Category: Games

Former pro-Overwatch League player Félix “xQc” Lengyel has been temporarily banned from Twitch for his behavior during a November 14 Fall Guys tournament that took place as part of GlitchCon. The ban extends to Twitch Rivals tournaments and a suspension of his account.

According to the official Twitch Rivals Twitter account, xQc violated the Official Tournament Code of Conduct and Game Play Rules by tampering with the tiebreaker match in the November 14 Fall Guys tournament. xQc also violated policies around stream sniping, which is the practice of watching streams and intentionally deploying “snipers” to assist in or disrupt the streamer’s in-game efforts. xQc apologized for the interference from his team, saying he thought it “would be funny” but recognized the action was “still malicious” all the same.

“Stop defending [me] everywhere for no reason,” xQc said. “We got into the final game with [Dr. Lupo] and [Shroud]’s team. We shouldn’t [have] done it and it was wrong. I’m sorry for my actions.”

xQc’s ban is effective immediately and lasts six months, at which point he can participate in Twitch Rivals tournaments again. How long his Twitch account is suspended for is unknown. Further, xQc must forfeit all prize winnings from GlitchCon for his unsportsmanlike behavior.

Twitch used xQc’s cheating violation and subsequent ban as an example, saying it takes player conduct seriously. “This type of behavior is unacceptable and will not be taken lightly,” Twitch said. “We reserve the right to impose any additional penalties at our sole discretion.”

xQc’s career has been mired in controversy since he rose to prominence as an Overwatch player, particularly in the Overwatch League, where he used to play for the Dallas Fuel. He was suspended twice during his tenure on the team, which ultimately led to his departure from Dallas Fuel in March 2018. Since then, xQc joined Luminosity Gaming as a variety streamer.

Throughout your journey in Demon’s Souls’ harrowing world, you’ll find a wide range of items that will help in your quest to restore the kingdom of Boletaria. While many of these items are weapons and armor, some of the most useful pieces of gear you’ll find are an assortment of rings for your characters. The usefulness of these rings can vary, but it will immediately become apparent that they can make or break your run.

In this spoiler-free guide, we have a rundown of where to find every ring in Demon’s Souls. In addition to selecting a few standouts that you should find at your earliest convenience, we also have some breakdowns of every other ring in the game–including the new ones added to the remake. In addition to this ring explainer, we also have a selection of tips for newcomers diving into Demon’s Souls for the first time.

High Priority Rings

Below are the rings you should make it a point to find. Each of these has incredibly useful effects that should help ease the difficulties of your journey. We also highlight the rings that are exclusive to the remake.

Cat’s Ring

This ring nullifies all fall damage, which can be advantageous when trying to speed through levels. The Cat’s Ring is located in the Valley of Defilement near the Leechmonger Archestone after defeating a nearby Black Phantom. Alternatively, you can also buy it from Patches after inviting him back to the Nexus following your confrontation with him in the Shrine of Storms.

Cling Ring

Allowing you to retain 40% more health while in Soul form, this ring is one of the most useful items in the game. The Cling Ring is in the first stage of the Boletarian Palace. Shortly after reaching the upper levels, you’ll encounter a Blue Eye Knight. Directly past it is a pathway that leads downwards. Once you reach the bottom, activate the switch to open the shortcut and access to the body that has the Cling Ring.

Providential Ring (Remake-Exclusive)

As one of the newer items in the remake, this accessory grants increased drop rates from enemies, including healing grass and crafting materials. You can acquire the ring by choosing it as your starting gift. Or if you have the deluxe edition of the game, you’ll find it waiting for you in Stockpile Thomas’ storage.

Ring of Great Strength

If you like carrying lots of stuff, this ring will give you a 50% boost to your equipment weight limit (allowing you to have more items equipped on your character). You can pick this up from the Dragon rest area in the first zone of the Boletarian Palace or by defeating Biorr the Twin Fangs in the Valley of Defilement.

Ring of Uneven Scales (Remake-Exclusive)

This ring is also a new one exclusive to the remake, raising your max item carry limit and equipment load. You can get it by trading a Gold Coin with Shirly the Crow in the first zone of the Shrine of Storms. Her hideout is located on the uppermost cliff of the area, which you reach by taking the secret passage and tunnels behind the Vanguard Demon.

Thief Ring

This ring will make it harder for enemies to detect you, and it’s located in a chest in the first zone of the Boletarian Palace. This chest is in the area where you first encounter the friendly knight Ostrava.

Sodden Ring (Remake-Exclusive)

Another new ring added to the remake is a unique item that can make your journey through the Valley of Defilement a bit more manageable. Located in the second zone of the Tower of Latria, you can find it on a body in the lower levels of the swamp, just after taking the makeshift elevator. This ring will grant you higher mobility when it swamps or murky terrain.

Every Other Ring

While the rings we’ve mentioned above are high-functional, the others are also handy in their own ways. Below you can find the locations of the other rings you can find throughout your trek across the kingdom of Boletaria.

Clever Rat’s Ring

This item increases your attack power by 50% once your health drops below 30%. You can find it in the first zone of the Tower of Latria on the walkway with the giant automated ballista. You’ll need to disable the ballista to safely pick up the item, but if you’re feeling daring enough to risk going for it when it’s active, you just need to roll in time with the arrows in order to avoid getting hit.

Dull Rat’s Ring

Like the previous ring, this item will instead boost your defense by 50% once you fall below 30%. It can also be found in the first zone of the Tower of Latria by freeing Lord Rydell from his prison cell. To do that, you’ll first need to reach the next zone after defeating the Fool’s Idol. You can pick up the key by finding it on a wall by the Fool’s Idol Archstone. Head back to the first zone and make your way to Lord Rydell to free him and get the ring.

Eternal Warrior’s Ring

This ring increases stamina regen rates. You can get it by defeating Old King Doran in the Mausoleum area of the Boletarian Palace. Though he is not hostile, you can fight him in a friendly duel to gain a special sword. If you continue attacking him after gaining the sword, he will then go all out. If you manage to beat him, you can gain his armor set along with the ring.

Foe’s Ring

If you’re looking to follow the ways of a Black Phantom, then this ring will boost your attack power by 20% while invading other worlds. To find it, you can get it as a reward from Mephistopheles after slaying Yuria the Witch. Mephistopheles will arrive in the Nexus after you kill Yurt, the Silent Chief in the Tower of Latria.

Fragrant Ring

This item will slowly recover MP when you have it equipped. You can find it in four locations. First, you can easily get the item by choosing the Royalty class at the game’s introduction. You can also get it from other Sparkly the Crow or from Patches by trading items or souls, respectively. Lastly, you can find it in the swamplands of the Tower of Latria after the Fool’s Idol Archstone.

Friend’s Ring

When playing as a Blue Phantom, this ring will boost your attack power by 20%. You can acquire it from the Monumental if your character tendency is Pure White.

Graverobber’s Ring

If you’re trying to avoid Black Phantoms while playing online, then this ring is for you. The Graverobber’s Ring will make it less likely for Black Phantoms to invade your game. You can find it in the first zone of the Shrine of Storms, shortly after the second fog gate. Alternatively, you can also get it fordefeating Graverobber Blige from a jail cell in the Shrine of Storms.

Master’s Ring

This item will increase direct hit damage (strikes from the very tip of a sword or a broadside of a heavy weapon) by 15% while decreasing damage from all other attacks. We would recommend that only those who have a firm grasp of combat wield it. You can get this ring by defeating Executioner Miralda in the first zone of the Boletarian Palace with Pure White world tendency or finding it in the Dragon God’s room in Stonefang Tunnel. For the latter, you can find it tucked away behind the second ballista.

Regenerator’s Ring

With this equipped, you will recover health overtime at a steady pace. You can get in the Shrine of Storms, in the Valley of Defilement’s second zone, or by trading a Jade Hair Ornament with Sparkly the Crow.

Ring of Avarice

This ring will grant you a 20% increase to souls gained from defeating enemies. You will be able to get this ring from the Once Royal Mistress in the Tower of Latria. Alternatively, you can find it in the second zone in the area where you reach the giant heart.

Ring of Devout Prayer

This special ring will add an additional slot for Miracle spells, allowing you to cast multiple healing and holy magic. You can trade the Moonlight Sword with Sparkly the Crow to get it or trading the Crest of Vinland with Selend Vinland in the second zone of the Valley of Defilement. Another way to get it is by defeating Saint Urbain in the second zone of the Shrine of Storms

Ring of Disease Resistance

This ring will grant you added resistance to disease damage. The Ring of Disease Resistance is located shortly after the Armor Spider Archstone once you reach the inside of the lengthy tunnel system. Another way of finding it is in the swamplands of the second zone of the Tower of Latria.

Flame Resistance Ring

If you’re having trouble with fire-based enemies, then this ring will grant you an increase in fire resistance. This ring can be acquired from Patches after disabling his trap in the second zone of Stonefang Tunnel or finding it in the blue dragon resting zone in the first zone of the Boletarian Palace.

Gash Resistance Ring

This ring will grant you added resistance to the bleed effect. To find this ring, you’ll need to defeat the Phalanx boss in the Boletarian Palace and proceed further to find a dead body, which has the ring. This item can also be acquired from Saint Urbain after interacting with Patches in the Shrine of Storms after the Adjudicator fight.

Ring of Herculean Strength

This item raises your general item carry limit. You can get it by giving the Jade Hair Ornament to Stockpile Thomas or killing him outright to loot his body.

Ring of Magical Dullness

This ring will increase magic defense by 20% while also decreasing magic power by 40%. The Ring of Magical Dullness is found in the Valley of Defilement following the first fog gate or trading the Phosphorescent Pole with Sparkly the Crow.

Ring of Magical Nature

You can gain an additional Magic slot from this ring. You can get it from the room where Yuria the Witch is being held in the third zone of the Boletarian Palace.

Ring of Magical Sharpness

Like the Ring of Magical Dullness, this item does the inverse by boosting magic power at the expense of defense. This special ring is located on the 4th floor of the Tower of Latria.

Ring of Poison Resistance

This ring will grant you added resistance to poison damage. You can get it from the area where Executioner Miralda is located or by finding it in the first zone of Stonefang Tunnel in the area of the lava pit that gets cooled off.

Ring of Sincere Prayer

This increases miracle strength by 50% while also making the cast time 10% longer. You can get this ring by killing Maiden Astraea shortly after the Dirty Colossus Archstone.

Ring of the Accursed

This ring is a strange one, as it boosts aggro from enemies in the game. In addition to the time to gain soul when farming, it can also be useful when guiding players as a Blue Phantom. You can get it from the room where Yuria the Witch is being held or by defeating Mephistopheles in combat.

Ronin’s Ring

This ring will lower the weapon degradation rate on weapons. You can find it in the cave following the Adjudicator’s Archstone in the Shrine of Storms or by killing Scirvir the Wanderer in the second zone of Stonefang Tunnel.

Ring of Longevity

This ring will increase your maximum HP. You can get it by trading to Sparkly the Crow or having the Deluxe Edition for the game.

Black Friday has come early for Ubisoft’s store, as the company is offering big discounts on a variety of games and gear. This includes up to 80% off some of its biggest games and another 20% off your total purchase when you include Watch Dogs: Legion in your cart. The deals began at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET on November 18 and will be live until at least November 29. In the case of the game sales, they’ll remain valid through December 3.

Best Ubisoft Black Friday Game Deals

Ubisoft’s Black Friday deals this year include games from its past library, but there are also several newer games on the list. Watch Dogs: Legion only released in late October, and it’s joined by other newer games such as Anno 1800. Many of these titles are on consoles in addition to PC (Uplay), and you can find additional versions if you’re looking for more content. Rainbow Six Siege, for example, has several editions on sale alongside the standard version we list below.

Ubisoft Black Friday Gear Deals

Ubisoft is not offering traditional per-item sales on its merchandise. However, you get an increasingly large total discount when you meet a certain spending threshold on the store. Sweatshirts, hats, shirts, and posters are all included, and they represent a wide array of Ubisoft franchises.

• 10% off if you spend up to $30
• 15% off if you spend between $30 and $50
• 20% off if you spend between $50 and $100
• 25% if you spend more than $100

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 is a proper remaster for the two classic skateboarding games, and you can get it on sale for Black Friday 2020 this year. The compilation takes the first two Tony Hawk games, often regarded as among the best in the series, and gives them a handful of upgrades, including improved graphics, new challenges and achievements, and an expanded soundtrack.

The Black Friday Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 deals are available for both Xbox One and PS4. If you have a PS5 with a disc drive or the Xbox Series X, you’ll be able to play these physical discs on those consoles as well. There’s no next-gen upgrade yet, but you may still notice some performance improvements.

Besides the rather dramatic facelift, THPS1+2 nails the feeling of the classic Tony Hawk games. After some missteps in recent years, this game helped revitalize the series and recapture what made it special.

“Because it nails so much about that original Tony Hawk experience, it’s really hard to be mad at Pro Skater 1 + 2 for any of its downsides,” editor Mat Paget wrote in GameSpot’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 review. “The load times aren’t enough to keep you away from the plethora of satisfying combos, and the lack of level goals for every skater isn’t enough to keep you from jumping back in with a new character. Playing through the newly remade levels is immensely enjoyable, and that on its own is enough to call Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 a success. However, smart additions and an engaging challenge system make it an experience that’s more than just a brief skate through Tony Hawk’s past.”

We’ll be covering Black Friday 2020 news and deals from now through Thanksgiving weekend, so stay tuned. Check out our roundup of the best Black Friday gaming deals available this year, including the best deals for Nintendo Switch, PS4/PS5, and Xbox One/Series X.

Star Wars veteran Anthony Daniels has stated that he will never retire his C-3PO character, even though he suspects that it will be “a very very long time” until he reprises the role again for a movie.

In an interview with CinemaBlend, Daniels, who has portrayed the galaxy’s beloved protocol droid for more than 40 years, spoke about his long-spanning role in the Star Wars franchise. The actor was specifically asked whether he would ever consider retiring the character, to which he revealed that he intends to keep playing C-3PO, even if the golden suit stays in his wardrobe for a while.

“No, I’m never going to retire,” Daniels confirmed. “They’re going to have to throw me out the door… Life is not over, the films, may be taking a back seat for ‘3PO, for a very very long time, I would think. But there’s all sorts of other media, particularly now with digital formats, that I’m so happy, and grateful and proud to be part of. And I do want to go on looking after ‘3PO because he needs looking after.”

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This isn’t the first time that the C-3PO star has laid his parts on the line. He previously spoke about the possibility of the role moving forward without him, insisting that the droid is “too good of a character” and “too big of a character” to die with him. He echoed these thoughts in the poignant conclusion of his autobiography, in which he acknowledged that his signature role may potentially be recast one day.

“I surely recognize, I will someday leave the stage,” Daniels wrote in a heartfelt note over the final pages of his book. “I hope I will do so in the knowledge that I have imbued See-Threepio with enough life that, with the love of the fans, he will go on without me.”

C-3PO is one of the only Star Wars characters to have appeared in all nine movies of the Skywalker saga, beginning with the original 1977 Star Wars film right the way through to 2019’s Rise of Skywalker. He recently reprised the role for the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special on Disney+, which debuted on November 17, the same day that the original Star Wars holiday special aired on CBS in 1978.

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In our review of the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special, we called the animated feature “a charming and calamitous cross-time caper that blends all three trilogies together like never before.” We praised the special for being designed in such a way that it caters to “all levels of Stars Wars fandom, and all eras of Star Wars cinema” despite its “abundantly silly, cringingly corny, and marvellously meta” story.

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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Video game holdings company Embracer Group, which now oversees the development of the Saints Row, Darksiders, Metro and TimeSplitters series of games, has embarked upon another spending spree, acquiring 13 new companies.

Revealed on the Embracer Group blog, the parent company formerly known as THQ Nordic has acquired 11 new game studios, including Shadow Warrior developers Flying Wild Hog and the team behind Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated, Purple Lamp Studios.

The full list of developer acquisitions can be seen below, and includes Goat Simulator collaborators Coffee Stain North, Pinball FX heralds Zen Studios and the Newcastle, UK based studio Silent Games, who are working on a series of games within a new co-op IP, due in 2023. The new acquisitions are spread among Embracer’s publishing companies such as Koch Media and Saber Interactive.

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Embracer Group November 2020 Game Developer Acquisitions

• A Thinking Ape Entertainment – The developers of mobile free-to-play titles CasinoX and Kingdoms at War
• Zen Studios – The Budapest studio behind the Pinball FX games, with expansions based on properties like Star Wars and The Walking Dead
• Snapshot Games – The development team behind Phoenix Point will “expand the Phoenix Point universe” and “bring new IP to a global audience” following the acquisition
• Nimble Giant Entertainment – The Argentinian studio behind Champions of Regnum and Quantum League
• 34BigThings – The Italian studio responsible for the Redout racing game series
• Mad Head Games – A Serbian studio specializing in mystery and Hidden Object games.
• Purple Lamp Studios – The Austrian team behind Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated, who are set to put their “ambitious plans into action” following the acquisition
• IUGO Mobile Entertainment – A Vancouver based-studio working on mobile free-to-play games, previously responsible for The Walking Dead: Road to Survival
• Coffee Stain North – A smaller studio and partner of Coffee Stain Studios, who has worked on Goat Simulator and A Story About My Uncle
• Silent Games – A Newcastle-based studio working on its debut IP, a long-lasting co-op franchise where players will “unearth deep secrets of an ancient civilization.” The first game is set for a 2023 launch.
• Flying Wild Hog – The Polish studio behind the Shadow Warrior series of games, Flying Wild Hog is now working on “four projects together with well reputable external publishers.”

The two non-game development companies acquired by Embracer are Sandbox Strategies, a PR firm, and Quantic Lab, a Romanian QA specialist.

This marks another sizable addition to the holding company’s development squadron, with over 50 development teams now under its wing. Back in May of this year, it was revealed that the Embracer Group had 118 games in development, with 69 unannounced. Then in August, the Embracer Group acquired the team behind the Metro series 4A Games, who are working a “new AAA IP” following the acquisition.

We reviewed Purple Lamp’s Spongebob remake back in June of this year, scoring it a 5 and noting that it “sinks under its reverence to nostalgia.”

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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Fortnite is introducing the ability to video chat with friends in-game via the Epic Games-owned social app Houseparty.

The feature will begin to roll out to Houseparty app users on iOS and android, and will be compatible at launch when playing Fortnite on PC, PS5, and PS4 (Epic and Houseparty have said should any more platforms be supported, they will announce so in the future). Houseparty, which already lets friends video chat within the app, just needs to be connected to your Epic Games account – and doing so will earn players the Rainbow Fog Wrap. Once linked, players can follow the following steps, to easily enable video chat to pop up alongside their Fortnite gameplay:

• Open Houseparty on iOS or Android and connect to Fortnite through Settings or the TV icon
• Join your friends like you normally would or invite them to join you
• Fire up Fortnite on a PC or PlayStation
• Continue talking to your friends while you play

You’ll just need to find a comfortable position to prop your phone up to frame your face, but Houseparty uses facial recognition software available on iOS and Android to keep track of and recognize when a face is being captured via the camera. Once you’ve connected and enabled the Houseparty chat, your friends in your Houseparty party will be able to appear on screen to the left of your Fortnite gameplay in a new overlay. (The gameplay will adjust to properly accommodate the new look.) While Houseparty supports larger groups, only four friends at a time will appear on screen next to your Fortnite gameplay, with those who recently spoke being prioritized.

Players will have a Fornite-themed virtual background behind their face, with some options to choose from at the start. Only your friends on Houseparty, or the friends of anyone in your Houseparty room, will be able to join the video chat. Houseparty users can also lock a room to prevent more people from joining. Other players in a Fortnite game will not see any of your Houseparty video chat.

IGN was walked through a demonstration of Houseparty’s Fortnite integration over Zoom, and even with the video conferencing lag, the process was near-instantaneous at each step. Members who joined the Houseparty chat after it was enabled and integrated into a Fortnite game appeared on the game screen in just a few moments, properly tracked the faces of those speaking and prevented any real-life backgrounds from appearing, and demonstrated no noticeable vocal lag. Parties will be both present on your phone and in-game, but for those who use any similar functionality with Houseparty or other apps, the new feature is clearly meant to eliminate the need for those playing to keep looking away from their screen.

Players can begin checking out the Fortnite/Houseparty integration as the feature becomes available later today.

Fortnite is currently in the midst of a Marvel-themed season, with Marvel characters and locations being introduced into the battle royale. And next-gen players have been able to play upgraded versions of the game, as PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of Fortnite were available at launch of these new systems.

Sony has rebranded a number of stations on the London Underground as part of a marketing campaign for the PS5, which launches in the UK this week.

From one iconic shape to four. We’ve given the Oxford Circus Tube signs a #PS5 upgrade.  pic.twitter.com/iw9qlEXR7B

— PlayStation UK (@PlayStationUK) November 18, 2020

This morning, the day before PlayStation 5 is available in the region, commuters spotted that the London Underground roundel signs at Oxford Circus had been replaced with iconography replicating the classic PlayStation face buttons. Amusingly, the four gates to the Underground at Oxford Circus are located in front of Microsoft’s flagship London store. Inside, the iconography on the station walls of the Bakerloo, Victoria, and Central Line platforms has been changed to include cross, square, and triangle motifs alongside the classic London Underground Circle.

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Oxford Circus isn’t the only station that’s had a makeover, though. Four other stations across the city have been temporarily rebranded with PlayStation names; Mile End has become Miles End, in reference to Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Lancaster Gate is now Ratchet and Clankaster Gate, Seven Sisters has been renamed Gran Turismo 7 Sisters, and West Ham is now Horizon Forbidden West Ham.

The rebrand at Oxford Circus will last for 48 hours, covering just the day before and day of the PS5 launch in the UK. The other stations will retain their new names until December 16. It’s an unusual campaign considering that Underground traffic is very low right now (aside from standard COVID precautions, the UK is on a nationwide lockdown at the moment) and so won’t reach quite as many eyes as it would on a more normal London day. Sony acknowledges this, and asks that people only visit the stations as part of their essential travel.

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Underground takeovers are not unheard of; back in January Piccadilly Circus was renamed Picardillly Circus and adorned with Starfleet iconography in order to market the launch of Star Trek: Picard on Amazon Prime.

For more on PlayStation 5, be sure to take a look at our PS5 review and news of its performance improving system update, as well as how to use activity cards to somewhat replicate Xbox’s Quick Resume feature.

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Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Entertainment Writer.