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Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: 9 Hidden Secrets That Are Worth Pursuing

In Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, there isn’t a waypoint for everything. In fact, a great deal of the coolest side quests and things to do or discover in the game aren’t even tracked in your Quest log. You just have to go out and find them, and mark down what you’re supposed to do in your mind or on a piece of paper. It’s so cool.

Below, we outline a few of our favorite hidden quests and secrets to discover in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla–not all of them mind you, just the ones that tickled our fancy or caught our eye. Don’t worry, no spoilers here. We’re just going to point out where to go to kick off a secret side quest or find a cool discovery.

Take A Beat To Take A Break

As per tradition, a great deal of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is someone in the present-day using an Animus to relive the memories of someone in the past. Unlike older games in the series, however, Valhalla doesn’t pull you out of the Animus all that often. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t just hop out every once in a while.

There’s actually a gold mine of lore to pick through in the modern-day. Check Layla’s laptop for some intriguing tidbits of lore, as well as a mention of how the COVID pandemic is affecting the world of Assassin’s Creed. Layla can talk to her allies as well, and the two will usually have new things to talk to Layla about after significant developments in Eivor’s story. The game won’t tell you about this, though. If you want to hear those conversations, you’ll need to choose to leave the Animus on your own.

Work In The Dark…

Upon unlocking the Hidden One Bureau in your settlement, Eivor will be able to learn the leap of faith, begin their quest to hunt down the Order of Ancients, and start helping Hytham collect codex pages. All of these are marked in your quest log, but there aren’t waypoints assigned to the latter two. Hunting down the codex pages are a definite highlight, especially if you like the lore behind the Hidden Ones and Assassin Brotherhood. Plus, each page is located in a spot that also hides pieces of something really cool.

To find these pages and the extra reward, you’ll have to think like an Assassin. Look at your map and think about the history of England. Who was in power the last time the Hidden Ones were here? Where would the Hidden Ones have set up in order to keep watch over the leaders of the people? Follow your instincts and you’ll discover the remnants of the Hidden Ones, claiming one of Valhalla’s coolest surprises in the process.

…To Serve The Light

Behind the longhouse in your settlement, you’ll see a pond. Walk over to the pond’s edge and you’ll get a prompt for something fairly cool that you can add to your brand-new home–provided you have some in your inventory. It’s sure to light up the place.

Trouble In Paradise

Speak to the members of your settlement and you’ll learn more about them, eventually unlocking new quests and abilities. This is also how you can start relationships with certain members of your community. Unlike Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Valhalla’s romances are a bit more long-term. You have to break them off in order to start a new one.

There is one romance in the settlement that will likely get you into a bit of trouble, as it possibly could direct you towards Valhalla’s “bad” ending depending on how you go about it. Keep talking to people and expanding your settlement so that you can attract even more settlers to talk to. The romance we’re talking about will present itself soon enough. Whether you want to pursue it and see how people react to Eivor afterward is totally up to you. If you do decide to go for it, don’t worry–you’re not locked into the bad ending of the game. You can still salvage Eivor’s reputation if you make certain decisions at key points in the story.

Daddy’s Little Girls

Deep in the lands of East Anglia is a small, ransacked home. An almost mystical aura hangs in the air, and scattered notes tell a frightening story of a man and his three daughters. It is not a welcoming place, but those willing to press on will find a nearby tomb, hiding a piece of gear behind a locked door. And the door needs three keys. If you’re having trouble finding this place, go to the eastern-most area of the country.

Become The King Of Puzzles

Ah, Stonehenge. Such a well-known landmark. You know, I bet if you looked at a map of England and then used that knowledge to determine where Stonehenge is, you’d be able to find it in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Who knows what type of secret is hidden there–or perhaps, close by? We’d advise you to check out any nearby caves. And then get ready for Valhalla’s take on the platforming-focused challenges seen in previous games. You’re about to do a lot, but it will be worth it.

A Snake In The Grass

You can actually find quite a few hidden secrets by zooming in on your map as close as you can and looking at the layout of the land. Are there some ancient-looking ruins that surround what appears to be an arena? Or a small town located deep in a forest? Or perhaps there’s…there’s…is that a snake designed into the hillside of Cent, Wessex? Huh…wonder what’s over there?

Prove Your Worth In Battle

Before leaving Norway for England, you may have noticed that there’s an area that asks you to be power level 280. If you’re willing to flee from some very angry polar bears, you can actually survive the area even in your lowly power level state. Your destination is the Hordafylke mountains. You’ll know you’re in the right place if thunder booms in the distance, likely scaring off the polar bears that are trying to eat you.

If you’ve already left Norway, don’t fret. You can easily sail back to Norway after setting yourself up in England. Now, when it comes to actually completing the quest you’ll find in those mountains, that’s a whole other thing entirely. Prepare yourself for a long journey, fraught with lots of tough battles–you’ll likely be power level 280 by the next time you’re back here. If you’re having trouble figuring out where to start, might we point you back to the East Anglia tomb mentioned earlier?

A Drug Trip

Okay, this one is kind of cheating because it’s not only added to your quest log when you start it, but you get a waypoint marker for it too. However, none of those show up until you actually unlock the quest, so we’re going to count it.

To be blunt, one of the coolest questlines in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is tied to Valka, the Raven Clan’s seer that you leave behind in Norway at the beginning of the game. She will not join your settlement in England until it has grown to a certain size. So early on in the campaign, your number one goal should be expanding the size of your settlement. And then when Valka shows up, you should build her home immediately. It’s not only common courtesy, but you’ll unlock a really fun questline that’s worth jumping into and completing as soon as you’re able.

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Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Pre-Loading Is Live On Nearly Every Platform

What is expected to be 2020’s biggest game, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, is releasing very, very soon. If you want to get started right away when the game unlocks on November 13, you’ll want to pre-load, and you can do that now on nearly every platform.

Pre-loading on PS4 and Xbox One started on November 5, and PC players were added to the pre-loading party on November 10. People picking up the game on Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 can start pre-loading as soon as they get their console.

Pre-loading is a good idea, too, because Black Ops Cold War is a gigantic download. You can see the file sizes below.

Black Ops Cold War Download Sizes

  • PlayStation 4: 95GB
  • PlayStation 5: 133GB
  • Xbox One: 93GB
  • Xbox Series X|S: 136GB
  • PC: 35 GB (Multiplayer Only) / 82GB (Full Game) / 125GB (Full Game on Ultra Graphics)

Everyone who preorders Black Ops Cold War digitally gets the Woods Operator pack for Modern Warfare and Warzone, along with the Confrontations Weapon Pack for Black Ops Cold War. This includes two rifles that are meant to demonstrate the eastern and western Cold War factions.

Black Ops Cold War releases on Friday, November 13, for PS4, Xbox One, PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. Treyarch also recently spoke to GameSpot about the game’s various next-gen improvements for PS5 and Xbox Series X, including DualSense support. The developer also told us why the game is adopting its new synchronized XP system.

And in other news, the Call of Duty Endowment charity has teamed up with a tooth brush company to create a limited-edition Black Ops Cold War camo toothbrush.

Black Ops Cold War is predicted to be the best-selling game of 2020 in the United States.

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November Xbox Game Pass Includes Destiny 2: Beyond Light, Halo 4, River City Girls, And More.

Xbox Game Pass is getting a lot of games in November. Totaling 11 titles, the new additions include Destiny 2: Beyond Light, Final Fantasy VIII Remastered, Halo MCC: Halo 4, River City Girls, and more. Not all will be available on all platforms included in Xbox Game Pass–Android, console, and PC–and nor will the games be made available at the same time. Below is a full list of new titles announced so far for November’s Xbox Game Pass, as well as what platforms you can find them on and what their arrival date will be.

Additionally, if you have the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, EA Play is available now. EA Play will be available on December 15 for those who have the PC edition of Xbox Game Pass. The fold-in of EA Play will make available over 60 EA games, and standout titles include FIFA 20, Titanfall 2, Mass Effect, and The Sims.

All games coming to Xbox Game Pass in November:

  • Gears Tactics (Android & console)–Nov 9
  • Destiny 2: Beyond Light (Android & console)–Nov 10
  • Planet Coaster: Console Edition (Android & console)–Nov 10
  • Tetris Effect: Connected (console & PC)–Nov 12
  • Final Fantasy VIII Remastered (console & PC)–Nov 12
  • Gonner2 (Android)–Nov 12
  • Streets of Rogue (PC)–Nov 12
  • Ark: Survival Evolved: Explorer’s Edition (Android, console & PC)–Nov 17
  • Halo MCC: Halo 4 (PC)–Nov 17
  • River City Girls (Android, console & PC)–Nov 19
  • Star Renegades (Android & console)–Nov 19

All games leaving Xbox Game Pass on November 16:

  • Darksiders III (console & PC)
  • Munchkin (console & PC)
  • The Talos Principle (console & PC)
  • Tracks: The Train Set Game (console & PC)

Microsoft also recently announced that it is partnering with Disney+ to offer a perk to Xbox Ultimate Game Pass subscribers. Members will get a free 30-day subscription to Disney+, but it is an offer only available to new subscribers.

Microsoft’s new consoles, Xbox Series X and Series S, release November 10. Read our Xbox Series X review and Series S review for our thoughts on the next-generation consoles.

Now Playing: Xbox Series S Video Review

Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Dev Talks About Pushing The Series Forward With More Player Freedom

The Call of Duty series is known for its linear campaigns, but this has started to shift with the franchise’s recent releases that provided players with more freedom and choice. This trend continues with Black Ops Cold War, and it goes even further, Raven Software’s senior creative director Dan Vondrak told GameSpot.

While Black Ops Cold War will embrace a more open-ended structure, you can and should expect the same kind of over-the-top Call of Duty action that the series is known for. Vondrak said the open-ended elements of Black Ops Cold War were designed to give people a greater sense of ownership of the story, if they choose to embrace it.

“Any amount of player ownership we can put inside a mission, we try to do that. People sometimes just want to get in and just focus on a very linear experience and keep that hard driving Call of Duty action. So without a doubt we wanted to add a bunch of optional stuff as well,” he said.

As an example, Vondrak said there is one mission in Black Ops Cold War that requires stealth, but you can also shoot first and ask questions later. This is all part of the team’s effort to give players more options–and even choosing not to participate in the optional missions or objectives is still a choice.

“We’ve got a mission in a stealth area, and if you talk to the contact in the bar, you can pick up an optional objective in that stealth area. And in that stealth area, you can go guns-blazing if that’s what you choose to do, the game will react properly, it won’t fail you,” Vondrak said. “You can stealth all the way through. You can decide to do this optional objective when you’re in there or you can skip it. So we want to make sure the philosophy is sometimes just offering the player choice at all, even if they don’t do those choices, it’s freedom, it’s fun. Just having the choice to be able to do it–it’s still making a choice to not do it.”

Black Ops Cold War begins with some “light” choices that players can make, but near the end of the game, the team “really blew it up.”

“One of those is that KGB headquarters mission that we showcased, and that was our way of saying, ‘Hey, let’s go as crazy as we can and give the player all these different choices.’ It was so foreign for some of the Call of Duty players. Even the designers on our team were like, ‘Ohh, we’re not getting it.'”

In this mission, “Desperate Measures,” players take on the role of a Soviet double agent working for the CIA and getting the job done inside the KGB headquarters.

“This status comes with access to an incredible peek into the world of the KGB, along with the opportunity to ‘obtain’ information out of their ‘fellow agents,'” reads a line from the mission’s official description. “However, one odd move or awkward discussion could lead to cover being completely blown, compromising the mission and turning it into an all-out fight for survival.”

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For this later mission, the team created a map that players can access to help find their way through the area and to see the sheer number of optional activities that are available.

Overall, Vondrak–who has worked on the Call of Duty franchise for more than a decade–said he believes the series needs to continue to push itself with new ideas.

“I think Call of Duty needs to be always expanded on,” Vondrak said. “One of the things we wrote down, it was number one on the white board, when we first thought we were going to do this game. It was ‘Black Ops 1 feeling.’ Number 2 was take risks. Something that Treyarch has always done with Black Ops is try to push the boundaries of what you can expect out of Call of Duty. We took that same philosophy. We wanted to couch that all in that player choice, player control, player freedom. If we’re going to take these risks, and we’re going to push what’s expected of Call of Duty, let’s do it but also offer the player a little more ownership over those experiences.”

The narrative choices and optional missions are not shoehorned in, Vondrak said. Instead, they have been placed into the campaign where it makes narrative sense, he said. There is a mission at the end of the game that Vondrak is particularly excited for fans to see, as it represents the fullest extent of what the team created with its open-ended design philosophy.

“There’s one that I love that narratively is easily the most unique mission we’ve ever made. Narratively, it just fits what’s happening at that moment in the progression of the story,” he said. “It’s going to be great to see the reaction. Hopefully this is something that’s a stepping stone for us where we can continue to push this and do it even further.”

“I think games are better when players have freedom. I hope this is just the start of something we can continue to push for Call of Duty.”

Black Ops Cold War releases on Friday, November 13, for PS4, Xbox One, PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. In other news, lead designer Tony Flame recently spoke to GameSpot about the game’s various next-gen improvements for PS5 and Xbox Series X, including DualSense support. The developer also told us why the game is adopting its new synchronized XP system.

Now Playing: Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War – Official Launch Trailer

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Red Dead Redemption 2’s Latest Weekly Update Gives Collectors And Bounty Hunters Bonuses

In this week’s Red Dead Redemption 2 update, players who are Collectors and Bounty Hunters get discounts and free stuff. But if you login at all, the game has rewards for you as well, including two Bird’s Eggs, two Arrowheads, and two Family Heirlooms.

Collectors who find five collectibles at the minimum will get 40% off an Established or Higher Collector Item. Collectors above Rank 5 will also get four Megafauna Fossils and a free coat. Bounty Hunters get an extra 50% pay on all bounties and completion of Legendary Bounties will net a 40% discount on Established or Higher Bounty Hunter Item. Bounty Hunters above Rank 5 also get a reward that includes a free Role Outfit, Accessory, or Emote.

New items in Wheeler, Rawson & Co. Catalogue

  • Irwin Coat
  • Prieto Poncho
  • Owanjila Hat
  • Fanned Stovepipe Hat
  • Cossack Hat
  • Pelt Half Chaps
  • Vaquero Baroque Spurs
  • Furred Gloves
  • Darned Stockings
  • Bowyer Boots
  • Morales Vest

As always, players who connect to Prime Gaming will get five free Legendary Animal Pheromones, 6,000 Naturalist XP, a free Wilderness Camp, and a free Katata Coat crafted from the Legendary Katata Elk hide.

Additionally, if you connect before November 23 you will also receive a reward for a free Single Bandolier, plus offers for 50% off a Double Bandolier, 50% off the Deluxe Campfire, and 30% off the Improved Bow.

The fictional Wild West game has been doing pretty well for itself. For the past three months, Red Dead Redemption 2’s earnings have soared. A 106% surge full-game sales was observed, and it’s likely because people’s at-home time has increased due to the global pandemic. Take-Two also stated that new player growth rose by 47% during the same period, proving the game’s continual growth and popularity.

Red Dead Redemption 2 will also be backwards compatible with the PS5 and Xbox Series X/Series S. Both next-generation consoles will support cross-saves, so you can pick up where you left off. Check out our PS5 review and Xbox Series X review for our thoughts on the gaming industry’s shiniest hardware.

Now Playing: Red Dead Redemption 2 Joins Game Pass | Save State

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Apple Unveils New Macs With Proprietary M1 Chip

Apple pulled back the curtain on a new era of Mac during a recent livestream event, where the tech company showed off a new slate of computers powered by its Apple Silicon processor.

These devices come equipped with Apple’s Silicon chip, which the company has called M1 for the sake of naming convention. (Apple’s other chips follow similar naming patterns, including the latest A14 Bionic that’s found in the new iPad Air and iPhone 12 lineup.) The M1 processor is an SoC (system on chip) developed and manufactured by Apple that does a number of beneficial things for the end-user, such as improving performance and battery life.

According to Apple, the chip is built with 5-nanometer processing technology and constructed of 16 billion transistors, making M1 efficient and powerful. The Macs that have this new M1 chip include the Mac Mini (starting at $699), Macbook Air (starting at $999), and Macbook Pro (starting at $1299). These devices are now available to order from Apple and will start shipping next week. The company confirmed all Macs will transition to M1 in the future.

Also during the livestream, Apple announced that the latest macOS update, Big Sur, launches worldwide on Thursday, November 14.

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Twitch To Hold Virtual Event Called GlitchCon

In a replacement for the cancelled TwitchCon, Twitch will host a 12-hour online event titled GlitchCon. It starts at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET on November 14.

With over 425 Twitch creators participating, GlitchCon has packed in the programming. Events that make up the online convention include a small scale esports event with Twitch creators, a cosplay contest, a masked celebrity game, a Twitch chat “game jam,” and a virtual artist alley. The event will close with a concert session hosted by T-Pain and features music from Twitch musicians. See below for a full description of GlitchCon’s components.

Twitch Rivals / GlitchCon Showdown: 16 top Twitch creators will command four Super Teams and compete for $500K. The teams will play Fortnite, League of Legends, Valorant, and Fall Guys for the cash prize.

Twitch / Cosplay Contest, Multiverse Edition: What it says on the tin. Cosplayers will be divided into four divisions, including Needlework, Armor, FX, and Larger Than Life. Kamui Cosplay, KikiKannon, TockCustom, and StellaChuu will be the judges. Participants will compete to be the grand prize winner, division winner, and the audience’s fan-favorite. Cash prizes total $18,000.

Twitch / Guess the Gamer: Popular Twitch personalities will guess the identities of masked celebrities. The audience gets to participate by guessing alongside and helping the Twitch partners with clues. It will be hosted by Sodapoppi, Jericho, and UmiNoKaiju. Twitch streamers who will do the guessing include lilypichu, tfue, djrayraytaiwan, dexbonus, and misskyliee.

Twitch Gaming / Let’s Make a Game: The audience gets to collaborate real-time on a game design. It will be playtested on stream and can be downloaded later.

Twitch Presents / Artist Alley Showcase: Artists will show off their art, and if you want to buy it, you can.

GlitchCon Afterparty: T-Pain hosts, musicians on Twitch play their music. You, ostensibly, party.

For more info, check out Twitch’s GlitchCon website.

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Fortnite Is Getting Another Black Widow Skin

Fortnite is getting a second Black Widow skin as part of its Marvel Super Series of tournaments. Players who compete and place well in the tournament will get the skin for free. Everyone else will be able to purchase it in the item shop later on.

The tournament takes place on November 11. You can read the full rules, including the starting times for each region on Epic’s official site. Fortnite already has a Black Widow skin that came before the Season 4 Nexus War. This skin called the “Snow Suit” and looks different.

This event is different compared to the previous Ghost Rider and Daredevil tournaments. It features duos instead of trios and will reward the top players from each region with the skin and a special back bling. Here is where you’ll need to place to get the skin for free:

  • Europe – Top 1,200
  • NA East – Top 750
  • NA West – Top 300
  • Brazil – Top 300
  • Asia – Top 150
  • Oceania – Top 150
  • Middle East – Top 150

The Marvel Knockout tournaments are not a part of Fortnite’s regular battle royale mode. It pits two players against each other with special superhero abilities inspired by characters like Iron Man, Dr. Doom, She-Hulk, and others.

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Bungie Confirms Destiny 2 Crucible Runs At 120 FPS On Next-Gen Consoles

Destiny 2‘s latest big expansion, Beyond Light, is now live. It’s a new chapter in Destiny 2, reworking how the game is played with the new Stasis abilities while removing some older content from the game–although some players are struggling to log in. But while Beyond Light is a big new step for Destiny 2, there’s another one on the horizon: the next-generation versions of the game. Now we know that the new versions of Destiny 2 will have an even smoother multiplayer experience, running at 120 fps on Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

Bungie made the announcement on an Xbox livestream, although it didn’t provide too many more details. Bungie confirmed that the PS5 will also support 120 fps in the Crucible, with more information coming soon.

Still, 120 fps in the Crucible, Destiny 2’s PvP multiplayer offering, is a huge boost over the current console versions, though, which run at 30 fps. Bungie previously said the next-generation versions of Destiny 2 on Xbox Series X, Series S, and PlayStation 5 will run at 60 fps. Those versions aren’t available yet–they launch on December 8, so if you’re playing Destiny 2 on a Series X/S today or a PS5 later this week, you’ll be running backwards-compatible versions of the game. When the next-gen versions do launch, however, they’ll be free upgrades for anyone who already purchased Beyond Light.

The release of Beyond Light came with an extensive update that reworks a bunch of Destiny 2 systems–check out the full patch notes here.

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