Warframe has grown from a modest free-to-play experiment that was very much a work in progress to a remarkably impressive online game with an ever-growing fan-base. Since its launch in 2013, the action-RPG starring "Space Ninjas" slashing and shooting across the universe has evolved in a big way after its many expansions, giving players more ways to customize their characters and partner up in different scenarios--including open world settings--to take on the toughest challenges in the game. Out now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, developer Digital Extremes and along with Switch port veterans Panic Button Games, have now set their sights on their most ambitious project to date--a port of the massive game for Nintendo Switch.
Set for release on November 20, Warframe will bring its fast-paced and kinetic gameplay to Nintendo's portable console, marking the first time the game will be playable on the go. To put into perspective how much of an undertaking it is to rework Warframe for Switch, the online game receives updates and content drops on a regular basis. Furthermore, the Switch release will launch with the game as it was prior to the Fortuna update--the largest expansion to date--offering 14 different planets to travel to, over 200 melee weapons and firearms to collect, more than 30 unique characters to level up and master, and an involved plot detailing the escalating war among different factions vying for control.
Diving into Warframe for the first time can be daunting, but once you get into the swing of it you'll find a game that offers a lot of variety and involved systems--something akin to the power grind and gameplay found in Bungie's Destiny. We recently tried out the Switch version of Warframe ahead of its launch and came away pleased with how faithful it was to the previous releases of the game, which was certainly a tall order in its own right.
As one of the console's few online-only games (putting it in the same company as the immensely popular Fortnite), Warframe will find a new audience on the mobile console. Like Fortnite, Warframe is a games-as-a-service title with its own of set of unique features and in-game purchases and won't require players to have access Nintendo Online.
One of the biggest challenges that Digital Extremes had to overcome was not only bringing the scale of Warframe to the Switch, but also figuring out how to translate its fast action and crisp graphical fidelity to a more modest platform. Digital Extremes teamed up with Panic Button Games, the same studio behind the solid Switch ports of Doom (2016) and Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, and the two developers worked extensively over the last year to make sure the next port of the game could stand up alongside the versions. Speaking with GameSpot, Digital Extremes producer Mark Ollivierre and Panic Button Games' Studio GM Adam Creighton described the process of porting the game.
"All the games we've worked on are a little different, so they come with different challenges. Whether it's Doom or Wolfenstein 2 or even [Warframe]," said Creighton. "This is the first always-online game-as-a-service title that we've done for the platform, and it's definitely something we wanted to do. That's part of why there was a mutual interest on the Digital Extremes and the Panic Button side to do this. Because for me, I'm a portfolio person, this is very much where I see a big chunk of games going. Before we talked to Digital Extremes folks, this was a title that I enjoyed, wanted to be part of it, and I'd look at as kind of that epitome of a triple-A, free-to-play title."
If you're familiar with the feel and playstyle of the console editions of Warframe, you'll be able to pick up the Switch version easily. However, some clear concessions were made to ensure the game was in stable shape for the portable hardware. While other versions run at a consistent 60 FPS, the Switch port performs at a mostly stable 30 FPS and at 720p. Swapping between docked and undocked modes is simple and painless, and there isn't much difference in performance between the two--which is impressive. However, some occasional dips in frame-rate during the more intense encounters can occur, particularly when multiple players use their powers and weapons simultaneously.
With that said, the Switch version still does a solid job of keeping up with the action, while also highlighting the strengths of the console. There are surprisingly in-depth controller options that take advantage of the Switch's myriad play styles with the JoyCons, along with controller sensitivity options to tune the feel of the game to your liking. The Switch version also features motion-control functionality for actions such as fishing, shooting your firearms, and using other tools in-game. Having said that, the Pro Controller still feels like the optimal way to play the game.
The Switch will also features integrated voice-chat, allowing party members to communicate with each other in-game without the need for the Nintendo Switch Online mobile app. If you're a seasoned player, then you can import your account over to the Switch, which will be available to players during the launch window of the game. The Switch version will exist independently within its own ecosystem of players, though, and there are no plans for cross-play with other versions at this time.
During the development of the port, Digital Extreme and Panic Button got a chance to re-examine the internal workings of the game's code. While they acknowledge the technical changes between the different releases, they stated that the primary focus of the Switch release was to ensure that it could run at a solid frame-rate and keep all the action fluid and fast. In an interesting turn of events, the collaboration between Digital Extremes and Panic Button Games on the Switch release also led to some unexpected improvements for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One versions of the game.
"Considering the pace that we developed Warframe, we kind of develop a new system, and almost immediately move onto the next update," said Ollivierre. "So we don't always have the luxury to kind of step back and re-examine through old code to see if we can rediscover something. So having Panic Button come in and kind of run a fine-toothed comb through everything, through all the systems in its entirety, definitely exposed a couple sore spots and helped us massage those out, and implement them and improve the overall game across all of our platforms.
At launch, the Switch version of Warframe will offer a lot of content for players to dive into. Unfortunately, it won't have the recent Fortuna update, which added in the second open-world map and a new hoverboard traversal tool. Currently, the developers plan to release it on Switch sometime in January 2019. Still, the amount of content offered with Warframe on Switch is impressive, and the hardware manages to handle it well. Some of Warframe's best moments occur when you come up with nuanced approaches to traversal and combat, chaining different jumps, glides, and wall-runs together to swoop in on enemies for a quick kill with your immense arsenal of weapons and skills--and that's still true on Switch.
There's really no other game on the Switch like Warframe. Though it's often been seen as the "Destiny" before Destiny, it certainly goes out of its ways to offer up options and different adventures for players, all of which give off this unique flavor that makes it stand out online action games. It's one of those games that's gotten better with age, and with the amount of content that's still on the way, Warframe on Switch will likely be a solid gateway for those craving an involved action-RPG to dive into.
We're giving away PS4 and Xbox One codes for Spyro Reignited Trilogy to ten (10) lucky fans! Scroll down to enter.
This is not an instant win. No purchase necessary. Competition ends at 12:00 PM PT on November 26, 2018, in which 10 winners will be chosen at random and emailed a code for the full game (MSRP: $40).
Well, war has certainly changed. Fallout, the RPG series with a 20-year legacy, finds its latest entry taking another chance at braving a new direction: online multiplayer. It puts a major focus on cooperating with other people in a world with perpetual activities that seek to sustain your engagement indefinitely. It's an enormous game and there's a lot to see. Because of its online nature, GameSpot staff got access to the full version of Fallout 76 on the day of its general release, so we've been playing alongside you and everyone else.
At the time of writing, I've spent three modest days with Fallout 76, leisurely soaking in the world, churning through quests, and cooperating with both friends and strangers to do quests, participate in public events, and explore. I'm a series-long Fallout fan who's enjoyed every mainline entry and avoided 76's beta tests with the intent of making sure my first taste was of the launch product. I'm compiling my early thoughts here and will be updating my opinion with a finalized review once I've taken enough time to dive deeper and see the breadth of what Fallout 76 has to offer.
Fallout 76 feels like a game without a strong focus. It makes changes to the time-tested structure seen in Fallout 4 to make it function as both a single-player and multiplayer experience. But in doing so, both styles of play suffer from major compromises that exist only to serve the other, and as a result, neither is exemplary.
You and everyone else is cast a dweller of Vault 76, an underground bunker filled with overachieving, competitive people tasked with rebuilding the world after a nuclear apocalypse. That time is now, and upon leaving, you also discover that the vault's overseer has undertaken a personal mission. Finding her becomes your overarching pursuit as you enter the vast remains of a scorched world where unknown beasts roam and every other human being is a real person playing the game.
Fallout 76 has no artificial human characters to interact with. The justification is that because the dwellers of Vault 76 are among the first to reenter this devastated America, there are very few coherent beings, and many of the folks who survived nuclear annihilation died before your arrival. Without established characters to populate the world, the vibe of Fallout 76 is an eerie one, frequently amplifying one of the series' great strengths: the feeling of desolation. There's a curiosity about the environment that drives you to veer off the beaten path, visit places that once were, attempt to imagine what life might have been like before everything went to hell, and what's happened there since. Exploring the wasteland remains one of 76's most enjoyable aspects.
But the lack of inhabitants is also Fallout 76's biggest problem, and it limits the world to being little more than just an environmental showcase with things to kill. It means that the art of conversation, a fundamental series feature, is disappointingly absent. But more critically, it means there are no strong emotional anchors to help you become truly invested in the world, a complication that diminishes the game's other core activities.
The biggest victim is the quest system. Without actually having people with needs and desires, initiating and undertaking quests frequently involves the use of environmental storytelling tools--listening to audio logs, reading notes, and browsing through computer terminals for key information. A quest will often explore the stories of certain characters, but they're characters that have long since passed, and all you get are long monologues and one-way directives from a person who no longer exists and you can't interact with. Your actions ultimately won't affect anyone, or the rest of the world for that matter--everywhere you go gets reset with items and enemies regularly--and staying motivated becomes an issue after an extended period.
...there are no strong emotional anchors to help you become truly invested in the world...
Some of these stories are intriguing to be sure, and when you come across a tale about a character who piques your interest, you get excited to find out more about their last living moments. But there's such an over-reliance on having disembodied voices talking at you for every aspect of the game that it's easy for these standouts to become lost. The lack of a more relatable and personal connection between your actions, the world, and its inhabitants means that it's easy for quests to feel like meaningless wild goose chases. It makes the idea of going straight into another quest--listening to more audio logs, running across the country to search for more doohickeys, reading through more diary entries--feel exhausting.
Fallout 76 also feels like it has fewer opportunities to complete quests in your own unique ways at this early stage, which exacerbates the sense that you're having little impact on the wasteland. Lockpicking, hacking, and stealth abilities remain in 76, which provide a little bit of ability to choose how you solve problems. But the quests we've played so far all feel like they have linear throughlines to the goal. Exploring the world's quieter, idle set pieces at your own pace remains the more rewarding narrative experience.
The reliance on things like audio logs and written notes also proves to be the biggest deterrent to playing Fallout 76 in multiplayer. By teaming up, you can explore the world together, get help in taking down difficult enemies, and complete any quest, but certain things are kept distinct to each individual player's experience. Containers that hold items, for example, will have unique loot for each person who opens them. But what's also unique is that quest objective completion is not shared, and every member in your squad needs to activate things personally to have them count toward their progression.
This is a great idea on paper, as it makes sure everyone sees each piece of a story themselves. But in playing with both good friends and strangers, I found that each person's individual need to advance quests severely hinders the flow of the progress. Because of the need to wait for your squad to catch up, have each member take their own time to listen to important tapes (which is impossible when you've got voice chat going) and search terminals for pertinent information, questing in multiplayer requires a lot of patience and courtesy. Add to that the fact that Fallout is already a game that encourages constant, time-consuming gear management which penalizes your movement speed for being over-encumbered, and the idea of having another squad member just feels like an additional burden.
If you have a squad that is happy to skip the narrative content things will go much more smoothly, but then you're denying yourself the one vector that gives these quests context. Multiplayer is more enjoyable when you and your squad are just content to leisurely explore the world, scavenge for items, and get into scrapes. Questing solo has its own obstacles too--packs of enemies will often have a handful of foes that are 10 or 20 levels above you--but not needing to wait around is definitely a big advantage.
Fighting enemies also doesn't feel that meaningful in 76, a more morbid consequence of the lack of in-universe characters. Appalachia is filled with an assortment of delightfully mutated creatures both new and old, including humanoid enemies like the Scorched and Mole Miners who can wield firearms. But it isn't as entertaining to take on enemies that haven't wronged you or anyone you know. Without sadistic raiders and their despicable actions to be appalled by, interesting gang factions to get on the wrong side of, or being able to understand how this particular brand of super mutants came to be, the hostiles you encounter in 76 just feel like cannon fodder.
The combat mechanics don't deal well with a lot of cannon fodder, either. Appalachia is filled with dozens of public events that invite everyone on the server to gather and participate in a unique task tied to a particular location. From the dozen or so I've seen so far, these largely boil down to escort and defense missions that ask you to hold back multiple waves of enemies. Fallout 76's combat system is mostly unchanged from Fallout 4 and is serviceable enough to make small skirmishes with either firearms or melee weapons feel good. But the system is not so good that shooting hordes of enemies for 20 minutes in an event feels like anything other than a chore--the gunplay and movement are not satisfyingly responsive or kinetic enough to make them enjoyable for long periods.
That's also partially due to the change in VATS. What was once a strategic pause-style ability that let you target body parts and take time to assess your surroundings is now a real-time auto-aim system that allows for additional damage, a change presumably made for multiplayer. It serves its purpose in being able to make precision hits on limbs when the action is manageable, but in more intense situations VATS does little to make up for the limitations of the real-time combat system as it once did.
Fallout 76 also falls victim to the series' now characteristic penchant for technical bugs. Whether caused by the game engine or the online nature of the game, I've run into a number of technical oddities in the PC version. Problems like clipping through the world, frozen animations, entire buildings failing to load, enemies getting stuck in walls, audio logs not playing, enemies spawning out of mid-air, losing control due to unstable server connections, and being unable to turn in quests due to unresponsive prompts are just some examples.
Some of the changes in Fallout 76 are wholly positive, though. The straightforward but satisfying base-building component carries over from Fallout 4 and plays a bigger part in 76. A few smart decisions, like the ability to move your base camp for a trivial fee and the ability to save blueprints of entire structures for easy placement elsewhere, makes building complex camps a pleasant and fulfilling activity. The game's unique take on player-versus-player competition is effective at deterring unprovoked attacks when exploring the world, too--it's a lot of work for little reward if your target doesn't retaliate. The flexibility of the new perk system (which is now card-based) allows you to change your abilities at will, which has encouraged me to use of Fallout's weirder skills, depending on my situation.
Fallout 76 attempts to pull off some significantly new ideas for the series, but with few exceptions, they notably diminish many aspects of the game. Multiplayer is fun, but it's not an ideal way to enjoy questing, and the shooting mechanics aren't strong enough to make combat-heavy activities enjoyable for long periods. Things feel better as a solo experience, but the lack of in-universe characters makes becoming emotionally invested in the world and your goals difficult.
I'll continue to play the game with the intention of finishing the campaign, a good portion of the side quests, and getting involved in end-game content. This review will be updated and finalized when all that happens. But at this early stage, I feel like the only reason I'm enjoying the game as much as I am is because of an existing fondness for the Fallout series, not because of anything that can be distinctly attributed to Fallout 76.
Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee are now available onSwitch, marking the series' proper debut on Nintendo's hybrid console. While not direct remakes of the classic Pokemon Yellow version, the pair follow its template very closely, featuring the same setting, story beats, and the original 151 Pokemon (plus their Alolan variants, which could be acquired either from certain NPCs or by transferring them over from Pokemon Go).
Despite their many similarities to Yellow, Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee do introduce some new elements to the series--most notably Meltan, a brand-new Mythical Pokemon that hasn't appeared in any previous mainline Pokemon game. Fittingly for a Mythical Pokemon, Meltan can't be acquired through normal means, so we've put together a guide explaining just how you can add it and its evolved form, Melmetal, to your collection.
How To Catch Meltan
The key to getting a Meltan in Let's Go involves connecting the games to Pokemon Go. As previously mentioned, you can link the mobile title to Let's Go via Bluetooth and transfer any Gen 1 Pokemon you've captured there over to the Switch games. The Pokemon you've transferred will then appear in the Go Park, a new facility that replaces the Safari Zone in Fuchsia City. See our full guide to connecting Go and Let's Go for more details.
To begin a transfer, simply speak to the receptionist at the front desk of the Go Park and follow the on-screen prompts. This is a one-way process; any Pokemon you send from Go to Let's Go can't be returned to the mobile game. However, you'll need to complete at least one transfer in order to catch Meltan, as sending a Pokemon to Let's Go will reward you with a special item in Go: the Mystery Box.
The Mystery Box is the key to summoning Meltan in Pokemon Go. Once opened, the Mythical Pokemon will begin appearing in the wild for a limited time, and you'll be able to capture it just as you would any other monster. However, you'll need to act quickly to catch as many as you can; the Mystery Box only remains open for 30 minutes, and you'll need to wait a full seven days before you can activate it again by transferring another Pokemon.
While you can typically only transfer the original 151 Pokemon, Meltan is the sole exception. Once you've managed to catch one in Go, you'll be able to send it over to the Let's Go titles the same way you would any Gen 1 Pokemon. You'll then be able to recapture it in the Go Park to add it to your team.
At the moment, this is the only way to obtain Meltan in either Go or Let's Go. You won't be able to find it in the wild in the Switch games, so if you're hoping to add one to your collection, you'll need to link the two titles together. However, The Pokemon Company has teased that a new Special Research questline revolving around Meltan will be available for Pokemon Go players sometime this winter, suggesting there will be other ways to acquire it in the future.
Meltan is a pure Steel-type Pokemon that stands at eight inches tall, making it one of the smallest monsters in the Pokemon universe. While it may not look particularly intimidating, it does have a notable distinction: Meltan is the first Mythical Pokemon capable of evolving, and it's able to grow into a hulking monster called Melmetal.
How To Evolve Meltan
As before, Pokemon Go is the key to obtaining Melmetal. In order to evolve Meltan, you'll need to feed it enough Candy in Go, just as you would evolve most other Pokemon in the mobile game. These are acquired each time you catch a Meltan or send one to Professor Willow, but be warned: you're going to need to capture a lot of Meltans if you're hoping to get its evolution, as the Mythical Pokemon requires a whopping 400 Candies to evolve.
Given how long it takes to reopen the Mystery Box, amassing enough Candy to evolve Meltan is a daunting prospect. Fortunately, if you've stocked up on Rare Candies, you'll be able to use them to expedite the process. You can also feed Pinap Berries to Meltan during the capture phase, which will increase the number of Candies you receive if you successfully catch it. Once you've evolved Meltan, you can transfer your Melmetal to the Let's Go games and recapture it in the Go Park.
Just as its base form, Melmetal is a pure Steel-type Pokemon. According to the series' lore, it was worshiped in ancient times because of its ability to create metal. It is also capable of learning a brand-new move called Double Iron Bash, a two-hit Steel-type attack that can make the opposing Pokemon flinch.
The latest pair of Pokemon adventures, Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee, are now available for Nintendo Switch. Among other things, the new games feature connectivity with Pokemon Go, allowing you to transfer over certain monsters from the mobile title. In fact, doing this is quickest way to unlock the new Mythical Pokemon Meltan, but even if you don't own either of the Switch games, you'll have a way to get the new Hex Nut Pokemon in Go.
A new Special Research questline centering around Meltan is now live. By completing the missions assigned by Professor Willow, you'll be able to encounter the new Mythical Pokemon in Pokemon Go, even without connecting it to either of the Let's Go titles. The new questline arrived much earlier than anticipated; The Pokemon Company had previously teased that Special Research related to Meltan would be available this "winter," although it hadn't provided a time frame.
In addition to the new Special Research, Niantic is rolling out a few more special events to commemorate the launch of Pokemon: Let's Go. First, you'll be able to collect new Field Research tasks focusing on Gen 1 Pokemon at PokeStops from now until November 27. Niantic says these tasks feature monsters "not commonly found" in either of the Let's Go games, such as Kabuto and Omanyte, giving you a good incentive to catch and transfer them over.
On top of that, new Raid Battles are slated to arrive in Go from November 23-26. During this time frame, you'll be able to encounter certain Eevee evolutions--Flareon, Jolteon, Vaporeon, Espeon, and Umbreon--as Raid Bosses. Raichu and Alolan Raichu will appear as Raid Bosses more commonly during this period as well.
You might have already gotten yourself a new Exotic this week in Destiny 2. The weekly reset saw the completion of the Murder Mystery quest, whose final prize was the Destiny 1 fan-favorite Exotic machine gun Thunderlord. That was a pretty good prize, but if you need more Exotics--and who doesn't--Xur is back this weekend to quench your thirst for golden loot.
This week, Xur is camped out on Titan. You'll find him on The Rig east of the location where you spawn in, toward the center of the northern edge of the area. Run to the far side of the area and when you come out from the covered portion, turn drop down and turn left. Xur is in the small square building waiting there.
As always, Xur's bag of Exotics includes one weapon and one piece of armor for each of the three classes, specifically from Destiny 2's Year One batch. The weapon this week is Coldheart, a powerful trace rifle laser beam that was previously a preorder bonus for Destiny 2. Its Cold Fusion perk give it a steady beam, and the Longest Winter perk mean it does more and more damage the longer you hold the beam on your target.
Knucklehead Radar is a favorite for Hunters--the helmet maintains your radar even when you're aiming down sights, which makes it great for the Crucible. Warlocks get Aeon Soul, which grant additional class ability energy to teammates when you use your own class ability, with the gains increased when more people on your Fireteam are also wearing Aeon Exotics. Finally, the Titan helmet An Insurmountable Skullfort start health regeneration when you kill enemies with Arc melee abilities, while also recharging your melee energy.
An Insurmountable Skullfort (Exotic Titan helmet) -- 23 Legendary Shards
Alongside the items above you can purchase directly, you can also shell out Legendary shards for Xur's Fated Engram. This engram is guaranteed to decrypt into a Year One Exotic you don't already own, making it a good way to fill out your collection if you find Xur's offerings lacking--provided you can afford it. Make sure you buy it on the character whose class you want the Exotic to match.
Apart from finally taming Thunderlord (here's how if you haven't yet), you should be seeing Exotic drops in the world of Destiny 2 carry fewer duplicates. That's because of Bungie's last big update to the game, which weighted Exotics you don't own higher than ones you do for random drops in the world. Duplicates will still drop, but they should come less often. Bungie also has weighted armor duplicates over weapon duplicates, so if you do get an Exotic you already have, it'll be more likely to be a piece of armor with random perks, which might still be useful. Weapons don't carry random perks, so you can disassemble those dupes.
There's also great non-Exotic loot to be grabbed this week in the Iron Banner. If you still need to earn Triumphs and Iron Banner armor and weapons from the event, best to get in there--Bungie has said that Season 4 is coming to an end at the end of November, which means your chances for this batch of Iron Banner stuff will end with it.
Though Season 4 is ending, the start of Season 5 (known as the Season of the Forge) means another batch of new content as part of Destiny 2's overall Year Two plan. The next expansion piece is called Black Armory, and its due to drop on December 4. It'll come with new Year Two Exotics, as well as other new gear, a new Raid lair, and a new activity.
When transferring your Pokemon from Pokemon Go to Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu / Let's Go Eevee, make sure you don't do anything to interrupt the process, says Nintendo. Interrupting the transfer could result in you losing some of your Pokemon from Pokemon Go.
To make sure the process isn't interrupted, Nintendo highlighted some best practices on its support site. When you decide to start moving your Pokemon from Go over into Let's Go, make sure to avoid clicking the home or power button on your Switch. You also don't want to press the home button, turn off Bluetooth, or suspend the Pokemon Go app on your mobile device. Nintendo also advises keeping your mobile device and Switch console close together during the process to ensure a smooth transition.
Following this advice should prevent any problems when you transfer your Pokemon. If you notice that your transfer has somehow paused itself or did not completely move all your Pokemon over, Nintendo advises you turn off the Pokemon Go app and uninstall it. After reinstalling the game, you should be able to resume the transfer again. However, any Pokemon that were in between your mobile device and Switch may be lost for good, "as uninstalling and reinstalling the app would cause the transfer process to be stuck in limbo."
In our Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu / Let's Go, Eevee review, Jake Dekker gave the two games an 8/10, writing, "...Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee are delightful reimaginings of the series' origins and a deep RPG in their own right. It makes a lot of smart improvements on the original Red, Blue and Yellow while holding on to what made them so special in the first place."
It's hard to believe, but 2018 is winding to a close. November is now underway, and while many of the year's biggest releases arrived back in October, there are still a number of major games in store for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Switch this month, from the latest entries in the Battlfield and Fallout franchises to the first pair of Pokemon RPGs for Nintendo's hybrid console.
On top of all the new titles, a handful of notable re-releases are set to arrive this month as well, among them the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, which collects and remasters all of Spyro's PS1 adventures into one package. Blizzard's acclaimed dungeon crawler Diablo III also arrived on Switch, marking the developer's first release on a Nintendo system in over 15 years.
That's only a small sample of the games coming out in November 2018. You can see all of the biggest releases on the way for each platform this month below. For a broader look at all of the other titles out this year, be sure to check out our complete list of game release dates in 2018.
Spyro Reignited Trilogy (PS4, Xbox One) -- November 13
Following the success of last year's Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy, Activision is dusting off another PlayStation 1 icon with the Spyro Reignited Trilogy. Developed by Skylanders studio Toys for Bob, the collection launches for PS4 and Xbox One on November 13 and features all three of Spyro's PS1 adventures--Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage, and Spyro: Year of the Dragon--all of which have received a significant audio and visual overhaul. The games also give you the option to choose between their new remastered soundtracks and the original ones if you ever get the urge to listen to the old tracks.
Fallout 76, the latest installment in Bethesda's post-apocalyptic RPG series, arrives on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on November 14, and it takes the traditionally single-player franchise into entirely new territory: multiplayer. Unlike previous games in the series, Fallout 76 is an online-only RPG with no NPCs; rather, every human character you come across as you explore the irradiated wastes of West Virginia is another player, and your best hope for gathering resources and surviving against the hulking mutant creatures roaming about is to band together with others, making for a very different kind of RPG than the series is known for.
Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu / Let's Go Eevee (Switch) -- November 16
The Pokemon series makes its proper Nintendo Switch debut this month with Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee. A reimagining of the classic Pokemon Yellow version for Game Boy, the Let's Go titles take players back to the Kanto region, where they'll face off against new and familiar trainers on a quest to capture the original 151 Pokemon and become Pokemon League Champion. The games also diverge in some dramatic ways, most notably by incorporating the capture mechanics from Pokemon Go and introducing new attacks, as well as an entirely new Mythical Pokemon named Meltan.
EA's Battlefield series returns to the conflicts of World War II with its latest installment, Battlefield V. Originally slated to launch back in October, the military shooter arrives on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on November 20 with a variety of maps and modes from the outset, and even more free content following in the months after its release as part of the Tides of War service. That includes new War Story missions and the battle royale-style Firestorm mode, in which 64 players divided into teams of four vie to be the last one standing on an ever-shrinking battlefield. Those who pick up the game during its launch week will also receive two free items.
Fallout 76's new leveling system is very different from previous games. This time it's based around Perk cards, which you earn after leveling up or completing challenges. Every time you level up, you can put a point into one of the seven S.P.E.C.I.A.L. skills that make up your character's stats, and then pick a card to equip for the skill. The number of points you have in that skill determines how many cards you can have. For example, if you have four points in a particular skill, you can unlock four Rank 1 cards, or two Rank 2 cards, or one Rank 3 card and one Rank 1 card. A Perk card always starts at Rank 1, but if you want to upgrade its rank, you need to combine it with variable duplicates of the same card.
There are a bunch of cards to collect, and you get them at random. What you get is more reliant on luck than anything, but if you're curious what's out there, we've got your covered. Below we've compiled every card we've earned so far and have broken them all down into their specific categories. Be sure to check back often as we update this feature with even more Perk cards.
If you're hungry for more guides, check out our in-depth feature highlighting essential tips you should know before starting. You can also read our survival guide for details on locations to visit first, as well as a basic rundown of the game's systems. If you're curious about our thoughts on the game, be on the lookout for our review in progress in the days ahead.
In the meantime, got any super useful Perk cards that don't see here? Be sure to tell us all about them and how great they are for your current character build in the comments below.
Many of the Strength Perk cards we've found help you dish out extra damage with the different weapon types, such as Slugger and Gladiator, which affect the damage of two-handed and one-handed weapons respectively. Others increase your ability to withstand the weight of your weapons and equipment. There's plenty for you to play around with if your objective is to utterly devastate enemies and players.
Perception
Accuracy, firearms damage, and environmental awareness is the name of the game for Perception. You'll want to net these bonuses if you're more an exploration-focused player whose also a fan of picking locks effectively and keeping your distance from enemies.
Endurance
It's not easy living out in the wasteland. Endurance Perk cards are going to increase your ability to resist diseases and radiation, as well as increase the effectiveness of your health items, and expand your repertoire of ways to get back into tip-top shape--for better or worse (refer to Cannibal).
Charisma
Charisma won't mean much if you're not the type to join up with friends. Most of the Charisma Perk cards we've found help heal teammates and offer bonuses to their statistics. But don't ignore Charisma Perk cards entirely, as there are some that help out solo players too, like Field Surgeon, which makes it so Stimpaks and Radaway work much quicker. There's also Bloocksucker, which makes drinking blood a totally viable way to quench your thirst! We're still debating on whether or not that's either creepy or charismatic..
Intelligence
As you'd expect, Intelligence Perk cards improve your ability to craft weapons and armor. They also offer bonuses to hacking, health gain, and explosives damage. There's plenty more that we've yet to find here, but these are the sorts of cards you'll want if you're more of a methodical tactician and tinkerer.
Agility
Agility Perk cards add some finesse to your survival, offering you bonuses to Action Points and your overall physical ability. Whether it's reducing the weight of food and drink or just making you better at sneaking, you'll want Ability Perk card bonuses if you favor physical capability over strength and endurance.
Luck
Luck Perk cards often increase your ability to pick up more money or resources. Others just improve an incredibly specific characteristic, like Can Do!, which ups your chances of finding an extra canned good when searching a container. Not every card we've found so far is useful, but it certainly doesn't hurt to stat into Luck every once in a while to see what interesting bonus you might get.
Only a few 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 at QuakeCon 2018. We even got an opportunity to play the game at a recent hands-on preview event. But the game is out now, and we've only just began to make strides in Bethesda's sprawling adventure.
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.
If you've been playing the beta, you'll be happy to know that the game is receiving a launch day update containing a ton of new content. In the meantime, be on the lookout for our full review, as well a slew of guides to help you get started in the game.
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 has a few surprises in store for those willing to tackle its myriad challenges.
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. You can take at the full map in the image below.
What Can You Do?
Like previous games, players spend the majority of their time exploring and completing quests. However, Fallout 76 does not feature any human non-player characters, as all surviving humans are controlled by active players. Instead, the game uses a 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's base-building elements similar to Fallout 4. You're able to set up a bases anywhere using an item called the Construction and Assembly Mobile Platform, or C.A.M.P. These can be placed down in the world and allow you to construct an impromptu camp. 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 C.A.M.P. 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 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?
There are 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.
How It Plays: Our In-Depth Preview
We recently got a hands-on with a build of Fallout 76. It plays similarly to Fallout 4, but it features some new additions that subtly shift the paradigm established by past entries in the series. We got to experience three hours of the game, exploring a decent chunk of the opening area while taking on quests and generally working cooperatively with the players around us. There's a lot to unpack about how the upcoming multiplayer open-world RPG, so be sure to watch the video above and read our full thoughts in our in-depth preview detailing what we got to play.
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.
Guides And What To Do First
Fallout 76 is a massive game that just might overwhelm you right at the start. To help ease the pain of emerging from Vault 76, we've gathered together some recommendations of where to go first. But if you want a full rundown on stuff you should know before starting, check out our Fallout 76 beginner's guide.
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.
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.
Epic Games has launched a new update, 6.30, for Fortnite on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch, and mobile. There's a brand-new type of limited-time mode, as well as a new Mounted Turret, and we've got the full patch notes detailing all the new additions and changes. Following the patch's release, Epic has released a hotfix to effectively nerf the Mounted Turret, dramatically reducing the amount of health it has. Another patch released on Friday afternoon (US time) "reduced the availability of the Mounted Turret in all default modes (Solo, Duos, Squads)" as Epic continues to seek feedback on it.
The big new arrival in update 6.30 is a Limited Time Mode called Food Fight, which encourages players to use the new mounted turret to settle the battle of Durr Burger versus Pizza Pit. "One wall, two entrees, the Food Fight has begun! Build your base, wait for the barrier to drop, and battle it out in this new Limited Time Mode. Claim your preferred team on our social channels. #TeamBurger #TeamPizza," Epic says in its description.
The Mounted Turret is a Legendary Trap weapon that can be found in Floor Loot, Supply Drops, Vending Machines, and Supply Llamas. Although it has unlimited ammo--and packs quite a punch--players will need to be careful using it as it can overheat if fired for too long. The turret can only be placed on the floor, and can be destroyed by attacking it directly or aiming for its structural support. The floor piece it is placed on is invulnerable. It's also worth keeping in mind that, once placed, anyone can use a turret--including the enemy team.
As previously announced, Epic has ended its glider re-deploy test that began a few weeks ago. Redeploying will only activate your glider, though you will still skydive when exiting the Battle Bus, after traveling through a Rift, or using a Launch Pad. In the latter two cases, skydiving will lead to a glider deploy higher in the air--at 35 meters, rather than 15.5.
Other changes of note include Quadcrashers now being guaranteed spawns and damage numbers being shown on the starting island. Despite this, you can't drop below 1 health, and any damage dealt won't count toward challenges.
For Save The World, meanwhile, Epic has made some tweaks to the user interface and also introduced the Last Word Revolver. Check out the full patch notes for more on what's new and different with Save The World. You can see the Battle Royale details below.
Fortnite Update 6.30 Patch Notes
General
Optimized particle effects processing, including fixes for non-visible systems.
The Sprint by Default setting will be enabled by default for all new players.
Bug Fixes
Fixed push-to-talk getting interrupted when entering or leaving a menu.
Fixed selecting Voice Chat input and output devices in the options menu when there is more than one non-default input or output device.
Fixed an issue where weapons could have the wrong textures applied.
Improved the speed of gathering information when submitting feedback in-game.
Push-to-talk now works in the menu when bound to mouse buttons other than left and right click.
Social
Improved the sorting order and separation of party invite and friend actions.
The chat window will automatically switch to the Team or Party chat whenever joining a team or party. Restored system messages when party and team members join.
Increased the expanded and minimized size of the chat window.
Chat scrollbar is no longer visible when chat is minimized.
Whispers received while Party or Team chat is open will now appear in-line in the current window.
Getting kicked from a party will no longer forcibly remove the player from the current match or zone.
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue where invites sent to PS4 friends who are not also Epic Friends would work unreliably if that friend came online after you started the game.
Fixed issue where banners were too small or incorrect in certain areas of the UI.
Fixed an issue where chat text would not appear when playing in a game unless the chat window was hovered on or opened/closed.
The Social team got distracted by a butterfly. Here are some things we forgot to mention from previous patches.
Patch v6.21
Fixed an issue where your console friends that were not Epic friends were displaying their Epic name in your friend's list.
Fixed issue where play-with-friends challenges weren't properly awarding progress.
Battle Royale cosmetics should no longer appear on Save the World heroes.
Remove d the combined chat channel (named "All"), it wasn't as useful as we had hoped and was being confused for the Global chat channel.
Friend s playing the same game mode as you will now appear at the top of the Friends list.
Patch v6.22
Re-added Battle Royale hologram visuals for people who are actively in-match.
Text describing players remaining and time-in-match will be restored soon.
Fixed an issue that could result in "ghost" party members after a Save the World match.
Fixed an issue that would allow a Battle Royale hero to appear in the Save the World lobby.
Battle Royale
Limited Time Mode: Food Fight
The battle of Durrr Burger versus Pizza Pit has begun. Two teams on either side of the map. A huge barrier runs down the middle. Build a fort to protect your restaurant mascot. When the Barrier lowers, destroy the enemy's mascot to win the match!
An impassable barrier will be spawned along the center of the map for the first several minutes.
Each team will have an under-construction restaurant near the center of the map. Inside is a giant mascot head representing that team.
If the mascot head is destroyed, that team loses the match.
Teams should use the time that the barrier is up to construct a defensive fortress around their restaurant.
As soon as the barrier lowers... fight to take out the enemy mascot before they destroy yours!
Special red Supply Drops spawn at the start of the match. These hold a handful of weapons, ammo, consumables, traps and a few hundred metal building materials.
Players will respawn after 7 seconds when eliminated, keeping their inventory.
Eliminated players spawn a percentage of their ammo upon elimination, as well as 30/30/60 wood/stone/metal materials.
100% extra resources are gained from gathering.
Building resources found on the ground increased from 20 to 50 per instance.
No explosive weapons or items are in this mode.
Playground
Port-a-Challenges no longer spawn below terrain.
Weapons + Items
Mounted Turret added (Legendary Trap)
Found in Floor Loot, Supply Drops, Vending Machines, and Supply Llamas
Unlimited Ammo, but will overheat if fired too often.
Can only be placed on floors.
Damage the Mounted Turret by shooting it directly or by destroying structural support.
The floor piece it is placed on is invulnerable.
Once placed, can be used by any player regardless of team affiliation.
When a vehicle passenger uses a Grappler, the movement has been smoothed out by retaining more vehicle momentum.
Pickaxe damage against players has been increased from 10 to 20.
Bug Fixes
Adjusted Assault Rifle shell ejection settings to prevent the shells from obstructing reticle while firing while aiming down sights.
Balloons now have proper audio and visual effects if several are popped simultaneously.
Fixed an issue in which players could take damage when leaving a Quadcrasher while using Balloons.
Fixed Quadcrashers being movable by walking into them.
Gameplay
Quadcrashers spawn rate has been increased to 100% from 50%.
Gamepad Bindings; Changing the default gamepad config from Combat Pro to Builder Pro. Updating the default custom bindings to match Builder Pro instead of Combat Pro.
Emoting, bandaging, shield potion usage and other movement cancellable actions can now be used while affected by Chillers.
Damage numbers will now show up in the starting island.
Players will take damage, but not go below 1 health.
Local damage effects like screen shake will not play.
No quest progress will be gained for damage done in the warmup lobby.
Better handling of effects when players fire short bursts of fully automatic weapons like the Submachine Gun.
Tracers and firing sounds will be more consistent.
Added a new "Reset Camera" action on the Nintendo Switch that can be bound that brings the camera to the horizon.
Unbound by default.
This gives players with motion controls an easy way to reset their camera location.
The time a player is in the Down But Not Out state before being eliminated has been increased from 50 seconds to 60 seconds.
Glider Redeploy
Glider Redeploy will now only activate the Glider.
Skydiving will no longer be available when using Glider Redeploy.
The Skydiving state will still be activated when jumping from the Battle Bus, using Launch Pads, or any type of Rifts.
If Skydiving from Launch Pads or Rifts, the forced Glider deploy height has been raised from 15.5 meters to 35 meters.
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue where holding the Interact binding while skydiving would not automatically start opening chests upon landing.
Fixed an issue where players briefly continued to look like they were skydiving when landing.
Fixed issue where PS4 controller lighting could be the wrong color.
Events
New Tournament: 'Scavenger Pop-Up Cup' (Solo)
Pop-Up Cups are tournaments testing temporary limited time modes. Scavenger will test several gameplay adjustments - reduced material limit, faster material harvesting, and earning health for eliminations.
Material Cap: 500 Wood, 500 Brick, 500 Metal
Harvesting Rate has been increased by 40%
Players gain 50 health when eliminating an opponent.
If health is full, players will receive shield.
Players will no longer need to restart the game client to begin a tournament.
Scheduled times will now correctly reflect Daylight Savings Time.
Improved clarity for time until a tournament starts and time remaining in a tournament session.
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue in Tournaments where players were not being matchmade against opponents with similar scores. This will greatly increase the difficulty of matches as players earn points.
Note that players with high scores during a session may experience longer matchmaking times as we search for suitable opponents.
After roughly 4 minutes of searching for opponents with similar scores, players will be placed in the best match available.
Fixed an issue where tournament scoring would sometimes require restarting the client to update.
Fixed an issue where Victory Royale's would incorrectly appear as regular Placement points in the score summary.
Fixed an issue where players would occasionally be granted a point incorrectly at the start of match, and it would disappear after the match.
Fixed an issue where teammates would sometimes fail to queue into a match together.Fixed an issue where matches would start with fewer than 80 players.
Performance
Improved lobby performance and memory usage on Switch.
Optimized animation performance. Animation now operates with a fixed time budget, and will dynamically adjust quality and update rate based on load.
Audio
Glider and footstep audio for out of sight players is now more accurately spatialized.
Added hit notification audio when damaging vehicles from a distance.
Added 'wind' audio cue for players traveling through the air, including yourself.
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue where Cube Monster footsteps did not have a visual sound indicator.
Fixed an issue that would cause tire bounce sounds to trigger twice.
Fixed an issue where looping weapon sounds would occasionally be silent.
Fixed an issue where jumping and landing audio for other players could fail to play reliably.
UI
Added an indication of already completed secrets to the Hunting Party Challenges.
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue where the jersey number could get reset when changing the style on a sports Outfit with selectable styles.
Art + Animation
Bug Fixes
Updated unlock text for the pink variant of Scales to correctly state that it unlocks at Battle Pass tier 74 instead of tier 59.
Updated the "Herald's Wand" harvesting tool to indicate that it is reactive.
Replay System
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue where spamming the Play button on the Replay Browser would cause an error.
Fixed an issue where the close button would become inactive when loading out of date replays.
Quad Launcher explosions no longer reset when scrubbing during replays.
Spectating
The primary quick bar is now visible when spectating a player.
Mobile
Honk button added to extra buttons in the HUD Layout Tool for all your vehicular honking needs.
Elimination feed can now be relocated in the HUD Layout Tool.
The auto-pickup weapons and auto-open doors options will now be defaulted to off for new players.
App icon now fills to the edge on newer Android versions.
UI now accounts for the notches in the display of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL.
Enabled shader cache on the Pixel2XL to address memory issues.
Bug Fixes
Fixed a bug where the crouch button would not be visible in build/edit modes.
Fixed a bug causing persistent movement input when dragging over the quick bar.
Fixed a bug causing sprint to not work on mobile for some players.
A week after they were introduced, the NFL team jerseys have been removed from Fortnite's in-game store. Those that purchased one using V-Bucks can continue to use it but they are no longer available to purchase. Epic has not yet said whether they will make a return in the future.
Epic has also started selling a Summit Striker starter pack, which comes with a new skin, back bling, and 600 V-Bucks for $5. This pack intended to be a way to give newcomers a taste of customization for relatively cheap and, as such, is limited to one purchase per account.
As with every week, this new patch will be followed by a fresh batch of challenges. If you haven't completed last week's challenges, you can check out the full list of them and use our guide for the trickier of the bunch. We also have a comprehensive guide to every challenge in Fortnite Season 6, so you won't miss out on a single Battle Star.
One of the first things you learn in Red Dead Redemption 2 is how to hunt. It's a survival skill that can help you sustain your cores while out in the wild, and it's a reliable source of cash if you're able to quickly gather and turn around animal pelts--the better the condition, the more valuable, of course.
While it can take time to spot high-quality animals and even longer to learn how to hunt them efficiently, without making a mess of their pelt, the hardest piece of the puzzle to figure out early on is where to go to sell fur for cash once it's in your hands. You need a trapper, and we've got an easy-to-follow guide that shows you exactly where Read Dead 2's wandering Trapper can be found; five locations in all.
Saint Denis
The main location is in Saint Denis, the bustling city to the south. You can go there at any point after the game sets you free. The trapper is located within a busy market, under the giant brick wall painted red with an advertisement for biscuits. This is this only trapper location within a town or city; the rest are scattered throughout the wilderness.
Roanoke Ridge Woods, New Hanover
Tucked away in the woods, around the northeast quadrant of the map, lies a shady outpost for our industrious trapper.
Big Valley (East), West Elizabeth
Slightly Northeast from the nearby Riggs Station lies our man, setup in the middle of a small clearing.
Big Valley (North), West Elizabeth
With lots of great hunting opportunities nearby, the convenience of the trapper's spot in the northwest corner of the map is worth taking advantage of.
Endgame Trapper
We don't want to get into too many specifics here, but know that this trapper spot won't be available until the final chapter in the game.
If you're going to survive in Red Dead Redemption 2's world, you're going to need cash. Previously we've highlighted several ways to earn money relatively quickly by working many of the game's core systems and mechanics, but there exists a secret method that can give a significant bump to your wallet without much effort.
The method in question is none other than the Poisonous Trail treasure map side mission, which by its end rewards you with four gold bars that equate to about $2,000 when sold. As you explore, you'll often find treasure maps that lead you to all manner of valuable items, but none are as lucrative as the Poisonous Trail maps, which you can complete early on. Of course, if you're more into cheating the system, you can try out this newly discovered glitch that can net you 30 gold bars. But we all know that's nowhere near as fun!
Below are directions leading you to all the treasure maps in the Poisonous Trail side mission. We've also included screenshots to aid you in your journey. It's worth noting that you cannot simply head to the final location to cash in on the gold. You need to find every single treasure map first before the gold appears in its associated location.
The first map is found at Cairn Lake, which is located north of Valentine up in the mountains. It's snowy up there, so make sure to bring a thick jacket with you before heading up that direction. If you've triggered "The Noblest of Men, and a Woman" Stranger mission, you'll notice that this is the exact location of legendary gunslinger Flaco Hernandez.
Once you make it to Cairn Lake, you should find a small abandoned cabin--the one that Hernandez is staying in. Approach the bed to the right and uncover the lock box underneath it, which holds the first treasure map along some extra valuables.
Treasure Map 2: Face Rock and an Unassuming Tree Trunk
The first treasure map is attempting to clue you in on a location with a rock that seemingly resembles a face. If you haven't spent much time exploring, this natural formation may seem a mystery to you. Fortunately, we know exactly where it is. Simply proceed down to the Lemoyne region, which is located just South of New Hanover. You can find the rock just north of the "E" in "Scarlett" on the map; check the screenshot in the gallery above for visual clarification.
You'll spot Face Rock on a hill. To find the map, go past the tree directly next to Face Rock. You'll want to run further back to the hill's rear where there's a thin tree trunk right beside a fallen tree. The map is located in this thin tree trunk.
Final Treasure Map: The Mysterious Snake Mound
The second treasure map has you searching for a snake-like land formation. Yet again, an oddity that you're likely to have missed if you haven't spent significant time taking note of every curiosity out in the world. This bizarre mound is located southeast of Van Horn, a reasonable distance south of the "R" in "New Hanover" on the map.
As the treasure map indicates, you're going to want to search for a pile of rocks near the snake-like mound. It's pretty easy to spot as it's literally just a clumped-up pile of rocks with a hole at the center. Search the hole to find the final treasure map. Onward to the treasure!
The Treasure: Gold! Gold! Gold!
The final treasure map points to a waterfall and what appears to be a pathway in a cave. You'll find this waterfall at the Elysian Pond, which is located directly northeast of the "E" in "Hanover" on the map. When you arrive, walk through the waterfall to discover the entrance of a hidden cave.
It's dark in the cave, so bust out your lantern. Proceed through the cave until you find a section in the path where you can drop down. When you land, proceed through the crawl space on the right, which will lead you to the fork in the road pictured on the map. Take the right path, but before you do hug right to find a makeshift camp with a lockbox containing a Large Jewelry Bag.
Continue the path forward until you reach what appears to be a pit into certain doom. Instead of falling to your death, proceed left until you reach another edge. If you look closely, your lantern will illuminate some solid ground below that you can land on. But take a few steps back; you're going to want a running start in order to make this jump. If you're acrobatics are sufficient, head down the slope to the left. You'll slip down into some water; once you gain your balance, look to your left for a rock platform to climb up. Search this area and you'll be rewarded with four bars of gold.
If this is the first time you've obtained gold, know that you can sell them at Fences for direct profit. Though, if you're feeling particularly generous, it's possible to donate it directly to your camp.
Fences--merchants, not boundary markers--in Red Dead Redemption 2 are the only businesses that will buy goods you've found while looting strangers and rifling through private property, and by gum, they sure are hard to find. Considering the size of RDR2's map, and that there are only four fences in all the land, odds are you may be wondering where they're hiding. We've got a handy reference guide to help locate the black-market traders that peddle in illicit goods.
Fair warning: you have to first complete Chapter 2's 'The Spines of America' mission before you can use any fence, and you won't be able to access either of the specialized fences--for horses or wagons--until you reach certain progress milestones in the game's main story.
Let's start off with the first location you're likely to find: Emerald Ranch
The first fence location you might stumble across during the natural trajectory of the story's early mission is located on the south-west edge of Emerald Ranch, on the backside of a massive barn. In additional to its usual services, this is also the only fence that will pay you for turning in stolen stagecoaches and carriages.
The same time that you unlock the standard fence at Emerald Ranch, you will also unlock the ability to trade in stolen carriages; simply ride them up to the barn doors to engage the wagon fence.
Fence #2: Van Horn Trading Post
On the far-east edge of New Hanover (practically due east of Emerald Ranch) lies Van Horn Trading Post. The fence at this location is tucked away within the rear of building along the docks.
Fence #3: Rhodes
Due south of Emerald Ranch lies Rhodes, a small town with a small trailer park to the north. There you will find a bright red trailer, and on the backside you'll find a counter and a window where the local fence awaits your business.
Fence #4: Saint Denis
The far-off bustling streets of Saint Denis are where you'll find the most well-hidden fence of them all. Tucked under the busy market square, it's easy to spot if you keep an eye out for the brick archways, or the green building with bright green shudders. This is also the only fence that will purchase gold bars, valued at a whopping $500 a piece.
Horse Fence, North Of Rhodes (Unlocks after Chapter 3, Horse Flesh For Dinner)
After completing the gruesomely titled mission mentioned above, you can speak to a pair of strangers northwest of Rhodes, along the waterside, to turn in stolen horses.
In Red Dead Redemption 2, hunting is an important part of exploration and survival in the vast open world. In addition to finding food and other necessary supplies, you'll be able to use materials taken from fallen prey to craft outfits and talismans, which unlock special perks that amplify Arthur's main attributes. As you travel, you may even stumble upon an elusive animal that other explorers have rarely seen. Your first encounter with such a beast will be the Legendary Grizzly Bear, which can offer up a legendary bear pelt if you're able take it down.
These Legendary Animals can be found across the many regions of the map and take some extra effort to hunt. While some of these are small in stature, there are many that tower in size over Arthur and are quite dangerous in a fight. But if you're able to take them out, you'll acquire the means to craft some of the game's most valuable accessories and outfits. These particular animals offer the rarest pelts and materials you can find, which can be turned in to the local Trappers and Fences--those shady, black market dealers offering up some of the rarest goods. But rest assured, any materials that can't fit in your bags will be sent straight to the respective merchants.
In this feature, we're giving you all the details you need in order to track and hunt each of the game's Legendary Animals. If you want some extra tips for general survival and even fishing--which has its own set of Legendary Fish--be sure to check out our guides and features relating to each of Red Dead 2's most involved gameplay systems. Furthermore, be sure to check out our new weekly series QuickDraw, which focuses on the game's numerous gameplay features and along with a broader look on the impact of the Red Dead series.
Location: During the Chapter 2 story mission Exit Pursued By A Bruised Ego, you'll encounter your first Legendary Animal. While it's possible to take down the bear at this time, you can return later if you want better firepower. You can find it in Grizzlies East, north of the lake O'creah's Run.
Crafting: Fence: Bear Claw Talisman (Decreases health core drain by 10%) -- Legendary Bear Claw, Silver Chain Bracelet, Quartz Chunk
Legendary Beaver
Location: This rare beaver is known to wander southwest of Butcher Creek, which is directly to the west of Van Horn Trading Post.
Location: Living up to its name, this unusual ram can be found at Cattail Pond, just west of Valentine--the first town you come across in Chapter 2.
Crafting: Fence: Ram Horn Trinket (Doubles amount of Creeping Thyme, Oregano, and Wild Mint collected): Legendary Ram Horn
Legendary Boar
Location: The rare boar can be found in Bluewater Marsh, north of Lagras in the Lemoyne region.
Crafting: Fence: Boar Tusk Talisman (Decreases drain speed of horse health and stamina by 10%) -- Legendary Boar Tusk, Cobalt Petrified Wood, Gold Earring
Legendary Buck
Location: In the mountains northwest of Strawberry, you'll encounter this large buck.
Crafting: Fence: Buck Antler Trinket (Receive higher quality parts when skinning animals) -- Legendary Buck Antler
Legendary Bullgator
Location: First, you'll need to complete the Chapter 4 story mission Country Pursuits, which introduces you to the beast while showing you why it's so dangerous. Afterwards, you'll be able to encounter the massive gator in Bayou Nwa, west of Lakay--which is north of Saint Denis.
Crafting: Fence: Alligator Tooth Talisman (Decrease dead eye drain speed by 10%) -- Legendary Alligator Tooth, Gold Jointed Bracelet, Vintage Civil War Handcuffs
Legendary Cougar
Location: This fearsome feline can be found in Gaptooth Ridge, west of Tumbleweed.
Crafting: Fence: Cougar Fang Trinket (Increase stamina XP by 10%) -- Legendary Cougar Fang
Legendary Coyote
Location: The hunting grounds for this dangerous coyote can be found in Scarlett Meadows, northwest of Northwest of Rhodes and Southeast of the Old Mill.
Crafting: Fence: Coyote Fang Trinket (Increase dead eye XP by 10%) -- Legendary Coyote Fang
Legendary Elk
Location: You can find this animal east of Bacchus Station in the Ambarino region--the northern section of the map.
Crafting: Fence: Elk Antler Trinket (Increase money from looting by 10%) -- Legendary Elk Antler
Legendary Fox
Location: The fox can be found near Mattock Pond, just north of Rhodes in the Lemoyne region.
Crafting: Fence: Fox Claw Trinket (Increases eagle eye duration by five seconds) -- Legendary Fox Claw
Legendary Giaguaro Panther
Location: To encounter this incredibly dangerous animal, you'll first need to prove yourself as hunter by reaching the rank 9 challenge for Master Hunter. Afterwards, you'll find it roaming west of Shady Belle in Lemoyne. This is directly east of Braithwaite Manor.
Crafting: Fence: Panther's Eye Trinket (Decreases dead eye drain speed by 10% for three seconds) -- Legendary Panther Eye
Legendary Moose
Location: This massive moose can be seen in the area of Roanoke Ridge, which is near the northeastern corner of the map. Legendary Pronghorn Location: This rare antelope is found wandering in Rio Del Lobo Rock, just east of Fort Mercer in New Austin.
Crafting: Fence: Moose Antler Trinket (Increases health exp by 10%) -- Legendary Moose Antler
Legendary Tatanka Bison
Location: In New Austin, you can find this rare bison just southeast of the MacFarlane ranch at Hennigan's Stead.
Crafting: Fence: Tatanka Bison Horn Trinket (Decreases received melee damage by 10%) -- Legendary Tatanka Bison Horn
Legendary White Bison
Location: You can find another rare bison at Lake Isabella, just north of Mount Hagen in Grizzlies West.
Crafting: Fence: Bison Horn Talisman (Decreases the speed stamina drains by 10%) -- Legendary Bison Horn
Legendary Wolf
Location: This elusive wolf can be found in Cotorra Springs, west of Bacchus Bridge in Ambarino.
Crafting: Fence: Wolf Heart Trinket (Doubles resistance to alcohol) -- Legendary Wolf Heart
While Red Dead Redemption 2 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One takes place in a very realistic world where many dynamic, and engrossing systems play off one another, this is a Rockstar game. As such, there are plenty of opportunities to engage in dumb and ridiculous fun. Beyond what you can make happen on your own, much like the original game, you can access a variety of cheat codes in the game to enhance and fundamentally alter aspects of your to suit your needs. Though we strongly recommend finishing the main story and seeing all the key events before trying out these codes out, you're free to use those to your liking at any time (though some codes do require advancing to a certain point in the story first).
In order to start messing around with these codes, you'll need to input the key phrases into the Cheats menu--which is accessible in the Settings option in the pause menu. While many of these codes can be used at any time, many of these options will require some extra effort to unlock. As of now, we haven't discovered all of them, and several of them will needed to be unlocked after acquiring specific newspapers from the various towns throughout the game. However, before you activate these cheats, you'll need to know that doing so will deactivate all Achievements and Trophies for your save game after the initial use. So before you go crazy with these codes, be sure to make a separate save file.
And with that, here's our quick list of some of the best codes to use. Though if you want to know more about Rockstar's open world western, go check out our Red Dead Redemption 2 review. Though if you're looking for tips and other details to learn, check our essential guide for newcomers, and along with our round up of interesting details that the game doesn't tell you about.
Drunk On Command
By inputting the phrase "A fool on command" in the cheats menu, you'll unlock the Drunk option. This will instantly make Arthur intoxicated, resulting in him wobble about as he struggles to stand up straight. You'll even get an occasional odd comment from him as he wanders down the street or insolation while in the wilderness. While enabled, this will keep the main character perpetually drunk. But if you've had enough, you can deselect the option to return Arthur to his sober self--and all without the nasty hangover.
A Horse Ride Is Only A Whistle Away
As you're gradually building a bond with your new steed, you'll notice that whistling for your horse will only work within fairly short distances. If you don't have time to invest in building up your bond to increase the distance, you can input the code "Better than my dog" to get it to come to you at anytime, regardless of where you are on the map. This can be quite handy when you're traveling the great distances and you can't be bothered to backtrack to where you last left them.
That New Horse Smell
However, if you feel you deserve a stronger and more able-bodied stallion to help you cover great distances, the code "Run! Run! Run!" will do just the trick. After activating this code, you'll instantly spawn a prized race horse for Arthur to ride. As Red Dead Redemption 2 features a large variety of different horses, this particular mare is naturally adept at getting from A to B quickly.
A New, Rejuvenated You
After spending so much time traveling in the wilderness and getting into dangerous scrapes with many of the gangs roaming the land, you'll often find yourself in rough shape. If you need a pick-me-up fast, then enter the cheat "You flourish before you die" to fully restore Arthur's main cores. Once you're top shape, you'll be able to dive right back into your adventure in no time.
Guns, Lots Of Guns
When you're living life as a bandit, the difference between seeing another day and laying face-first in the dirt could down to what weapon you're holding in your hand. So if you want to upgrade your own hardware to even the odds, use the code "Greed is American Virtue" to unlock a new set of weapons for the traveling outlaw. Once activated you'll find the Pump-Action Shotgun, Mauser Pistol, Semi-Automatic Pistol, and Bolt-Action Rifle sitting in your inventory. To unlock this cheat for use, you'll need to finish the Advertising, the New American Art mission in Chapter 3, and then acquire a newspaper in the town of Rhodes.
All The Ammo You Need
Red Dead Redemption 2 prides itself on on offering semi-realistic world where survival is dependent on the resources you have. However, there may come a time where you wish that ammo was in more plentiful supply. If that ever happens, all you'll need to do is use the cheat "Abundance is the dullest desire" in the menu, which is unlocked after picking up the newspaper in Valentine during Chapter 2. Once activated, all ammo will come in unlimited supply, and you can keep firing off your weapons without worrying to count your bullets.
Riding on horseback is the primary of getting around in Red Dead Redemption 2's massive world. Before long, you'll find yourself rearing up a multitude of horses in search of the one that'll get you around the quickest. With not much in the way of fast travel, having a horse that's not only fast but can withstand the burdens of exploration is essential.
While the question of which horse is the absolute best comes down to preference, there are a few breeds that can be classified as some of the top candidates. Below we discuss these breeds and highlight their locations. If you're looking for a more in-depth guide on horse care and how to boost your trusty steed's performance while making bank along the way, we've got one in the hopper coming soon, so be sure to check back often to get all the information on how to be a proper horse trainer.
Be mindful that there are some light location spoilers below given how most of these horses can only be acquired later in the game. You should be good for the White-Maned Arabian breed, but be careful when looking at the details below if you want to steer clear of potential story bits.
As stated, there is no singular "best horse" in the game. There are only strong breeds that fair much better than the standard breeds you encounter early on. Speaking on the different types: the Arabian, Turkoman, and Missouri Fox Trotter breeds stand out as the most well-rounded and top-tier. Keep in mind that the stats below reflect the horse when you find it and not at its top condition.
Arabian
Arabian breed horses have some of the best stats overall. There are three coat types in total, each with their own unique statistics: White, Black, and Rose Grey Bay.
White-Maned Arabian
The White-Maned Arabian can only be found in the wild, which makes it possible to find relatively early on. This snow-white beauty wanders around the edges of Lake Isabella. It's quite difficult to tame, so you're going to need to be persistent in following it around and calming it down enough before you can approach it.
Compared to other Arabian horses, it has the lowest base Health and Stamina stats--though, it's still much higher than any of the more standard horse breeds. A worthy compromise for a fantastic horse you can catch and tame so early in the game. Just watch out for the wolves who hang out nearby.
Speed
Acceleration
Handling
Type
6
6
Elite
Superior
Black Arabian
The Black-Maned Arabian horse can be purchased at the Saint Denis Stable during Chapter 4. It has most the well-rounded stats of the Arabian Horses with decent Health and Stamina.
Speed
Acceleration
Handling
Type
6
6
Elite
Superior
Rose Grey Bay-Maned Arabian
The Rose Grey Bay-Maned Arabian can only be bought at the Blackwater Stable during the Epilogue section of the game. It has the highest Health and Stamina of the three Arabian horses.
Speed
Acceleration
Handling
Type
6
6
Elite
Superior
Turkoman
Turkoman breed horses make up their lacking acceleration with solid speed, average handling, and a high Health pool. As a cross between War and Racing breeds, they're well worth owning for riders who want a trusty steed who can withstand damage without sacrificing speed. All three Turkoman breeds have the same exact stats, which are reflected below along with a brief breakdown of where you can purchase them and when.
Speed
Acceleration
Handling
Type
6
5
Standard
Race / War
Gold Turkoman: Sold at the Saint Denis Stable during Chapter 4.
Dark Bay Turkoman: Sold at the Blackwater Stable during the Epilogue.
Silver Turkoman: Sold at the Tumbleweed Stable during the Epilogue.
Missouri Fox Trotter
The Missouri Fox Trotter balances the best base speed of all the horse breeds with solid Health and high Stamina. As a mix between the Race and Work breeds, the Missouri Fox Trotter comes highly recommended for those who want all of the perks and benefits of a fast riding horse with resilient Stamina. Like the Turkoman breed, all of the Missouri Fox Trotter coats have the same exact stats, which are reflected below along with a brief breakdown of where you can purchase them and when.
Speed
Acceleration
Handling
Type
7
5
Standard
Race / Work
Amber Champagne: Sold at Scarlett Meadows Stable during Chapter 4.
Silver Dapple Pinto: Sold at Blackwater Stable during the Epilogue.
Compared to its predecessor, horses play a much bigger role in Red Dead Redemption 2 than you might think. So much so that it can be overwhelming if you haven't been paying close attention to the tutorial messages. Horses have been made to feel like living, breathing creatures this time around, and as such, you need to commit to taking care of them and being cautious of their temperament.
To help you wrap your head around Red Dead Redemption 2's horses, we detail below and in the video above everything you need to know to properly care for your steed. If you're more of an experienced rider and want to know what are the best horses out there, we've gathered that information in our best horses guide.
For more guides like this, be sure to check out our guides roundup containing features highlighting all the tips you should know before playing and things the game doesn't tell you. And if you want to have some extra fun, be sure to read our feature detailing the game's cheat codes. Though, if you're a curious outsider looking in and want to know whether or not this game for you, then read our Red Dead 2 review if you haven't already.
How To Ride Your Horse And Maintain Its Cores
Horse controls are relatively simple. Tap the X or A button repeatedly to speed up and R1 or RB to slow down. You can double tap and hold X or A to match a companion's speed, and if you tap X or A in rhythm with your horse's gallop you will conserve stamina.
As you ride your horse, you'll want to keep an eye on its Cores. Like Arthur's Cores, the heart is your horse's Health Core and the lightning bolt is its Stamina Core--they've just got fancy little horseshoes in them. The symbol at the center of the circle represents the Core, while the ring meter that surrounds it is known as a bar.
The more you push your horse, the quicker the Stamina bar will deplete. And if you don't feed your horse every now and then, its Cores will drain and it won't have as much Stamina or Health in its associated bars. It will also look sad and run with its head down, so try to stock up on horse foods and revival items from the General Store to keep your horse well.
Your horse will get dirty over time as you ride it. If this happens, its meters will drain 25% quicker. You can clean it with your brush or by riding it through water. The former is acquired after completing the story mission, "Exit Pursued by a Bruised Ego." It's also worth noting that your horse's cores will refill when you sleep.
There are ways to notice when something is awry with your horse. A flashing red exclamation point in the Stamina Core indicates your horse is scared/stressed (you need to press L3 to calm it) while a flashing red brush in the health core means your horse is dirty.
Leveling Your Horse
While mostly identical to how Arthur's Cores work, where horse Cores differ is how you increase their level. Instead of leveling them up by moving and withstanding damage, you develop your horse's Cores and bars by forming a stronger bond with them. As you ride, feed, and clean your horse, your bond will strengthen. And as that bond grows, your horse's Health and Stamina bars will increase.
Your horse will even learn advanced maneuvers. At level 2, you can rear your horse back by pressing R1 or RB with square or X. There isn't really a use for this other than to look threatening from time to time--that or to just feel like a cool cowboy from an old western film. At level 3 you learn how to skid. While sprinting, press R1 or RB and you can either bring your horse to a halt or change directions at a moment's notice. Finally at level 4 you learn how to drift and piaffe, which is a fancy word for strafe. As your bond increases your horse will also respond to your call from greater and greater distances, and its stats, including speed, will get a slight bump. If you wanna see how close you are to the next level, you can check the player menu when you the press the pause button.
You can expedite bonding by feeding your horse treats. And the stronger your bond is with a horse, the longer it will take to bleed out if it gets knocked down. It takes 60 minutes real time for a level 4 horse to die, so that gives you plenty of time to get to town and purchase a horse reviver from the General Store.
Horse Stables And Upgrading Your Horse's Stats
If you wanna get the most out of your level 4 horse, you'll want to stop at a stable and upgrade its saddle. Most items for sale are cosmetics, but there are a few things that can improve your horse's stats, like the stirrups and the saddles.
But WAIT, you say! I can't seem to enter the stable, and I can't find a stupid brush to clean my horse. Well that probably means you're screwing around too much and not doing any story missions. Once you complete "Exit Pursued by a Bruised Ego," you will have access to stables across the map and your horse brush.
While at the stables, you can also rename, sell, and buy horses. You can sell both stolen horses and horses you've acquired legally. Stolen horses won't fetch as good a price at stables, but at a certain point in the story you will meet some characters willing to purchase stolen horses for a better profit. Level 4 horses will also fetch a higher price, so if you plan on flipping a horse, so we recommend leveling it up first.
Breaking Horses
If you are looking to buy a horse, the first thing you'll probably notice is that good horses ain't cheap. As attached as you'll become with your first, Tennessee Walker, he's not exactly the powerhouse you'll want by your side throughout the entire game. And if the best horses are too expensive, that means you'll have to find some out in the wild and break 'em yourself. Lucky for you, one of the best horses in the game can be acquired for free at the beginning of chapter 2 and onward. But before we get to that, let's learn how to break a horse.
As you explore the world, you'll find wild horses everywhere. Big horses, little horses, painted horses, black horses, and so on. There are a dozen different breeds roaming the frontier, all with unique stats and attributes. If you see a horse you're interested in, first take out your binoculars. Once you study the horse you will be given a prompt to "show info." Hit that, and you can check out the horses stats and its breed details.
There are two ways to go about breaking a horse. You can chase it down, lasso it, and hop on its back, or you can approach it slowly, calming it if it gets spooked. Once you get close enough, you can hop on its back. While you might be inclined to take on the first method, it's much easier to break a horse if you approach it slowly. Once you're on its back, pull back the left stick and subtly tilt the right stick to balance while calming it with square or X. If it bucks you, chase it down. When it calms down a bit, you can repeat the process.
How To Find One Of The Best Horses Early: The White-Maned Arabian
Once you feel comfortable breaking horses, pack up a thick jacket and head up to the Grizzlies to find the White-Maned Arabian. This snow-white beauty wanders around Lake Isabella and can be found early on. It's quite difficult to tame, so you're going to need to be persistent in following it around and calming it down enough before you can approach it. If it bucks you and escapes, well, it's gonna be a while before another one respawns.
Once you do break it, put your saddle on it and take it to the nearest stable. Technically the horse will be yours once you put the saddle on, but take it back to a stable just in case--you can never be too careful!
Red Dead Redemption 2 is finally here. Rockstar's new open-world western game is now available on both PS4 and Xbox One, and it presents players with a massive, deep open world to explore. The main story alone will take you in the neighborhood of 50 hours to complete, and that's before engaging in much of its side content--and all of this is to be followed by Red Dead Online in November, the game's online multiplayer component.
To help you make the most of the experience, we've put together numerous guides and tips, tackling both specific aspects of the game and a broader array of things you should be aware of before starting. Rockstar has opted not to hold your hand with many features in the game, leaving it to you to either discover them or find them hidden away in menus. We'll also be taking a look at some of these examples to ensure you're aware of everything the game has to offer.
We've got plenty of other guides and tips on the way, and we'll continue to update the list below with all of them. While you wait to actually get your hands on the game, be sure to check out our RDR 2 review.
Cheats
One potentially big aspect of the new game is cheat codes. Like GTA V before it, RDR 2 allows you to use cheats and even has an entire menu available for the feature. However, at this early stage, we don't actually know what all of them are; at least some are cleverly hidden in newspapers in-game. We'll be doing our best to hunt these down and will report back as they are uncovered--you can see those we've been able to confirm in our list of all the Red Dead 2 cheats. In the meantime, we've also got a rundown on the best RDR2 cheats that are worth a try.
Do You Need To Play Red Dead Redemption First?
Red Dead Redemption 2 is the third game in the Red Dead series, though it's only closely connected to its direct predecessor. However, RDR 2 is a prequel, taking place years before the events of the first RDR. If you've played the previous game, you'll recognize the names and faces of many of its characters, including RDR protagonist John Marston. We dive into whether you should play RDR first in our feature, but whatever choice you make, you should give our Red Dead Redemption story recap a look to refresh your memory--or fill in the holes for the first time.
Tips To Know Before Starting
As with any game, it can be useful to start with certain knowledge in hand. That's certainly true of RDR 2, which is a dense game full of various systems that interact with each other. With that in mind, we've put together a list of key tips you should know before booting up the game for the first time. We've kept spoilers to a minimum, but you'll want to be aware, for instance, that side missions can expire if you don't get to them quickly enough.
How To Make Money Fast
As an outlaw, you're after money, but not necessarily out of sheer greed. Whether your motivation is the betterment of your gang and its members or because you simply want a new gun and horse, you're going to want to get your hands on as much money as possible. With that in mind, we've put together a guide on how to make money quickly.
Outfits And Climates
Among the ways Red Dead 2 tries to immerse you in its world is with its climates. You'll have to account for temperatures if you want to maximize your performance, wearing appropriate clothing depending on where in the world you are. We've rounded up all of the outfits we've come across so far to give you an idea of what you can find.
Things The Game Doesn't Tell You
As you play and share stories with friends, you may come to realize there are any number of things the game doesn't tell you. There are various interesting details and tidbits you could miss because Rockstar isn't throwing them in your face, so we've done our best to round up a number of these so you don't miss out on some opportunities during the course of your adventures.
How Do Morality And Honor Work?
Among the many systems you'll find in Red Dead 2 is honor. Arthur Morgan may be a criminal no matter what choices you make, but there are degrees to which he is a bad guy. That comes into play with morality and honor, as your actions will either boost or lower your honor. Pressing down on the D-pad allows you to see this at any time, and something as simple as greeting a passerby will allow you to build it up. Aside from how people react to you, it's worth being aware of the implications of your honor--Good Guy Arthur will get discounts at stores, which is one way to save some cash.
Some Side Missions Can Expire
If you're a completionist, the thought of optional missions disappearing is downright awful. But whatever your approach to playing games like Red Dead 2, you should absolutely engage with some of the optional content involving your gang. These sequences feature some of the best character moment in the game, but if you advance far enough in the story, some of these missions will go away whether or not you've done them. You can find out more about how this works in our PSA on side missions expiring.
How Do I Fast Travel?
Fast travel does exist in RDR2, although it's not something you'll do by selecting a point on your map and warping there. The means for quickly moving around involve using actual modes of transportation, such as stagecoaches. Provided you have the patience, you're much better off running or taking your horse, because you'll encounter some of the game's most interesting content that way. But if speed is of the essence, consult our explanation of how fast travel works.
All The Guns
As noted above, money is at a premium, so you don't necessarily want to buy every weapon you lay your eyes on. You may want to plan ahead, so we've rounded up all of the guns we've discovered so far in order to give you a sense of what awaits.
Health, Stamina, Dead Eye, And Horse Cores And Bars Explained
One of the many new wrinkles in Red Dead 2 is the Core system, which dictates a variety of aspects of your character. It can be a bit complex to wrap your head around, with Cores influencing bars but bars being used before Cores, among other thing. Do yourself a favor and get a good grasp on this key system by checking out our guide to how Cores work.
Fishing Tips
Early in the game, you'll gain the ability to fish, which can be a fun mini-game to kill some time with. You can get by without much strategy, but if you're interested in getting the biggest, legendary fish that existing in Red Dead's world, you should consult our fishing guide for tips and legendary fish locations.
How To Find The Legendary Animals And Pelts
During Chapter 2, you'll encounter your first Legendary Animal--an enormous Grizzly Bear. From here, you'll be able to track and hunt the game's rarest animals, some of which will require added firepower. If you want to know the location of every single elusive animal in Red Dead 2's world, go check out our Legendary animal sand pets guide for guidance on how to find them, and what to do with that legendary bear pelt.
Perks Guide: Trinkets, Talismans, And The Crafting Components You Need
Perks offer improvements to Arthur's overall abilities that are unlocked by obtaining Talismans and Trinkets, which are primarily crafted at Fences. You'll need parts from Legendary Animals to craft them. Others are rewarded to you by completing specific missions under special conditions. Check out our Perks guide offering a detailed run down all of the Talismans we've found so far, what they do, and what you need to unlock them.
The Best Horses And Where To Find Them
There is no singular "best horse" in the game. There are only strong breeds that fair much better than the standard breeds you encounter early on. Speaking on the different types: the Arabian, Turkoman, and Missouri Fox Trotter breeds stand out as the most well-rounded and top-tier. Here's our best horses guide offering details on each.
Hidden Weapons You May Have Missed
There are a number of weapons to find in the massive world of Red Dead 2. However, some of these can't be bought from weapon shops, and they can be easily missed if you aren't paying attention. With this in mind, we pulled together a list of weapons that can take some extra effort to find, but are among the game's most interesting tools for combat. In addition to personalized six-shooters from legendary Gunslingers, there are also melee weapons that can be traced back to ancient cultures lost to time. Go check out our guide on how to find these hidden weapons.
Where To Sell Stolen Items: Every Fence Location In Red Dead Redemption 2
Fences--merchants, not boundary markers--in Red Dead Redemption 2 are the only businesses that will buy goods you've found while looting strangers and rifling through private property, and by gum, they sure are hard to find. Considering the size of RDR2's map, and that there are only four fences in all the land, odds are you may be wondering where they're hiding. We've got a handy reference guide to help locate the black-market traders that peddle in illicit goods.
How To Start All The Challenges
As you play Red Dead 2, you'll start to see notifications informing you that you've completed a challenge. Now this all sounds fine and dandy, but you're likely asking yourself: "What does completing challenges do? Heck, why should I even bother completing them?" That's a fair question, and we're here to answer it. Here's our challenge guide containing details our each, as well as specifics on what you earn.
As you play Red Dead Redemption 2, you'll start to see notifications informing you that you've completed a challenge. Now this all sounds fine and dandy, but you're likely asking yourself: "What does completing challenges do? Heck, why should I even bother completing them?" That's a fair question, and we're here to answer it.
Challenges are gameplay feats you complete to earn XP and unlock upgraded equipment for purchase at your local trapper, such as new Gun Belts, Bandoliers, Holsters, and Off-Hand Holsters. Each piece posses its own perks that increase either ammo capacity or decrease weapon degradation rate. Equipping them even improves your general statistics, but more on that in a second.
There are nine challenge categories in total, each with ten feats to complete. As you'd expect, the feats vary per category. For example, the Bandit challenges has you working to hold up townsfolk, steal wagons, and amass a sizable bounty, while the Explorer challenges focus on you finding treasure. It's important to note that you must complete challenges in sequential order, so you can't just prioritize completing the seventh challenge over the first few only because it's easier.
Completing challenges is a worthwhile endeavor, as the equipment you unlock offer bonus bars around your Health, Stamina, and Dead Eye Cores when you complete the set. You are rewarded an extra bar when you complete one of the three sets associated with that statistic. And you unlock an additional bar to that statistic once you've acquired all three sets associated with it. The table below contains details on which equipment set is associated with which attribute.
Attribute
Equipment Set
Health
Horseman
Sharpshooter
Weapons Expert
Stamina
Bandit
Gambler
Master Hunter
Dead Eye
Explorer
Herbalist
Survivalist
There's even an extra bonus in store for you upon completing all 90 challenges. You unlock a special outfit called "Legend of the East," which provides hefty bonuses to Arthur's statistics. If that's something you're aspiring towards, you're in luck as we've compiled every single challenge in the game for your reference, so get crackin'!
Bandit
Challenge
Description
Reward
Bandit 1
Hold up five townsfolk
Bandit Bandolier
Bandit 2
Rob two stage coaches or complete two stage coach robbery missions
$5 + 25 Dead Eye XP
Bandit 3
Rob a cash register in any four shops in one day
Bandit Holster
Bandit 4
Rob three stage coaches in a single day
$10 + 50 Dead Eye XP
Bandit 5
Amass a $250 bounty in one State
$10 + 50 Dead Eye XP
Bandit 6
Steal five horses and sell them to the horse Fence at Clemens Cove
$15 + 100 Dead Eye XP
Bandit 7
Rob $50 worth of cash and valuables from townsfolk and travelers
Bandit Off-Hand Holster
Bandit 8
Steal seven wagons and sell them to the Fence at Emerald Ranch
$15 + 100 Dead Eye XP
Bandit 9
Hogtie someone and leave them on railroad tracks three times
$20 + 150 Dead Eye XP
Bandit 10
Complete five train robberies without dying or getting caught
Bandit Gun Belt
Explorer
Challenge
Description
Reward
Explorer 1
Find a treasure map
Explorer Holster
Explorer 2
Find a treasure
$5 + 25 Stamina XP
Explorer 3
Find a treasure
Explorer Bandolier
Explorer 4
Find a treasure
$10 + 50 Stamina XP
Explorer 5
Find a treasure
$10 + 50 Stamina XP
Explorer 6
Find a treasure
$15 + 100 Stamina XP
Explorer 7
Find a treasure
Explorer Gun Belt
Explorer 8
Find a treasure
$15 + 100 Stamina XP
Explorer 9
Find a treasure
$20 + 150 Stamina XP
Explorer 10
Find a treasure
Explorer Off-Hand Holster
Gambler
Challenge
Description
Reward
Gambler 1
Win five hands of poker
Gambler Holster
Gambler 2
In blackjack, double down and win the hand five times
$5 + 25 Dead Eye XP
Gambler 3
Win three games of five finger filet
Gambler Bandolier
Gambler 4
Bust a poker opponent out in Flatneck Station, Saint Denis, and Valentine
$10 + 50 Dead Eye XP
Gambler 5
Win three rounds of dominoes without drawing any tiles against two or fewer opponents
$10 + 50 Dead Eye XP
Gambler 6
Beat a blackjack dealer in Rhodes and Van Horn
$15 + 100 Dead Eye XP
Gambler 7
Beat the five finger filet player in Strawberry, Valentine, and Van Horn
Gambler Gun Belts
Gambler 8
Win three hands of blackjack with three hits or more
$15 + 100 Dead Eye XP
Gambler 9
Win three consecutive games of dominoes
$20 + 150 Dead Eye XP
Gambler 10
Win three consecutive hands of poker
Gambler Off-Hand Holster
Herbalist
Challenge
Description
Reward
Herbalist 1
Pick six yarrow
Herbalist Off-Hand Holster
Herbalist 2
Pick and eat four species of berry
$5 + 25 health XP
Herbalist 3
Craft seven items using sage as an ingredient
Herbalist Gun Belt
Herbalist 4
Pick five mushrooms and feed them to your horse
$10 + 50 Health XP
Herbalist 5
Craft nine items using the Indian tobacco as an ingredient
$10 + 50 Health XP
Herbalist 6
Pick 15 different species of herb
$15 + 100 Health XP
Herbalist 7
Craft and use five special miracle Tonics
Herbalist Holster
Herbalist 8
Use oleander to craft six poison weapons
$15 + 100 Health XP
Herbalist 9
Pick one of each species of herb
$20 + 150 Health XP
Herbalist 10
Season and cook all 11 types of meat
Herbalist Bandolier
Horseman
Challenge
Description
Reward
Horseman 1
Kill five rabbits from horseback
Horseman Gun Belt
Horseman 2
Jump over three obstacles in 15 seconds
$5 + 25 Stamina XP
Horseman 3
Ride from Valentine to Rhodes in less than five minutes
Horseman Holster
Horseman 4
While mounted, drag a victim for 3,300 feet using your lasso
$10 + 50 Stamina XP
Horseman 5
Trample five animals with your horse
$10 + 50 Stamina XP
Horseman 6
Ride from Strawberry to Saint Denis in less than nine minutes without touching water
$15 + 100 Stamina XP
Horseman 7
Kill seven enemies from horseback without dismounting
Horseman Bandolier
Horseman 8
Kill nine predators from horseback
$15 + 100 Stamina XP
Horseman 9
Ride from Van Horn to Blackwater in less than 17 minutes without touching water
$20 + 150 Stamina XP
Horseman 10
Break every single wild horse breed
Horseman Off-Hand Holster
Master Hunter
Challenge
Description
Reward
Master Hunter 1
Skin three deer
Master Hunter Off-Hand Holster
Master Hunter 2
Get three perfect-quality rabbit pelts
$5 + 25 Health XP
Master Hunter 3
Track 10 different animal species using your binoculars
Master Hunter Bandolier
Master Hunter 4
Get a clean kill after calling to an animal five times
$10 + 50 Health XP
Master Hunter 5
Skin three black bears or grizzly bears
$10 + 50 Health XP
Master Hunter 6
Kill five cougars with your bow and skin them
$15 + 100 Health XP
Master Hunter 7
Use a bait to lure and kill both an herbivore and predator
Master Hunter Gun Belt
Master Hunter 8
Catch three fish without using a fishing rod (aka use dynamite)
$15 + 100 Health XP
Master Hunter 9
Catch an opossum playing possum
$20 + 150 Health XP
Master Hunter 10
Track and kill a Legendary Panther
Master Hunter Holster
Sharpshooter
Challenge
Description
Reward
Sharpshooter 1
Kill three flying birds
Sharpshooter Bandolier
Sharpshooter 2
Kill two different animal species in the same Dead Eye use
$5 + 25 Dead Eye XP
Sharpshooter 3
Kill five flying birds while moving on a train
Sharpshooter Holster
Sharpshooter 4
Kill an enemy at least 80 feet away with a throwing tomahawk
$10 + 50 Dead Eye XP
Sharpshooter 5
Kill six animals without switching or reloading your weapon
$10 + 50 Dead Eye XP
Sharpshooter 6
Kill someone at least 660 feet away with a long scoped rifle
$15 + 100 Dead Eye XP
Sharpshooter 7
Land seven headshots in a row
Sharpshooter Off-Hand Holster
Sharpshooter 8
Disarm three enemies without reloading or switching your weapon
$15 + 100 Dead Eye XP
Sharpshooter 9
Shoot three people's hats off in the same Dead Eye use
$20 + 150 Dead Eye XP
Sharpshooter 10
Kill three flying birds with three consecutive long scoped rifle shots
Sharpshooter Gun Belt
Survivalist
Challenge
Description
Reward
Survivalist 1
Catch a bluegill
Survivalist Gun Belt
Survivalist 2
Hand five animals to the camp or trapper
$5 + 25 Stamina
Survivalist 3
Kill five animals using a Varmint rifle
Survivalist Off-Hand Holster
Survivalist 4
Craft dynamite, fire, improved, poison, and small game arrows
$10 + 50 Stamina
Survivalist 5
Catch a fish in the Bayou from a riverboat and while standing on railroad tracks
$10 + 50 Stamina
Survivalist 6
Kill a scavenging animal while it is feeding on a corpse five times
$15 + 100 Stamina
Survivalist 7
Kill eight small game animals using small game arrows
Survivalist Bandolier
Survivalist 8
Craft a homing tomahawk, improved tomahawk, volatile dynamite, and volatile fire bottle
$15 + 100 Stamina
Survivalist 9
Catch a fish that weighs at least 19 pounds
$20 + 150 Stamina
Survivalist 10
Catch one of each type of fish in the world
Survivalist Holster
Weapons Expert
Challenge
Description
Reward
Weapons Expert 1
Kill three enemies with a knife
Weapons Expert Holster
Weapons Expert 2
Kill three enemies in 10 seconds with throwing knives
$5 + 25 Health XP
Weapons Expert 3
Kill three birds of prey with a tomahawk
Weapons Expert Gun Belt
Weapons Expert 4
Kill 10 enemies with a shotgun loaded with crafted ammo
$10 + 50 Health XP
Weapons Expert 5
Kill five mounted enemies with one throwing knife per kill
$10 + 50 Health XP
Weapons Expert 6
Kill a group of four enemies with a single stick of dynamite
$15 + 100 Health XP
Weapons Expert 7
Kill four consecutive enemies by throwing and retrieving the same tomahawk
Weapons Expert Off-Hand Holster
Weapons Expert 8
Kill 15 enemies with a long-barreled sidearm
$15 + 100 Health XP
Weapons Expert 9
Kill nine unaware enemies with a bow
$20 + 150 Health XP
Weapons Expert 10
Kill a grizzly bear with throwing knives without taking damage
As you explore the wasteland of West Virginia in Fallout 76, you'll often happen upon abandoned Power Armor. This high-level piece of equipment is a special armor that can be enhanced further with pieces of armor plating. These pieces are usually around level 40, so you can't even use them until you're leveled up. But don't ignore Power Armor entirely because you're a low level! Remove the pieces attached and take the Chassis left over, as even without the armor plates attached, you'll get a bonus to your defense and a boost to your carrying capacity.
It's also worth noting that once you hop into a Power Armor chassis, it's yours for good just as long as you store it in your inventory or place it in your Stash. You'll want to start compiling Power Armor pieces early on so that you can be prepared to use them when you reach the appropriate level.
Power Armor is such a boon to your stats both early and later on, so it's well worth taking the time to seek them out. To help secure you a set, we've gathered below Power Armor locations that are nearby Vault 76 and easy to get early on. It's worth noting that while these locations are set, sometimes there won't be Power Armor. This is because the game's world is persistent, so if a player has picked up that armor recently, that means it'll be gone. Lucky for you, a Power Armor set does respawn after a while. Remain steadfast and you'll grab one for yourself in due time!
Be sure to check back often as we highlight more easy-to-find Power Armor sets. If you're looking for more Fallout 76 guides, check out our survival guide, as well as our guide offering tips you should know before starting. You can also check out our feature showcasing all the Perk Cards we've found so far. If you're more curious about how the game is, we'll be putting out a review in progress sometime in the days ahead.
Portside Pub / Mama Dolce's Processing Plant
This set should be the first one you check for if you're keen on grabbing some Power Armor right away. It's located east of Vault 76; you'll see an area that looks like a train yard on the map. You can find the Power Armor in a warehouse located south of Portside Pub, which is a smidge westof Mama Dolce's Processing Plant. Refer to the map screenshot below for the exact location.
This warehouse is booby trapped, so you're going to want to be careful in your approach. Fortunately, you can take a staircase to enter the building from the roof to avoid most of the danger. Simply head up the stairs, making sure to steer clear of the explosives traps as they'll likely trigger as you pass through. Once you're inside the warehouse, drop down to find the Power Armor. If you need more visual direction, refer to the screenshots in the gallery above.
Morgantown Trainyard
The Morgantown Trainyard is just northwest of Portside Pub at the point on the map that appears as, well, you guessed it: a train yard. This Power Armor set is another one of the easier ones to grab, so you're more than likely to show up and find nothing. But don't give up!
When you arrive to the train yard, look out for a train carriage labeled as "USA Star." There are a couple in the yard, but the one you want is located just below a rusty crane nearby the east side of the main warehouse. The Power Armor suit is inside the carriage to your left.
Gorge Junkyard
This next Power Armor is at the Gorge Junkyard, which is directly east of Vault 76. If you've just started, you'll want to put off getting this set, as it requires a level 3 lock-picking skill. If you want to up your ability to open those pesky locks, try putting points into Perception as much as possible, and if luck is on your side, you'll receive a few Picklock Perk cards, which should get you to where you want to be.
Once you meet these requirements, head to the junkyard and find a green truck trailer amid the junk for the Power Armor. It should be south of the red beached ship on the northern side of the yard near a tiny shack. Refer to the map above for an estimate of where it is, as well as the shots in the gallery for a more visual look.
Aaronholt Homestead
This Power Armor location has a more lenient lock to pick coming in at a lowly Level 1--that said, it still requires you to have better lock-picking skill than zero, so don't go here unless you've leveled that up! Anyway, this location is a bit further out at the Aaronholt Homestead, which is located northeast of the ferris wheel on the map.
You'll find the set tucked away in a shack beside the three large silos. Be wary of the giant bugs in the area, as they're likely to be a nuisance to you if left unattended when you pick the lock.
Week 8 of Fortnite Season 6 is here, bringing a new assortment of challenges to complete in Epic's popular battle royale game across PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices. If you're hoping to snag the rest of Season 6's Battle Pass rewards, you'll want to complete as many challenges as you can, as doing so will reward you with the XP and Battle Stars needed to unlock them.
That isn't the only incentive to complete challenges; if you manage to clear all of the ones from a given week, you'll also earn a special loading screen, which hides a clue pointing to a free item that's hidden somewhere around the map. Depending on how many sets of weekly challenges you complete, you'll either be able to find a free Battle Star--which will level your Battle Pass up by one tier--or a Banner that you can use as a profile icon.
If you've completed every challenge up to and including Week 8's, you'll unlock the loading screen pictured below. It features the AIM skin--the Legendary outfit you receive after completing seven of this season's Hunting Party challenges--perched atop a roof viewing at a holographic map of the island. Look closely at the background, however, and you'll notice the outline of a Banner etched on the chimney just behind the character.
The area alluded to in the loading screen is Flush Factory, located in the southern edge of the island. Glide there at the start of a match, land on top of the roof, and you'll find the Banner near the chimney just as teased. Collect it and you'll be able to use it as your icon. We've highlight its exact location on the map below.
As is the case with previous Hunting Party rewards, you'll need to complete the requisite number of challenges and unlock the aforementioned loading screen before being able to collect this Banner. The item won't appear on the map unless you've cleared all of the necessary steps, so you won't simply be able to go to its location and collect it without putting in the necessary work.
Season 6 of Fortnite is winding down, giving you only have a few more weeks to unlock the rest of its Battle Pass cosmetics and other rewards. Week 8's challenges are all fairly straightforward, although its trickier missions task you with shooting clay pigeons and dancing in front of fish trophies. If you need help completing any of the challenges from this season, be sure to check out our Fortnite Season 6 challenge roundup. You can also find links to all of our Fortnite Season 6 Hunting Party challenge guides below.
There are plenty of games going on sale this Black Friday, including the recently released Red Dead Redemption 2. The game is being discounted at a few select retailers, as well as on online stores.
All the current RDR2 Black Friday deals are outlined below. We will continue to add to the list as new discounts are announced. Be sure to stay on top of when specific retailers--like Best Buy and Walmart--open and close their doors for Black Friday so you can plan accordingly.
It's worth noting that, instead of discounting the standard edition of RDR2, most retailers seem to be selling the game with a free additional bonus. For example, at Best Buy, the Black Friday deal comes with RDR2 and a special collapsible cup. At Walmart, the Black Friday deal is for the store's exclusive steelbook edition.
For now, the best Black Friday Red Dead Redemption 2 deal is available through the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network. The normally $80 Special Edition is being lowered to $72 for Black Friday. The Special Edition comes with the base game, as well as a bank robbery mission and gang hideout, Dappled Black Thoroughbred horse, talisman and medallion in-game bonuses, boosts, cash discounts, the Nuevo Paraiso Gunslinger outfit, and several free weapons. You can take advantage of the deal on Xbox right now if you have a Gold online membership.
There's also a "Better Than Black Friday" sale going on at Ebay right now, and one of the games that's been discounted is Red Dead Redemption 2.
In our Red Dead Redemption 2 review, Kallie Plagge gave the game a 9/10, writing, "Red Dead Redemption 2 is an excellent prequel, but it's also an emotional, thought-provoking story in its own right, and it's a world that is hard to leave when it's done."
Red Dead Redemption 2 is only available for Xbox One and PS4.
Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee take a number of cues from the wildly successful Pokemon Go. The new Switch games borrow Pokemon Go's catching mechanics, for example, and in doing so introduce a major change to the Pokemon RPG formula. But on top of that, you can also connect Pokemon Go to Let's Go directly and transfer any first-generation Pokemon you've caught onto your Switch.
Before you begin, know that once you transfer a Pokemon from Go to Let's Go, you cannot undo it--that Pokemon is gone from your Go account forever. Other than that, there aren't many restrictions. You can disconnect your Go account from your Switch at any time, so if your friend wants to give you a Pokemon, they can connect their Go account to your Switch with no problem. This is a lot easier than trading the Pokemon in Go itself before transferring, as Pokemon Go trades can cost quite a bit of Stardust.
How To Connect
Connecting your Go account to your Switch is relatively straightforward. In Pokemon Go, open Settings and select Nintendo Switch > Connect to Nintendo Switch. Then, go to the Options menu in Let's Go and select Open Pokemon Go Settings. When asked if you would like to pair a Pokemon Go account, say yes. As long as both devices are actively "searching" for each other, your Switch should be able to find your Pokemon Go account and allow you to connect.
How To Transfer
To initiate the transfer, head to the Go Park complex in Fuchsia City. Talk to the man at the front desk, select Bring Pokemon, pick a Go Park, and then select Start Communication. From there, open your Pokemon list in Pokemon Go, press the Nintendo Switch icon, and then select the Pokemon you want to transfer. Remember that this is permanent, and the transfer is one-way.
Once transferred, enter the Go Park you selected during the transfer, where you'll be able to find the Pokemon. Just walk up to the Pokemon and press A to initiate catching it. And don't worry--if it happens to run away during the catch sequence, you can just try again. You also have 20 Go Parks available with space for 50 Pokemon each, and there's no limit on how long they'll stay in the parks.
How Stats Work
Before you transfer a Pokemon, get it appraised in Pokemon Go. We followed Pokemon Go Hub's guide to check our Pokemon's stats in Go before transferring them, and we found that the stats do transfer (though the CP won't be the same). Pokemon in Go have three stats--HP, Attack, and Defense--while those in Let's Go have the full six, so the stats end up mirrored. For example, a Pokemon with perfect Attack in Go will have both perfect Attack and Special Attack in Let's Go. The same goes for Defense and Special Defense. The only stat that is randomized as far as we can tell is Speed, so keep this in mind when you're catching your transferred Pokemon.
How To Get Meltan
Although the transfer from Go to Let's Go is one way, you do get a bonus in Go for doing it: a Mystery Box. This item allows you to catch Meltan, a new Pokemon that currently is only catchable in Go and can be transferred into Let's Go. You can read our full guide on how to catch Meltan and its evolved form, Melmetal, for more details.
When you're not robbing, riding from town to town, and trying to keep rescue your fellow gangsters from the law in Red Dead Redemption 2, chances are pretty good you'll be hunting. Tracking and killing animals keeps you and your gang fed and earns you crafting materials, as well as goods to sell to make money to get Arthur better equipment. But for any hunter in Red Dead Redemption 2, the ultimate prize are the various Legendary Animals scattered around the map, whose pelts yield unique rewards--if you're canny enough to bring them down.
In Chapter 2, you'll be introduced to your first Legendary Animal in a story mission with Hosea, in which he and Arthur set out to hunt a huge grizzly bear. You can return to the hunt later if you're so inclined, but it's possible to take the bear on your first encounter with it, if you're skilled (or more likely, lucky). If you manage to kill and skin the big grizzly, you'll get a Legendary Bear Pelt, a unique item in the world of Red Dead Redemption 2 that can be used to make special new gear.
The question is, what exactly do you do with the huge Legendary Bear Pelt once you have it? Red Dead 2 isn't very clear on this point. In fact, there are special requirements for using the pelts of Legendary Animals--you can't just sell them to any store in a town, or donate them to Pearson back at your camp. In the case of the Legendary Bear pelt, there's a good chance you won't even have heard of the person yet who you need to interact with in order to use it.
Here's what you need to know about hunting the Legendary Bear, where you'll find it, and what to do once you've killed it.
Where To Find The Bear
The easiest way to get to and deal with the Legendary grizzly is in Chapter 2, when you take on the mission Exit Pursued By a Bruised Ego from Hosea. Arthur and Hosea will head out to find the Baharati Grizzly Bear in the Grizzlies East region, north of O'Creagh's Run, and once you've finished the mission, the bear will be hanging around in the area for you to hunt. Once you've fought off the bear during the mission, Hosea will decide to take his leave of hunting giant killer animals with some "I'm getting too old for this s---" dialogue. At that point, you can choose to stick around and finish what you started and take down the bear.
It's worth noting that the bear is no pushover and it can definitely kill you if you're not careful. If you're not outfitted super well at this point in the game, you might want to take some time in the world to earn better gear and improve Arthur's well-being before you commit to the fight. That said, it's possible to kill the bear here and now--we did it with Arthur's stock weapons that he had at this point in the game.
Bring down the bear and you'll be able to skin it, taking a whole bunch of stuff, including the Legendary Bear Pelt. This is the unique item you need for crafting special clothing you can't get anywhere else.
You've Got The Legendary Bear Pelt--Now What?
Once you have the pelt, you'll probably be pretty confused about what to actually do with it. Regular shopkeepers won't take the pelt off your hands, and neither will Pearson in camp. You need to go to a specific person to deal with the pelt: the Trapper.
If you talk to Pearson, he may well off-handedly mention the Canadian fur trapper who hangs around in the area, which will mark the Trapper's location on your map. He roams around, so make sure to check your map for his icon before heading out. He also has a shop in Saint Denis, located in the southeast corner of the map, in the outdoor market, where you can reliably find him.
When you find the Trapper, you'll be able to check out his goods, all of which are unique clothes made from the pelts of Legendary Animals. The thing is, you'll need more than to just take down the bear if you want the whole outfit. Various Legendary Bear items also require other pelts, as well as for you to spend some money. Here's what you'll need to craft each piece of the Legendary Bear outfit:
Legendary Bear Head Hat: Legendary Bear Pelt, $40,
Completing the outfit also requires the Boar Riding Gloves, which require a Perfect Boar Pelt and two Perfect Rabbit Pelts, and will cost you $15.
Though each of the bear items notes that a Legendary Bear Pelt is required, there's only the one. Once you've taken down the Baharit Grizzly, you'll have fulfilled the Bear Pelt requirement for each clothing item.
What Happens If You Lose Your Bear Pelt?
You'll likely sling the Legendary Bear Pelt onto your horse and then find yourself riding for quite a ways to track down the Trapper, whether you're headed south to Saint Denis or out into the wilderness. In all that travel time, misfortune can easily befall even the most careful of cowboy, and if your horse falls or you're killed, you'll likely lose the Legendary Bear Pelt.
That's okay! Don't panic. Whether you carry the pelt physically to the Trapper or not, once you've killed and skinned the Baharati Grizzly Bear, the pelt is unlocked. That requirement will be fulfilled on the Trapper's list even if you don't actually carry the skin all the way to him. You can still access the clothing items once you have everything you need for the recipes.
There are a whole lot of other Legendary Animals to find out there in the big world of Red Dead Redemption 2--check out our guide on where to locate them all. And try our clothing guide for information about where you can get more clothes to customize Arthur's look.
We're still a ways off from the last season of Game of Thrones, slated to air sometime in early 2019, but some info about the show's last six episodes is finally starting to come out. Specifically, we know how the final battle for Westeros against the White Walkers will begin: with the Mother of Dragons arriving in the North.
Entertainment Weekly released a long cover feature full of tidbits about the final season, and while HBO has been extremely protective of spoilers and secrets, showrunners DB Weiss and David Benioff did give a few hints about what we can expect. Up first is the beginning of the final season, in which at least a few of the leaders of Westeros converge on Winterfell, the seat of House Stark and the fortress that's the centerpiece of humanity's defense against the Night King's undead army.
The opening of Season 8 will mirror that of Season 1, with Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) riding to Winterfell with her armies in preparation for the arrival of the Army of the Dead. It's a deliberate call all the way back to the first episode in 2011, when King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) rode to Winterfell to ask his old friend, Ned Stark (Sean Bean), to return to King's Landing as his Hand of the King. That request kicked off years of warfare and led to many tragic deaths, and given that this is Game of Thrones, it's definitely not unreasonable to expect Daenerys's arrival could result in the same.
"It's about all of these disparate characters coming together to face a common enemy, dealing with their own past, and defining the person they want to be in the face of certain death," co-executive producer Bryan Cogman told EW. "It's an incredibly emotional, haunting, bittersweet final season, and I think it honors very much what George set out to do--which is flipping this kind of story on its head."
Season 8 in general will be about characters we've been following throughout the show finally meeting each other, and the results of those interactions, and potential conflicts. Game of Thrones has always had the threat of the White Walkers looming in the distance, but the show is really about the characters and politics of Westeros and their endless battles for power. Those dynamics still exist in Season 8; for one thing, Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner), the Lady of Winterfell, is not super happy that her brother Jon Snow (Kit Harington) bent the knee to Daenerys last season.
Regardless of whether the humans work out their differences--there's still the treacherous Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) down south in King's Landing, likely plotting something awful--the dead are coming. EW's report also discusses the massive battle that will inevitably take place in Winterfell, noting that one episode is going to be wall-to-wall action in Winterfell. According to Peter Dinklage, who plays Tyrion Lannister, the battle in Season 8 makes the massive Battle of the Bastards at Winterfell in Season 6 "look like a theme park." In fact, the epic scale of Season 8 once led Benioff and Weiss to speculate about releasing it as three standalone movies instead of a season of TV.
Other than the broad strokes, the rest of what might happen in Season 8 is still largely unknown. There might be a few clues in the recently released Game of Thrones tie-in game, Reigns: Game of Thrones, but we're stuck speculating until the show's 2019 release. Game of Thrones won't end there, though--the show's first prequel, set thousands of years before the current series, is now casting.
Apparently, author George R.R. Martin was wrong about the name of HBO's officially untitled prequel series set thousands of years before Game of Thrones. In a recent blog post, Martin, who penned the "A Song of Ice and Fire" books on which Game of Thrones is based, let slip the show was called The Long Night. That name comes with a huge number of lore implications for the story. Now he's walked back that reveal in another post, presumably after some pushback from HBO.
In the first post, Martin confirmed that Naomi Watts had been cast in the show, which is being run by Kingsman and Kick-Ass writer and producer Jane Goldman and co-created by Martin. He dropped the name of the show, which HBO hadn't revealed, but which corresponds to a major event in Game of Thrones history: specifically, the creation of the White Walkers. Apparently that was a tidbit that HBO wasn't ready to fully confirm.
Martin wrote in another post on November 5 that HBO had told him the upcoming series is still untitled. "HBO has informed me that the Jane Goldman pilot is not (yet) titled THE LONG NIGHT. That's is certainly the title I prefer, but for the moment the pilot is still officially UNTITLED. So… mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa."
Still, the idea that Martin thinks the show is, or could be, called The Long Night probably means the speculation that comes along with that name is still valid.
The Long Night refers to a time around 8,000 years before the current events of the show, during what's known in Game of Thrones lore as the Age of Heroes. It was specifically a very long winter--the world of Game of Thrones has weird seasons that can last years, and the Long Night lasted even longer. According to the Starks' servant Old Nan, "There came a night that lasted a generation, and kings shivered and died in their castles even as the swineherds in their hovels. Women smothered their children rather than see them starve, and cried, and felt their tears freeze on their cheeks."
What was extra awful about the Long Night was the arrival of the Others, or White Walkers, for the first time in Westeros. Descending from the North, the White Walkers led an army of the dead that, Nan says, routed armies, swept through castles and towns, and showed no mercy. According to Westerosi legend, it was only when an unknown figure called the Last Hero sought out and allied with the magical folk called the Children of the Forest that the White Walkers were defeated.
Setting the Game of Thrones prequel in the Age of Heroes already suggested the Long Night would be its subject matter, and Martin leaking the title is further confirmation the show is likely to cover a lot of that legendary ground. From what we've already seen on Game of Thrones, the prequel series is likely to upend fan expectations by showing a truer version than the stories that were passed down around Westeros. From previous rundowns of the premise from HBO, we also know that the series will deal with a few legendary figures, specifically Bran the Builder, the founder of House Stark (who also built Winterfell and the Wall), and Lann the Clever, the founder of House Lannister.
There are also the Children of the Forest, who we know from Game of Thrones Season 6 were the original creators of the White Walkers. The Children made the first of the undead creatures in response to the original humans to settle Westeros, the First Men, basically kicking them off their land and cutting down their forests. The Long Night created an uneasy truce in the wake of that conflict.
Finally, we're likely to see some interesting things going on across the Narrow Sea in the prequel, as well. The generation-long winter didn't just befall Westeros, it impacted the entire world, and the eastern civilizations have their own legend about what happened. That's the story of Azor Ahai, the hero in the Lord of Light religion, who used the glowing sword Lightbringer to battle "the darkness." It's not clear what exactly that means, or whether Azor Ahai and the Last Hero are one and the same.
Martin didn't reveal any other information about the show when he let the name slip, but he did write that there still are other Game of Thrones prequels in "active development." Without revealing any potential stories for the other shows, he mentioned that "the readers among you might want to grab a copy of Fire & Blood," his upcoming book, when it's released on November 20. That story is also a Game of Thrones prequel, but goes back through the 300 years before the original books to detail the history of the Targaryen family--another fascinating time in Martin's world, filled with intrigue, war, and dragons.
Meanwhile, we do know that Season 8 of Game of Thrones made at least one cast member cry, and that it'll have the biggest and most brutal battle in the series' history. There was also a least a short time when showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss were considering trying to make three standalone movies out of the final season. And while there aren't too many details out there about what to expect from the end of Game of Thrones, a recently released tie-in video game might hold some clues.
It may be hard to believe, but Black Friday is just around the corner. This year, the annual shopping extravaganza arrives a little earlier than usual, falling on November 23, but already a ton of retailers have announced what deals await eager shoppers. There are some especially good ones on games and accessories, including PlayStation Plus subscriptions.
As of this writing, the best deal on PS Plus comes from Best Buy and PSN itself; the two will offer a 12-month subscription to the service for $40--a nice $20 savings and the cheapest we ever see these subscriptions go. The PSN deal is available as part of the PlayStation Store's Black Friday sale. With that now underway, online retailer Amazon and GameStop have price matched the cost of a 12-month subscription, offering it for $40 as well. No other notable deals have been announced beyond that, but we'll continue to update this roundup with more as they emerge.
PS Plus is Sony's online subscription service. You'll need a membership in order to play most online multiplayer games on PS4 and PS3, such as Rocket League and the recently released Fallout 76. On top of that, Sony offers a batch of free games for PS Plus subscribers every month, which are yours as long as you have an active membership, as well as additional discounts on titles from the PlayStation Store.
PS Plus subscriptions are available in several increments. A one-month subscription typically costs $10; a three-month membership runs for $25; and a 12-month subscription is normally $60. If you're interested in sampling the service before committing to it, Sony is offering a free 14-day trial through the PS Store, although that will automatically convert into a one-month subscription if you don't cancel it before the trial period ends.
You can find all of the announced PS Plus deals, as well as our other guides on this year's PS4 Black Friday sales, below. For even more discounts, be sure to check out our full Black Friday deals coverage.
The showrunner of Netflix's critically acclaimed Castlevania series, Adi Shankar, has announced his next project. Following weeks of cryptic teases, Shankar revealed that he is working on a new animated series based on Capcom's popular action franchise, Devil May Cry.
No specific details about the series have been announced yet, but Shankar told IGN he "acquired [the Devil May Cry] rights [himself] so the jabronis in Hollywood don't f*** this one up too." He also said the series will, along with Castlevania, be a part of what his team is referring to as "the bootleg multiverse." Shankar confirmed the project by sharing a photo of himself dressed like Devil May Cry protagonist Dante on Twitter, which you can see below.
Prior to the reveal, rumors were rampant about what video game series Shankar would be adapting into a TV series next. The speculation began when he posted a photo on Instagram stating he's "working with an iconic Japanese gaming company to adapt one of their iconic video game series into a series." Soon after, The Wrap reported that Shankar was in talks to produce a series based on the Legend of Zelda franchise.
The Castlevania series premiered on Netflix in July 2017. Its second season arrived on the streaming service last month and is comprised of eight episodes. In our Castlevania Season 2 review, we wrote, "Although the seventh episode is full of slick action and exciting confrontations, it remains true that much of the season is spent introducing us to new characters while the existing ones--the ones you care about if you enjoyed Season 1--do little but mope and tread water."
Shortly after the premiere of Season 2, Netflix confirmed the Castlevania series is being renewed for a third season. No release date has been announced yet, but the next season will consist of 10 episodes and once again feature director Sam Deats and writer/executive producer Warren Ellis. Shankar, Fred Seibert, and Kevin Kolde will all also return as executive producers. We recently got to speak with Shankar about the challenges of making great video game adaptations.
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