Month: November 2020

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A lot of gamers are feeling frustrated with how hard it is to buy an Xbox Series X/S or a PlayStation 5 right now, and Phil Spencer recognizes that frustration. He just doesn’t know what the right solution is, according to an interview on The Verge’s Decoder podcast.

With many of customers’ issues coming from the preorder processes put in place by third-party retailers like Walmart or Amazon, Spencer was asked if Microsoft have considered selling more consoles directly to the public.

“I think our retail relationships are important,” he said, then continued to discuss how preorders could work in future. “We’ve had real discussions internally about, should I be able to reserve my slot? I’ll put some money down, I know my machine’s getting built January 20th, and I’ll get it on February 1st. We have customers that would do that today.”

Spencer also mentioned that Microsoft could dictate how much stock retailers had to keep for a day one physical launch, and how much could be sold through preorders, though he admitted this way of doing things might be outdated in 2020. “For day one, November 10th, we’re going [to stand in] lines,” he explained. “We want people to feel like there’s some consoles to go buy, and it’s not just the day where everybody gets to go pick up their console. I don’t know if that’s the right decision in today’s world. That’s very old world thinking, people are going to go line up outside of a store, kind of last decade thinking. I think we should challenge ourselves on that.”

For now, it seems like this talk is just talk, however, with changes unlikely to be implemented in time to make any meaningful difference to customers looking to buy an Xbox Series X or S. “I do think this business is going through, both for us and Sony–we both have lamented how these preorders have gone and what problem are we really solving when we seem to still have as many upset customers as we have, because they can’t get our product,” he mused. “I do think it’s going to push us to think about new models. It’s something we’re working on.”

As for this generation’s console launch, a lot of gamers are looking at having to spend a small fortune buying consoles from scalpers if they want to land an Xbox Series X/S or PS5 by Christmas. If you’re feeling lucky, however, you can try grabbing a console in this week’s Black Friday restocks.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

Google Stadia has announced the arrival of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order on the service, alongside six games being given to Stadia Pro subscribers in December. These six games, which will remain in player’s libraries for as long as they remain Pro subscribers, include some modern classics.

Respawn’s Star Wars game, which released in 2019 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, arrives on the service at a heavy discount. The game is 60% off, so you can pick it up for $24/€28. However, if you own another console or a decent PC you can check it out for less. The Star Wars game also recently joined EA Play and Xbox Game Pass, and is available through either subscription service.

The list of six games available to Pro customers this month is headlined by Hitman 2, which is worth grabbing ahead of Hitman 3’s 2021 launch. The game, which features six assassination locations and a huge set of challenges, earned an 8/10 in GameSpot’s review.

Other highlights include Into the Breach, the brilliant strategy title from FTL developer Subset Games, unique and challenging puzzle game Kine, and space combat roguelike Everspace. Monster Jam Steel Titans and Secret Neighbor also feature.

These six games will be available from December 1. You also only have until the end of November to grab these current Pro free titles:

• Superhot
• Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
• Little Nightmares
• Hello Neighbor
• Super Bomberman R Online

A new range of discounted games has been announced, too–you can check out the full list on the Stadia Community Blog.

Plenty of popular TV shows have received the reboot treatment in recent years, but could HBO’s Entourage be next? It’s too soon to say, according to series creator Doug Ellin.

Ellin shared a news story on Instagram regarding the potential revival, and he added that he is “considering my consideration” of rebooting the show.

Ellin and Entourage star Kevin Dillon host an Entourage rewatch podcast called Victory The Podcast where they break down episodes from the show and share anecdotes. Ellin said if people want to see an Entourage reboot someday, they should show the podcast some love, which may in turn drum up interest in getting a reboot off the ground.

“If [an Entourage revival] interests you at all, please check out Victory The Podcast and spread the word. We are growing and the love for Entourage is definitely on the rise,” he said. “I appreciate each and every one of you you . Victory!”

Entourage ran for eight seasons on HBO from 2004-2011. The show centers on the character Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), an actor from New York who moves to Los Angeles to make it big. The series also starred Kevin Connolly, Jerry Ferrara, Jeremy Piven, and Emmanuelle Chriqui.

Season 2 of Entourage famously featured a fake Aquaman movie starring Chase that was directed, in the show’s fiction, by James Cameron. Ellin said he thought the idea of an Aquaman movie was so preposterous that only Cameron could pull it off, and then Warner Bros. actually made the movie in 2019 with Jason Momoa.

“I thought Aquaman sounded like the most ridiculous movie in the world and, to me, the only way to make it work was if James Cameron was directing it,” Ellin told Entertainment Weekly.

An Entourage movie written and directed by Ellin was released in 2015 featuring the main cast from the show.

One of HBO’s next big shows is an adaptation of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us, which was recently picked up for its first season.

Editor’s note: In November 2020, NetherRealm patched Mortal Kombat 11, adding next-gen optimized technical upgrades for the Xbox Series X, Series S, and PlayStation 5. Below are our impressions of how the game runs on Series X and PlayStation 5, written by Mike Epstein. Continue after the break for the original Mortal Kombat 11 review.

Mortal Kombat 11 is a snappier, sharper-looking game on next-gen consoles. On both Xbox Series X and PS5, the incredibly (and sometimes disturbingly) detailed fighter has received a minor technical facelift and one or two new features that will ultimately make the game better for everyone. Though NetherRealm released a new version of the game, Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate, to coincide with the next-gen launches, all MK11 players receive access to the next-gen versions of the game and their benefits. On Xbox Series X/S, you simply need to download the game. On PS5, you will need to download the separate PS5 version of MK11, which you can grab free of charge if you own the PS4 version. (This means that you need to have a PS5 with a disc drive to get the upgrade if you bought a physical copy on PS4.)

MK11 sees similar improvements on both platforms. The next-gen versions run at a “dynamic 4K resolution,” which means it runs in 4K under ideal circumstances but will change resolutions on the fly to maintain smooth performance. According to NetherRealm, it’s also received a general tune-up, visually. As with most last-gen games, the next-gen consoles cut down MK11’s load times dramatically. The menus, which once took 5-10 seconds to load on Xbox One and PS4, load almost instantly on the Series X and PS5.

Anecdotally speaking, MK11 seems to take better advantage of HDR support. Metal surfaces seem more reflective, and it’s easier to see the smallest details in character costumes, projectile particle effects, and gory finishers. As with other games I’ve seen that have received resolution bumps, you aren’t seeing anything new, but nuances of what was already there are easier to appreciate.

Though I noticed moments in matches when those newly shiny surfaces dimmed, possibly indicating a slight downturn in resolution, the game always looks great. It tends to happen in the moments when you’re least likely to notice because the fight’s heating up. And, in keeping with the promise of dynamic resolution, the kombat (sorry) never stuttered.

In addition to the visual upgrades, the update adds a beta for cross-play matchmaking in certain modes. When enabled, matchmaking will pair you with players across PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X. (PC, Switch, and Stadia players remain siloed for now.) After playing between five and 10 cross-play matches, I didn’t notice any significant difference in performance between cross-play matches and those with players on the same platform. As always, both your and your opponent’s internet dictates performance more than anything else. Since it works, at least in its current incarnation, cross-play is an important long-term upgrade for MK11. Even if it has a loyal fanbase now, putting the player pools together will help keep wait-time down for fights even when players drift away, ensuring that matchmaking feels lively and populated for longer.

The PS5 version adds one additional wrinkle. Taking advantage of DualSense’s haptics, your controller rumbles on one side when you get hit, indicating which direction the damage came from. Clever, but not especially helpful–it isn’t the most inspired use of the tech.

So if these upgrades are free, what does Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate bring to the table? MK11 Ultimate is a “game of the year edition”-style re-release, which gives players access to Mortal Kombat 11 and all of its DLC, including three new characters–Purple ninja Rain, Rambo (yes, that Rambo), and long-running fan obsession Mileena. If you already own MK11, you can buy the new characters for $5.99 apiece, or as a set in the new “Kombat Pack II,” which costs $14.99.

The jump to next-gen isn’t tremendous, but if you’ve put some time in and walked away, you might want to go back and take it for a spin on your next-gen console. Though it probably won’t blow your mind, it’s still impressive. And fun as hell. — Mike Epstein, November 2020. The original review, first published in April 2019, continues below.

The new big bad in Mortal Kombat is named Kronika, and she’s causing a ruckus by messing with time and rewriting history. Characters are getting erased or colliding with their past selves, while alliances are reverting and new ones are being made–it’s the kind of chaos that’s ripe for conflict. Nothing that happened with Mortal Kombat before really matters anymore; the series is giving itself a clean slate, and not just with the lore in the story. NetherRealm’s multifaceted fighting system has been streamlined, and comprehensive tutorials and practice functions are focussed on making sure no matter where you’re coming from, you’re well-equipped to dive deep into Mortal Kombat 11.

It’s hard not to get excited about the story mode in a NetherRealm game given the studio’s history of crafting involved narratives, and Mortal Kombat 11 unsurprisingly delivers an entertaining and polished blockbuster-style cinematic experience with its tale of Kronika’s time-bending antics. Combat is woven in with a number of cutscenes, though you’ll probably spend more time watching well-choreographed action rather than participating. But the story is a great primer for some of the series’ more popular characters nonetheless, and the joys of Kronika’s time manipulation means that even if you’re a passing fan and aren’t up-to-date with all of the wacky stuff that’s happened in the universe lately, you can still get a kick out of seeing classic versions of familiar faces, who are just as baffled as you about what’s happened to their future selves since.

Watching the character interactions between young and old selves are a highlight, and with the exception of a somewhat flat Sonya Blade, the solid performances are endearingly sincere with some unexpected moments of introspection. By the time it ended I was eager for more–more of Johnny Cage being embarrassed by his younger self, more of the bromance between Liu Kang and Kung Lao, the sappy dynamic between parents and children. But the story mode hits that perfect balance of being just enough and not overstaying its welcome. The plot conceits are regularly ridiculous, especially when family members and lovers get into fatal tiffs, but it’s a delightfully bombastic and outlandish visual spectacle if nothing else.

Mortal Kombat 11’s eclectic roster includes a solid selection of the series’ iconic fighters, along with some of the great additions from Mortal Kombat X, like gunslinger Erron Black and the grotesque insectoid D’Vorah. Three brand new characters do their best to help the lineup branch out–Geras is an imposing heavy with the ability to rewind and manipulate time, Cetrion is an elder god with flashy elemental projectiles, the Kollector has a wonderfully unsettling and bamboozling six-armed demonic design–and they all add an inspired diversity to the familiar roster of magical ninjas and military hard-asses. Character variations also help to keep things diverse. A returning concept from Mortal Kombat X, each character can select between different sets of special moves that alter their playstyle. You can now customize these loadouts in MK11, but only two predetermined movesets are acceptable for serious competitive play. Even so, it means there are a few things to consider when picking which fighter to use.

Some key changes streamline the mechanics of MK11, resulting in a fighting system that feels more active and aggressive than its predecessors. The special meter system has been simplified, allowing for amplified maneuvers to be used at almost any time–gone is the idea of needing to hold back and save up two or three bars of a meter to perform a particular kind of technique. Separate meters for offensive and defensive techniques, along with rapid recharge rates, mean they can be used more liberally, too. “Fatal Blows” replace MKX’s X-Ray techniques, serving as a last-ditch comeback mechanic that can be activated once per match when your health is nearly depleted, adding a heightened tension when things get down to the wire. Significant block damage discourages you from being overly defensive, while learning the perfect-timing demands of the “flawless block” system is encouraged to mitigate some damage and open up turnabout opportunities. Running and stamina meters have been removed and dash distances feel shorter, honing MK11’s focus on always being within striking distance of your opponent. All of these tweaks mean there is rarely a low moment in a Mortal Kombat 11 fight.

If you’re new to the series, learning all those intricacies of the fighting system, special moves, and combo strings for characters can be intimidating. Fortunately, Mortal Kombat 11 does a lot to help onboard you to almost all of its concepts. Following the good work seen in Injustice 2, Mortal Kombat 11 features a comprehensive series of fantastic practical tutorials, with everything from teaching you basic attacks to more advanced lessons on managing the ebb and flow of a match, strategies on how to change or maintain the dynamic of a fight (like dealing with corners or projectile spam), and how to approach building your own combos. What’s more, there are also a series of tutorials that succinctly break down expert-level concepts, such as one that shows you what frame data is and how it works in clear, visual terms. Not only that, there are lessons on how to interpret that information and use it in a practical scenario–it’ll teach you what makes a move “safe” or “unsafe,” how to create pressure in a fight, and even how to perform frame traps. It’s an impressive resource that doesn’t just give you a better understanding of Mortal Kombat 11’s systems, but a deeper understanding of fighting game mechanics in general–knowledge that you can take to any other title.

Character-specific tutorials exist, too, and are more than just a simple rundown of all available techniques. These helpful lessons focus on the most useful and practical abilities and combos for a particular character and give you suggestions on when to use them, the pros and cons of doing so, and what you could follow up with. Furthermore, the in-game move lists are incredibly comprehensive, providing all sorts of helpful data for each move’s properties, so you can easily discern something like which of your character’s moves has the quickest startup. It’s valuable information and knowledge that NetherRealm has been building upon in its last few games and is presented at its best in MK11. Of course, if you’re the kind of player that couldn’t care less about the advanced stuff and just wants to jump in and see blood spilled, Mortal Kombat 11 can certainly be just as entertaining. Predetermined combo strings, flashy special moves, and humorously over-the-top barbarity means that the game is a joy to watch and participate in, whether the players are just messing around or taking it seriously.

In addition to the game’s story mode, MK11 sees the return of Klassic Towers, a more straightforward single-player mode where you fight a series of opponents before eventually facing big boss Kronika. But the real meat of the single-player offering is the Towers Of Time, MK11’s version of the limited-time ladders seen in other NetherRealm games, which feature unique modifiers that can affect the playing field, combatants, and mechanics.

When our review-in-progress was first published, the balance of difficulty seen in the Towers Of Time was in such a state that the odds were always stacked against you–negative environmental modifiers only affected you and not your opponent, AI difficulty was relentlessly high, opponents were more robust, and as a result the challenges often felt horribly cruel and unbalanced. The mode’s focus on using “Konsumables,” a variety of limited-use items that you can equip and activate during the fight, did little to even the playing field, and their method of attainment was too dependent on luck to even make them a reliable strategy in the first place. In fact, the drip-feed of rewards you received from completing towers were overall too meager (and random) at the game’s release to justify the amount of effort they demanded.

One week later, NetherRealm released a major patch (1.03) that acknowledged and adjusted a large number of variables related to the Towers of Time, reducing (and in some cases, eliminating) a number of unbalanced modifiers, normalizing the resilience and difficulty of AI opponents, and increasing the amount of rewards for completing activities across the board. That’s fortunate, because the modifiers in the Towers of Time add genuinely interesting dynamics to MK11’s already enjoyable fighting flow. One tower might pit you against a series of fighters who can poison you if they get a string of hits in, another might place a totem in the middle of the stages that electrocute whoever is standing closest. Other towers might team you up with two or three other online players to take down a particularly hardy “boss” fighter, letting you tag each other in, or perhaps assist the active fighter with Konsumables.

These kinds of challenges are a welcome exercise that push you to consider different ways to approach a MK11 fight, forcing you to, say, become extra defensive or keep a closer eye on your positioning. The variety of Konsumables–which have abilities that range from letting you call in another character to perform an assist attack, rain missiles down from the sky, or simply replenish your health–can give you extra tools to help keep a handle on the situation. But, in my experience after the 1.03 patch, using Konsumables isn’t strictly necessary, so long as you’re playing diligently.

As they stand at the time of writing, the Towers of Time succeed in providing an endless, compelling palette of single-player content to tackle once you’ve completed the story mode. The difficulty curve and number of challenges you need to tackle are reasonable enough that achieving the prizes at the end of a tower, and the end of a whole island of towers, always feels within reach. What was previously a frustrating experience at launch is a compulsive one a week later. Even the demanding boss fight-style challenges only ask you to endure one round before showering you with the payouts on offer. They’re enticing pools of goods, too–the aforementioned Konsumables, character cosmetics, and large denominations of the various currencies needed to open chests in the Krypt, MK11’s third-person quasi-puzzle-adventure mode designed for unlocking even more collectibles.

The Krypt in Mortal Kombat 11 is a completely reimagined recreation of Shang Tsung’s island, the location of the very first Mortal Kombat game from 1992. Exploring the location, which involves finding items to open up paths to new areas, is an exciting experience in itself–there’s a basic joy in simply taking in the visual splendor of certain locations, especially if you retain any memories of Mortal Kombat’s stages (although it should be noted that the Nintendo Switch version is noticeably less visually splendorous). A mess of treasure chests litter the island, requiring one of three different currencies to open them, but the catch is that aside from chests that require “Hearts,” the rewards you get seem to be completely randomized. Regardless of their asking price, chests have the capacity to furnish you with something exciting, like new costumes or brutality finishers for a specific character, or something as basic as a piece of concept art. It can be a bummer to come away from a Krypt session with nothing of value for your favourite fighter, but it’s at least heartening to know that the game doesn’t have any avenues to let you spend real-world money to open more chests, and that your pool of currencies will continue to grow at a steady, reasonable rate by simply playing the game.

Now, it’s pertinent to mention that Mortal Kombat 11 relies on a persistent online connection to keep track of progression in every single mode. Naturally, being offline means that you can’t access the game’s rotating Towers of Time, but it also means you won’t get rewarded for playing the story mode or tutorials until you reconnect. In most cases, given the ever-connected nature of PCs, PS4s, and Xbox Ones, this aspect should rarely present any major issues, but it certainly can. There was one instance where game servers went down on all platforms, and I lost my progress on a Tower of Time. Losing progress can also be an issue if, for example, you duck out to your console’s dashboard to share a video clip of a close victory, which will suspend your game and disconnect you from its servers. The always-online nature of the game can pose a much larger concern on Nintendo Switch, however, especially if you’re looking to play the game in handheld mode away from a wireless connection. Even if you’re content to simply hang out in practice mode or play a standard tower on the train, you’ll be hounded by network error messages every step of the way.

There are a range of online multiplayer modes, of course, including ranked and casual matchmaking, a king-of-the-hill mode, and forthcoming ranked seasons, as well as private options like lobbies and the ability to use practice mode with a friend. MK11 also features tools that help you have some control over your experience–in casual matches, you have the ability to see your opponent’s win/loss ratio, your estimated chance of success, and information about each player’s internet connection–and the game thankfully allows you to decline a match if you think you’re going to have a bad time. I encountered no major issues with online play during the game’s first week, and found matchups to be fairly even in most cases, meaning fights were often heart-poundingly close. The robust online options make it a worthwhile avenue to pick a fight without the modifiers of the Towers Of Time.

MK11 isn’t just a sequel for series fans and NetherRealm devotees, it’s a gateway into the realm of fighting games for anyone who has a passing interest in watching ruthless warriors beat each other silly. Streamlined mechanics keep the act of fighting furiously exciting no matter what your skill level, and comprehensive tutorials encourage you to dig into the nitty-gritty. There’s a diverse roster of interesting characters and playstyles, and the story mode is an entertaining romp. The randomization of Krypt rewards and the odd issue with the game’s always-online nature can occasionally chip away at your patience, but Mortal Kombat 11 absolutely hits where it matters.

Beyond Light brings a new slate of Exotic weapons and armor pieces to Destiny 2, and with the release and defeat of the Deep Stone Crypt raid, most of them are available for you to earn–if you know how. A few of the new Beyond Light Exotics are dependent on random drops, while others, like Salvation’s Grip, come from quests, and still others ask you to knock out some prerequisites before their quests become available. One of the best Exotics in the expansion is The Lament, which is basically Destiny’s version of a chainsaw sword, but getting it will take some effort. The quest centers around searching for Dead Exos on Europa, completing Exo Challenges, and taking on a number of story quests.

Here’s everything you need to know to knock out the Lost Lament Exotic quest and pick up your new sword, while unlocking some of the most interesting lore in the Beyond Light expansion so far.

Step 1: Visit Banshee

The Lost Lament Exotic quest became available alongside Deep Stone Crypt, so you can pick it up from Banshee. He has some interesting lore info to give about how the Crypt is affecting him more than other Exos. To find out more, he sends you to go find dead Exos on Europa.

Step 2: Find Dead Exos

You only need a total of three dead exos to advance the quest, but there are nine to find in total. Discovering them all unlocks more lore and Triumphs for the Europa seal, and they’re all pretty simple to track down. Here’s a complete list of all the dead exo locations.

Dead Exo 1: Cadmus Ridge

The first exo is easy to find in the Cadmus Ridge patrol zone, although it’s a bit out of the way. Follow the path from Charon Crossing (where Variks hangs out) to Cadmus, then immediately turn left and hop up on the ice platform, where you’ll often see Fallen enemies spawn. Keep moving north toward another, taller ice platform. Climb up on it to find a big flat plateau and the dead exo in the snow in the middle.

Dead Exo 2: Perdition Lost Sector

Enter the Lost Sector in Cadmus Ridge, just north of where you found the first exo, and fight all the way through to the boss room. As you enter the boss room (it’s the orange one with the four pillars), turn left and check the corner closest to the door to find the body.

Dead Exo 3: Braytech Exoscience

Head to Braytech next and keep moving until you hit the big room full of Fallen. To the right is a set of stairs that leads to two smaller rooms. The exo you want is in the second one, in the corner on the left side behind some beds with other exo bodies on them. (Once you have three total, you can proceed through the newly opened door in this room to enter the Creation area and advance the quest.)

Dead Exo 4: Creation

Make your way through Creation and proceed until you hit a huge room where you can see walkways far below you. On your left will be glass walls with machinery running. Drop down to the walkway, and then down again through the broken glass floor to the one beneath it, and hop forward onto the next platform. You’ll have even more platforms below you, but the dead exo you want is propped up against a crate before you drop down to the lowest level.

Dead Exo 5: Asterion Abyss

Once you’re done in Braytech Exoscience and Creation, head over to Asterion Abyss. Make your way toward the Nexus on the northeast side of the map (the path you take for the Glassway Strike). Just south of the entrance to the Nexus, your next dead exo will be half-buried in a snowbank.

Dead Exo 6: Concealed Void Lost Sector

This is an easy one. Fight your way all the way through the Asterion Abyss Lost Sector and kill the boss. Look just behind and to the right of the boss chest and you’ll spot the orange dead exo body lying on the ground.

Dead Exo 7: Well Of Infinitude

Enter the pathway to the Nexus and when you hit the junction, follow it to the right (this is the path you take when you’re completing the Empire Hunt for The Warrior). Keep moving along the pathway until you hit a large room that’s cut in an L-shape, which has a big pool of radiolarian fluid beneath it and usually has a group of Fallen fighting Vex inside. If you check the map, this will be the furthest south the pathway takes you; this is the point where the path forward turns east. At the corner, check the wall for the dead exo tucked among some cubic Vex machinery.

Dead Exo 8: Eventide Ruins

Make your way to the north end of Eventide Ruins, into a destroyed building in the northeast corner of the area. If you’ve gone into Deep Stone Crypt, you’ll know this as its entrance; you’ll find two Fallen captains here sporting yellow life bars. Beside the big dome-shaped DSC door, look for the exo propped up against a pillar, next to three identical pieces of machinery.

Dead Exo 9: Bunker E15

Enter the Lost Sector in Eventide Ruins and make your way through it about halfway. You’re looking for the room full of Vex, where you can free two groups of Braytech security frames from Vex cages. If a Cyclops spawns in, you’re in the right place–this is before the main boss room. When facing the Cyclops, check the right side of the room to find a flight of stairs up to a higher catwalk. The exo is beneath the steps.

Step 3: Enter Creation And Talk To The Giant Exo

With three exos found, return to Banshee and he’ll direct you into the Creation section of Braytech Exoscience. Make your way to the end of the area, where you’ll meet the artificial intelligence in charge of the facility. After a quick but illuminating conversation, you’ll get your next step in the quest, which is the grindiest portion. Your objective: Defeat Vex with swords on Europa. Fallen Guillotine is great for this–you need to rack up 100 total Vex sword kills, as well as 20 sword kills against tougher Vex, specifically Minotaurs, Cyclops, and Hydras.

This sounds like a lot, but it goes pretty quickly if you venture to the correct areas. Go either to Asterion Abyss, where a ton of Vex hang around all the time or to the Perdition Lost Sector in Cadmus Ridge, which is also full of Vex. A couple runs of the Lost Sector or a short stint in Asterion Abyss should allow you to rack up enough kills, particularly if you take part in a Vex Public Event in Asterion.

Step 4: Complete An Exo Challenge

Once you’ve got enough kills, the AI will direct you to try out an Exo Challenge, which is a new Europa activity that became available after the release of the Deep Stone Crypt. You’ll find it on the Europa Director map near Braytech Exoscience. These activities seem like they’ll rotate weekly, much like the Ascendant Challenges found in the Dreaming City. Load in and clear one to advance–the mission itself is pretty straightforward.

Step 5: Defeat Vex With Finishers

Another grindy part of the quest, you’ll need to get back to Europa and wreck a bunch of Vex with Finishers, which is only really difficult because, as you level up, it’ll be easy to kill Vex accidentally while you try to whittle down their health. Powerful Vex give you the fastest progress, so while you can repeat the process you did for sword kills and head to Asterion Abyss, the Perdition Lost Sector is a better bet. We completed the step in less than two Lost Sector runs.

Step 6: Complete The Glassway Strike

You now need the pieces of The Lament in order to repair it. You’ll find them in The Glassway Strike. Load it from the Europa Director map (it’s on the right side) and proceed all the way to the boss room. You should get the blade pieces you need without killing the boss, so once they pop on your screen, you’re free to leave the Strike without finishing it–although, that might be a bit rude to your teammates. Once you have the blade pieces, head back to the Tower and talk to Banshee again.

Step 7: Find The Abandoned Bunker In Eventide Ruins

Banshee doesn’t know exactly where you need to go next, but he has an idea that what you’re looking for is in an “abandoned bunker” in Eventide Ruins. The most obvious bunker in the area is Bunker E15, the local Lost Sector. Head in and clear it out as normal. Once you hit the boss and grab the chest, you’ll get a message from the Giant Exo calling for your help against a Vex invasion. This triggers your last big step.

Step 8: Complete The “Reforging The Past” Mission

As soon as you leave Bunker E15, you should find the mission flag that will take you back to Braytech Exoscience to save the Giant Exo from destruction. Like other missions, this one will tell you what’s expected of you. It includes a section where you get to run over a bunch of Vex with a tank and will take you all the way back through Creation, so get ready for a big fight.

When you finish the mission, you’ll get the reforged Lament blade, although it won’t be completely fixed.

Step 9: Return To Banshee And Claim Your Sword

Go back to the Tower and talk to Banshee. That’ll wrap up the quest and give you The Lament, as well as a bunch of intriguing lore about Clovis Bray and the ongoing story of Beyond Light. The sword itself is pretty sick: hold the block button when you have it equipped to “rev” it, which will increase its damage significantly. The Lament can also chew through shields and break Barrier Champions with ease. Players have already found The Lament is pretty useful in the Deep Stone Crypt raid, so if you’re making completing the new endgame content a priority, this is a good weapon to pick up.

Now Playing: Destiny 2: Beyond Light – Official Launch Trailer

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Microsoft’s subscription service Xbox Game Pass offers a tremendous value with more than 100 games in the catalog and first-party titles, including Halo Infinite in 2021, launching into the program at no extra cost. But one of the biggest questions surrounding the platform is how developers make money from it.

Speaking to The Verge, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said Microsoft makes all different types of deals with developers, depending on their unique situations.

“Our deals are, I’ll say, all over the place. That sounds unmanaged, but it’s really based on the developer’s need,” Spencer explained. “One of the things that’s been cool to see is a developer, usually a smaller to mid-sized developer, might be starting a game and say, ‘Hey, we’re willing to put this in Game Pass on our launch day if you guys will give us X dollars now.’ What we can go do is, we’ll create a floor for them in terms of the success of their game. They know they’re going to get this return.”

In some other cases, Microsoft will completely fund the production cost of a game. In this situation, the developer can make money from retail sales, while Microsoft may also allow these games to release on PlayStation, Switch, and PC, with the developers taking in that revenue, too. Microsoft uniquely benefits in these types of situations by having a game launch day-and-date on Xbox Game Pass.

“For them, they’ve protected themselves from any downside risk. The game is going to get made. Then they have all the retail upside, we have the opportunity for day and date,” Spencer said. “That would be a flat fee payment to a developer. Sometimes the developer’s more done with the game and it’s more just a transaction of, ‘Hey, we’ll put it in Game Pass if you’ll pay us this amount of money.”

Other agreements are different. Developers have come to Microsoft asking for deals based on “usage and monetization.”

“We’re open [to] experimenting with many different partners, because we don’t think we have it figured out,” Spencer said. “When we started, we had a model that was all based on usage. Most of the partners said, ‘Yeah, yeah, we understand that, but we don’t believe it, so just give us the money upfront.'”

Also in the interview, Spencer said he’s been heartened to see more and different types of games come to light thanks to Game Pass.

“When the team, if they’re just out there pitching the publishers on a retail game, if it doesn’t fit into some Excel spreadsheet that tells you what the retail outcome will be, then it doesn’t get green-lit,” Spencer said. “You see this in things like Netflix. There are clearly shows on Netflix that would have never been greenlit by NBC or CBS, or ABC in the old model, and frankly, can have real success. And my hope is that Game Pass can get to that same level.”

Xbox Game Pass is not without its critics, as some people say subscription services like Xbox Game Pass and Apple Arcade further devalue games and condition people to think games should be free or cheap.

Xbox Game Pass is off to a very strong start, with 15 million subscribers so far. Around 70 percent of the Xbox Series X|S consoles sold at launch were attached to a new or existing subscription, which bodes well for the service going forward.

Xbox Game Pass as a platform does not make any money, at least not yet, and this may be due in part to the $1 sign-up promos that remain available today. It’s also commonly understood that subscription services do not make much money at the start.

Just recently, EA Play–the subscription service formerly known as EA Access–was rolled into Xbox Game Pass, bringing titles like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and more into the fold.

Square Enix has announced major changes to its workplace policies to allow developers to work from home permanently, starting on December 1.

In a news release, the Final Fantasy publisher said it is adopting this new policy not only to help keep developers healthy during the COVID-19 crisis, but also to increase efficiency and morale.

“Rather than utilizing work from home solely as a means of preventing infections during the current pandemic, the company will establish it as a permanent and core program among the working styles it accommodates,” Square Enix said. “In so doing, the company hopes not only to create a flexible and diverse working environment, but also to further bolster productivity and help employees achieve the optimal work-life balance.”

Square Enix also said this new permanent work-from-home option will allow the company to recruit from a more diverse talent pool, while it will also help the company create a structure for any other “expected developments,” such as disasters, that might occur in the future.

“By adopting a new style of working for a new world, the company will enable employees to unleash even greater creativity as it continues to provide its customers around the world with content and services that fulfill their expectations,” Square Enix said. “In so doing, the company will strive to further enhance its corporate value.”

Employees will be designated as “home-based” (an average of at least three days per week from home) or “office-based” (an average of at least three days per week in the office). By default, all employees will be “home-based,” though some people in certain positions may be “office-based” depending on the work they do.

Square Enix said it expects about 80% of employees to be working from home under the new structure in December, when the program kicks off.

Square Enix is not the first major technology company to offer a permanent work-from-home policy, following in the footsteps of Microsoft.