Category: Games

Nintendo has shared more details on Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ next update. In addition to Sanrio-inspired villagers and items, the 1.9.0 update will introduce more new seasonal items, additional design slots, and other new features to the life sim later this week.

As Nintendo detailed on Twitter, the 1.9.0 update will add 50 more slots for both Custom Designs and Pro Designs, greatly increasing the number of patterns you can keep. Additionally, you’ll be able to purchase a Custom Designs Portal and Custom Design Pro Editor+ from the Nook Miles catalog; these will let you download and edit designs right from you Nook Phone, without having to travel to the Able Sisters’ shop to access the terminal.

Bunny Day–the first major event to occur after New Horizons launched last year–will return again on April 4. As before, you’ll be able to collect different kinds of eggs from around your island and craft them into special Bunny Day furniture. This time, however, Nook’s Cranny will also be selling brand-new Bunny Day items. These will be available exclusively in the shop, with a different item on sale each day from March 28 to April 4.

The Nook Link service in the Nintendo Switch Online mobile app will also receive its own update later this month. Following that update, the app will add a new feature that lets you collect Nook Points right from your phone and redeem them for prizes that you’ll receive in your game. You’ll need to have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to use the mobile app.

Finally, Nintendo is launching a new service called the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Island Tour Creator on March 23. With this, you’ll be able to create virtual posters and tour video showcasing your island and share them with others online.

The 1.9.0 update is slated to arrive on March 18. As previously mentioned, it will also introduce a handful of new Sanrio-inspired content, including brand-new villagers who you can invite to live on your island. You’ll need to scan the Animal Crossing Sanrio Amiibo cards to access these new villagers and items. Those will go on sale in the US starting March 26 and be sold exclusively at Target stores.

Ubisoft hosted a livestream where host and producer Youssef Maguid and PR intern Ellie Vengala sat down with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla narrative director Darby McDevitt to talk about the game’s ending. The conversation was full of fascinating insight into the design decisions behind many of the major storytelling moments in Valhalla, including the tidbit that the game’s major final reveal actually wasn’t a part of the original plan for the game.

Perhaps this goes without saying, but major spoilers for Valhalla follow. If you haven’t yet picked up the game and beaten it, you should. In GameSpot’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla review, I said, “Despite its strong connection to past games, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is more than capable of standing on its own. It takes a little while to build momentum, but when it hits its stride, Valhalla is a confident Assassin’s Creed title that takes a few narrative risks which, as a whole, pay off.”

So onto the spoilers. Turns out, Valhalla originally didn’t end with the modern day protagonist becoming Basim. “Later in production–I remember [the game director] saying, ‘What if we switched to him as the modern day protagonist?'” McDevitt said during the livestream. “And that became an interesting idea because the original idea was that once Layla is gone, maybe you go back and you play as Shaun or Rebecca and you get to choose, you get to swap back-and-forth and play as them.”

McDevitt adds that, in the original story, Basim remained an enigmatic force. You had no idea if he would be a good guy or a villain. Ismail deposited that it would be more intriguing to surprise players by making Basim into the new modern day protagonist, giving the player just a hint to his motivations in the final moments of Valhalla’s modern day storyline. According to McDevitt, the process of coming up with the idea for the new ending and then actually designing and implementing it took “about a year.”

Also during the livestream, McDevitt refers to Eivor with she/her pronouns, reinforcing the implications of the game’s ending: Eivor is canonically a woman. “Male Eivor” is just Havi, the male Isu who is later reborn as Eivor, a woman. And to that point, Darby talks about how he originally had two working theories for how to allow players to play as both a man and a woman in Valhalla.

“The first idea I pitched was we could do a dual protagonist where the protagonist is a male viking and the female version is actually Layla projecting herself onto the avatar, which we kind of did in AC1,” McDevitt said. “Altair and Desmond look exactly the same, but we didn’t do that for Ezio and Connor–Ezio looks a little different from Desmond, and Connor looks very different. So because of those early games, there was this idea that you could just project your own avatar.”

He continued: “And the second one I pitched was that we could do a Sage, where you are the reincarnation of Aita, so you’re a female viking but you’re also the reincarnation of Aita so you can switch to also look like Aita.” The team at Ubisoft mulled over both pitches, ultimately deciding that Valhalla should pursue the second one, though with the tweak that Eivor is a Sage of Odin, not Aita.

Also throughout the livestream, McDevitt regularly details how Valhalla is designed to tie together the Assassin’s Creed franchise, pointing out ways in which the game makes reference to the original Assassin’s Creed, II, Revelations, III, IV: Black Flag, Origins, and Odyssey. With Valhalla’s story occurring so close to that of the original Assassin’s Creed, Valhalla references that one the most.

“We set a goal at the beginning: Let’s tie things together as much as we can,” McDevitt said. “All the cities in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla are direct homages to the cities in AC1, down to the characters you kill, the assassination set-up, everything. We did a one-to-one homage. And that’s an idea we actually had, one that I pitched on Origins but never got made. Cause we were pitching Origins as a refreshing of the brand, and I thought it would be fun to refresh the brand with a homage to AC1. But that didn’t get done, so we revived the idea here and it worked out.”

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is available for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, PC, and Stadia. The game is scheduled to get two large post-launch DLC in 2021, the first of which, Wrath of the Druids, is set to release in spring.

Valheim’s third boss is Bonemass, a giant green blob that makes the Swamp biome its home. Defeating it is tough, as the huge boss is relentless and uses massive attacks that are tough to dodge. With the right tools and strategies, though, you can defeat Bonemass and claim its power. Here’s everything you need to know to beat the boss.

You’ll need to clear out Eikthyr, the Meadows boss, and The Elder, the boss of the Black Forest biome, to get complete access to the Swamps. You’ll also want the toughest Bronze armor you have access to before entering the area, as the Swamps are full of deadly enemies that can poison you for massive damage. We’ve outlined the gear that’ll give you the best chances against Bonemass, even if you’re fighting the boss without your Viking comrades.

How To Find Bonemass

Like other Valheim bosses, you can only summon Bonemass at specific altars. To find the location of such an altar, you’ll need to interact with rune stones located in the Swamps. These are found in the Sunken Crypts dungeons in the Swamp–you’ll need the Swamp Key, earned by defeating The Elder, to get into them. Once you find a rune stone and interact with it, Bonemass’s location will be marked on your map.

To summon the boss, you’ll need to make a sacrifice of 10 Withered Bones at its altar. You can also find Withered Bones in Sunken Crypts, either lying on the ground or mined from Muddy Scrap Piles.

What You’ll Need To Fight Bonemass

Armor: Iron Armor (Upgraded If Possible)

Bonemass does a ton of damage with its attacks, but the blob is not the only thing you’ll face in the Swamps. It’s best to have as much protection as you can get–so it’s definitely recommended that you spend the time to mine Iron in the Swamp and craft a full set of Iron armor before trying to go after the boss. Use our Iron guide to get everything you need to upgrade your gear. It’s also a good idea to upgrade your armor if you can for even more damage resistance.

Ranged Weapons: Huntsman Bow, Frost Arrows

Arrows aren’t the most effective way to fight Bonemass, unfortunately. The boss is resistant to Pierce damage, so normal arrows are pretty worthless in most cases. However, Bonemass can be very tough to fight up close, so ranged weapons are definitely a must. Bonemass is weak to Frost damage (it is a blob, after all), so you can get around the weaknesses of arrows by crafting Frost arrows. You’ll need a whole lot of them, but the ability to stay away from Bonemass’s big, powerful attacks is worth the extra effort.

Frost arrows aren’t easy to come by, though. You’ll need to venture into the Mountain biome to get what you need to make them. To survive the mountains, you’ll need Frost Resistance Mead, which you can make with a Cauldron and Fermenter. Frost Resistance Mead Base is made from 10 Honey, 5 Thistle, 2 Bloodbags (dropped by Leeches in the Swamp) and 1 Greydwarf Eye.

Apart from Wood and Feathers, Frost arrows require Frost Glands, which you can get by killing flying Drakes that live in the mountains, and Obsidian, which you can get by smashing Obsidian rocks poking out of the ground with an Iron Pickaxe. You’ll likely need 200 or more if you’re trying to solo the boss, so get plenty of material.

Melee Weapons: Iron Mace, Iron Tower Shield

Bonemass is weak against Blunt damage, so if you can manage to fight it at close range, you can do more damage than you would with arrows. You’ll want the strongest weapon you can get, which, in this case, is the Iron Mace–made from 20 Iron, 4 Wood, and 3 Leather Scraps.

The boss also throws out melee attacks of its own, though, so if you want to go toe-to-toe with it, you’ll need to block at least some of the damage. The Iron Tower Shield is the toughest shield you can craft, requiring 10 Iron and 15 Fine Wood, and should let you block some of Bonemass’s melee strikes. But the shield will significantly cut your movement speed–by 20%, in fact–and won’t help with the Bonemass’s poison.

Food

You’re going to want all the hit points you can get for this fight, so your very best food is essential. Since you’ve been spending time in the Swamps, you should have Draugr Entrails, which you can use to make Sausages. Queens Jam is also pretty effective, as is Carrot Soup–you’ll likely want the stamina boost to help you keep mobile as you fight Bonemass. You should also have the capability to make Medium Healing Mead with a Fermenter and a Cauldron, which uses 10 Honey, 4 Bloodbags, 10 Raspberries, and 1 Dandelion. You’ll definitely want the ability to quickly heal while you’re in this fight.

There’s another essential mead you need to survive: Poison Resistance Mead. Bonemass has a seriously horrific Poison attack that can wreck you pretty fast. Make it from 10 Coal, 5 Thistle, 1 Neck Tail, and 10 Honey, and keep plenty on-hand–the Bonemass fight will last a long time, and you’ll need to re-up your protection more than once.’

Ability: Eikthyr

Bonemass is a very mobile boss that will pursue you pretty relentlessly, and it does a big area-of-effect attack that’s best dealt with by running to get clear. Stamina management is a big part of this fight, so use the Eikthyr power to help you run around at less cost.

Rested Bonus Is Key: Make A Portal Or Campfire

One of the more frustrating things about the Bonemass fight is the fact the boss summons a constant rainstorm during the battle. That gives you the Wet debuff, which makes healing and stamina regeneration go slower. There’s not a lot you can do about the rain, but coming into the fight with the Rested bonus from sleeping and hanging out near a fire can help quite a bit. It’s also a good idea to build a portal (or at least a covered campfire) near Bonemass’s altar so you can retreat through it at intervals to repair your gear and spend a minute or two beside a fire to restore the bonus. Just don’t leave Bonemass alone too long or it’ll also regain health.

How To Beat Bonemass – Boss Fight Strategies

Bonemass is resistant to arrows, but makes the close-range fight very tough with its abilities and attacks. If you can bring a few extra Vikings to help you in this battle, it’s recommended that you do so. You can work together to kite the boss around and protect each other so that it doesn’t simply target you and stalk you until it catches you. It’s also helpful to have other players around to deal with another major threat during the fight: other random Swamp monsters who can show up and ruin your day.

At Range

The safest way to deal with Bonemass is at a distance. If you get too close to Bonemass, it’ll swing at you with its massive arms. Those attacks can be blocked, but the boss has a big reach and it’s tough to dodge those swings. Worse is Bonemass’s Poison attack, where it barfs a poisonous cloud that spreads out all around it. The cloud lingers, making it tough to stay close to Bonemass at all. You can avoid most of Bonemass’s capabilities by staying away from it, but it’ll occasionally pull off a chunk of its own body and throw it at you, spawning a couple of Blobs that you’ll have to deal with.

Your Frost arrows will do damage to the boss even though it’s highly resistant to Piercing damage, so you can just hit Bonemass with arrows until it dies–it’ll just take a lot of them. This strategy requires you to stay very mobile, though, because the boss will pursue you relentlessly. It’s also tough to fight this way, because Draugrs, Wraiths, Surtlings, and Blobs are likely to get mixed up in the battle as well. The Swamps are also a bit tough to navigate thanks to being flooded, so make sure you scout the area and have an idea of how you’ll want to move around during the fight. If you can make yourself an area that Bonemass can’t reach, say by cutting a trench with a pickaxe ahead of the fight, you can mitigate the need to run too much–but you’ll still have to avoid Bonemass’s AOE attack and the Blobs it’ll throw at you.

Up Close

Melee fighting is more effective against Bonemass in terms of doing damage, especially if you’ve got a good weapon that deals Blunt damage like the Iron Mace. You can use your shield to power through Bonemass’s big melee attacks, but you’ll probably want to run clear whenever it throws up Poison. There are good opportunities to hit the boss in the middle of its animations, though, especially when it throws its Blobs out.

If you can get some backup, it’s possible to keep the boss’s attention on one Viking while the others get behind it and attack from the rear, where Bonemass can’t get you. This is tough to maintain, though, so expect to spend a lot of time running clear of the boss and repositioning. Even if you’re doing a melee-focused strategy, you’re probably going to want a good number of Frost arrows so you can keep dealing damage even when you’re unable to get close to Bonemass.

What You Get For Beating Bonemass

Destroying Bonemass gives you some of what you need to move into the Mountain biome. In order to craft the next tier of armor, you’ll need to find and mine Silver, but unlike Iron, Copper, and Tin, Silver doesn’t pop up out of the ground or drop from nodes you can easily spot. Killing Bonemass gives you the Wishbone, which reveals secret things hidden under the ground–including Silver Veins. (Check out our Wolf Armor guide for help getting yourself set up to mine and use Silver.)

You’ll also get Bonemass’s power, which is one of the more useful ones in Valheim, especially as you head into the tough Mountain biome. Bonemass gives you resistance against physical damage, including Pierce, Blunt, and Slash damage. The ability makes you much more resilient in combat, which can help significantly when you’re fighting Stone Golems, Drakes, and Wolves in the mountains. With both Bonemass’s drops available to you, you’re ready to move on to Valheim’s next set of challenges.