Month: February 2019

Ubisoft has announced the changes scheduled to go live in Rainbow Six: Siege with the Y4S1 patch. The changes will first go live in Siege’s test server on PC, where Ubisoft will monitor player feedback and make any necessary adjustments before pushing the update on all systems.

Most of the changes coming in the Y4S1 patch are buffs and nerfs for Operators. In terms of buffs, the area of effect on Capitao’s bolts is being increased to make him more ideal for denying other Operators. For nerfs, the damage for Lesion’s Gu mines is being reduced, Clash is losing the muzzle brake for her machine pistol, Dokkaebi’s phone calls are being made shorter, the time it takes for Maverick to switch between his SURI torch and a weapon is being increased, and Ash is losing the ACOG sight for her R4-C.

The patch will also address breaching charges as well, which Ubisoft wants–as stated in a blog post–to be “safer and more comfortable” for Attackers to use. The charges are still rather dangerous for Defenders on the other side of the wall though. Although no changes are scheduled at this time, Ubisoft is also considering reworks for how shield-wielding Operators work, as well as buffs for Lion and Glaz and a nerf for Blitz.

We’ve outlined the changes scheduled for the Rainbow Six: Siege Y4S1 patch below. Siege is available on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

Rainbow Six: Siege Y4S1 Update Patch Notes

Operator Changes

Ash

• Removed ACOG from R4-C

Maverick

• Increase swap time between SURI Torch and weapons

Dokkaebi

• After 18 seconds, phone calls from Dokkaebi will hang up on their own
• Being in range of Mute jammers will prevent Dokkaebi from calling you
• Walking into range of Mute jammers will hang up phone calls during the call

Capitao

• Increasing area of effect size
• Reducing damage per tick from 19 to 12

Clash

• Removing Muzzle Brake on Machine Pistol

Lesion

• Reduced Gu Mines damage per tick from 8 to 4

General Changes

Breaching Charges

• Deployment animation is much faster
• Damage on Attacker’s side is reduced from 150 to 50
• Damage area of effect on Defender side is increased
• Lethal damage area of effect on Defender side is reduced

One of the finest releases of last year–GameSpot’s pick for Game of the Year–was Red Dead Redemption 2. While some of the big fall releases saw discounts during Black Friday, we’ve yet to see much in the way of notable deals on Rockstar’s open-world game. If you’ve held out until now, you’re in luck, as the game is 33% off at two different retailers in the United States.

Alongside GameStop’s standard lineup of weekly deals, it’s dropped the price of Red Dead 2 to $40 on both PS4 and Xbox One. Amazon, as it often does, has since price-matched that offer, letting you pick it up for the same price on either platform. We don’t know exactly how long the discounts will run for, so you should act fast if you’re interested by heading over to Amazon or GameStop.

No matter where you buy it, you can look forward to a huge open-world experience and a compelling narrative that you might not expect. Its world is vast and filled with an impressive level of attention to detail. You can read all about it in our Red Dead 2 review.

In addition to the single-player campaign, you’ll receive access to Red Dead Online, the game’s online multiplayer component. Although we were not as fond of it at release as we were the campaign, Rockstar has been updating it, and just recently it announced plans for some new changes and additions coming soon. Red Dead Online remains in beta for the time being.

Apex Legends is shaping up to be one of the biggest battle royale games around. It only released early last week and already has amassed quite the following. Of course, if you’ve yet to play the game, you’re probably curious what the hubbub is all about. Lucky for you, we’ve detailed below all the essential information you need to know, which includes our full review, how the game’s microtransactions work, guides, and much more.

What are your thoughts about Apex Legends? Do you think it has what it takes to compete against Fortnite? Let us know in the comments below. Otherwise, be sure to check back often as we update this feature with even more features and guides.

What is Apex Legends?

Apex Legends is a battle royale game that’s focused more on teamwork than its competitors. It pits 20 teams of three players against each other on one huge map. Like other games in the genre, you and your squad enter with no weapons or items and must scavenge everything you need to be the last team standing.

The biggest difference between Apex Legends and others battle royale games is its focus on character roles, which it calls Legends. Currently, there are eight Legends, each with their own unique special abilities and ultimate abilities that charge up over time. As a team, you’re challenged to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your Legend, as well as know how to best use their abilities alongside others to affect your strategy. You can find out more in our breakdown of each character and their respective abilities.

Another unique mechanic comes in the form of the Ping system. With one dedicated button, you can “ping” locations, objects, and other players, drawing attention to them on your teammates’ screens. The system is robust, making it possible to communicate effectively without ever talking to your squad, which is a handy feature for matches where not everyone has a headset.

Review

“Apex Legends is a mix of smart shooter ideas that makes for a competitive, team-based game that gets at all the best parts of battle royale while addressing a lot of the weaknesses. Respawn’s intense focus on team play makes Apex more than just a worthy addition to the genre; it’s an indicator of where battle royale should go in the future,” GameSpot editor Phil Hornshaw writes. Read the full review.

While the game is a great time, Phil did take issue with the how the game’s wins should be a lot cooler–so much so, that he wrote an whole feature about it.

Biggest News

The week since the launch of Apex Legends has yielded a ton of big news. Below you can get caught up on the latest details about the game.

Latest Patch Notes

Speaking of Apex Legends constantly evolving, you can get the specifics on just what’s changing about the game in its latest patch notes. The current patch adds the new Valentine’s Day event, balance changes, bug fixes, and more.

How Do Microtransactions Work?

Like other free-to-play games, Apex Legends has microtransactions. The game has three different types of currency: Apex Coins, Legend Tokens, and Crafting Metals. Apex Coins are the only currency that can be purchased with real money, and they’re used to buy Apex Packs, Legends, and featured items. You can purchase Apex Coins in the following increments:

• 1,000 Apex Coins – $10 / £8
• 2,000 (+ 150 Bonus) Apex Coins – $20 / £16
• 4,000 (+350 Bonus) Apex Coins – $40 / £32
• 6,000 (+750 Bonus) Apex Coins – $60 / £48
• 10,000 (+1500 Bonus) Apex Coins – $100 / £80

For more details on the game’s microtransactions, check out our full explainer.

How the Battle Pass Works

Much like Fortnite, Apex Legends has a Battle Pass, and it works much like the one in Epic’s battle royale game. The first Battle Pass launches in March and will be active for a full season, which lasts about three months. You can refer to the roadmap visual above for more details on subsequent confirmed seasons. However, Respawn has not announced their exact start dates.

Legendary Skins

Apex Legends offers a fair number of ways to customize your appearance via skins for your characters and weapons, poses, and banners. If we’re going off our experiences spent playing Overwatch, the most desirable items are likely the Legendary skins. We’ve rounded up all the ones available now in our comprehensive skins feature; in addition, you can refer to the video above for a taste of what’s available across skins, weapons, banners, and more.

Guides

Playing a new battle royale game is going to come with its own share of growing pains. If you’re struggling to come up on top, we’ve got several guides you can refer to. Below we’ve included links to our beginner’s guide and guns guide. If you’re looking for more tips, be sure to check out our guide roundup.

Set to launch February 15, Metro Exodus continues Artyom and his allies’ stories after the events of Metro: Last Light. The game is releasing on Xbox One, PS4, and PC–with the PC version launching exclusively on the Epic Games Store.

Like its predecessors, Exodus is a single-player first-person shooter set in Russia during a post-apocalyptic future that’s been ravaged by both nuclear fallout and mutant monsters. Those that survived did so by hiding in the country’s metro stations. Unlike the last two games, Exodus mostly ditches the cramped, underground setting for one on Russia’s surface. The game isn’t completely open world, though. Instead, it’s a series of connected open spaces. Survival still proves challenging in Exodus, as you’ll encounter mutants and antagonistic survivors, and need to scavenge for materials to keep your weapons and equipment working.

In our Metro Exodus review, Michael Higham gave the game an 8/10, writing, “At first glance, Metro Exodus gives you that wide-open, free, and dangerous world unbound by tunnels, though the scope of its tale focuses on what drives you personally and the lengths you’re willing to go to protect what matters most. The open sandboxes may not be strongest addition, but the game still embraces the sense of vulnerability and post-apocalyptic terror alongside impactful weapons used in refined combat and stealth scenarios. You may miss the mystery and intrigue of the previous games, but Exodus puts together a charismatic crew of friends and family that you’ll want to follow to the ends of the earth.”

If you’re ready to pre-order Metro Exodus, you might be wondering which of its two editions to buy, where you can find them, and what pre-order you can expect for buying the game early. We’ve outlined all that information below.

Metro Exodus Pre-Order Bonus

For Metro Exodus, each platform gets its own unique pre-order bonus. If you pre-order the game for PS4, you’ll get a dynamic Metro Exodus theme for your console. Xbox One pre-orders come with a free code for Metro 2033 Redux. Lastly, PC pre-orders come with a digital artbook and the Metro Exodus soundtrack.

Metro Exodus Standard Edition

The standard edition just comes with the game and the applicable pre-order bonus.

PlayStation 4

Xbox One

PC

Metro Exodus Aurora Limited Edition

In addition to the platform-specific pre-order bonus, physical copies of the Aurora Limited Edition include a steelbook case, a World of Metro artbook, and the game’s expansion pass. Digital copies are priced $5 cheaper, but they only come with the expansion pass.

PlayStation 4

Xbox One

PC

Set to launch February 15, Far Cry New Dawn is both a post-apocalyptic reskin of and sequel to Far Cry 5 that introduces a new story, allies, and weapons. You won’t have to shell out the typical $60 USD to grab this brand-new game, though, as New Dawn has a $40 price point. The game launches on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

The canonical ending of Far Cry 5 saw nukes dropping from the sky, wiping out nearly all life in Hope County, Montana. But that wasn’t the end of the story, not by a long-shot. Jumping 17 years later, Far Cry New Dawn sees the remnants of Hope County try to rebuild society, only to come into conflict with a pair of power-hungry twins and their bloodthirsty army of outlaws.

In our Far Cry New Dawn review, Edmond Tran gave the game a 6/10, writing, “There’s a lot of potential in the ideas seeded in New Dawn, but there isn’t enough room for many of them to breathe and feel fully realized. Not the post-apocalyptic theme, not the RPG mechanics, not the weapons, vehicles, plot, or characters. Advancing through the adventure is an enjoyable experience, especially once you get your superhuman powers, but this is largely because Far Cry 5’s combat and progression models remain compelling enough to propel you forward. For its part, New Dawn is a palatable but unremarkable spin-off that feels like it could have achieved so much more.”

If you’re looking to lock in your pre-order for Far Cry New Dawn, you’ll probably want to know what comes in the game’s two different editions, where you can buy them, and how much each costs. We’ve compiled all that information below.

Far Cry New Dawn Pre-Order Bonus

Regardless of which edition you pre-order, doing so nets you the colorful (and deadly) Unicorn Trike vehicle.

Far Cry New Dawn Standard Edition

Pre-ordering the standard edition of Far Cry New Dawn will get you the full game, plus the pre-order bonus listed above.

PlayStation 4

Xbox One

PC

Far Cry New Dawn Digital Deluxe Edition

The digital deluxe edition of Far Cry New Dawn comes with additional sets of in-game items, including the Knight Pack (SVD Claymore and Sidecar Motorbike), Hurk Legacy Pack (Wrath M249, Legacy Offroader, and Hurkling Outfits), M133M Shotgun, and RAT4 Rocket Launcher.

PlayStation 4

Xbox One

PC

Fortnite‘s weekly challenges for Season 7 are over and the game is now preparing to make the transition to Season 8. However, that doesn’t mean there are no challenges to undertake at all–quite the opposite in fact. Developer Epic is keeping the train rolling with the Overtime Challenges, which begin today, February 14, and unlock every three days up until February 23. In an unexpected twist, however, completing these challenges not only nets you experience and the odd cosmetic unlock, but also a free Season 8 Battle Pass.

To get the new Battle Pass at no cost you just need to complete 13 of the Overtime Challenges, the first set of which are available now. The initial batch ask the player to collect coins in the Creative Islands, seek out ammo boxes or treasure chests, and drop onto the island as a duo and place in the top 15. As you complete the challenges, you’ll also unlock skins from Fortnite Season 7 at the five, 10, and 15 challenge mark. You can see the full list of challenges below.

Fortnite Overtime Challenges

• Collect Coins in Featured Creative Islands (15) — 500 XP
• Search chest or ammo boxes at a motel or an RV park (7) — 500
• Place Top 15 in Duos with a friend (3) — Wrap

Epic has also released update 7.40 for Fornite and the full patch notes alongside it. The Valentine’s Day event is one of the big new additions introduced in the update, but there’s also a new weapon, and the ability to gift an item. You can read the full list of changes, tweaks, and additions in the Fortnite update 7.40 patch notes.

It is expected that Season 7 of Fortnite will end on February 28, so you’ve got a little more time to complete any outstanding challenges. If you need a hand, check out our comprehensive Fortnite Season 7 challenges roundup, which collects all our tips and guides into one, convenient location.

Given that the Overtime Challenges will be available until February 27, we expect Season 8 will begin on February 28. Before that, however, Epic is expected to hold two double XP weekends; the first is set for February 15-17, while the second takes place February 22-24.