact, you can pre-order Doom Eternal on those platforms right now. But the news that it's also coming to Nintendo Switch is something Bethesda hadn't confirmed yet.
Not that it's entirely unexpected. Bethesda had the development studio Panic Button Games bring Doom and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus to the Nintendo Switch. If a seemingly tongue-in-cheek tweet from Panic Button is any indication, the same company is also handling the Switch version of Doom Eternal.
Bethesda hasn't announced a specific release date for any version of Doom Eternal; all we know is it's coming sometime in 2019. It's not clear if the Switch version will come out on the same day as the other versions, either. The Switch version of Wolfenstein II arrived eight months after it landed on the other platforms.
For full coverage of all the Doom Eternal news coming out of QuakeCon 2018, including a new trailer and lots of gameplay footage, click here.
After the amazing gaming year that was 2017, many wondered how well 2018 would turn out. Fortunately for everyone, it has been great. The first half of the year has yielded a wealth of fantastic games, and there's more on the horizon. Upcoming games for the rest of this 2018 include slew of hotly anticipated new games, like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Red Dead Redemption 2, Spider-Man, and a whole lot more. To help you keep track of all the games coming out and what has already released, we've compiled a list of all the noteworthy release dates for the biggest ones confirmed to come out in 2018 so far.
Game release dates change all the time and new ones arrive every month. Be sure to bookmark this page, as we'll be updating this article with more release dates or any potential changes to any of the dates below. And if you're eager to figure out the release dates from games next year, you can also reference our feature on the game release dates of 2019.
Below you can find a list of the biggest games that don't have explicit release dates but are confirmed to release sometime this year. There are also games listed that we expect to launch in 2018. We'll be moving each of these games into the release date sections above as soon as official dates are announced.
At QuakeCon 2018, Bethesda announced that Quake Champions would permanently remain a free-to-play title. Originally, anyone who downloaded the early access game within a limited time window got Quake Champions for free. Bethesda has just extended that deal indefinitely.
Announced in 2017, Quake Champions is the long-awaited sequel to 2005's Quake 4. A class-based first-person shooter, Quake Champions features heated firefights across an assortment of battlefields and arenas. The game is one of our most anticipated exclusives coming to PC in 2018, launching sometime later this year.
The announcement that Quake Champions is now free-to-play was accompanied by a new trailer. At the end of the trailer, players got a more in-depth look at Death Knight, one of the champions, and his gameplay. The trailer reveals that Death Knight is now available in Quake Champions.
Even though Quake Champions is free, downloading the game won't net you its entire roster of diverse champions. If you want to start Quake Champions with everyone unlocked, you'll have to buy the Champions Pack.
Also during QuakeCon, Bethesda showcased new gameplay trailers for Doom: Eternal and Rage 2. The Doom: Eternal trailer displayed new weapons and abilities, as well as exceptionally visceral combat. The Rage 2 trailer offers a more in-depth look at convoy takedowns.
During QuakeCon, Xbox tweeted out that both Rage and 2016's Doom are now live on Xbox Game Pass. So if you have Game Pass and you're looking to play through both Rage and Doom before Rage 2 and Doom: Eternal release, now you can do so for free. Considering Xbox Game Pass is only $10 a month, it's also cheaper to just buy the subscription instead of buying each game separately.
In our Doom review, Peter Brown wrote, "Many shooters chase the thrill Doom delivers, but few are as potent in their execution. It captures the essence of what made the classic Doom games touchstones of their day, and translates it to suit modern palates with impressively rendered hellscapes and a steady influx of tantalizing upgrades. Doom is the product of a tradition as old as shooters, and while it's not the model to follow in every case, modern shooters could learn a thing or two from Doom's honed and unadulterated identity."
In our Rage review, Chris Watters wrote, "Though the story gets a bit too cliched, there is a robust amount of adventuring to be done in a world that rewards you for your attention. It's a shame that your explorations are marred by Rage's technical shortcomings, and only time will tell how much patches will be able to fix these problems. Rage is better enjoyed on an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, but regardless of which platform you play on, it still offers a rich and rewarding adventure."
During QuakeCon's keynote, Bethesda made numerous announcements and showed off a few new gameplay trailers for upcoming titles. Both Doom: Eternal and Rage 2 stole the spotlight. The former got its first gameplay trailer, which was insanely brutal. For Rage 2, we got an extended look at convoy takedowns.
GameStop has released its weekly ad for the week of August 8-14, meaning PS4 and Xbox One owners can find a whole new set of deals on games and accessories. (Sorry, Switch owners, maybe next week?) We've gone through the ad page by page and collected the highlights of this week's sale below. Read on for the goods.
On the software side of things, you can get some great deals on a handful of games. The Montana-set open-world shooter Far Cry 5 is on sale for $35, which is as low as we've seen it go on console. If you can't wait for November 14 to play Fallout 76, you can snag Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition for just $30. It comes with the game and all of the DLC. A lot more Bethesda games are discounted, thanks to the Quake-Con sale going on now. You can find a few more game deals in the list below.
And this one applies to all retailers, but if you pre-order Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, you can participate in the private beta running August 10-13. It gives players access to six maps and six modes: Team Deathmatch, Domination, Hardpoint, Kill confirmed, Search and Destroy, and Control.
All the best hardware deals this week are for Xbox One. Buy any new Xbox One console, and you'll get a new game of your choice for free. If you're in the market for an Xbox One X, you can get a nice trade-in deal between now and August 28 that gets you $300 for trading in a PS4 Pro; $250 for a PS4, Nintendo Switch, or Xbox One S; or $200 for an original Xbox One.
If all you need is a new gamepad, you can save $10 on select Xbox One wireless controllers. If you don't mind a wire and you're cool with using third-party accessories, you can save $5 on PowerA wired Xbox One controllers, bringing them down to $30 each.
Check out the full ad for more deals, plus information about new and upcoming games.
Nintendo released a Nintendo Direct presentation that focused on the upcoming Switch game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Among many other pieces of news, the company announced that Donkey Kong Country villain King K. Rool will be a playable character in the game--the croc's first appearance in the series.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is set to land on Nintendo Switch on December 7. In addition to many other characters announced in the Nintendo Direct, it will also feature every character who's ever appeared in the entire series, giving it by far the biggest roster of any Smash Bros. game in history.
King K. Rool made his first appearance in the 1994 Super Nintendo game Donkey Kong Country. He is the leader of a gang of crocodilian enemies known as Kremlings, and one of his eyes is veiny and bulging. He's a fairly goofy villain, using tactics like pretending to be defeated to get a leg up on the Kong crew. In Ultimate, he'll be able to throw his boomerang-like crown at opponents and use a blunderbuss that can fire cannonballs.
Other new characters appearing for the first time in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate include Castlevania's Simon Belmont and Richter, who will be Simon's echo, meaning he'll control similar to Simon. Also announced was Dark Samus, an echo character for Samus who first appeared in the Metroid Prime series.
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