Author: Trafficblast

It wouldn’t be a Zelda game without collectibles, and there are a ton of them to find in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD. In addition to series staples like pieces of heart and bottles, Skyward Sword features a variety of unique collectibles to get your hands on, including monster parts and Gratitude Crystals. The latter are particularly valuable, as they can be traded to a certain character for helpful rewards and upgrades.

While a handful of Gratitude Crystals can be found out in the open, you’ll primarily receive them after helping the various residents of Skyloft with their problems. That includes Dodoh, the clown from Fun Fun Island. Below, we’ve broken down how to complete Dodoh’s side quest and earn his Gratitude Crystals. For more tips and guides, be sure to check out our Skyward Sword HD guide roundup, as well as our full Zelda: Skyward Sword HD review.

Dodoh’s Party Wheel

• Location: Fun Fun Island
• Prerequisites: After repairing the Scrapper

When you arrive at the colorful Fun Fun Island, Dodoh the clown will tell you about his missing color wheel, the key to operating his amusement island. Luckily, you can retrieve it for him. Head to the Desert Entrance bird statue in the Lanayru Desert and look for the timeshift stone in the vicinity. Activating it will reveal a set of vines that will carry you up to the ledge overhead. Once there, you can locate the color wheel stuck in the ground. Fi will call Scrapper to return the wheel to its home, and you should return to Fun Fun Island to claim your reward.

For details on the rest, be sure to read our Gratitude Crystal quest roundup, including walkthroughs for each one, locations for individual Gratitude Crystals, and the rewards you can get from exchanging them.

Imagine an MMO where players can collectively build a settlement up from a small collection of tents and wagons to a sprawling city filled with people. Now imagine that rival factions can attack those settlements, steal off with the loot, and use the resources to build up a settlement of their own. That’s the ambition of the upcoming MMO Ashes of Creation, and recently I helped some of my fellow players turn a patch of land into a large town and it was absolutely bonkers. I also found that Ashes of Creation’s ambitions for an online, connected game world that’s affected by the choices of it’s players extends well beyond what we were able to do in a single weekend of play time.

On the surface, Ashes of Creation feels quite familiar as MMOs go. I spent most of my time picking off enemies, exploring new areas, completing quests, crafting items, and leveling up. But what separates it from the other online worlds is in how the players literally shape the world from the ground up.

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As I explored and tackled quests, I was helping my faction establish and expand various settlements, called Nodes, on the world map. In fact, everything I did within a region’s borders gave that region XP in the same way that my individual character was earning it. The more that I and the other players accomplished, the bigger our settlements grew, and with growth came new vendors, better defenses, and access to better equipment and services. I could even make investments in these settlements, like by buying property for example.

As Nodes develop and get more complex, they also introduce politics in the form of governmental institutions — each settlement can even get a mayor who’s a real player that gets elected by a settlement’s citizens and controls how that Node gets developed. And depending on which faction or culture is most heavily involved in a settlement’s growth, the architecture, aesthetic, and access to certain resources and training is influenced by those variables. For example, because the settlement I spent most of my time in was built by lots of dwarves, the buildings were shorter and ornamental whereas if humans had built them they would have been taller and more familiar to real-life medieval structures.

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But it’s how these settlements interact with one another and can be acted upon that takes this concept from an interesting idea to absolute insanity that feels like the Wild West. Because resources are limited and large settlements might encroach upon space occupied by neighboring settlements, each Node is in direct competition with its neighbor in a zero sum game. For your settlement to succeed and continue to grow, other settlements will need to be brought to heel or burned to the ground in a siege.

In addition to being a game about slaying monsters and leveling up, Ashes of Creation is an ongoing power struggle where forces are competing with one another on a macro level with incredibly high stakes. And some of these risky opportunities for PvP can have a direct and real impact on the player. After all, if I bought land in a settlement that was later sieged and destroyed, then my investment turns into a smoldering pile of rubble.

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And any resources kept in a settlement need to be physically moved to another location via a caravan if you want to relocate it and with that undertaking comes the unenviable position of having to worry about your caravan being pilfered in transit by unscrupulous players. That’s something I never had to worry about in other games and the anxiety of this darwinian landscape made playing Ashes of Creation all weekend an incredibly stressful affair in the best possible way.

It’s still extremely early with Ashes of Creation and the Alpha I played was very unpolished and filled with bugs – as you’d expect at this stage from any game of this scale. But its premise is fascinating, exciting, and frankly a little bit scary. I’m looking forward to seeing how it all comes together.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD features many collectibles to find during the course of your adventure, but among the most valuable are Gratitude Crystals. These can be traded in for some helpful rewards, and they’re typically earned by helping out the denizens of Skyloft with their various problems. One such character is Fledge, Link’s meek friend who is looking to get stronger.

Below, we’ve broken down everything you need to know to help Fledge improve his strength and earn his Gratitude Crystals. For more on Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, be sure to check out our guide roundup, as well as our Zelda: Skyward Sword HD review.

Improving Fledge’s Strength

Location: Knight Academy

Prerequisites: Must complete Lanaryu Mining Facility

The first time you meet Fledge in Skyward Sword, you’ll see him struggling to lift barrels in the Knight Academy. Disheartened by his lack of strength, Fledge tries to get in some training to become stronger, and you’ll find him in his room attempting to do push-ups when you visit the Knight Academy at night. Unfortunately for the poor guy, his training isn’t going so well, so you’ll need to step in and help.

Give Fledge a Stamina Potion from the Bazaar and he’ll feel reenergized to continue his training. That’s not the end of this little quest, however. Return the following night and Fledge will say his energy is running low again, so you’ll need to give him a second Stamina Potion to perk him back up. Sleep until the following night once again, then speak to Fledge and he’ll tell you that he’s gotten much stronger thanks to your encouragement. You’ll then receive five Gratitude Crystals as a reward.

For details on the rest, be sure to read our Gratitude Crystal quest roundup, including walkthroughs for each one, locations for individual Gratitude Crystals, and the rewards you can get from exchanging them.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is rife with collectibles to find, but some of the most valuable are Gratitude Crystals. These gems are crystalized bits of happiness, and you can trade them in for some rare rewards. While some Gratitude Crystals can be found out in the open, you’ll typically receive them after helping one of the many residents of Skylot with their problems, including the item check girl Peatrice.

Below, we’ve detailed how to complete Peatrice’s side quest and earn her Gratitude Crystals. For more on the game, check out our Skyward Sword HD guide roundup, which features some essential beginner’s tips along with guides on where to find every Piece of Heart and Goddess Cube. Be sure to also read our Zelda: Skyward Sword HD review for our full thoughts on the new remaster.

Item Check Admirer

Location: Item Check shop at the Skyloft Bazaar (After talking with Batreux for the first time)

Prerequisites: Must complete Finding Kukiel

Peatrice is the rather bored-looking girl who runs the item check stand in the Bazaar. If you consistently speak to her, she will begin to fall in love with Link. Continue to flatter her every chance you get until she starts to call you “Darling,” even if that means repeating a process of talking to her and sleeping until morning over and over again. Sleep in a bed and go to her house at night. You’ll run into Peater, her father. He is none the wiser and openly criticizes his daughter’s infatuation with an unknown suitor. He asks you to see what you can find out for him.

Return to the Bazaar in the morning, and speak to Peatrice. She will ask you to meet her at night. Find a bed and head to her house at night, for the second time. You can choose to flatter her, and she will bestow Gratitude Crystals to you as a sign of her love and devotion. On the contrary, you can opt to tell her that she isn’t anything special to you and instead return the following night to receive the crystals from Peater, along with his thanks.

For details on the rest, be sure to read our Gratitude Crystal quest roundup, including walkthroughs for each one, locations for individual Gratitude Crystals, and the rewards you can get from exchanging them.

There are many collectibles to find in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, but some of the most coveted are Gratitude Crystals. These can typically be earned by helping the various residents of Skyloft, and you can trade them in for some helpful rewards, making them valuable commodities. One such side quest involves Parrow, whose sister has seemingly gone missing.

Below, we’ve detailed what you need to do to help Parrow find his sister and receive his Gratitude Crystals. Be sure to also check out our Skyward Sword HD guide roundup for more tips to help you on your adventure, as well as our Zelda: Skyward Sword HD review for our full thoughts on the new remaster.

Parrow’s Missing Sister

Location: Plaza in South Skyloft (After talking with Batreux for the first time)

Prerequisites: Must complete Finding Kukiel

Parrow seems concerned about his sister. She headed out towards Fun Fun Island and has yet to return. Scout out the area near the colorful island, and you’ll find her tending to her wounded Loftwing. Per her instructions, fly back to her brother to retrieve the medicine required to mend her Loftwing. When you return to the island, she will let you keep the bottle, as well as pass on five Gratitude Crystals. And when you return to Parrow, he’ll give you another five Gratitude Crystals.

For details on the rest, be sure to read our Gratitude Crystal quest roundup, including walkthroughs for each one, locations for individual Gratitude Crystals, and the rewards you can get from exchanging them.

One of the many kinds of collectibles you can find in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is Gratitude Crystals. These crystalized bits of happiness can be traded in for some valuable rewards, and while there are some that you can simply pick up in certain places around the world, you’ll typically earn them by helping out the many denizens of Skyloft, including fellow knight Pipit and his mother Mallara.

Below, we detail everything you need to know to help Pipit’s mother out and earn her Gratitude Crystals. For more Zelda: Skyward Sword HD guides, be sure to check out our guide roundup. Otherwise, read our Zelda: Skyward Sword HD review.

Pipit’s Dusty House

Location: Pipit’s House at the lower right corner of Skyloft

Prerequisites: Must complete Lanaryu Mining Facility

After you’ve completed Skyward Sword’s third dungeon, the Lanayru Mining Facility, and obtained the Gust Bellows, return to Skyloft and pay a visit to Pipit’s house. Pipit himself is seldom here, since he can typically be found either at the Knight Academy or out on patrol, but his mother, Mallara, is usually at home. However, as you’ll see as soon as you step into the building, she has been neglecting her housework, and the entire home is covered in a thick layer of dust as a result.

Mallara asks for your help in tidying up the place, so take out your Gust Bellows and go to town blowing away all the dust. Don’t worry about knocking over any pottery, either; Mallara will just be happy that the house is finally clean. Once you’ve finished clearing all the dust from the home, Mallara will be so grateful that you’ll receive five Gratitude Crystals for this little task. On top of that, she’ll also give you 20 Rupees as a reward for your help.

For details on the rest, be sure to read our Gratitude Crystal quest roundup, including walkthroughs for each one, locations for individual Gratitude Crystals, and the rewards you can get from exchanging them.

In The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, there’s a special collectible called Gratitude Crystals that you can trade in for valuable rewards. One way to earn a handful is by completing a side quest where you’re tasked to find a missing child named Kukiel.

Below, we detail everything you need to know to start the side quest and return Kukiel to her mother. For more Zelda: Skyward Sword HD guides, be sure to check out our guide roundup. Otherwise, read our Zelda: Skyward Sword HD review.

Finding Kukiel

Location: Outside the Statue of the Goddess

Prerequisites: Must complete the Skyview Temple

As you exit the Goddess Statue, post-Skyview Temple, Kukiel’s mom will ask for your help. She’s lost her daughter and doesn’t know where to look. Rest in a bed and wake up at night. Head to the graveyard in Skyloft and push the statue in the back row, on the far left. This will open the shed and serve as your introduction to Batreaux. It turns out he’s not so bad after all and has become close friends with Kukiel. The little girl gets the fact that her mother is worried and promises to return in the morning. Go back to sleep, and head to Kukiel’s house in the morning to receive your first batch of five crystals.

For details on the rest, be sure to read our Gratitude Crystal quest roundup, including walkthroughs for each one, locations for individual Gratitude Crystals, and the rewards you can get from exchanging them.

Our IGN First game for July isn’t a game at all – it’s the Steam Deck, Valve’s just-announced handheld gaming PC. We went to Valve to see it, hold it, talk to Valve about it, and play a bunch of games on it.

Keep checking back on IGN (and/or bookmark this page) as we post new coverage on Steam Deck all July long. Here’s everything we’ve done so far!

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Steam Deck: The Announcement (featuring the Steam Deck itself)

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Steam Deck: The First Hands-On With Valve’s New Handheld Gaming PC

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Steam Deck FAQ: 31 Big Questions Answered by Valve

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Valve Co-Founder and CEO Gabe Newell on How ‘Critical’ but ‘Painful’ it Was to Hit the $400 Price Tag for Steam Deck

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An argument over the design of a tank in War Thunder lead to the leaking of classified military documents.

As reported by Kotaku, the argument stems from a forum user named Fear_Naught who believes the developers of War Thunder, Gaijin Entertainment, missed the mark when designing the game’s Challenger 2 tank.

They then used classified documents from the official Army Equipment Support Publication to “support their claim.”

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“As I’ve stated a fair few times now, the complexity of the construction is sometimes difficult to see/show with pictures,” Fear_Naught said on a War Thunder forum, according to Kotaku. “It is so complex in [the Challenger 2’s] case that I don’t completely blame Gaijin from getting it incorrect. All I try to do is point out the areas where they are incorrect.”

Fear_Naught, who Kotaku says is believed to be a “commander in the Royal Tank Regiment of the United Kingdom,” uploaded altered screenshots of official Army Equipment Support Publication (AESP) documents for the Challenger 2 tank.

Fear_Naught was using these images to provide evidence of where Gaijin Entertainment went wrong in War Thunder’s Challenger 2 design, but these images were eventually removed by Gaijin Entertainment due to their classified nature.

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“We have written confirmation from [the Ministry of Defence] that this document remains classified,” a Gaijin Entertainment senior technical moderator named Templar said on the forum. “By continuing to disseminate it, you are in violation of the Official Secrets Act as stated by the warning on the cover of the document, an offence which can carry up to a 14-year prison sentence if prosecuted.”

“Of this you are already aware, as a service person you have signed a declaration that you understand the act and what actions it compels you to take,” Templar continues. “Every time you post this, you place us (international representatives of Gaijin), especially any UK citizens, in hot water as the warning so helpfully states that unauthorized retention of a protected document is an offense.”

Gaijin Entertainment community manager, Scott “Smin1080p” Maynard also said the studio will not make any changes to the Challenger 2 tank in War Thunder, as the studio doesn’t base development off “invalid source material.”

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“Before any discussion, handling, or bug reports are even made, proof of a document’s declassification will be required as well as where it was sourced from,” Maynard said. “We make it very clear that we will not handle any source material unless it is publicly available and fully declassified with the rights to prove that.”

Fear_Naught received a warning, according to Kotaku, and the thread with classified documents has been closed.

For more about War Thunder, check out our thoughts on the game in IGN’s War Thunder review and then watch this trailer for the Red Skies update. Check out this Ixwa Strike update trailer after that.

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Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Valve’s Steam Deck is expected to launch in December, but even if you were one of the lucky ones that reserved a unit, you may not get your portable PC gaming machine this year.

Checking the landing page for the Steam Deck, below the prompt button, a message displays when the Steam Deck model you ordered is expected to have “availability.” Multiple employees at IGN noted that it says their Steam Deck is expected to arrive sometime in “Q1 2022,” a few people said their’s wouldn’t arrive until Q2 of next year. One IGN editor, who managed to secure their unit as preorders opened up, said they did not see any of the following messages, which may imply their Steam Deck could arrive this year.

“We are making them as quickly as we are able, and the different ship times you reference are based on region and model being reserved,” a Valve spokesperson told IGN when asked about clarification on the shipping release windows for the Steam Deck.

The possibility that Steam Decks may not ship to some until 2022 would not be entirely surprising due to the ongoing global semiconductor shortage which has impacted many industries, including gaming. New gaming hardware such as graphics cards and ninth-generation gaming consoles have proven challenging to purchase due to the shortage, in addition to other factors such as high demand.

The demand for Steam Deck seems clear; as preorders opened up at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET, many were met with extended wait periods and error screens as they tried to secure their preorder through Valve’s queue system, which the company said was created to try and curb scalpers. It was an interesting idea that stopped new accounts from being made, but scalpers have managed to get their hands on units with overinflated prices appearing on sides like eBay right now.

If you want to know more information about the Steam Deck, we have an exclusive hands-on preview plus an FAQ with the developers. For new information on the Steam Deck, be sure to check back at IGN all month long.

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Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.